Born to Die: Gravecrawler, Butcher Ghoul, Reassembling Skeleton, Bloodghast, Nether Shadow, Nether Traitor, Carrionette, Squee, Goblin Nabob, Ashen Ghoul, Anger, Filth, Wonder, Krovikan Horror, River Kelpie, Kher Keep

Ashen Ghoul is a Zombie, by the way…

When researching for these sorts of cards, I rediscovered Carrionette, a card I'd forgotten all about but one that's pretty sweet! Once it's in the graveyard, you've got a removal spell ready whenever an opponent taps down to less than two mana, and exiling a creature is extremely handy in Commander--even if it'll only stop an actual Commander briefly.

Even though not all of these cards will ultimately make the cut in this deck, a lot of them will. Having easy sacrificial fodder also makes cards like Skullclamp and Black Market—already really good Commander cards—even better! And you might want to consider cards like Deathgreeter, Blood Artist, Thornbite Staff, Jar of Eyeballs, Mimic Vat, Falkenrath Noble, Sangromancer, and Harvester of Souls.

Now, Jeff said he wanted to build a Zombie themed deck with Lord of Tresserhorn, which is super-sweet given how graveyard-savvy the Zombie tribe tends to be. Even sweeter is the fact that Lord of Tresserhorn has been errata'd as a Legendary Creature—Zombie (even though it doesn't say that on the actual card). There are a ton of Commander-quality Zombies we could include in this deck:

Zombies: Gravecrawler, Shepherd of Rot, Zombie Infestation, Butcher Ghoul, Nightscape Familiar, Plaguebearer, Withered Wretch, Gempalm Polluter, Lord of the Undead, Cemetery Reaper, Death Baron, Diregraf Captain, Lichlord of Unx, Zombie Trailblazer, Anathemancer, Fleshbag Marauder, Gutless Ghoul, Undead Gladiator, Endless Ranks of the Dead, Graveborn Muse, Tombstone Stairwell, Undead Warchief, Undead Alchemist, Vengeful Dead, Balthor the Defiled, Fatestitcher, Unliving Psychopath, Cairn Wanderer, Call to the Grave, Corpse Harvester, Noxious Ghoul, Syphon Flesh, Corpse Connoisseur, Grimgrin, Corpse-Born, Havengul Lich, Grave Titan, Gravespawn Sovereign, Rooftop Storm, Zombie Apocalypse, Geth, Lord of the Vault, Helldozer, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Grave Betrayal, Thraximundar, Army of the Damned

Keep in mind that Tombstone Stairwell makes 2/2 Tombspawn tokens for you and your opponents, but the errata on this card makes these Zombie tokens as well, and you can set your deck up to make a lot better use of all these extra Zombies than most of your opponents. Also, the tokens that are made are destroyed at the end of each turn rather than exiled, so it combos quite nicely with Massacre Wurm, no?

Going with the Zombie theme, we quickly run out of room, and are forced to make some hard choices. Here's what I've decided to go with:

Lord of Tresserhorn

Bennie Smith

0th Place at Test deck on 2/17/2013

Commander

 

Creatures (35)

• 1 Anger
• 1 Ashen Ghoul
• 1 Bloodghast
• 1 Butcher Ghoul
• 1 Carrionette
• 1 Cemetery Reaper
• 1 Corpse Connoisseur
• 1 Corpse Harvester
• 1 Death Baron
• 1 Diregraf Captain
• 1 Disciple of Bolas
• 1 Filth
• 1 Gempalm Polluter
• 1 Grave Titan
• 1 Gravecrawler
• 1 Gravespawn Sovereign
• 1 Havengul Lich
• 1 Lich Lord of Unx
• 1 Lord of the Undead
• 1 Nether Shadow
• 1 Nether Traitor
• 1 Nightscape Familiar
• 1 Noxious Ghoul
• 1 Reassembling Skeleton
• 1 Undead Gladiator
• 1 Undead Warchief
• 1 Unliving Psychopath
• 1 Vengeful Dead
• 1 Withered Wretch
• 1 Zombie Trailblazer
• 1 Balthor the Defiled
• 1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
• 1 Lord of Tresserhorn
• 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1 Thraximundar

Lands (39)

• 1 Island
• 1 Mountain
• 16 Swamp
• 1 Badlands
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Cabal Coffers
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Crumbling Necropolis
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Grixis Panorama
• 1 Leechridden Swamp
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Thespian's Stage
• 1 Underground Sea
• 1 Unholy Grotto
• 1 Vesuva
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Kher Keep
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Spells (26)

