Wretched Ranks Precon Decklist: Mono-Black Zombies Return!

Zombies are a popular theme in Magic, so it’s not surprising to see them return in the new mono-black precon, Wretched Ranks.

Want more details about this budget-friendly deck? That’s great as today we’re exploring its decklist, a few upgrade ideas and discuss this deck’s power level. But first, let’s take a look at its game plan.

Sacrificing Zombies

The main theme is pretty straightforward: Zombies and their various synergies. One of those is how easy it is to bring them back from the graveyard. Hence, it’s not a big surprise that the secondary theme is sacrifice.

Those two strategies often go hand in hand. You play a bunch of Zombies, sacrifice them for value, then bring them back and do it all over again. (Or simply overwhelm your opponents with a large Zombie army.)

Interestingly enough, the main commander isn’t a Zombie itself, but it does complement both themes perfectly. Here, let’s take a look at Gisa.

Main Commander: Ghoulcaller Gisa

You are paying five mana and you don’t get the immediate effect. Still, the activate ability can be so powerful in the right shell, that that’s a cost many players are willing to pay.

You can sacrifice one of your creatures to turn it into a bunch of Zombies. The higher power it has, the more Zombie tokens you’ll create.

Pretty neat, particularly once you also take advantage of other synergies.

Anyhow, you might know this card from before, although its artwork is brand-new. So, why are Wizards doing a reprint commander as opposed to creating a brand-new one? That’s because Foundations precons are a bit different.

What’s the Deal With Foundations Precons?

They are meant to be a beginner-friendly product, something to allow new players an easy entry to Commander. Thus, they’re less complex and significantly cheaper than regular Commander precons.

However, as we’ve seen with the first iteration of Starter Commander decks, even more experienced players are interested in them. They can serve as base new decks, that you can easily upgrade with a few card swaps.

Another popular idea is to buy all five of them, and use them as a self-contained board game. This allows you to get new players to try the game, or to have a casual game night with your friends. They don’t need to bring their decks and you avoid all that discussion about power level.

What’s the downside from the lower price? Well, all included cards are reprints. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad, though. Even though some pricey cards are missing, the inclusions are all playable to strong.

You’ve got cheap black Commander staples (such as Withering Torment and Mutilate), as well as a bunch of iconic Zombies (Gravecrawler and Lord of the Accursed just to name a few).

Here, take a look at the decklist and see for yourself.

Wretched Ranks Decklist

As you can see, the deck contains an amazingly solid base for any type of mono black Zombie deck. You’ve got a bunch of lords, even a few surprisingly expensive ones for a budget deck. (A few of them were worth nearly twenty bucks before this reprint!)

Best Reprints

Here are some of the priciest cards in the deck:

• Graveborn Muse
• Undead Warchief
• Lord of the Undead
• Endless Ranks of the Dead
• Ayara, First of Locthwain

Anyhow, the whole list it obviously best suited for Ghoulcaller Gisa, but you could also pick any other black Zombie commander, such as or , and it’ll perform just fine.

As such, the deck will be popular among beginners and more enfranchised players. The deck can easily hold its own as is, but can be even better with a few additions. Speaking of which, let’s explore a few of those.

Wretched Ranks Upgrade Ideas

The following three cards all fit well in most Zombie deck, but play particularly well with Ghoulcaller Gisa too. A couple are pretty budget-friendly, while the last one is somewhat pricier.

However, their price could increase, as players start to upgrade their Wratched Ranks precons. Thus, if you’re already eyeing them, now is a fine time to pick ’em up.

Rotting Regisaur

A three mana Zombie that’s a 7/6! That’s extremely cheap, even if it comes with a relevant downside. Thankfully, there are ways to mitigate it.

You can discard something that can come back from your graveyard, say Gravecrawler. Furthermore, you can simply sacrifice it to Gisa for seven 2/2 Zombie tokens. No more discarding, but you get a whole army of Zombies.

On top of that, I just think that the card looks really neat. After all, it is a Zombie Dinosaur!

Accursed Marauder

Nothing too crazy here, just a really powerful two mana Zombie. Sure, you can’t sacrifice tokens, but that probably hurts your opponents more than you. Your deck is already build around sacrificing stuff, and you can just sac Marauder in a pinch.

Warren Soultrader

Now this card is pricey, but it does enable some really explosive turns and even infinite loops. Combine it with Gravecrawler and Bontu’s Monument to win the game! (Provided your opponent can’t disrupt you.)

And that’s just cherry on the top, as the card is pretty solid on its own, even without infinite shenanigans.

Just keep in mind that this could potentially be too powerful for very casual play groups, which dislike infinite combos.

Will Your Rise Some Zombies?

So, the deck is both budget-friendly and extremely well built, with most key inclusions for any mono black Zombie deck. Do you plan to get one for yourself? If so, now is as good time as any to lock-in that preorder Amazon price.

Want more details about the other four decks? We’ve got you covered with our Foundations Commander Precons article.

Until next time, enjoy playing Magic and may you always control a handy Zombie to sacrifice to whichever outlet you prefer.