A new legendary zombie lord.
Custom Cards forum
Posted on April 13, 2015, 12:45 p.m. by Phaetion
I felt like there needed to be a new U/B legendary creature that focused on zombies, so here's my take:
(Card name undecided) 2UB
3/4
Legendary Creature-Zombie Wizard
Other Zombies you control get +1/+1 (and Flying? I really want to remove that weakness).1BB, Tap: Return target creature card from a graveyard to play. That creature is a black Zombie in addition to its color and types.
Not the best template use, I know, but this is the idea I wanted to convey: A zombie (a very powerful necromancer in life) calling forth more of his kin to battle. What do you guys think? Is it too powerful? Is it perfect? Or is it just downright underwhelming?
I've considered increasing the cost to maybe 2BB. At the same time, I question the idea of reanimating a zombie that was already, well, a zombie.
Ok, so maybe not the flying. Maybe another evergreen blue ability to grant the zombies? Shroud would break it in half. Drawing cards seems odd. Unblockable?
April 13, 2015 12:52 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #4
Nope. Maybe something like Persist or Undying?
April 13, 2015 12:52 p.m.
Undying works better but we already have Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, so Persist? The problem is that there will be nothing blue about the card at all.
April 13, 2015 12:54 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #6
I played zombies at one point and flying is definitely something they lack. Suppose instead of reanimating something, have him give a zombie flying until end of turn. Maybe make the cost 
to keep the blue aspect.
April 13, 2015 12:59 p.m.
What zombie tribal needs (for EDH) is a five-color legendary zombie. My go-to zombie tribal at the moment is with Thraximundar, but there are a couple outlier zombies in white and green that I'd love to be able to include.
So, here's my idea for a five-color legendary zombie. (for EDH, specifically)
The Grave WUBRG
5/8
Legendary Creature - Zombie Avatar
As long as The Grave is in your graveyard and you control a Plains, Zombies you control have vigilance.
(Islands could give your zombies flying, black could give them lifelink, red could give them haste, and green could give them trample)
April 13, 2015 1:10 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #8
cklise Why would you need a rainbow zombie legend? Do you know of any white or green zombies?
April 13, 2015 1:11 p.m.
There are 3 zombies in white and 15 zombies in green, so yes.
April 13, 2015 1:13 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #11
It would also give you access to Necromancer's Covenant
April 13, 2015 1:25 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #12
None of which are very playable, save the Sculler.
April 13, 2015 1:38 p.m.
Timekeeper says... #14
Phaetion, if you're adamant about this guy being able to repeatedly cast Rise from the Grave, then by magic standards it needs to cost more than Rise to offset the fact that you don't need to expend a card to get the effect. WOTC has decided that the cost of a card is approximately 2 colorless mana. So a good starting point for the ability cost would be 5BB and tap or 6B and tap.
This also makes the card more interesting, because now he can be cast relatively early simply for the lord pump, but still has utility and inevitability in the late game.
The last point I would like to look at is the P/T. Zombies as a general rule are not large creatures (most are 2/2). Wizards are also small, and most Zombie Wizards are 2/2 or smaller. There are, of course, exceptions. Havengul Lich is tied for the biggest Zombie Wizard at 4/4 for 5 CMC. So at 4 CMC I feel like your creature should be more like a 2/3 or 2/4 at the highest.
April 13, 2015 1:45 p.m.
None are playable? Do you.. do you even understand what that word means? What small mind do you live in?
April 13, 2015 1:47 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #16
For a 5 color zombie legendary, that would give you access to some good playable stuff, like:
- Tidehollow Sculler
- Glissa, the Traitor
- Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
- Lotleth Troll
- Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
- Vulturous Zombie
- Golgari Grave-Troll (not a zombie, but it's good for the archetype)
April 13, 2015 2:03 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #17
Go ahead then.
Dreg Mangler I don't think is very playable. Or at least I've never seen one in play, except in Standard.
Ghoultree is decent in graveyard-based decks, but there's much better.
Glissa, the Traitor is a good commander, but Black and Green aren't really the colors of artifacts. Still, one.
Golgari Rotwurm I have never seen on a board, Standard put aside.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord is a good commander in a graveyard-based deck, so that's two.
Kheru Lich Lord is fairly good, but I haven't seen him anywhere.
Llanowar Dead is just pretty bad.
Lotleth Troll is an excellent cheap creature. That's three.
Marrow Chomper Never seen, but I wasn't around for that Standard, so I don't know about that.
Putrid Leech is very good in Rock-type decks in Modern, less so in Commander. That's four.
Putrid Warrior I have again never seen.
Shambling Shell is meh, definitely not the best.
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave is a great commander. That's five.
