Brief Intro:

Zombies are a wide range, and one of the few types who don't possess specific archtypes[Exact Name] to be used effectively. It relies mostly on swarming the field, and in my honest opinion, is probably the best type, without any formal archtype support, at swarming the field with monsters[XYZ's & Synchros Included]. The majority of Zombies are Dark, which as Konami already favors dark, gives them large support as is, with a few possessing the earth element. This lesson will detail about the staples to any Zombie Deck, and then the additional deck types and support cards to help you construct and build a deck capable of going one on one with even the most toughest out there.

Monsters:

Plaguespreader Zombie
Zombie/Dark/LVL2/400ATK/200DEF
You can return 1 card from your hand to the top of the Deck to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. If you do, remove this card from play when it is removed from the field.

This card is a must in all Zombie decks, and has even become staple for Twilight and other various dark decks due to its inherent usefulness. As it is limited in today's format, hinting that this little disease giver has seen of massively good plays to become feared. It can be dumped with Foolish Burial, milled through milling effects, sent by Armageddon knight/Dark Grepher, and even searched for by Pyramid Turtle/Goblin Zombie. Often used for quick synchro summoning, like during Goyo Glory days, this deck would see non-stop actions and can still assist even with its banning. A good thing to note is that if you used Plaguespreader Zombie's effect and XYZ it up to Gachi with its counterpart[Coming up later], Plague will drop back to the grave once again for later use. Run 1, of course.

Zombie Master
Zombie/Dark/LVL4/1800ATK/0DEF
Once per turn: You can send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then target 1 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon that target. This card must remain face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect.

This is the life of Zombie decks, and the main swarmer of any deck. An absolute Key-card that should always see plays due to its usefulness. With it's low defense, it can easily search for by Goblin Zombie or Pyramid Turtle. With Zombie World on the field, you can have a pick to select one of your opponents level 4 or lower monsters, like King-Thunder Rai-Oh if capable or anything really at the cost of a singular monster. You can also dump a monster in your hand to summon it to the field, if you possess a zombie monster capable of being summoned to begin with, which further it's usefulness that allows you to get over that only 1 normal summon, with absolutely no cost. This card has too many combo's that i can't possibly list them all, but the important thing to remember is it's all around versatility capable of XYZ'ing Rank 4, or synchro summoning 5-8 depending on the card in your grave[If zombie world is out] in your opponents grave. Having 1800 ATK doesn't hurt it's reputation the slightest. Run 3, no exceptions.

Goblin Zombie
Zombie/Dark/LVL4/1100ATK/1050DEF
When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Send the top card of their Deck to the Graveyard. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 Zombie-Type monster with 1200 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.

Ah yes. The grand searcher that in a Zombie deck can practically search out 80-90% of your [Monster Zone]deck, even capable of searching itself, and it's mandatory, so even chain prevention won't work. This is god send, a Sangan remake for zombies which can be run in 3 and reused. This is the card that makes Zombie's fearsome. With it's first effect being a bonus, the second effect is what roars to the crowd. It allows you to add 1 Zombie monster with 1200 or less DEF, and in Zombie's case, most of your zombies are below it, and your main zombies such as Plaguespread Zombie, Mezuki, Il Blud, or Zombie Master are all below that by much, it's too beautiful. A most notable combo is using it to search Zombie Master, use Zombie Master the next turn to summon it once again, and XYZ/Attack, even if you get Mirror Force or Dimension Prison, it would be easy to get another to your hand, especially how zombies just love being in the Banish pile. This is by far the most useful card in your deck, Run 3.

Pyramid Turtle
Zombie/Earth/LVL4/1200ATK/1400DEF
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster with 2000 or less DEF from your Deck.

Another Godsend card that was created by Konami due to the destroyed by battle searcher craze, but they made a mistake. This ancient Egyptian turtle can search 95% of zombies in creation[Exaggeration, maybe, but you get the point.] This is an automatic staple, and since battle is all that Yu-Gi-Oh is about, this card is just too good to not be used. Need i say more? Run 3. Oh, it should note that Pyramid Turtle is one of the few Zombie Staples or great support that's earth, which makes it lack synergy with dark based cards, but that really doesn't matter.

Mezuki
Zombie/Earth/LVL4/1700ATK/800DEF
You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target 1 Zombie-Type monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target.

Searchable by Goblin Zombie. Can be dumped by Foolish Burial / Zombie Master. Can be special summoned through Pyramid Turtle's effect/ any special summoning effect that relates to Zombies such as Book of Life. The most important thing...while in the graveyard, it's a monster reborn FOR ANY Zombie monster in your grave. Been limited to one. Speaks volumes of its power although simplistic in creation. Run 1.

Il Blud
Zombie/Dark/LVL6/2100ATK/800DEF
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster from your hand or from either player's Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, destroy all Zombie-Type monsters Special Summoned by this effect.

This card is nasty. I mean the art, not its effect. I'm sure many of you guys have heard of Gigaplant OTK and whatnot. Well let's say this is an easily more accessible version of that but not as aggressive, and can go level 8 rather than level 7 too easy. Superverse works well with it, and if you tech in Hidden Armory with Supervise with the main theme surrounded around this guy, you can not only add to your milling engine that works well with Zombies, but swarm the field with a minimal of 2 level 8 synchros[With Plaguespreader Zombie / Pain Painter]. Yes, that's a combo, but the beauty of this guy isn't that. The beauty of this guy is its type. Zombie. Which makes it capable of being searched out by Goblin Zombie, special summoned from graveyard by Mezuki/Book of Life in graveyard[Can be normal summoned directly after], and special summoned by Pyramid Turtle from deck. Special summon anything from your opponents grave. The amount of combo's this card possess sees no end, and probably won't see any end ever as the Zombie Archtype expands. Run 1-3, depending on the deck.

