OFFICIAL: B/x Zombies in Standard ( Heartless, Pox, Aggro etc...)

[BunnyStew]

I'm noticing a lot of the new BG and Jund lists not running Blood Artist. Obviously he lost a lot of his power with the rotation, but I definitely think he's still needed. People are going to get tired of putting up with zombies shenanigans, and start playing decks with sweepers like Supreme Verdict, Mizzium Mortars, Blasphemous Act, and Curse of Deaths hold, and then zombie players with just be sitting there with their thumb up their butt, because they just had their board rocked with no Repercussion to the other player.

[acidfromhell]

The BR and BG Zombie decks are very different. The BR is reach based (like RDW) and the BG is threat based (like White Weenie). The BG dont have access to Falkenrath Aristocrat or any comparable sac outlet and therefore Blood Artist is weakened a lot. That is why many of us are seriously considering not using it.

What the BG deck loses in reach it makes up for in resilience. Lotleth Troll does not die to anything but a morbid enabled Tragic Slip or a Mutilate. Dreg Mangler hits them before they can cast their sweeper and in the midgame can add his power to another creature. Rancor makes the smallest creature a serious threat. Deathrite Shaman is a main deckable answer to graveyard shenanigans and gives the deck a different angle of attack.

I'm not sure about the Jund version. I suppose it can be a hybrid of sorts, sacrificing a bit of consistency for versatility.

Blood Artist should be in every version of the deck that has a reliable sac outlet. Otherwise it will just sit around waiting for stuff to die in combat which, in my honest opinion, is not aggressive enough and not worth the slots.

[BunnyStew]

The BR and BG Zombie decks are very different. The BR is reach based (like RDW) and the BG is threat based (like White Weenie). The BG dont have access to Falkenrath Aristocrat or any comparable sac outlet and therefore Blood Artist is weakened a lot. That is why many of us are seriously considering not using it.

What the BG deck loses in reach it makes up for in resilience. Lotleth Troll does not die to anything but a morbid enabled Tragic Slip or a Mutilate. Dreg Mangler hits them before they can cast their sweeper and in the midgame can add his power to another creature. Rancor makes the smallest creature a serious threat. Deathrite Shaman is a main deckable answer to graveyard shenanigans and gives the deck a different angle of attack.

I'm not sure about the Jund version. I suppose it can be a hybrid of sorts, sacrificing a bit of consistency for versatility.

Blood Artist should be in every version of the deck that has a reliable sac outlet. Otherwise it will just sit around waiting for stuff to die in combat which, in my honest opinion, is not aggressive enough and not worth the slots.

I just think that with zombies being the new big deck, cards like like Feeling of Dread, Dramatic Rescue, Azorious Charm, Oblivion Ring, and Detention Sphere are going to be played just to deal with Lotleth troll, and durdle until they can play a sweeper ex Supreme Verdict, Mizzium Mortars, and Terminus. Pretty much all yesterday I play tested BG, RB, and Jund zombies and found that BG and Jund were just very underwhelming. Lotleth Troll is an awesome card, and I'm stupid lucky to have pulled 3 of them on Saturday, but I just don't think it's AS good as people put it up to be. I honestly think it's going to be used best in Frites and Reanimator decks. Dreg Mangler bashing in turn 3 was always awesome, but then on my opponents turn 4 they were dropping Thragtusk, and then bouncing it next turn with a Restoration Angel. BG builds just don't have the reach to deal with stuff like that.

[Vishop]

I think another card people playing BR or jund are overlooking as more of a sideboard card is Slaughter Games. 4 mana to exile a win condition from a deck, hand, and graveyard seems pretty filthy to me.

[BunnyStew]

I think another card people playing BR or jund are overlooking as more of a sideboard card is Slaughter Games. 4 mana to exile a win condition from a deck, hand, and graveyard seems pretty filthy to me.

I'm not so sure. Memoricide and Thought Hemorhhage never really saw a whole bunch of play, and unless I'm missing something, other than being uncounterable in a set with few counters isn't so hot.

[Vishop]

Just throwing it out there as an option people might not see coming.

[rancidben]

The BR and BG Zombie decks are very different. The BR is reach based (like RDW) and the BG is threat based (like White Weenie). The BG dont have access to Falkenrath Aristocrat or any comparable sac outlet and therefore Blood Artist is weakened a lot.

........... Bloodthrone Vampire.... I don't know why your talking about FA being Blood Artists best friend... that slot was filled long ago by Mortarpod. Now that Mortarpod is gone this does not mean you should stop running Blood Artist. IMO most every Zombie build should run a play set. I don't know about you all but I got most of my Blood Artists damage off just through sheer creature combat resulting in death. None the less if your still looking for reasonable sac outlets Bloodthrone is a solid. You also have Killing Wave, Altar's Reap... and I'm sure others I'm forgetting.
Run Blood Artist... or don't

[BunnyStew]

........... Bloodthrone Vampire.... I don't know why your talking about FA being Blood Artists best friend... that slot was filled long ago by Mortarpod. Now that Mortarpod is gone this does not mean you should stop running Blood Artist. IMO most every Zombie build should run a play set. I don't know about you all but I got most of my Blood Artists damage off just through sheer creature combat resulting in death. None the less if your still looking for reasonable sac outlets Bloodthrone is a solid. You also have Killing Wave, Altar's Reap... and I'm sure others I'm forgetting.
Run Blood Artist... or don't

That's another thing I couldn't comprehend...People not running Killing Wave. Even if you're not using Blood Artist ( Mortar Pod R.I.P ) Killing Wave is devastating against aggro and other zombie decks giving you've already killed their Blood Artist. Depending on what me and the guys I pool with pull from our case, I'm most likely playing BR Zombies, and I think if I get matched up against someone playing zombies without Blood Artist, I just win.

[vger]

Due to the release of a new block and the rotation of another block, this thread is now deemed as invalid and will thus be locked/unsticked. We do understand that the Zombies archetype will most likely prevail through the rotation, but this thread is mainly created for the Zombies archetype pre-RtR. Should the new Zombies archetype prove itself to be a worthy candidate for RtR Standard, we will have another sticked thread for it then.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread in some way or another. - The Mod Team