With 10 each of every spell you'd ever want (discard, reanimation and targets) the Turn 1s with this deck are insanely frequent.
It certainly is. I understand it's not the same deck as this, but it has the power of Tin Fins with the consistency of Reanimator-like hybrids, which seems to be what this deck is going for (at the expense of some resilience, I suppose).
Draw, play Island, GG?
Arthur: What manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?
Tim: I... am an enchanter.
Arthur: By what name are you known?
Tim: There are some who call me... 'Tim'...?
Arthur: ...greetings, Tim the Enchanter.
Well, this deck lacks Lion's Eye Diamond. I have been playing a similar kind of deck back then long time before anyone at WotC has thought about Griselbrand.
It can certainly win some matches but fails to win through any graveyard hate. Burning Reanimator has the sweet LED sac > Unburial Rites or Rit, Rit, LED, Burning Wish > Stormspell.
WantToPonder
former: Team SpasticalAction & Team RugStar Berlin
Team MTG Berlin
The Dragonstorm
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...he-Dragonstorm
As much as I love Jin-Gitaxias, I just don't think he's good enough. If I was going to an SCG with this list, I would really want an Empyrial Archangel in my MD instead of a Jin-Gitaxias, and would probably cut the 2nd J-G for an Ob-Nixilis or Inkwell Leviathan, or even good ole Grave Titan. I think Shroud is very strong right now, and with Edict effects at a low point, only Liliana and Terminus can deal with them. Burn is hot right now and Empryial Archangel just laughs at it.
Excellent points. I don't run Jin-Gitaxias myself because I think it is a poor substitute for griselbrand #5-6. Shroud is definitely relevant in some games vs a resolved JTMS for example. I was going for the hasty beater plan via Hellkite Overlord (8/8 flying trample haste) and even toying with Reckless Charge in the sideboard (fun fact: can be entombed and paid for with an LED). Empryial Archangel is interesting, but I think getting a quick Griselbrand into play is enough to seal the game vs Burn.
I find Burn to be tricky with all variations of Reanimator. Thoughtseize reads "B: prevent 1+ damage" and Daze and Pierce act as Time Walks by slowing down how much fire gets thrown at your face. This deck has a few key deficiencies vs the UB Reanimator lists in the Burn matchup, namely:
1) Daze and Pierce act as Time Walks, while we "only" have Hymn as a Double-walk. So half the cards for double the effect.
2) Brainstorm and Ponder do help to setup Goblin Guide triggers, which helps make land drops and combo out.
3) Burning Reanimator's manabase isn't so strong as to always be able to fetch Swamp+Mountain --> PoP hits for 4+ damage. I'm not even entirely sure the deck can afford a Mountain, as I'm currently on 3 Badland 2 Scrubland 1 Plateau 1 Swamp 6 Fetches to make sure I always have access to the colors I need.
Just some food for thought. I realize I'm overplaying the Burn matchup, but I recently just ran into a bunch of it and I think it poses a nasty enemy to Reanimator decks. Like I said, I wouldn't leave home without Empyrial Archangel, but that doesn't mean its wrong or anything. I just think she's a sexy BOSS
This deck looks super fun to play with, I'm gonna build it on modo this weekend and try it out.
Isn't iona better vs burn then archangel?
She is also GG vs elves, high tide and mono black pox/ the gate.
I've won so many games on her shoulders
By the way, I tested this deck against burg Delver and it was horrible. Gamble was very bad all day and essentially I didn't have outs against a Deathrite who is protected with Counterspells
and manadenial. I won one game out of (I guess) 7. I really missed Ponder/Brainstorm to give this deck a bit more flow.
WantToPonder
former: Team SpasticalAction & Team RugStar Berlin
Team MTG Berlin
The Dragonstorm
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...he-Dragonstorm
I played this deck a bit and got some mixed results. But instead of 3x Gamble I used 3x Faithless Looting and a golden manabase for sideboard Abupt Decay (mainly against RIP and CB).
The deck is extremely powerful. But it's just waaaaay too inconsistent. Sometimes I would get a turn 1 kill with double Unmask and sometimes I would play double Faithless and never find a creature.
The bane of this deck is those pesky tempo decks that just draw a single Delver and a bazilion Dazes/Forces/Wastelands/Flusterstorms/Graveyard hate. Other than that I lost only a few time to nonblue decks that drew the odd Surgical against my turn 1 all-in hand.
I really like the deck, but the variance just killed it for me. This deck literally has some hands that your opponent could do nothing for 7 turns and you still wouldn't be able to win. And other times you would just win turn 1 through double Force.
