Not a first time poster, but I couldn't figure out how to get my old account back, so first time on this account. I'm looking for advice and recommendations for a draft of this Mono-B Reanimator deck I'm putting together. Before I go into the deck, I wanted to point out some important deck building restrictions, facts about my meta, and the inspiration behind my deck that drives why my deck is the way it is currently.
Meta Considerations
All decks MUST be legal in any format. Formats are defined as: Vintage, Legacy, Modern, Block Constructed, any Standard format (Two years worth of sets), or any Extended format (Four years worth of sets).
We use a tier system in order to separate decks into a "Fun" category and a "Serious" category. This deck aims to be a part of the "Serious" category.
Games typically have between 3 and 7 players. On very rare occasions there may be more than 7 players, but 7 players should be considered the maximum for purposes of constructing this deck.
Personal Deck Building Restrictions
I am only allowing myself to put one copy of any legendary card in my deck. Different legendary cards are acceptable as long as there is only one copy of each.
I must be able to theoretically hard cast any card in my deck. For the purposes of this deck, that means no non-black reanimation targets unless that target is so worth including that it would warrant changing my mana base. Currently, I am aiming to have it be mono-B, but I am open to suggestions of splashing other colors if they meet that requirement.
I am currently targeting a Vintage or Legacy legality for this deck. Modern is impossible due to the next restriction.
My friends and I are currently building decks using a very loose theme. We pick a set we like, and then we pick a card from that set and build around that card. The set I chose is Odyssey, and the card from Odyssey that I chose was Entomb. In that regard, I am even open to deck suggestions that aren't Mono-B Reanimator at all, so long as they feature a card from Odyssey as the central theme of the deck. This deck will be used at the highest tier of games that we have, so no card is off the table as an include assuming it meets the above restrictions.
The Deck
Now that all of that is out of the way, below is my current draft of the deck:
I decided to include a lot of one-of tutor targets to find the best target for a particular game with either Entomb or Buried Alive. Putrid Imp is the obvious discard outlet for targets stuck in my hand. I purposefully avoided cards like Reanimate because I feel like the life loss might put me in a really bad position in a multiplayer game. Instead I'm focusing on Reanimation spells that won't put me at a dangerously low life.
Please let me know what you think, and give me any suggestions to improve the deck!
I definitely agree with you that Vilis would be a good include to this deck. I'm just not sure what I would cut for Vilis. Maybe Razaketh or Noxious Gearhulk?
I decided against both Nykthos and Coffers for two different reasons. For Nykthos, I feel like I will rarely have enough devotion to black to make the activation worth having it as an include in this deck. For coffers, the hope is that the game does not go on so long that I would get much use out of it, and because I can't tap it for mana, it's a dead draw unless I have three other lands. I could run Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to make my coffers suck a bit less in the early game and make Sheoldred unblockable, but I feel like it might hurt more than help by potentially fixing my opponent's mana. Although, it would help me hard cast some of these cards if someone is playing significant Graveyard hate, so it may be something to consider.
To give you a sample of decks in our meta, here's a (slightly) out of date Deck list one of my friends plays:
I'm worried about running cards like Nevinyrral's Disk, as they might slow down my game plan. My hope is to tool my answers to what my opponents are trying to do with my reanimation targets.
Deck looks good. The biggest change that I would make would be to cut Emrakul (bad Reanimation target) for the 4th Buried Alive to maximize your ability to open with Turn 1 Dark Ritual -> Buried Alive in your non-Entomb draws.
I disagree with adding Vilis, Broker of Blood unless you go the Reanimate route. This is because Reanimate on Vilis "works the good way" and immediately draws 8 cards. Otherwise he's too clunky and dies to removal at no benefit. Otherwise he's a bad version of Griselbrand or Razaketh or Baleful Force or whatever.
What would be other ‘serious’ sources of life gain?
I’m guessing my usual Disciple of Griselbrand and/or Vampiric Rites won’t cut it.
(Though both double nicely as protection versus theft!)
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In magic there's Harry Dresden, Fizban, Sethra Lavode, Dorotea Senjak and me...
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
Those are some really good suggestions! I hadn't considered the Rot Hulk combo, or that Vilis would interact with Reanimate that way. Both of those make me feel a little more comfortable running Reanimate. I think I'm going to switch up my deck a little to look like this:
Though now I have a few general questions given your experience with Reanimator decks:
1) I cut Razaketh, Emrakul, Noxious Gearhulk, and a Putrid Imp to go up Vilis, Gary, Rot Hulk and a Buried Alive. Are there any other creatures you'd cut instead of the ones I did?
2) Is my mana base ok? I figured 21 swamps would be about what I need when all I really need is 3 mana. Are there any changes you'd make in that regard?
3) I'm curious why Emrakul is not a good reanimation target. I know you won't get the cast trigger and thus lose out on a lot of the value that Emrakul brings, but I figured having a 13/13 flying, trample, protection from many forms of removal would be a good pick when you just need a solid, hard to kill beater.
Thanks again for your input! I'm already real excited to try this out next Magic Night!
I wouldn't cut Rakaketh. He's extremely potent if you go with the Rot Hulk route because of his amazing interactions with Mikaeus. Infinite value :). I'd cut Avatar of Woe or It that Betrays.
21 Swamps is fine.
Emrakul kills too slowly to matter in big multiplayer games and doesn't provide any immediate value. She's not heinous but she's significantly better in decks that can actually cast her.
