I propose a Zombie Loam deck, leaning heavily on the Zombie Infestation part, with the addition of blue for Master of Death and Otherworldly Gaze. I'm going to edit this post in a couple hours once I've finished with the first draft of a decklist (EDIT - SEE BELOW), but it would be interesting to see if people think its possible to revive my all time favourite deck in modern.
Attached is a screenshot of my win/loss record with Zombie Loam. A few of the matches recorded are a a bit out of date (see Amulet Bloom), but most of the games recorded are from the past month. I've tried to colour-code each deck I played to represent how difficult I feel the matchup is. I'm in the process of updating my sideboard guide, so hopefully I can get that finished relatively soon.
I'm really happy with the current version of the deck. Its been super consistent and I've won plenty of games with it. The only thing I'm considering at the moment is playing a 1 of shenanigans in the sideboard (instead of a ancient grudge, since I think it improves our matchup against the Urza Thopter Sword deck.
Thanks for the reply! I'm going to start by using trixster87's decklist (http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/10-11-18-NJm-4c-gifts/), and then modify it to suit my local meta. I'm going to the modern GP Birmingham in August, so if the deck performs better than my pet deck (Zombie Loam) I'll take it to the GP
Also, how do you guys combat tron? It seems to be on the rise now that Hogaak has gotten a bit worse and it doesn't look like a great match up for 4C Gifts
I really like this 4C Gifts deck. Does anyone have a deck list that I can start off with, and then customise after I play with the deck? Also, what cards would you guys consider to be the 'flex slots'?
2-1 win VS. Infect (splashing white for Rest in Peace):
Game 1 - I darkblast his creatures and eventually killed him with zombie tokens, bloodghast and spirit tokens. I somehow managed to win G1 with no red lands.
Game 2 - 2x RiP. I managed to deal with the 1st one using nature's claim, but the 2nd was too much of a setback.
Game 3 - Turn 2 RiP, I untap, Destroy the RiP and darkblast his creature. I continue to darkblast his creatures until I kill him with tokens.
2-1 win VS. Hardened Scales Affinity
Game 1 - I grind him out with conflagrate and zombie infestation.
Game 2 - My lands deal too much damage to me, and he finishes me off with the typical affinity creatures, although I die 1 card short from stabilising with conflagrate.
Game 3 - I destroy his turn 1 hardened scales. I draw well and kill him with 4 bloodghasts and 4 spirits in play after about 20 turns of grinding.
Opinions on the deck
Overall, I quite like the current version im playing with, but I feel like it definitely need a bit more tweaking. I went down to 2 driven // despair since I was seeing it a bit too much for my liking. I included 1 raven's crime due to the popular UW Control and because it increases the number of keep-able opening hands (by targeting myself and discarding a dredge card on turn 1). Blast Zone performed very well, so I might go up to 2 copies. I'm still not sure about bojuka bog, so if Hogaark gets banned i'll definitely take them out.
I don't find myself needing to cast (or even side-in) heaven // earth very often so I plan on replacing it with a bojuka bog, ghost quarter/tectonic edge, flame jab or the 4th conflagrate/nature's claim.
I'm looking for a competitive deck to play at GP Birmingham, and after testing the deck a bit online, Ad Nauseam really interests me. I just have a couple of questions about the deck:
- What cards do you usually board out? I often get worried that i'm diluting the combo deck too much when I sideboard (Also, are there any fairly recent sideboard guides online?)
I really want to take Modern Zombie Loam to GP Birmingham, but the sheer number of faster dredge decks is worrying me. Maybe I could do some testing and build a deck that at least stands a chance against fast dredge, but doesn't sacrifice too much in terms of other match-ups. Main-decking Bojuka Bog might have to be the way I go.
In all honesty, its probably better that I play another deck more suited to the meta in the GP. Although the 'element of surprise' that this deck still has is definitely an advantage I shouldn't overlook.
