[Primer] BRx Griselbrand Reanimator

[Ingo]

I've been testing the green variant recently but the white variant has been popping up more regularly on mtgo. Thoughts in current meta?

I made count of lists featuring both Wear // Tear, and Reverent Silence, from 29/10/2016 (EE, where Kurtis Frazer Top8’ed - there are no lists with W/T before this date). 43 lists featuring Reverent Silence – 32 lists with Wear // Tear. So RevSi is still more popular with a share of 57% (not counting other lists without W/T or RevSi).

I was kinda surprised though to compare bigger events (dropping all 1-star events), 12 lists with W/T versus just 5 lists with RevSi. Or Wear // Tear seems more succesful in bigger events with a share of 70% (12/17). Ofcourse the amount of these bigger events is just 17, so this is a very limited amount of data to draw conclusions from. And sideboards consists of way more cards than RevSi - W/T, so maybe it has nothing to do with these specific cards.

[Darkness]

Anyone going to Vegas?

[AEMarling]

I'm going to Vegas and am considering Reanimator. How do you feel the hate climate will be? I've been testing against 2 Surgicals, 1 Cage graveyard hate, on average. Do you think it'd be worse than that?

[splorf]

I'm going to Vegas and am considering Reanimator. How do you feel the hate climate will be? I've been testing against 2 Surgicals, 1 Cage graveyard hate, on average. Do you think it'd be worse than that?

I'd recommend to prepare for Leyline of the Void as well.

[qomori]

I considered it for Vegas and got scared off by the hate. I know you have to run a bit hot in any GP, but it seems like we're still on the radar enough that it'd be really tough over that many rounds.

Def going to take the deck for a spin in a last chance trial though.

[Rocco111]

I considered it for Vegas and got scared off by the hate. I know you have to run a bit hot in any GP, but it seems like we're still on the radar enough that it'd be really tough over that many rounds.

Def going to take the deck for a spin in a last chance trial though.

I think this is like the worst approach:
If you want to play in the main event, it is better to have a little opportunities to show the deck in the trials as possible. Trials are often seen not only as a mean of "warming up for a big event" as well as "an opportunity to get byes" but also to get a feel for the meta of the main event. Therefore, hidding the deck during the trials will likely push players to change their SB and lower the hate towards a deck that seems under-represented.
In all major events, players know that there will be about all kind of decks, including fringe ones (like Cherioos, Belcher, Quinn and other ManalessDredge) but the percentage of players seriously aiming for the money will dedicate their 15 SB cards to beat the most represented decks as well as their "worst MUs".
So if you do not want to play the deck in the main event, try to do a favor to the ones who will and do not play it during the trials either.

M2c

[Quentin Coldman]

Last weeks I played 3 tournaments with the Collective-Brutality-list just to give it a try:

//Main
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Badlands
3 Polluted Delta
1 Scrubland
2 Swamp
3 Griselbrand
4 Chancellor of the Annex
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Grave Titan
2 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Collective Brutality
4 Thoughtseize
4 Entomb
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
4 Exhume
4 Reanimate
3 Animate Dead

//Sideboard
4 Wear // Tear
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Ashen Rider
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Phyrexian Obliterator
2 Massacre
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Surgical Extraction

First tournament 22 players:
2:1 vs Burn
2:1 vs Eldrazi Taxes
2:0 vs ANT
2:0 vs Patriot
1:2 vs UW Blade

I ended up second place

Second tournament 26 players:
2:0 vs Turbo Depths
2:0 vs Burn
2:0 vs Nic Fit
2:1 vs Bant Blade
2:0 vs Food Chain

I ended up first place

Thrid tournament 87 players:
2:1 vs Nic Fit
2:1 vs Lands
2:1 vs Mirror
2:0 vs Bant Blade
2:0 vs UW Blade
2:1 vs Elves
ID vs Elves

Quarterfinal:
1:2 vs Bant Blade

I ended up fifth place

Deck performed really awesome and the only changes I would make are some sideboardslots. Still not sure what list is better Unmask or Brutality.

