Hello all.

Obsessed as I am with reanimation cycle is a mechanic that gives some new tools for this kind of decks.

This is my approach that isn't working very well right now. Any help appreciated...

2x Supernatural stamina Nice to save your biggies and pump them up. Very fun in combination with Fling

3x Bloodrage brawler Self includer in reanimation decks.

2x Key to the city

2x Fling Throw that Plated Crusher to the face for the finish...

3x Cathartic reunion ¿Too much?

2x Languish

2x Yahenni's expertise

2x Archfiend of Ifnir Cycling and good for tokens/aggro if Key or other discard outlets on board

3x Necromantic summons

1x Liliana, death's majesty One additional reanimation with planeswalker attached

1x Linvala, the preserver

1x Noxious Gearhulk Can hard cast

1x Combustible Gearhulk Hard cast and damage / discard

1x Greenwarden of Murasa

2x Ever After

2x Plated crusher

2x Greater Sandwurm Cycling and useful (not sure of this one)

2x Never Do I need this for Planeswalker removal? Should I trust my biggies for that?

1x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

Lands: 25

10x Swamp

7x Mountain

2x Smoldering Marsh

2x Dragonskull summit

2x Drownyard temple

2x Geier Reach sanitarium

Smoething missing? Bad lands balance? Utter nonsense?

Hard to build a good reanimator deck in this meta, as reanimate costs at least 5 mana, and there is a dearth of *really juicy targets* and when you do hit an Ulamog or a Kozilek, you miss the cast trigger.

I would focus on three objectives to fuel the reanimate:
Fill opponent's graveyard (i.e. removal)
Fill my graveyard
Juicy Targets

BG shell

Removal
Fatal Pushx 2
Grasp of Darknessx 1
Murder x 2
Trial of Ambitionx 1
Never // Returnx 2
Battle at the Bridgex 2
Languish x 2
Ob Nixilis Reignitedx 1

Graveyard Fill
Gather the Packx 3
Grapple with the Pastx 2
Call the Bloodlinex 3

Juicy Targets
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hungerx 1
Kozilek, the Great Distortionx 1
Metalwork Colossusx 1
Gisela, the Broken Bladex 1
Bruna, the Fading Lightx 1
Omnath, Locus of Ragex 1
Erebos's Titanx 1 (Works well with kill/reanmimate)

Reanimate
Ever Afterx 2
Necromantic Summonsx 3
Rise from the Gravex 1
Liliana, Death's Majestyx 1

Lands(25)
2 x Geier Reach Sanitarium
2 x Hissing Quagmire
2 x Woodland Cemetery
3 x Forest
4 x Evolving Wilds(Good for Omnath)
14 x Swamp

Obviously you can't hard cast Gisela, Bruna or Omnath, but you're not planning to, and these are arguably some of the best reanimate targets. Ever After into Brisela is nice.

Looking at your build, I don't think you have enough targeted removal, and are relying too much on sweepers. They won't take out the big and juicy targets that your opponent might put out for you to reanimate. Battle at the Bridge is a great card as the life gain can be significant and it can also take out all the Gods, and even Ulamog if you have enough mana.

I might build the above, not sure that it will be very competitive, but might go well against ramp.

I say drop Archfiend of Ifnir. You dont have enough cycle to support it and it costs a lot. And you might need Gift of Paradise adds a mana source and that extra three life could come in handy since the deck will have problems against aggressive decks at the beginning of a match. Also makes it possible to cast a Reanimator spell at turn four.

Looks like I need to sideboard in more Scarab Feast.

Thanks for the suggestion butete, but I keep Archfiend of Ifnir since I can fuel it with discard outlets as well as cycling.

As for Gift I'll need to splash green. Maybe Hereward's suggestion of Battle at the Bridge can help with the life issue...

My Eldrazi Displacer has been running into reanimation decks lately. There's nothing better

...oh no wait, Baral's Expertise was a blast too to play once.

you can't rely on a 5 cost 5/4 creature and discard triggers to -1-1 opponent creatures. the impact / cost ratio doesn't line up for reanimator deck. You want to 5 cost get a 7/6 hex or high arbitor to disrupt the opponent's hand. Creature removals need to be under 3 mana. Your own creatures have to protect themselves.

4 sweepers isn't enough. Need push grasp murder. You have a lot of card filtering so even vs control you can discard those extra removals. Try add more anti-control tech cards.

I disagree...Ifnir is a legit control card and wincon in one, in a deck with so much discard. Using Summons to get him back when inevitabily killed is a viable plan, imo, even better if he returns as a 7/6...

In fact, all the Reanimator decks that I have brewed of lately don't go for the "discard a Plated or Ula or so and cast it t5" for starters because it's unreliable and can't beat fast vehicles or ramp even when it works, monogreen can do that better...

I try instead a plan that consist in first, to mount a little defense or a sweep, then start casting awesome, gamewinning t4-t5-t6 creatures, and then use the summons etc to bring them back again and again when killed, just better.

I'm talking about critters like Kalitas, Ifnir, Docent, Noxious, Torrential, Sphinx... or Murasa, Bellower etc if you go Sultai, ETBs are at a premium for this plan...even Whirler is an awesome 2º target for Ever After, stabilizing and giving unblockability

I think that plan is way more consistent, you just play as a slow midrange with a huge, grindy late game. Of course, if you can reanimate t5 o t6 a pumped Sphinx or Ifnir, the better...that's the beauty, your 4-to-6 CC critters are so good as to be more decisive than a Plated, or a Gaea's, and you can both play them fairly or reanimated with a nice +2 bonus

With the bigger pool we have now, I think Dimir is the best shell for that kind of build, btw...no need to add a 3º color...but all Golgari, Radkos and Orzhov are doable, close in power and maybe even playable with chances of winning, lol...I prefer Dimir because Ifnir is a must, and Havens go so well with this whole archetype...and the Sphinx is really good here too, I guess...ey, I have to revisite this list for AKH

Quite interesting.

I agree with WoodlandWanderer about sweepers and creature removal and also with creature defense, I have reanimation so why bother protecting my beasts? But I disagree / agree with Maggit about Ifnir.

I Think is a great reanimator card. Anyway Maggit approach is intriguing. I'll try a Rakdos approach since Bloodrage brawler + Fling + Cathartic reunion Pack.

Maybe packing some dragons in it?

I'm running a Sultai midrange deck that packs 3x Necromantic Summons and Liliana, Death's Mastery.

It's not dedicated reanimator in the sense that I'm more capable of playing and simply recurring big midrange threats, but that's as far into the build I'm willing to go without a 8+ cmc bomb that just ends games upon resolution.

What do you guys think about champion of Rhonas cheating out a creature so you have more ways to play your non hard cast cards.

Not bad, green has plenty of spells for graveyard messing.

A little bit of ramp... Maybe with Aid from the cowl for added fun?