The Best Zombie Kindred Commanders In MTG

Summary

• Thraximundar excels at keeping the board clear by forcing enemy creature sacrifices.
• Most Zombie commanders can combo with a ham sandwich.
• Ratadrabik of Urborg rewards legendary Zombies and adds vigilance, making it hard for opponents to penetrate your defenses.

Over the years, Magic: The Gathering has seen various play formats spark the interest of its passionate community. Some have come and gone, while others, like EDH, otherwise known as Commander, have become such a force that they’ve dictated the release of entire sets dedicated to the format.

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, the Zombie creature type is rather popular. For those who want to take this fandom into Commander, it’s important to know which are the best Zombie commanders, standing, or rather, rising, above the rest.

Updated March 12 by Ryan Hay: Even when killed, a good Zombie deck just won’t die. Three new Zombie kindred commanders have dropped into the grave, Sauron, the Dark Lord, Zul Ashur, Lich Lord, Skullbriar, and the Walking Grave. These three creatures come with a wide range of abilities, letting you customize your Zombie kindred deck in ways that your opponents won’t suspect.

20

Thraximundar

Don’t Let Them Keep A Board

Coming right out of the grave is Thraximundar, a brutal Grixis commander that works to keep the board clear of any creatures, so he can keep on swinging. Anytime Thraximundar attacks, the defending player has to sacrifice a creature. Anytime anyone sacrifices any creatures for any reason, Thraximundar gets +1/+1.

While he might not do much for Zombie strategies on his own, Thraximundar benefits from the resiliency of the kindred theme, since a 6/6 with haste which doesn’t stay a 6/6 for long is going to be targeted down quickly. With all sorts of ways to reanimate and regenerate him with other Zombie-related cards, you can maximize Thraximundar’s power turn after turn without dropping momentum.

19

Kalitas, Traitor Of Ghet

Graveyard Removal And Board Presence In One

While not a Zombie himself, the Vampire Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet makes for a fantastic Zombie commander for those looking to control the board by doing a little more than generating an army of Zombies. Anytime a nontoken creature under one of your opponent’s control dies, you get to exile that card instead of letting it go to the graveyard, and in exchange, you get a 2/2 Zombie token.

Since the graveyard is often like a second hand for many decks in Commander, denying your opponents access to it puts you at a distinct advantage. Now, with a few Zombies, you can start sacrificing them to Kalitas to put two +1/+1 counters on him, quickly making him a major force to be reckoned with. Just slip him through your opponent’s defenses a few times to rack up some Commander Damage, and you’ll be the victor of the match in no time.

18

Ratadrabik Of Urborg

Legendaries Never Looked So Dead

Ratadrabik is by no means the best Zombie commander, but he is a great choice for players interested in making use of the white Zombie cards released in the Amonkhet setting. This commander also rewards you for stocking your deck full of legendary Zombies, as it creates tokens of them should they be removed.

Thanks to ward 2, Ratadrabik himself is a bit of a pain for opponents to get rid of. Consequently, enemies are incentivized to use their removal on other creatures you control, which powers Ratadrabik’s token ability.

The addition of vigilance to every Zombie creature on your side of the battlefield also makes it difficult for opponents to break through your defenses. This shores up the weakness of creature-based strategies in Commander, as turning all of your creatures sideways usually makes you susceptible to other players.

17

Skullbriar, The Walking Grave

The Unstoppable Horde

Skuillbriar, the Walking Grave is one of the wilder commanders around. Normally, when a creature dies you remove all counters and anything else attached to them when they go to the graveyard. Skullbriar has a special rule that gets around that, letting counters stay on Skullbriar when it goes to different zones.

The sole exception to this is if it gets kicked back to your hand, then all counters you’ve stashed on Skullbriar are lost. You can get around this by running plenty of free instant speed sacrifice effects, which is pretty easy since black is loaded to the brim with these types of effects.

16

Acererak The Archlich

Where Do Zombies Belong? In The Dungeon

Acererak fits well in a Zombie deck that also ventures into the dungeon theme. Unfortunately, there are not all that many ventures into the dungeon cards solely in black. That being said, you can allow Acererak’s trigger to return it to your hand instead of the command zone and continue to cast it again and again until you complete the dungeon.

Once you’ve completed Tomb of Annihilation, Acererak’s attack trigger becomes difficult for opponents to deal with. Forcing each opponent to sacrifice a creature or allow you to create a Zombie token is no small thing. While it’s unlikely that every one of your opponents will be hit hard by this ability, it’s fair to say that at least one or two will find it a nuisance.

15

Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant

One Of Magic’s OG Villains

Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant is a Zombie Wizard that functions as an S-tier Wrath of God with additional benefits. For six converted mana, this 3/6 enters the field with hexproof from artifacts, creatures, and enchantments. When it dies, you can pay one mana to destroy all the things it has hexproof from, essentially wiping the board.

