[Deck] Reanimator

[Karhumies]

Since most of our main (creature/discard/animation/disrupt -wise) seems to have been put roughly into place, and since we have agreed that including a variety of creatures in the SB is a generally good idea (partly because we don't really know what else to include as the 3-4 last SB slots), I would like to get a discussion started about which creatures should be MD/SB in what kinds of metas now after New Phyrexia.

MD 7-8x creature, incl. 3 JGCA seems to be somewhat given. So 4-5 slots to play with.
SB 3-4x optional creature seems like a good number as well.


JGCA
+ Our best target
- Dredge
- Legendary (Karakas; also prevents 2nd identical animation)
- StoP
- Low power = slow racer by himself
Verdict: General target. Best creature versus unknown opponent.
Position: MD 3x

Iona, our "fallen star"
+ Mono-colored decks; however, Elesh can be better versus some mono decks with Vial (Merfolk, Goblins) and combo Elves
+ Protection versus removal by denying one color
- Often strictly worse than JGCA as T2 animation target against unknown opponent
- Legendary
- No vigilance; no blocking
Verdict: Mix of generalist and specialist target. Requires information about the opponent to be played correctly. Crushes some decks completely while merely OK against others.
Position: MD 1x + possibly SB 1x.

Sphinx of the Steel Wind
+ Goblins
+ Burn (although worse than Iona)
+ Zoo
+ Non-legendary
+ Life-gain
+ Vigilance = blocking!!
+ Protection from red (Goblins, Zoo/Lightning Bolt) and green (Tarmogoyf, KotR)
- StoP
Verdict: Generalist target. Weak against StoP, otherwise excellent racer.
Position: MD 1x

Blazing Archon
+ Merfolk
+ Tokens
+ Non-legendary
- StoP
- only 6 toughness for targeted damage, without prot. red
Verdict: General target. Not too slow.
Position: MD 1x

Inkwell Leviathan
+ Landstill (Pernicious Deed is very bad removal against Leviathan)
+ Shroud
+ Non-legendary
+ Trample
- No real capabilities to defend us from taking damage, unlike Sphinx/Iona/Archon/Terastodon
Verdict: Specialist target. Good mainly against decks which do not want to kill us in combat.
Position: SB 1x ? But close to being MD stuff.

Elesh Norn
+ Decreases opponent's combat
+ Elves
+ Dredge: absolutely crushes this MU
+ Handles Belcher/TES tokens
- StoP
- Legendary
Verdict: Like Iona, a mixture of a general and specialist target. But geared more towards the specialist end. Completely useless only in combo MU; absolutely crushes some MUs. Also utility: kills even Peacekeeper.
Position: SB 1x. Comes in as a specialist "improved Blazing Archon".

Terastodon
+ 18 power = 2 turn clock
+ Removal (Humility, Moat, etc.)
+ Non-legendary
+ Provides small blockers while big Fant can bash face
- "Slow" (T3 for 3 lands)
- Risky to blow up own lands
Verdict: No longer needed to handle combo decks (T2 animation -> T3 kill) because JGCA is strictly better in that MU. However, provides utility by removing combat-preventing non-creature permanents. Also, non-legendary.
Position: Sideboard 1x

Platinum Emperion
- FoW
- Fetches
- StoP
- No evasion
+ Non-legendary
+ Lossless Reanimates (and Thoughtseizes)
+ Excellent "last ditch resort"
Verdict: No longer needed to handle combo decks.
Position: No longer needed for SB.

Empyrial Archangel
+ Shroud
+ Zoo; although worse than Sphinx (well, at least better than most of our other options)
+ Non-legendary
- Slow clock
Verdict: General target. Jack of all trades, but a master of none? However: amazing 2nd animation target.
Position: No longer strictly needed for SB -> META choice?

Stormtide Leviathan
+ Evasion!!
+ Larger body than B.Archon
+ Zoo
+ Non-legendary
- StoP
- Merfolk
Verdict: Specialist offense target. 3 turn clock with insane evasion, while holding back the opponent. Possibly our best creature vs Zoo? But very weak against Merfolk.
Position: META choice for SB. Close to being a SB auto-include.

META possibilities for SB:
- Empyrial Archangel
- Stormtide Leviathan
- Massacre Wurm
- Sundering Titan
- Akroma, Angel of Wrath / Fury
- Angel of Despair
- Demon of Death's Gate
- It That Betrays
- Pathrazer of Ulamog
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Platinum Emperion
- Magmatic Force
- Platinum Angel
- Others?

BAD choices:
- Archangel of Strife (strictly worse than Demon of Death's Gate)


...which would result in:

MD
3x JGCA
1x Sphinx
1x Archon
1x Iona
1x Flex slot (Inkwell?)
(1x Flex slot - Elesh Norn or a 2nd copy of another creature?)

SB
1x Inkwell / META slot
1x Terastodon
1x Elesh Norn
(1x Iona / META slot)