While working on and testing the Limiter Removal OTK, my friend spent a majority of the time practicing with his Zombie deck. Not sure why that deck specifically, I didn't ask him to help me test certain match-ups, that just what he happened to want to play at the time. During testing, though, Zombies was just getting completely wrecked by Limiter Removal, and we decided that that just happened to be a bad match-up for them. However, in the process we decided to try swapping decks and seeing if that made a difference.

Now, before then, I myself never played Zombies in Goat, in-person or online. The only guides I allowed myself were briefly looking at his decklist and searching for Zombies on Dueling Nexus's deck editor. Over the course of about two hours, I swapped out a few cards and turned the deck into a more control-oriented deck that attempted to focus on making the opponent mill. While the milling aspect of the deck was not that useful, it convinced me to look more into what Zombies may have been capable of.

As such, I present, Zombie Control, a deck list that has been edited many times over the past week as of writing.

The Zombie Core

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The Zombie Core is held up by their specialized floater, Pyramid Turtle. Pyramid Turtle functions like any other floater in the format and special summons a replacement Zombie-type monster upon destruction. However, unlike the other floaters in the format, the Turtle checks the target's defense stat instead of their attack stat, and looks for a significantly higher stat to boot. This lets Pyramid Turtle float into most of the Zombie roster, including higher level boss monsters, and in either Attack or Defense Position. To balance this, Pyramid Turtle can only use this effect to summon Zombies.

Some builds will also run a few copies of Mystic Tomato, the generic Dark-type floater of the format, which can summon a handful of the Zombie roster (including Turtle). Not as efficient, but also lets you deck thin a little bit more (a single Mystic Tomato self-destructing on purpose can in theory deck thin by six cards: two additional copies of itself, then the last one leads into a copy of Turtle, Turtle leads into two copies of itself, then the final copy can summon another monster).

Here are some of the more notable options that Pyramid Turtle can float into:

Pyramid Turtle
✪✪✪✪

The Zombie-specific floater (that can float into itself if needed).

Des Lacooda
✪✪✪

A less efficient Dekoichi that draws one card when flip summoned; however, Des Lacooda can set itself once per turn.

Spirit Reaper
✪✪✪

Can't be destroyed by battle, and discards a random card from the opponent's hand when it inflicts damage. However, if it's targeted by an effect, it destroys itself.

Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower
✪✪✪

Can't be targeted for attacks if you control another Zombie (can lock if you control two or one and a Spirit Reaper), and makes the opponent mill two when you special summon a Zombie while it's on the field. Not once per turn.

Regenerating Mummy
✪✪✪✪

If discarded by an opponent's card, it can add itself back to hand. Otherwise, it's an 1800/1500 beater.

Patrician of Darkness
✪✪✪✪✪

You choose your opponent's battle targets. Must choose valid targets.

Shadow Ghoul
✪✪✪✪✪

Gains 100 ATK for every monster in your GY.

Vampire Lord
✪✪✪✪✪

If destroyed and sent to GY by your opponent's card, this monster special summons itself during your next Standby Phase. Also forces your opponent to send a single card of your choosing (Monster, Spell, or Trap) from deck to GY when it inflicts damage.

Ryu Kokki
✪✪✪✪✪✪

Auto-destroys any Warrior or Spellcaster it battles.

If you decide you want to focus on a series of related cards instead, Pyramid Turtle could work with the following series:

Skull Servants:

Pyramid Turtle
✪✪✪✪

The Zombie-specific floater (that can float into itself if needed).

Skull Servant
✪

A Normal-Type Monster. Otherwise unimpressive.

King of the Skull Servants
✪

Gains ATK equal to the number of copies of itself and Skull Servant in GY, and can resurrect itself by banishing one of those copies.

(This series became a proper archetype over a decade later, but still sees play as a dedicated deck occasionally in Goat)

Vampires:

Pyramid Turtle
✪✪✪✪

The Zombie-specific floater (that can float into itself if needed).

Vampire Baby
✪✪✪

A very weak monster, but if it destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to grave, the Vampire Baby raises it from the dead like vampire. Spooky!

Vampire Lady
✪✪✪✪

Like Vampire Lord, forces your opponent to send a single card of your choosing (Monster, Spell, or Trap) from deck to GY when it inflicts damage. Weaker, but can be Normal Summoned. Lacks the Special Summon effect, though.

