For those of you who don't know, Horde Magic is a format where one to four survivors team up to defeat a 100-card deck full of mostly Token cards. The objective is to outlast the "Horde" and eventually eradicate it.
Survivor Rules
You get three turns to prepare your defenses.
You start with 20 Life, plus either 10 or 20 per additional player (depending on how difficult you want the game to be).
Lobotomy effects (Search target player's library for {VALUE}. Exile them.) do not affect Tokens. Alternatively, disallow searching the horde's library altogether (to preserve the element of surprise!).
Grind effects (Reveal cards from the library until you reveal a land. Do X.) treats non-Tokens as lands.
Horde Rules
All Horde creatures have haste, must attack if able, and cannot block.
The Horde has infinite mana.
Instead of drawing cards, the Horde reveals cards from the top of its library until it reveals a non-token card. It plays all of those cards.
The Horde has no life total, but whenever it loses life it mills that many cards. When it gains life, it puts those cards onto the bottom of the library from the bottom of the graveyard. The Horde loses when it can't reveal cards AND all its creatures are dead.
Optional Rules
Tokens ignore the state-based effect that removes them from the graveyard. This makes the game more difficult.
I like the start off the game with a copy of Walking Corpse on the battlefield.
If you are playing with regenerators, it is probably good to put a rule in that you only need to kill them once before the game is over.
Cards with Flashback are exiled after resolution with X time counters and gain suspend, where X is the Flashback cost. Remove one time counter for each player. OR Roll a 6-sided die during each Horde turn to determine how many are removed.
Roll a die to determine X if necessary. 6-sides for easy, 20-sides for hard.
Horde activated abilities can only be used once per turn. I don't use this rule.
Here's two lists of Horde-viable Zombies to help in making a Horde deck, separated by qualities. Each quality is separated into difficulty levels.
I like to take 20 cards from the Super Zombies list and 10 from the Super Giants list, with 10 other spells and 60 tokens.
A good split on tokens is probably 55 Zombies and 5 Zombie Giants. Viable Zombies here are:
1/1 Zombie Wizard
2/2 Zombie
5/5 Zombie Giant
1/1 Spirit with Flying (doesn't synergize well, but it flies)
These are not decklists, just lists of cards you might consider putting in your own Zombie Horde deck if you make one! Enjoy!
Basic Super Zombies are units that are similar in power level to the 2/2 Zombie token, but have some redeeming characteristics. A wave that pops a Basic unit is fairly easy to deal with because the card effects in this set are not particularly strong. Rank 1 (Scathe Zombies and Walking Corpse) only differ from a normal token in that they don't die to Ratchet Bomb or other 0 CMC targeters. Rank 2 and 3 units punish blocking or destruction, but don't drastically change the board state.
Glass Cannons are units that are designed for the sole purpose of provoking blockers due to their high power or some other drawback of not blocking. In the event of a block, however, they are often a 1-for-1 trade. Haunted Cadaver is a personal favorite because it is the equivalent of a Zombie token suicide bomber.
Resilient Super Zombies are units that are a bit more difficult to get rid of than normal Zombies. Many of them Regenerate indefinitely because the Horde player has infinite mana, so the only solution is to use -1/-1 effects or exile. Cards like Ashen Ghoul, Gravecrawler, and Haakon, Stromgald Scourge recur themselves directly from the grave. Boneknitter is MVP because it grants all Zombies regeneration.
Warcallers are units that bring other Zombies into play.
Evasive Super Zombies are units that have natural evasion, like Swampwalk, Fear, Intimidate, Shadow, or Flying. Infectious Horror gets MVP because it is very powerful with additional players, while Order of Yawgmoth and Tattered Drake can be real nuisances to those who are not prepared.
Instant Punishment Super Zombies are units that enter the field and have some sort of effect. Maggot Carrier is the weakest of the bunch, but Fleshbag Marauder, Cackling Fiend, and Skinrender can prove to be real problems.
Basic Super Giants are units that have no other purpose other than being a big unit. They pose an immediate threat solely because of their size, but can easily be mitigated with chump blocking. Mass of Ghouls and Rotting Legion are the worst ones because they are weaker than a Zombie Giant token, whereas Ghoultree is just a giant 10/10.
Growers are units that should start out at the size of a normal Zombie Giant, but get bigger as the turns go by. Since the Horde has infinite mana, Balduvian Fallen gets +1/+0 for each turn it has been alive. Thraximundar poses a threat with its creature annihilator ability, while Soulless One also takes into account dead Zombies too.