I was just thinking... how do we beat this new Hogaak dredgevine? I remember playing the 'old' version of dredgevine and I got absolutely destroyed . Furthermore if they do end up banning a card from it, banning faithless looting would ruin zombie loam.
I can imagine that there are some scenarios where we kill our own bloodghast using a conflagrate to get rid of their bridge from belows. Also, I think we should consider going up to 3/4 copies of memory's journey in the sideboard, and board in anti-graveyard hate cards more aggressively since most modern decks are going to run more graveyard hate.
I have a couple questions about your most recent deck @maniospas.
- Why are you running 2x Blooming marsh over 2 of the other fastlands?
- How have the cycle lands been working for you? I am a bit concerned that adding more "come into play tapped" lands might be a problem. Furthermore, does the inclusion of 26 lands (including dryad arbor) prevent you from running useful one-ofs, for example Abrupt Decay/Assassin's Trophy/Darkblast/Lightning Axe/Deadly Allure?
Hi guys
I've never posted on this site, but have been following this thread for a long time (about 2015), and played many of the builds posted, and other versions aswell. Thx to maniospas and danr2000 for their dedication and thorough analyzes.
I would like to participate more in the discussions, and would support danr2000 idea of a reddit page. Furthermore I agree with maniospas about the general modern loam forums. They don't really discuss this exact deck and take on loam.
Well, enough from me. I just hope this thread can continue.
Wow, the fact you've been here so long is awesome! It'd be great to see you post a bit more often in the future .
- Any recommendations on how to make the page look nicer will be greatly appreciated, since i'm not very good at aesthetics lmao.
- I've finished uni for the summer, so that means ill have loads of time to work on making the forum as good as I can.
- I was thinking about eventually including a stock list, a detailed primer, an updated sideboard guide, links to Levy's original Zombie Loam articles and obviously, a link to the archived mtg salvation forum.
I've DM'ed you maniospas, so just send me a message and ill mod you
Finally, this is the first time I have managed a forum like this, so please let me know what you guys think I should include/change.
Hi Guys,
Since MTG salvation is shutting down soon, what do u guys think about me creating a Reddit community page so we can continue discussions about the deck?
Thanks for the informative reply. I'm trying to modify my manabase in order to minimise the amount of damage I am doing to myself. Currently, it looks like this:
Do you have any advice for modifications I can make? I'm currently thinking of swapping the Sacred Foundry for a Murmuring Bosk and then swapping 1 Bloodstained Mire and the Windswept Heath for an additional basic + a cycle dual land (i haven't worked out which one I want yet). I'm also gonna take out 1-2 cards from the non-lands and try out Blast Zone.
May I ask why you play murmuring bosk over a 4th copy of bloodstained mire (and a white shockland)? Bosk seems like a painful land to include, since our manabase already damages us quite a bit. It also doesn't come into play untapped, which I imagine could be very awkward in some scenarios.
After taking a veryyyyy long break from MTG (due to a lot of university work), an article on mtggoldfish has caught my eye...
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/budget-magic-100-8-squee-infestation-modern
I propose a Zombie Loam deck, leaning heavily on the Zombie Infestation part, with the addition of blue for Master of Death and Otherworldly Gaze. I'm going to edit this post in a couple hours once I've finished with the first draft of a decklist (EDIT - SEE BELOW), but it would be interesting to see if people think its possible to revive my all time favourite deck in modern.
