A deep draw deck that eventually seeks to bring out Ulamog's Crusher with haste from Dragon Breath to pretty much flat out win.
The deck is a glass cannon, but it's quite fast with a good hand (with extreme luck, you can even bring out UC turn 3!).
I think you want Stinkweed Imp in here somewhere. I generally play r/b exhume, so I'm not as familiar with u/b builds. I'm pretty sure you want more cards that actually discard instead of cycling cards. I like Careful Study. I think I saw an old u/b exhume list that used Tolarian Winds to allow you to dig really deep. I you have an Imp in your hand, that's going to get you about 12 cards in the yard, which should allow you to see the combo pieces you need to make it work. Dark Ritual might also be something to consider. Mana acceleration can really help combo decks like this get in before control has access to the cards to disrupt you. I personally don't think Crusher is enough. I like playing Gurmag Angler as a plan b, since you are likely going to fill your graveyard anyways. Sometimes a quick Angler is enough to take a game vs a deck that is light on removal or blockers..........or at least it can get you some time to get your real combo off. Shred Memory is another decent option since you can tutor up your exhume with it and it also hates out your opponent's graveyard.
Shred Memory/Angler seem like some pretty great ideas, although I'm not necessarily a big fan of Stinkweed in this kind of Reanimator... UC in grave by itself is not going to save me, and having stuff that can also fetch Exhume seems pretty valuable.
Dark Ritual could be pretty insane, but the deck is very heavy on blue, and black mana by itself doesn't really do much in this deck.
However, your post made me re-brainstorm a little for more ideas, and I have a feel that Dragon Scales will be a great card to run in tandem with Dragon Breath.
Tolarian Winds is awesomely broken is Delve decks, but not really in Reanimator, seeing as it makes you throw away your Exhume if you already had it in hand.
You could also theoretically play a build with millcantrips and a Dragon [imput body part here] toolbox for some more exciting gameplay.
Remember that if you have Exhume in hand, you can cast it, then play Tolarian Winds while Exhume is on the stack..............this is sort of sequence where having a Stinkweed Imp would come in handy as you would be able to dredge him back on one of your draws from TW and then you'd still get more cards to try and get you there, which I think that if you include Angler in your list you end up being over 70% to hit either Angler or Crusher. Of course if you also had either of those two creatures in hand when you cast Exhume, then TW, you already know you're getting something back.
As far as other Dragon enchantments, I think something that gives evasion or trample might be the better play. I've never found that I've wanted to leave a blocker back when playing exhume.
I haven't really brewed an exhume deck to play vs the meta. I only approach combo decks with an all in, win quick approach. If I had to attempt a toolbox style, I don't think I've got the patience or even the skill to play control/combo. I'm sure there is a list that would be more to this style, but, with Drake pretty much locking that style of play up, I don't know that it would be worth playing. It's got to win with the combo, not just threaten to win. All in exhume needs to go off by turn 3 to really have a shot at winning. There are just too many answers out there within the meta for a combo deck that doesn't win when the combo goes off.
If the goal is to be controlish and then land a Crusher...........I think green LD is probably the better deck as it's far more consistent in doing that.
The only other thoughts I've had with Exhume were to play it in some sort of midrange shell, possibly jund, that cheats out big dudes and uses other cards that interact with the gy well, Krosan Tusker, stuff like that. Then I can make use of my favorite new combo Mortuary Mire/Erratic Explosion. I'm just not quite there on a list because I can't settle on a build that can be fast enough to beat or disrupt Drake. That's a whole other deck though.
I'll try to think about u/b exhume a little more, but, I'm not sure I'll have much more to offer. sorry. and good luck
Yeah, fair enough, Tron is much better than Reanimator at combo/control...
I'm going to have to think about just going full turbo with this! (no discard creatures, and instead more cantrips)
I'll give Imp a try, seeing as it's one of the best ways to make the deck go full throttle if you already opened Exhume.
Holy crap!
Totally forgot Simian and Petal existed, and just realized that this basically makes my deck an inferior variant of yours!
Not to mention that the consistency issues that your list has on paper could be fixed by Manamorphose.
I'm trying this out, have a feeling it could be ridiculously powerful.
Thanks, will post my list ASAP.
EDIT: LOL... Rite of Flame is Pauper legal!
I'd be careful with Manamorphose. It's a great way to timewalk yourself if it gets countered. It's why I like g probe, wraith, and edge of autumn for my cantrips since they don't eat any mana. If you go off in game one and your opponent is keyed in on countering Manamorphose you lose hard.
I wouldn't call your version inferior at all. there are certainly some things that u/b has to offer that r/b cannot. unfortunately pauper manabase just won't support a true 3 color version that is quick or consistent enough to combo out before your opponent can get set up. with just two colors in r/b it's rather rare that I have color issues, it's only ever a matter of drawing the stinkweed and/or exhume. the deck really wants some sort of redundancy there to pull off the combo more consistently, but when it works............look out.
