OK. A month or so ago I declared zombies were back. That post was a little premature. Zombies were in fact, back, but that deck list lost its luster after repeated play and began to trend back to the 50/50 coinflip win rate. A week or so ago, I starting playing/experimenting with a deck that VilliBesti was playing on stream. I made a few tweaks along with others. I'll share the latest iteration (which was able to reach #1 MMR). I've also got 2x gameplay videos this time. One showing the deck against aggro and one where it is fast against a combo deck.

The Deck

I'll start with [7M] Matt's deck. After all, he's the one who took it (and version of it) to #1 MMR:

Deck Code:

GU_1_1_CCcCCcGAFGAFBAuBAuIAIBEXBEXCEWCEWIBZIBZCDSCDSPAaIADIADIAJIAJPAgOAQPAePAeLALLALIAFIAFIAKIAK

It's definitely not a cheap deck, but the guts of the deck are actually relatively inexpensive.

My Deck

Cheaper simply because I don't have all the cards, but also a few subs I'll explain.

Deck Code:

GU_1_1_CCcCCcGAFGAFBAuBAuKDSKDSIAIBEXIBZIBZCDSCDSPAaIADIADIAJIAJIAEIAEPAePAeLALLALIAFIAFIAKIAKCCe

Cheaper, but still not cheap.

Budget

Deck Code:

GU_1_1_GAFGAFCCbCCbCCcCCcCDSCDSCEWCEWIAIIBZIBZKDSKDSIADIADIAJIAJPAaIAEIAEPAePAeCCeCCeIAFIAFIAKIAK

This is basically the cheapest I can make the deck while still being able to realistically claim that it can still perform the same basic function as the expensive deck. Let's look at what makes the deck work to understand why.

How it Works

Firstly, understand that this decks has two distinct play modes depending on whether you are playing against control or aggro. Even the god power changes. As a result, you'll get more out of this deck if you are looking up your opponent's deck to classify their deck type.

VS Aggro

God Power: Blood Ritual to remove their creatures and heal yourself.

The game plan here is to outlast your opponent by leeching health with zombies and keeping their board relatively clean with hard removal. As you'll see in my game against Aggro War, Chira is an all-star when combined with cards like Perseverence or Wicked Fae. Eva, blight bomb, and Ray of Disintegration are also big. In the expensive decks, Blades of Whiteplain also help immensely since dominant aggro decks are playing lots of small creatures.

VS Control

God Power: Soul Burn to proc frenzy, chip health, and setup your combo finisher

Against control, your game plan shifts to an aggro deck with a combo finisher. Here's the max damage combo you can do from hand:

This can be pulled off at 5 mana with a pip or at 6 mana without one. Against hard control opponents, though, you are more likely to be able to conserve a pip. Especially if going second. This is 15 damage from hand. Granted, it's not an OTK like a full combo deck, but it does provide a satisfying pop to get you over the finish line before the big threats and heals start dropping at 7 mana.

Also, this is just from hand. As an aggro deck, you'll have multiple opportunities for partial combos. Zombies give you lots of value early game, and you'll want to be going face as often as possible. Removal in this match up helps against front liners. Ray of Disintegration in particular helps keep you in the game for 1-2 more turns even at 7 mana. Chira is amazing at this, too, but as enemy creature HP grows, so does the cost of using her.

Card Draw

Card draw is important in any zombie deck. You really want those necroscepters and cursed obelisks asap. (That's also why the deck severely limits the number of 1x cards: to improve your chances of finding them in the mulligan).

This deck has a ton of sources of card draw, which is doubly important when facing control. You need to keep your hand full not only to keep placing threats, but in order to find your combo pieces.

Deviations in My Deck

Looter

I don't have 2 Pyramid Wardens, so I started thinking about other cards to put in the list. Looter obviously gives more card draw, but the hidden is nice against decks like Aggro War (which you see all the time). It trades nicely into several 3/2 creatures or can go face to get frenzy and start spawning zombies.

