Top 15 Strongest Cards For A Zombie Tribal Commander Deck
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Top 15 Strongest Cards For A Zombie Tribal Commander Deck
Creating the ideal Zombie Commander deck is no easy feat, but here are the top cards to bolster this unique Magic: The Gathering deck. Between their synergies with the graveyard and others within their ranks, it's not hard to see why Zombies are one of the most popular tribes in . Rife with unparalleled reanimation capabilities, zombies have long been a staple of the game, functioning as black's primary tribe, resulting in their status as one of the most prominent tribes in Commander. Though there are numerous zombie tribal commanders who each excel in different areas, there are certain cards that a Zombie Commander deck wouldn't want to miss out on. So without further ado, we're going to count down the best that Zombies have to offer in Commander with our strongest cards for a Zombie Tribal Commander deck! Updated December 5, 2021 by Paul DiSalvo: As zombies are one of the most frequently appearing tribes in Magic's history, it should be no surprise that the game is chock full of powerful zombie creatures. While there are currently over five hundred zombies that are playable within the Commander format, there are a wide variety of non-creature cards that provide stellar zombie synergies. This allows zombie decks to take a variety of forms such as those that aim to win through aggressive zombie-based combat or those that aim to win through zombie-related graveyard combos. As the newly released has added yet even more powerful zombies to the game, there's no better time than the present to build a zombie-tribal commander deck! THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Undead Warchief
The utilization of "lords," creatures that provide a universal benefit to all creatures of a specific tribe, is a staple of nearly any tribal strategy. Luckily for zombie players, not only does zombie-tribal possess numerous "lords," they have access to Undead Warchief, one of the best lords that Commander has to offer. The two things that many tribal players want to do the most is buff up their creatures and reduce their costs, and Undead Warchief covers both of these bases. Reducing the cost of each zombie you cast by one mana as well as providing each zombie you control with +2/+1 rather than the usual +1/+1 that most "lords" tend to provide, you'd be hard pressed to find a zombie tribal Commander deck that doesn't want an Undead Warchief in its ranks. Headless Rider
Recently printed in Innistrad: Crimson Vow, Headless Rider is an effecient zombie for three mana that rewards zombie decks for using their already excellent graveyard synergies. A 3/1, when Headless RIder or another Zombie dies, its controller creates a 2/2 zombie token. As zombie decks are often filled with great sacrifice outlets, death triggers, and ways to recur zombies from the graveyard, this cards allows a player to accrue a board state while doing so. Living Death
One of the biggest benefits to playing zombies in commander is that you have very strong synergies with your graveyard. Living Death is a card that takes your graveyard strategies and turns them up to eleven. Living Death is a sorcery that essentially wipes the board of all creatures, then returns all creatures form each players' graveyard to the battlefield. While this is a universal effect, as a zombie player, most players will be hindered by the effect, while you benefit greatly, as zombie decks are often equipped with cards that fill your graveyard full of creatures. Sidisi Undead Visier
, can be found in some capacity in nearly any commander deck. While primarily a Black effect, tutoring is a very powerful effect that most commander decks try to utilize in some capacity. Sidisi Undead Visier is a tutor that comes in the form of a zombie. This means that like many of your other zombies, she can be sacrificed and reanimated, allowing your to reap repeated benefits from her tutoring ability. Army Of The Damned
Ever wanted to create a massive zombie horde? Well, meet Army of the Damned. For eight mana, Army of the Damned is a sorcery that creates thirteen zombie tokens! As if that wasn't enough, Army of the Damned possesses flashback, meaning it can be cast again from your graveyard, creating yet another thirteen zombie tokens. This means that with one single card, your are capable of creating twenty six zombie tokens. Must we say more? Entomb And Buried Alive
Entomb and Buried Alive are two cards with similar abilities that a zombie deck would not want to be without. Tutors like the previously mentioned Sidisi Undead Visier, Entomb and Buried Alive cheaply tutor for creature cards, but rather than putting them in your hand, place the tutored cards into your graveyard. Luckily, zombie decks have a reputation for graveyard abilities, meaning that these tutored cards often might as well be in your hand. Wand Of Orcus
Wand of Orcus by Andrew Mar While somewhat costly in the mana department, Wand of Orcus is a card that if left unchecked, can let a zombie deck run away with the game. A black equipment for three mana with an equip cost of three, whenever the equipped creature attacks or blocks, it and Zombies its owner controls gain deathtouch until end of turn. While this makes one's other zombies much more difficult to block, if the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller creates that many 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens! This means that by simply hitting an opponent with a creature equipped with this wand, that player can instantly create an entire hoard out of thin air if the equipped creature is strong enough! Rooftop Storm
