Article 18: Deck Analysis: Advanced Zombie

 

Welcome everyone to Melos’s Tactics. Today, I bring you a Deck Analysis on the Zombie Deck. Unlike my previous Deck Analyses, I am going to review a Deck that I have fashioned into a competitive war machine. I have spent 3 months perfecting this Deck in the current format and I have gained a lot of experience from playing this theme in previous formats. I have even written a prior Deck Analysis on an older version of this Deck in my 4th article. It may have taken a lot of time to get the Deck to where it is now, but I’m proud to reveal it to the world as a beacon of hope for those who wish to make a competitive Deck without netdecking. If I were to rank the competitiveness of a Deck through Tiers, I would have a Tier 5 Deck as unplayable, a Tier 4 Deck used chiefly for casual play, a Tier 3 Deck capable of winning at local tournaments, a Tier 2 Deck capable of winning at Regional and Shonen Jump Championship events, and a Tier 1 Deck capable of winning at the World Championships. On average, my previously analyzed Decks were mainly in the Tier 3 category, which meant that they could win local tournaments. They were competitive, but most of them weren’t going to win a major event like a Shonen Jump Championship.

 

Today’s Deck, the Cemetery of the Damned, is Tier 1 playable in my opinion. For the last few months I have been perfecting the Cemetery of the Damned by regularly sparring against a duplicate of Austin Kulman’s Deck. My brother has copied every single card in the U.S. Champion’s Deck so I would have a proven competitive Deck to test against. My brother is not a beginner either. My brother has been playing for nearly as long as I have and we have both been playing for about 4 years. With the original version of the Cemetery of the Damned, I would have a 20% win rate against Austin Kulman’s Deck. As I tweaked and improved my Deck, that win rate increased to 30% and then 40%. As it is now, my Zombie Deck has a win rate of about 60-65% against the U.S. Champion’s Deck. Although you may think that 60-65% isn’t an outstanding win rate, it means that the U.S. Champion’s Deck could only defeat the Cemetery of the Damned about 35-40% of the time. In my opinion, that’s pretty good. Also, the Cemetery of the Damned has proven it’s worth against other Decks including Warrior Toolbox, FIRE, Zombie, Elemental Hero, etc. In most cases, it swiftly shattered the opposition without allowing them to put up a fight. It’s not an anti Cookie-Cutter Deck, so it has a lot of potential in major events where you may face different Decks besides Cookie-Cutter.

 

Since the release of Pharaonic Guardian, the Zombie Deck has been a cult favorite and a very playable theme. After it’s release, “Book of Life” and “Pyramid Turtle” were entitled as instant additions to the Zombie arsenal. These two cards have basically shaped the Zombie Deck into what it is today. For those of you who don’t know what they are…

 

Book of Life

Normal Spell

Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster from your Graveyard to the field and remove from play 1 monster in your opponent's Graveyard.

 

“Book of Life” is the heart of the Zombie Deck. Most Zombie Decks run two or three “Book of Life” in addition to the other revival cards like “Call of the Haunted” and “Premature Burial”. “Book of Life” is one of the most powerful Spell Cards in the game, as long as you have Zombie-Type monsters in the Graveyard. It doesn’t have a Life Point cost like “Premature Burial” and it doesn’t have to wait a turn before activation like “Call of the Haunted”. With all of the monster removal floating around in the current Meta, you will have many opportunities to revive your defeated creatures. “Book of Life” can revive heavy hitters like “Ryu Kokki” as well as revive hated defenses like “Spirit Reaper”. The second effect of “Book of Life” is also very useful. Remove your opponent’s LIGHT and DARK monsters so they cannot Special Summon “Chaos Sorcerer” or revive them. If your opponent is also running “Return from the Different Dimension”, you can choose to remove their “Magician of Faith” instead of their “Zaborg the Thunder Monarch”. Keep in mind that you cannot activate “Book of Life” unless your opponent has a monster in the Graveyard.