The alternative here is Void Banshee. [7M] Matt has gone back in forth. In his most recent deck, he swapped out mass raise and slotted in Void Banshee. This makes his deck more aggressive at the expense of from-hand combo potential. Void Banshee also gives you another opportunity to make use of your HP pool. It's THE card you want in your starting hand against light. It trades more or less evenly with Woodcutter Imp, but you have more ability to leech your HP back than War does. However, the card is punished by various nature, magic, and deception cards.

Looter Worst Case: 2 mana draw a card.
Banshee Worst Case: 2 mana take 4 damage for nothing.

Why I'm considering swapping (back) to Banshee: she combos with Netherswarm Lord, Corpse Explosion, and Chira. Looter doesn't do any of those things. Not only that, but there is such a thing as 'enough' card draw - even in Card Draw Magic.

Blighted Scion is another option for a really strong 2 mana card. Maybe Looter isn't the best choice here after all.

Ray of Disintegration

Neither [7M]Matt nor VilliBesti are running RoD in their decks, but honestly, I'm considering dropping the 1x PW and running 2x. It's ability to remove a big threat with no conditions (except ward of course), reach face for 2 damage, and proc frenzy just make it an amazing card. It's long been a staple in zombie decks. Against control, it answers a Demo while you try to find that last piece of the combo. Against aggro, it takes care of that massive olympian they just played.

Gameplay

Game 1

This game is against a common foe: aggro war. At 6.5 mana, Chira goes off in an epic turn to win the game.

I take Soul Burn here largely because I didn't look up my opponents deck. Soul Burn is decent against aggro and good against control. Blood Ritual is terrible against control. I just opted for the safer play. If you are trying hard and looking up decks (no shame!) then you'd take Blood Ritual here against aggro.

1 Mana

Our mulligan is terrible. I don't pip out Wicked Fae, because I risk not having anything else to play the following turn and just losing on the spot. Luckily, our opponent is playing enduring shield. We don't mind protected because our removal ignores it.

2 Mana

Here I toss the Fae and in hindsight, I think this was a mistake. Remember that against aggro (especially aggro war) we don't need to be as aggressive (especially if you have the right GP).

3 Mana

We end up pipping into perseverence anyway; however, because we played Fae, we were able to clear the brawler completely. Not so had we done nothing the previous turn, so maybe it was fine.

4 Mana

We're in a bad way at 4 mana. We started with a bad hand, we haven't found our blight bombs. We're at risk of being run over. There's relic removal in the sanctum. On the other hand, War has few cards left. Maybe I'm crazy, but I equip spear here primarily to manage his favor.

1. He will opt for the relic removal instead of card draw.
2. My relic will prevent him from gaining favor as he clears my zombies.
3. He probably buys the relic removal anyway (I would) and the scepter is dead whenever I play it anyway.

5 Mana

Blade does blade things. However, notice that RoD isn't a bad play either. In fact, it would remove the imp and proc frenzy giving me more zombies. So there's a nod to the budget deck running 2x RoDs, but if you have blade, you go with blade here. Also: see how nice Blood Ritual is against a 3/1 protected Imp? That's why you pick it against aggro.

5.5 Mana

RoD baby! I could have gone Chira + Fiend, but I don't want to take 7 damage. Here again, RoD is a critical card. Not only does it remove the threat, but frenzy combos so nicely with my obelisk. Yea, I'm thinking 2x...

6 Mana

Chira + Voracious Fiend is incredibly safe here against War. Fiend is actually 2 bodies to prevent attacking backline. Soul Burn is nice to refill the board with zombies, but I could have cleared both his creatures with Blood Ritual. Instead, I'm praying he doesn't have Soul Survivor.

6.5 Mana

And Chira wins the game for us. Our opponent is exhausted. Dumps his hand in a last-ditch effort. Mass Raise clears the whole board.

Game 2

No play by play needed on this one. I match up against SamBam, who is trying out a new Coronet combo deck. When I looked it up, he had won 8 out of 10 games with it, so it's no slouch! This game is to demonstrate the deck's ability to go fast. Sam gets Lost in the Depths early. This deck kept pace with him, but had he found an Ecophone in from his Coronet, he would have easily won by wiping my board with overkill. Instead, I squeak in a win by the skin of my teeth. Note how critical card draw was in finding Corpse Explosion!