Welcome back to the dungeon! If you weren't with us last time, you might want to leave now. The others have chosen a grizzly fate for all of you today. The votes are in, and the first monster you'll be facing are: the Zombies! These reanimated corpses have a hunger for flesh, and they don't stop fighting when a random body part falls off. Some of them have extras anyway.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is the king of the Zombie horde. He loves destroying Humans, and he'll make sure your Zombie minions don't go down easily. The Zombie Apocalypse is even more brutal, immediately destroying all Humans and bringing your Zombies back from the grave.

Diregraf Ghoul is cheap and deadly, potentially hitting for 2 on the second turn and becoming more and more powerful as the Zombie lords start rolling in. Screeching Skaab follows up the turn after, putting a Zombie or two in your graveyard in preparation for the many cards that care about such things.

Lord of the Undead not only pumps all your Zombies but can bring them back from the graveyard as well. Cemetery Reaper creates new Zombies rather than bringing back old ones, but it can zombify your opponent's dead creatures as well as your own. Havengul Runebinder also makes new Zombies out of your old corpses, but he has the additional bonus of putting a +1/+1 counter on each member of your Zombie horde.

Undead Warchief gives Zombies a massive power boost, and makes them cheaper to cast. It even gives itself the boost, making it essentially a 3/2 rather than a 1/1. Diregraf Captain is the newest addition to the suite of Zombie lords, but it is also one of the more powerful ones. It ensures that you'll push some damage through even if your opponent blocks. Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen this ability, and the Captain's big brother Vengeful Dead joins the horde to double the life loss.

Shepherd of Rot can quickly finish off games in which you find yourself even a little ahead, making it extremely difficult for your opponent to maintain his life total. Geralf's Mindcrusher is another late-game bomb, filling up your graveyard to get the most out of Lord of the Undead and friends. Not only does it start out as a massive 5/5, it comes back even bigger after death thanks to undying, and it mills another five cards to boot. Endless Ranks of the Dead will steadily pump out an ever-increasing number of Zombie tokens, making it nearly impossible for your opponents to keep up. If this enchantment stays on the board for even a turn or two, you should win the game in short order.

Here's the deck all put together:

”Braaaaiiiiins”

• Lands (24)
• 9 Swamp
• 3 Island
• 4 Jwar Isle Refuge
• 4 Darkwater Catacombs
• 4 Underground River

• Creatures (33)
• 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1 Zombie Apocalypse
• 4 Diregraf Ghoul
• 4 Screeching Skaab
• 3 Lord of the Undead
• 4 Cemetery Reaper
• 2 Havengul Runebinder
• 4 Undead Warchief
• 4 Diregraf Captain
• 2 Vengeful Dead
• 2 Shepherd of Rot
• 2 Geralf's Mindcrusher

• Spells (3)
• 3 Endless Ranks of the Dead

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Well, it appears some of you are still alive. Fortunately, the fun isn't over yet. The second group of monsters you've chosen to face is: the Werewolves! These unassuming citizens may look normal during the day, but when the full moon rises, they transform into ravenous beasts with giant claws and deadly fangs. Keeping them under control requires constant vigilance—and a steady stream of spells.

Mayor of Avabruck and Immerwolf lead the Werewolves, giving them all a nice power and toughness boost. Immerwolf also makes sure they stay in their more dangerous form, helping you crush your opponent with superior creatures. Kruin Outlaw transforms into the powerful Terror of Kruin Pass, which not only takes advantage of the power boost with double strike, but also makes your Werewolves much harder to block.

Gatstaf Shepherd and Daybreak Ranger fill out the suite of cheap creatures, providing decent stats on the Human side and some dangerous abilities once transformed. Gatstaf Howler can brush right past blockers, and Nightfall Predator can take down most opposing creatures easily. Instigator Gang gives you a nice little Orcish Oriflamme on the Human side, and when it transforms, [/card]Wildblood Pack[/card] adds 2 more power to each of them free of charge. It's also effectively an 8/5 with trample—a great threat by any standards.

Moonmist instantly transforms your Humans into Werewolves and makes combat unprofitable for your opponent. This spell will often just win you the game the turn you cast it. Full Moon's Rise adds an additional power boost for your Werewolves—plus, it gives them trample so that blocking with small creatures becomes a losing proposition for your opponent. In a pinch, you can even sacrifice the enchantment to ensure the survival of your creatures.

Door of Destinies is a great late-game card, turning those last few stragglers into significant problems for your opponent. It's very easy for this card to give your creatures +3/+3 or even more. Storage Matrix gives your opponent a difficult choice: Cast spells to keep your Werewolves from transforming or attack with creatures. Either way, you come out ahead. Winter Orb, on the other hand, doesn't give the opponent the choice at all. When no one can cast spells, you'll be free to beat face with your Werewolves unhindered.

After adding in some lands, the deck should look something like this:

“Grrrrrrr...”

• Lands (24)
• 8 Mountain
• 8 Forest
• 4 Karplusan Forest
• 4 Mossfire Valley

• Creatures (24)
• 4 Mayor of Avabruck
• 4 Immerwolf
• 4 Kruin Outlaw
• 4 Gatstaf Shepherd
• 4 Daybreak Ranger
• 4 Instigator Gang

• Spells (12)
• 4 Moonmist
• 3 Full Moon's Rise
• 2 Door of Destinies
• 2 Storage Matrix
• 1 Winter Orb

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Now it’s time for a little spectacle for the few of you who have made it to this point. Werewolves versus Zombies—in a monstrous battle for the ages! We'll see which of these creatures of the night will come out on top.

