UPDATED AND EXPANDED 12/15/2016 Check back for decklists and match up analysis
"This is what would happened if a UB reanimator and a TES player did lines of cocaine through a rolled up Sire of Insanity, then started brewing decks." -NinjaWalrus88
"Its combo....with more combo. You think its reanimator....and then you are dead. That turn. Must try deck." -150Crawfish
"Just built it in mtgdeckbuilder. One or two mulligans, but more than a half dozen turn 1 or turn 2 wins. That's ridiculous." -Enderkr
"Tin Fins is a muscle car. Burning Reanimator is a monster truck." -InkmothNexus
"I've never been more excited about a Legacy deck. Like, ever." -Anthony Lowry Starcity Games
Burning Reanimator is a combo deck that had a brief stint of popularity in 2014. It combines the core combo mechanics of Tin Fins, with the Burning Wish / LED tool set of TES, the speed of Belcher and the back up beat down of Reanimator. There is an excellent article by Anthony Lowry on Starcitygames from June of 2014 but outside of that there isn't a whole lot about it. I highly recommend checking out the article, it's a great read! You can find it here.
The basic function is that of traditional Reanimator, Tin Fins and/or Belcher but explodes with excessive speed, win cons, disruption, multiples of synergies, redundancy and a Burning Wish toolbox. The original deck is credited to Andrew Shrout whom may or may not have been the original creator. In any case the following build is his. It never really took off but I think that is because not a lot of people know about it.
What are the basics? Burning Reanimator has multiple routes to victory. For the most part using Entomb and Exhume, get a Sire of Insanity in play turn one and beat down your empty handed opponent, or get Griselbrand in play draw 14 cards and storm combo your opponent using Burning Wish for Tendrils of Agony, or reanimate Griselbrand draw 14 cards reanimate Iona and/or Sire of Insanity to protect each other and beat down the following turn or you can simply combo out Belcher style with Burning Wish for Empty the Warrens.
To use LED with Burning Wish: Cast Wish putting it on the stack, crack LED in response discarding your hand thus adding 3 to your mana pool, then Wish resolves nabbing said card from your sideboard, use the mana from LED on whatever you Wished for.
To use LED as an outlet with Exhume: First cast Exhume putting it on the stack and then in response crack LED dumping your hand (with fatties in it) to the yard, finally choose which creature you want to animate. You won't always be able to use the mana you get off of LED but the point is to get your creature into the yard for you to Exhume. However, if Griselbrand is your Exhumed creature you can simply draw 7 and use that mana for whatever cards you drew with him.
To use LED with Unburial Rites: Crack LED, dumping your hand putting fatties and Unburial Rites into the yard, use the mana on Unburial Rites' flashback cost animating the fatty you just pitched.
When and what creatures should I Entomb? Your best turn one creatures are either Sire of Insanity or Griselbrand depending on whether you are on the play. If you are on the play grab Sire, this is an almost certain win for you. If you are not on the play grab Griselbrand and try to combo out. Both are great on the play but Sire almost always seals the deal.
What do I do if I can't find a fatty? You can always Wish for Buried Alive. If you are running Anger or Children of Korlis you get extra bonus to stack your graveyard and combo out.
Am I toast in the control match up? No, not at all. This deck is NOT the glass cannon people think it is. Your strategy here is to mulligan into disruption and/or to hard cast your Unburial Rites, if they counter it cast it again from the graveyard pushing through their counters. Often your best bet is to combo out turn one before your opponent can set up their defense. Chancellor of the Annex (should you choose to run it) is there to push through a turn one Force of Will. Often there is plenty of extra mana to help push through Daze but there is also Simian Spirit Guide to catch your opponent off guard.
When should I choose to storm combo off of Griselbrand? After you draw your first seven off of Griselbrand look for the option to Entomb and reanimate Iona or Sire of Insanity to seal the deal and protect your creatures while you beat down. With Iona choose a color that might pose the biggest threat for removal such as white so you don't lose to Swords to Plowshares etc.. I run Chancellor of the Annex on the sideboard, whom once in play also helps disrupt your opponent to ensure you get your beat down victory. He is essential in the control match up. Often you can Entomb and reanimate multiple fatties for a kill on the following turn. If you can go this route I recommend taking it, you can always finish with Rite of Consumption, Essence Harvest and/or Last Chance depending on your sideboard.
If you are positive you can combo out and have most of the right pieces take this option instead. It also depends on how you have built your deck. Some builds run Children of Korlis in which you can Entomb and reanimate and nearly draw your entire deck. Other builds run Anger in which after you attack Griselbrand's life link ability will gain you enough life to allow you to draw another 7 cards. The bonus to Anger is that you can get a first turn kill with multiple reanimated hasted fatties Wishing for Last Chance giving you a second attack phase.
Know what you are playing against. If you are playing against fast aggro control decks it might be wise to watch your life total when drawing off of Griselbrand however the aggro match up is your best by far so this typically shouldn't be a problem.
If you are playing against control and already have Griselbrand in play you've likely already won as your opponent has already failed to do their job. Side in Chancellor of the Annex or run them main.
If you are playing against other combo decks go straight for the storm combo Tin Fins route and/or the "multiple hasted" fatties route. As in the control match up, Chancellor of the Annex is your best friend. Drawing him in your opening hand gives you a major advantage as it severely cripples their game plan. Better yet, getting him into play single handedly destroys any chance of them comboing out unless they can figure out a way to deal with him.
When should I Mulligan? Look at your hand and know what you are playing against. If you think you will be playing against a creatureless deck and your hand looks crappy but you have a Burning Wish you might want to keep it so you can wish for Stronghold Gambit. If your hand is full of ramp and no reanimators or fatties you might be able to combo out Belcher style wishing for Empty the Warrens. If you are playing against control mulligan into a hand with disruption. Likely your opponent will be doing the same.
