Ghoulish ProcessionHow it works & interactions with other cards

How the Procession Works

Ghoulish Procession triggers whenever one or more nontoken creatures die. It doesn't matter who controlled the creatures; as long as they weren't tokens, you get a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with decayed. The most important restriction is that this ability triggers only once each turn, meaning you can't generate an infinite army in a single board wipe, but you can trigger it on your opponent's turn as well as your own.

Understanding Decayed

The Zombie tokens created by Ghoulish Procession have decayed, a keyword that represents two distinct abilities. First, the creature cannot block. Second, if you choose to attack with it, a triggered ability goes on the stack at the end of the combat phase to sacrifice that creature. Note that decayed does not grant haste, so the Zombie must wait a turn to attack unless another effect speeds it up.

Timing and Strategy

Because the ability triggers 'once each turn,' you should look for ways to make creatures die on your opponent's turn to maximize token production. If you have a way to sacrifice a creature or destroy an opponent's creature during their combat or end step, you can generate a fresh Zombie right before your turn begins. Remember that if multiple nontoken creatures die at the exact same time, you still only get one Zombie token.

Interaction examples

Generating Value from Combat

Ghoulish ProcessionZombie

During your turn, you attack with a nontoken creature and it is blocked and destroyed. Ghoulish Procession triggers, and you create a 2/2 black Zombie token with decayed. Because it is now your opponent's turn, if one of their nontoken creatures dies, the Procession will trigger again, providing you with a second token in a single round of play.

Token Interaction Limits

Ghoulish ProcessionBlack Market Connections

You have both enchantments on the battlefield. At the start of your main phase, you use Black Market Connections to create a 3/2 Shapeshifter token. If that Shapeshifter token dies later that turn, Ghoulish Procession will not trigger because the Shapeshifter was a token. Ghoulish Procession specifically requires a 'nontoken' creature to die to create its Zombie.

The End of Combat Trigger

Ghoulish ProcessionZombie

You attack with a Zombie token created by Ghoulish Procession. At the end of the combat phase, the decayed trigger goes on the stack. Even if an opponent plays an effect that removes the decayed ability from the Zombie while the trigger is on the stack, the sacrifice effect has already fired and you must still sacrifice the Zombie.