I don't know if you've tested it yet, but I think Metallurgic Summonings has a lot of potential in this deck. You mention sometimes having trouble with creature-heavy strategies, so at the very least Metallurgic gives you blockers. You're also casting so many spells that it also just becomes a win-con once you make enough constructs.
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W.A.S.T.E
EDH Decks: GRUlasht, the Hate SeedGR BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
I don't know if you've tested it yet, but I think Metallurgic Summonings has a lot of potential in this deck. You mention sometimes having trouble with creature-heavy strategies, so at the very least Metallurgic gives you blockers. You're also casting so many spells that it also just becomes a win-con once you make enough constructs.
I have it in my deck now for testing. I'm trying it in place of Memory Plunder. I like MP, but it becomes so dependent on your opponents that I felt it's the best choice for cuts right now. Of course, as usually happens when I test a card, I've played multiple games and have yet to draw it...but we'll see. I agree that it has a lot of potential. Some people in my playgroup have used it in other decks to great success.
I've made a few changes to the deck list, primarily Metallurgic Summonings has proved its worth and is going in the main deck. Also, I really haven't missed Memory plunder since cutting it. I cut an island for Strip Mine after having a game go on for way too long due to me not being able to get rid of a Maze of Ith. I also replaced a swamp with Choked Estuary for another two-color land, and got my hands on a copy of Tolaria West. Finally, I added in another mana rock, Talisman of Dominance. I felt like the deck could just use a little more acceleration. So, in summary:
As for the Commander 2016 spoilers, there's really just one card I'm excited to try out in Dralnu and that is Ancient Excavation. I think this card has the potential to be super busted in Dralnu. It can allow us to draw a lot of cards and of course, getting things in the graveyard makes this card all upside with Dralnu. Even better, it's in the Yidris deck, which I was planning on buying any way. Very excited for this card.
EDIT: I acquired a Sunken Ruins to replace Dimir Aqueduct and rather make a new update for that one change, I just added it here. I used to be a big fan of the Ravnica bounce lands, but I've been loving them less and less and the filter land is just better all around, imo.
You mention adding Strip Mine because you were running into trouble from a Maze of Ith. Any thoughts about adding a Maze of your own to the deck? It seems like it would be a good fit since you talk about needing help against creature based strategies so I'm sort of surprised you haven't mentioned it yet.
You mention adding Strip Mine because you were running into trouble from a Maze of Ith. Any thoughts about adding a Maze of your own to the deck? It seems like it would be a good fit since you talk about needing help against creature based strategies so I'm sort of surprised you haven't mentioned it yet.
Funny you should mention adding Maze of Ith because I just added one to my deck, I just hadn't updated the list yet! Just like you said, the Maze provides great protection against decks that try to strike with one big creature. Of course, it's hindered by hexproof and shroud but I think it's still worth it. I also added Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (a great companion to the Maze because it allows you to tap the Maze for mana) and Dreadship Reef to my mana base. Dreadship Reef can be a nice way to use leftover mana at the end of your opponents' turns and if you can get a few counters on it, it can provide a lot of mana.
And you're right, Ancient Excavation did make the list. The card is exactly as powerful as I expected it to be. Seriously, it took only a single use of the card and it earned its place as a critical Dralnu card. I cut Dimir Doppelganger because though the fact that it exiles is nice, I found it was a dead card most of the time.
Aether Revolt has been fully spoiled and there are a few cards in the set that could have a place in Dralnu, Lich Lord.
Disallow: The way I use it, Summary Dismissal is just a worse version of this card. Sure, Disallow doesn't exile and only hits one spell or ability, but 99% of the time, SD is just here to be able to counter activated and triggered abilities, and this new card does that for one less mana. Also, one big issue I've had with Summary Dismissal is it can't win you counter wars, since it hits everything on the stack.
Paradox Engine: While I'm not as excited for this card in Dralnu as I am with Sydri, this card could still find a place in our list. This list is one of the few non-combo uses for this broken new legendary artifact, as all it is doing for us is allowing for multiple Dralnu activations in one turn cycle. We also run a few mana rocks, which adds even more benefit to the engine.
Baral, Chief of Compliance: Less interesting than the other two, but definitely a possibility. Both abilities are very relevant in our list. I might try him out in place of Curious Homunculus, as he fills the same cost-reducing role at 2 mana, with the added benefit of the loot-on-counter ability.
