[Primer] BRx Griselbrand Reanimator

[Zooligan]

Um BR Reanimator had three 5-0's yesterday....

Jesus.

And its metagame percentage jumped from like 2% to almost 5% in two days on mtggoldfish. People are picking it up which means the hate will get dusted off.

[KnightJay96]

And its metagame percentage jumped from like 2% to almost 5% in two days on mtggoldfish. People are picking it up which means the hate will get dusted off.

Exactly. When BR was alot more of the meta percentage after mkm (I believe), the meta adapted to packing way more graveyard hate. I expect sugicals to rise to 3 or 4 in the sb due to how much its winning online.

[akwing00]

@DNSolver

Would you be able to go over how you have been sideboarding for some of your recent 5-0s on MTGO?

Also how are you using Children of Korlis? Still pretty new to legacy, so not sure when this comes in.

[TheStalk]

I just recorded the replays of my last league:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44vI...cqV9o4&index=1

Obliterator was for *Delver.* It's completely useless against BUG IMO due to Toxic Deluge, Liliana, Jace bounce, Maelstrom Pulse, or Baleful Strix.

Delver decks with Deathrite should be a hard matchup. The best weapons are Chancellor of the Annex and Collective Brutality.

Love the content, thanks! If you record another one (or just in a reply here), I'd like to know what you board out when you board in lots of cards (like when you mentionned bringing in 4 Decay/4 RevSilence) without hurting the consistency too much. When bringing in cards I usually board out to keep my ratios more or less even (so cuts like, 1 creature/1 fast mana/etc.), but for so many cards I'm not too sure how I'd go about it. Also, when cutting fast mana, do you always cut the same piece, or does that depend on the matchup?

[DNSolver]

Glad to hear that people liked the videos. Not sure if there is still difficulty with the video of rounds 3-5, thought I fixed it.

A couple questions that people asked:

Children of Korlis: I'm using this to beat Miracles. Unless you assemble an unwinnable position for your Miracles opponent, they have Terminus / Swords that can kill your creatures because we aren't activating draw 7s into Force of Will to protect Griz. The winning position I am trying to assemble is Archetype + Iona on white. Miracles cannot beat this without a ridiculous card such as Devastation Tide. Getting a creature on the board isn't a lock in this matchup (though just Iona on white is pretty close, can only be dealt with by Jace bounce, Karakas, Venser bounce, racing with Snapcaster + Clique)

Sideboarding: I've found that this version has enough fast mana (10) that some of it can be trimmed postboard in most matchups, especially on the draw. On the draw, your fast starts might not necessarily be good/fast enough and you would prefer having multiple reanimation spells, a stable manabase. One example is Chancellor, which revealing is a lot worse on the draw because it doesn't let you win turn 1 unhindered. So typically you can board out at least a Ritual and a Chrome Mox. In matchups where Tidespout is bad (Miracles, Elves), you can board it out. In matchups where Iona is bad (Delver, Eldrazi), you can board it out.

When you're boarding in more than a few cards, your deck and playstyle change considerably. For example, against Eldrazi or another stompy deck, here's one proposed board plan:

On the draw:
-1 Iona
-4 Dark Ritual (gets Chalice'd and Trinisphered)
-3 Collective Brutality (creatures are not usually what we're worried about in this matchup, and this can't discard anything relevant from the opponent)
+4 Reverent Silence (to hit Leyline)
+4 Abrupt Decay (to hit Chalice, Thorn? and maybe Trinisphere?)

Make sense?

[DNSolver]

This deck has been seeing a resurgence on magic online. I caught a glimpse of this deck on multiple twitch streams today.

I figured I would join the fun. I'm going to stream!

twitch.tv/dnsolver

[Zooligan]

This deck has been seeing a resurgence on magic online. I caught a glimpse of this deck on multiple twitch streams today.

I figured I would join the fun. I'm going to stream!

twitch.tv/dnsolver

That is awesome!

[DNSolver]

Had a great time streaming this evening.

League 1: 3-2
R1: Manaless Dredge 2-0
R2: Elves 2-0
R3: BR Reanimator 0-2
R4: UR Delver 1-2
R5: UB Reanimator 2-1

League 2: 4-1
R1: ? 2-0 (opponent punted by not paying for Chancellor G2 and conceded)
R2: Grixis Delver 0-2
R3: TinFins 2-1
R4: ANT 2-0
R5: TES 2-1
7-3 on the night. Added to the four 5-0s, three previous 3-2s, and one sad 0-3 drop, that makes:

36 wins
12 losses
75% win rate

[Venomous72]

Had a great time streaming this evening.

