This time round compared to GC, the cards are designed differently. Zombies have different strain types which are not as straightforward as fire/ice/lightning that we are used to. The types are different too with the one of the most notable change is that high attack is no longer hampered by lowered speed. I think the most important Zombie trait is its skills. A lower rarity zombie with a useful skill will probably still find use as you upgrade your deck.
Notable Zombie Skills
MP: 400?
Notable Zombies w Skill: Yang Guifei, Yuki Onna, Pincer Hulk
Zombie's Positioning in deck: best and prioritised to be placed in front of another Zombie, potentially pair with another debuff and +3 caster like Marie Antoinette, Asura (it might save Transfusion attack for another zombie), 4-star General, Infested Armor, Mimic, Gigantes, etc for a better guaranteed kill
Notes: This is the ultimate debuff, reducing stats by 15% other than Health and Psyche when the Zombie dies, boosting your next zombie's strike. However, I think it activates on chance?
Update: Unlike Blurred Speed which is casted at the start, it gets casted after the zombie dies. Thus, un-boosted Virulent Yang Gui Fei can double-cast Spitter+4 but will not use Choking Fumes as MP is not enough. Interesting fact if you're short of MP boosts.
Update: Unlike Blurred Speed which is casted at the start, it gets casted after the zombie dies. Thus, un-boosted Virulent Yang Gui Fei can double-cast Spitter+4 but will not use Choking Fumes as MP is not enough. Interesting fact if you're short of MP boosts.
Survival Instinct
MP: 1? (It takes away all MP though. In GC, some wiki mention it takes away all remaining MP so I think the minimum MP must be leftover, thus 1...)
Notable Zombies: Pluto, Titan, Infested Armor, Matador (Clayton 3* Burner)
Deck Positioning: Versatile placement. In GC, there was a strategy of placing them in front of Quick Strike/First Blood. Probably only the 5* will have high enough attack to make it work. Other use include wasting opponents MP as they will still use their most potent skill to take out that 1 HP and also waste debuffs. They also work well near the end of the deck just as their survival naming suggest; if fights become very close, you might win battles clinging onto that 1 HP.
Notes: This is simply GC's Last Stand.
Blurred Speed
MP: 400
Notable Zombies: Napoleon Bonaparte, Minotaur, Rodeo Girl, Airship
Deck Positioning: Versatile placement. I think this is good in front to waste opponents MP and also at the back to help survive better.
Notes: I understand this is similar to GC's Deft Step but this version avoids elemental or physical attack once at the cost of MP. I think this skill is potentially better than Survival Instinct or Revive as you have MP remaining to cast another skill.
Update: I now notice one problem with this skill is that it may be "wasted" on First Blood and normal attacks. In this sense, it is more luck-based than compared to Survival Instinct and Revive. I'm also seeing quite a few people using Napoleon and Minotaur at the start of the deck to potentially waste enemies' attacks.
Update: I now notice one problem with this skill is that it may be "wasted" on First Blood and normal attacks. In this sense, it is more luck-based than compared to Survival Instinct and Revive. I'm also seeing quite a few people using Napoleon and Minotaur at the start of the deck to potentially waste enemies' attacks.
Cell Regeneration
MP: 1?
Notable Zombies: Marie Antoinette, Moby Dick
Deck Positioning: Versatile placement like with Survival Instinct and Blurred Speed. Like Survival Instinct, it is also good for wasting opponent's MP and debuffs. Marie Antoinette may need to be placed behind a Choking Fumes Zombie though until we get +4 skill thumb-drives.
Notes: Revives at half health. Update: MP leftover is retained after reviving with perhaps a deduction of 1MP for casting.
Transfusion
MP: 1200
Notable Zombies: Asura
Deck Positioning: Versatile placement and as for Asura, its speed is low which means it will probably get hit first so it can heal, provided it doesn't die...
