This deck is a blast in multi-player (and part of a pet project of mine to prove that mono-Blue can do anything any other color/deck type can do).
As always, you may need to adjust the removal suite for your local casual meta-game, but this deck is a pretty consistent threat around my kitchen table. I generally use the bounce for smaller threats and tokens, and the Duplicants for removal of Timmy sized threats. Masticore makes for good removal as well. Gifts is hilarious with this deck, because you can always guarantee yourself at least one good reanimation target in your 'yard after playing it.
Thanks, Stijnhoofd. The idea with each deck in the project is to showcase blue doing something it normally dooesn't...Burn, LD, Re-animator...I'm having some trouble with Aggro (though my cheaply obtained mis-printed Serendib Efreets help). I really like your Ancestral Green decklist, mono-green control is just the kind of color-bending I like to see. The richness of the game's history allows so many things that you can't do with a limited card pool.
On topic, my favorite re-animator decks have always been ones that work better in Multi-player. For example:
Everyone knows the interaction between Haakon and Nameless is powerful, but the coolest thing to me about this deck is that it is kind of a re-animator aggro. I only own one Entomb, otherwise there would be 4 in the deck. However, on a good draw, I can first turn Entomb Haakon, second turn Unearth Haakon & play Festering Goblin, third turn Ashes of the Fallen (set to Knight), from there dump dudes into the 'yard and onto the 'field.
Other cool Interactions:
Haakon & Husk in play, Ashes set to Knight, Festering Goblin sacrifice recursion to make Husk big and kill stuff.
Haakon in play, Buried Alive - put Skeletal Changeling and Bladewing's Thrall in the 'yard. Play Changeling, Thrall comes with it.
I haven't updated the deck since M10 came out, but I'm not really sure I'd want to update anything in it. It works really well in Multi-player because it is near impossible for my opponents to stop my swarm of Knight-ified Zombies (as opposed to Zombified Knights ;)) and my removal is recursive.
One adavantage Bridge has is that you can reanimate two critters the same turn with Dread Return. It does not solve the problem of graveyard hate but if You manage to put Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir into play before reanimting Ghoul, you are going to win a lot more often when they either could counter your reanimation or answer your thread in play. You add a must counterspell or must remove creature, either will eat up resources that can no longer be used to make you lose. Cutting Pain and a Wraith is what I would do to put them in.
I'd also replace 4 lands (Orchard) with 4 Chrome Moxen. considering that you are three coloured with cutting Pain you coul dopt for a Fetchies + Duals base but that's a question of budget.
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I would say 4 Entomb is good, especially with only 8 targets. Zombie infestation seems a little pointless (I guess is discards reanimation targets, but you really want to have something in play by T2)
Here is a slower version of a GB Reanimator using Victimize as a surprise reanimation spell...
I like to keep the dogs and Victimize cause my Timmy opponents feel that they can get rid of the dogs with their creature kill and race me with a weenie rush and direct damage that it gives me time to play more land and use more expensive reanimate spells like Zombify. Also need more fatties because of Vampire Hounds needing creature discard to pump up.
Thinking about more "comes into play triggered abilities" for the fatties so that even if they come into play tapped via Victimize, they'll still sting like hell. Any suggestions for building around Victimize and the dogs? Metagame with my playgroup is white weenie, RG beats, Sligh, Goblins. Do I still need Dark Ritual to speed up the graveyard dump or cast Victimize??
I thought this might be a good place to post my Reanimator deck. I've built this over a month or two, adjusting it to advice from friends and forumusers. I'm really happy about it and extensive testing (at home against friends) showed to be pretty awesome and, above all, pretty fast.
A friend of mine commented on it, saying: "it's not as anoying as your Restore Balance deck...".
Feel free to comment on it. I chose not to include blue in the deck as I had the feeling that it would slow it down. I did however fool around a little with blue and came up with this deck:
Note on the B/U version: I included the Glimpse's because I think it will have great synergie with Extirpate (as does Annul). I only included two, because that's how many I have and because I'm not sure whether it will actually work.
But seriously, I would like to hear your opinions about the decks, especially the mono-black version, as that's the one I'm playing. A bit of a warning though: I'm not on an unlimited buget. For the mono-black version I only really had to pay for the Entombs and 2 of the Extirpate's. Most others I had lying around, or could get cheap. I would have included Thoughtseize over Duress otherwise.
