KARADOR: WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE - REANIMATOR/ETB/LTB TOOLBOX
This deck focuses on Karador, Ghost Chieftain's ability to recast creature's from the grave to achieve maximum value from 'enters the battlefield' and 'leaves the battlefield' effects. It uses sacrifice outlets to keep the grave filled to provide mana for Karador's casting, and fodder for his effect.
As a way to keep my decks around 75% and keep things fairly budget, I only use cards with the newer border, from Eighth Edition/Mirrodin on. So even though Survival of the Fittest would be great in this deck, I won't use it. My playgroup also allows Primeval Titan, so yeah. It's dumb, but there it is.
MANA
Dawntreader Elk
Deathrite Shaman
Farhaven Elf
Primeval Titan
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Solemn Simulacrum
Myriad Landscape
Mirari's Wake
Life from the Loam
Chromatic Lantern
Coalition Relic
Commander's Sphere
Sol Ring
I usually prefer to use ramp spells in Green decks, but Karador lets me reuse the creature-based ramp while they in return fill the grave to speed up his summoning. Chromatic Lantern offers valuable fixing, Coalition Relic and Sol Ring are format stables, and Commander's Sphere doubles as card draw late-game.
DRAW
Bloodgift Demon
Disciple of Bolas
Elvish Visionary
Harvester of Souls
Solemn Simulacrum
Soul of the Harvest
Barren Moor
Drifting Meadow
Polluted Mire
Secluded Steppe
Slippery Karst
Tranquil Thicket
Greater Good
Abzan Charm
Grisly Salvage
Decree of Pain
Commander's Sphere
Skullclamp
Again, I try to keep most of my card draw creature-based, to sac and recur for value Barren Moor
+
Life from the Loam
(or any of the other Cycling lands) is a dredge and draw engine. Greater Good and Grisly Salvage fill the grave while drawing, and the former is a sacrifice outlet as well. Commander's Sphere pulls double duty as mana early game and draw late-game. Skullclamp is too much value with sac outlets to empower it. Abzan Charm gives options, and the first two modes are just awesome. Decree of Pain is a black staple, sweeper plus draw.
THREATS
Ashen Rider
Bloodgift Demon
Butcher of Malakir
Harvester of Souls
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Primeval Titan
Rune-Scarred Demon
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Soul of the Harvest
Sun Titan
Terastodon
Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
Deadbridge Chant
Greater Good
Birthing Pod
Things that demand answers. Big cost baddies that come out at the end of Birthing Pod chains and ruin everyone's day while Karador recurs Fleshbag Marauder or something in the background. Everyone knows why these are good, but each of them serves more of a purpose in the deck beyond beatdown. Several have evasion or trample, or some other way to make people reconsider their answers (like Butcher of Malakir), and the nature of the deck makes them very resilient themselves. Deadbridge Chant, Greater Good, and Birthing Pod demand attention, the longer they stay on the field the better they become.
ANSWERS
Spot Removal
Acidic Slime
Ashen Rider
Butcher of Malakir
Fleshbag Marauder
Qasali Pridemage
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Terastodon
Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
Ghost Quarter
Aura Shards
Abzan Charm
Beast Within
Krosan Grip
Path to Exile
Putrefy
Swords to Plowshares
Utter End
Blasting Station
A healthy mix of exile, destroy, damage, sacrifice, and -1/-1 to target creature, artifact, enchantment, land, or permanent. As usual, most of it is creature-based for maximum value. The rest are colored staples. Butcher of Malakir
+
Fleshbag Marauder
is one of my favorite plays, especially adding in some kind of reanimation. Blasting Station is a sac outlet that can kill low toughness creatures.
Mass Removal
Pernicious Deed
Decree of Pain
Duneblast
Living Death
Wrath of God
I like 2-5 boardwipes per deck, sometimes more depending. I could go with more here, since Karador can just bring things back, but space is a bit tight - none of these are creatures. Pernicious Deed
+
Sun Titan
is amazing. Decree of Pain can cycle for -2/-2 when mana is tight and draws when mana is high. Duneblast
+
Karador, Ghost Chieftain
or Sheoldred/Sun Titan is a lot of fun for me. Wrath of God - white staple. Living Death - graveyard deck staple.
SYNERGY
Reanimation
Karmic Guide
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Reveillark
Saffi Eriksdotter
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Sun Titan
Deadbridge Chant
Living Death
Karmic Guide + Reveillark + Saffi Eriksdotter
is a well-known combo in this deck that needs no explanation. Mikaeus, the Unhallowed giving double duty to all my utility creatures and sac outlets is worth the triple Black. Sheoldred, Whispering One gets scarier the longer she goes unanswered and forces answers. Sun Titan can get tons of utility creatures, Aura Shards, or Pernicious Deed. Deadbridge Chant starts with a nice Dredge 10 before reanimating/regrowthing for me every upkeep. Living Death is always an 'oops, I won' card in graveyard based decks.
Sacrifice Outlets
Dimir House Guard
Disciple of Bolas
Fleshbag Marauder
Viscera Seer
Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
High Market
Greater Good
Altar of Dementia
Birthing Pod
Blasting Station
Dimir House Guard is an absolute powerhouse in this deck. It's a sacrifice outlet with evasion that can fill the grave with itself to tutor for some of the best cards in this deck: Wrath of God, Birthing Pod, Solemn Simulacrum, Greater Good, Utter End/ I don't think there's a single gamestate where I could draw Dimir Houseguard and not want to use one of those cards. I made sure to get at least 3 cards from each CMC to make sure I can always keep a Birthing Pod chain going, and that allows it to excel, I'm pretty sure it's the best card in this deck. Sac outlet (+ LTB effect) + tutor + ETB effect + a reanimator is insane. I tried to keep them free, or as cheap as possible.
Graveyard Fillers
Dauntless Escort
Dawntreader Elk
Dimir House Guard
Fauna Shaman
Kami of False Hope
Qasali Pridemage
Saffi Eriksdotter
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Deadbridge Chant
Greater Good
Entomb
Grisly Salvage
Buried Alive
Jarad's Orders
Life from the Loam
Other graveyard fillers outside of generic sacrifice outlets like Birthing Pod. Self sacrificers for utility, dredgers like Life from the Loam or Deadbridge Chant that get the engine going.
ETB, LTB, and utility effects
Acidic Slime
Ashen Rider
Blood Artist
Butcher of Malakir
Dauntless Escort
Dawntreader Elk
Deathrite Shaman
Disciple of Bolas
Elvish Visionary
Eternal Witness
Farhaven Elf
Fleshbag Marauder
Kami of False Hope
Karmic Guide
Qasali Pridemage
Reveillark
Riftsweeper
Rune-Scarred Demon
Saffi Eriksdotter
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Solemn Simulacrum
Sun Titan
Terastodon
Aura Shards
Just a quick review of value or advantage creatures. All have synergy with my commander. Landing any numbers of these creatures in the graveyard early game to sacrifice and recur repeatedly can build me advantage or slow down my opponents. Riftsweeper isn't great, but my playgroup loves to Bojuka Bog me multiple times a game so I have at least that answer.
If I can start with a couple lands, and some way to get a creature or two in the grave, I can take off fairly quickly. Once I'm going, the deck is incredibly resilient, with the opponent needing bounce, tuck, or exile effects to really keep it down.