While not all zombie decks possess blue, those that do have the benefit of being able to include the enchantment Rooftop Storm. Perhaps one of the strongest enchantments that can be run in a zombie-tribal Commander deck, Rooftop Storm allows its controller to pay zero mana rather than the cost of zombie spells they cast. Yes, you read that right. Zero. Upon playing a Rooftop Storm, every zombie that you cast is effectively free, letting you dump out any and all zombies from your hand directly onto the battlefield. It is not uncommon for a zombie-tribal player to win a given game within a turn or two of playing a Rooftop Storm, so be prepared to have a target painted on your back as soon as you cast it, as the other players will likely band together to try to stop your ensuing zombie onslaught. Relentless Dead
Relentless Dead is an effecient two-mana black zombie that is capable of putting in incredible amounts of work over the course of a commander game. A 2/2 with menace, when it dies, its controller can pay one black mana to return it to its owner's hand. Additionally, when this zombie dies, its controller can also choose to pay X, returning a zombie from its controller's graveyard to the battlefield as long as it has a mana value of X. When paired with a sacrifice outlet, this zombie is capable of returning several cards from one's graveyard while making great use out of death-related triggers. Gravecrawler
While Gravecrawler may seem inconsequential and harmless at first glance, few zombies can match its reliability. A 2/1 for only one black mana, Gravecrawler's inability to block simply means that it will be getting used primarily for attacking and fueling sacrifice-based abilities. When using Gravecrawler, one can be as reckless as they please, even letting it die repeatedly, as Gravecrawler's strength comes in the form of its second ability which allows you to cast it from your graveyard as long as you control another zombie. This means that no matter the circumstance of death, Gravecrawler can be repeatedly cast, allowing for extremely strong synergies with cards like Grimgrin, Corpse-Born Ashnod' s Altar
Though not a zombie-related card itself, few cards can make as much impact on a zombie deck as Ashnod' s Altar. With the ability to sacrifice creatures at any time to create two colorless mana, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more efficient way of generating massive amounts of value in a zombie tribal deck. As numerous zombies have abilities that trigger upon their death, Ashnod' s Altar is an easy way to activate those abilities whenever you see fit, all while netting two mana for each creature you sacrifice. Seeing how Zombies are the tribe that benefits the most from having its creatures in the graveyard, Ashnod' s Altar is a must-have for any zombie commander player. Wilhelt The Rotcleaver
Released as the commander of the Undead Unleashed Commander deck, Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver is a great choice for those looking to play a Dimir zombie deck. Able to make the most out of zombies dying, whenever a zombie under its owner's control dies, if it didn't have , they create a 2/2 zombie token with decayed. As if this value weren't excellent enough, at the end of its owner's control, Wilheldt allows that player to sacrifice a zombie, drawing them a card if they do! This means that Wilhelt can turn their zombies into card advantage, then recurring them with other zombie-tribal staples to do it all over again. Necroduality
Necroduality is easily one of the strongest zombie-tribal cards to see print in recent memory. A blue enchantment for four mana, Necroduality states that whenever a nontoken zombie enters the battlefield under its owner's control, they can create a token copy of it. This effectively doubles the value that every zombie creature in a players deck can produce, enabling not just offensive and combat-focused strategies, but combo-centered zombie strategies as well! The Scarab God
Unless your zombie tribal commander deck doesn't possess black and blue in its color identity, there's no excuse to not want a copy of The Scarab God in your deck. Packed with three potent abilities, The Scarab God does everything that you'd want in a zombie tribal deck. For four mana, The Scarab God can exile a creature from any player's graveyard, creating a token that is a copy of that card except its power and toughness are 4/4 and it's a black zombie. This ability converts each players' graveyard into your own personal playground, as you can steal all of the best creatures from both your own and your opponents' graveyards. More importantly however, The Scarab God possesses a devastating ability that causes you to scry X and for your opponents to lose X life at the beginning of each of your upkeeps where X is equal to the number of zombies you control! By simply controlling zombies, The Scarab God whittles down your opponent's life total while stacking your deck for the coming turns! Liliana
You may be asking yourself, "Liliana? That's kind of vague. There are many Liliana's within Magic: The Gathering." Yes. Yes, there are. And the vast majority of Liliana's synergize in fantastic fashion with zombie tribal decks. At five mana, Liliana, Death's Majesty can fill your graveyard, bolster your horde, reanimate zombies from your graveyard, and even destroy all non-zombie creatures! In a similar synergistic fashion, Liliana, Untouched by Death allows for zombies to be cast from your graveyard, and Liliana, Dreadhoard General's ability to draw you cards whenever creatures die pairs well with nearly any Zombie Strategy. While some Lilianas may not directly reference zombies, nearly any Liliana planeswalker would make an excellent addition to a zombie tribal deck.