z3 by cuda513

Format: Commander

Commander: Varina, Lich Queen

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 30

Deck overview

This deck is an Esper Zombie tribal strategy led by Varina, Lich Queen. It aims to establish early board presence with aggressive, low-cost Zombies, then deploy Varina to convert attacks into massive hand filtering, life buffer, and repeatable token creation. As the graveyard fills, the deck transitions into lethal territory via tribal anthems such as Undead Warchief and Death Baron, compounded by aristocrat life-drain triggers from Wayward Servant, Corpse Knight, and Diregraf Captain. Card advantage engines like Kindred Discovery, Undead Augur, and Graveborn Muse maintain momentum, while recursion pieces such as Zombie Apocalypse and Gisa and Geralf provide strong mid-to-late game resilience against sweepers. Although the deck lacks instant two-card infinite combinations, its compounding board presence, high token density, and steady drain effects enable it to reliably close out games by turn 8.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Accursed Duneyard
  • 1 Accursed Marauder
  • 1 Adarkar Wastes
  • 1 Arcane Sanctum
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Ash Barrens
  • 1 Ashnod's Altar
  • 1 Bolas's Citadel
  • 1 Bontu's Monument
  • 1 Buried Alive
  • 1 Carrion Feeder
  • 1 Caves of Koilos
  • 1 Cemetery Reaper
  • 1 Choked Estuary
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Contaminated Landscape
  • 1 Corpse Knight
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Crippling Fear
  • 1 Death Baron
  • 1 Diregraf Captain
  • 1 Diregraf Colossus
  • 1 Drowned Catacomb
  • 1 Endless Ranks of the Dead
  • 1 Evolving Wilds
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Fellwar Stone
  • 1 Geralf, the Fleshwright
  • 1 Ghoulcaller Gisa
  • 1 Gisa and Geralf
  • 1 Glacial Fortress
  • 1 Gleaming Overseer
  • 1 God-Eternal Bontu
  • 1 God-Eternal Oketra
  • 1 Godless Shrine
  • 1 Grave Pact
  • 1 Graveborn Muse
  • 1 Gravecrawler
  • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
  • 1 Headless Rider
  • 1 Hordewing Skaab
  • 4 Island
  • 1 Isolated Chapel
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
  • 1 Kindred Discovery
  • 1 Kindred Dominance
  • 1 Lazotep Plating
  • 1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
  • 1 Lord of the Accursed
  • 1 Lord of the Undead
  • 1 Lost Monarch of Ifnir
  • 1 Murderous Rider // Swift End
  • 1 Necroduality
  • 1 On Wings of Gold
  • 1 Patchwork Banner
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Path to Exile
  • 5 Plains
  • 1 Port Town
  • 1 Prairie Stream
  • 1 Raffine's Tower
  • 1 Ratadrabik of Urborg
  • 1 Relentless Dead
  • 1 Renewed Solidarity
  • 1 Riot Control
  • 1 Rooftop Storm
  • 1 Shepherd of Rot
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Soul Shatter
  • 1 Sudden Spoiling
  • 1 Sunken Hollow
  • 5 Swamp
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Temmet, Naktamun's Will
  • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
  • 1 Thought Vessel
  • 1 Tormod, the Desecrator
  • 1 Undead Augur
  • 1 Undead Warchief
  • 1 Unearth
  • 1 Unholy Grotto
  • 1 Varina, Lich Queen
  • 1 Wayward Servant
  • 1 Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
  • 1 Zombie Apocalypse
  • 1 Zombie Master
  • 1 Zul Ashur, Lich Lord