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.
I'm pretty sure I have a copy of Animate Dead. Eternal masters was good for that, was hoping to pick up entomb too but no such luck.
I actually think Stitch Together is really solid tech for Dralnu. You'll almost always hit threshold so it's decent reanimation. Not instant, but you can't complain for BB.
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 can see Rite of Replication here. Yawgmoth's Will seems a little winmore here. Especially since there's recursion of spells and reanimation of creatures here anyway, it seems like cramming what Dralnu can do over a longer period into one turn. I guess it's good for taking the table by surprise, but I see it as being a little redundant here.
I'm pretty sure I have a copy of Animate Dead. Eternal masters was good for that, was hoping to pick up entomb too but no such luck.
I actually think Stitch Together is really solid tech for Dralnu. You'll almost always hit threshold so it's decent reanimation. Not instant, but you can't complain for BB.
You make a good case for Stitch Together. The reason I don't see me adding it to my list is it only grabs things from my own graveyard, so I don't know what I'd replace for it. Zombify is also one sided, and costs 4, but I have a full-art version that I couldn't bring myself to cut...
It's really too bad Entomb is >$10. It's just such a good card. It also allows for silly things like turn 2 Jin-Gitaxias. I guess that's why it's >$10...
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 can see Rite of Replication here. Yawgmoth's Will seems a little winmore here. Especially since there's recursion of spells and reanimation of creatures here anyway, it seems like cramming what Dralnu can do over a longer period into one turn. I guess it's good for taking the table by surprise, but I see it as being a little redundant here.
My thoughts exactly on Yawgmoth's Will. I am excited about Rite of Replication. I had been looking for an end-game card to replace Army of the Damned and I have no idea why I haven't thought of Rite before. Even without considering the Kokusho synergy, there are just so many ways Rite can close out games. And sure, it can benefit from your opponents' creatures, but unlike what we were talking about with things like the primordials, it isn't dependent upon your opponents to be good. How about 5 Massacre Wurms? Sounds alright to me...
I can understand the hesitation to try it. It's partially redundant, can be winmore if you're already ahead, isn't as good as it would be in a dedicated combo deck, and is also diminished outside of big mana decks. All that said, I still think it's worth testing. In my Chainer list, it's a house. Granted, it's not uncommon for me to pump out 15+ mana in the late game, so I get more mileage out of it, but recasting a hand wipe at the Blue player followed by a board wipe followed by refilling my own hand can catapult me from last place to first place in a single turn. And that's not Magical Christmasland either. Redundancy isn't necessarily bad, as there are times where casting Dralnu is inopportune, and you only need to recur one or two spells. I think you guys are underestimating the power of recurring multiple spells per turn. Yes, sometimes you'll only recur a Read the Bones or a Demonic Tutor, which can be underwhelming even if it's the correct play, but other times you'll wipe, reanimate, and refill your hand all at once for the low, low cost of 12 mana, and there will be much rejoicing.
I'm not saying it will necessarily knock your socks off, but I think it's worth a test at least (assuming you own one or your playgroup allows you to proxy cards you're testing, as I can understand not wanting to spend ~$35 on a test card).
If I had a copy, this is probably the deck it'd go into. I'm restricted budgetwise to Magus of the Will. Which, while it is good, unless it comes in with flash through something like Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir or Leyline of Anticipation, telegraphs drastically. It would definitely open me up to Bojuka Bog, Rest in Peace, so on. I'd definitely think it could be a good add in OP's list though. Redundancy isn't necessarily a bad thing.
That's fair. I might not be giving it the chance it deserves. Unfortunately, your last point does apply to me. Currently, I don't own a copy, and the main playgroup I play with doesn't allow proxies. That being said, it's on my "To Buy" list for my Sydri Storm deck (a deck that very obviously benefits from Yawg's Will), so I will eventually give in and lay down the cash for it. When that happens (or if I'm ever with a group that has a more favorable view of proxies) I'll definitely try it out here, too. Now just to figure out what it would replace...
Army of the Damned and Bloodchief Ascension were both just too inefficient. I like them both, but their replacements, Kederekt Leviathan and Rite of Replication, just have a bigger impact on the board. Also, casting a kicked Rite on Massacre Wurm is very satisfying... Baral is really solid if he comes down early. He's definitely weaker in the later game, but I still think he's a better option than Sakashima, who was just a less-good Clever Impersonator.