Not a first time poster, but I couldn't figure out how to get my old account back, so first time on this account. I'm looking for advice and recommendations for a draft of this Mono-B Reanimator deck I'm putting together. Before I go into the deck, I wanted to point out some important deck building restrictions, facts about my meta, and the inspiration behind my deck that drives why my deck is the way it is currently.
Meta Considerations
Personal Deck Building Restrictions
Deck Inspiration
My friends and I are currently building decks using a very loose theme. We pick a set we like, and then we pick a card from that set and build around that card. The set I chose is Odyssey, and the card from Odyssey that I chose was Entomb. In that regard, I am even open to deck suggestions that aren't Mono-B Reanimator at all, so long as they feature a card from Odyssey as the central theme of the deck. This deck will be used at the highest tier of games that we have, so no card is off the table as an include assuming it meets the above restrictions.
The Deck
Now that all of that is out of the way, below is my current draft of the deck:
4 Animate Dead
1 Avatar of Woe
3 Buried Alive
4 Dark Ritual
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
1 Grave Titan
1 Griselbrand
1 It That Betrays
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
4 Necromancy
1 Noxious Gearhulk
4 Putrid Imp
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Void Winnower
I decided to include a lot of one-of tutor targets to find the best target for a particular game with either Entomb or Buried Alive. Putrid Imp is the obvious discard outlet for targets stuck in my hand. I purposefully avoided cards like Reanimate because I feel like the life loss might put me in a really bad position in a multiplayer game. Instead I'm focusing on Reanimation spells that won't put me at a dangerously low life.
Please let me know what you think, and give me any suggestions to improve the deck!
Thanks!
Serious indeed.
How long do these games run? Long enough for Cabal Coffers to matter? Or maybe Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx?
I do wonder whether you draw enough cards. Maybe add Vilis, Broker of Blood? Or even a cheap draw spell?
What are your opponents playing?
Should you run control cards?
Think Steel Hellkite or Nevinyrral's Disk. Or some sweeper?
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
I definitely agree with you that Vilis would be a good include to this deck. I'm just not sure what I would cut for Vilis. Maybe Razaketh or Noxious Gearhulk?
I decided against both Nykthos and Coffers for two different reasons. For Nykthos, I feel like I will rarely have enough devotion to black to make the activation worth having it as an include in this deck. For coffers, the hope is that the game does not go on so long that I would get much use out of it, and because I can't tap it for mana, it's a dead draw unless I have three other lands. I could run Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to make my coffers suck a bit less in the early game and make Sheoldred unblockable, but I feel like it might hurt more than help by potentially fixing my opponent's mana. Although, it would help me hard cast some of these cards if someone is playing significant Graveyard hate, so it may be something to consider.
To give you a sample of decks in our meta, here's a (slightly) out of date Deck list one of my friends plays:
1 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
4 Game Trail
8 Mountain
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Stomping Ground
2 Akoum Hellkite
2 Atarka, World Render
1 Balefire Dragon
2 Belbe's Portal
2 Domri Rade
2 Dragon Broodmother
2 Dragon Tempest
3 Dragonlord's Servant
2 Dragonspeaker Shaman
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Moonveil Dragon
2 Sarkhan's Triumph
1 Scourge of the Throne
2 Seedborn Muse
4 Skyshroud Claim
1 Steel Hellkite
2 Utvara Hellkite
I'm worried about running cards like Nevinyrral's Disk, as they might slow down my game plan. My hope is to tool my answers to what my opponents are trying to do with my reanimation targets.
I disagree with adding Vilis, Broker of Blood unless you go the Reanimate route. This is because Reanimate on Vilis "works the good way" and immediately draws 8 cards. Otherwise he's too clunky and dies to removal at no benefit. Otherwise he's a bad version of Griselbrand or Razaketh or Baleful Force or whatever.
One option that I like to have in Buried Alive decks is Rot Hulk. You can Hulk back Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Gray Merchant of Asphodel and that offsets the lifeloss from things like Reanimate, Griselbrand and Vilis, Broker of Blood. This does force you to warp your deck a bit because you have to field at least 3 Zombies but it's been good for me, mostly because I really like Vilis, Broker of Blood so I'm already happy to play Reanimate. Having some lifegain goes a long way when you're playing cards like Griselbrand and Baleful Force so Gray Merchant of Asphodel tend to be great regardless.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
I’m guessing my usual Disciple of Griselbrand and/or Vampiric Rites won’t cut it.
(Though both double nicely as protection versus theft!)
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
4 Animate Dead
1 Avatar of Woe
4 Buried Alive
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
1 Grave Titan
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Griselbrand
1 It That Betrays
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
3 Putrid Imp
4 Reanimate
1 Rot Hulk
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
1 Void Winnower
Though now I have a few general questions given your experience with Reanimator decks:
1) I cut Razaketh, Emrakul, Noxious Gearhulk, and a Putrid Imp to go up Vilis, Gary, Rot Hulk and a Buried Alive. Are there any other creatures you'd cut instead of the ones I did?
2) Is my mana base ok? I figured 21 swamps would be about what I need when all I really need is 3 mana. Are there any changes you'd make in that regard?
3) I'm curious why Emrakul is not a good reanimation target. I know you won't get the cast trigger and thus lose out on a lot of the value that Emrakul brings, but I figured having a 13/13 flying, trample, protection from many forms of removal would be a good pick when you just need a solid, hard to kill beater.
Thanks again for your input! I'm already real excited to try this out next Magic Night!
21 Swamps is fine.
Emrakul kills too slowly to matter in big multiplayer games and doesn't provide any immediate value. She's not heinous but she's significantly better in decks that can actually cast her.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold