[Primer] BRx Griselbrand Reanimator

[KnightJay96]

I play with a Scrubland instead of the Mountain. Not a really a fan of the Mountain in the Deck anyway. We're not that red!

I agree with you 100% on not running the mountain. Nothing worse when you've got a turn one reanimate hand and can't do it because your only land in hand doesn't produce black :(

[Nocley]

I play with a Scrubland instead of the Mountain. Not a really a fan of the Mountain in the Deck anyway. We're not that red!

I think this exactly what I want to be doing as well. -1 Mountain +1 Scrubland. The red was never too important, plus you have 4 SSGs. Would set the SB to the Brutality Version to:

4 Wear//Tear
3 Blood Moon
2 Sneak Attack
1 Iona
1 Elesh Norn
1 Blazing Archon
2 Thoughtseize
1 ???

Could also possibly go 3 W/T and 2 Needle with the open slot. I don't know.

[HansoRaptor]

I think this exactly what I want to be doing as well. -1 Mountain +1 Scrubland. The red was never too important, plus you have 4 SSGs. Would set the SB to the Brutality Version to:

4 Wear//Tear
3 Blood Moon
2 Sneak Attack
1 Iona
1 Elesh Norn
1 Blazing Archon
2 Thoughtseize
1 ???

Could also possibly go 3 W/T and 2 Needle with the open slot. I don't know.

I think that playing two needle is a must! Karakas, Deathrite Shaman, Top, Wasteland, Faerie Macabre, Thespian Stage.
Why bother playing Sneak Attack when you have 4 Wear//Tear anyway? Should that not be enough to go for the graveyard plan? For creatures like Deathrite Shaman and Containment Priest you have Collective Brutality and Pithing Needle.
I agree on removing the mountain. A second swamp or another dual for SB splash is way better.

[RobNC]

I read the whole thread over the last two days so apologies if I somehow missed this:

Is there any reason to not run Cabal Therapy over Thoughtseize? Can disrupt an opponent's combo (possibly even 2-for-1 or better) and still gives you a look at their hand, or can target yourself to remove a fatty without paying the two life. I can't see flashback being used, though, unless you have a ridiculous hand that allows multiple reanimations in one turn.

[HansoRaptor]

I think the only reason why Thoughtseize is preferred is the fact that you can play it turn one and remove the opponents best card in hand without even knowing what deck they play or which cards they have in hand.
Just imagine going up against delver and having to predict if they have a daze, force, or spellpierce/spellsnare. Once you chose the wrong card, you're basically done for. Having the benefit of hitting maybe two or more cards with Cabal Therapy is in my opinion not worth the risk.

[Namida]

Simply put, missing on a Cabal Therapy could easily be fatal for you. You could possibly 2-for-1 a combo opponent, but you could just as easily 0-for-1 and be dead on the spot. You still get to look at your opponent's hand, but paying a black mana for just a Peek with no cantrip is not a card you'd play normally. Not paying 2 life to discard your own creature is nice, but the "Discard my own cards" mode isn't as important as being able to disrupt your opponent/protect your spells, and you've said yourself that you don't anticipate Flashing back this spell often.

[Zooligan]

I prefer Wear // Tear in the sideboard. Gets rid of Chalice + Leyline at the same time, destroys Cage, Bridge and RIP. Would never play without that card. Sure it doesn't hit Containment Priest and Deathrite Shaman, but for those we have now Collective Brutality.

Stronghold Gambit is only good in the Unmasked Version, because u need enough discard to support it.

I must be missing something here. How does Unmask support Stronghold Gambit? Gambit comes in against creatureless builds, right?

[Fox]

I must be missing something here. How does Unmask support Stronghold Gambit? Gambit comes in against creatureless builds, right?

You remove their creature from hand -> cast Stronghold Gambit (they have nothing to show). Would only really combo vs low creature count decks.

[RobNC]

I must be missing something here. How does Unmask support Stronghold Gambit? Gambit comes in against creatureless builds, right?

It's extra discard to ensure you can strip out whatever creature they may have in hand. Relying on 2-4 Thoughtseize might not be enough, and Collective Brutality doesn't take creatures.

EDIT: Fox sort of beat me to it.

[Zooligan]

I thought it was strictly for creatureless builds like ANT, TES, Lands, etc... as a single discard spell doesn't seem like a great gamble. What if they have two Elvish Spirit Guides, for example.

[RobNC]

I thought it was strictly for creatureless builds like ANT, TES, Lands, etc... as a single discard spell doesn't seem like a great gamble. What if they have two Elvish Spirit Guides, for example.

Then you obviously wouldn't cast it. I would never cast the card unless I was able to check the opponent's hand in some way. Even "creatureless" decks may run a small number. Lands can run Tireless Tracker, storm decks can run Xantid Swarm. I don't know if either of those decks would actually side them in against you at all but it's not impossible.

[gRR!!]

Hey there folks,

Yesterday I 3-1'd a small tournament with BR Reanimator (the exact 75 that won the BoM). I won 2-0 vs Burn, 2-0 vs MUC, lost 1-2 vs Bant after a prodigious succession of topdecks from my opponent in Game 3, and won 2-1 vs Miracles. The deck is freaking good, but I didn't use the Sneak Attack in any sideboarded match, and I'm not quite sure about when I should side them in. Any clues?

