Before Light and Darkness Dragon dropped on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG like a bomb, Zombies were at the top of the pack. They tore through conventional players and conventional decks, and really only Macro Cosmos and Burn decks could stand up to them. However, in the new era of dueling that will begin once Phantom Darkness is released, Zombies could very well see a rise to the top yet again.

Zombies can beat up combo-based decks insanely fast. It’s as simple as using Dust Tornado to destroy your opponent’s Threatening Roar during the end phase, and using a bunch of special summon effects to put an intense amount of pressure on the combo player. Card of Safe Return protects your investment on the field, and Book of Life can remove important monsters from the opponent’s graveyard.

Goblin Zombie will help Zombie decks a lot in the combo-driven metagames that are likely to appear after Phantom Darkness is legal. Oh, you’ve never heard of Goblin Zombie? Allow me to introduce you:

Goblin Zombie
Effect / Dark
Level 4 / Effect
1100 ATK / 1050 DEF
When this card does battle damage to your opponent, send the top card of their deck to their graveyard. When Goblin Zombie is sent from the field to the graveyard, search your deck for a Zombie monster with 1200 or less defense and add it to your hand.

Pretty nifty, eh? Goblin Zombie has two effects. The first is not going to be relevant most of the time, since sending a card from the opponent’s deck to the graveyard is often regarded as detrimental. The possibility of loading Destiny Hero - Malicious or Destiny Hero - Disk Commander for your opponent is more likely than you winning by deck-out thanks to the card sent away by Goblin Zombie. Of course, it’s possible that key cards could be sent from the top of the deck as well. Don’t worry about this effect, as it has essentially no value on the competitive nature of the card.

The second effect is what makes Zombie players’ eyes light up! For those of you already making a mental list, the best monsters Goblin Zombie can search out are Zombie Master, Il Blud, Spirit Reaper, and another Goblin Zombie. While not being able to search out Pyramid Turtle is a bit of a downer, this card can still totally replace the need for Giant Rat in any Zombie deck.

Remember that Goblin Zombie doesn’t have to be destroyed in battle, or even destroyed at all. If it’s sent to the graveyard in any manner, its effect will activate. That means you or your opponent can tribute it for a high-level monster or the cost of cards like Enemy Controller. This gives it a lot more power, and allows the Zombie player to essentially play four copies of Sangan. I don’t want to play against four copies of Sangan. Goblin Zombie can also be revived by Book of Life, which gives the Zombie deck a lot more choices in the opening turns of the game.

 is definitely the top prize to be found. It’s one of those monsters that can win you a game if only you had it in your hand. Meet Goblin Zombie, who’s just as interested in finding that Zombie Master as you are. If you have Card of Safe Return in your hand, you can drop Zombie Master next turn and grab a free Goblin Zombie. If your opponent deals with that, you’ll have even more Zombies headed his or her way as you can simply search a second Zombie Master and start the flooding.

is the second-coolest search option. Sometimes having Il Blud in your hand is beneficial, especially if you’re keeping up with the times and playing Phoenix Wing Wind Blast or Lightning Vortex, as the Zombie deck frequently does nowadays. Discarding Il Blud can quickly lead to an explosion of monsters and card draw, so having a method to search it out when necessary is awesome.

Against combo decks like Demise OTK and the Phantom of Chaos/Sky Scourge Norleras deck, Goblin Zombie can be a crucial card. Its investment in the field won’t be felt when the field is destroyed. Not even Sky Scourge Norleras can prevent Goblin Zombie from running off and finding a friend. Keeping Goblin Zombies on the field (which shouldn’t be too hard considering they can search for each other) means the combo player is not going to get a turn to breathe.

However, the absolute best thing about Goblin Zombie is that it makes Raiza the Storm Monarch and Phoenix Wing Wind Blast—two of the best cards in the format—usable in the Zombie strategy. Goblin Zombie is perfect tribute bait, and since it can be special summoned, it can lead to a quick tribute for Raiza. Being able to search Il Blud is what makes Wing Blast really viable here, as you can turn the discard cost into something beneficial.

In my opinion, Goblin Zombie will take the Zombie deck back into the winner’s circle, and carry Zombie players to Top 8 appearances in Shonen Jumps to come.