J/c, do you need 12 reanimation spells in the black version? From my perspective, running 4 reanimate, 4 exhume should be enough, especially with the quality of threats you are pumping onto the field. I'd consider adding one more quality creature (Penumbra Wurm or a Kamigawa dragon for instance) and then three more removal/reactive cards (maybe diabolic edict to handle creatures or distress for more spot discard).
-4 Animate Dead
+1 Fatty
+3 Distress/Diabolic Edict
A couple things to note:
1) I'm not trying to win ASAP. My playgroup is slower tempo-wise with access to only mediocre cards. As a result, I am trying to make the deck more interactive and less "I win" once exhume/animate dead resolves.
1.5) I like running this deck in multiplayer (which is most of what we play)
2) For these reasons, I play Reya with utility targets.
3) I'm not totally sold on Xathrid Demon yet. I've been running him on a whim. In a slower and/or multiplayer game, Buried Alive+Reya Dawnbringer+Xathrid Demon+Keiga, the Tide Star has been pretty amusing
This deck is a blast in multi-player (and part of a pet project of mine to prove that mono-Blue can do anything any other color/deck type can do).
As always, you may need to adjust the removal suite for your local casual meta-game, but this deck is a pretty consistent threat around my kitchen table. I generally use the bounce for smaller threats and tokens, and the Duplicants for removal of Timmy sized threats. Masticore makes for good removal as well. Gifts is hilarious with this deck, because you can always guarantee yourself at least one good reanimation target in your 'yard after playing it.
I follow Stijnhoofd oppinion, i'm amazed with the blue "reanimation" deck, very, very clever!
In fact, i never faced a deck with a similar purpose, just Pickles, but copying is not the focus, the lock is.
Very interesting! Congratz man! and thx alot for sharing.
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Thanks, Halted Asylum. Given these words of encouragement, I think I may post my other blue decks on here soon. I think the creativity of them would be appreciated by the casual player group.
I'm always looking for more sweet artifact dudes to pull out of the graveyard for this deck.
Ok, finally finished mine, how should i make it better without burning my life savings on entomb? i own a few demonic tutors, so i could take something out for one.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
yeah, i've heard the suggestion and refuse to run if for exactly that reason.
should i take out hand disruption for removal? should i make a white splash sideboard instead of blue? if so, what should i do to improve matchups against specific hate when on a tight budget?
Removal is not needed, as your creature should be superior. In case agro is a problem for you, you should add some fat with lifelink or Empyrial Archangel - that you actualy run. *?* What for do you want to play removal?
I would probably try to find a selective replacement for Hymn and that's about it, apart from the fat.
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Hmm I noticed you don't have Entombs. Which may explain the Hymns, because otherwise I wouldn't run Hymns at all. I'd keep the 1c discards whether its Duress or Thoughtseize. Besides, what removal cards would you run? What early creatures would make an impact on your game anyway? You shouldn't need removal because even if you want removal, everything you need should be in your creature package. Removal? Run Angel of Despair, Crater Hellion, Caldera Hellion, Bogardan Hellkite, or Thunder Dragon. And if Aggro is a problem, then run Blazing Archon.
Have you considered Lotus Petal and dropping a few lands? Could speed up your game, in my build with Entombs, they're very good. Although you could argue its not as great BECAUSE you don't have Entombs (1c spells).
I also think you don't have enough reanimation spells. I'd add another 2 Animate Deads.
22 Islands
CARD DRAW/DISCARD/REMOVAL
3 Gifts Ungiven
4 Compulsive Research
2 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Thought Courier
2 Chamber of Manipulation
2 Capsize
4 Echoing Truth
4 Argivian Restoration
4 Body Double
REANIMATION TARGETS
2 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Sundering Titan
2 Razormane Masticore
1 Platinum Angel
3 Duplicant
As always, you may need to adjust the removal suite for your local casual meta-game, but this deck is a pretty consistent threat around my kitchen table. I generally use the bounce for smaller threats and tokens, and the Duplicants for removal of Timmy sized threats. Masticore makes for good removal as well. Gifts is hilarious with this deck, because you can always guarantee yourself at least one good reanimation target in your 'yard after playing it.