Shocktroopers are units that give the Horde a bit more reach. Skaab Goliath and Zombie Brute both have Trample while Nefashu and Noxious Ghoul ravage the defenses of the survivor players.
Resilient Super Giants are units that repeatedly come back, much like Resilient Super Zombies. However, they pose a much stronger threat because of their size. Lord of Tresserhorn by himself is a 10/4 regenerator while Skaab Ruinator plays similarly to Gravecrawler with flying. Mikaeus and Zombie Master are notable for playing similar to Boneknitter. Necrosavant converts normal 2/2 Tokens into its own 5/5 body.
Warcallers are similar to Super Zombie Warcallers, only more efficient. Graveborn Muse is probably the best one because it doubles the amount of Zombies on the field. Since the Horde cannot die by life loss, it is a game-ender during the late game, barring mass exile effects.
Lords are just normal Zombie lords that grant all other Zombies some bonus. Death Baron is a nuisance while Lord of the Undead can bring any Zombie back to life. Very annoying.
Army of the Damned is the meanest card in the world to run in a zombie horde deck. I love it. For awhile I was running two. And using slightly different flashback rules that made it even more powerful.
Imagine flipping like 8 tokens over then flipping an Army of the Damned...Everyone just looks at each other like..."How the hell are we going to fix this..."
Here's a pretty cheap list using only cards from Innistrad forward (other than the 5 zombie giant tokens which I find to be an important inclusion and Fleshbag marauder which has been reprinted like crazy):
Survivor Rules
Horde Rules
Here's two lists of Horde-viable Zombies to help in making a Horde deck, separated by qualities. Each quality is separated into difficulty levels.
I like to take 20 cards from the Super Zombies list and 10 from the Super Giants list, with 10 other spells and 60 tokens.
A good split on tokens is probably 55 Zombies and 5 Zombie Giants. Viable Zombies here are:
These are not decklists, just lists of cards you might consider putting in your own Zombie Horde deck if you make one! Enjoy!
Basic Super Zombies are units that are similar in power level to the 2/2 Zombie token, but have some redeeming characteristics. A wave that pops a Basic unit is fairly easy to deal with because the card effects in this set are not particularly strong. Rank 1 (Scathe Zombies and Walking Corpse) only differ from a normal token in that they don't die to Ratchet Bomb or other 0 CMC targeters. Rank 2 and 3 units punish blocking or destruction, but don't drastically change the board state.
Glass Cannons are units that are designed for the sole purpose of provoking blockers due to their high power or some other drawback of not blocking. In the event of a block, however, they are often a 1-for-1 trade. Haunted Cadaver is a personal favorite because it is the equivalent of a Zombie token suicide bomber.
Resilient Super Zombies are units that are a bit more difficult to get rid of than normal Zombies. Many of them Regenerate indefinitely because the Horde player has infinite mana, so the only solution is to use -1/-1 effects or exile. Cards like Ashen Ghoul, Gravecrawler, and Haakon, Stromgald Scourge recur themselves directly from the grave. Boneknitter is MVP because it grants all Zombies regeneration.
Warcallers are units that bring other Zombies into play.
Evasive Super Zombies are units that have natural evasion, like Swampwalk, Fear, Intimidate, Shadow, or Flying. Infectious Horror gets MVP because it is very powerful with additional players, while Order of Yawgmoth and Tattered Drake can be real nuisances to those who are not prepared.
Instant Punishment Super Zombies are units that enter the field and have some sort of effect. Maggot Carrier is the weakest of the bunch, but Fleshbag Marauder, Cackling Fiend, and Skinrender can prove to be real problems.