Notes: I read that it is a physical attack that heals back 30%
Self Immolate
MP: all remaining MP
Notable Zombies: Satan, 4-star General, Chimera, Mars
Deck Positioning: In front of Quick Strike/First Blood Zombies or potentially in front of deck to thwart fast Zombies with a high MP self destruct. It also have potential usage against Survival Instinct Zombies.
Notes: I actually wrote an article on Self Destruct for GC (1, 2, 3). If you encounter a Boneyard match where the Self Immolate kills off your last card, you will still get the win. I do not have a Self Immolate zombie to try out but I think it works conversely too; as long as you kill the opponent's deck, you will be awarded the win regardless of you having no zombie left.
First Blood
MP: 300
Notable Zombies: Peregrine Falcon, Genie in a Lamp, Fallen Angel
Deck Positioning: Behind a Survival Instinct/Self Immolate/Cell Regen/Blurred Speed or +3 caster like Marie for potential cleanup attack.
Notes: I read the attack is about 0.6 the attack stat?
Maggot Cleanse
MP: ?
Notable Zombies: Gigantes, Starfish, Rubeus, William Shakespeare
Notes: I actually think this skill is not worth it as it is situational. You could use it against a particular opponent if you can line up this Zombie to their debuff casters. For Gigantes, it has a better skillset without it: Def-20, Strike+3 and Atk/Spd+10. Starfish has a choice between atk debuff and it.
Skull Shatter
MP: ?
Notable Zombies: Issac Newton, T-Rex (3* Invite card), Big Eye, Genie in a Lamp
Notes: I think this is another situational skill. The cards that have it has a skill slot for it anyway. Edit: The skill mainly counters buff casters, especially Bordered Napoleon since his base Intelligent is low and depend on the Int+25%.
Def-20%
MP: 300
Notable Zombies: Marie Antoinette, Yang Guifei (needs phy+4 skilling and preferably Strong-type though), Cleopatra (needs phy+4 skilling), 4-star General, Gigantes, Rose Gardener, 3* Colonel
Deck Positioning: For Cleopatra (currently w/o phy+4), Rose Gardener and Colonel, due to their potential inability to kill, they will be better placed in front of a physical attacker.
Int-20%
MP: 300
Notable Zombies: Marie Antoinette, Asura, Mimic, Infested Armor, Minotaur (needs elemental skilling and preferably Smart-type), Starfish (need elemental skilling), Rose Gardener
Deck Positioning: Similar to Def debuff, those that may not kill will be better placed in front of an elemental attacker.
Spd-20%
MP: 300
Notable Zombies: Yang Guifei, Mimic, Navy Seal. T-rex (3* Invite card)
Deck Positioning: Preferably in front.
Notes: A forum poster reported that speed debuffs affect the first attack unlike in GC.
Charm
MP: +1:150, +2:300, +3:600, +4:1200
Notable Zombies: Cleopatra, Nun, Nurse, Kunoichi, Magician, Rubeus
Notes: Special mention as this skill has potential to 1-hit kill but relies on percentage chance as well as intelligent stats if it follows GC's Death skill.
Update #1: new insights to Charm skill in this later post.
Update #2: Charm post updated.
Update #1: new insights to Charm skill in this later post.
Update #2: Charm post updated.
Zombie Strain
- Most All of the strain blocks 3 other strain but gets critical hit from 2 with the exception of Charmer and Screamer; only critical hit by 1. Blocking in DC seems more effective than in GC. Screamer also takes it 1 step further of being critically hit by Charmer only and Charm skills are already percentage based making Screamer potentially the strongest strain of them all! Update: Charmer is crit by Burner so there is a mistake in the Strain table in Help section. I've seen Burner not critical-ing Spitter as well. Update2: I figured out the strain table and has posted it in a later journal.
Zombie Type
- Interesting balance:
If you are fast, you lack health and vice versa
If you are strong in elemental defence, you lack physical defense
If you are strong in physical attack, you will be weaker in elemental attack