I still haven't sufficiently tested Paradox Engine. I only just today decided what I'm going to try cutting for it (Metallurgic Summonings. Hopefully I'll get to try it soon. I've already tried it in Sydri and wow, that card is even more broken than I expected...
EDIT: Never mind. All it took was one game of using Paradox Engine to realize that this card is even more broken than I thought. Definitely worth running here.
Have you considered Nephalia Drownyard or Riptide Laboratory? The Drownyard acts as virtual card advantage in such a heavily graveyard based deck, and I'm a true believer in it after narrowly winning a game by milling into Damnation. As for the Lab, Dralnu was errated to be a Wizard (I mean, he's a lich, after all) and it could serve as another way to save Dralnu from burn or other board wipes. Being lands, they don't occupy much real estate, and I'm a big fan of techy lands.
Been a while since I've updated this list, though that's largely because I'm pretty happy with where the deck is currently. I did however, make a few changes to the mana base:
Currently, I'm testing Tidespout Tyrant as another high-impact reanimation target in place of Thousand-Year Elixir. If I end up not liking TT, I'll probably try out Yawgmoth's Will in it's place, because I finally got a copy for my Sydri deck. The Elixir just hasn't been working out for me recently.
Been a while since I've updated this list, though that's largely because I'm pretty happy with where the deck is currently. I did however, make a few changes to the mana base:
Currently, I'm testing Tidespout Tyrant as another high-impact reanimation target in place of Thousand-Year Elixir. If I end up not liking TT, I'll probably try out Yawgmoth's Will in it's place, because I finally got a copy for my Sydri deck. The Elixir just hasn't been working out for me recently.
I'm interested as to how tidespout works out for you. I've added to my deck but haven't had a recent chance to play test, so not sure whether it's a good fit or not. To me it's the epitome of a card that'll make someone ragequit if it's in the wrong deck. I have a zedruu build that it could be disgusting with but I've been hesitant to add it simply because I won't add win cons that are too easy. Here it feels like a more balanced fit.
Tidespout Tyrant is ridiculously powerful if reanimated early game, but isn't the greatest top draw.
If you are running serious about a sub reanimation theme you should seriously consider running Dance of the Dead.
I think you can say that about any of the reanimation targets. Jin-Gitaxias is great when reanimated early, but top-decking him later on (without a way to discard/reanimate) means I have to spend 11 mana to cast him. Sure his impact on the board is a little more direct than TT, but still.
Also, I've avoided too much enchantment-based reanimation like Dance of the Dead since instants and sorceries synergize with Dralnu better. If I added another, it would probably be Necromancy, because of the synergy in flash-reanimating Kederekt Leviathan.
Honestly, it's entirely personal taste. He's probably not the objective best walker for the deck, but I added him a while back when the deck was less tuned and I've just really grown to love him. Both filtering and drawing, and the creature bounce are really handy and - though it's never good to judge a planeswalker by its ultimate - if you do manage to get his emblem, it's often game over.
Long time since I've updated the list, but that's because I'm pretty happy with where it is. Especially with the addition of Paradox Engine, the deck is playing better than ever. The only change is I cut Thousand-Year Elixir for another reanimation target: Tidespout Tyrant. Anyway... on to AMNOKHET SPOILERS!
Honestly, there isn't much to get excited about in this set as far as Dralnu goes. Here's what I'm looking at as possible cards to test:
Fetid Pools - The only obvious addition. I like having fetchable duals, and cycling is great for the late game. This will definitely replace a basic.
As Foretold - Probably too cute, but I like the card enough that I'll probably still test it. The fact that it allows us to cast free spells on the opponents' turns is the biggest point in its favor.
Liliana, Death's Majesty - Worth testing since she self-mills and reanimates. As I've talked about before, I'd rather have my reanimation effects on instants or sorceries, but I like Liliana as a character, so we'll see.
