Overview
Undead Unleashed is a Zombie deck that treats dying as a feature. Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver creates a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with decayed whenever another Zombie you control dies, if it didn't have decayed. A creature with decayed can't block and is sacrificed at end of combat when it attacks. At the beginning of your end step you may sacrifice a Zombie to draw a card.
The 99 cards are 31 creatures, 1 planeswalker, 7 artifacts, 7 enchantments, 3 instants, 10 sorceries and 40 lands. 20 of the creatures are Zombies, with lords such as Death Baron, Cemetery Reaper, Lord of the Accursed and Tomb Tyrant, and the deck is full of Zombie token makers such as Endless Ranks of the Dead, Liliana's Mastery, Dread Summons and Army of the Damned. It has 40 lands, including 12 Islands and 15 Swamps.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about cheap Zombies and mana. Undead Augur, Lord of the Accursed, Cemetery Reaper, Death Baron and Fleshbag Marauder are cheap Zombies, and Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Talisman of Dominance, Charcoal Diamond and Sky Diamond provide mana. Dreadhorde Invasion amasses a Zombie Army every upkeep.
The middle of the game is about making Zombies and sacrificing them. Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver turns dying Zombies into decayed tokens, Gleaming Overseer and Eternal Skylord amass Zombies, Hordewing Skaab gives other Zombies flying, and Cleaver Skaab copies a sacrificed Zombie. Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth investigates whenever a creature dies, Spark Reaper and Eater of Hope sacrifice creatures for value, and Gisa and Geralf casts Zombies from your graveyard.
The late game is about mass reanimation and a huge finish. Zombie Apocalypse returns all your Zombie cards from the graveyard and destroys all Humans, Army of the Damned makes thirteen Zombies, Empty the Laboratory and Hour of Eternity turn Zombies and your graveyard into more creatures, and Ghouls' Night Out steals creatures from graveyards. Butcher of Malakir and Ruthless Deathfang make opponents sacrifice creatures as your creatures die.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The deck produces a lot of bodies, has many lords, and keeps working through a sweeper or heavy removal because it gets tokens when its Zombies die. It also has strong interaction, including Go for the Throat, Feed the Swarm, Aetherspouts, Syphon Flesh and Overseer of the Damned.
Weaknesses: Decayed tokens cannot block, so the deck is better at attacking than defending, and graveyard hate hurts it more than most decks. Several of its best cards, such as Gorex, the Tombshell and Army of the Damned, cost eight mana before reductions, and Zombie Apocalypse destroys your own Humans, including Gisa and Geralf.
Want to improve it? See the Undead Unleashed upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.
Want to see what a fully optimised Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver build looks like? Try the Oracle.
✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Undead Unleashed decklist?
The Undead Unleashed precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Wilhelt. The full Undead Unleashed decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was Undead Unleashed released?
Undead Unleashed was released on September 24, 2021 as part of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Commander.
Who is the commander of Undead Unleashed?
Undead Unleashed is led by Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver, a Dimir (U/B) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in Undead Unleashed?
The 99 cards besides Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver include 31 creatures.
How many lands does Undead Unleashed have?
Undead Unleashed has 40 lands in the 99 cards besides Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Undead Unleashed precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.