Introduction

So, you’ve opened your first Doom Pile Structure Deck and discovered the Master Plan Empty the Graveyards! Now what? If you’re looking for guidance on how the deck works out of the box, and what you can do to improve it, then you’ve come to the right place!

Empty the Graveyards! is a Master Plan which reads “During your Resolve Step, if there are 10+ Minions interred, you win.” It is most closely associated with Undead and Tomb cards, and focuses on removing Minions (both yours and your opponents’) from the game in order to win.

Opening Strategy

Your opening hand out of the box consists of Greedy Page-Turning, Sadsack Devil, Expensive Knowledge, Grim Spellbook, and Grim Undertaker. Start by playing your Sadsack Devil, which will resolve immediately and go to the Field Zone. You can then immediately sacrifice it in order to play Expensive Knowledge into Countdown. For decks like The Sacrifice Must be Paid!, sacrificing Sadsack Devil is counterintuitive, but for you, doing so puts you one step closer to your Master Plan, as it inters itself automatically!

From here, play the rest of the cards in your hand and pass the turn. At the start of your next turn, Expensive Knowledge will resolve, letting you draw 2 cards. Grim Spellbook and Grim Undertaker also resolve, and go to the Field Zone. When you draw for your Draw Phase, you should have Inviting Mausoleum, Recollection Vial, and Dismiss Opposition. Go ahead and play all three, even if your opponent has no cards in Countdown for Dismiss Opposition to thwart yet—this will deter them from playing any until it’s out of the way.

If your opponent has a small Minion, or an Artifice, there’s no reason not to attack it with Grim Undertaker. Even if your Minion dies, this can put your opponent off of their game, and potentially net you another body to count towards your Master Plan. Either way, when you proceed to the Maintenance Step, activate the effect of your Grim Spellbook to draw, and then discard, a Grave Lich. He’ll be back later.

On your next turn, your Greedy Page-Turning will finally resolve, and you’ll draw a Rebuild Body, Skullcrasher, and Expensive Knowledge. If your Grim Undertaker is still around, there’s little reason not to sacrifice it to play Expensive Knowledge, but this may depend on what your opponent is playing—against a deck like Ignite the Guidestones! or The Sacrifice Must be Paid!, having extra Strength around to beat through the front lines and take out Artifices may be beneficial. Regardless, play the other two cards, and resolve combat based on the situation.

At the end of the turn, use your Grim Spellbook once again. You will draw Primeval Zombie, but if you lost Grim Undertaker and were therefore unable to play Expensive Knowledge this turn, go ahead and keep the new card and discard Expensive Knowledge.

On your next turn, it’s time to start building up a board state and establishing inevitability. Inviting Mausoleum, Recollection Vial, and Rebuild Body all resolve, as will Expensive Knowledge if you played it. Use Rebuild Body to revive Grave Lich, and put the two Artifices in the Field Zone. You’ll then draw at least a Sadsack Devil, and with Expensive Knowledge, an additional Smash with Stones and Employ Contingencies.

Grave Lich and Inviting Mausoleum server as your two main engine pieces to start making some serious progress towards your Master Plan. You should now have plenty of fodder in the Discard Pile to use Grave Lich’s ability, potentially interfering with serious gameplay plans if you’re up against a deck like Cast the Doomspell!, or otherwise holding off dangerous Thwart cards like Employ Contingencies. Note that Grave Lich’s ability will tick up your own Arcana cards as well as your opponents’, but this can be used strategically to keep your own Dismiss Opposition in countdown as a threat.

The Sadsack Devil you drew is also a great sacrifice for the effect of Inviting Mausoleum. Just keep in mind that if you sacrifice something else that goes to the Discard Pile, that same Minion cannot be interred by that activation.

Over the next few turns, you’ll be progressively interring more Minions from all Discard Piles as you work your way up to 10. You’ll continue to draw Minions for yourself to fuel that engine, as well as disruptive cards. Eventually, if things get dire, you can rely on the inevitability of Bury Alive, and try to hold out until it can clear the board, likely putting you over the threshold for Empty the Graveyards!

Matchup Considerations

Your deck has a very strong matchup against combo-decks decks like Cast the Doomspell!, and a natural affinity against The Sacrifice Must be Paid! Both of these decks typically play minimal protection for their cards on the field, usually relying more on disruption or raw speed. A more balanced and efficient engine like yours will generally come out on top.

Become the Apex! is your dominant threat. While it’s a Minion-focused deck, it generally plays much more aggressively, sporting large Minions that can easily chew through your own Minions and critical Artifices. Removing or otherwise disrupting their Strength and Health buffs should be your priority, and may involve putting your standard gameplay on hold while you deal with the threat.

When it comes to re-ordering your deck, you have a number of tools at your disposal that are worth considering at higher slots. Devil’s Pitchfork can serve as a powerful, repeatable remove card when used in tandem with decent but not overwhelming attackers like Grave Lich. Obstinate Mutant also pairs well with Recollection Vial, and your deck contains a wide variety of card types and Starting Countdowns to give you an edge when selecting what you need to Thwart each turn.

As you work on improving your deck with cards from other Structure Decks, or just additional copies of this one, you may consider Mirrored Henge as a useful protective measure for your more important Artifices, should you find yourself struggling with aggro decks. Alternatively, you may want to focus more heavily on resolving Bury Alive, and so cards like Accelerated Schemes or Wizard Initiate could help resolve it earlier to clear wide boards.

Conclusion

What do you think of Empty the Graveyards!? There are plenty more ins and outs to learn about the structure deck and the cards within as you work to improve it, develop your own strategy, and aim to take over the world by raising your army of the undead.

Good luck in your pursuit of world domination!