 

Pyramid Turtle

Effect Monster (Zombie / EARTH / 4 Stars / ATK 1200 / DEF 1400)

When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster with a DEF 2000 or less from the Deck to the field. Then shuffle the Deck.

 

If “Book of Life” is the heart of the Zombie Deck, “Pyramid Turtle” is the soul. “Pyramid Turtle” is the Bringer of Death and is normally used in triples. Currently, there are only three Zombie-Type monsters with over 2000 DEF. They are named “Despair from the Dark”, “Fushioh Richie”, and “Vampire Genesis”. Of these three, only “Despair from the Dark” doesn’t require a special condition to be Special Summoned to the field. That means “Pyramid Turtle” can pretty much call out any undead creature from your Deck. Like “Mystic Tomato”, “Pyramid Turtle” must be destroyed in battle to use his effect. “D.D. Warrior Lady” may pose a threat, but she’s also restricted so there is really no reason not to run “Pyramid Turtle” in a Zombie Deck. “Pyramid Turtle” has an ATK of 1200 and DEF of 1400, so you can easily destroy “Pyramid Turtle” via attacking “Cyber Phoenix” and “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive”. When the Bringer of Death is destroyed by battle, Special Summon the 2400 ATK “Ryu Kokki” or the 2000 ATK “Vampire Lord” to take control of the field. If you’re between a rock and a hard place, you can even Special Summon “Spirit Reaper” in Defense Position to hold back your enemies.

 

 

Deck Example

The following is a Zombie Deck that I have created to be very competitive in the Advanced Format. In my opinion, this Zombie Deck is perfected for my style of play, but it may not be for your own style of play.

 

The Cemetery of the Damned

Advanced Format

Deck Size: 40

Monster Cards: 20

Spell Cards: 15

Trap Cards: 5

 

Monster Cards (Level 5+)

x2 Ryu Kokki

x2 Vampire Lord

 

Monster Cards (Level 1-4)

x1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

x1 D.D. Warrior Lady

x1 Exiled Force

x2 Magician of Faith

x1 Morphing Jar

x1 Night Assailant

x3 Pyramid Turtle

x1 Regenerating Mummy

x3 Spirit Reaper

x1 Treeborn Frog

x1 Tsukuyomi

 

Spell Cards

x1 Brain Control

x3 Book of Life

x1 Creature Swap

x1 Graceful Charity

x1 Heavy Storm

x1 Mystical Space Typhoon

x2 Nobleman of Crossout

x1 Nobleman of Extermination

x1 Premature Burial

x2 Smashing Ground

x1 Snatch Steal

 

Trap Cards

x1 Call of the Haunted

x1 Deck Devastation Virus

x1 Magic Drain

x1 Mirror Force

x1 Torrential Tribute

 

Side Deck

x1 Card Destruction

x1 Ceasefire

x1 Deck Devastation Virus

x2 Des Wombat

x3 Dust Tornado

x1 Lightning Vortex

x1 Outstanding Dog Marron

x1 Protector of the Sanctuary

x1 Return from the Different Dimension

x1 Soul Release

x1 Spirit Barrier

x1 The End of Anubis

 

The Cemetery of the Damned is a 40 card Deck, which gives me the best chances of drawing what I need when I need it. However, the Deck can through cards rather fast so you may put yourself endanger of running out of cards if you stall for too long. I have 20 Monster Cards, including 4 that are Level 5+. My monster count may seem high to some of you, but I choose 20 monsters so I could always get a couple of playable monsters in my starting hand. It also helps when your top decking. 15 Spell Cards is a good number for me. It goes with the 5 Trap Cards as well. I am normally on the offensive, so I try to limit the amount of Trap Cards in the Deck so I can concentrate most of my efforts on quickly beating my opponent before they can counterattack. Besides Trap Cards, I can use a lot of the monsters for defensive purposes too.

