Back from the dead in the previous format, Zombies were given a new lease in life with the Semi-Limiting of one of its key components "Mezuki". The only deck out of the top four that is not really an official theme, Zombies slowly take charge in the battlefield, accumulating +1s here and there and then finally explode from one card in the hand to a full field of Synchro Monsters is the deck's key strategy. Zombies have the inherent ability to bring something from either the Graveyard or the Deck to play or hand, hence requiring a very conservative play style. Zombies are able to maximize their potential with what "Crossroads of Chaos" has brought to the deck type. A card called "Plaguespreader Zombie".
Given its much needed support, "Plaguespreader Zombie" is a Tuner. The card allowed Zombies to tap into future game elements such as Synchro. It was then abused with the help of other Zombie members such as the ever powerful "Mezuki", which allows any zombie from the Graveyard rise to your side of the field by removing itself from your Graveyard to the game. This card is usually what makes the deck have the explosion tendency, catching your opponent in a surprise with a sudden burst of speed and power. "Burial from the Different Dimension" was used to repeat the whole process which would ultimately end up with a horde of monsters out of nowhere. Deemed too powerful, the deck was castrated to the point that it was deemed unplayable, with "Mezuki" and "Plaguespreader Zombie" taking huge hits in previous formats. Konami then decided to bring the terror back into the tables hence the reason it is one of the most formidable decks played in this format.
But what really gave Zombies the final push of power was the introduction of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" to the United States metagame, as it allowed Zombies to be thrown from the Hand to the Graveyard to return cards to opponent's hands while at the same time amassing insane amounts of Synchro Monsters capable of OTKing an unsuspecting player anytime. This, coupling with Zombies' natural ability to generate advantage and you have for yourself a winning deck.
At first, Popular techs were "Destiny Hero" cards that were splashed to the deck to take advantage of "Destiny Draw" for increased speed, and the ever useful "Destiny Hero - Malicious", which wonderfully works with "Plaguespreader Zombie" and other level 2 Tuners. In the end, "Deep Sea Diva" was introduced to the mix, which gave the deck its much needed Tuners to enable the explosion happen more frequently. It also allowed level 6 Synchro Monsters to go to level 8 without losing any form of advantage. "Absolute Zero" also made its way in the deck with the help of tech-ed "Miracle Fusion".
Zombies are often crippled by "Royal Oppression", due to its inherent nature to always rely on Special Summoning monsters to the field. Also, since the deck itself is played defensively, waiting for an opening to explode, it is often outrun by the faster and more formidable deck choice, also referred to as "Lightsworn". Being the second best deck this format, Zombies once again proved to the meta that they are one of the best decks to be ever played. Also, as the oldest type of deck to still exist in the meta today, it has once again proven its endurance over the test of time.
I hope that you have enjoyed this series of Deck Analysis that I have wrote as much as I enjoyed typing them out.
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