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MTG Mono Black Zombie Deck for ISD Block

Updated on December 17, 2014

A Fun Black Zombie Deck

Here's a fun MTG zombie deck for ISD block that I really enjoy playing! It seems to be effective and consistent for me. It also may be one of the cheapest ISD decks to play competitively. Learn about this monoblack zombie deck and the key cards that power it. Though less people play ISD block these days, you can still play this format on Magic Online. The zombie deck shown here can of course be used as a base and modified as you wish for playing in any Magic The Gathering format. Read on to find out how I play it!

MTG Zombie Deck Vampire
MTG Zombie Deck Vampire

ISD Block Zombies Example Decklist

My zombie decklist for Magic Online

Here is the zombie deck I play on Magic Online. Watch the video to watch how I play it.

Creatures:

4x Gravecrawler

2x Diregraf Ghoul

4x Blood Artist

2x Butcher Ghoul

4x Highborn Ghoul

3x Bloodflow Connoisseur

4x Geralf's Messenger

Spells:

4x Tragic Slip

4x Dead Weight

4x Victim of Night

4x Sever the Bloodline

Land:

21 Swamp

Magic The Gathering Zombies on eBay - Current eBay auctions

New auctions for zombie cards. You can find amazingly low prices on eBay!

MTG Zombie Deck ISD Diregraf Ghoul
MTG Zombie Deck ISD Diregraf Ghoul

Basic Zombie Deck Strategy

Braaaains...!!!

This zombie deck is pretty straightforward to play, which is great for someone new to the game - or if you (like a zombie!) just don't want to think too much. It reminds me of the old red sligh decks. A bunch of fast cheap creatures and removal spells to be used in the opponents wanna-be blockers. Basically you play out your hand as quickly as possible and attack relentlessly. Your creatures are all cheap and some will come back when they die - so don't hold back! With that in mind, there are some great creature interactions and fun combos which I'll discuss next.

Key Innistrad Block Zombies - You'll need these zombies to win!

Top 3 strongest zombies to be playing in this zombie deck.

Magic: the Gathering - Gravecrawler (68) - Dark Ascension
Magic: the Gathering - Gravecrawler (68) - Dark Ascension
Gravecrawler is the best one drop there is for the ISD block zombie deck. You should play 4 of these to make sure you always have a 2 power creature out on the first turn.
 
Magic: The Gathering - Blood Artist - Avacyn Restored
Magic: The Gathering - Blood Artist - Avacyn Restored
Blood artist combos really well with the above two cards. You can sacrifice them, and bring them back while dealing your opponent some loss of life. This can often sway the game to your favor.
 
MTG Zombie Deck Blood Artist
MTG Zombie Deck Blood Artist

My Zombie Decks Most Important Creatures

The zombies need a little help from the vampires!

Let's talk about what makes this deck tick! Gravecrawler is a cheap 2 power creature that you can keep on casting from your graveyard. While Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble are not zombies, I use them for their amazing synergy with cards like Gravecrawler. Any creature that dies will damage the opponent and gain you life. This effect stacks up quick! On another note, if an opponent wipes out your army with Bonfire of the Damned or Blasphemous Act you can still get some damage in due to those vampires. Creatures with undying ability such as Geralf's Messenger are outstanding in this deck. Some people like to combo them with Bloodflow Connoisseur, sacrifice the undying creatures to make them both stronger. To round off the deck you have Highborn Ghoul which is a cheap 2/1 with intimidate which means he's usually unblockable.

Gameplay Video - ISD Block Zombies Versus RB Vampires

A video of myself playing the zombie deck in the MTGO "tournament practice" area. The challenger was playing a fast Red and Black Vampire deck. Vampires are not as strong as zombies :) Watch it in HD quality to see the cards more clearly.

Geralf's Messenger on eBay - One of the best zombies in MTG!

If you play a monoblack zombie deck, this guy should be in there!

mtg zombie deck spells
mtg zombie deck spells

Most Important Spells For An ISD Block Zombie Deck

Strictly black magic to destroy blockers!

The spells used in the zombie deck are ALL creature removal spells. You want to just keep killing whatever the opponent plays, and hitting them as hard and fast as you can!

Dead Weight is cheap and kills most of the popular cheap creatures in the format such as Silverblade Paladin.

Tragic Slip is great because it can take out almost anything once the morbid feature kicks in.

Sever the Bloodline while more expensive to play is effective against many threats of any size, and also great against the popular angel resurrection combo and wish decks. Some decks also play Victim of Night. It is limited in what it can kill, but most people are playing humans and angels, so it's safe enough to put in the main deck.

Gameplay Video Zombie Deck Versus Delver Deck - Watch me play Magic Online

A video of myself playing this zombie deck in the MTGO "tournament practice" area. The challenger was playing a delver deck, and I beat them. (Watch in HD quality to see the cards more clearly.)

mtg goblin lackey
mtg goblin lackey

About The Author - GoblinLackey

As a Magic The Gathering player since 1994 I have plenty of experience to share! I play a lot of other games, but Magic is by far my favorite. I play competitively in tournaments and on Magic Online. I also have a gaming site and blog at Indri Games.

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