Why should I play it? A quick recap:
1). It's a blast to play! It's extremely competitive and you can play the deck a dozen times and never have the same boring game.
2). Nobody will see it coming. It's original, and your opponent will be guessing what you are up to when you drop your first several cards.
3). Redundancy. The deck combos out consistently. With Burning Wish there are upwards of 14 reanimators, counting Entomb for Unburial Rites you actually have upwards of 18 reanimators. With Thoughtsieze, Lion's Eye Diamond, Faithless Looting/Gamble, Entomb and Burning Wish there are upwards of 20 outlets to get a fatty into the yard. There also exists 13-14 main deck explosive ramp spells to get your combo online turn one. Most builds run 8-10 cards dedicated to disruption. Of course not all builds will have these same stats and/or cards.
4). Disruption. It's as fast as Belcher but it actually packs disruption. Often you get uncounterable first turn kills.
5). Burning Wish tool box. This deck has an answer for everything. Permanent removal, direct damage, board sweepers and disruption.
6). Multiple paths to victory.
A). Getting Griselbrand online you can combo out "Tin Fins" style with the Wishable Tendrils of Agony.
B). Many games (if you choose not to combo out with Tendrils) you can simply reanimate multiple fatties after drawing off of Griselbrand and smash face with an army the following turn. Anger is exceptional here should you choose to run it and want to smash face that turn.
C). You can land a turn one Sire of Insanity which most certainly spells victory in your favor. This is probably your most desired turn one fatty.
D). Combo out Belcher style storming your way into a Wishable Empty the Warrens for a turn one army of goblin tokens. Who needs Griselbrand?
E). You can wish in Stronghold Gambit in the event you've seen your opponent's hand via Thoughtseize or Unmask.
The Basic Shell:
There are a few core cards that are essential to this archetype. Without them you are likely not playing Burning Reanimator however there are a few lists out there that have placed top 4 without the use of Burning Wish at all.
3-4x Burning Wish
3-4x Griselbrand
1-4x Sire of Insanity
4x Exhume
4x Unburial Rites
4x Reanimate
4x Entomb
3-4 Faithless Looting / Gamble
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
11-13 Dual / Fetch Lands
Cards to Consider:
Gamble / Faithless Looting: There exists a debate as to which of these two cards is the better fit. A lot of players prefer Gamble as it can conditionally serve as Entomb numbers 1-4 plus it has it's basic unreliable use as a tutor. It's nice with LED but it's random discard ability can often be a curse more than a blessing. Faithless Looting is less risky but only digs. The upside is that it is a more reliable outlet for your dudes. I've had terrible luck with Gamble and find Faithless Looting to be far superior.
Reanimate: It's the quickest reanimator in the game and is insane in this deck. I've tested it quite a bit and although it has poor synergy with Griselbrand it has amazing synergy with Sire of Insanity. Builds running Anger and/or Children of Korlis will help you recover the life you need to power Griselbrand. My original builds packed three main deck and it was consistent, I finally made the change to add the fourth and the deck really explodes. I strongly recommend running 4 main. You will have less dead opening hands getting your combo online turn one.
Chancellor of the Annex: I've done some testing with this guy, he should at the very least be in your sideboard if not main deck. He stops your opponent's opening hand with FoW, turn one Chalice, hiccups other combo decks and with control decks everywhere I can't see not running him. You likely want to run at least 3 or none at all leaving you with little room for other fatties outside of Griselbrand. His static ability once in play as a one sided Sphere of Resistance not only severely cripples your control and aggro match ups but single handedly destroys other combo.
Anger / Children of Korlis: Anger is *****in! No seriously, he is *****in! He's not totally necessary for the deck but he's super easy to set up with Entomb, speeds up the clock and helps you considerably from fizzling when trying to combo. Anger also gets around Leyline of Sanctity in that rather than comboing out with Tendrils you can combo out with Empty the Warrens for an army of hasted goblin tokens and kill them that turn. Plus it only ties up one slot. Children of Korlis can/will gain you more life in the long run but is considerably more difficult to use and less versatile. I very very strongly recommend running Anger. He is essentially the icing on the cake.
Simian Spirit Guide / Chrome Mox: Neither of these spells are totally necessary, but will really help you get your combo online as well as keep it going once you've started. My experience is that SSG is the better of the two as you don't have to give up card advantage early game and it helps evade Daze. Chrome Mox is better after you've drawn your first 14. This is a preference, but I think the general consensus is that SSG is just better in this deck. Andrew Lowry ran/runs one SSG main deck, I personally like to run a split of one of each but with a lower land count.
Sneak Attack: Sneak Attack may be an option but I haven't found any lists running it as of yet. It's mana intensive and does nothing for Sire of Insanity and Iona.
Buried Alive: This archetype runs 4 main deck Entomb as it's only source of guaranteed creature burial. Other than that you are depending on drawing a fatty + an outlet such as Faithless Looting or LED in your opening hand. Buried Alive is tits but in my experience 4x Entomb is enough main deck. Certainly include it in your sideboard though as a Wishable one of.
Tombstalker: Tombstalker appears to be a strange one here on the list but seeing as the deck can fit his Delve requirement on turn one alone makes him worth mentioning. He doesn't need to be reanimated but you can choose to do this should the opportunity arise. He's certainly worth a consideration.
Gitaxian Probe: These guys I haven't tested but they seem promising. They should help you get your storm count and also let you know early game when/whether you want to go off. My concern is that the damage you take from Griselbrand and Thoughtsieze could limit you. Maybe consider running Cabal Therapy instead of Thoughtsieze if you choose to test these.
You really should be running Iona main. She offers protection for your dudes and can shut down entire decks on her own. The rest of fat creature choices are nice but pale in comparison.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is notably the worst creature in the original build. He offers no protection and does nothing to keep your opponent from casting spells until your opponent has already taken a turn. He's not recommended.