League 1: 3-2
R1: Manaless Dredge 2-0
R2: Elves 2-0
R3: BR Reanimator 0-2
R4: UR Delver 1-2
R5: UB Reanimator 2-1

League 2: 4-1
R1: ? 2-0 (opponent punted by not paying for Chancellor G2 and conceded)
R2: Grixis Delver 0-2
R3: TinFins 2-1
R4: ANT 2-0
R5: TES 2-1
7-3 on the night. Added to the four 5-0s, three previous 3-2s, and one sad 0-3 drop, that makes:

36 wins
12 losses
75% win rate

Awesome work man. I'm glad to see you back on the deck. I think BR is having a resurgence so we will likely see an uptick in hate. I look forward to seeing how you adapt to it. If we start seeing Macabre and more Surgicals, what adjustments do you make? Do you move to a Show and Tell plan splashing blue?

[KnightJay96]

Won a Bayou at a 33 Person, 6 Round Tournament on the 8th of April with BR Reanimator
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=15212&d=292318&f=LE
I decided to run DNSolver's List he had been 5-0 with in the past few days, but made some alterations to the sideboard. I was going to post this last week but I was waiting for the VODS to be posted on the stores YouTube page. But I want to get this out there before I forget anything and when the videos do get posted I’ll post them in the forum.

List:
4x Chancellor of the Annex
4x Griselbrand
1x Tidespout Tyrant
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
4x Thoughtseize
4x Collective Brutality
4x Reanimate
4x Exhume
4x Animate Dead
4x Entomb
4x Faithless Looting
4x Dark Ritual
4x Lotus Petal
2x Chorme Mox
4x Bloodstained Mire
3x Polluted Delta
2x Swamp
2x Badlands
1x Bayou

SB:
4x Abrupt Decay
4x Reverent Silence
3x Faerie Macabre
1x Children of Korlis
1x Archetype of Endurance
1x Grave Titan
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

Rnd 1: Belcher (2-0)

Game 1: Had Chancellor in hand, got a Griselbrand out on turn 1 or 2.

Game 2: Had Chancellor in hand, on turn 1 he got 12 goblins from storming off. I entombed and reanimated a Elesh Norn on turn 1. He conceded shortly after.

Rnd 2: Goblins (2-1)

This was against steve2112rush a good mate of mine, and one of the best goblins players ever.

Game 1: He keeps a hand with no red source but Aether vials. I Thoughtseize him and take vial, which leaves him on top decks for a red source. I later reanimate a creature, that's all she wrote.

Game 2: I Thoughtseize him on turn 1, see no surgical extraction or graveyard interaction. I attempt to reanimate a Elesh Norn the next turn which gets promptly Surgically extracted and I get beaten down by goblins.

Game 3: I had a turn 1 in hand but didn't do it because I had no idea what was in hand, he joked about having Mindbreak trap, which put the fear in me and I passed the turn after playing 2 lotus petals and a Thoughtseize (admittedly everyone in the room had a good laugh and I should have just gone for it, but the laughs in the room was worth it). I later faithless looting put a chancellor and Griselbrand into play. I then dark ritual into an animate dead targeting the chancellor, which my mate surgically extracts. I then reanimate the Griselbrand. I thought about it afterwards and I should have used the reanimate on the chancellor then used the animate dead on the Griselbrand because I was getting beaten down by goblins and the extra life would have been good to be able to draw cards. My mate passes to me rather than attacking with a very big pile driver. At the time, I had enough life to draw cards but I would have had to block his pile driver to not die, but still live after drawing 7 cards if I blocked. With that not happening, I decided to draw my 7 cards because I didn't want to give him the out next turn and hopefully I would find something to help me. I could draw an entomb and animate dead, which I proceeded to find an Elesh Norn. GG WP Steve <3

Rnd 3: Mirror (2-1)

Game 1: I have the turn 1 Dark Ritual > Entomb > Exhume. I get a Griselbrand but as I was getting a creature I was thinking that this guy might have been on BR as well but decided not to get the Iona, I decide not to draw cards and pass because I didn't know what he was on. On his turn, he goes Bloodstained Mire, into lotus petal, cracking the lotus to Dark Ritual > Entomb (Griselbrand) > Exhume. He draws 7 cards and passes the turn. I then draw 14 cards on EOT, and find entomb, free mana and reanimation spells. I get a Tidespout tyrant out and proceed to bounce all his permanents.

