The Brains Behind Zombies
Seeing as I've mained a zombie deck for quite a few formats, this deck guide is long overdue. Zombies have the potential to be a very strong deck, and are able to make a large number of Level 8 Synchros or Rank 4 Xyzs when necessary. One of the key things to remember is that cards like Mezuki are very valuable when in the Graveyard, and as a +1 for use whenever you want it's like having another card in the hand. (Although Evilswarm Exciton Knight doesn't care!) Zombies are also a deck with many misconceptions about them, and that will be the first thing I address in this article.
Misconception number 1: Zombie World.
"Zombie decks use Zombie World!"
No. A good Zombie deck does not base itself around a field spell. The focus of a Zombie deck should be your own Graveyard, and not pulling stupid maneuvres to get cards from your opponent's Graveyard that can be stopped by a well-timed MST. Cards like Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon are bad. I will explain how a good Zombie deck functions later.
Misconception number 2: Pyramid Turtle.
"Pyramid Turtle is better than Goblin Zombie!"
At first glance, it may seem like it. Pyramid Special Summons the monster, whereas Goblin just adds it to hand. The bit that puts Goblin over the edge, however, is that Pyramid must be destroyed by battle, and most decks nowadays won't just attack into face-downs. Chances are, it'll be picked off by some Spell or Monster Effect that was included to get rid of Rykos or Hands, and you won't get your effect. However, in situations like that, Zombie will still get its search. To add to that, the only Zombie monster which is likely to survive on the field in your opponent's turn is Zombie Master, due to its 1800 attack; you're incredibly likely to lose whatever monster you would Summon with Pyramid, which is very rarely an advantage. To tip it all off, Goblin Zombie will also give you your search when it's used in Synchro Summons (Or tributes). Plaguespreader being a level 2, this means you can make a Goyo Guardian with Goblin and then get a search for it, possibly for another Plague if you just had to banish the one you were currently using.
Misconception number 3: Malicious hand
"Getting 2 Malicious in hand is a nightmare!"
Anyone saying this simply does not know what they're doing. Using cards like Zombie Master or Destiny Draw, you can easily get 1 of the Malicious into the grave. From there, when pulling off your typical Plaguespreader-Malicious combo you simply put the other Malicious on to the top of your deck then Special Summon it with the Malicious in grave. 3 Malicious, on the other hand, means you've probably lost the duel. That is, unless you can get 2 Plagues in grave with the 2/3 useful cards you get in the rest of your starting hand. It's a good thing 3 Malicious isn't very likely.
Now that a couple of misconceptions have been addressed, the article can move forwards. I shall now give detail on some of the important cards.
Plaguespreader Zombie
Spoiler :
Plaguespreader Zombie is the key monster in a Zombie deck's Synchro plays. Running 3 is vitally important. It's important to remember that you don't always want to use his effect just because you can; in many cases, it will be more important to have him in the grave than a Mezuki for later parts of the game. Reusing Plaguespreader is a very important part of winning with a Zombie deck.
Mezuki
Spoiler :
Mezuki is one of the big playmakers of a Zombie deck. The card is essentially your Monster Reborn, but he works by banishing himself from the Graveyard. This means that, because he's a Level 4 monster, you can use him as a resource in one circumstance then immediately make use of him again. His 1700 Attack makes him quite strong on the field, but his most common field use will be Xyz plays. Making a Lavalval chain out of a Mezuki and a Master is one of the best setups you can make in the deck. Running 3 is also vital.
Zombie Master
Spoiler :
Zombie Master is another big playmaker of a Zombie deck. His effect can be used to swarm, to make basic Xyz plays, to summon a Plaguespreader, or to set up Graveyard. His effect perfectly compliments the strategy of a good Zombie deck, and so you run him at 3.
Goblin Zombie
Spoiler :
Goblin Zombie is your search. There is little more to say on that that wasn't addressed in the reasons why Goblin Zombie is better than Pyramid Turtle. Run 1-3.
Destiny HERO: - Malicious
Spoiler :
Malicious is a vital part of your main combo, which shall be detailed later on if you don't know it. It's vital that you run 3 of this guy.
Blue-Blooded Oni
Spoiler :
Blue-Blooded Oni is a key part of a slightly different style of Zombie deck. If you're running Oni, you run 3. There is no 1 or 2 about this card. You would also want to drop the Malicious and Plague just for the resources and Extra Deck space that they take up, as Oni decks are very different. The main combos will involve Lavalval Chain and Gem Knight Pearl, and will swarm massively for little cost. I would detail these, but this article is about the main type of Zombies you'll see, so this card gets no more than a paragraph.
Lavalval Chain
Spoiler :
Lavalval Chain is quite important for setting up your Graveyard. It's easily accessable, and it's very useful for making your combos happen consistently. Despite all this, you only need to run 1 or 2 if you're not running Oni, as you won't be summoning them after you've used the effect once.
Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons
Spoiler :
Beelze is one of your main synchro plays. Most decks will have severe difficulty in getting over it. There are lots of other Level 8 Synchros you can summon, but having a Beelze out is always a strong play.
There are lots of other Level 8 Synchros you could summon, of which the main ones will be Crimson Blader, Void Ogre Dragon, Dark End Dragon, and Stardust Dragon. You can also use a Plaguespreader to make any of these into a Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree, which is a 3100 attack beater which can't be targetted. Goyo Guardian is another strong Synchro monster that you can easily summon with a Zombie deck.
In terms of other Xyzs, you should focus mostly on rank 4s like Gagaga Cowboy and Silent Honor ARK. If you run TGU, which you probably should, you'll find your Extra Deck is quite full. Leviair and Leviathan should be enough for using TGU effectively.
Strategy and Combos
The main combo involves Malicious and Plaguespreader, and is very simple. You need a Malicious in grave, and a Plaguespreader on the field. Use Malicious' effect to summon a Malicious from deck, and synch with Plague for a Level 8. Then, Special Summon Plague from grave with either its own effect or the effect of a card like Mezuki or Zombie Master, then use Malicious again and Synchro Summon another Level 8. This is undeniably an extremely strong play.
Using Mezuki to its best is very important to making strong combos. Sending more to grave with cards like Lavalval Chain can give the potential for very strong plays. Summoning Zombie Master with a Mezuki is obviously one good way to make a Rank 4 play or make a stronger field for an OTK.
Something you can do when making your main Synchro play is summoning a Dark End Dragon, using its effect, then summoning Plague again and making a Leo. This puts you in a very strong position, and will result in something that can only be described as "Almost an OTK", as you'll probably have summoned a Beelze alongside the Leo and may have a Zombie Master or Lavalval Chain still out. This will total... 7900 damage, which is unluckily 100 Life Points from Victory. Thankfully, your opponent will have difficulty clearing your field, and if all else fails you can try to make a Cowboy at the next possible instance.
Example Decklist:
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