Tidespout Tyrant and Ashen Rider are your next best bet. They are handy in the event you need to take out pesky permanents such as Chalice of the Void, Counterbalance, Ensnaring Bridge etc.. but also in the Reanimator and Show and Tell match ups.
I see a lot of lists running Elesh Norn, but as a dude whom offers removal he is limited to creatures and not really a good beater. The upside is that he single handedly obliterates a number of decks.
Empyrial Archangel should really help you out against Delver variants and Sphinx should just win games in the burn match up. So much to consider.
Sideboarding:
The following is a list of possible sideboard options. Most of these are Wish targets but hopefully it will give you some ideas while brewing. The main staples here are Tendrils of Agony, Empty the Warrens, Reanimate, Stitch Together, Cabal Therapy, Show and Tell/Stronghold Gambit and Chancellor of the Annex.
Chancellor of the Annex Chancellor is nuts! Run him on the sideboard. If you run my build you will see why. You should most likely always win game one anyway. Side them in game two to stall grave hate and counters.
Reanimate / Stitch Together You will be tempted to cut a Reanimate main and add one to the side board. This is a mistake. You must run all four main. After over a year of testing this deck you really need 4x Reanimate main deck. It severely increases your chances of going off turn one. Stitch Together is great on the sideboard by itself.
Massacre / Pyroclasm Both are amazing. Pyroclasm for being less conditional is my option but least run one of them.
Pithing Needle It's not a Wish target but you might want to side in a few of these for Deathrite Shaman and or other grave hate etc..
Vindicate It's all purpose removal but difficult to cast off of LED.
Reckless Charge Give your Griselbrand haste and +3 then flash it back the same turn and give him another +3. It's worth testing but really can't see it doing much.
Essence Harvest / Rite of Consumption I've tested both. Essence Harvest has come in handy. Maybe it's a win more choice but it is handy for gaining "life fuel" for Griselbrand and also as a finisher.
Last Chance An awesome versatile sideboard option. You get another land drop, draw step, chance to combo out and most important you get another attack phase. There are so many ways you can take advantage of this card.
Cabal Therapy / Blackmail Does it really matter which of these two you choose to run? They are both equally conditional as Wishable disruption. However the main point of running either of them is not disruption but rather to use them on yourself as a discard outlet for you dudes.
Stronghold Gambit / Show and Tell This is really a meta choice. I do feel that Stronghold Gambit is a bit conditional the upside is that it only costs 2 and is red. Show and Tell is probably better of the two but casting it might be a bit difficult.
Past in Flames / Recoup I've seen them in lists but haven't heard of anyone actually using either of these two in a game. They are probably "win more" options.
Sample List One: 60 cards Updated 12/15/16
This is the current list I'm playing and easily my most recommended. Note that it has come a long way since I starting testing. I will try to keep any changes updated. It is optimized for speed and game one should almost always be in your favor. Game two your opponent will mulligan for counters and side in grave hate etc.. Your best bet is to side out 1x Iona and 2x Griselbrand and side in 3x Chancellor of the Annex. You can test pilot it here.
This list is not as fast but holds up better in a control environment. There are 9 main deck disruption spells to ensure that you can push your combo through counterspells. It also holds up considerably better against other combo decks.
Successful Lists:
Not a lot people play this deck therefore there is not much in the way of tournament results. Please feel free and PM me if you have a tournament report/top 8 list. I will get it up asap. I need the date, location, number of players and whom piloted/created it. Any useful information will be appreciated.
I actually feel it didn't take off because I found it very all in. As such you can still lose to top decks. That said was tring to make it closer to tinfins.
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WeaponX, I see what you are saying and thanks for introducing me to this deck btw. There are lots of commonly played successful decks that lean in the "all in" direction. Belcher is probably the best example, and any storm based deck is a commitment. This archetype isn't storm based and packs 14 main deck disruption. Belcher packs zero.
EDIT: Also Burning Reanimator gets a special thumbs up for ingenuity, originality and design.
EDIT: Another thing, you only have the possibility to losing to top decks if you choose Sire of Insanity as your prime first turn choice for reanimation. Griselbrand will probably be your best option. Although Sire of Insanity is amazing on it's own, hard to recover from and nice to drop into play after you've already drawn 7 from Griselbrand. Same goes for Iona.
I'm assuming you are talking about reanimating Sire of Insanity. He would be paying 6 life not 7. Either way I get what you are saying. That being said you forgot to mention that although you don't get a hand you get to start the game with a 6/4 flyer and a land and your opponent starts the game with nothing. No hand, no land no creatures. He gets nothing. I think that is a really really good trade off and a most certain win.
EDIT: Also often when you discard your hand to Sire often you are dumping important combo pieces that are to later be recurred such as Griselbrand and Unburial Rites.
Although Sire of Insanity is amazing on it's own, hard to recover from and nice to drop into play after you've already drawn 7 from Griselbrand. Same goes for Iona.
This is what I was referring too. Pay 7, draw 7, put in sire, discard hand. That is a line you advocated.
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I see what you are saying. To comment on the sentence of mine you were referring to, my point wasn't to simply draw seven and then discard them to Sire, you would draw 7 'after' Sire has forced you and your opponent to discard. That way you get a full hand and you opponent is only top decking. There are 20 one drops and 10 free spells in the deck so you can almost play your entire hand before Sire forces you to discard again. Most likely to combo out with Tendrils or drop Iona to seal the deal.
Looks awesome! How are you liking Gamble over Faithless Looting? I much prefer Faithless Looting. Funny that you brought up Children of Korlis, I have another build that I've been testing that runs 2 of them main similar to yours to improve my chances of comboing out with Tendrils. BWSA is a house against control, I'd run it main if that is what your meta looks like.
Interesting, have you ever considered running both Faithless Looting and Gamble? I love Faithless Looting, it digs, it's an outlet (really nice with Unburial Rites) and it has flashback occasionally coming in handy after you've pitched it to LED. I'll give Gamble another shot though, I do like the synergies you mentioned. Maybe I'll run a combination of both. I'm actually a new to this deck. I created the thread to get some discussion going.