And that's it! As far as other changes go, I am currently testing Kederekt Leviathan as another big reanimator target (and one that can reanimate itself) that has a big impact on the board, as there have been a few circumstances where I would have liked to have another boardwipe.
I really like this build. I run Dralnu too, although with less emphasis on reanimator, simply because I don't have access to any really sweet reanimator targets. Such a fun general. Nice to see Curious Homunculus in the list, I run him too.
Can I ask why no River Kelpie? Seriously good card in this deck. I guess Consecrated Sphinx has you well covered for draw, so maybe that's why.
Glad you liked the list, and glad someone else is running Dralnu! I really believe he is a woefully underused commander. I agree that Curious Homunculus is great. As I said in my Aether Revolt review, if I do add Baral, Chief of Compliance, the homunculus seems like best thing to cut for him, but I just like him so much that I'm not sure if I'll be able to cut it.
As for the lack of River Kelpie, I get that it's a great card. In some decks. I run him in Marchesa, the Black Rose and he draws a ton of cards there. I just don't see him drawing much in this deck. We only reanimate a few big creatures, so we won't get many draws there and sure, he triggers of spells, too but I think there's a lot more efficient card draw. This deck doesn't really struggle with keeping cards in our hand and 5 mana for maybe one card each turn isn't worth it to me. Honestly, I would run Secrets of the Dead before I ran the kelpie, since it's cheaper and an enchantment, but I don't even run that. Actually, the reason I don't run Secrets applies to the Kelpie, too. It's just a terrible early game card. I usually don't cast Dralnu until later in the game and until then, these cards don't do much.
River Kelpie is significantly better than Secrets of the Dead because it doesn't just look at your board. Anyone in the game reanimating, playing Crucible of Worlds, flashing back spells, etc draws you cards. I've seriously considered running it in decks with much lighter GY interaction than Dralnu because of the popularity of recursion in this format, at least locally. I don't think it's a shoo-in for every Dralnu list but it's miles better than the very narrow Secrets. That said, I suspect you're generating enough advantage with the list as is thanks to your reanimation targets and don't really need it. Dralnu never really hurts for card advantage.
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[Pr]Jaya | Estrid | A rotating cast of decks built out of my box.
Oh, wow. I never noticed that River Kelpie triggers off all players' graveyards. I had just assumed it was only yours. That does make the card a lot better. However, I still don't think it's right for this list. Like you said, Dralnu is never hurting for card advantage. In fact, there have been a few instances where I've drawn plenty of cards, but felt like I had nothing to do with them. I feel like any changes I make to the list should address that, not give more card advantage. That being said, I think I'll add River Kelpie to the Card Choices section, as it is definitely a possibility for some lists.
Huh. I obviously didn't read Kelpie properly either. As someone without a copy of Jin or Sphinx, it's still the best option I have so I will definitely continue to run it. Especially considering with persist it's a little harder to get rid of than your average. I'll definitely look at vamping my list up after seeing this one. It's well tuned, where mine sort of durdles a bit. I'll definitely be looking at picking up a copy of Baral, Chief of Compliance too.
I'd like to believe this list is pretty well-tuned. I've put a lot of work into it
Yes, I agree that Kelpie can be a good fit for some Dralnu lists, just not this one. I'm glad my list has inspired you to revamp yours! Looking at the decklist in your signature, I would definitely recommend trying out the sacrifice lands. I know Phyrexian Tower is outside some people's budgets, but even High Market alone can help as protection against getting Dralnu hit with a burn spell. And yeah, Baral seems promising, though I'm not completely sold on his place in this list. Certainly warrants testing. I'd love to hear how he works out for you!
I'd like to believe this list is pretty well-tuned. I've put a lot of work into it
Yes, I agree that Kelpie can be a good fit for some Dralnu lists, just not this one. I'm glad my list has inspired you to revamp yours! Looking at the decklist in your signature, I would definitely recommend trying out the sacrifice lands. I know Phyrexian Tower is outside some people's budgets, but even High Market alone can help as protection against getting Dralnu hit with a burn spell. And yeah, Baral seems promising, though I'm not completely sold on his place in this list. Certainly warrants testing. I'd love to hear how he works out for you!
