Walking Corpse MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Zombie
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. A cost-effective zombie creature, Walking Corpse facilitates early game board presence and graveyard synergies.
  2. Its versatile nature makes it a robust addition to black decks, supporting both aggressive and tribal strategies.
  3. Basic defensive cards and tactics can effectively manage Walking Corpse, ensuring it doesn’t dominate the board.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Walking Corpse may not directly provide card draw, its presence in a deck can contribute to strategies focused on graveyard synergy. Its type as a zombie is beneficial in setups that exploit the resurrection of creatures from the graveyard, indirectly offering card advantage by recycling assets.

Resource Acceleration: Walking Corpse is a cost-effective creature that can be played early in the game. This two-mana creature slots seamlessly into a curve, enabling a swift establishment of board presence which can lead to a greater resource impact as the match progresses.

Instant Speed: Although Walking Corpse is a sorcery-speed card, its relevance comes from how effectively it can support decks with instant speed interaction. While not an instant itself, it demands little mana investment, allowing players to retain mana for instant speed removal, counterspells, or combat tricks elsewhere in the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This creature card does not have an inherent discard requirement, adding value for decks utilizing graveyard strategies. However, without additional discard outlets or mechanics, it doesn’t directly contribute to such strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Walking Corpse comes with a specific mana cost requirement of one black mana and one generic mana, potentially restricting its seamless inclusion in multi-colored decks that do not prioritize black mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering it is a simple 2/2 creature with no abilities, Walking Corpse’s mana cost is on par with many other two-mana creatures. However, in a game where efficiency can be critical, there are alternatives offering additional benefits such as lifelink, deathtouch, or flying for a similar cost.


Reasons to Include Walking Corpse in Your Collection

Versatility: Walking Corpse stands out as an efficient creature for any black deck. It’s simplicity makes it easy to slot into various deck archetypes, from aggressive zombie tribal decks to those that require a steady stream of creatures for sacrifice and other synergies.

Combo Potential: As a zombie, Walking Corpse seamlessly integrates with cards that benefit from zombie-type synergies. It can bolster the strength of other zombie creatures or work in tandem with cards like “Death Baron” to create a tough battlefield presence.

Meta-Relevance: Walking Corpse holds value in a meta that favors quick, aggressive plays. Its low casting cost allows you to maintain tempo and pressure on your opponent while setting up for more powerful plays in the mid to late game.


How to beat

Walking Corpse stands as a standard creature card commonly used in MTG decks that focus on zombie synergies or as an early game presence. Its simplistic nature, being a 2/2 creature for two mana, makes it approachable yet manageable. To counteract this zombie’s impact on the board, players can employ several strategies.

First and foremost, creatures with toughness greater than two can wall off Walking Corpse effectively, preventing it from dealing damage through combat. Removal spells are also an excellent way to dispatch it; even basic ones like Shock or Fatal Push can easily take it down due to its modest stats. Additionally, since Walking Corpse doesn’t possess any intrinsic abilities that would complicate its removal, the card offers a straightforward target for spells or abilities that could exile it from the game or force a discard before it hits the battlefield, disrupting the opponent’s creature flow.

Enhancements that prevent creature damage or grant your creatures indestructibility for a turn can nullify this zombie’s combat relevance. Strategic blocking and instant-speed spells to alter combat outcomes are key when facing down Walking Corpse. Therefore, while it may be an efficient creature for its cost, Walking Corpse is easily outclassed and controlled with basic defensive measures and tactics in MTG.


Cards like Walking Corpse

The Walking Corpse steps into the arena as a straightforward creature in Magic: The Gathering, offering a simple yet effective way to fill the board with zombies. Analyzing its parallels, we see the likes of Dregscape Zombie, also a 2/2 creature with no abilities, but with unearth, giving it a potential one-time bonus effect post-death. Unlike this nuanced ability, Walking Corpse relies on nothing more than its base stats — resilience in its simplicity.

Similarly, Gutterbones enters the comparison as another two-cost 2/1 zombie. The main contrast here is its recursion ability, allowing it to rise back from the graveyard to your hand, albeit with specific conditions. This additional feature gives Gutterbones a higher potential upside compared to our straightforward undead friend, Walking Corpse, which lacks any form of comeback mechanic.

In essence, while Walking Corpse doesn’t boast any special features, its steadiness as a zombie creature card ensures its place in decks based on pure aggression or tribal synergies. It’s a reliable piece that serves certain gameplay strategies without the complexity of additional effects or conditions.

Dregscape Zombie - MTG Card versions
Gutterbones - MTG Card versions
Dregscape Zombie - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Gutterbones - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Walking Corpse by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Chronicles (CHR)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Skullsnatcher - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Cutthroat - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Walking Corpse MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Magic 2013, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Walking Corpse and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Walking Corpse Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2020-07-03. Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 1262003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
22012-07-13Magic 2013M13 1162003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
32014-07-18Magic 2015M15 2782015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
42016-04-08Welcome Deck 2016W16 102015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
52018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 1262015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
62019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 3272015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 8192015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
82020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 1282015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
92020-09-26The ListPLST M19-1262015normalblackIgor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Walking Corpse has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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