I like your creature toolbox. Have you considered Blazing Archon instead of Tyrant for the MUD matchup?
I see what you are saying about Sire of Insanity. He's suited better for my build with Chancellor and Reanimate to get him online turn one.
My build is more disruptive and less Tin Fins combo but I can still pull it off. Not saying that one deck is better than the other. I haven't play tested enough to know either way.
@WeaponX No problem! We just had a mix upped misunderstanding of what we were both saying.
@JTBM I see, nice! I'm playing around with another build more similar to yours without Chancellors but with a toolbox of fatties instead. Empyrial Archangels is the shizz! I've also been toying around with Gamble some more and was running it with Faithless looting just to see which I liked better. I found myself on several occasions casting Gamble to search for Faithless Looting so that I could pitch my Griselbrand. I did notice that Gamble was really nice when going off with Griselbrand to search out Children of Korlis.
I played this deck at a local legacy event yesterday and was very impressed with it. It was far more consistent than I had expected with what seemed like a higher than 50% turn 1 kill, sometimes with discard backup.
I ended up 2-1 beating Jund and Omni and losing to Bug Delver, the Bug Delver matchup felt a lot better than I expected despite the stack of GY hate and countermagic. The Young Pyro's were pretty awful in the board and should definitely something else.
Edit: I picked the deck up expecting it to be a hilarious Tin Fins style deck that actually couldn't win games, because I'd gotten tired of playing fair magic trying to win, but the deck felt legitimately competitive.
Rad! Nice list! Yeah, this has been my pet deck for that last couple of months. I like your build a lot. I'm glad to see more people playing the deck with good results.
So I have been looking at this list and I really like it. I was going through some cards when I saw "Pull from Eternity"...and I starTed thinking. Has anyone tried Chrome Mox in place of lotus petal and pull from eternity? Unmasking yourself also gives you more targets to grab with pull from eternity. This is what I'm working on testing now.
You can also Unmask your opponent rather than yourself although I think that might be a few too many steps to get your dudes in the yard but give it a shot. Who knows.
I know tin fins targets itself a decent amount to pitch creatures but i was thinking if you are running pull from
Eternity and unmask yourself you've made 2 targets one in the bin and one in exile. This can help get around one shot
Graveyard hate like toe minds crypt but still doesn't get around leyline unfortunately. But if you're already gonna be running white it seems viable.
I don't think Pull From Eternity is playable, but I do really want to fit a 1x Chrome Mox in the main deck. An extra piece of fast mana would definitely increase the number of same turn kills with Griselbrand. 4x Lotus petal is definitely necessary though.
Holy shizz this deck is frickin nutz. I just picked it up again for the first time after a few months, it's insane! No pun intended. Made a few changes to my original build and first time playing it pulled out a turn one hasted Griselbrand, Iona, Sire and Chancellor for the kill. The deck is all in combo on the lines of Belcher but it is much better due to the fact that it actually does pack disruption. This is hands down my favorite deck and it surprises me that it is not amongst one of the top favorite and most played decks. It's that good!
@Mattsadface I've been testing Pull from Eternity and I feel that it is too conditional and it's trying to do more than necessary with the deck. Instead of Chrome Mox I'm running Simian Spirit Guide for extra ramp and they are working out very well.
I've been checking out the five page thread on mtgthesource.com on the deck and many of their builds run Anger. My recent builds were running a lone Children of Korlis in which to combo out. I'm finding that I like Anger considerably more. A) It gets in the yard quick with Entomb, LED etc... especially after drawing out with Griselbrand. B) Hastes Griselbrand (gaining you life so you can draw an additional seven cards) and C) I've been combing out with multiple turn one hasted fatties (Griselbrand, Iona, Sire and Chancellor) for the kill rather than storming with Tendrils (which is also a good option).
I'm still not sold on Gamble over Faithless Looting. The deck needs outlets. I need someone to explain in detail why they think Gamble is better. I've tested it and in most cases I was hoping I had drawn Faithless Looting to get fatties out of my hand and to dig.
Yes, I'm loving Chancellor of the Annex main deck. This deck is so frickin fast and Chancellor serves two purposes. He ensures your combo will go off turn one uncountered and reanimating him turn one (of course you would prefer Sire of Insanity or Griselbrand) is not all bad. In the current meta there are only a few ways to deal with him. Mostly being Swords to Plowshares. Outside of that Abrupt Decay and burn spells can't touch him. Nobody is playing Pox these days so Innocent Blood isn't really an issue. Also once he's online he makes your opponent's Brainstorms cost 2 etc... further disrupting your opponent to the point of victory. I've also added a lone wishable Raze to the sideboard not only to deal with Maze of Ith but to disrupt my opponent further after dropping Chancellor. I was iffy at first then was reading an article about Philipp Erhardt's black red Reanimator deck that also packs 4 main deck Chancellors in which he took first place at a large tournament in Ingolstadt. His list here: http://www.mtgdecks.net/decks/view/172556
My most recent build which is built more around disruption and pushing through counters, is as follows. I have 17 cards in the sideboard and I need help as what I should cut to bring it to 15. Play test the deck here and watch your jaw drop to the floor. http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/08-04-15-burning-reanimator/
As always my actual most current list will always be updated in the first post of this thread and is subject to change.
Up artifact count for opals. This means art lands.
Personal tutor and reforge the soul. Until now the main problem is that it's slow or forces you to play probe or baubles to miracle on opps turn. Cute but not efficient, although baubles further push the deck towards opals.
Heretic, I like the "out of the box" ideas but the deck really just wants to win turn 1-2 sometimes turn 3. There really aren't enough turns to drop enough artifact lands to make Mox Opal worth it. Especially since there are better options such as Chrome Mox and Simian Spirit Guide. Also Baubles are just bad.