[Zooligan]

Deck performed really awesome and the only changes I would make are some sideboardslots. Still not sure what list is better Unmask or Brutality.

I *really* enjoy playing 4 Brutality, 3 Thoughtseize, 1 Unmask. Reason being is Brutality provides so much utility as a discard outlet/2-toughness killa that I think anything other than a 4-of is a mistake, 3 TS provides it being in your opening hand fairly often, and the singleton Unmask shows up in many G-brand 7-14 when the card disadvantage it produces really isn't a disadvantage any longer (like it would be in an opening hand).

I haven't seen anyone else giving it a try, but like I said I really enjoy that configuration.

[NegatorITA]

Guys, why are people running wear//tear rather than reverent silence/decay combination?
Too many slots in the board? I know it's rare but solving two leyline at once and with 0 Mana seems good on paper, just wanted to know this.
I also see that online some one is trying 3 stronghold Gambit+3/4 show and tell as alternative win con, was never too much of a Gambit fan even if it won me a couple of games in the past

[Darkness]

I tested both and I just like the flexibility of Wear and Tear, adding sideboard slots gives me some piece of mind and that is a factor in any strategy. DRS doesn't seem to be a problem with Brutality.

I am start Sideboard guide for this primer and will be posting my 200 match results as I have done for Eldrazi. Expect it up within 1-1.5 months.

[Final Fortune]

So I've moved from Storm to Reanimator for a change of pace, and I thought I'd give my two cents.

Regarding the MD and SB arguments, I think B/r Reanimator's advantage is speed and if you're not committing to that angle then you're better off with B/u or B Reanimator instead. It shouldn't be a question of Unmask and Simian Spirit Guide or Collective Brutality and Thoughtseize, but MDing Unmask and Simian Spirit Guide and SBing Collective Brutality and Thoughtseize. This is why the W splash is better than the G splash, you increase your SB space with Wear/Tear so you can make room for Collective Brutality and Thoughtseize game 2. Because once you are on the draw, you no longer have the element of surprise and they have hate then you need cost efficient disruption.

[Darkness]

I *really* enjoy playing 4 Brutality, 3 Thoughtseize, 1 Unmask. Reason being is Brutality provides so much utility as a discard outlet/2-toughness killa that I think anything other than a 4-of is a mistake, 3 TS provides it being in your opening hand fairly often, and the singleton Unmask shows up in many G-brand 7-14 when the card disadvantage it produces really isn't a disadvantage any longer (like it would be in an opening hand).

I haven't seen anyone else giving it a try, but like I said I really enjoy that configuration.

I started to test this configuration and I must say I have been liking it a lot. The unmask is similiar to the chrome mox as you only want to see it after you've draw 7. It allows for some explosive post reanimate disruption in the early turns when you tap out to get Griselbrand in play. I have also been testing 2 Blood Moon in the board and has been doing a decent amount of work disrupting the sol land prison decks and I've even used it against 4c Loam which is a brick wall for them.

Here is my current 75

Creatures x10
4 Chancellor of the Annex
4 Griselbrand
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Tidespout Tyrant

Spells - 37
4 Animate Dead
4 Collective Brutality
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lotus Petal
4 Reanimate
3 Thoughtseize
1 Unmask
1 Chrome Mox

Lands - 13
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Badlands
2 Swamp
1 Scrubland

Sideboard - 15
4 Wear // Tear
2 Blood Moon
2 Duress
2 Pithing Needle
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Archetype of Endurance
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Grave Titan

[Zooligan]

I tested both and I just like the flexibility of Wear and Tear, adding sideboard slots gives me some piece of mind and that is a factor in any strategy. DRS doesn't seem to be a problem with Brutality.

I am start Sideboard guide for this primer and will be posting my 200 match results as I have done for Eldrazi. Expect it up within 1-1.5 months.

Really looking forward to your results and SB guide!

Glad you are giving the 4-3-1 disruption suite a go. I love it!