If you are thinking about trying to go for 3 colors then the invasion sac lands might work for you, and yes you'd likely need to be running manamorphose, unfortunately.
there isn't really a great pure combo deck out there right now. infect without invigorate and storm getting banned leaves behind a bunch of janky combo decks that would just probably get banned if they were any more consistent. you kind of have to accept the fact that if you were able to consistently play a turn 2 crusher with haste....something would get banned before too long. Personally I just play this deck as an "answer" to Drake decks. The answer is that I play magic solitare and they get to watch and see if I can beat them or not.....instead of them controlling for 6-7 turns before they just combo off and win.
If drake gets the ban, I think it would open up more options to explore a midrange exhume deck, which I feel would be more balanced and enjoyable, because you don't just win on the spot with a late game exhume like you do with a late game drake.
The landbase seems wobbly to me, but look at all that looting! Pieces of the Puzzle is definitely a solid pickup here.
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Oh, you think the losers' bracket is your ally, but you merely adopted the scrub tier. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t 4-0 an FNM until I was already a man; by then, it was nothing to me but an extra pack to sell for store credit!
I love the idea of pieces of the puzzle but I worry that it's a bit too late in a meta that still contains drake. I think this list really wants to go up to 4 dragon breath to allow crusher to attack right away or else Drake just untap and goes off. I think forbidden alchemy should be something else. I'm doubtful it will ever get cast for it's flashback. Just not sure what I'd put in there. Tolarian Winds is always a favorite of mine but not to other people's tastes. with PotP coming in at the 3cc slot it feels like this list is looking more towards a turn 4 casting of Exhume and that lines up nicely with Tolarian Winds since you'd have the 4 mana to cast it with Exhume on the stack............
Ok... Been a while, and glad to see that people still care about this.
I do agree that T4 Crusher seems like a good idea, and should be very consistent with the current cards.
The manabase is a tad bit better with high drop cantrips, which should make Radiant Fountain less risky, and a good way to survive until T4.
I'll post a new list at the top.
I guess you could try playing Snap, seeing as it's free, and still slows your opponent down.
But really, truth be told, now that Drake finally died, now is a very good time to play Tortured Existence
based toolbox/delveturbo decks, and these decks are far more consistent and interactive than reanimator ever will be.
Imagine a control version of what was Melira Pod, that toolboxes from grave instead of deck, and uses dredgers to always draw
exactly what you want, and mill combo pieces that you can recur for ridiculous plusses.
Or you can just use TortEx as an engine for fast, consistent Delve abuse; mill stuff, Tortex for the Delvers by pitching the Dredgers,
and just flood the board with really large creatures that always come back.
Pauper reanimator is extremely boring, being both mindlessly simple, and incredibly linear (the only real choice is whether to go off ASAP against aggro, or wait for protection against decks with Journey to Nowhere and counterspells).
If you like grave-centric, explosive combo decks, you might as well stick to Grishoalbrand, or go to legacy and play some kind of Griselbrand Storm deck (I think it's called Tin Fins), or maybe even something ridiculous like manaless dredge (which literally gets going by going second and discarding via game mechanics) just for the novelty of it.
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The deck is a glass cannon, but it's quite fast with a good hand (with extreme luck, you can even bring out UC turn 3!).
4 Dimir Guildgate
4 Dismal Backwater
7 Island
Creatures (14)
4 Hapless Researcher
4 Owl Familiar
2 Vodalian Merchant
4 Ulamog's Crusher
4 Street Wraith
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Careful Study
4 Preordain
2 Serum Visions
4 Dragon Breath
4 Duress
Reanimation (4)
4 Exhume
Here's another list, which is slower, but more consistent, and more reliably able to protect its reanimation (credits to Deluxicoff for the new shell)
4 Dismal Backwater
4 Dimir Aqueduct
4 Radiant Fountain
10 Island
4 Ulamog's Crusher
4 Dragon Breath
4 Exhume
Cantrips (18)
4 Ponder
4 Careful Study
4 Contingency Plan
4 Pieces of the Puzzle
2 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Muddle the Mixture
4 Counterspell
Dark Ritual could be pretty insane, but the deck is very heavy on blue, and black mana by itself doesn't really do much in this deck.
However, your post made me re-brainstorm a little for more ideas, and I have a feel that Dragon Scales will be a great card to run in tandem with Dragon Breath.
Tolarian Winds is awesomely broken is Delve decks, but not really in Reanimator, seeing as it makes you throw away your Exhume if you already had it in hand.
You could also theoretically play a build with millcantrips and a Dragon [imput body part here] toolbox for some more exciting gameplay.
As far as other Dragon enchantments, I think something that gives evasion or trample might be the better play. I've never found that I've wanted to leave a blocker back when playing exhume.