[KnightJay96]

Hey there folks,

Yesterday I 3-1'd a small tournament with BR Reanimator (the exact 75 that won the BoM). I won 2-0 vs Burn, 2-0 vs MUC, lost 1-2 vs Bant after a prodigious succession of topdecks from my opponent in Game 3, and won 2-1 vs Miracles. The deck is freaking good, but I didn't use the Sneak Attack in any sideboarded match, and I'm not quite sure about when I should side them in. Any clues?

Glad you did well man, great to see the deck having success.

You bring Sneaks in matchups where graveyard hate is strong in their deck. For example Sneak is good against Shardless or any DRS deck because it gets around DRS.

[RhoxWarMonk]

Hey there folks,

Yesterday I 3-1'd a small tournament with BR Reanimator (the exact 75 that won the BoM). I won 2-0 vs Burn, 2-0 vs MUC, lost 1-2 vs Bant after a prodigious succession of topdecks from my opponent in Game 3, and won 2-1 vs Miracles. The deck is freaking good, but I didn't use the Sneak Attack in any sideboarded match, and I'm not quite sure about when I should side them in. Any clues?

I'm new to this deck myself but I've been pulling in sneak attacks against Eldrazi, in addition to anything with strong gy manipulation. They are famous for playing 4x Leyline of the Void and that's a rough card to get around due to the turn 0 clause (I find I can race most other gy hate )...

Still not sure if sneak attack is necessary over something like abrupt decay to just get rid of whatever problem enchantment or artifact is there but AD still doesn't hit lotv and the only card ingot chewer doesn't hit apart from that is RiP. So far I'll stick with this plan and see how it goes. Really digging the blood moon in the sb, been less impressed with the needles but feels like a necessity with Karakas everywhere.

[gRR!!]

The thing is, vs decks with DRS we already have maindeck Collective Brutality and sideboard Pithing Needle and Blood Moon, so I feel that siding in Sneak Attack may be unnecessary. I agree that it may be a solution vs Eldrazi though. And another thing I like about the "red sideboard" is that there is no need for a third color for AD/Wear-Tear and whatnot.

[Zooligan]

The thing is, vs decks with DRS we already have maindeck Collective Brutality and sideboard Pithing Needle and Blood Moon, so I feel that siding in Sneak Attack may be unnecessary. I agree that it may be a solution vs Eldrazi though. And another thing I like about the "red sideboard" is that there is no need for a third color for AD/Wear-Tear and whatnot.

What's the plan for the mirror with the red SB?

Also, is the 4 Badlands/6 Fetches ratio correct with so much Wasteland running around? Wouldn't more fetches be correct to get basics?

Just for reference, i believe this is the list you are referring to:

Main:
4 Griselbrand
4 Chancellor of the Annex
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Tidespout Tyrant
2 Sire of Insanity
4 Reanimate
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
3 Animate Dead
3 Collective Brutality
2 Thoughtseize
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
4 Badlands
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
1 Mountain

Side:
3 Blood Moon
2 Thoughtseize
3 Sneak Attack
2 Pithing Needle
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Blazing Archon
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

[gRR!!]

I've played this version just since yesterday, so I'm still unsure about the land distribution. I know I lost a game b/c I had a Badlands as only land and got Wastelanded, where a Fetchland or Swamp would had given me the match (and the round), but sometimes you want to play Faithless turn 1 and reanimate spell turn 2, so I understand 4 Badlands are a must (and so we need a way to find them).

And for the mirror I would sideboard something like this (but I'm improvising):

-4 Exhume
-2 Sire of Insanity
-1 Collective Brutality

+1 Blazing Archon
+1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
+3 Sneak Attack
+2 Thoughtseize

EDIT: May I ask why this version is still in "New and Developmental decks"?

[Rocco111]

I've played this version just since yesterday, so I'm still unsure about the land distribution. I know I lost a game b/c I had a Badlands as only land and got Wastelanded, where a Fetchland or Swamp would had given me the match (and the round), but sometimes you want to play Faithless turn 1 and reanimate spell turn 2, so I understand 4 Badlands are a must (and so we need a way to find them).

And for the mirror I would sideboard something like this (but I'm improvising):

-4 Exhume
-2 Sire of Insanity
-1 Collective Brutality

+1 Blazing Archon
+1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
+3 Sneak Attack
+2 Thoughtseize

EDIT: May I ask why this version is still in "New and Developmental decks"?

For the mirror, although your side seems good to me, it really only boils down to "who's got the Chancellor?" and "can I bin a threat and reanimate it the same turn?". :)

As for the place of the deck on this forum, it is better for it to be kept in the shadows. It has seen too much spotlights recently and we do not want every player on the planet to pack a full set of GY-hate in their Sideboards, thanks. :)

[Grogue08]

So after seeing this deck on camera this weekend I'm really interested/ excited by it.
What I was going to ask though is this deck seems very similar to the burning reanimator decks of yester year. Does this deck gain anything from the LED plan? Is this basically that deck with the bugs worked out? I still dream of turn 1 sure of insanity.

[gRR!!]

For the mirror, although your side seems good to me, it really only boils down to "who's got the Chancellor?" and "can I bin a threat and reanimate it the same turn?". :)

As for the place of the deck on this forum, it is better for it to be kept in the shadows. It has seen too much spotlights recently and we do not want every player on the planet to pack a full set of GY-hate in their Sideboards, thanks. :)

I agree on both issues :). Yes, better to keep a low profile while we can!