[Deck] Reanimator

[zzzzax]

I recently decided to play reanimator. The list I decided on was my own build:

3 Jin-Gitaxias
1 Iona
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Terrastadon
1 Inkwell
1 Elesh norn
(8)

4 Force
3 Daze
2 Thoughtseize
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
4 Careful Study
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
3 Animate Dead
4 Reanimate
(35)


4 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Marsh Flats
2 Island
2 Swamp
4 Underground Sea
(17)

SB:
2 Show and Tell
2 Chain of Vapor
1 Empyrial Archangel
1 Blazing Archon
2 Echoing Truth
1 Pithing Needle
3 Spell Pierce
2 Thoughtseize
1 Surgical Extraction


I've played this exact list for 3 different local events to an overall record of 12-2. Losing to dredge in the finals of one event and to zoo with triple crypt in the semi's of another. The local metagame is a good representative of the SCG open meta, with several RUG, Stoneblade, TES, Dredge, Maverick lists as well as an imperial painter, show and tell, Enchantress, Merfolk, Gobos, elves, etc.

From my limited experience with the deck thoughtseize is by far been the best performer overall, followed closely by daze. Post board echoing truth and CoV have only won me 2 games... Show and tell seems to be a better board choice locally. I am going to be tooling with a 75 that has 4 show and tell in it, most likely cutting the Pithing needle, and some number of echoing truths and CoV. I also would like to up the thoughtsieze count in the main.

I tend to experiment with my sideboard plans depending on what has been working for me on that day. But typically I win game one...I then board out dazes, some number of reanimate spells and bring in the show and tells, thoughtseizes, and bounce spells. If there is a game 3 I bring the dazes back in and board out/in the correct hate against their grave hate. If they are playing non leyline hate I tend to board out all bounce spells, up my thoughtsiezes to 4 and board in 3 spell pierce. Force them to blow a crypt or relic on a jin or a fatty that isnt useful at the time, and proceed to iona, elesh lock them on the following turn with some permission i.e. thoughtseize, or counter back up.

[Dzra]

I like the idea of splashing Red for Faithless Looting a lot. I can definitely see dropping Ponder for it; however, I can't even imagine dropping Brainstorm like that Italian list.

Also, why doesn't Platinum Emperion see play? It seems much better against decks like Burn and Delver than Blazing Archon. It's also another solid creature for Tendrils and Belcher. The only downside I see is that it gets hit by Pridemage, but I guess that might be enough to cut it? Maybe Sphinx of the Steel Wind is just better than either.

[paeng4983]

1st timer user, used this deck yesterday in a small legacy tournament. And here's what I can still recall:

RD1 gobs win
won my 1st game via turn two or three, was it, reanimating Sphinx of the Steel Wind. For my 2nd win, inkwell. :-)

RD2 bant lost
Lost due to no reanimate came to my aid despite of several cantrips.
Lost again, I have show and tell at hand and i did not drew any creatures.

RD3 bgw rock lost
I gave the win. He's my teammate and I told him that he has better chances of getting to a 4-1 than me. its my 1st time with this deck and for sure, i will have misplays later on. I know how to beat this deck but me behind the wheels, uhmm noob level.

RD4 rug win
I rode Iona angel naming RED. From there, he never recovered.
for my 2nd win, I decided to bin and reanimate empyrial angel and to give more pressure, I added elesh norn to the party to secure my position for a 2-1 win-loss card.

RD5 W_stax
Iona na for both game, naming W, gave me the win.

:-)


Careful study is enough. Its blue, you can pitch it for FOW. and it does not screw you on your mana. Unlike faithless, as I see it, there might be a time that you'll need B and you have a UR land on your table.

[PirateKing]

Also, why doesn't Platinum Emperion see play?

PROS:
a) Stops us from losing the game in a few matchups.
b) Lets us Reanimate without life loss.

CONS:
a) Doesn't really help us win the game much, the body isn't much to write home about.
b) No evasion gets it killed a number of ways.
c) Not being able to pay life means no Force of Will or Lim-Dul's Vault.

I find it worked best in select meta's or when I wanted a 1-2 creature blowout, but in general, I need to run the game under the assumption that with the disruption and removal my opponent is running, I'm good for only one creature, and so it needs to be all the creature I need. Jin-Giataxis, Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Inkwell Leviathan all step up, and Platinum Emperion always came up short when it came time.

But that's not to say you shouldn't try. Some very successful builds run it, give it a try and let us know.

[TerribleTim68]

...Also, why doesn't Platinum Emperion see play? It seems much better against decks like Burn and Delver than Blazing Archon. It's also another solid creature for Tendrils and Belcher. ...