I haven't really brewed an exhume deck to play vs the meta. I only approach combo decks with an all in, win quick approach. If I had to attempt a toolbox style, I don't think I've got the patience or even the skill to play control/combo. I'm sure there is a list that would be more to this style, but, with Drake pretty much locking that style of play up, I don't know that it would be worth playing. It's got to win with the combo, not just threaten to win. All in exhume needs to go off by turn 3 to really have a shot at winning. There are just too many answers out there within the meta for a combo deck that doesn't win when the combo goes off.
If the goal is to be controlish and then land a Crusher...........I think green LD is probably the better deck as it's far more consistent in doing that.
The only other thoughts I've had with Exhume were to play it in some sort of midrange shell, possibly jund, that cheats out big dudes and uses other cards that interact with the gy well, Krosan Tusker, stuff like that. Then I can make use of my favorite new combo Mortuary Mire/Erratic Explosion. I'm just not quite there on a list because I can't settle on a build that can be fast enough to beat or disrupt Drake. That's a whole other deck though.
I'll try to think about u/b exhume a little more, but, I'm not sure I'll have much more to offer. sorry. and good luck
I'm going to have to think about just going full turbo with this! (no discard creatures, and instead more cantrips)
I'll give Imp a try, seeing as it's one of the best ways to make the deck go full throttle if you already opened Exhume.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/magic-online-formats/pauper/developing/696138-b-r-exhume-combo-aka-exzoom
Totally forgot Simian and Petal existed, and just realized that this basically makes my deck an inferior variant of yours!
Not to mention that the consistency issues that your list has on paper could be fixed by Manamorphose.
I'm trying this out, have a feeling it could be ridiculously powerful.
Thanks, will post my list ASAP.
EDIT: LOL... Rite of Flame is Pauper legal!
I wouldn't call your version inferior at all. there are certainly some things that u/b has to offer that r/b cannot. unfortunately pauper manabase just won't support a true 3 color version that is quick or consistent enough to combo out before your opponent can get set up. with just two colors in r/b it's rather rare that I have color issues, it's only ever a matter of drawing the stinkweed and/or exhume. the deck really wants some sort of redundancy there to pull off the combo more consistently, but when it works............look out.
If you are thinking about trying to go for 3 colors then the invasion sac lands might work for you, and yes you'd likely need to be running manamorphose, unfortunately.
there isn't really a great pure combo deck out there right now. infect without invigorate and storm getting banned leaves behind a bunch of janky combo decks that would just probably get banned if they were any more consistent. you kind of have to accept the fact that if you were able to consistently play a turn 2 crusher with haste....something would get banned before too long. Personally I just play this deck as an "answer" to Drake decks. The answer is that I play magic solitare and they get to watch and see if I can beat them or not.....instead of them controlling for 6-7 turns before they just combo off and win.
If drake gets the ban, I think it would open up more options to explore a midrange exhume deck, which I feel would be more balanced and enjoyable, because you don't just win on the spot with a late game exhume like you do with a late game drake.
http://www.gatheringmagic.com/alexullman-09132016-waiting-for-saheeli/
Some good stuff in here that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of. I even had a last rites deck at some point
4 Exhume
4 Ulamog's Crusher
2 Dragon Breath
Card Selection
4 Preordain
4 Careful Study
4 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Pieces of the Puzzle
Discard Outlets
4 Rotting Rats
4 Counterspell
4 Muddle the Mixture
Land
2 Bojuka Bog
2 Dimir Aquaduct
4 Dismal Backwater
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Swamp
12 Island
3 Dispel
3 Hydroblast
2 Ghastly Demise
4 Chainer's Edict
1 Crypt Incursion
2 Crypt Rats
The landbase seems wobbly to me, but look at all that looting! Pieces of the Puzzle is definitely a solid pickup here.
I do agree that T4 Crusher seems like a good idea, and should be very consistent with the current cards.
The manabase is a tad bit better with high drop cantrips, which should make Radiant Fountain less risky, and a good way to survive until T4.
I'll post a new list at the top.
But really, truth be told, now that Drake finally died, now is a very good time to play Tortured Existence
based toolbox/delveturbo decks, and these decks are far more consistent and interactive than reanimator ever will be.
Imagine a control version of what was Melira Pod, that toolboxes from grave instead of deck, and uses dredgers to always draw
exactly what you want, and mill combo pieces that you can recur for ridiculous plusses.
Or you can just use TortEx as an engine for fast, consistent Delve abuse; mill stuff, Tortex for the Delvers by pitching the Dredgers,
and just flood the board with really large creatures that always come back.
Pauper reanimator is extremely boring, being both mindlessly simple, and incredibly linear (the only real choice is whether to go off ASAP against aggro, or wait for protection against decks with Journey to Nowhere and counterspells).
If you like grave-centric, explosive combo decks, you might as well stick to Grishoalbrand, or go to legacy and play some kind of Griselbrand Storm deck (I think it's called Tin Fins), or maybe even something ridiculous like manaless dredge (which literally gets going by going second and discarding via game mechanics) just for the novelty of it.