I'm leaning towards less fatties and 4 gamble 0 loots. I'm also leaning towards a few more lands (13?).
Gamble vs. Faithless Looting I'm a bit torn on, both have their ups and downs. I would really appreciate some more discussion on this subject. I can't seem to get Gamble to do a whole lot. Perhaps I am using it incorrectly. Bumping land up to 13 is preference. I'm perfectly happy with 11. I was running 12 land with one Simian Spirit Guide, I finally tested cutting one land for a second one and don't regret it. The deck goes off so fast that really there are not that many turns for land drops. I never want to see more than 1-2 land. I've noticed that I really just I want 1 land and a handful of ramp. Perhaps 12 land is correct but I'm liking my set up for now.
Anyone tried probe cabal therapy? I'm going to. Although I love unmask too
Cabal Therapy is an option over Unmask. I wouldn't mind running Probes even without Therapy. I'm not sure they are necessary, Unmask is nice and I haven't had any problems with it, but you are right. They are worth testing. Now what to cut??
Funky ideas: add one auriok salvager for infi mana (don't ask why or what to do with it). Add recoup?
Auriok Salvagers is a different deck although not a bad idea. There are lots of tricks Lion's Eye Diamond can do Bomberman style but maybe with a Burning Reanimator shell. Perhaps that needs it's own thread.
Problems: i love that we can go the storm route or the show and tell route. But they all depend too much on drawing a wish? I think I'll add recoup and one additional empty warrens on the sb or main to have an easier time changing plans.
Burning Wish is rarely not drawn when going off with Griselbrand so I don't see those as terrible options. I've considered running three Empty the Warrens on the side so that I could main deck two from the sideboard when going up against grave hate.
NEW TECH:
I've also come up with a few newer card/deck ideas that can pull the deck in different directions. Testing will tell whether these are good or bad but they at least deserve to be tested and discussed.
I was giving the deck a few play tests the other day and noticed how easy it was to get threshold for Stitch Together and a thought came to my mind. The deck really wants to be "all in" combo, but what if I ran main deck threats that were not combo to supplement this? And then Tombstalker and Gurmag Angler came to mind. If I can pull out Stitch Together's threshold turn one then Tombstalker and/or Angler also shouldn't be a problem. After a bit of thought I decided Tombstalker was the better option for his evasion. He can keep the pressure on without having to combo out, plus he can be animated and/or he can easily be plopped into play after drawing your initial 14. I've done a tiny bit of testing with him and he is nice but I'm not totally sold yet. I'd love some feedback. The question is, what to cut if we went this route.
Another two cards I've been toying with on the sb are Essence Harvest and Last Chance. I was already running Rite of Consumption but I'm not sure that Essence Harvest isn't a better fit. It's easily cast off of LED and you get to keep your creature. Even more interesting is Last Chance. I'm willing to simply dump Rite of Consumption altogether and put this bad boy in it's place. With the limited testing I've done I'm impressed. It gives not only another land drop, draw step and chance to combo out but also and most importantly offers as a finisher via another attack phase. Thoughts??
Last Chance is really nice. I've actually cut some cards to fit it into the sideboard. I'm also liking Essence Harvest. Maybe even more than Rite of Consumption although with Last Chance already in the board I'm not sure either is necessary. If we decide that Gamble is for sure in I'd like to add an additional Empty the Warrens to the sb. That way game 2 you can side it in and search for it with Gamble throwing off your opponent's recently sided in grave hate.
Anger is amazing. Yes please do test it when you get the chance. Honestly I can't always combo out without it. Anger only helps to ensure that I do and also offers the speedier and sometimes "easier to put together same turn multiple hasted fatties kill" option for the alternate win con. At least give it several test runs. I think you will notice that when/if you decide to switch back you will be missing it like I have. It has become one of the staples in my game plan and getting it online is so ridiculously easy.
I also want to switch up the fetch lands. -4 Bloodstained Mire -2 Marsh Flats +4 Polluted Delta +2 Verdant Catacombs This is to keep your opponent guessing as to what deck you are playing and whether you are running counter magic. At first they might think Jund, then maybe UB Reanimator etc..
Finally, I really do think that it is time for me to bump up to 4 Griselbrand and cut at least one Reanimate.
Recoup like Past in Flames seem interesting. Let me know in your testing how they are working for you and what spells you are flashing back.
So is the general Anger plan to reanimate Griselbrand and then use G-Money's ability to find and dump Anger?
I am really enjoying this deck so far. Getting the Entomb is going to be a bit of a pain for me, but I can build towards a playset over time I suppose. Have you guys found Entomb to be very necessary? I imagine it helps our consistency a good amount.
So is the general Anger plan to reanimate Griselbrand and then use G-Money's ability to find and dump Anger?
It depends on your game plan, but to answer your question, yes. Get Griselbrand into play, draw lots of cards, entomb Anger (or Thoughtsieze, Faithless Looting, Unmask it from your hand) using extra mana from Lotus Petals or Ritual, and then smash face with Griselbrand gaining you an additional 7 life/cards, play a few more of your spells (Rituals, Petals, LEDs etc..) then Burning Wish for Tendrils of Agony. At this point you only need to Tendrils for 13 as you've already smashed face for 7. Your other route is the same. Draw lots of cards off of Griselbrand, entomb Anger, reanimate either Iona or Sire, attack for 13-14 with hasted dudes, Burning Wish for Last Chance, take another turn and smash face again for the kill. Those are the basic game plans. The latter happens less often but sometimes it's easier.
I am really enjoying this deck so far. Getting the Entomb is going to be a bit of a pain for me, but I can build towards a playset over time I suppose. Have you guys found Entomb to be very necessary? I imagine it helps our consistency a good amount.
You need Entomb, it is essential to the deck. It puts fat creatures into the yard but also it is there to tutor up Unburial Rites.