 

The Cemetery of the Damned uses two “Ryu Kokki” and two “Vampire Lord”. “Ryu Kokki” is the true beatstick in this Deck. With 2400 ATK, he can crush “Chaos Sorcerer” and even kamikaze with “Zaborg the Thunder Monarch”. With 2000 DEF, this bone ogre is a lightning rod for “Smashing Ground”, but it also protects him from “Tsukuyomi” and “Enemy Controller” where the monarchs fail. Unlike typical monsters of his Level, “Ryu Kokki” is incredibly easy to call out due opt “Book of Life” and “Pyramid Turtle”.

 

The same can be said about “Vampire Lord”. Few Zombie Decks are complete without the Lord of the Undead. “Vampire Lord” is quite powerful for his self-revival effect and fears few Trap Cards. “Vampire Lord” may not be quite as strong as “Ryu Kokki”, but he’s incredibly good at taking care of your opponent’s monster removal. Call Trap Card when he inflicts and most opponents will toss out “Sakuretsu Armor”. If your opponent does use “Mirror Force” or “Smashing Ground” on him, he’ll just revive himself. Just watch out for “Bottomless Trap Hole” and stronger monsters like “Cyber Dragon”. Remember that timing is the real key when using “Vampire Lord”. Do not bring him out if you think your opponent will just run him over with a “Cyber Dragon” next turn.

 

“Breaker the Magical Warrior” provides solid Spell/Trap removal and can be considered a staple monster in most aggressive Decks. Destroying 1 Spell Card or Trap Card on the field can help clear the way for a brutal onslaught. You can also use him as a 1900 ATK beatstick, if you don’t need to use his Spell Counter. “D.D. Warrior Lady” provides excellent monster removal and works wonders against opposing “Spirit Reaper”. The same can be said with “Exiled Force”. Because this Deck uses triple “Book of Life”, it isn’t a horrible move to use “Premature Burial” to revive the “Exiled Force” when you just want to clear the opponent’s face-down monster.

 

Few Decks are complete without a “Magician of Faith” or two. “Magician of Faith” allow you to retrieve a powerful Spell Card from your Graveyard, including “Book of Life”. It’s a very powerful monster that can combo very evilly with “Tsukuyomi”. “Morphing Jar” is another excellent Flip Effect monster. A well timed “Morphing Jar” can give you an incredible amount of card advantage. “Night Assailant” is monster removal in the form of a Flip Effect monster. “Night Assailant” also plays a key role in the hand, when you need to discard with “Graceful Charity” or when hit by an opponent’s “Spirit Reaper”. If you discard “Night Assailant”, you can reclaim a Flip Effect monster from you Graveyard.

 

Next, I use the Bringer of Death in threes. “Pyramid Turtle” is the heart of the Deck. “Pyramid Turtle” is great at what it does. I didn’t need to use “Sangan”, because “Pyramid Turtle” supplies me with my zombies. He can search out “Ryu Kokki”, “Vampire Lord”, “Spirit Reaper”, “Regenerating Mummy”, and even another “Pyramid Turtle”. “Regenerating Mummy” is a descent 1800 ATK ghoul with an excellent effect. If your opponent discards this mummy, it will return to your hand. “Regenerating Mummy” is great against “Spirit Reaper” and “Don Zaloog”. “Regenerating Mummy” can also be revived by “Book of Life”, sent to the field by “Call of the Mummy”, and searched by “Pyramid Turtle” if you ever need it. “Regenerating Mummy” is a must in this Deck because it is the only Level 4 beatstick besides “Breaker the Magical Warrior”. If your starting hand allows you to dump “Ryu Kokki” and you have a “Book of Life”, you will need something to take out your opponent’s monsters. “Regenerating Mummy” can allow you to take out a face-down “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive” and follow up with “Book of Life”. It’s a card that I see so many people underestimate which is a real shame. 1800 ATK isn’t really that bad in the current format, since “Breaker the Magical Warrior” is the only Level 4 monster that people run that is stronger.

