Pioneer’s card pool conveniently contains the vast majority of decks that I’ve had huge success with. While I’ve obviously been working on bringing versions of Jeskai Black and the like into Pioneer, it wouldn’t make sense if I was working on those decks before the one that allowed me to win Pro Tour Amonkhet.
These cards are all legal and even have some excellent non-Zombie cards from older sets that help round out the archetype. However, we have to talk about why the Zombies themselves will eventually be a viable archetype in Pioneer in the first place.
Cryptbreaker is the backbone of the tribe and the reason to even consider Zombies in the first place. You could make a case for using Cryptbreaker as a way to discard cards for nefarious means and I’ll get to that eventually. Using Cryptbreaker as the backbone of a disruptive aggressive deck is what I’m mostly interested in.
Not only does Cryptbreaker reward you for sticking to a tribe, but it’s also a marginal opportunity cost one-drop that helps prevent flooding and gives you staying power against more controlling decks. Additionally, it allows you to load up on removal against aggressive decks and play the control role. It’s one of the strongest one-drops an aggressive deck can possibly have because of its utility.
Diregraf Colossus is another fine payoff for Zombies, but it doesn’t come online until much later. For the most part, it will be the way you lock up games where you’re slightly ahead. Both Cryptbreaker and Diregraf Colossus demand removal spells immediately, which increases the odds that either one sticks and runs away with the game.
Finally, we have Dark Salvation. Pioneer already has plenty of removal options, especially in black, but Dark Salvation is among the strongest if you’re able to use it. Early-game, it’s weaker than Fatal Push, but by Turn 3 or 4, Dark Salvation will often kill whatever you want. Late-game, it’s another mana sink. You can use it against opponents with no creatures and you can also use it against an opposing Turn 1 Cryptbreaker from your opponent. Overall, Dark Salvation is versatile and yet another way to deal with flooding.
Zombies is a midrange deck that slants on the aggressive side of things, often including various “lords” to reward it for going wide. Those are typically an easy solution to the problem of having a pile of mediocre creatures but not having a way to utilize them effectively.
Lord of the Accursed and Metallic Mimic were the lords people used during Amonkhet, but Death Baron and Icon of Ancestry are fine cards as well. If you wanted to stick to the pure tribal strategy of going wide and pumping your creatures, you can. Due to the midrange nature of the deck, I prefer to build my deck without the necessity of having a large battlefield in order for my cards to be effective. Amonkhet Standard didn’t have the tools to do that. Thankfully, we have an embarrassment of riches in Pioneer.
If you want to go super-deep, there’s also Stitcher’s Supplier. Honestly, though, could a disruptive tribal aggro deck want anything more than these three cards?
Thoughtseize is the best, cheapest disruption in the format and is actively bad against very few decks. Smuggler’s Copter lives through sweepers, helps filter through your resources, and gives you a source of evasion. Your manabase is rounded out by Mutavault, which is yet another reason to play a heavy land count.
Creatures (21)
- 3 Diregraf Ghoul
- 2 Relentless Dead
- 4 Diregraf Colossus
- 4 Cryptbreaker
- 4 Dread Wanderer
- 2 Lazotep Reaver
- 2 Murderous Rider
Lands (24)
Spells (15)
We have an additional one-drop in Diregraf Ghoul, which is mostly a welcome addition. However, loading up on creatures that enter the battlefield tapped is unfortunate with Smuggler’s Copter and Cryptbreaker. Lazotep Reaver is weak without lords, but it’s the best follow-up to a Turn 1 Cryptbreaker.
Our manabase is incredible. Mutavault, Castle Locthwain, and Ifnir Deadlands are an amazing set of lands to help our deck combat flooding. I haven’t figured out the right mix yet but I know I want the full amount of Mutavaults, especially with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth making the downside of not tapping for black inconsequential. I wouldn’t expect to activate Ifnir Deadlands very often, but there’s a point where it’s almost strictly better than a basic Swamp.
The sideboard contains some helpful disruptive tools against the most powerful decks in the format. Depending on where the metagame shifts, I could see these fifteen cards changing frequently.
You could also lean into the devotion mechanic and play Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Even though Gray Merchant is a Zombie, it would likely pull me further from the Zombie theme because I’d want to get things like Underworld Connections into the deck. Smuggler’s Copter would probably have to leave as a result. You could play Liliana, the Last Hope with the plan of discarding Gray Merchant early and bringing it back later when you have the mana.
Another couple of fun Zombies are Molderhulk and Lotleth Troll. You’d have to go hard on milling yourself, at which point there are probably stronger payoffs. If there were a more exciting land to return with Molderhulk, I’d be more excited by it, although you could Mortuary Mire back an Elder Deep-Fiend or Emrakul, the Promised End, which is close.