Yeah Phyrexian Tower is WAY out of budget. It's a beautiful card and I'd love a copy but it won't happen anytime soon, barring a reprint and a random pull from a booster. I have a feeling it's on the reserved list anyway though. I've got a High Market somewhere, I'll make some switches and get it in here.
I'm not completely sold on Baral, Chief of Compliance either really. There's not a dearth of counterspells in my deck. Nonetheless, the cost reduction is good and it's jumping through less hoops than the homunculus, as much as I love the flavour of the homunculus.
I have to admit, I've struggled for real win cons in my deck. I'm hesitant to slap Exsanguinate in there simply because you see it in most lists and I like taking roads not travelled. I don't really have the manabase to support it either. I'll definitely be looking further at this primer in the future though.
I'm not completely sold on Baral, Chief of Compliance either really. There's not a dearth of counterspells in my deck. Nonetheless, the cost reduction is good and it's jumping through less hoops than the homunculus, as much as I love the flavour of the homunculus.
The more I think about it, the more I'm liking Baral, actually. There's the obvious cost-reduction advantage, of course, and that's probably his biggest advantage. But it just occurred to me that his on counter ability not only draws us cards, it allows us to discard cards we'd rather have in our graveyard. Sure, we don't run a ton of counter spells, but it's still a big perk. I'm considering keeping the homunculus and trying Baral in place of Sakashima the Imposter instead. I really like Sakashima as a card, but I don't think it's doing much here, especially when I'm running the much better clone, Clever Impersonator. I've also been thinking the deck could use a little bit more acceleration, which is more reason to run both Baral and the homunculus.
I have to admit, I've struggled for real win cons in my deck. I'm hesitant to slap Exsanguinate in there simply because you see it in most lists and I like taking roads not travelled. I don't really have the manabase to support it either. I'll definitely be looking further at this primer in the future though.
You know, that's something I feel like I've struggled with too, haha. The deck plays a control game really well, but sometimes I get to a place where I'm in control, but don't have any way to close out the game. Repeated Exsanguinate casts are good, but I understand not wanting to run it. Of course, there's a part of me that just thinks I should add a combo to the deck, but it's sort of been combo-free on principle for so long, I feel like I'd be betraying the deck if I did that...
The more I think about it, the more I'm liking Baral, actually. There's the obvious cost-reduction advantage, of course, and that's probably his biggest advantage. But it just occurred to me that his on counter ability not only draws us cards, it allows us to discard cards we'd rather have in our graveyard. Sure, we don't run a ton of counter spells, but it's still a big perk. I'm considering keeping the homunculus and trying Baral in place of Sakashima the Imposter instead. I really like Sakashima as a card, but I don't think it's doing much here, especially when I'm running the much better clone, Clever Impersonator. I've also been thinking the deck could use a little bit more acceleration, which is more reason to run both Baral and the homunculus.
I agree with all of this. I could certainly make space in my build for him. I have quite a few draw spells that could be whittled for some permanent acceleration, and a Lunar Mystic he'd be a straight upgrade for. And I run enough utility counters to make him worthwhile.
You know, that's something I feel like I've struggled with too, haha. The deck plays a control game really well, but sometimes I get to a place where I'm in control, but don't have any way to close out the game. Repeated Exsanguinate casts are good, but I understand not wanting to run it. Of course, there's a part of me that just thinks I should add a combo to the deck, but it's sort of been combo-free on principle for so long, I feel like I'd be betraying the deck if I did that...
Keep it combo free! It's a strong build anyway and you don't need it. I don't have an Exsaguinate, but if I did I have to be honest and say I wouldn't really have a better deck to put it in, so I'd probably run it. But I'd not be building around it. I don't like the dralnu builds that tutor for it, Expedition Map for Cabal Coffers, rinse and repeat. It must be so boring.
Most of my deck is control based, although it is a weaker shell than yours, due to not having copies of things like Cryptic Command etc. I think I need a revamp on the creature front, as most of mine are not particularly amazing or impactful. Even Wrexial, the Risen Deep is a pretty conditional impact card. Do you have any suggestions for lower tier reanimation targets?
My Dralnu is a combo version >:D. (Doomsday - Lab Maniac)
What do you mean with multiple casts of Exsanguinate? Unless you copy it, you can only play it twice?