4 Bloodghast
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4 Master of Death
2 Stinkweed Imp
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
1 Golgari Brownscale
Noncreature Spells (20)
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Life from the Loam
4 Otherworldly Gaze
3 Conflagrate
2 Darkblast
2 Deadly Brew
1 Lightning Axe
1 Blast Zone
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Blooming Marsh
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Ketria Triome
4 Nature's Claim
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Golgari Brownscale
2 Deadly Brew
2 Memory's Journey
1 Abrupt Decay
4 Bloodghast
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Stinkweed Imp
2 Vengeful Pharaoh
1 Nether Spirit
Noncreature Spells (23)
4 Life from the Loam
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Faithless Looting
3 Conflagrate
3 Lingering Souls
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Raven's Crime
1 Darkblast
1 Blast Zone
3 Ghost Quarter
3 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Blooming Marsh
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Nature's Claim
3 Golgari Brownscale
2 Ray of Revelation
2 Memory's Journey
1 Lightning Axe
1 Heaven // Earth
Attached is a screenshot of my win/loss record with Zombie Loam. A few of the matches recorded are a a bit out of date (see Amulet Bloom), but most of the games recorded are from the past month. I've tried to colour-code each deck I played to represent how difficult I feel the matchup is. I'm in the process of updating my sideboard guide, so hopefully I can get that finished relatively soon.
I'm really happy with the current version of the deck. Its been super consistent and I've won plenty of games with it. The only thing I'm considering at the moment is playing a 1 of shenanigans in the sideboard (instead of a ancient grudge, since I think it improves our matchup against the Urza Thopter Sword deck.
Also, how do you guys combat tron? It seems to be on the rise now that Hogaak has gotten a bit worse and it doesn't look like a great match up for 4C Gifts
I really like this 4C Gifts deck. Does anyone have a deck list that I can start off with, and then customise after I play with the deck? Also, what cards would you guys consider to be the 'flex slots'?
4 Bloodghast
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Stinkweed Imp
2 Vengeful Pharaoh
1 Golgari Brownscale
1 Nether Spirit
Noncreature Spells (22)
4 Life from the Loam
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Faithless Looting
3 Conflagrate
3 Lingering Souls
2 Driven // Despair
1 Raven's Crime
1 Darkblast
1 Blast Zone
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Blooming Marsh
2 Bojuka Bog
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Murmuring Bosk
3 Nature's Claim
3 Golgari Brownscale
2 Ray of Revelation
2 Memory's Journey
1 Lightning Axe
1 Heaven // Earth
2-1 win VS. Infect (splashing white for Rest in Peace):
Game 1 - I darkblast his creatures and eventually killed him with zombie tokens, bloodghast and spirit tokens. I somehow managed to win G1 with no red lands.
Game 2 - 2x RiP. I managed to deal with the 1st one using nature's claim, but the 2nd was too much of a setback.
Game 3 - Turn 2 RiP, I untap, Destroy the RiP and darkblast his creature. I continue to darkblast his creatures until I kill him with tokens.
2-1 win VS. Hardened Scales Affinity
Game 1 - I grind him out with conflagrate and zombie infestation.
Game 2 - My lands deal too much damage to me, and he finishes me off with the typical affinity creatures, although I die 1 card short from stabilising with conflagrate.
Game 3 - I destroy his turn 1 hardened scales. I draw well and kill him with 4 bloodghasts and 4 spirits in play after about 20 turns of grinding.
Opinions on the deck
Overall, I quite like the current version im playing with, but I feel like it definitely need a bit more tweaking. I went down to 2 driven // despair since I was seeing it a bit too much for my liking. I included 1 raven's crime due to the popular UW Control and because it increases the number of keep-able opening hands (by targeting myself and discarding a dredge card on turn 1). Blast Zone performed very well, so I might go up to 2 copies. I'm still not sure about bojuka bog, so if Hogaark gets banned i'll definitely take them out.
I don't find myself needing to cast (or even side-in) heaven // earth very often so I plan on replacing it with a bojuka bog, ghost quarter/tectonic edge, flame jab or the 4th conflagrate/nature's claim.
I'm looking for a competitive deck to play at GP Birmingham, and after testing the deck a bit online, Ad Nauseam really interests me. I just have a couple of questions about the deck:
- What cards do you usually board out? I often get worried that i'm diluting the combo deck too much when I sideboard (Also, are there any fairly recent sideboard guides online?)