I had a chance to test the Amonkhet cards I mentioned above and I have to say, Liliana, Death's Majesty is a great card. She gives us pseudo-card advantage by putting cards into the graveyard AND she can reanimate creatures the turn she comes down. She really shined in my testing, so I think she's here to stay. It's getting to the point where I'm having trouble cutting cards. This time around though, I decided Jace's Sanctum was the weakest link. Though the cost reduction and the scrying are nice, I found myself hesitant to tap out on turn 4 to play this. So this leaves the following changes to the list:
Not tempted to drop Curious Homunculus instead? Similar effect, but more volatile and no scry. That being said it is cheaper to cast.
Lili was always going to be perfect in a reanimator build. I had my eye on her for Gisa and Geralf, but she could just as easily have gone in my Dralnu list too....had I pulled one, which I didn't.
I thought about trying the Curator, but I felt like I didn't run enough looting effects to make it worth it. Plus, I like keeping my creature count low. I want my creatures to either be efficient, cheap utility (like Baral, Chief of Compliance or Curious Homunculus) or big reanimation targets like Kokusho and Jin-Gitaxias.
I can see keeping the count low. I've yet to find a chance to playtest in a while to be honest. I do now run Archfiend of Ifnir, and of the two cycle triggers, I'd prefer to keep him as he will level armies. The scry is definitely less relevant when you're shedding cards to the graveyard at will.
The Hour of Devestation spoilers are out and...meh. Seriously, there isn't anything in this set that seems worth even trying in Dralnu. Maaaaaybe the Scarab God, since he reanimates from all graveyards, but I really don't like that he exiles.
Have you ever considered Read the Runes in your decklist? Seems like it is a versatile spell that does a lot of what you already want to be doing: drawing cards and filling up your graveyard.
Have you ever considered Read the Runes in your decklist? Seems like it is a versatile spell that does a lot of what you already want to be doing: drawing cards and filling up your graveyard.
Wow, I actually don't think I've ever seen that card before. I think Ancient Excavation is probably strictly better, but the effect is strong enough that redundancy is nice. I might try to figure out something to cut in order to test that one, thanks!
I'm pretty sure I have a copy of Animate Dead. Eternal masters was good for that, was hoping to pick up entomb too but no such luck.
I actually think Stitch Together is really solid tech for Dralnu. You'll almost always hit threshold so it's decent reanimation. Not instant, but you can't complain for BB.
I can see Rite of Replication here. Yawgmoth's Will seems a little winmore here. Especially since there's recursion of spells and reanimation of creatures here anyway, it seems like cramming what Dralnu can do over a longer period into one turn. I guess it's good for taking the table by surprise, but I see it as being a little redundant here.
You make a good case for Stitch Together. The reason I don't see me adding it to my list is it only grabs things from my own graveyard, so I don't know what I'd replace for it. Zombify is also one sided, and costs 4, but I have a full-art version that I couldn't bring myself to cut...
It's really too bad Entomb is >$10. It's just such a good card. It also allows for silly things like turn 2 Jin-Gitaxias. I guess that's why it's >$10...
My thoughts exactly on Yawgmoth's Will. I am excited about Rite of Replication. I had been looking for an end-game card to replace Army of the Damned and I have no idea why I haven't thought of Rite before. Even without considering the Kokusho synergy, there are just so many ways Rite can close out games. And sure, it can benefit from your opponents' creatures, but unlike what we were talking about with things like the primordials, it isn't dependent upon your opponents to be good. How about 5 Massacre Wurms? Sounds alright to me...
[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 can understand the hesitation to try it. It's partially redundant, can be winmore if you're already ahead, isn't as good as it would be in a dedicated combo deck, and is also diminished outside of big mana decks. All that said, I still think it's worth testing. In my Chainer list, it's a house. Granted, it's not uncommon for me to pump out 15+ mana in the late game, so I get more mileage out of it, but recasting a hand wipe at the Blue player followed by a board wipe followed by refilling my own hand can catapult me from last place to first place in a single turn. And that's not Magical Christmasland either. Redundancy isn't necessarily bad, as there are times where casting Dralnu is inopportune, and you only need to recur one or two spells. I think you guys are underestimating the power of recurring multiple spells per turn. Yes, sometimes you'll only recur a Read the Bones or a Demonic Tutor, which can be underwhelming even if it's the correct play, but other times you'll wipe, reanimate, and refill your hand all at once for the low, low cost of 12 mana, and there will be much rejoicing.