Nevinyrral’s name comes from the prolific science fiction author, just written backwards. Larry Niven invented the concept of ‘mana’ being used as a resource for magic for his book series, The Magic Goes Away.

If you can cast him in the same turn that he is removed, you’ll get maximum return from his token spawning ability. It creates a 2/2 black Zombie token for every creature that dies during the same turn in which he enters the battlefield.

Seeing as he wipes the battlefield when he leaves it, that’s a lot of Zombies we’re talking about. With enough mana and setup, Nevinyrral can single-handedly change a game of Commander in your favor.

14

Zul Ashur, Lich Lord

They Won’t Stay Dead!

Just when you thought that the undead couldn’t get any worse, Zul Ashur, Lich Lord comes in and brings those Zombies back for another round. Zul Ashur has two abilities, one is a solid ward effect, one that forces your opponent to lose two life if they want to target her with a spell or ability, which isn’t too bad but pretty easy to work around.

The main reason you’ll be running Zul Ashur is with its tap effect. This ability lets you cast a Zombie creature card from your graveyard for the turn, which is pretty darn good. Black generally doesn’t have very many ways to untap creatures, but you can still work around this to get multiple casts in a turn with cards like Thousand-Year Elixer.

13

Grimgrin, Corpse-Born

Smile, It’s A Zombie!

Grimgrin, Corpse-Born is considered by many to be the most entry-level and newcomer friendly of all the relevant Zombie commanders available in the format. For five converted mana, you get a 5/5 creature with a host of abilities. It enters the battlefield tapped, and the only way to untap this Zombie Warrior is to sacrifice another creature, which also lets you put a +1/+1 counter on Grimgrin.

Additionally, when Grimgrin attacks, you get to destroy a target creature an opponent controls, and you get to add another +1/+1 counter to it. To get the most out of him, you’ll want to build a deck that can get Zombies out onto the battlefield while also having ways to reanimate them from your graveyard.

12

Sedris, The Traitor King

They’ll Join Your Side Eventually

Grixis is the color combination of blue, black, and red mana. It provides a stable base of destruction and control. Sedris, the Traitor King is easily the best Zombie commander in this category. The 5/5 Zombie Warrior costs six converted mana and has an ability that gives each creature card in your graveyard unearth for three converted mana.

This means that for three mana, you can bring a creature to the battlefield with haste. If it doesn’t die in combat, it will be exiled at the end of that turn. In a deck focused on milling, this ability can provide late-game answers to a host of overwhelming board states from your opponents.

11

Enkira, Hostile Scavenger

An Undead Universe Within

Taking a page from the Walking Dead Secret Lair, Enkira, Hostile Scavenger is the Universes Within version of Michonne, Ruthless Survivor and has all the same stats and abilities as the original Secret Lair card. When Enkira enters the battlefield you get two Walker tokens, which are just 2/2 black Zombie tokens.

If you attack with Enkira and two Zombie tokens, you get to give her indestructible for the turn, making her an unstoppable force by putting those tokens up for the slaughter. As a bonus, if Enkira is equipped with any cards, your opponents are forced to block her with creature, which can help whittle down your opponent’s valuable creatures while you make unfavorable blocking scenarios.

10

Mikaeus, The Unhallowed

Death Can’t Stop You

It’s hard to deny how classic and iconic the original art for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed feels in terms of representing Zombies in the world of Magic: The Gathering. The legendary Zombie Cleric is a 5/5 with intimidate and essentially gives you protection from Humans.

Whenever a Human damages you, it is destroyed. Pair this with Mikaeus’ other ability, which gives all non-Human creatures you control +1/+1 and undying, and for six converted mana, and you have yourself a true Zombie commander.

9

Liliana, Heretical Healer

A Planeswalker To Herd Those Zombies

The only real Zombie-based planeswalker we have in Magic is Liliana, and her time as the Heretical Healer, shortly after her planeswalker spark ignited years ago, is an exceptionally strong one. For three mana Liliana will pop out of the Command Zone, and flipping her is very easy. All you have to do is wait for another of your nontoken creatures to die, and you’ll flip her and net yourself a 2/2 Zombie.

The Zombie here is Liliana’s late brother, who she failed to save with her magic and fueling her planeswalker transformation.

Once flipped, you get access to three strong abilities. The first is your standard discard effect, forcing all players, yourself included, to discard a card. You can then remove a bunch of counters to bring back a nonlegendary creature from your graveyard back to the battlefield, so want to make sure you are discarding some strong creatures off of it. Then, her final ability gives you an emblem that lets you bring a creature back as soon as its dead, really fitting in the theme of the whole ‘the dead shall rise’ vibe that Liliana has.