• 1 Basilisk Collar
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Expedition Map
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Izzet Keyrune
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Paradise Mantle
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Springleaf Drum
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Black Market
• 1 Endless Ranks of the Dead
• 1 Grave Betrayal
• 1 Rooftop Storm
• 1 Zombie Infestation
• 1 Spoils of Evil
• 1 Stroke of Genius
• 1 Army of the Damned
• 1 Syphon Flesh
• 1 Syphon Mind
• 1 Yawgmoth's Will
• 1 Zombie Apocalypse
• 1 Tombstone Stairwell

 

Some additional notes:

Mana: Going with the heavy zombie theme pushed me hard into black, and I ended up with an extremely black deck with small splashes of red and blue. Of course, the problem is your Commander—who can potentially hit the board turn 3 or 4—requires red and blue in addition to black. I made pretty heavy use of dual lands to help with this, but also dipped into artifact sources. Rakdos Signet, Fellwar Stone, Darksteel Ingot, Chromatic Lantern, and Izzet Keyrune are easy inclusions, but since I'll need early creatures to sacrifice to Lord of Tresserhorn, Paradise Mantle and Springleaf Drum seemed like good additional color-fixing.

Protection: Lord of Tresserhorn, especially played early, is going to freak people out. Expect removal to be used early and often against him, which will be quite frustrating given the extra price you've paid to put him into play. That's why I made sure to add Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots to the mix, and you should also be careful to keep up a black mana for regeneration, especially when you first cast him. But if people keep killing him off, don't worry too much—the zombie tribal synergy is strong enough to win all on its own even without the Lord.

Rooftop Storm: I expect this card to do a ton of good work in this deck, especially after a big Spoils of Evil-fueled Stroke of Genius, or a boost from Disciple of Bolas or Syphon Mind.

Army of the Damned: This may seem overly ambitious, but between Cabal Coffers, Black Market or Spoils of Evil, it shouldn't be that hard to cast or flash back. Break out the Zombie tokens!

So what do you think? What do you have in your Lord of Tresserhorn deck that I didn't touch on here? Let us know in the comments below!

Bonus Commander deck!

Recently I tweeted out thanks to Wizards for finally making a badass Minotaur in Boros Reckoner. I've long had a beef with Magic's long portrayal of Minotaurs as rather mediocre creatures. Even the legendary Minotaur hero Tahngarth got overshadowed by stoopid Flametongue Kavu! Minotaurs of myth—as well as Minotaurs of Dungeons & Dragons—are supposed to be fierce, scary… well, badasses! Boros Reckoner qualifies.

Jonathan Richmond (AKA @norbert88) replied to my tweet and pointed out that Zedruu the Greathearted and Etherium-Horn Sorcerer are quite the sweet Minotaurs for Commander, and followed up by sending along his Tribal Minotaurs (!) Zedruu list. I thought I'd share that with you:

Zedruu the Greathearted

Jonathan Richmond

0th Place at Test deck on 2/17/2013

Commander

 

Creatures (35)

• 1 Adaptive Automaton
• 1 Brass Herald
• 1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer
• 1 Anaba Ancestor
• 1 Anaba Bodyguard
• 1 Anaba Shaman
• 1 Anaba Spirit Crafter
• 1 Boros Reckoner
• 1 Canyon Minotaur
• 1 Changeling Berserker
• 1 Changeling Hero
• 1 Gorehorn Minotaurs
• 1 Hurloon Minotaur
• 1 Hurloon Shaman
• 1 Karplusan Minotaur
• 1 Kazuul Warlord
• 1 Labyrinth Minotaur
• 1 Lord of Shatterskull Pass
• 1 Minotaur Aggressor
• 1 Minotaur Explorer
• 1 Minotaur Illusionist
• 1 Minotaur Tactician
• 1 Minotaur Warrior
• 1 Mirror Entity
• 1 Ordruun Veteran
• 1 Raging Minotaur
• 1 Shapesharer
• 1 Talruum Champion
• 1 Talruum Minotaur
• 1 Talruum Piper
• 1 Taurean Mauler
• 1 Warmonger
• 1 Zerapa Minotaur
• 1 Tahngarth, Talruum Hero
• 1 Zedruu the Greathearted

Lands (37)