 

Ah, “Spirit Reaper”. Everyone’s hated foe. “Spirit Reaper” is a very powerful zombie. This petite specter can protect you from an army. “Spirit Reaper” is also useful for a tribute, if you have “Ryu Kokki” or “Vampire Lord” in your hand. You can also use “Spirit Reaper” to discard cards from your opponent’s hand. He’s revivable and searchable in this Deck, which gives you a large advantage over the competition. “Treeborn Frog” provides excellent defense, works wonders with tributes in your hand, and has great synergy with “Creature Swap”. With only 5 Trap Cards, this Deck can use “Treeborn Frog” 95% of the time you need it.

 

The last monster I have in the Deck is “Tsukuyomi”. This spirit princess can kill “Zaborg the Thunder Monarch”, “Mobius the Frost Monarch”, “Breaker the Magical Warrior”, and just about any other monster with less than 1100 DEF. She also combos with any Flip Effect monster and is getting banned starting September.

 

For Spell Cards, you have the staples and near staples. You will need 3 “Book of Life” in a Zombie Deck. They are vital, but can be a nightmare if you have all three in your starting hand. “Heavy Storm” provides excellent Spell/Trap removal. “Mystical Space Typhoon” is also great for this task. “Nobleman of Crossout” is an excellent way to take out Cookie-Cutter Decks, because they rely so much on Flip Effect monsters. “Nobleman of Crossout” can combo very well with “Tsukuyomi”. “Premature Burial” is extra monster revival, but is not limited to the undead.

 

“Snatch Steal” can be a killer top deck, provides excellent damage when needed, and is great when you have a “Vampire Lord” in hand. Just take control of their monsters and tribute it for your own. “Brain Control” is also used for the same reason. “Smashing Ground” also provides excellent monster removal in Spell Card form.

 

“Nobleman of Extermination” is also a card that works very well against Cookie-Cutter builds. Because “Sakuretsu Armor” and non-chainable Trap Cards are so common, “Nobleman of Extermination” can take out both present and future threats. “Creature Swap” can combo very well with “Pyramid Turtle” and “Treeborn Frog”. Take control of their strong beatstick and kill the “Pyramid Turtle” you gave them. You get to Special Summon a zombie from your Deck and attack with it. It’s a very fun combo!

 

For Trap Cards, you have the well-known “Call of the Haunted”, “Mirror Force”, and “Torrential Tribute”. “Magic Drain” can take out key Spell Cards. Whether they are a present or a future threat, “Magic Drain” will relieve your opponent of a Spell Card so it’s actually a very reliable 1 for 1. “Deck Devastation Virus” is a great card that can outright kill many Decks. Tribute “Vampire Lord” or “Ryu Kokki” when they would have normally been destroyed and wipe out your opponent’s hand, field, and draws for the next couple of turns. It’s just outright deadly in many situations.

 

The Side Deck is rather self-explanatory. “Card Destruction” and “Protector of the Sanctuary” works wonders against Exodia Decks. “Ceasefire” and “Des Wombat” is great against Burn Decks. The extra “Deck Devastation Virus” can also be used against Stall Decks where you expect a lot of weak monsters. “Dust Tornado” can be used when you need the extra Spell/Trap removal. “Lightning Vortex” can also be used against specific Decks that will have a lot of face-up monsters. “Outstanding Dog Marron” can prevent you from Decking Out. “Return from the Different Dimension” can be used if your opponent tries to remove your Zombie monsters via “Soul Exchange”. “Soul Release” is used against other Zombie Decks or even Chaos Decks. “Spirit Barrier” can protect your “Spirit Reaper” and “Treeborn Frog” from Trample Decks. “The End of Anubis” is great against Dark World Decks.