Game 2: He goes Dark Ritual > Entomb (Iona) > Exhume. G3 boys and girls

Game 3: I have chancellor of the annex with only one land in hand. I have entomb with 2 fatties in hand, a faithless looting and animate dead. I decided to EOT an entomb on his turn, just in case he had some sort of exhume play. He plays a faithless looting to get rid of the chancellor trigger. I EOT fire off the entomb to get Iona, and get lucky by drawing a reanimate off the top.

In hindsight given I had the faithless looting in hand and a chancellor trigger, I should have just gone with the faithless looting because unless he had exactly a way to burn the chancellor and reanimate my creatures in the graveyard, plus seeing 2 more cards may have yielded a potential win of the 1st turn or a win on the following turn. The line I took had an out of 47.05% of getting a needed card (10 land, 4 lotus, 2 Chorme Mox, 4 Darkritual, 4 Reanmiate. 24/51) to win the game. Which line do you think was better drawing more cards on the first turn or EOT the entomb?

Rnd 4: Sultai Dark Depths (2-0)

Game 1: Turn 2 or 3 him I think? TBH can't remember too much.

Game 2: He leads with underground sea. I keep a turn 1 with 3 land, thought seize, Griselbrand, lotus petal and a reanimate. I draw a land, go land, thought seize me, remove Griselbrand, lotus petal. He flusters storms me. He plays a tap land or something and passes, I rip an exhume off the top and he has no interaction for it. Which prompts a concession.

Rnd 5: Burn (ID)

I lent my burn deck to my friend's mate and just so happen to verse him in this round. I know the list because I built it the previous night, it has no graveyard interaction (only ensnaring bridge and some pyrostatic pillers) as I was thinking there was going to be more non-graveyard combo decks at the tournament. It's his first legacy tournament, so rather than bashing for real and securing a 1st position in the top 8 for myself we decide to ID. But we decide to play some games.

Game 1: Turn 1 Dark Ritual > Entomb (Iona) > Exhume. Got to love the mainboard Iona.

Game 2: He has a fast start through a chancellor and eventually I exhume a griselbrand but he gets a ensnaring bridge the following turn.

Game 3: Turn 1 Dark Ritual > Entomb (Iona) > Exhume. Gotta love the mainboard Iona.

Rnd 6: Miracles (ID)

End up 4-0-2, 2nd after the Swiss.

Quarter Final: Phil on Lands (2-0)
This one was against a good mate, who always plays lands and is very good with the deck.

Game 1: He cleared my graveyard with a Bojuka Bog - Crop rotation after I forced his hand with a collective brutality. From there I faithless looting and drew some creatures to put in the bin I could exhume a Tidespout tyrant. I proceeded to beat him down with it until he drew a Maze of Ith, but luckily I had spells in hand so I could keep bouncing the maze. And the 5/5 gets there.

Game 2: I keep a relatively slow hand with an abrupt decay in it, Phil mulls to six. I Thoughtseize him on turn 1 and see exploration, crop rotation, port, wasteland, 2 sphere of resistance. Seeing no green source, I decide to take the sphere of resistance and hedge on him not having a green source. I play a bloodstained mire, and pass the turn not being able to do much. He plays the sphere on his turn, I play a bayou from hand and use abrupt decay. From there he both end up on top decking, he eventually finds his green source and starts playing 2 lands a turn. Eventually I top deck into an entomb, get a Griselbrand exhumed draw 7 putting me down to 9, I fetch to 8, then reanimate a grave titan, putting me down to 2. As soon as I did this I was sweating because what if he had the punishing fire I would lose, but fortunately he didn't and started swinging hard.

Semi Final: Eldrazi (2-0) (On Camera) (Link to be Updated)

Game 1: Even though I was on the play, I was still super nervous. Chalice on 1 would be a serious threat against me. I draw my 7. Chrome mox, 2 land, Thoughtseize, Lotus Petal, Griselbrand & reanimate. I turn 1 Griselbrand. Leaving me at 10 life. My opponent plays an ancient tomb and plays a phyrxian revocker. Knowing it will be put on griselbrand I draw 7 cards, putting me down to 3. In my hand, I draw 2 chancellors and a collective brutality. He follows it up with a chalice on 0 which was slightly annoying because I had a chrome mox in hand, but wasn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. Next turn I used all the modes on collective brutality and swung with my griselbrand. The following turn I believe he conceded.

