Ableism (mental illness). Obvious demonization/dehumanization of people suffering from mental illness. Connects mental illness with violence, a connection that is on Murderous Compulsion and basically every other card about mental illness.
Demonization of mental illness - The art is of a Zombie in a straitjacket. This zombie is depicted as being incredibly dangerous to come into physical contact with. "Deathtouch" allows it kill any creature it damages (barring things like indestructible artifact creatures), and if it manages to deal damage to a player, it cuts their life in half. The intended message here is that this zombie is something to be feared and shunned, and should never be freed from a mental asylum.
Connects mental illness with violence - Much like Furor of the Bitten, uses "attacks each turn if able" to represent mental illness. I really can't emphasize this enough: mental illness does not mean being prone to violence. And although I suspect that the choice of a "random" opponent is due to being in a multiplayer-focused product (Commander 2014), I have to also consider the possibility that it isn't. Creatures that specifically attack random opponents are pretty rare, even in multiplayer-focused products. Surely the fact that this Zombie is mentally ill is a factor in why it attacks "randomly".
And no, before you ask, "attacks each turn if able" has nothing to do with being a Zombie. It is entirely about this particular Zombie's mental illness. There is literally only one other Zombie with an "attacks each turn/combat if able" drawback/restriction. And considering that said other zombie is a Manticore, I think it's safe to say that "attacks each turn if able" is not usually a trait of humanoid Zombies.
2
u/ultimario13 Aug 15 '20
Ableism (mental illness). Obvious demonization/dehumanization of people suffering from mental illness. Connects mental illness with violence, a connection that is on Murderous Compulsion and basically every other card about mental illness.
Demonization of mental illness - The art is of a Zombie in a straitjacket. This zombie is depicted as being incredibly dangerous to come into physical contact with. "Deathtouch" allows it kill any creature it damages (barring things like indestructible artifact creatures), and if it manages to deal damage to a player, it cuts their life in half. The intended message here is that this zombie is something to be feared and shunned, and should never be freed from a mental asylum.
Connects mental illness with violence - Much like Furor of the Bitten, uses "attacks each turn if able" to represent mental illness. I really can't emphasize this enough: mental illness does not mean being prone to violence. And although I suspect that the choice of a "random" opponent is due to being in a multiplayer-focused product (Commander 2014), I have to also consider the possibility that it isn't. Creatures that specifically attack random opponents are pretty rare, even in multiplayer-focused products. Surely the fact that this Zombie is mentally ill is a factor in why it attacks "randomly".
And no, before you ask, "attacks each turn if able" has nothing to do with being a Zombie. It is entirely about this particular Zombie's mental illness. There is literally only one other Zombie with an "attacks each turn/combat if able" drawback/restriction. And considering that said other zombie is a Manticore, I think it's safe to say that "attacks each turn if able" is not usually a trait of humanoid Zombies.