BURNING REANIMATOR
UPDATED AND EXPANDED 12/15/2016
Check back for decklists and match up analysis
"This is what would happened if a UB reanimator and a TES player did lines of cocaine through a rolled up Sire of Insanity, then started brewing decks." -NinjaWalrus88
"Its combo....with more combo. You think its reanimator....and then you are dead. That turn. Must try deck." -150Crawfish
"Just built it in mtgdeckbuilder. One or two mulligans, but more than a half dozen turn 1 or turn 2 wins. That's ridiculous." -Enderkr
"Tin Fins is a muscle car. Burning Reanimator is a monster truck." -InkmothNexus
"I've never been more excited about a Legacy deck. Like, ever." -Anthony Lowry Starcity Games
Burning Reanimator is a combo deck that had a brief stint of popularity in 2014. It combines the core combo mechanics of Tin Fins, with the Burning Wish / LED tool set of TES, the speed of Belcher and the back up beat down of Reanimator. There is an excellent article by Anthony Lowry on Starcitygames from June of 2014 but outside of that there isn't a whole lot about it. I highly recommend checking out the article, it's a great read! You can find it here.
The basic function is that of traditional Reanimator, Tin Fins and/or Belcher but explodes with excessive speed, win cons, disruption, multiples of synergies, redundancy and a Burning Wish toolbox. The original deck is credited to Andrew Shrout whom may or may not have been the original creator. In any case the following build is his. It never really took off but I think that is because not a lot of people know about it.
Andrew Shrout's Burning Reanimator: 60 cards
1x Simian Spirit Guide
1x Sire of Insanity
4x Griselbrand
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
2x Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Spells 38
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
4x Entomb
4x Burning Wish
4x Exhume
3x Gamble
4x Thoughtseize
4x Unburial Rites
3x Unmask
1x Swamp
4x Badlands
1x Bloodstained Mire
2x Marsh Flats
2x Polluted Delta
2x Scrubland
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Ashen Rider
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Cabal Therapy
3x Empty the Warrens
1x Massacre
1x Meltdown
1x Reanimate
1x Stitch Together
3x Stronghold Gambit
1x Tendrils of Agony
1x Unmask
How do I play it??
If you are positive you can combo out and have most of the right pieces take this option instead. It also depends on how you have built your deck. Some builds run Children of Korlis in which you can Entomb and reanimate and nearly draw your entire deck. Other builds run Anger in which after you attack Griselbrand's life link ability will gain you enough life to allow you to draw another 7 cards. The bonus to Anger is that you can get a first turn kill with multiple reanimated hasted fatties Wishing for Last Chance giving you a second attack phase.
Know what you are playing against. If you are playing against fast aggro control decks it might be wise to watch your life total when drawing off of Griselbrand however the aggro match up is your best by far so this typically shouldn't be a problem.
If you are playing against control and already have Griselbrand in play you've likely already won as your opponent has already failed to do their job. Side in Chancellor of the Annex or run them main.
If you are playing against other combo decks go straight for the storm combo Tin Fins route and/or the "multiple hasted" fatties route. As in the control match up, Chancellor of the Annex is your best friend. Drawing him in your opening hand gives you a major advantage as it severely cripples their game plan. Better yet, getting him into play single handedly destroys any chance of them comboing out unless they can figure out a way to deal with him.
Why should I play it?
A quick recap:
1). It's a blast to play! It's extremely competitive and you can play the deck a dozen times and never have the same boring game.
2). Nobody will see it coming. It's original, and your opponent will be guessing what you are up to when you drop your first several cards.
3). Redundancy. The deck combos out consistently. With Burning Wish there are upwards of 14 reanimators, counting Entomb for Unburial Rites you actually have upwards of 18 reanimators. With Thoughtsieze, Lion's Eye Diamond, Faithless Looting/Gamble, Entomb and Burning Wish there are upwards of 20 outlets to get a fatty into the yard. There also exists 13-14 main deck explosive ramp spells to get your combo online turn one. Most builds run 8-10 cards dedicated to disruption. Of course not all builds will have these same stats and/or cards.
4). Disruption. It's as fast as Belcher but it actually packs disruption. Often you get uncounterable first turn kills.
5). Burning Wish tool box. This deck has an answer for everything. Permanent removal, direct damage, board sweepers and disruption.
6). Multiple paths to victory.
The Basic Shell:
There are a few core cards that are essential to this archetype. Without them you are likely not playing Burning Reanimator however there are a few lists out there that have placed top 4 without the use of Burning Wish at all.
3-4x Burning Wish
3-4x Griselbrand
1-4x Sire of Insanity
4x Exhume
4x Unburial Rites
4x Reanimate
4x Entomb
3-4 Faithless Looting / Gamble
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
11-13 Dual / Fetch Lands
Cards to Consider:
Sideboarding:
The following is a list of possible sideboard options. Most of these are Wish targets but hopefully it will give you some ideas while brewing. The main staples here are Tendrils of Agony, Empty the Warrens, Reanimate, Stitch Together, Cabal Therapy, Show and Tell/Stronghold Gambit and Chancellor of the Annex.
My Lists:
Sample List One: 60 cards Updated 12/15/16
This is the current list I'm playing and easily my most recommended. Note that it has come a long way since I starting testing. I will try to keep any changes updated. It is optimized for speed and game one should almost always be in your favor. Game two your opponent will mulligan for counters and side in grave hate etc.. Your best bet is to side out 1x Iona and 2x Griselbrand and side in 3x Chancellor of the Annex. You can test pilot it here.