Game 2: We both mull down to 6. I keep a slow hand but it has an abrupt decay for his chalice but no reverent silence if he has the leyline. Thankfully he does not put into play a leyline nor a chalice he just plays some mimics. I eventually get a Griselbrand out on turn 2 or 3, but he plays thoughtknots and reality smashers so I can’t attack. On his end step draw a bunch of cards and proceed to get a tidespout into play and bounce all his land on my turn.

Grand Final: Burn (2-0) (On Camera) (Link to be Updated)

Game 1: I get a Griselbrand out on turn 3 thanks to collective brutality on his turn 2. Then a Iona I think.

Game 2: I have faithless looting and bunch of reanimation spells, lotus petal. No Iona in the creatures in hand but what I have is still good. Play out my petals and play my bloodstained mire, not wanting to faithless looting as I have no idea what graveyard interaction he has. He plays a relic of progenitis which I fetch EOT for a badlands. Next turn I top deck an entomb and go for a iona, then reanimate. A concession follows

To be honest I think I got lucky not seeing any deck with counter spells in it. There were times where I felt unmask would have been better as a means of checking my opponent's hand to see if they had counterspells and there were times collective brutality in the main was insane, killing my opponent's creatures. I unfortunately(fortunately?) didn't verse a DRS deck to see the power of collective in the main. It would be nice testing maybe some combination of 3-3-2 Thoughtseize, Unmask, Collective. Though finding which combination is the correct needs far more testing and will depend on the meta.

So that’s my report, hope you guys and girls enjoyed it. I apologise if there are some weird sounding lines. Its been a while since the event and my memory of it is slightly hazy

[KnightJay96]

I wrote about Black Red Reanimator on The Salt Mine Site. Check it out!

https://thesaltminesite.com/2017/04/...hers-hate-you/

[DNSolver]

You have a "what's the play" scenario in your tournament report that isn't quite accurate with percentages. Whenever multiple draws out of the deck are possible (such as in this case, with Faithless Looting), your percentage is not a straight computation of hits/total. You need something called a hypergeometric distribution calculator, which I linked to in the primer.

You calculated a 47% chance of hitting on the Looting. In actuality it is 70.5%.

53 card sample
24 hits in sample
sample size: 2
# of hits necessary: 1

Percentage to hit 1 or more: 70.5%
Percentage to hit exactly 1: 50.5%

Edit: Only me would forget to say: congratulations on your finish!

[KnightJay96]

Edit: Only me would forget to say: congratulations on your finish!

Thanks man. I'm omw to making Turbo Depths with the 3rd Bayou.

You have a "what's the play" scenario in your tournament report that isn't quite accurate with percentages. Whenever multiple draws out of the deck are possible (such as in this case, with Faithless Looting), your percentage is not a straight computation of hits/total. You need something called a hypergeometric distribution calculator, which I linked to in the primer.

You calculated a 47% chance of hitting on the Looting. In actuality it is 70.5%.

53 card sample
24 hits in sample
sample size: 2
# of hits necessary: 1

Percentage to hit 1 or more: 70.5%
Percentage to hit exactly 1: 50.5%

TBH math isn't a huge strong suit of mine (or at least likelihood math), so at least I got someone to correct me on that and make my play look better than I did

[splorf]

Wizards just destroyed Miracles...

What stops this pile now?

[Jeff]

Wizards just destroyed Miracles...

What stops this pile now?

The same stuff that always stopped it: Infinite postboard graveyard hate.

This probably also means a net increase in Deathrite Shaman + Daze decks, which doesn't seem good for us.

[Atherion]

grixis delver, plus other deathrite + daze + FOW strategies

[Kobra_D]

The same stuff that always stopped it: Infinite postboard graveyard hate.

This probably also means a net increase in Deathrite Shaman + Daze decks, which doesn't seem good for us.

Agreed. Plus now that sideboard slots open up without having to deal with miracles (20% of the meta) it is likely to get filled with combo/grave hate.

[splorf]

Yeah, good points. DRS increase will likely happen. But that's probably the next thing which gets the axe. I'm curious how the meta will shift.

[Zooligan]

So if GY hate increases, do we give up trying to fight it and instead go around it with Sneak Attack or Stronghold Gambit or SnT or something?

[JaiAlai]

Hi guys. New to writing but I wear some time reading and learning from this thread. Specially thanks to DNSolver, keep writing and recording videos man!

My english sucks, sorry.

Now some questions:

Without Miracles is a good moment to run 4 Sire of Insanity maindeck? I love Sire and the posibility of a turn one "win". It's time to leave out Archetype of Endurance? Maindeck Elesh Norm?