I'm not saying it will necessarily knock your socks off, but I think it's worth a test at least (assuming you own one or your playgroup allows you to proxy cards you're testing, as I can understand not wanting to spend ~$35 on a test card).
[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
I got to test some of the cards that have been discussed and made some changes to the main deck. Here's where we currently stand:
OUT
- Summary Dismissal
- Army of the Damned
- Sakashima the Imposter
- Bloodchief Ascension
- Metallurgic Summonings
IN
+ Disallow
+ Rite of Replication
+ Baral, Chief of Compliance
+ Kederekt Leviathan
+ Paradox Engine
Army of the Damned and Bloodchief Ascension were both just too inefficient. I like them both, but their replacements, Kederekt Leviathan and Rite of Replication, just have a bigger impact on the board. Also, casting a kicked Rite on Massacre Wurm is very satisfying... Baral is really solid if he comes down early. He's definitely weaker in the later game, but I still think he's a better option than Sakashima, who was just a less-good Clever Impersonator.
I still haven't sufficiently tested Paradox Engine. I only just today decided what I'm going to try cutting for it (Metallurgic Summonings. Hopefully I'll get to try it soon. I've already tried it in Sydri and wow, that card is even more broken than I expected...EDIT: Never mind. All it took was one game of using Paradox Engine to realize that this card is even more broken than I thought. Definitely worth running here.
[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
I really like both suggestions, especially Riptide Laboratory since that's another way to protect Dralnu. I'll have to find a copy of both, thanks!
[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
IN
+ Polluted Delta
+ Bloodstained Mire
+ Flooded Strand
+ Nephalia Drownyard
+ Tainted Isle
+ Riptide Laboratory
OUT
- 3 Island
- 1 Swamp
- Evolving Wilds
- Dismal Backwater
Currently, I'm testing Tidespout Tyrant as another high-impact reanimation target in place of Thousand-Year Elixir. If I end up not liking TT, I'll probably try out Yawgmoth's Will in it's place, because I finally got a copy for my Sydri deck. The Elixir just hasn't been working out for me recently.
[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'm interested as to how tidespout works out for you. I've added to my deck but haven't had a recent chance to play test, so not sure whether it's a good fit or not. To me it's the epitome of a card that'll make someone ragequit if it's in the wrong deck. I have a zedruu build that it could be disgusting with but I've been hesitant to add it simply because I won't add win cons that are too easy. Here it feels like a more balanced fit.
If you are running serious about a sub reanimation theme you should seriously consider running Dance of the Dead.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
I think you can say that about any of the reanimation targets. Jin-Gitaxias is great when reanimated early, but top-decking him later on (without a way to discard/reanimate) means I have to spend 11 mana to cast him. Sure his impact on the board is a little more direct than TT, but still.
Also, I've avoided too much enchantment-based reanimation like Dance of the Dead since instants and sorceries synergize with Dralnu better. If I added another, it would probably be Necromancy, because of the synergy in flash-reanimating Kederekt Leviathan.
[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
Any particular reason you are running Jace, Unraveler of Secrets?
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
Honestly, it's entirely personal taste. He's probably not the objective best walker for the deck, but I added him a while back when the deck was less tuned and I've just really grown to love him. Both filtering and drawing, and the creature bounce are really handy and - though it's never good to judge a planeswalker by its ultimate - if you do manage to get his emblem, it's often game over.
[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
Honestly, there isn't much to get excited about in this set as far as Dralnu goes. Here's what I'm looking at as possible cards to test:
[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
IN
+ Fetid Pools
+ Liliana, Death's Majesty
OUT
- 1 Island
- Jace's Sanctum
[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
Not tempted to drop Curious Homunculus instead? Similar effect, but more volatile and no scry. That being said it is cheaper to cast.
Lili was always going to be perfect in a reanimator build. I had my eye on her for Gisa and Geralf, but she could just as easily have gone in my Dralnu list too....had I pulled one, which I didn't.
[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 ended up dropping the sanctum in favour of Curator of Mysteries. I'm looting so often it's worth taking advantage of it.
[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
Oh well. We can't get a new Ancient Excavation in every set...
[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
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsWow, I actually don't think I've ever seen that card before. I think Ancient Excavation is probably strictly better, but the effect is strong enough that redundancy is nice. I might try to figure out something to cut in order to test that one, thanks!
[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