Zombie Rotten: We're Number One

Modern Aggro Mono-Black Tribal Zombie

Firebird

Creature (25)

• 4x Cryptbreaker
• 1x Erebos, God of the Dead
• 4x Gravecrawler
• 4x Lord of the Undead
• 4x Plague Belcher
• 4x Relentless Dead
• 4x Stromgald Crusader

Land (22)

• 4x Cavern of Souls
• 3x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 13x Swamp
• 2x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Sorcery (4)

• 4x Thoughtseize

Planeswalker (4)

• 4x Liliana, the Last Hope

Enchantment (4)

• 4x Leyline of the Void

Artifact (1)

• 1x Whip of Erebos

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Maybeboard

Enchantment (12)

• 4x Call to the Grave
• 4x Endless Ranks of the Dead
• 4x Grave Pact

Creature (4)

• 4x Death Baron

Sorcery (4)

• 4x Black Sun's Zenith

Instant (4)

• 4x Hero's Downfall

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This is an attempt to create a Zombie tribal deck for Modern. I want it to be very thematic and flavorful (as I do with all my decks) while being strong. There are quite a few unknowns yet in the lists, especially the sideboard. I figured I'd worry about the mainboard. Various thoughts going through my mind included Death Baron and Grave Pact with lots of recursion to make trading with my creatures a losing proposition. I've also considered things like Endless Ranks of the Dead to help spam out Zombie tokens and go that route. What I went with was a middle-ground between token-style and resilience-style Zombies: they don't want to stay in the grave, and they can overwhelm you with numbers. The idea behind having Erebos and his Whip in there is both because he fits the theme and the ability to have card draw as well as a beater, and a source of lifelink, would be helpful. I've also considered Graf Harvest for the menace, or Vampiric Rites to sacrifice expendable Zombies and reap benefits.

Leyline of the Void does hose certain deck archetypes, but what it also really helps with is free early devotion. Between that and a Gravecrawler or Cryptbreaker on turn 1, and Stromgald Crusader or Relentless Dead turn 2, I could have potentially 5 black mana available on turn 3. Attack all-in with this deck (which is why I'm still considering Grave Pact and/or Death Baron), knowing that your guys won't stay dead, and that you can apply relentless pressure with cheap, expendable creatures.

I'm very much open to input here, because there are so many ways I could go with the deck. I want a good Zombie tribal deck that very much fits the theme without sacrificing playability. Also, I don't know if Liliana, the Last Hope is a good fit or not, but I really love the card.

Date added	7 years
Last updated	7 years
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	17 - 0 Mythic Rares 26 - 0 Rares 4 - 0 Uncommons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.32
Tokens	Emblem Liliana, the Last Hope, Zombie 2/2 B