Are any maindeck creatures besides Sire, Griselbrand, and Iona even necessary? I don't think I'd ever tutor for Jin-Gitaxis over those three, and in my limited goldfishing with the deck I haven't had any problems locating a dude to reanimate (either with the tutors or through digging with Looting).
Elesh-Norn or inkwell may be worth consideration.
The problem with Jin-Gitaxias is it doesn't win you the game on the spot like Griselbrand or Sire can since they still get a turn with a full grip to answer your threat. And if you're going for a beatdown plan I think inkwell leviathan is just better.
I've also replaced my Gambles with Faithless looting (keeping 1 gamble in the board as a wishable entomb effect).
I played the following list at a small tournament yesterday:
1 Sire of Insanity
4 Griselbrand
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Inkwell Leviathan
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
1 Faithless Looting
2 Gamble
4 Thoughtseize
4 Burning Wish
4 Exhume
3 Cabal Therapy
4 Unburial Rites
1 Chrome Mox
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
3 Badlands
1 Scrubland
1 Swamp
1 Gemstone Mine
3 Polluted Delta
2 Bloodstained Mire
3 Marsh Flats
Sideboard:
1 Cabal Therapy
3 Pyroblast
1 Reanimate
1 Revoke Existence
2 Stronghold Gambit
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Vindicate
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Massacre
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Ashen Rider
My first thought was that I want to move one Exhume to the sideboard as a Burning Wish target (I'll add another Faithless Looting to the main in its place). Also I don't think I need two Stronghold Gambit in the board. The card is extremely narrow and I only see myself using it as a Wish target. The Chrome Mox will likely be swapped out for another Gemstone Mine. Inkwell Leviathan was actually pretty good, and I'll probably keep it in. At no point did I want Jin-Gitaxias.
Overall I liked the deck. I definitely made some mistakes so I can't blame my poor showing on the deck (I think I went 1-3, though I don't remember for sure...I certainly was no better than 2-2).
Simian Spirit Guide has been leagues better than Chrome Mox in the testing I've done so far. Losing the card for Mox has been hard pre Griselbrand. And you almost always only have a black card to pitch when when you really just need red mana. CM is certainly better after you start drawing 7, but at that point it's hard to lose anyway.
I agree with Simian Spirit Guide over Chrome Mox.
The idea behind Stronghold Gambit is to function as a 2 mana show and tell after boarding to play around graveyard hate. I found the problem with this is the lack of consistency in drawing both gambit and a fattie by turn 2. I would either board in 3 gambits or none at all.
A couple cards I've been trying in the sideboard are Reckless Charge and Overmaster.
Reckless Charge is for a post-griselbrand wish target to allow for an attack with Griselbrand to help win on the same turn. Draw 7 + wish for reckless charge + LED to flashback for +6/+0 is pretty good but maybe it's a bit win-more since sticking a Griselbrand itself is usually enough.
Overmaster hasn't been impressive vs miracles since it just gets countered itself with cb/top. Abrupt decay is definitely a better answer and would moreso justify the rainbow landbase over fetches.
Does anybody have a good wish target for finding a creature off a Burning Wish, in a slower game? I've looked at Sylvan Tutor (the extra turn might be too slow), Grim Tutor (mana cost might be too much), and Infernal Tutor (really only works if you have LED). Not sure which is the best overall or if there's one I'm missing. Gamble would work, but is risky with Exhume.
Played a 4-round tournament yesterday and I had 2 games come up where a sketchy hand may have been keepable if I had additional ways to get creatures. I'd love to have the redundancy of both Entomb and Burning Wish finding both halves of the combo.
What about spells that dig, like Faithless Looting or Goblin Lore or Burning Inquiry? Just a thought. I realize the random discard could/will be awful.
I don't know if this is or isn't better than TES due to its weakness to Deathrite Shaman and graveyard removal, Surgical Extraction and Faerie Macabre are no laughing matter, but it has been one of the most fun decks I have played in awhile. A couple of observations I've made while play testing, the disruption is unreliable between Unmask and Cabal Therapy, you really don't want to lose card advantage by RFGing a card of your own or naming the wrong card of theirs, and I think just playing Thoughtseize or adding Gitaxian Probe for Cabal Therapy makes the deck significantly more reliable if not as fast for when you can't discard your own cards - but that's practically gold fishing.
You need 5, maybe 6 creatures to Reanimate at most, the only creature you ever want to have in your hand is Griselbrand anway.
Do you feel that dropping down below 8 or so creatures makes you to reliant on entomb? I'm almost never unhappy to see one of my creatures in my opening hand and can usually lead to easy turn 1 reanimation with LED
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