On topic, my favorite re-animator decks have always been ones that work better in Multi-player. For example:
2 Lord of the Undead
1 Zombie Master
3 Undead Warchief
1 Ghastly Remains
2 Bladewing's Thrall
2 Skeletal Changeling
4 Stromgald Crusader
4 Nantuko Husk
3 Festering Goblin
4 Buried Alive
4 Unearth
4 Nameless Inversion
3 Ashes of the Fallen
Other cool Interactions:
Haakon & Husk in play, Ashes set to Knight, Festering Goblin sacrifice recursion to make Husk big and kill stuff.
Haakon in play, Buried Alive - put Skeletal Changeling and Bladewing's Thrall in the 'yard. Play Changeling, Thrall comes with it.
I haven't updated the deck since M10 came out, but I'm not really sure I'd want to update anything in it. It works really well in Multi-player because it is near impossible for my opponents to stop my swarm of Knight-ified Zombies (as opposed to Zombified Knights ;)) and my removal is recursive.
I run Bile Urchin & Masticore in mine.
Your blue project..funny..I did the same thing in for a while.
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Taking all suggestions
4 Tarnished Citadel
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Tendo Ice Bridge
4 Forbidden Orchard
4 City of Brass
Creatures
4 Hermit Druid
4 Narcomoeba
4 Street Wraith
1 Sutured Ghoul
1 Lord of Extinction
4 Duress
2 Dread Return
1 Demonic Tutor
Instant
4 Pact of Negation
4 Worldly Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Flaring Pain
4 Lotus Petal
Enchantment
1 Dragon Breath
1 Open slot... I use Duress and not Bridge from Below + Cabal Therapy because playing against other decks in casual means more card choices
Would also consider dropping Sutured Ghoul for Cognivore and add more instants which seems like a good idea.
I'd also replace 4 lands (Orchard) with 4 Chrome Moxen. considering that you are three coloured with cutting Pain you coul dopt for a Fetchies + Duals base but that's a question of budget.
1 Spirit of the Night
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Empyrial Archangel
1 Blazing Archon
1 Phantom Nishoba
1 Magister Sphinx
4 Reaniamte
2 Animate Dead
2 Entomb
4 Buried Alive
2 Zombie Infestation
4 Putrid Imp
2 Vampiric Tutor
4 Dark Ritual
20 Swamp
Any suggestions?
GW Angels
RGS Aurochs
Working On
BRG Classic Jund
G Bears!
I like to keep the dogs and Victimize cause my Timmy opponents feel that they can get rid of the dogs with their creature kill and race me with a weenie rush and direct damage that it gives me time to play more land and use more expensive reanimate spells like Zombify. Also need more fatties because of Vampire Hounds needing creature discard to pump up.
Thinking about more "comes into play triggered abilities" for the fatties so that even if they come into play tapped via Victimize, they'll still sting like hell. Any suggestions for building around Victimize and the dogs? Metagame with my playgroup is white weenie, RG beats, Sligh, Goblins. Do I still need Dark Ritual to speed up the graveyard dump or cast Victimize??
4 Tainted Wood
2 Tree of Tales
2 Golgari Rot Farm
2 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Petradon
3 Sundering Titan
1 Magister Sphinx
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Avatar of Woe
4 Vampire Hounds
2 Nezumi Graverobber
4 Victimize
2 Life/Death
4 Zombify
4 Buried Alive
2 Cabal Therapy
4 Wrench Mind
A friend of mine commented on it, saying: "it's not as anoying as your Restore Balance deck...".
Here's the decklist:
Lands (20):
12x Swamp
4x Tainted Wood
2x Pine Barrens
2x Riftstone Portal
Creatures (8):
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Bogardan Hellkite
1x Inkwell Leviathan
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Empyrial Archangel
3x Putrid Imp
4x Reanimate
4x Buried Alive
4x Exhume
4x Dark Ritual
4x Duress
4x Entomb
4x Extirpate
4x Animate Dead
4x Krosan Grip
4x Cabal Therapy
4x Infest
2x Ground Seal
1x Sundering Titan
Feel free to comment on it. I chose not to include blue in the deck as I had the feeling that it would slow it down. I did however fool around a little with blue and came up with this deck:
Lands (22):
12x Swamp
4x Island
4x Tainted Isle
2x Underground River
Creatures (8):
3x Putrid Imp
1x Inkwell Leviathan
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Bogardan Hellkite
1x Empyrial Archangel
4x Reanimate
4x Buried Alive
4x Exhume
4x Entomb
4x Extirpate
Blue Spells (10):
4x Careful Study
4x Annul
2x Glimpse the Unthinkable
4x Cabal Therapy
4x Infest
3x Repeal
2x Intuition
1x Sundering Titan
1x Sharuum the Hegemon
Note on the B/U version: I included the Glimpse's because I think it will have great synergie with Extirpate (as does Annul). I only included two, because that's how many I have and because I'm not sure whether it will actually work.