1 Blind Creeper
1 Scathe Zombies
1 Walking Corpse
1 Polluted Dead
1 Rotcrown Ghoul
1 Undead Executioner
1 Yixlid Jailer
1 Abattoir Ghoul
1 Vengeful Dead
1 Wight of Precinct Six
Glass Cannons
1 Dripping Dead
1 Dross Crocodile
1 Escaped Null
1 Haunted Cadaver
1 Rotting Fensnake
Resilient
1 Butcher Ghoul
1 Deepwood Ghoul
1 Sewer Shambler
1 Drowned
1 Metathran Zombie
1 Nightscape Familiar
1 Walking Dead
1 Boneknitter
1 Cadaverous Knight
1 Gravecrawler
1 Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
1 Sanguine Guard
Warcallers
1 Rotlung Reanimator
1 Grave Defiler
1 Crypt Champion
Evasive
1 Bog Raiders
1 Dauthi Ghoul
1 Dross Prowler
1 Highborn Ghoul
1 Scrapskin Drake
1 Severed Legion
1 Gluttonous Zombie
1 Marauding Knight
1 Order of Yawgmoth
1 Tattered Drake
Instant Punishment
1 Maggot Carrier
1 Anathemancer
1 Dakmor Ghoul
1 Farbog Boneflinger
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Cackling Fiend
1 Liliana's Reaver
1 Shepherd of Rot
1 Skinrender
Basic Super Giants are units that have no other purpose other than being a big unit. They pose an immediate threat solely because of their size, but can easily be mitigated with chump blocking. Mass of Ghouls and Rotting Legion are the worst ones because they are weaker than a Zombie Giant token, whereas Ghoultree is just a giant 10/10.
Growers are units that should start out at the size of a normal Zombie Giant, but get bigger as the turns go by. Since the Horde has infinite mana, Balduvian Fallen gets +1/+0 for each turn it has been alive. Thraximundar poses a threat with its creature annihilator ability, while Soulless One also takes into account dead Zombies too.
Shocktroopers are units that give the Horde a bit more reach. Skaab Goliath and Zombie Brute both have Trample while Nefashu and Noxious Ghoul ravage the defenses of the survivor players.
Resilient Super Giants are units that repeatedly come back, much like Resilient Super Zombies. However, they pose a much stronger threat because of their size. Lord of Tresserhorn by himself is a 10/4 regenerator while Skaab Ruinator plays similarly to Gravecrawler with flying. Mikaeus and Zombie Master are notable for playing similar to Boneknitter. Necrosavant converts normal 2/2 Tokens into its own 5/5 body.
Warcallers are similar to Super Zombie Warcallers, only more efficient. Graveborn Muse is probably the best one because it doubles the amount of Zombies on the field. Since the Horde cannot die by life loss, it is a game-ender during the late game, barring mass exile effects.
Lords are just normal Zombie lords that grant all other Zombies some bonus. Death Baron is a nuisance while Lord of the Undead can bring any Zombie back to life. Very annoying.
1 Carrion Wurm
1 Ghoultree
1 Mass of Ghouls
1 Minotaur Abomination
1 Rotting Legion
1 Waning Wurm
Growers
1 Balduvian Fallen
1 Grimgrin Corpse-Born
1 Thraximundar
1 Soulless One
Shocktroopers
1 Nefashu
1 Skaab Goliath
1 Zombie Brute
1 Noxious Ghoul
1 Geralf's Mindcrusher
1 Terrus Wurm
1 Twisted Abomination
1 Lord of Tresserhorn
1 Skaab Ruinator
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Necrosavant
1 Unbreathing Horde
1 Zombie Master
Warcallers
1 Dread Slaver
1 Grixis Slavedriver
1 Maalfeld Twins
1 Nested Ghoul
1 Undead Alchemist
Lords
1 Cemetery Reaper
1 Death Baron
1 Diregraf Captain
1 Lord of the Undead
1 Undead Warchief
1 Army of the Damned
1 Endless Ranks of the Dead
1 Moan of the Unhallowed
1 Necromancer's Covenant
1 Twilight's Call
1 Zombie Apocalypse
1 Barter in Blood
1 Call to the Grave
1 Damnation
1 Plague Wind
1 Pox
1 Smallpox
1 Syphon Flesh
1 Bad Moon
1 Cover of Darkness
1 Delirium Skeins
1 Forsaken Wastes
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
1 Strength of Night
1 Temporal Extortion
Imagine flipping like 8 tokens over then flipping an Army of the Damned...Everyone just looks at each other like..."How the hell are we going to fix this..."
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
2 Carrion Crow
4 Ghoulraiser
2 Liliana's Reaver
2 Maalfeld Twins
2 Minotaur Abomination
2 Rotting Fensnake
2 Unbreathing Horde
2 Zombie Apocalypse
2 Extinguish All Hope
2 Dictate of Erebos
4 Shambling Attendants
2 Wight of Precinct Six
2 Fleshbag Marauder
2 Dread Slaver
1 Endless Ranks of the Dead
2 Moan of the Unhallowed
55 Zombie Tokens