...I find it worked best in select meta's or when I wanted a 1-2 creature blowout, but in general, I need to run the game under the assumption that with the disruption and removal my opponent is running, I'm good for only one creature, and so it needs to be all the creature I need. Jin-Giataxis, Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Inkwell Leviathan all step up, and Platinum Emperion always came up short when it came time.

But that's not to say you shouldn't try. Some very successful builds run it, give it a try and let us know.

I plan to run 1 SB and was thinking the only time I would really side it in would be against aggressive burn or something like TES. But even then, it was going to be the "win-more" card I try to reanimate second, not the "go to" guy.

[The Big Ragu]

Thoughts???

[Aggro_zombies]

What an enormously obnoxious EDH card.

As for Legacy, it doesn't stack up favorably against StP, Path, or Karakas.

[Dzra]

Disappointing. It might have been playable if it read Shroud instead of Indestructible, but it doesn't really affect the gamestate when it enters the battlefield and it loves to go plowing.

On a different note, has anyone considered replacing the Animate Dead and maybe a Ponder with Personal Tutor? This gives you more options to find the other half of the combo (Careful Study or Reanimate). It also makes SBed Show and Tell even more appealing.

[JDK]

Thoughts???

No. Please stop considering bad cards.

Sword, Path, Karakas, Maze...this card has so many openings...

[PirateKing]

Thoughts???

How often do you find your game losses through lethal damage and destroy effects?
Only thing I can think of is Maelstrom Pulse, and perhaps Wasteland, but I don't think I've ever contributed a loss to getting Wasteland'd.

As others have said, walking a creature into Swords to Plowshares, Knight of the Reliquary into Karakas, or worst ever playing Show and Tell putting down a Sphinx of the Steel Wind and they put down an Oblivion Ring.

Short answer, indestructible closes very little gaps in our overall weaknesses.

If this was shroud or hexproof on the other hand, I'm hard pressed to see how we wouldn't be top deck for ages. Maybe see more Wrath of God's to take out our 1 creature.

[Justin]

Yeah, the new angel doesn't make the cut in today's Reanimator. I think that shows the power creep of huge reanimate targets. Five years ago, an 8/8 flying, vigilant indestructible would have been great (a faster clock than Akroma by a turn). So many great big creatures have been printed since then.

[paeng4983]

the angel is a Stax material, not reanimator material.

[TheXile]

the angel is a Stax material, not reanimator material.

She is not stax material either..she's new player and angel collector material, that is all.

[csy]

She sucks. But the latest angel is at least a potential sideboard candidate.

[JDK]

She sucks. But the latest angel is at least a potential sideboard candidate.

Against what? Pox and BUG? Iona does a better job by cutting off black.

[Tenbin]

Against what? Pox and BUG? Iona does a better job by cutting off black.

I hear the ability is okay against Emrakul and friends as well...

[csy]

Ding. Some ones thinking about the meta.

[JDK]

I hear the ability is okay against Emrakul and friends as well...

Blazing Archon is calling.

There is no place in Reanimator for this card (unless there's a shift in the meta). I know, we all want to see some neat new fatties to abuse for our deck. It's the same in other decks: Everyone wants to try new cards and possibly find a leap to the next level.

BUT: All the other creatures already cover the area where the angel is good for, plus more.

[Tenbin]

Blazing Archon is calling.

There is no place in Reanimator for this card (unless there's a shift in the meta). I know, we all want to see some neat new fatties to abuse for our deck. It's the same in other decks: Everyone wants to try new cards and possibly find a leap to the next level.

BUT: All the other creatures already cover the area where the angel is good for, plus more.

Blazing Archon is good and all against elves but Sneak & Tell would board in bounce against reanimator and that deck also plays intuition to find it. The angel cannot be bounced.

I will however concede that Archon has broader applications as it stops Zoo etc as well.

You may think that the card is bad, but I find the attitude where you say it's bad. period. is a bit counter-productive. I personally believe that there's no harm in a bit of discussion regarding new cards, the opposite actually.

The new angel is good against Pox, Emrakul and some other decks. If a meta does not have Zoo or Merfolk I might actually be inclined to play the angel instead of Archon.

But again, I do see your point.

[JDK]

I never said it was bad. I said there are better choices in the current metagame.

btw Intuition on bounce is unlikely, given that most Sneak Attack decks play 0-2 bounce spells in the sideboard. They do however play more counters than Reanimator does, which is irrelevant for the choice between the Angel and Archon.