But seriously, I would like to hear your opinions about the decks, especially the mono-black version, as that's the one I'm playing. A bit of a warning though: I'm not on an unlimited buget. For the mono-black version I only really had to pay for the Entombs and 2 of the Extirpate's. Most others I had lying around, or could get cheap. I would have included Thoughtseize over Duress otherwise.
J/c, do you need 12 reanimation spells in the black version? From my perspective, running 4 reanimate, 4 exhume should be enough, especially with the quality of threats you are pumping onto the field. I'd consider adding one more quality creature (Penumbra Wurm or a Kamigawa dragon for instance) and then three more removal/reactive cards (maybe diabolic edict to handle creatures or distress for more spot discard).
-4 Animate Dead
+1 Fatty
+3 Distress/Diabolic Edict
For the board, here is my Reanimate Deck:
8 Swamp
10 Island
1 Crumbling Necropolis
3 Tainted Isle
2 Lotus Petal
Creatures
2 Waterfront Bouncer
3 Hapless Researcher
1 Reya Dawnbringer
1 Penumbra Wurm
1 Kederekt Leviathan
1 Mindleech Mass
1 Xathrid Demon
1 Bone Shredder
1 Plated Slagwurm
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
2 Mystical Tutor
3 Ponder
2 Buried Alive
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Frantic Search
Defense
2 Counterspell
2 Mana Leak
2 Echoing Truth
1 Animate Dead
1 Necromancy
1 Victimize
4 Exhume
A couple things to note:
1) I'm not trying to win ASAP. My playgroup is slower tempo-wise with access to only mediocre cards. As a result, I am trying to make the deck more interactive and less "I win" once exhume/animate dead resolves.
1.5) I like running this deck in multiplayer (which is most of what we play)
2) For these reasons, I play Reya with utility targets.
3) I'm not totally sold on Xathrid Demon yet. I've been running him on a whim. In a slower and/or multiplayer game, Buried Alive+Reya Dawnbringer+Xathrid Demon+Keiga, the Tide Star has been pretty amusing
I follow Stijnhoofd oppinion, i'm amazed with the blue "reanimation" deck, very, very clever!
In fact, i never faced a deck with a similar purpose, just Pickles, but copying is not the focus, the lock is.
Very interesting! Congratz man! and thx alot for sharing.
I'm always looking for more sweet artifact dudes to pull out of the graveyard for this deck.
2x Spirit of the Night
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Inkwell Leviathan
2x Hellkite Overlord
4x Putrid Imp
4x Dark Ritual
4x Exhume
2x Shallow Grave
2x Reanimate
4x Funeral Charm
4x Raven's Crime
4x Duress
4x Hymn To Tourach
22x Swamp
Main thing about the deck is using Funeral Charm/Raven's Crime to discard the big dogs and as usual reanimate/exhume/shallow grave to bring them back.
3 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
3 Iona, Shield of Emeria
2 Akroma, Angel of Fury
2 Empyrial Archangel
4 putrid imp
Reanimation goodies:
4 exhume
4 reanimate
4 buried alive
4 duress
4 hymn to tourach
4 zombie infestation
Mana:
4 dark ritual
18 swamp
4 underground river
4 drowned catacomb
4 chain of vapor
3 echoing truth
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
what? for reanimator? you're joking. in the time it takes to get the cards and activate, you could've won.
should i take out hand disruption for removal? should i make a white splash sideboard instead of blue? if so, what should i do to improve matchups against specific hate when on a tight budget?
I would probably try to find a selective replacement for Hymn and that's about it, apart from the fat.
Have you considered Lotus Petal and dropping a few lands? Could speed up your game, in my build with Entombs, they're very good. Although you could argue its not as great BECAUSE you don't have Entombs (1c spells).
I also think you don't have enough reanimation spells. I'd add another 2 Animate Deads.
i have a demonic tutor lying around, should i put in in in place of a hymn or an infestation for toolboxing purposes?
And if your playgroup allows Demonics then yeah run them, as I have in my build too.
+1 demonic tutor
+2 animate dead
-3 hymn
now, what to swap the last hymn for... while my group would allow multiple tutors, i'd feel like an ass.
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