Rotting Regisaur is very, very large and could make a more aggressive slant viable.
With Cryptbreaker and Smuggler’s Copter, you’re incentivized to play with cards you’re happy to discard. The Mono-Black version doesn’t have much to take advantage of that, but filling your graveyard with Dread Wanderers and other Zombies does help your Diregraf Colossuses get out of burn range.
Let’s break away from the normal tribal builds and explore versions that are more graveyard-centric.
These four cards represent a package that’s been built around plenty of times already, including in Pioneer. If you spend a card to mill over Scrapheap Scrounger and Prized Amalgam, you’ve effectively drawn two cards, both of which come at a discount. The “fair” versions of Dredge should be looked at like aggressive decks with a card advantage engine, not a bad version of something else that already exists.
Pioneer also offers additional engines you can mix and match with the older ones.
If you have Cauldron Familiar and Witch’s Oven, you can loop Cauldron Familiar each turn, which will slowly drain your opponent out while also triggering any Prized Amalgams. Emry, Lurker of the Loch allows you have to access to Witch’s Oven without needing to actually draw it. She’s a payoff and an enabler for graveyard shenanigans, which makes her incredibly valuable. There are other artifacts like Smuggler’s Copter that are worth using alongside Emry too!
Both Gate to the Afterlife and God-Pharaoh’s Gift are artifacts, so they’re wonderful with Emry. I envision Gate to the Afterlife decks being closer to mono-blue than dipping into other colors, mostly because you want the vast majority of your deck to be creatures. Gate to the Afterlife is an exciting option and a potential sideboard strategy against people trying to beat you with spot removal. Unfortunately, it’s weak to most of the same graveyard hate, like Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void. However, it does beat Grafdigger’s Cage.
If we move into green, we get even more options.
Green gives you more ways to mill yourself, which fuels Creeping Chill. Meanwhile, most of the cards in the blue-based versions are about looting. You have some ways to self-mill, but not enough to enable Creeping Chill. Combined with Deathrite Shaman, you have a lot of reach. Satyr Wayfinder is a great enabler that also happens to crew Smuggler’s Copter.
There are a few solid options in red as well.
Again, Smuggler’s Copter doubles as a discard outlet, as does Cryptbreaker. Madness is another possible option. If you combine Creeping Chill with Fiery Temper and Deathrite Shaman, you have a nice burn package.
You can make Dimir or Rakdos work just fine, but you won’t have the raw self-milling power without using green. Therefore, it’s difficult to justify using Narcomoeba and/or Creeping Chill even if you wanted to. There are some fringe options you could utilize, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. Deathrite Shaman is another card that requires consistent access to fuel, and basically only green can provide that. Diligent Excavator is a card you could build around to enable those cards though. At that point, maybe you’re better off playing a deck based around Kethis, the Hidden Hand, but it’s still worth trying.
Prized Amalgam and Haunted Dead are the perfect bodies to sacrifice to Elder Deep-Fiend. Since you’re milling yourself, you’ll probably put a Kozilek’s Return into your graveyard at some point.
One of the problems with trying to utilize Elder Deep-Fiend in your self-mill deck is that you spend a bunch of resources milling yourself and may or may not end up with an Elder Deep-Fiend in your hand. Thankfully, many of green’s cards mill yourself while looking for creatures, so that package tends to come together nicely. Once Upon a Time and Traverse the Ulvenwald are also great here.
If you’re going wide with Cauldron Familiar, Narcomoeba, and maybe Desecrated Tomb, you could use Chord of Calling and Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy to flash it back.
What should you get with it, though?
None of these seem very strong, plus there’s the chance you mill over the perfect tutor target at some point.
Assuming you aren’t trying to get delirium or not playing Emry, playing a few delve cards isn’t against the rules. Sure, you want some of those cards you’re going to mill into, but the rest are basically meaningless. You could also try to enable your graveyard in a different way by playing Molderhulk.
Of all these options, utilizing emerge will likely yield the best results.
Creatures (25)
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 4 Prized Amalgam
- 4 Elder Deep-Fiend
- 3 Haunted Dead
- 4 Cryptbreaker
- 2 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Stitcher's Supplier
Lands (20)
Spells (15)
This deck has a fast clock, disruption, an engine, and excellent sideboard options. As the format gets weaker through bans, this could easily become one of the best decks in the format, especially since the vast majority of cards in the deck are firmly on the “safe” list.
Depending on what the metagame is, you might need some more disruption in the maindeck than just Elder Deep-Fiend. For example, if Simic Nexus continues crushing events, you’re going to need Thoughtseize or Assassin’s Trophy at the very least. Maybe other decks will push Simic out of the metagame and this deck can beat up on a field of aggro, ramp, and Izzet Phoenix.
I’ll certainly be keeping both decks in my back pocket for such an occasion.