I'td be pretty easy to include anything in your list to copy it again. With U in the mix, twincast, meletis charlatan and those sort of cards are all viable. Mirari and Mirrorpool dont require color splash or a significant mana investment. I roll with both.
What do you mean with multiple casts of Exsanguinate? Unless you copy it, you can only play it twice?
As toctheyounger77 said, there are a lot of ways in blue to get multiple copies. When I say "multiple copies" I really just mean two. Once from the hand and once from the graveyard. With enough mana, that's often enough.
Most of my deck is control based, although it is a weaker shell than yours, due to not having copies of things like Cryptic Command etc. I think I need a revamp on the creature front, as most of mine are not particularly amazing or impactful. Even Wrexial, the Risen Deep is a pretty conditional impact card. Do you have any suggestions for lower tier reanimation targets?
Honestly, Wrexial is a pretty good one. I'm currently testing out Kederekt Leviathan and really like it. It's a boardwipe and a big body. And if you're running enchantment reanimation like Animate Dead, you can recur it many times (Leviathan's trigger bounces the enchantment, Leviathan goes back to the gy). I'm pretty sure that card is under a dollar. Another one from my list that I'd highly recommend is Void Winnower. That card is currently $1.50 on TCGPlayer and I'd say it can have just as big an impact as Jin-Gitaxias. As far as things I don't run, there's Inkwell Leviathan, Tromokratis and Lorthos, the Tidemaker.
Ok. Definitely learned something new today with that Animate Dead trick. Very cool.
I know Wrexial is likely to hit. UB are two of the more popular colours to be played so he's going to connect most times. I've just had issues picking anything good out of his trigger, so swinging for 5 and nothing else really doesn't have a big impact. I like the idea of Void Winnower though. Inkwell Leviathan is a solid beater too, that could be great. I've wondered if there's room for Sepulchral Primordial or Diluvian Primordial in a budget reanimator list too. Those ETB triggers are pretty devastating.
Yeah, the leviathan plus a reanimating enchantment is one of those tricks that isn't obvious at first, but devastating once you give it a try. If you run [c]Necromancy[c], you can do it at instant speed, too. The only reason I don't run that is I'd rather have reanimation on an instant or sorcery, given the synergy with Dralnu.
Both of the primordials are a good thought, though you might run into a similar problem as Wrexial, in that you're depending on your opponents to have something worth taking.
I really like Stitch Together. It almost made the cut for my list. Zombify is good too if you want reanimation for a cheap price. It only grabs stuff from your graveyard, but it's four mana, versus five for Rise from the Grave. Also, it's not a sorcery, but I'd call Animate Dead a "classic" and I'm pretty sure you can get some printings for ~$1.
Why no Yawgmoth's Will? The card is absurdly powerful. Resolving it in the lategame practically guarantees a win, even without boatloads of mana. I'd cut Sword of War and Peace since it only seems there to protect Dralnu from Blasphemous Act. Similarly, I would think Rite of Replication would have a home here. Double kicked Rites on Kokusho, the Evening Star is a quick way to close out a game. Has Bloodchief Ascension been doing much work without being a combo piece? At any rate, this is a nice primer, so thanks!
I avoided Yawgmoth's Will because it doesn't feel necessary here. Don't get me wrong, I get that it's an absurdly powerful card, I just think it has a better place in combo decks, which this deck is not. It's not often that we want to be casting a large body of spells from our graveyard all at once. Usually just one or two will suffice. Rite of Replication is a good suggestion and I'm sort of surprised I hadn't considered it yet. I had been considering cutting Army of the Damned, so maybe I'll try out Rite in its place. As far as Bloodchief Ascension goes, no, it hasn't been doing much work and I don't think it'll be in the deck much longer. I've been holding onto it for a while because I really like the card, but it's just not cutting it any more. However, I'm currently testing Kederekt Leviathan in its place. Finally, I don't see me cutting Sword of War and Peace just yet. As well as protecting Dralnu, the card provides some extra power for the "beat my opponents with a big creature" win-con. That being said, my list of things I want to test is growing, and this might end up getting the ax eventually.