Pain Painter
Zombie/Dark/LVL2/400ATK/200DEF
While this card is face-up on the field, its name is treated as "Plaguespreader Zombie". Once per turn: You can target up to 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control, except this card; they become Level 2 until the End Phase. They cannot be used as Synchro Material Monsters except for the Synchro Summon of a Zombie-Type monster.

Plaguespreader Zombie is the only monster capable of syncing into the known Zombie Synchros, with this, your options expands. It's also XYZ capable, as you don't only have to go into a synchro monster, it can go into Gachi-Gachi / Number 96: Dark Mist / Armor Kappa with ANY Zombie monster on the field no matter the level, because it can change their level to 2, which makes it hugely versatile in this time of play. You have a minimal of 4 options with this card, and a maximum of 7. This card could be said to be better than Plague Spreader, but i can say they are about even, because they both are versatile in their own respect although meant to be the same. One can XYZ more often, while the other can sync into any synchro monster without being Zombie Type. They win in their own field. To note, it also gains all of the support as like the other cards[Search/Special Summoned Easily] Run 2. I say run 2 is mandatory, 3 is too much, and 1 is too little.

Spells:

Book of Life
Normal
Target 1 Zombie-Type monster in your Graveyard and 1 monster in your opponent's Graveyard; Special Summon the first target, also banish the second target.

I won't even need to go into detail with this. It's an instant monster reborn. It's highly useful against decks that have certain cards in grave and depend on iit, such as inzektors, lightsworns, or even fire fist and their chicken builds. Run 3.

Zombie World
Field
All monsters on the field and in every Graveyard become Zombie-Type monsters. Neither player can Tribute Summon monsters, except Zombie-Type monsters.

Allows you to snatch a monster in your opponents graveyard by using Zombie Master, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, Paladin of the Curse Dragon, or Doomkaiser Dragon. Stops all tributing from occurring, although in today's format, tributing isn't a huge aspect, but it helps you more than it hurts them, which is always great. If you're using a variant, this card also allows you to summon monsters that are not zombies, for example, using a Chaos Variant, use Book of Life on a already used Black Luster Solider. Run 0-3.

Allure of Darkness
Normal
Draw 2 cards, then banish 1 DARK monster from your hand, or, if you don't have any in your hand, send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard.
Perfect draw power for this type of deck. Keeps it consistent and on-going. Run 1

Burial from a Different Dimension
Quick-Play
Select up to 3 removed from play monsters, and return them to their owners' Graveyards.
Simplicity has once again helped Zombies be in top shape. This card potentially allows you to recover 3 cards from your banished pile to the graveyard, and with Zombies, specifically Pleaguespreader and Mezuki, you can recycle and reuse them at the cost of one card. Too perfect. Run 1.
Cards Worth Mentioning:

• Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon
  
• Zombie Lord
  
• Blue-Blood Oni
  
• Red-Blood Oni
  
• Dark Armed Dragon
  
• Tragoedia
  
• Gorz, Emissary of Darkness
  
• Card Trooper
  
• Foolish Burial
  
• Call of the Haunted
  
• Lightsworns[Archtype]

Notes & Last Words:
Zombies are a fierce archtype that can be blended with a multitude of different archtypes to achieve a variety of different plays. Most people would ask, why has Zombies not seen much action over the last few seasons? Well, because Zombies are considered fun decks, and cards like Shadow Imprisoning Mirror and Macro kills them off terribly. One of the many cards that's stopped Zombies from rising to the top, and perhaps, there hasn't been a specific type of deck that's risen into meta since, well...since the formation of Yu-Gi-Oh. There are various variants such as Debris Zombie / Zombiesworn that makes this deck tough enough to go, but people like mainstream, and mainstream kills them.

Below will be set skeletons to help you, only for 3 types of builds, Zombiesworn, Zombie World, Sync Blud[New Name; don't hate] . If possible, i'll update the thread with further skeletons. Note: These are not full decks, just skeletons where you can build your deck off of.

Zombiesworn:

• Goblin Zombie | 3
  
• Zombie Master | 3
  
• Plaguespreader | 1
  
• Mezuki | 1
  
• Pain Painter | 2
  
• Pyramid Turtle | 3
  
• Il Blud | 1
  
• Lyla | 2
  
• Ryko | 3
  
• Charge of Light Brigade | 1
  
• Book of Life | 3
  
• Allure | 1
  
• Burial from a different Dimension | 1

ZombieWolrd:

• Goblin Zombie | 3
  
• Zombie Master | 3
  
• Plaguespreader | 1
  
• Mezuki | 1
  
• Pain Painter | 2
  
• Pyramid Turtle | 3
  
• Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon | 2
  
• Il Blud | 2
  
• Paladin of the Curse Dragon | 2
  
• Zombie World | 3
  
• Book of Life | 3
  
• Allure | 1
  
• Burial from a different Dimension | 1

Sync Blud:

• Il Blud | 3
  
• Golblin Zombie | 3
  
• Zombie Master | 2
  
• Pyramid Turtle | 3
  
• Mezuki | 1
  
• Pain Painter | 2
  
• Plaguespreader Zombie | 1
  
• Superverse | 3
  
• Hidden Armory | 3
  
• Book of Life | 3
  
• Allure | 1
  
• Burial from a different Dimension | 1