jamis
01-28-2013, 07:26 PM
When Scars of Mirrodin was released, I became heavily invested in playing Necrotic Ooze Reanimator. For those unfamiliar with the deck, it was a Blue/Black combo deck based around casting Buried Alive for Necrotic Ooze, Triskelion, and Phyrexian devourer. Once Griselbrand was printed, however, I could not justify playing the the deck over the standard Blue/Black reanimator decks, and began playing UB Reanimator instead. It seems most everyone else who was involved with the deck moved on, as well, and the deck died out.
After trying my hand at several different decks, I've come back to Necrotic Ooze. The idea this time being instead of replacing Necrotic Ooze with Griselbrand, to play them alongside each other. The idea isn't terribly new. Drew Levinhad proposed such a deck. His list, which can be found here (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/24649-Where-Did-Griselbrand-Go.html), stays true to the Blue/Black shell and replaces the Personal Tutors and Lim-Dul's Vaults for Entombs and Griselbrands.
Personally, though, I do not think there's enough room in a 60 card deck to jam in Entomb, Buried Alive, and FoW. Because of this, his list is only playing 1 Necrotic Ooze, which when adding Griselbrand and Entomb, I feel you absolutely want 4 of. In my opinion, you can only fit in 2 of the 3 cards. You can play Buried Alive/FoW such as the old Ooze Reanimator lists, you can go the standard UB Reanimator Entomb/FoW route, or you can go mono-black for Entomb/Buried alive. This list is the third option.
Main Deck
3 Putrid Imp
3 Griselbrand
4 Necrotic Ooze
1 Phyrexian Devourer
1 Triskelion
4 Entomb
4 Buried Alive
4 Reanimate
2 Exhume
4 Shallow Grave
2 Hymn to Tourach
4 Thoughtseize
4 Dark Ritual
4 Lotus Petal
16 Swamp
This route gives you quite a few ways to win. The first is a TinFins-like win. You swing with Griselbrand, draw 7-21 cards, then combo off with Necrotic Ooze. Alternatively, you can get Ooze onto the battlefield, put Griselbrand in the graveyard, and proceed that way. This is the main draw to playing 4 Necrotic Ooze over a Singleton -- though it is not the only reason.
You also still have the option of going for the straight Buried Alive/Reanimate win condition. No Griselbrand involved. Since the deck now plays 4 Necrotic Ooze, Necrotic Ooze now functions as a pseudo Reanimation spell where Buried Alive/Necrotic Ooze is also a more reliable option.
A third option is Necrotic Ooze beatdown. If you untap with Necrotic Ooze with Entomb in hand, an unblocked Necrotic Ooze will win if your opponent doesn't have removal. You attack, if no blockers are declared, entomb Phyrexian Devourer, and pump the Ooze. As long as BGx decks are relying on Abrupt Decay being their only removal spell, this plan is fairly solid. If your opponent has W open, you should go for Griselbrand over Devourer.
The Sideboard
The sideboard with the old Ooze Reanimator deck was pretty awkward. There was no solid plan, and I ended up alternating between Show & Tell/Emrakul, Doomsday/Shelldock Isle, and straight-up anti-hate cards like Pithing Needle/Echoing Truth, etc. This deck may end up going the same route, where there is no single option. However, for the time being, I've been playing the following semi-tranformational sideboard:
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Desecration Demon
4 Snuff Out
3 Liliana of the Veil
The idea being that you can board out the Ooze plan, keep the Griselbrand plan, then bring in Obliterators and Desecration Demons that you can accelerate into. Use Snuff Out as Tempo Removal, and Liliana that can also come down turn 1 and also helps with the reanimate plan. You still keep in reanimation spells that will recycle your Demons and Horrors, and if your opponent is lacking on hate, you still have the Reanimate Griselbrand plan.
After trying my hand at several different decks, I've come back to Necrotic Ooze. The idea this time being instead of replacing Necrotic Ooze with Griselbrand, to play them alongside each other. The idea isn't terribly new. Drew Levinhad proposed such a deck. His list, which can be found here (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/24649-Where-Did-Griselbrand-Go.html), stays true to the Blue/Black shell and replaces the Personal Tutors and Lim-Dul's Vaults for Entombs and Griselbrands.
Personally, though, I do not think there's enough room in a 60 card deck to jam in Entomb, Buried Alive, and FoW. Because of this, his list is only playing 1 Necrotic Ooze, which when adding Griselbrand and Entomb, I feel you absolutely want 4 of. In my opinion, you can only fit in 2 of the 3 cards. You can play Buried Alive/FoW such as the old Ooze Reanimator lists, you can go the standard UB Reanimator Entomb/FoW route, or you can go mono-black for Entomb/Buried alive. This list is the third option.
Main Deck
3 Putrid Imp
3 Griselbrand
4 Necrotic Ooze
1 Phyrexian Devourer
1 Triskelion
4 Entomb
4 Buried Alive
4 Reanimate
2 Exhume
4 Shallow Grave
2 Hymn to Tourach
4 Thoughtseize
4 Dark Ritual
4 Lotus Petal
16 Swamp
This route gives you quite a few ways to win. The first is a TinFins-like win. You swing with Griselbrand, draw 7-21 cards, then combo off with Necrotic Ooze. Alternatively, you can get Ooze onto the battlefield, put Griselbrand in the graveyard, and proceed that way. This is the main draw to playing 4 Necrotic Ooze over a Singleton -- though it is not the only reason.
You also still have the option of going for the straight Buried Alive/Reanimate win condition. No Griselbrand involved. Since the deck now plays 4 Necrotic Ooze, Necrotic Ooze now functions as a pseudo Reanimation spell where Buried Alive/Necrotic Ooze is also a more reliable option.
A third option is Necrotic Ooze beatdown. If you untap with Necrotic Ooze with Entomb in hand, an unblocked Necrotic Ooze will win if your opponent doesn't have removal. You attack, if no blockers are declared, entomb Phyrexian Devourer, and pump the Ooze. As long as BGx decks are relying on Abrupt Decay being their only removal spell, this plan is fairly solid. If your opponent has W open, you should go for Griselbrand over Devourer.
The Sideboard
The sideboard with the old Ooze Reanimator deck was pretty awkward. There was no solid plan, and I ended up alternating between Show & Tell/Emrakul, Doomsday/Shelldock Isle, and straight-up anti-hate cards like Pithing Needle/Echoing Truth, etc. This deck may end up going the same route, where there is no single option. However, for the time being, I've been playing the following semi-tranformational sideboard:
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Desecration Demon
4 Snuff Out
3 Liliana of the Veil
The idea being that you can board out the Ooze plan, keep the Griselbrand plan, then bring in Obliterators and Desecration Demons that you can accelerate into. Use Snuff Out as Tempo Removal, and Liliana that can also come down turn 1 and also helps with the reanimate plan. You still keep in reanimation spells that will recycle your Demons and Horrors, and if your opponent is lacking on hate, you still have the Reanimate Griselbrand plan.