EDH Decks:
GRUlasht, the Hate SeedGR
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Modern:
BWEldrazi & TaxesBW
I have it in my deck now for testing. I'm trying it in place of Memory Plunder. I like MP, but it becomes so dependent on your opponents that I felt it's the best choice for cuts right now. Of course, as usually happens when I test a card, I've played multiple games and have yet to draw it...but we'll see. I agree that it has a lot of potential. Some people in my playgroup have used it in other decks to great success.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
I've made a few changes to the deck list, primarily Metallurgic Summonings has proved its worth and is going in the main deck. Also, I really haven't missed Memory plunder since cutting it. I cut an island for Strip Mine after having a game go on for way too long due to me not being able to get rid of a Maze of Ith. I also replaced a swamp with Choked Estuary for another two-color land, and got my hands on a copy of Tolaria West. Finally, I added in another mana rock, Talisman of Dominance. I felt like the deck could just use a little more acceleration. So, in summary:
IN
+ Metallurgic Summonings
+ Strip Mine
+ Choked Estuary
+ Talisman of Dominance
+ Tolaria West
+ Sunken Ruins
OUT
- Memory Plunder
- 2 Islands
- Swamp
- Countersquall
- Dimir Aqueduct
As for the Commander 2016 spoilers, there's really just one card I'm excited to try out in Dralnu and that is Ancient Excavation. I think this card has the potential to be super busted in Dralnu. It can allow us to draw a lot of cards and of course, getting things in the graveyard makes this card all upside with Dralnu. Even better, it's in the Yidris deck, which I was planning on buying any way. Very excited for this card.
EDIT: I acquired a Sunken Ruins to replace Dimir Aqueduct and rather make a new update for that one change, I just added it here. I used to be a big fan of the Ravnica bounce lands, but I've been loving them less and less and the filter land is just better all around, imo.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Also, it looks like Ancient Excavation made it to the main list?
EDH Decks:
GRUlasht, the Hate SeedGR
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Modern:
BWEldrazi & TaxesBW
Funny you should mention adding Maze of Ith because I just added one to my deck, I just hadn't updated the list yet! Just like you said, the Maze provides great protection against decks that try to strike with one big creature. Of course, it's hindered by hexproof and shroud but I think it's still worth it. I also added Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (a great companion to the Maze because it allows you to tap the Maze for mana) and Dreadship Reef to my mana base. Dreadship Reef can be a nice way to use leftover mana at the end of your opponents' turns and if you can get a few counters on it, it can provide a lot of mana.
And you're right, Ancient Excavation did make the list. The card is exactly as powerful as I expected it to be. Seriously, it took only a single use of the card and it earned its place as a critical Dralnu card. I cut Dimir Doppelganger because though the fact that it exiles is nice, I found it was a dead card most of the time.
So, to summarize the changes:
IN
+ Ancient Excavation
+ Dreadship Reef
+ Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
+ Maze of Ith
OUT
- Dimir Doppelganger
- 2 Islands
- 1 Swamp
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Aether Revolt has been fully spoiled and there are a few cards in the set that could have a place in Dralnu, Lich Lord.
And that's it! As far as other changes go, I am currently testing Kederekt Leviathan as another big reanimator target (and one that can reanimate itself) that has a big impact on the board, as there have been a few circumstances where I would have liked to have another boardwipe.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Can I ask why no River Kelpie? Seriously good card in this deck. I guess Consecrated Sphinx has you well covered for draw, so maybe that's why.
As for the lack of River Kelpie, I get that it's a great card. In some decks. I run him in Marchesa, the Black Rose and he draws a ton of cards there. I just don't see him drawing much in this deck. We only reanimate a few big creatures, so we won't get many draws there and sure, he triggers of spells, too but I think there's a lot more efficient card draw. This deck doesn't really struggle with keeping cards in our hand and 5 mana for maybe one card each turn isn't worth it to me. Honestly, I would run Secrets of the Dead before I ran the kelpie, since it's cheaper and an enchantment, but I don't even run that. Actually, the reason I don't run Secrets applies to the Kelpie, too. It's just a terrible early game card. I usually don't cast Dralnu until later in the game and until then, these cards don't do much.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Yes, I agree that Kelpie can be a good fit for some Dralnu lists, just not this one. I'm glad my list has inspired you to revamp yours! Looking at the decklist in your signature, I would definitely recommend trying out the sacrifice lands. I know Phyrexian Tower is outside some people's budgets, but even High Market alone can help as protection against getting Dralnu hit with a burn spell. And yeah, Baral seems promising, though I'm not completely sold on his place in this list. Certainly warrants testing. I'd love to hear how he works out for you!
