[Deck] Reanimator

[Equinozio]

Why can't you do that with Hapless Researcher as well? Exhume, creature you want gets exiled, so you sac the Researcher, draw a card, and then discard another creature to bring back with the original Exhume. Is there something I'm missing?

If you have only one discard outlet aka ( putrid or hapless ) you can only do that with putrid. But you need two creatures on hand... :$

[fdiv_bug]

If you have only one discard outlet aka ( putrid or hapless ) you can only do that with putrid. But you need two creatures on hand... :$

OK, I must be confused here. I'm gonna break it down step by step. Here's how this plays out with Putrid Imp:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your, say, Iona from the yard.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Putrid Imp's ability to discard, say, Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

Here's Hapless Researcher:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your Iona.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Hapless Researcher's ability sacrificing him to draw a card, then discard Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

The net effect seems identical to me, aside from Hapless Researcher's ability cantripping and leaving you with the same number of cards in hand at the cost of his life, whereas Putrid Imp can be used repeatedly for such shenanigans. What am I overlooking? Is the repeatability the important part?

[Equinozio]

Is the repeatability the important part?

I guess... But blue and 'cantrip' seems very nice too.

[fdiv_bug]

I guess... But blue and 'cantrip' seems very nice too.

I agree. I'm actually more in favor of Hapless Researcher for those very reasons, despite having been a PImp fan for a while.

[ac3eb]

How about a 2/2 split between HR and PImp? Sometimes having a constant discard outlet can be better, whereas having a couple more blue spells is great for FOW (which I have found to be great in last night's testing).

On a side note, the aggro match-ups I've played (zoo and goblins) have been fairly straightforward (though weirding and stingscourger can be problematic at times of course). D&T hasn't been that much of an issue either, the 4 pithing needle really shine. However, CB is quite rampant lately, and I feel like having a couple more maindeck counters might be beneficial?

I was thinking somewhere along the lines of... -1 PImp, -1 stormtide leviathan, +2 spell pierce. 1 less PImp and 1 less creature go hand in hand, and spell pierce is a great answer to nearly any hate you can encounter during T1-4?

[RexFTW]

OK, I must be confused here. I'm gonna break it down step by step. Here's how this plays out with Putrid Imp:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your, say, Iona from the yard.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Putrid Imp's ability to discard, say, Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

Here's Hapless Researcher:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your Iona.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Hapless Researcher's ability sacrificing him to draw a card, then discard Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

The net effect seems identical to me, aside from Hapless Researcher's ability cantripping and leaving you with the same number of cards in hand at the cost of his life, whereas Putrid Imp can be used repeatedly for such shenanigans. What am I overlooking? Is the repeatability the important part?

PImp can discard the original, and the second though.

[vikram]

Novablast Wurm seems like it has decimate potential. It can sometimes kill Emrakul as well. I like it over Terastodon vs aggro decks.

[ac3eb]

I don't think terastodon is the creature you want to be entomb'ing against aggro. Iona perhaps? Or sphinx of steel wind against gobbos. Novablast gets killed by a path, swords, etc.

[Peruzo]

I just love the undead gladiator, it's one of my favorite cards of all time, It cycles every card in your deck with a little time!

[Dia_Bot]

I just love the undead gladiator, it's one of my favorite cards of all time, It cycles every card in your deck with a little time!

Still it is a bit too mana intensive for my taste.

[konsultant]

Not for nothing and I haven't really gone throw all the pages here. It seams like people are so hung up on the blue splash. I've gone back to Black with green in the s/b.

I feel like you have to do two things with this deck.

first is go fast

second is make sure you put the correct creature into play.

He is my list that I've been using and working on. For the people that care.

3 Duress
4 Thoughtseize
4 Entomb
4 Undead Gladiator
4 Buried Alive
4 Reanimate
4 Exhume
4 Animate Dead
4 Dark Ritual
2 Lotus Petal
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Sphinx of the Steelwind
1 Blazing Archon
1 Reya Dawnbringer
1 Novablast Wurm

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bayou
2 Ancient Tomb
6 Swamp

S/B

4 Krosan Grip
3 Pithing Needle
1 Thunder Dragon
4 Cabal Therapy
3 City of Solitude

This is the "B/U Reanimator Thread". Perhaps you should start a B/G Reanimator thread.

[The Pharmacist]

This is the "B/U Reanimator Thread". Perhaps you should start a B/G Reanimator thread.

Goodpoint!

[ac3eb]

I've been testing out the 11th place - SCG reanimator list quite extensively over the past few days, and felt uncomfortable with two things:

1) Not enough blue spells to pitch to FOW
2) Not enough card draw/selection

What I noticed from playing the deck over and over is that it suffers, as with every combo deck I guess, of variance. More importantly, it only runs 4 brainstorm and 4 careful study as "card draw", and I often found myself holding 2 exhume, a reanimate and no way to put a creature in the graveyard (or vice versa).

Also, and what perhaps bothered me the most, was the lack of blue cards I had available to pitch to FOW. Because the deck only runs 17 lands and not a lot of card draw, I always wanted to use my brainstorms and careful studies to find an extra land (getting to 2 lands was a lot more annoying than I thought it'd be) or just whatever card I was lacking.