4x Griselbrand
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
2x Sire Of Insanity
1x Anger
Main deck reanimators:
3x Burning Wish
4x Exhume
4x Unburial Rites
4x Reanimate
Utility / Outlets / Disruption:
4x Entomb
4x Faithless Looting
4x Thoughtseize
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
1x Simian Spirit Guide
1x Chrome Mox
Land:
4x Badlands
4x Polluted Delta
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Scrubland
3x Chancellor of the Annex
1x Buried Alive
1x Last Chance
1x Stitch Together
1x Pyroclasm
1x Cabal Therapy
1x Chainer's Edict
1x Revoke Existence
1x Stronghold Gambit
2x Pithing Needle
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Tendrils of Agony
This list is not as fast but holds up better in a control environment. There are 9 main deck disruption spells to ensure that you can push your combo through counterspells. It also holds up considerably better against other combo decks.
Sample List Two: 60 Cards
3x Griselbrand
3x Chancellor of the Annex
2x Sire Of Insanity
Main deck reanimators:
3x Burning Wish
4x Exhume
4x Unburial Rites
4x Reanimate
Utility / Outlets / Disruption:
4x Entomb
4x Faithless Looting
4x Thoughtseize
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
2x Simian Spirit Guide
Land:
4x Badlands
4x Polluted Delta
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Scrubland
2x Pithing Needle
1x Essence Harvest
1x Dreadbore
1x Buried Alive
1x Last Chance
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Stitch Together
1x Pyroclasm
1x Cabal Therapy
1x Reanimate
1x Raze
1x Revoke Existence
1x Stronghold Gambit
1x Tendrils of Agony
Successful Lists:
Not a lot people play this deck therefore there is not much in the way of tournament results. Please feel free and PM me if you have a tournament report/top 8 list. I will get it up asap. I need the date, location, number of players and whom piloted/created it. Any useful information will be appreciated.
2014
1st place - romariovidal - 11/29/2014
3rd place - Daniele Terra - Only Bombs - 7/20/2014 (40 players)
2015
4th place - DarkBugz - 1/21/2015
5th place - Daniele Pergolesi - Sennigallia - 2/1/2015 (36 players)
4th place - Phillip Erhardt - 2015 (54 players)
2016
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=11832&d=267671&f=LE
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=12254&d=270563&f=LE
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=14194&d=284579&f=LE
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=14229&d=284795&f=LE
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
-----The Legacy Flowchart-----
Tiny Leaders Overlord
EDIT: Also Burning Reanimator gets a special thumbs up for ingenuity, originality and design.
EDIT: Another thing, you only have the possibility to losing to top decks if you choose Sire of Insanity as your prime first turn choice for reanimation. Griselbrand will probably be your best option. Although Sire of Insanity is amazing on it's own, hard to recover from and nice to drop into play after you've already drawn 7 from Griselbrand. Same goes for Iona.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
-----The Legacy Flowchart-----
Tiny Leaders Overlord
EDIT: Also often when you discard your hand to Sire often you are dumping important combo pieces that are to later be recurred such as Griselbrand and Unburial Rites.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
This is what I was referring too. Pay 7, draw 7, put in sire, discard hand. That is a line you advocated.
-----The Legacy Flowchart-----
Tiny Leaders Overlord
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
-----The Legacy Flowchart-----
Tiny Leaders Overlord
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
I like your creature toolbox. Have you considered Blazing Archon instead of Tyrant for the MUD matchup?
I see what you are saying about Sire of Insanity. He's suited better for my build with Chancellor and Reanimate to get him online turn one.
My build is more disruptive and less Tin Fins combo but I can still pull it off. Not saying that one deck is better than the other. I haven't play tested enough to know either way.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
@JTBM I see, nice! I'm playing around with another build more similar to yours without Chancellors but with a toolbox of fatties instead. Empyrial Archangels is the shizz! I've also been toying around with Gamble some more and was running it with Faithless looting just to see which I liked better. I found myself on several occasions casting Gamble to search for Faithless Looting so that I could pitch my Griselbrand. I did notice that Gamble was really nice when going off with Griselbrand to search out Children of Korlis.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
4 Griselbrand
1 Sire of Insanity
4 Burning Wish
4 Lotus Petal
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
3 Unmask
4 Thoughtseize
3 Exhume
3 Reanimate
4 Unburial Rites
1 Faithless Looting
3 Gamble
4 Entomb
4 Marsh Flats
3 Badlands
1 Scrubland
1 Swamp
1 Vindicate
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Pyroclasm
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Duress
1 Unmask
1 Reanimate
4 Young Pyromancer
3 Stronghold Gambit
I ended up 2-1 beating Jund and Omni and losing to Bug Delver, the Bug Delver matchup felt a lot better than I expected despite the stack of GY hate and countermagic. The Young Pyro's were pretty awful in the board and should definitely something else.
Edit: I picked the deck up expecting it to be a hilarious Tin Fins style deck that actually couldn't win games, because I'd gotten tired of playing fair magic trying to win, but the deck felt legitimately competitive.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
Eternity and unmask yourself you've made 2 targets one in the bin and one in exile. This can help get around one shot
Graveyard hate like toe minds crypt but still doesn't get around leyline unfortunately. But if you're already gonna be running white it seems viable.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
@Mattsadface I've been testing Pull from Eternity and I feel that it is too conditional and it's trying to do more than necessary with the deck. Instead of Chrome Mox I'm running Simian Spirit Guide for extra ramp and they are working out very well.
I've been checking out the five page thread on mtgthesource.com on the deck and many of their builds run Anger. My recent builds were running a lone Children of Korlis in which to combo out. I'm finding that I like Anger considerably more. A) It gets in the yard quick with Entomb, LED etc... especially after drawing out with Griselbrand. B) Hastes Griselbrand (gaining you life so you can draw an additional seven cards) and C) I've been combing out with multiple turn one hasted fatties (Griselbrand, Iona, Sire and Chancellor) for the kill rather than storming with Tendrils (which is also a good option).
I'm still not sold on Gamble over Faithless Looting. The deck needs outlets. I need someone to explain in detail why they think Gamble is better. I've tested it and in most cases I was hoping I had drawn Faithless Looting to get fatties out of my hand and to dig.
