10 Zombie Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards Every Deck Needs (2024)

Thanks to a few great effect monsters, Zombie cards have become a staple of the Yu-Gi-Oh! meta game. Whether players like it or not, they will undoubtedly see at least a few zombie effect monsters in every deck they face. Aside from some new powerful archetypes and extra deck monsters, the ghost girls are practically a given for any deck type.

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Players will need to use their discretion and get creative when using certain zombies in their decks. In some cases, they may run parallel to the duelists' play style or deck philosophy. Additionally, many players have come up with effective ways to shut down zombies such as by using Called By The Grave to negate them. However, having different card types can keep a deck well-rounded and ready for anything, and some zombies stand alone as solid cards that can fit right into any deck build.

10 Ash Blossom Is A Necessity For Any Deck

By far, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is the most widely used Zombie card and perhaps the most popular effect monster in the game. Due to the direction Yu-Gi-Oh! has headed, allowing for numerous special summons and card searching in one turn, it's pretty much necessary to have Ash Blossom in any competitive deck.

Ash Blossom's effect activates from the player's hand and lets her negate effects that interact with the opponent's deck. Because searching the deck is crucial for getting out the most powerful cards immediately, a well-played Ash Blossom can mean the difference between winning or losing a duel in the first turn.

9 Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion Is A Zombie Tuner That Can Negate From The Hand

Ghost Belle is an extremely useful ghost girl effect monster that has made its way into the meta game. Helpful for interrupting combos on the opponent's turn, Ghost Belle's effect lets the player discard her to negate the effect of cards that interact with the Graveyard.

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Being that GY effects have become such an important part of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Ghost Belle has proven a very effective card in a myriad of different situations. Besides her ever-useful effect, Ghost Belle's card has also become famous simply for the cute nature of her character art.

8 The Zombie World And Necroworld Banshee Combo Will Disrupt Most Decks

It may seem a bit strange to claim that every deck, no matter what the archetype, should keep a Zombie World. However, it's actually not that much of a stretch. Always keeping a Zombie World in the main deck may ask too much, but players should have at least three in the side deck for various reasons.

Zombie World’s effect is simple: it turns every monster card in the field and graveyard into a zombie. This becomes useful because it can completely disrupt the opponent’s cards that name a specific monster type. For added security, adding Necroworld Banshee to the deck grants the possibility of having 6 chances to draw Zombie World instead of 3.

7 Gashadokuro, The Skeletal Mayakashi, Comes Back From The Grave Even Stronger

Gashadokuro is a level 11 Synchro monster with scary-looking card art and an exceptional effect that can fit into several deck builds. If the player can get out a level 3 tuner and a level 8 monster, he can be summoned in the first turn with 3300 ATK points.

However, Gashadokuro's true greatness comes when he's used as a tribute for a link summon. If a link monster is destroyed while Gashadokuro is in the graveyard, he can be special summoned and won't be effected by any other cards. That means Gashadokuro will need to be overpowered to be destroyed, a difficult task considering his high base ATK.

6 Eldlich The Golden Lord Is The New King Of Zombies

Eldlich has redefined zombies in the Yu-Gi-Oh! meta. He's a powerful base 2500 ATK monster and has some really OP effects. Eldlich's first effect activates from the hand, sending him and one other card from the player's hand to destroy a card on the field.

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Eldlich's next effect is a game changer. If he's in the graveyard, the player can destroy one of their own spells or traps to bring him back to the hand. Then they can summon one monster from the hand with 1000 extra ATK and DEF, making them impervious to card effects. The potential for Eldlich is endless, and he can fit into any build if one is creative enough.

5 Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill Is More Than Just Another Ghost Girl

Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill is yet another ghost girl effect monster that plays like a hand trap. While not as prevalent as Ash Blossom, many players use Ghost Mourner as an alternative to interrupt opponents' combos.

Ghost Mourner's effect lets the player discard her in order to negate the effects of a special summoned monster until the end of the turn. If the negated monster leaves the field in that same turn, the opponent takes damage equal to that monster's ATK. This can be particularly devastating if the opponent manages to special summon a monster on the player's turn.

4 Ghost Lancer, The Underworld Spearman Does Piercing Damage

Ghost Lancer's effect allows it to be special summoned from the hand when only the opponent controls a monster. This is a great effect, considering its 2000 ATK power. Additionally, if Ghost Lancer attacks a defense position monster, it can inflict piercing battle damage, creating the potential for several great combos if the player can increase its ATK power.

While Ghost Lancer isn't particularly a game changer, if used correctly, its effect can make the difference between winning or losing a duel. If the player goes second, it can prove useful in summoning a monster from the extra deck right away.

3 Pumprincess The Princess Of Ghosts Can Annoy The Opponent And Provide A Distraction

Thanks to the myriad of ways to destroy spell and trap cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pumprincess by itself isn't viable to build a deck around. However, its effect is good enough to provide an extra annoyance for the opponent to deal with. The jist of Pumprincess' effect is that it adds a Pumpkin Counter to itself once per turn.

For each counter on the card, the opponents' monster loses 100 ATK and DEF. This ongoing effect can wither away even the strongest monsters the opponent summons, forcing them to make Pumprincess their primary focus before destroying any other cards the player may have on the field.

2 Vampire Voivode Can Steal Monsters From The Opponent's Grave

Vampire Voivode is a powerful level 8 zombie/vampire monster who has significant effects. Although he really shines in vampire or zombie themed decks, his abilities pertain to any type and can realistically be implemented into any deck. Voivode's ability lets him summon 2 monsters from the opponents' graveyard when he is normal summoned.

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Players can potentially summon Voivode from the graveyard, making him difficult to destroy. His most devastating effect, however, is his ability to negate a monster effect in the graveyard or a monster effect when there's a monster of the same name in the graveyard. This card can shut down several decks that work solely out of the grave.

1 Number 23: Lancelot, Dark Knight Of The Underworld Is More Powerful Than It's ATK Suggests

Lancelot is a great zombie XYZ monster that requires two dark type monsters for its summon. This allows it to fit into a myriad of decks outside the Zombie archetypes. While it's only a 2000 ATK monster, which isn't much for a level 8 XYZ, its effects make the card stand out.

Lancelot's first effect is simple: it can attack the opponent directly while it has XYZ material. Not only that, but when it deals battle damage, it can destroy a monster of the player's choice on the field. When a card effect is activated, the player can remove an XYZ material from Lancelot and negate that effect, making the card great for both offense and defense.

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