It should be obvious that during the design of this deck I had a few goals. First, stick to a Zombie theme. Second, very challenging but not impossible. Third, only one copy of a card so that when you play against the Horde it beats you differently every time creating a unique experience and increasing replay-ability.
I run Walking Corpses and
Mass of Ghouls
instead of the traditional tokens because I like the art better.
Disclaimer I use a variation of the Horde Magic format. In addition to the regular rules listed below I have a few additional rules. My rules are meant to benefit the Horde.
My House Rules:
Any effect that targets a creature or player always targets the player if they are a valid target.
Any effect that targets a creature always targets the highest targetable CMC creature, in case of a tie choose randomly.
If a creature has an activated ability it must be activated if there is a valid target. Activated abilities are ONLY activated at the end of the first main phase and can only be activated once per turn. (this means that creatures that must tap to activate their abilities never attack)
For those not familiar with the Horde Magic Format This section is meant for you.
Game Play Rules:
The objective is for the allied team to survive, and eliminate, the Horde. Survivors win when the Horde deck has no cards remaining in its library, no cards in hand, and controls no creatures.
If the Survivors deal damage to the Horde, that number of cards are put from the top of the Horde's deck into its graveyard.
Player Rules:
Up to four players total, and each player brings his or her own deck.
All players share their turns, Like Two-Headed Giant.
The Survivors takes the first two or three turns (depending on deck strength), then alternate with the Horde.
Horde Rules:
The Horde is a hundred-card deck.
The Horde is both token cards as well as regular Magic cards; the standard is fifty-five 2/2 Zombie tokens, five 5/5 Zombie Giant tokens (from Zendikar), and forty assorted Zombies and other spells.
The Horde's turns start by revealing the top card of the library. If it's a creature token, it is set aside. This process repeats until a nontoken spell is revealed. Then, all of the creature tokens are cast (as a creature spell that costs 0 Mana). Finally, the revealed spell is cast.
The Horde will only cast spells once per turn, at the start of the turn. (Anything that is returned to the Horde's hand remains there until the next turn, when it is then cast after the revealed spell for that turn.)
The horde deck has an infinite amount of mana of any color needed and will always pay additional costs required.
All creatures the Horde controls have haste and must attack each turn if able.
If there is a choice presented for the Horde, such as when a Survivor casts Fact or Fiction, the choice is made randomly.*
Tokens put into the graveyard, returned to the Horde's hand, or exiled, disappear from the game as per normal token rules (I do not use this rule).
Finally, here is a link to the article of the designers original release of the rules (or just Google "Horde Magic").
http://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/09/horde-magic-a-new-way-to-play-magic-and-survive-zombie-invasions/