Slitherhead There are such better ways to put a +1/+1 counter on creatures.
Stillmoon Cavalier is pretty good, not great, but not bad either.
Tidehollow Sculler is good, so that's six.
Vulturous Zombie is pretty good, but again, there's better.
Woodwraith Strangler is pretty bad.
So that's six on 18. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to splash two colors for 6 pretty good cards. After that, it's your choice.
April 13, 2015 2:05 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #18
But you are just think about multicolored creatures at this point. The 5 colors gives you access to better reanimation cards, like Necromancer's Covenant, Debtors' Knell, and actually being able to use Unburial Rites
April 13, 2015 2:15 p.m.
bobjones36 says... #19
Ok blue black green and 3 colorless 2/2 puts out a zombie with island swamp and forest walk For 3 mana. Done.
April 13, 2015 2:43 p.m.
As far as I know: There are only a few playable zombies in Red/Green/White. All of them are multicolored, and white is pointless (sans Necromancer's Covenant).
Red:
Green:
That's all I see. Then again, I'm remaining strictly with U/B because I don't see a point in adding a third color to a tribal theme that does not offer much outside of Black (and budget). There's Lotleth Troll but he's moot unless you have a lot of recursion to use with that discard. Fortunately, zombie tribal has a TON of recursion.
Oh, and Timekeeper, the Necromancy thing was the main point that was stuck in my head. I could see it being "Return a Zombie creature card from your graveyard to play." Saying that, that sounds better, except I'm not sure if it's a flavor fail (thinking because bringing back something that was already a zombie...I'm not sure. Human to Zombie, sure...but Zombie to...Zombie?)
April 13, 2015 3:56 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #21
I still like the flying idea.
Winggrafter (play on Wingcrafter)
2UB
Other Zombie creatures you control get +1/+1 and have flying.
2/2
April 13, 2015 4:03 p.m.
I love it. I'll be perfectly fine with that on an ordinary zombie. As a legendary? That would be underwhelming.
April 13, 2015 4:10 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #23
Blue black zombie lord seems stale. Why not being able to only Rise from the Grave zombies? Add some kind of ETB to all zombies you control and it seems pretty good. Maybe like whenever it or another zombie enters the battlefield under your control, each player Mind Grinds for one?
April 13, 2015 4:19 p.m.
Maybe...
CARD NAME 
2/4Legendary Creature-Zombie Wizard
Whenever ~ CIP, draw X cards, where X is the number of Zombie creatures you control.
: Return target zombie creature from your graveyard tto play.
April 13, 2015 4:23 p.m.
I'm actually a fan of it the way it is, but not with flying of course. How about fear instead?
April 13, 2015 5:11 p.m.
I just created the card. Absolutely beautiful, especially with the classic border.
Now, I'm going to create the card brokendwarf suggested because that was just as good.
mpeach1: Fear isn't as good nowadays...
April 13, 2015 5:19 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #28
Hmm...what else do zombies not have that can put into a Lord?
April 13, 2015 5:22 p.m.
So, the latest design is the best one. Am I correct on this?
April 13, 2015 5:33 p.m.
rob_shifflett: It could but that would be highly situational. Repeatable recursion effects are bonkers as they are.
April 13, 2015 5:47 p.m.
brokendwarf says... #33
You have any good artwork for them? Good art makes the card. I've been trying to find one for Winggrafter.
April 13, 2015 6:30 p.m.
I've tried to find one for Winggrafter. It's impossible. I found one but I had to change the card name for flavor reasons. I'll post links to the artwork used when I get back.
April 13, 2015 6:49 p.m.
bobjones36 says... #35
Wing grater looks good but OP at 4 cmc. Either it doesn't give +1/+1 or it'd have to be 6 cmc.
April 13, 2015 7:17 p.m.
Artwork:
Winggrafter (now Winged Ghoul):
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Urv1a2zCAYE/TyhiyINtNII/AAAAAAAABPc/lPzJnxt4IkA/s1600/1-09-09-Harpie_v_(3).jpg
New Legendary creature (Asmodion, Undead Savant):
http://www.bankoboev.ru/images/MTY2MTQ4/Bankoboev.Ru_nekromant_s_sharovoi_molniei.jpg
bobjones36: It's safe to say that it's fair. I made it (Still looking for something to math wing grafter. I'll change the card name back to the original once it's been found). That way, it's more committed to blue and it balances out. Plus it granting the bonuses to only Zombies you control. Remember, Death Baron granted its benefits to both Skeletons and Zombies, and there was no drawback with him.
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FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #2
Whoa, repetitive Rise from the Grave??? That's nuts! Might want to make it "your graveyard", but even then it's really good. Besides that, zombies don't fly.
April 13, 2015 12:47 p.m.