Round 1

The Zombies won the roll and started off fast with a Diregraf Ghoul, swinging in for 2 before the Werewolves had a chance to do more than play a land. The Werewolves started things off on their end with a Mayor of Avabruck after the Zombies gained 1 life from Jwar Isle Refuge.

The Zombies had a Diregraf Captain on the third turn and quickly smashed for 3 with the Ghoul. The Werewolves came out with a Kruin Outlaw, hoping to hold of the Zombies with the 3/3 first striker. Not to be so easily defeated, the Zombies cast Undead Warchief and swung with a massive 5/4 Diregraf Ghoul. The Werewolves were knocked down to 10 but tried to slow the assault with a Storage Matrix.

The Zombies elected to leave the Ghoul tapped and cast another Undead Warchief before swinging in with the pair of 6/4s. The Werewolves blocked to stay alive, but it wasn't enough, and the Zombies quickly took the game.

Round 2

After a Jwar Isle Refuge from the Zombies to gain 1 life, the Werewolves started things off with a turn-two Mayor of Avabruck. The Zombies had another Refuge to go up to 22 and cast a slightly late Diregraf Ghoul.

The Werewolves took 2 damage from a pair of Karplusan Forests to cast Kruin Outlaw, and then swung in for 1 with the Mayor. The Zombies had a Diregraf Captain, but the first striking Kruin Outlaw kept the Diregraf Ghoul at bay.

Another Mayor of Avabruck and a Full Moon's Rise for the Werewolves continued to ramp up the power level, and Kruin Outlaw bashed in for 5. Not to be outdone, the Zombies cast Undead Warchief and swung in for 9. A Mayor of Avabruck traded with the Diregraf Captain, and the Werewolves dropped to 13. They then came out with a Storage Matrix, hoping to stop the Zombies in their tracks.

The Zombies decided to untap their lands in order to cast Geralf's Mindcrusher, milling themselves for five and putting a massive 7/6 onto the battlefield. The Werewolves passed the turn without casting anything, transforming their meek Humans into ferocious beasties. A Diregraf Captain and Screeching Skaab from the Zombies continued the pileup, and the giant Geralf's Mindcrusher swung in. Terror of Kruin Pass blocked, and the Werewolves sacrificed Full Moon's Rise to regenerate it.

The Mindcusher was killed but came back even stronger thanks to undying. Diregraf Ghoul ensured that the enemy lost a life in the process. The Werewolves turned back into Humans, but only temporarily, as the turn was passed without any spells being cast.

The Zombies chose to untap creatures and swung in with everything. Terror of Kruin Pass took down Undead Warchief with its first strike, making the other Zombies smaller before they dealt damage. The Mayor was forced to throw itself in front of Geralf's Mindcrusher, and the Werewolves dropped to 3 life.

The Werewolves were forced to cast two spells to stay alive: a pair of Daybreak Rangers. The Zombies attacked with everything but the Captain, and although the Werewolves managed to survive the attack, they lost most of their creatures, and the Zombies overwhelmed them on the next swing.

Round 3

After an uneventful first turn from the Werewolves, the Zombies cast a Diregraf Ghoul. Mayor of Avabruck came down on the second turn, and the Zombies swung in for 2 before gaining 1 life from Jwar Isle Refuge and casting another Ghoul.

The Werewolves had the turn-three Kruin Outlaw again after hitting with the Mayor, and the Zombies cast a third Diregraf Ghoul along with a Shepherd of Rot before passing the turn with no attacks. Door of Destinies came down for the Werewolves, but the Zombies played a Diregraf Captain and swung in with all three Ghouls. Kruin Outlaw killed one, but the Werewolves still dropped to 11.

The Werewolves came out with Gatstaf Shepherd and Daybreak Ranger, putting 2 counters on the Door and massively pumping their creatures. The 5/5 Kruin Outlaw attacked and was blocked by Shepherd of Rot, which made each player lose 4 life before damage.

Lord of the Undead came down for the Zombies, but it wasn't enough to make attacking profitable, and they passed the turn. The Werewolves played Instigator Gang, putting yet another counter on the Door. They attacked with Kruin Outlaw, and a Diregraf Ghoul blocked and died.

The Zombies played Endless Ranks of the Dead, hoping to produce more blockers. Kruin Outlaw swung in again and was once again chumped by a Diregraf Ghoul. The Werewolves passed the turn and transformed everything during the Zombies' upkeep. With the trigger from Endless Ranks of the Dead still on the stack, Nightfall Predator used its ability to fight and kill Lord of the Undead, preventing the Zombies from making any tokens.

The Zombies cast Undead Warchief and Screeching Skaab to transform the Werewolves back into Humans again. It wasn't enough, however, as the Werewolves cast another Instigator Gang, and the combination of the additional counter on Door of Destinies and the bonus to attacking creatures was just enough to punch through 16 damage.

You chose well, comrades, but I'll be taking the reins again for our next journey. Perhaps if you prove your worth further, I'll let you decide our destination once again. Until then, join me back here in two weeks for another expedition into the dungeon.