Yes, I'm loving Chancellor of the Annex main deck. This deck is so frickin fast and Chancellor serves two purposes. He ensures your combo will go off turn one uncountered and reanimating him turn one (of course you would prefer Sire of Insanity or Griselbrand) is not all bad. In the current meta there are only a few ways to deal with him. Mostly being Swords to Plowshares. Outside of that Abrupt Decay and burn spells can't touch him. Nobody is playing Pox these days so Innocent Blood isn't really an issue. Also once he's online he makes your opponent's Brainstorms cost 2 etc... further disrupting your opponent to the point of victory. I've also added a lone wishable Raze to the sideboard not only to deal with Maze of Ith but to disrupt my opponent further after dropping Chancellor. I was iffy at first then was reading an article about Philipp Erhardt's black red Reanimator deck that also packs 4 main deck Chancellors in which he took first place at a large tournament in Ingolstadt. His list here: http://www.mtgdecks.net/decks/view/172556
My most recent build which is built more around disruption and pushing through counters, is as follows. I have 17 cards in the sideboard and I need help as what I should cut to bring it to 15. Play test the deck here and watch your jaw drop to the floor. http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/08-04-15-burning-reanimator/
As always my actual most current list will always be updated in the first post of this thread and is subject to change.
2x Griselbrand
4x Chancellor of the Annex
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Sire Of Insanity
1x Anger
Main deck reanimators:
4x Burning Wish
3x Exhume
3x Reanimate
4x Unburial Rites
Utility / Outlets / Disruption:
4x Entomb
4x Faithless Looting
4x Thoughtseize
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
2x Simian Spirit Guide
Land:
4x Badlands
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Marsh Flats
1x Scrubland
1x Ashen Rider
1x Buried Alive
1x Dreadbore
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Empyrial Archangel
1x Exhume
1x Flame Slash
1x Morningtide
1x Pyroclasm
1x Raven's Crime
1x Raze
1x Reanimate
1x Reckless Charge
1x Rite of Consumption
1x Shattering Spree
1x Stronghold Gambit
1x Tendrils of Agony
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
Heretic, I like the "out of the box" ideas but the deck really just wants to win turn 1-2 sometimes turn 3. There really aren't enough turns to drop enough artifact lands to make Mox Opal worth it. Especially since there are better options such as Chrome Mox and Simian Spirit Guide. Also Baubles are just bad.
Gamble vs. Faithless Looting I'm a bit torn on, both have their ups and downs. I would really appreciate some more discussion on this subject. I can't seem to get Gamble to do a whole lot. Perhaps I am using it incorrectly. Bumping land up to 13 is preference. I'm perfectly happy with 11. I was running 12 land with one Simian Spirit Guide, I finally tested cutting one land for a second one and don't regret it. The deck goes off so fast that really there are not that many turns for land drops. I never want to see more than 1-2 land. I've noticed that I really just I want 1 land and a handful of ramp. Perhaps 12 land is correct but I'm liking my set up for now.
Cabal Therapy is an option over Unmask. I wouldn't mind running Probes even without Therapy. I'm not sure they are necessary, Unmask is nice and I haven't had any problems with it, but you are right. They are worth testing. Now what to cut??
Auriok Salvagers is a different deck although not a bad idea. There are lots of tricks Lion's Eye Diamond can do Bomberman style but maybe with a Burning Reanimator shell. Perhaps that needs it's own thread.
Burning Wish is rarely not drawn when going off with Griselbrand so I don't see those as terrible options. I've considered running three Empty the Warrens on the side so that I could main deck two from the sideboard when going up against grave hate.
NEW TECH:
I've also come up with a few newer card/deck ideas that can pull the deck in different directions. Testing will tell whether these are good or bad but they at least deserve to be tested and discussed.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
Anger is amazing. Yes please do test it when you get the chance. Honestly I can't always combo out without it. Anger only helps to ensure that I do and also offers the speedier and sometimes "easier to put together same turn multiple hasted fatties kill" option for the alternate win con. At least give it several test runs. I think you will notice that when/if you decide to switch back you will be missing it like I have. It has become one of the staples in my game plan and getting it online is so ridiculously easy.
I also want to switch up the fetch lands. -4 Bloodstained Mire -2 Marsh Flats +4 Polluted Delta +2 Verdant Catacombs This is to keep your opponent guessing as to what deck you are playing and whether you are running counter magic. At first they might think Jund, then maybe UB Reanimator etc..
Finally, I really do think that it is time for me to bump up to 4 Griselbrand and cut at least one Reanimate.
Recoup like Past in Flames seem interesting. Let me know in your testing how they are working for you and what spells you are flashing back.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
I am really enjoying this deck so far. Getting the Entomb is going to be a bit of a pain for me, but I can build towards a playset over time I suppose. Have you guys found Entomb to be very necessary? I imagine it helps our consistency a good amount.
It depends on your game plan, but to answer your question, yes. Get Griselbrand into play, draw lots of cards, entomb Anger (or Thoughtsieze, Faithless Looting, Unmask it from your hand) using extra mana from Lotus Petals or Ritual, and then smash face with Griselbrand gaining you an additional 7 life/cards, play a few more of your spells (Rituals, Petals, LEDs etc..) then Burning Wish for Tendrils of Agony. At this point you only need to Tendrils for 13 as you've already smashed face for 7. Your other route is the same. Draw lots of cards off of Griselbrand, entomb Anger, reanimate either Iona or Sire, attack for 13-14 with hasted dudes, Burning Wish for Last Chance, take another turn and smash face again for the kill. Those are the basic game plans. The latter happens less often but sometimes it's easier.
You need Entomb, it is essential to the deck. It puts fat creatures into the yard but also it is there to tutor up Unburial Rites.
Currently Playing:
Burning Reanimator
Eldrazi and Taxes
Bug Threshold
Enchantress
Dead Guy Ale
Combo Zombies
Pyromancer Pox
I'll have to start with one or two Entomb and just build up to a playset then.