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Yeah Phyrexian Tower is WAY out of budget. It's a beautiful card and I'd love a copy but it won't happen anytime soon, barring a reprint and a random pull from a booster. I have a feeling it's on the reserved list anyway though. I've got a High Market somewhere, I'll make some switches and get it in here.
I'm not completely sold on Baral, Chief of Compliance either really. There's not a dearth of counterspells in my deck. Nonetheless, the cost reduction is good and it's jumping through less hoops than the homunculus, as much as I love the flavour of the homunculus.
I have to admit, I've struggled for real win cons in my deck. I'm hesitant to slap Exsanguinate in there simply because you see it in most lists and I like taking roads not travelled. I don't really have the manabase to support it either. I'll definitely be looking further at this primer in the future though.
The more I think about it, the more I'm liking Baral, actually. There's the obvious cost-reduction advantage, of course, and that's probably his biggest advantage. But it just occurred to me that his on counter ability not only draws us cards, it allows us to discard cards we'd rather have in our graveyard. Sure, we don't run a ton of counter spells, but it's still a big perk. I'm considering keeping the homunculus and trying Baral in place of Sakashima the Imposter instead. I really like Sakashima as a card, but I don't think it's doing much here, especially when I'm running the much better clone, Clever Impersonator. I've also been thinking the deck could use a little bit more acceleration, which is more reason to run both Baral and the homunculus.
You know, that's something I feel like I've struggled with too, haha. The deck plays a control game really well, but sometimes I get to a place where I'm in control, but don't have any way to close out the game. Repeated Exsanguinate casts are good, but I understand not wanting to run it. Of course, there's a part of me that just thinks I should add a combo to the deck, but it's sort of been combo-free on principle for so long, I feel like I'd be betraying the deck if I did that...
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
I agree with all of this. I could certainly make space in my build for him. I have quite a few draw spells that could be whittled for some permanent acceleration, and a Lunar Mystic he'd be a straight upgrade for. And I run enough utility counters to make him worthwhile.
Keep it combo free! It's a strong build anyway and you don't need it. I don't have an Exsaguinate, but if I did I have to be honest and say I wouldn't really have a better deck to put it in, so I'd probably run it. But I'd not be building around it. I don't like the dralnu builds that tutor for it, Expedition Map for Cabal Coffers, rinse and repeat. It must be so boring.
Most of my deck is control based, although it is a weaker shell than yours, due to not having copies of things like Cryptic Command etc. I think I need a revamp on the creature front, as most of mine are not particularly amazing or impactful. Even Wrexial, the Risen Deep is a pretty conditional impact card. Do you have any suggestions for lower tier reanimation targets?
What do you mean with multiple casts of Exsanguinate? Unless you copy it, you can only play it twice?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
I'm a little surprised no one in my group has punched me for the way I build control decks yet.
As toctheyounger77 said, there are a lot of ways in blue to get multiple copies. When I say "multiple copies" I really just mean two. Once from the hand and once from the graveyard. With enough mana, that's often enough.
Honestly, Wrexial is a pretty good one. I'm currently testing out Kederekt Leviathan and really like it. It's a boardwipe and a big body. And if you're running enchantment reanimation like Animate Dead, you can recur it many times (Leviathan's trigger bounces the enchantment, Leviathan goes back to the gy). I'm pretty sure that card is under a dollar. Another one from my list that I'd highly recommend is Void Winnower. That card is currently $1.50 on TCGPlayer and I'd say it can have just as big an impact as Jin-Gitaxias. As far as things I don't run, there's Inkwell Leviathan, Tromokratis and Lorthos, the Tidemaker.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
I know Wrexial is likely to hit. UB are two of the more popular colours to be played so he's going to connect most times. I've just had issues picking anything good out of his trigger, so swinging for 5 and nothing else really doesn't have a big impact. I like the idea of Void Winnower though. Inkwell Leviathan is a solid beater too, that could be great. I've wondered if there's room for Sepulchral Primordial or Diluvian Primordial in a budget reanimator list too. Those ETB triggers are pretty devastating.
Both of the primordials are a good thought, though you might run into a similar problem as Wrexial, in that you're depending on your opponents to have something worth taking.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
Good point regarding the primordials, they are not certainties by any stretch.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG