One of the most powerful Decks in tournament play right now happens to be the Zombie Deck. This Deck relies on the Graveyard to set up huge plays using card effects that can Special Summon monsters at lightning speed. With the arrival of “Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier” in Hidden Arsenal, Zombie Decks now have an even easier way of dumping those monsters into the Graveyard while at the same time setting up for a huge push for victory. Don’t think for a second that this Deck is unstoppable though, because there are a lot of cards that completely counter the Zombie strategy, making it nearly impossible for them to set up.
The most simple answer to crushing a Zombie Deck is to completely eliminate their largest asset, the Graveyard! If you can make sure all the monsters sent to the Graveyard are removed from play instead, you’re going to quickly deplete the Zombie player’s resources and dominate them. To do this, you can use cards like the Continuous Trap “Macro Cosmos,” the Continuous Spell “Dimensional Fissure,” or the Monster Card “Banisher of the Radiance.” If you can get one of these three cards out as well as something to protect it, like “Card Guard,” there’s a good chance you’re going to come out on top against nearly any Zombie player.

Use these to shut down the Graveyard completely!

The only problem with the cards mentioned above is that there a lot of other Decks that rely on the Graveyard as well…and there’s a good chance your Deck just might as well. Thankfully, there’s more than one way to counter a Zombie Deck.

Zombies love to rise from the Graveyard, and the only way they can do that is if they’re Special Summoned by another card effect. If your Deck isn’t as crazy about Special Summoning, you can use cards that halt the ability to Special Summon in order to shut down your opponent’s Graveyard tricks and leave them hoping to draw some way to survive. Cards such as “Royal Oppression” and “Archlord Kristya,”are all good ways to stop a Zombie Deck’s tricks. If you can get one of those cards up and running there’s going to be very little your opponent can do unless they draw something to destroy your countermeasure.

With the imposing threat of “Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier” looming down at you at all times during the Duel, it’s very important to think of these counters to keep you going. Cards like “Bottomless Trap Hole” and “Karma Cut” can remove your opponent’s monsters before they even get a chance to get going, and responding to your opponent with an unexpected “Dimensional Prison” is another great way to make them feel a blow.

Most of all, you need to be careful and make sure not to give your opponent the ability to set up. Attacking into all of your opponent’s face down monsters is a great way to help your opponent. With cards like “Pyramid Turtle,” “Goblin Zombie,” and “Mystic Tomato” in every Zombie Deck, it’s not a good idea to rush blindly into your Battle Phase. Play smart, play to win, and you can succeed against this Deck.