- Jace, wielder of mysteries or Laboratory Maniac? I'm kind of leaning towards Jace, since he has some value outside of the combo.
- When do I board in Godhead of Awe?
- Finally, do you guys have any general advice for a new Ad Nauseam player on how to play the deck effectively?
In all honesty, its probably better that I play another deck more suited to the meta in the GP. Although the 'element of surprise' that this deck still has is definitely an advantage I shouldn't overlook.
I can imagine that there are some scenarios where we kill our own bloodghast using a conflagrate to get rid of their bridge from belows. Also, I think we should consider going up to 3/4 copies of memory's journey in the sideboard, and board in anti-graveyard hate cards more aggressively since most modern decks are going to run more graveyard hate.
- Why are you running 2x Blooming marsh over 2 of the other fastlands?
- How have the cycle lands been working for you? I am a bit concerned that adding more "come into play tapped" lands might be a problem. Furthermore, does the inclusion of 26 lands (including dryad arbor) prevent you from running useful one-ofs, for example Abrupt Decay/Assassin's Trophy/Darkblast/Lightning Axe/Deadly Allure?
On another note, i'm planning on testing out a single copy of Hall of Heliod's Generosity in place of a tectonic edge. I also seem to have 2 spots free in my deck to play removal spells. I'm currently running 1 Darkblast and 1 Abrupt Decay, but I'm not sure if it would be better to run 2 Darkblast, or 1 Assassin's Trophy, or 1 Deadly Allure. What do you guys think?
Wow, the fact you've been here so long is awesome! It'd be great to see you post a bit more often in the future .
So guys, ive created the community https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernZombieLoam/ and I would just like to say a few things:
- Any recommendations on how to make the page look nicer will be greatly appreciated, since i'm not very good at aesthetics lmao.
- I've finished uni for the summer, so that means ill have loads of time to work on making the forum as good as I can.
- I was thinking about eventually including a stock list, a detailed primer, an updated sideboard guide, links to Levy's original Zombie Loam articles and obviously, a link to the archived mtg salvation forum.
I've DM'ed you maniospas, so just send me a message and ill mod you
Finally, this is the first time I have managed a forum like this, so please let me know what you guys think I should include/change.
EDIT: I was just browsing Reddit and found this interesting post https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/ausyfb/anybody_playing_zombie_loam/
2nd EDIT: Wow, turns out Raphael Levy wasn't the first guy to come up with the deck idea https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/modern-archives/222960-under-renovation-zombie-loam
Since MTG salvation is shutting down soon, what do u guys think about me creating a Reddit community page so we can continue discussions about the deck?
There are definitely a few interesting modern horizons cards that could work in the deck.
Nether Spirit and maybe Ruination Rioter, as mentioned by maniospas above.
Hall of Heliod's Generosity - An interesting way to get a dredged zombie infestation into our hand. We are already splashing white to hardcast lingering souls.
Tranquil Thicket/Forgotten Cave/Barren Moor - An easy way to dredge for a second time in 1 turn.
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis - Another possible win-con in the deck?
Shenanigans - Is this better than nature's claim/ancient grudge?
Ore-Scale Guardian - A 4/4 flying haste for RR seems like something we should consider.
What do you guys think?
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Ghost Quarter
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Windswept Heath
2 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Mountain
1 Swamp
1 Forest
Do you have any advice for modifications I can make? I'm currently thinking of swapping the Sacred Foundry for a Murmuring Bosk and then swapping 1 Bloodstained Mire and the Windswept Heath for an additional basic + a cycle dual land (i haven't worked out which one I want yet). I'm also gonna take out 1-2 cards from the non-lands and try out Blast Zone.
May I ask why you play murmuring bosk over a 4th copy of bloodstained mire (and a white shockland)? Bosk seems like a painful land to include, since our manabase already damages us quite a bit. It also doesn't come into play untapped, which I imagine could be very awkward in some scenarios.