I made a few changes that I propose below:

Artifact Creatures
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind

Creatures
1 Blazing Archon
2 Putrid Imp
1 Stormtide Leviathan
1 Terastodon
+1 Hapless Researcher

Enchantments
3 Animate Dead

Instants
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Entomb
4 Force of Will

Legendary Creatures
2 Iona, Shield of Emeria

Sorceries
4 Careful Study
4 Exhume
4 Reanimate
+2 Ponder

Basic Lands
4 Island
4 Swamp

Lands
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea

I took out a PImp and P. emperion for 2 ponders. I also switched 1 PImp for 1 H. researcher as it performs a very similar role in the deck but also digs you a card and pitches to FOW. This gives you 3 more spells to pitch to FOW and lets you filter through the deck a bit more. The changes aren't huge obviously, but I've been testing it and I liked the changes. I also want to fit an extra land somewhere, probably another bloodstained mire, as I ended up having to mulligan way too much because I just didn't have lands.

[RexFTW]

1) Not enough blue spells to pitch to FOW
2) Not enough card draw/selection

What I noticed from playing the deck over and over is that it suffers, as with every combo deck I guess, of variance. More importantly, it only runs 4 brainstorm and 4 careful study as "card draw", and I often found myself holding 2 exhume, a reanimate and no way to put a creature in the graveyard (or vice versa).

Also, and what perhaps bothered me the most, was the lack of blue cards I had available to pitch to FOW. Because the deck only runs 17 lands and not a lot of card draw, I always wanted to use my brainstorms and careful studies to find an extra land (getting to 2 lands was a lot more annoying than I thought it'd be) or just whatever card I was lacking.

I have been testing Unmask with great success. It helps address the same 2 points you are making: you dont pitch blue cards, and it can be a discard outlet. It also enables turn 1 unmask -> reanimate draws.


There are 2 keys to playing this deck I think:
1) Always "go for it" as soon as possible. Build your deck to go off as quickly as possible.
2) Creature choice is key.

[The Pharmacist]

My deck list is much different then what you guys play, but I'm going to test this out. I was just wondering if anyone has tried or thought of this

Emerakul the Aeons Torn Trigger on the stack
Shallow Grave

I should also tell you that I play Dark Ritual in my list. So I could do this on turn 1

[Lejay]

What's the point of doing this turn 1 ? You used 3 cards to put your opponent on 5 and you still have to reanimate another creature to win.

[Shabbaman]

OK, I must be confused here. I'm gonna break it down step by step. Here's how this plays out with Putrid Imp:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your, say, Iona from the yard.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Putrid Imp's ability to discard, say, Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

Here's Hapless Researcher:

1. You cast Exhume.
2. In response, they exile your Iona.
3. After they exile her, but still before Exhume resolves, you activate Hapless Researcher's ability sacrificing him to draw a card, then discard Inkwell Leviathan.
4. No one else does anything, so Exhume brings your Leviathan back.

The net effect seems identical to me, aside from Hapless Researcher's ability cantripping and leaving you with the same number of cards in hand at the cost of his life, whereas Putrid Imp can be used repeatedly for such shenanigans. What am I overlooking? Is the repeatability the important part?

Like RexFTW says:

PImp can discard the original, and the second though.

Your walkthrough misses a "step 0": how to get the Iona in the yard. Turn 1 PImp, turn 2, discard Iona, Exhume. With Hapless Researcher you go turn 1 Hapless Researcher, turn 2 Entomb/Careful Study, turn 3... I admit that Hapless Researcher is a nice card, and I admit that it's very blue (and useful to pitch to FoW). Don't get greedy when you're looking at the cantrip. There are downsides to running Hapless Researcher: you have no fodder to sacrifice to something like Warren Weirding, there's no fodder that sticks around to block, you can only use the discard ability once. I think this is listed from relevant to less relevant. "Pitches to FoW" might come at the first place, but cantrip is way down the list.

[fdiv_bug]

Your walkthrough misses a "step 0": how to get the Iona in the yard. Turn 1 PImp, turn 2, discard Iona, Exhume. With Hapless Researcher you go turn 1 Hapless Researcher, turn 2 Entomb/Careful Study, turn 3...

Where was the Iona at the beginning of all this? In your hand? If so, you can either discard her by activating Putrid Imp's ability, or discard her after drawing a card by activating Hapless Researcher's ability. If the Iona starts in your hand -- or is the top card of your library, in Hapless Researcher's case, which seems even better if a bit lucksack -- then there is still no difference about what they can do. Turn 1 Island -> Hapless Researcher. Turn 2 sacrifice the Researcher -> draw 1, discard Iona; Swamp -> Exhume. Same thing as with Putrid Imp.

Hapless Researcher could get Stifled which would be a bummer since the discard isn't part of the cost the way Putrid Imp's is, but without Stifle in your opponent's hand then I'm still not understanding why the Putrid Imp is so much better.

[Shabbaman]

Where was the Iona at the beginning of all this? In your hand? If so, you can either discard her by activating Putrid Imp's ability, or discard her after drawing a card by activating Hapless Researcher's ability.

Yes, but after you've used the PImp's ability you can use it again to discard the second fatty. You can't discard a second fatty with Hapless Researcher after you've used it's abilty. This lets you play around Tormod's Crypt, for example.

[fdiv_bug]

Yes, but after you've used the PImp's ability you can use it again to discard the second fatty. You can't discard a second fatty with Hapless Researcher after you've used it's abilty. This lets you play around Tormod's Crypt, for example.

That is true, and is something I mentioned in my longer post, above. So it seems to me that's the only real tradeoff between the two -- repeatability versus Force of Will food. I think I'll continue using Hapless Researcher, myself, but that's not to say it's strictly better than Putrid Imp, just strictly different.