• 2 Island
• 12 Mountain
• 2 Plains
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Azorius Chancery
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Izzet Boilerworks
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Mystifying Maze
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Rugged Prairie
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Slayers' Stronghold
• 1 Spinerock Knoll
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Windbrisk Heights

Spells (28)

• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Coalition Relic
• 1 Coat of Arms
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Didgeridoo
• 1 Door of Destinies
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Urza's Incubator
• 1 Call to the Kindred
• 1 Gratuitous Violence
• 1 Mana Echoes
• 1 Martyr's Bond
• 1 Powerstone Minefield
• 1 Rage Reflection
• 1 Shared Animosity
• 1 Shared Triumph
• 1 True Conviction
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Dizzy Spell
• 1 Master Warcraft
• 1 Rally the Righteous
• 1 Smash
• 1 Allied Strategies
• 1 Distant Melody
• 1 Insurrection
• 1 Rite of Replication
• 1 Hurloon Wrangler

 

Pretty sweet, huh? Of course, any Commander that can cast white and red has been instantly juiced up by Boros Charm!

By the way, if you're in the area this weekend, Richmond Comix is attempting to fire up a Standard tournament in addition to their normal Draft for Friday Night Magic. $5 entry fee and just straight up Swiss rounds and payout in store credit based on how many wins you rack up—similar to how prereleases are run. You also get a booster pack of Gatecrash just for playing! I'm sleeving up a new Gatecrash-infused brew that I hope does well enough for me to write about next week. Maybe I'll see you there?

Take care,

Bennie

starcitygeezer AT gmail DOT com

Make sure to follow my Twitter feed (@blairwitchgreen). I check it often so feel free to send me feedback, ideas, and random thoughts. I've also created a Facebook page where I'll be posting up deck ideas and will happily discuss Magic, life, or anything else you want to talk about!

New to Commander?
If you're just curious about the format, building your first deck, or trying to take your Commander deck up a notch, here are some handy links:

• Commander Primer Part 1 (Why play Commander? Rules Overview, Picking your Commander)
• Commander Primer Part 2 (Mana Requirements, Randomness, Card Advantage)
• Commander Primer Part 3 (Power vs. Synergy, Griefing, Staples, Building a Doran Deck)
• Commander Starter Kits 1 (kick start your allied two-color decks for $25)
• Commander Starter Kits 2 (kick start your enemy two-color decks for $25)
• Commander Starter Kits 3 (kick start your shard three-color decks for $25)

My current Commander decks (and links to decklists):

• Borborygmos Enraged (69 land deck)
• Aurelia, the Warleader (plus Hellkite Tyrant shenanigans)
• Oona, Queen of the Fae (by reader request)
• Karador, Ghost Chieftain (my Magic Online deck)
• Karona, False God (Vows of the False God)
• Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (how big can it get?)
• Phage the Untouchable (actually casting Phage from Command Zone!)
• Johan (Cat Breath of the Infinite)
• Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (Chuck's somewhat vicious deck)

Previous Commander decks currently on hiatus:

• Yeva, Nature's Herald (living at instant speed)
• Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis (evil and Spike-ish)

• Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius (new player-friendly)
• Trostani, Selesnya's Voice (new player-friendly)
• Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord (drain you big time)

• Riku of Two Reflections (steal all permanents with Deadeye Navigator + Zealous Conscripts)
• Phelddagrif (Mean Hippo)
• Sigarda, Host of Herons (Equipment-centric Voltron)
• Bruna, Light of Alabaster (Aura-centric Voltron)
• Ruhan of the Fomori (lots of equipment and infinite attack steps)
• Ghave, Guru of Spores (Melira Combo)
• Glissa, the Traitor (undying artifacts!)
• Grimgrin, Corpse-Born (Necrotic Ooze Combo)
• Damia, Sage of Stone (Ice Cauldron shenanigans)
• Geist of Saint Traft (Voltron-ish)
• Glissa Sunseeker (death to artifacts!)
• Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer (replacing Brion Stoutarm in Mo' Myrs)
• Thelon of Havenwood (Campfire Spores)
• Melira, Sylvok Outcast (combo killa)

• Konda, Lord of Eiganjo (The Indestructibles)

• Vorosh, the Hunter (proliferaTION)

• Progenitus (Fist of Suns and Bringers)

• Savra, Queen of the Golgari (Demons)

• Uril, the Miststalker (my “more competitive” deck)