Vampire Lord
✪✪✪✪✪

If destroyed and sent to GY by your opponent's card, this monster special summons itself during your next Standby Phase. Also forces your opponent to send a single card of your choosing (Monster, Spell, or Trap) from deck to GY when it inflicts damage.

The Fusion Deck

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Luckily for this deck, not only is it easy to run a copy of Cyber-Stein (if you want to risk the 5000 LP cost) but also run three copies of Metamorphosis. On top of the Fusion monsters you should probably run just in case you can use the right level for Metamorphosis (or pay 5000), Zombies also have access to many monsters of different levels that can be easily summoned and resummoned, including Level 5 targets and Level 6 targets. That first list above alone gives you access to levels three-through-six, though the Fusion monsters with control-based effects are all levels five or six.

Control-based fusion monsters that can't easily be summoned with a Pyramid Turtle include:

Thousand-Eyes Restrict
✪

(Note: Can be summoned with Skull Servant and King of the Skull Servants if you play that specific version)

• Prevents other monsters from changing battle positions or attacking
• Can absorb one monster your opponent controls at a time, taking their ATK and DEF as its own
• If it would be destroyed, destroys that monster instead

The Last Warrior from Another Planet
✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

Shuts down special summoning for both players

Gatling Dragon
✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

Can destroy up to three monsters on board (coin flip dependent)

Reasoning Gate

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Other Engines I Tested

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Supplies
1	Jinzo
1	D. D. Warrior Lady
2	Mystic Swordsman LV2
2	Reinforcement of the Army
2	Nobleman of Crossout
1	Toon World
3	Sakuretsu Armor
3	Rivalry of Warlords
15	Total

With this deck, your goal is ultimately to overwhelm your opponent and prevent them from building their own board in the process. As it stands, the entire Trap line-up and four Spells punish the opponent for building boards indirectly. If you need more counter options than that, here is what I currently run in my side deck:

One-third of the Side Deck is dedicated to a micro version of the Warrior Toolbox. Reinforcement of the Army searches for a copy of a Level 4 Warrior-type monster (this card can't search itself like Table of Contents). D.D. Warrior Lady lets you banish itself and whichever monster it battles with if you'd like, which makes it a good option for getting rid of boss monsters that shut down the strategy entirely. In contrast, Mystic Swordsman destroys face-down threats without flipping them, helping you shut down research management threats without triggering them.

Other options for your Warrior Toolbox includes:

• Amazoness Chain Master lets you rip a monster card from your opponent's hand without sending it to the GY for them to retrieve later (not to mention that now you can use it, if applicable). Note that it has to be destroyed by battle, so if you search for this card with Reinforcement, your opponent will probably know it's coming and be less likely to attack blindly.
• Don Zaloog can help remove your opponent's resources when it inflicts damage. However, that requires you inflict damage with it despite its 1400 ATK stat. This helps you finish off opponents well and make them less likely to form a comeback, but it doesn't help much with protecting what you already have or setting up later.
• Two copies of Command Knight create a lock that your opponent cannot attack. It also boosts the attack of other Warriors, but that's a side effect.
• Exiled Tribute is a one-for-one sacrifice to destroy a strong monster on the board.
• Big Shield Gardna is a giant wall.
• Sasuke Samurai has the exact same effect as Mystic Swordsman but with less attack.
• Sasuke Samurai #2 has a very different effect. Instead, you can pay 800 LP to prevent spells or traps from being activated by either player.

Outside of the Warrior engine, I also run three copies of Sakuretsu Armor to destroy a monster that declares an attack (for hyper offensive decks) and three copies of Rivalry of the Warlords to shut opponents down if they try to flip their own flip effect staples (assuming you don't throw in the Warrior Toolbox, the only non-Machines I run are monsters that are intended to immediately be destroyed and trigger an effect on either destruction or flip before destruction).

I also run two copies of Nobleman of Crossout to take out any face-down threats without having to dedicate a normal summon to Mystic Swordsman or to banish it without sending it to the GY for Chaos plays or revival effects.

Finally, I include a copy of Jinzo and Toon World in my side deck. Jinzo shuts down all traps that may stop Bugroth et al. from running wild, and Toon World opens the door for Cannon Soldier attacks and gives you those opportunities for mind games. Like I said earlier, these two normally come in when I have a card that's very bad in the current match-up but I don't know what to throw in.