[Deck] Mono Black Reanimator, slow version

[John Rohan]

Here is the overview: This is a reanimator deck that instead of acting like explosive combo and getting huge advantage early, like most reanimators, instead its slowed down with lots of protection and acts more like a control deck. Since it lasts longer, almost all the creatures are hard castable, which also means that graveyard hate, like Leyline of the Void, is not fatal to this deck.

I playtested this deck a little while ago against other top tier decks, and it was spectacular. I took it to my local shop on Legacy night (it's a pretty hardcore crowd) and i tied for first, which was the best I had ever done there. So then I tried it in GP Richmond and I didn't do very well. Then two weeks later i made a couple adjustments, took it back to my local shop and it was 50-50.

I know my play ability and my sideboard choices are part of my issue rather than the deck itself (I lost at least one match at the GP due to not understanding a rule). Still this deck could be improved. Consistency is definitely an issue - seems like most games are either a breeze, or they are too tough. It is VERY weak against other reanimator decks, which is why I have so much sideboard for that. It's not great against storm combos either, although it can win a fair amount of time.

I was curious about everyone's thoughts.


Creatures
4x Oona's Prowler
1x Grave Titan
1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
1x Griselbrand
1x Sundering Titan
1x It that Betrays

Spells
4x Dark Ritual
4x Entomb
2x Collective Brutality
4x Exhume
4x Hymn to Tourach
3x Drown in Sorrow
3x Nevinyrral's Disk
1x Damnation
3x Dread Return
1x Beseech the Queen

Lands
1x Karakas
1x Lake of the Dead
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Wasteland
18x Swamp

Sideboard
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Bojuka Bog
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
3x Faerie Macabre
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Tidespout Tyrant
1x Ashen Rider



I know some of the card choices seem unusual but I promise there is a reason for each. I'll address a couple obvious ones:

Such as why only 1 wasteland? I originally was playing with 4, but then I noticed I was almost never using them for their special ability, but instead I was holding them for mana, since my spells were on a higher cost curve. This is especially true in an environment where people use Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or similar cards. And too often I would draw a couple wastelands when I specifically need more black mana. However, I can't cut it entirely. I sometimes need it to get rid of an opponents Karakas or Maze of Ith. I can tutor for that Wasteland with Beseech the Queen if needed. That seems to get it the right amount of time.

Drown in Sorrow is amazing, and I think one of the most underrated cards ever. It gets rid of 90% of problem creatures in legacy, just sweeping them all away, then has scrye to boot.

Nev's disk is a blast from the past. One opponent laughed when he saw that because he hadn't seen anyone play that card since the 1990s (I beat him with it). But it is the only sweeper for mono black to get rid of problem artifacts or enchantments. Yes its slow, but with a dark rit, I can cast it on turn 2, and pop it off on turn 3. I usually don't want it earlier than that anyway, because it works best if you give your opponent time to put more stuff on the table. It's insane against affinity decks, destroying many of their lands too. Gets rid of graveyard hate.

Instead of 4x Griselbrand I prefer the toolbox approach with a choice of fat creatures. There are times when Gris is not the best choice (especially if there's a Karakas on the board), and surgical extraction isn't so damaging when you use one of each fat creature instead.

Maybe its my bias showing, but I never liked Reanimate. Too often I would draw it but be too low on life to use it. In fact, getting rid of that card was basically the catalyst to develop this deck in the first place. That's why it's not in there.

Why not Cabal Therapy (or similar)? Maybe I should. But those spells are fine if you are going for the win right out the gate, but in a longer game, too often I get an opponents Chalice of the Void which shuts own all 1 cc spells, and I'm already running 8 of those as it is.

Thoughts? (constructive please)

[Marethyu]

Entomb is listed as a 4 of twice. What’s the point of urborg, tomb of yawgmoth instead of another swamp or fast mana? Putrid imp or more collective brutality’s seem better than oona’s prowler. Discard spells like thoughtseize and cabal therapy also do a good job of disrupting your opponent while protecting your own gameplan. In a pinch, you can also use them to pitch a creature to the graveyard. How often is dread return good? It looks like its your only reanimation spell. So indeed, it looks like your primary plan is to hard cast a creature, of which there are only 5 real game winners. All of them are pretty susceptible to something like swords to plowshares.

It could be better to use dark ritual to ramp into things like liliana of the veil, liliana, the last hope, or a cheaper creature like phyrexian obliterator if you really want to go the control route. Pack rat is a creature that sometimes sees play in br reanimator sideboards. In the sideboard, you have even more fatties, but dread return remains your only way to really get them onto the battlefield, especially as they’re off color. Bojuka bog also doesn’t hit turn one reanimation or other combo kills; surgical extraction would be more useful. Overall, there aren’t many cards that demand an answer. It seems simple enough to just counter a grave titan that was hardcast with dark ritual and then watch as you draw things like damnation and drown in sorrow and swamp. Those probably belong in the sideboard unless your meta is infested with creatures. The deck seems excruciatingly slow without the benefit of dark ritual.

Personally, I prefer nonlegendary creatures to play around karakas rather than having the one of wasteland. Something like inferno titan. Also no Iona?

[John Rohan]

Entomb is listed as a 4 of twice.

Thanks. That was a typo, it should be 4xEntomb and 4xExhume. Fixed now.

What’s the point of urborg, tomb of yawgmoth instead of another swamp or fast mana?

Maybe you are right - the Urborg is a holdover from when I had 4x Wasteland.

Putrid imp or more collective brutality’s seem better than oona’s prowler.

Putrid Imp - maybe. It's faster, but the problem is I need blockers too to hold out my game plan a little longer, and the Imp often hits threshold. Also, planeswalkers are a huge problem for this deck, since it lasts longer the planeswalkers can often max out on loyalty counters. Since it's a 3/1 flyer, Oona's Prowler really helps against those. And sometimes they win the game by themselves.

It could be better to use dark ritual to ramp into things like liliana of the veil, liliana, the last hope, or a cheaper creature like phyrexian obliterator if you really want to go the control route. Pack rat is a creature that sometimes sees play in br reanimator sideboards... Bojuka bog also doesn’t hit turn one reanimation or other combo kills; surgical extraction would be more useful. Overall, there aren’t many cards that demand an answer. It seems simple enough to just counter a grave titan that was hardcast with dark ritual and then watch as you draw things like damnation and drown in sorrow and swamp. Those probably belong in the sideboard unless your meta is infested with creatures. The deck seems excruciatingly slow without the benefit of dark ritual.

I ran with Liliana of the Veil for awhile, the problem is I usually can't protect her and she dies quickly. Liliana, the last hope is worth trying - she is able to protect herself somewhat. And Pack Rat - maybe?

Damnation could be sideboarded. Yes, Drown in Sorrow is good enough for the main deck. I could almost call it the engine for this deck. It gets rid of Thalia, True Name Nemesis, Dark Confident, Delver, goblin charbelcher tokens, etc almost every creature popular right now except for Serra Avenger.

Also no Iona?

Iona, along with Sphinx of the Steel Wind, used to be auto-includes, but they were cut because I didn't have slots for them. I just didn't sideboard them in enough to warrant that slot, at least in my meta.