I've also been testing a trio of Silence in the side recently. Seems to do some work against the countermagic game I've been seeing out of many decks lately. ANT players also hate it when you cast it in response to their Dark Rit. It could even do some work in the mirror (esp pseudo-mirror against counter-heavy BU).

[Darkness]

No BR Reanimator in top 16 GP Vegas. Was all Delver/Miracles/Lands/BUG control, boring...

[DXpt]

There was some in top64, top32 even. The difference between 16th and 63rd place was a single point so it does not really matter if the deck was 24th (Caudill, Eddie), 46th (Anderson, Todd) or 16th...

[Atherion]

looks like everybody was running the show and tell SB option, would love to hear from them how it worked. Bbw, pity that Sullano opted to go for elesh norn instead of griselbrand in his MU against that control deck, diabolic edict and jace are a factor with a deck with 4 ponder and 4 brainstorm.

[JaiAlai]

Two questions:

1) Why maindeck Iona over Elesh Norn? If you go first usually you don't know what the opponent plays so, if you can reanimate on turn 1, usually you will find Griselbrand or Sire of insanity. Is not better leave Iona on the sideboard and use it when you know what you opponent plays? And if you use Collective Brutallity to fight against fast creatures shouldn't you maindeck Elesh Norn too?


2) Do you think that Sheoldred is a good choice in the sideboard against mirror and decks like Show & Tell?

[Darkness]

Two questions:

1) Why maindeck Iona over Elesh Norn? If you go first usually you don't know what the opponent plays so, if you can reanimate on turn 1, usually you will find Griselbrand or Sire of insanity. Is not better leave Iona on the sideboard and use it when you know what you opponent plays? And if you use Collective Brutallity to fight against fast creatures shouldn't you maindeck Elesh Norn too?


2) Do you think that Sheoldred is a good choice in the sideboard against mirror and decks like Show & Tell?

1) Because you have so much discard getting the information to choose the correct color is not that hard with this deck. Griselbrand will always be your first target in the blind. I think the real reason is because Iona is so good against the combo deck which are pretty rampant since the Top Banning. Plus, if Elesh was the staple one could make the same argument about not using Iona with so much combo. Elesh does squat against most combo decks.

2) No. Most SnS players know that the Show and Tell plan is poor against us they will try to win with Sneak Attack, Through the Breach or GY hate game 2 and 3.

[splorf]

Two questions:

1) Why maindeck Iona over Elesh Norn? If you go first usually you don't know what the opponent plays so, if you can reanimate on turn 1, usually you will find Griselbrand or Sire of insanity. Is not better leave Iona on the sideboard and use it when you know what you opponent plays? And if you use Collective Brutallity to fight against fast creatures shouldn't you maindeck Elesh Norn too?


2) Do you think that Sheoldred is a good choice in the sideboard against mirror and decks like Show & Tell?

Iona is sometimes able to lock the opponent game 1. The same is true for Elesh against some decks, so it depends on the meta you expect to face. I prefer Elesh, because it's nice to have a board wipe and in comparison it's the better game 1 T1 reanimation target against an unknown deck (it's a fringe setting, but it happens). Iona is a far better 2nd reanimation target in most cases, though.

I tried Sheoldred once and it wasn't good. It was either too slow or win-more.

[DNSolver]

Iona is better than Elesh Norn in the maindeck because:

1) Combo decks are the only decks that have a chance against you post-Griselbrand, and Iona locks them out pretty well. The fair decks are going to roll over to repeated Griselbrands or Tidespout + 10 spells.

2) Elesh Norn's effect is good against creature decks, which right now are Delver, Death and Taxes, Elves, Maverick, various Blade decks. Death and Taxes, Maverick, and Blade decks have Karakas and Swords to Plowshares to deal with Elesh Norn. At least Iona shuts off Swords. Elves is weak to either creature, as is Delver - probably name blue pre-board and black post-board for edict.

3) Against creature decks, Griselbrand's lifegain if often good enough (Delver) or drawing enough discard is good enough (Elves, blade decks) that you don't need Elesh Norn. I haven't played Elesh Norn in 18 months or so.