Bracket 3 · Our Wilhelt decklist · Zombie Tribal
Our Wilhelt list is Dimir Zombies and sacrifice. Whenever another Zombie dies, Wilhelt makes a 2/2 decayed Zombie, and at your end step you can sacrifice a Zombie to draw a card.
The deck floods the board with Zombies, sacrifices them with Ashnod's Altar and Carrion Feeder, drains with Diregraf Captain, Vengeful Dead and Plague Belcher, recurs Zombies with Gravecrawler and Gisa and Geralf, and swarms with Army of the Damned.
- Strategy
- Zombie Tribal
- Bracket
- 3
- Avg. mana value
- 2.97
- Lands
- 35
01The Commander
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver is a four-mana 3/3 Zombie. Whenever another Zombie you control dies, if it didn't have decayed, create a 2/2 black Zombie with decayed.
At the beginning of your end step, you may sacrifice a Zombie to draw a card. Sacrifice a decayed token and it costs you nothing.
Every nontoken Zombie that dies becomes a decayed token, and each death triggers drain cards like Diregraf Captain and Vengeful Dead.
02How This Deck Wins
- 1
Fill the board with Zombies
Cryptbreaker, Diregraf Colossus, Endless Ranks of the Dead and Necroduality build a Zombie horde.
- 2
Sacrifice for value
Ashnod's Altar, Carrion Feeder and Cleaver Skaab sacrifice Zombies. Each death makes a token and drains or draws.
- 3
Drain or swarm
Diregraf Captain, Vengeful Dead and Plague Belcher drain on deaths, and Army of the Damned or Hordewing Skaab finishes.
03Deck at a Glance
Bracket 3 · Zombie Tribal · 100 cards
Composition
- Commander1
- Creatures31
- Instants & sorceries16
- Artifacts & enchantments16
- Planeswalkers1
- Lands35
- Tokens4
Mana Curve
Color Split
symbols
- Blue 23%
- Black 77%
By the Numbers
Cards by Role
04Zombie Makers
More Zombies, more fodder.
Also in this role
05Death Payoffs
Each Zombie death drains, draws or digs.
Also in this role
06Sacrifice and Recursion
Sacrifice Zombies, then bring them back.
Also in this role
07Lords and Evasion
Make the horde hit harder.
Also in this role
08Interaction
Dimir answers.
Also in this role
09Combos and Key Interactions
Gravecrawler + Ashnod's Altar
Sacrifice Gravecrawler for two mana, recast it from the graveyard, repeat. Each death makes a Wilhelt token and triggers drains.
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver + Vengeful Dead
Every Zombie death drains each opponent and leaves a fresh token.
Necroduality + Endless Ranks of the Dead
Every nontoken Zombie is doubled, and the horde grows each upkeep.
10How to Play
Opening hand
Keep hands with two or three lands, cheap Zombies and a sacrifice outlet. Wilhelt on turn four is ideal.
Early gameturns 1-3
Play cheap Zombies like Cryptbreaker and Carrion Feeder.
Mid gameturns 4-7
Cast Wilhelt and sacrifice Zombies for tokens and drain. Draw at each end step.
Late gameturn 8+
Swarm with Army of the Damned, drain with Vengeful Dead and Diregraf Captain, or loop Gravecrawler.
Tips
- Wilhelt only makes tokens from Zombies without decayed, so sacrifice nontoken Zombies first.
- Sacrifice decayed tokens to Wilhelt's end-step draw.
- Gravecrawler needs another Zombie to be cast from the graveyard.
- Decayed tokens can't block, so keep real blockers back.
Common mistakes
- Sacrificing decayed tokens when you want new tokens from Wilhelt.
- Overextending into a wipe.
- Leaving no blockers against aggressive decks.
- Ignoring graveyard hate.
Watch out for
- Graveyard hate on your recursion.
- Board wipes that exile.
- Removal on Wilhelt.
- Fliers your ground Zombies can't block.
11Bracket and Rule 0
Our list runs 1 Game Changer (Cyclonic Rift), within the Bracket 3 limit of three.
Gravecrawler with Ashnod's Altar loops for value with drain cards, so mention it before the game.
12Full Decklist
Every card in our Wilhelt proxy deck (100 cards). Hover or tap a name to see the card.
Commander
- 1Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver2UB
Creatures (31)
- 1Carrion FeederB
- 1Champion of the PerishedB
- 1CryptbreakerB
- 1GravecrawlerB
- 1Accursed Marauder1B
- 1Relentless DeadBB
- 1Undead AugurBB
- 1Zul Ashur, Lich Lord1B
- 1Archghoul of Thraben2B
- 1Cemetery Reaper1BB
- 1Death Baron1BB
- 1Diregraf Captain1UB
- 1Diregraf Colossus2B
- 1Fleshbag Marauder2B
- 1Headless Rider2B
- 1Lord of the Accursed2B
- 1Lord of the Undead1BB
- 1Midnight Reaper2B
- 1Plague Belcher2B
- 1Poppet Stitcher2U
- 1Warren Soultrader2B
- 1Zombie Master1BB
- 1Cleaver Skaab3U
- 1Gisa and Geralf2UB
- 1Undead Warchief2BB
- 1Vengeful Dead3B
- 1Gray Merchant of Asphodel3BB
- 1Hordewing Skaab4U
- 1Noxious Ghoul3BB
- 1The Scarab God3UB
- 1Mikaeus, the Unhallowed3BBB
Planeswalkers (1)
- 1Liliana, Dreadhorde General4BB
Instants (8)
- 1An Offer You Can't RefuseU
- 1Dark RitualB
- 1EntombB
- 1CounterspellUU
- 1Cyclonic Rift1U
- 1Go for the Throat1B
- 1Lazotep Plating1U
- 1Negate1U
Sorceries (8)
- 1ReanimateB
- 1Empty the LaboratoryXUU
- 1Feed the Swarm1B
- 1Toxic Deluge2B
- 1Victimize2B
- 1Distant Melody3U
- 1Zombie Apocalypse3BBB
- 1Army of the Damned5BBB
Artifacts (9)
- 1Skullclamp1
- 1Sol Ring1
- 1Arcane Signet2
- 1Dimir Signet2
- 1Fellwar Stone2
- 1Talisman of Dominance2
- 1Ashnod's Altar3
- 1Crowded Crypt2B
- 1Phyrexian Altar3
Enchantments (7)
- 1Dreadhorde Invasion1B
- 1The Meathook MassacreXBB
- 1Endless Ranks of the Dead2BB
- 1Grave Pact1BBB
- 1Necroduality3U
- 1Kindred Discovery3UU
- 1Rooftop Storm5U
Lands (35)
- 1Bojuka Bog
- 1Choked Estuary
- 1Command Tower
- 1Darkwater Catacombs
- 1Dimir Aqueduct
- 1Drowned Catacomb
- 1Exotic Orchard
- 7Island
- 1Morphic Pool
- 1Path of Ancestry
- 1Polluted Delta
- 1Shipwreck Marsh
- 1Sunken Hollow
- 10Swamp
- 1Tainted Isle
- 1Temple of Deceit
- 1Unclaimed Territory
- 1Underground River
- 1Unholy Grotto
- 1Watery Grave
Get the deck
Wilhelt Zombie Tribal proxy deck
Wilhelt turns every Zombie death into a new Zombie. Fill the board, sacrifice, and drain the table.
Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in the deck you get, sleeve-ready, with tokens.
Shop the deck · $45Every card named in this guide is in our deck, and every image is our own proxy card, rendered from the art in this deck.