 

 

Modifying the Deck

There are many ways to make your Zombie Deck unique. These can be low budget fixes, or simply putting your personal touch. You should always make your Deck your own. The following are some ways you can modify your Zombie Deck…

 

If you really want, change the theme of the Deck. There are many kinds of Decks out there, and you can easily build a different kind of Zombie Deck. Try out “Decayed Commander”, etc. You can make a Skill Drain/Zombie Deck, Chaos/Zombie Deck, Control/Zombie Deck, etc. so there are many possibilities out there for your Zombie Deck.

 

If you prefer, use 3 “Ryu Kokki” in your Zombie Deck. They are a lot faster with “Pyramid Turtle”, and have an excellent effect. Your opponent will have a hard time dealing with three ogres that can be easily spawned on to the field.

 

If you want, you can try out 3 “Despair from the Dark” instead. They are easier to get out when used with “Call of the Mummy”, “Monster Gate”, “Reasoning”, etc. You can even use “Double Coston” (which is also a Zombie-Type monster) to help them reach the field. They might be a little slower than “Ryu Kokki”, but their high ATK and DEF can make up for it.

 

I’ve seen a few Zombie Decks that do not use “Vampire Lord”. If you prefer not to use certain cards, don’t use them! Or if you prefer, use 2 or 3 “Vampire Lord”. Run your own set of Monster, Spell, and Trap Cards if you want. Make your Side Deck your own as well, by having cards that work great in your area. If you absolutely want to use “Dragon Zombie”, then use it! However, the cost may make your Deck not as competitive as you may like.

 

 

Strengths

The Zombie Deck uses tremendous field presence and field control to defeat their opponents. Many Zombie Decks can get out 2 to 5 strong monsters on to the field in a single turn. Your opponent will have a tough time dealing with your ever present field presence, because whatever zombie they destroy can return in a turn or two. With the help of the many field removal cards, such as “Nobleman of Crossout” and “Smashing Ground”, your opponent will be open to a constant undead onslaught.

 

 

Weaknesses

Field presence is the key to the survival and success of the Zombie Deck. Mass removal of monsters will usually devastate this Deck. Cards like “Mirror Force” and “Torrential Tribute” can usually kill 2 to 4 zombies. If your opponent can make a swift counterattack when you lack monsters, you can find yourself defeated very quickly.

 

Decks that control the Graveyard can really mess up the Zombie Deck. Those Gravekeeper Decks are a real menace to your revival cards. Decks that have “Soul Release” can really be a pain too. The Decks that remove your monsters from play really mess up your strategy. If you cannot revive your zombies, you will lose field presence. When that happens, you will get a quick beating. You should use cards in the Side Deck that will cover some of the weaknesses, such as using “Dust Tornado” against Gravekeeper Decks. Against “Soul Release”, you can use more Spell Card negation, or you can just give them a relentless assault and hope they don’t have time to draw anything that will mess you up.

 

Decks that bring out high ATK monsters can be deadly as well. Most of the zombies in the Zombie Deck do not have high ATK (besides “Despair from the Dark”). Monster removal is necessarily to help cover this weakness. Without it, you can be overwhelmed by sheer ATK strength. Remember that “Ryu Kokki” can even take out “Dark Magician of Chaos” or “Gilford the Legend” via Effect, but he won’t take out a “Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon”.

 

Most Zombie Decks lack monsters, because their revival cards let them reuse what they have. In many Duels, these players will not draw monsters when they need them. Your opponent will make the most of it, and hit you hard. To cover this weakness, you can use more monsters or use cards like “Reload” to help ensure a monster in your hand. That’s why I use 20 monsters.

 

 

In conclusion, the Zombie Deck is a fun and competitive Deck to play. The Zombie Deck uses the Graveyard and field presence to overwhelm your opponent. If you have the cards or like swarming/revival, try this type of Deck out. You may like it.

 

Until next time…

-Melos Woodlanders