8

Varina, Lich Queen

Keep The Graveyard Full

When it comes to strategy and playstyle, this is one commander that can flip the status of a game rather quickly. Varina costs just four converted mana and will lead an Esper (white/blue/black) deck centered around getting as many Zombies in play as possible.

Attached to its 4/4 body is an ability that triggers when you attack with Zombie creatures. For every Zombie you attack with during a given combat phase, you’ll draw that many cards, then discard that many cards. Depending on what this number is, you’ll also gain that much life. Varina works as both a mill commander and a self-healer: both great boons for a Zombie deck to have.

7

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

Turn Your Graveyard Into A Second Hand

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant is a rather effective Zombie token generator, but its reliance on a three-color Sultai (black/green/blue) deck forces building a deck around it to be a bit more difficult.

That being said, whenever Sidisi attacks or enters the battlefield, it lets you mill the top three cards of your deck. Its second ability makes it so that when a creature is discarded from your library into the graveyard, you get a free 2/2 black Zombie token as a reward.

It’s a pretty good trade-off for a commander who can be cast early in the game. While you won’t find a ton of Zombie cards in green, it is the source of some of the best ramp in the game. This makes it easier to unload your Zombies onto the battlefield earlier in the game.

6

Ghoulcaller Gisa

One Zombie Becomes Many

Zombie players looking to keep it classic with a mono-black deck need look no further than Ghoulcaller Gisa. Ghoulcaller is great for blanking opposing removal and creating a huge army of Zombie tokens. What’s more traditional for Zombies than winning with an inordinate amount of 2/2 tokens?

Importantly, Gisa has a toughness of four which allows her to survive many damage-based removal spells. You can also use Gisa in combination with the popular Zombie combo of Phyrexian Altar, Gravecrawler, and Champion of the Perished to create infinite Zombie tokens. It doesn’t get much more flavorful than that.

5

Gisa, The Hellraiser

Criminal Run Amok

Skeletons and Zombies go hand in hand when it comes to undead shenanigans, and Gisa, the Hellraiser is certainly raising some hell over at Outlaw Junction. She comes with a fairly strong ward effect, forcing your opponents to both pay two generic mana and two life to target her, which can be a double deterrent from targeting her.

Then, anytime you commit a crime, you get to make two tapped 2/2 black and blue Zombie Rogue tokens. It only triggers once each turn, but it can trigger on your opponent’s turns to give you tons of opportunities to spam out Zombies.

4

Gisa And Geralf

They Don’t Stay Dead

When thinking of the best Zombie commanders, you likely think of cards that are of the Zombie creature type, but the legendary duo of Gisa and Geralf breaks this mold. The Human Wizards have you mill four cards when they enter the battlefield. In addition, on each of your turns, you can cast Zombie creature spells from your graveyard.

Building a Commander deck focused on milling your deck into your graveyard can take great advantage of this wonderful ability. Just make sure to have counter spells and removal for things that would cause you to exile your graveyard, or else this pair will have trouble getting online.

3

The Scarab God

The God Of The Zombies

When Magic decided to add Gods to their lineup as a creature type, it was inevitable that something like The Scarab God would come around. This thing has a host of abilities, but at its base, it is a 5/5 for five converted mana.

In addition to triggering multiple things based on how many Zombies you control, this commander will be sent back to its owner’s hand when it dies, meaning it can continuously be cast for its base five converted mana until it is discarded or exiled. The Scarab God, for four converted mana, can also exile creatures from any graveyard and create a 4/4 black Zombie token copy of said creature.

2

Sauron, The Dark Lord

You Cannot Hide

At first glance, Sauron, the Dark Lord might not be your first Commander when you think of a Zombie kindred deck, but it turns out that the Necromancer does a great job at supporting a Zombie token deck. You see, Sauron has an ability that makes it so any time an opponent casts a spell, you get to amass orcs for one. Amass orcs is a neat ability that functions just like the regular amass keyword that came from War of the Spark, just it makes Orcs instead of Zombies.

However, if you have an Orc Army token created by Sauron, and then play a spell that would cause you to get a Zombie Army token, they combine, becoming a Orc Zombie Army token. Since there are plenty of cards that help support the amass archetype, you can smash them together to have a very powerful commander that keeps pumping your Zombies.

1

Wilhelt, The Rotcleaver

The Most Zombies For Your Mana

Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver is arguably the best choice when it comes to building a Commander deck with a Zombie commander. For four total mana value, Wilhelt gives you a sacrifice outlet for your creatures, adding synergy with other cards, and adds Zombie tokens to the battlefield each time a Zombie dies.

When he triggers, Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver puts a 2/2 black Zombie token with decayed onto the battlefield. If you choose to use his ability to sacrifice a Zombie you control on your end step, you’ll be able to draw a card, adding more cards (Zombies, hopefully) to your hand. Let the Zombie parade begin!