(Note: I consider playing this deck so cheap that I have only played it once, but it remains one of my favorite decks 2 years later.)

I returned to Magic a few years ago after a long absence. My return was marked by a purchase of a deck builder tool kit for the 2013 core set. As I opened the set and marveled at the treasures inside, I noticed that they included a helpful deck building guide with some tips. One of those tips that stays with me to this day is, “Build your deck with a theme and try to stick to that theme. Tell a story with the cards.” Being a natural storyteller, I took that advice to such a level that I searched for lands that matched the overall theme of the deck. The cards in the kit seemed to be pushing me to build a blue/white spirit deck, so I tried to find islands and plains cards that looked spooky or darker, like places where spirits might reside.

While I am not quite at that level of lore in my decks anymore, I still like to have an overarching theme to the decks. Most times, that theme isn’t necessarily even a strategy to playing the deck. Rather, I prefer to have tribal decks and there’s a potential story behind every card. This particular deck was built as a response to a life gain deck that Chris built. I actually read up on the various strategies behind various decks and learned aboutmill decks. I figured that would work nicely since I didn’t think that I would ever be able to put together enough damage to overcome his constant gain. Unsure if I would be able to win with a creatureless deck, I thought about it for some time before the obvious answer hit me.

Your library in the game is a metaphor forbrains and knowledge. Zombies like to eat brains. The deck came together as a match made in heaven. I can’t promise you that the deck will win very often and it definitely will not win friends, but it is fun to play and watch the opponent’s cards disappear into the graveyard.

Land – 20

Island – 4
Swamp – 4
Dimir Aqueduct – 4
Dimir Guildgate – 4
Dreadship Reef – 2
Nephalia Drownyard – 2
Haunted Fengraf – 2

Spells – 28

Crypt Incursion – 2
Curse of the Bloody Tome – 2
Dream Twist – 2
Essence Scatter – 2
Ghoulcaller’s Chant – 2
Jace’s Erasure – 2
Mind Sculpt – 4
Murder – 2
Paranoid Delusions -2
Pilfered Plans – 2
Thought Scour – 2
Unsummon – 2
Vile Rebirth – 2

Creatures – 12

Butcher Ghoul – 2
Crypt Keeper – 2
Diregraf Captain – 1
Ghoulraiser – 2
Hunted Ghoul – 2
Rotcrown Ghoul – 1
Walking Corpse – 2

The mana situation is tenuous and the deck might be made better by going completely creatureless and either splashing in some red burn or white control or even some more blue/black control spells, but it doesn’t quite match the overall story of the deck and that’s ultimately what I want to accomplish here. Still, I encourage you to give the deck a try. Maybe don’t try it against your friends unless you have a strong friendship that can withstand the trauma of watching a library consumed by the zombie horde.