Top Rank: #4 on T/O (#1 in Modern) - thanks for reading!
GREETINGS!
This is my attempt to design a competitive Modern Reanimator/Stoneblade deck featuring new cards from MH2: Archon of Cruelty, Persist, Priest of Fell Rites, and Unmarked Grave. To make this build more resilient to graveyard hate, I am running a Stoneforge Mystic package with Batterskull, Kaldra Compleat, and my 3 favorite Swords.
OBJECTIVE
The goal is to dump large creatures in my hand with Bone Shards, Collective Brutality, and Thrilling Discovery, then reanimate the critters with Persist, Priest of Fell Rites, or Unburial Rites. Alternatively, Unmarked Grave allows me to send a creature or Unburial Rites straight to the grave (so I can pay the latter’s Flashback cost).
I can also play or reanimate Stoneforge Mystic to search my deck for the weapon of my choice (usually Kaldra Compleat), which I will drop the following turn. Batterskull is always a good Stoneforge target since it helps rapidly generate life.
CARD CHOICES
Archon of Cruelty is the primary reanimation target since it has a brutal enter-the-battlefield ability. I also include Ashen Rider for extra removal against indestructible critters, and Massacre Wurm as a one-sided creature-sweeper.
I’m anticipating a creature-heavy meta, so I’ve chosen a lot of creature removal, including Bone Shards, Collective Brutality, Damn, Prismatic Ending, and sideboard options Despark, Kaya's Guile, and Vindicate.
Since this deck has a tendency to burn out quickly, Castle Locthwain, Silent Clearing, Sunbaked Canyon, and Thrilling Discovery help me draw additional cards and dig for missing combo pieces.
I’m concerned about Blood Moon and I don’t want to play an ETB-tapped land like Savai Triome, so instead I run Prismatic Vista to search for a basic land of my choice. This is also a good strategy against Path to Exile.
WHY STONEBLADE?
My dilemma in building this deck is whether to include the Stoneblade package. Some may argue that it reduces the consistency of the deck. However, I think adding the Stoneblade package makes the build significantly more resilient to graveyard hate, since I can fall back on the Living Weapon strategy if I need to. A turn 3 Kaldra Compleat is devastating if unanswered.
WHY MARDU?
I splash White for Prismatic Ending, Stoneforge Mystic, and Unburial Rites, as well as additional cards on the sideboard. I splash Red for access to Thrilling Discovery, to enhance Prismatic Ending, and for Wear / Tear.
In my opinion, it is worth running Red solely for Thrilling Discovery, which does an amazing job of simultaneously gaining life, discarding reanimation targets, and drawing more cards. Collective Brutality generates life and discards cards, but it empties my hand instead of refilling it.
DEALING WITH GRAVEYARD HATE
Against graveyard hate, I prioritize targeted discard spells to anticipate my opponent’s plans like Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality. If a hate card like Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace makes it on the battlefield, I can remove it with Prismatic Ending, Wear / Tear, and/or Vindicate.
SIDEBOARD
After the first game I will know my opponent’s strategy and I can bring in the appropriate equipment from the sideboard. Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Sword of Light and Shadow are my Swords of choice. I can tutor for a Sword via Stoneforge to protect my Germ or reanimated critter from a particular color or colors.
Against the mirror, I bring in Dauthi Voidwalker and Kaya's Guile to exile my opponent’s library.
Against ramp decks or storm decks, I bring in Damping Sphere.
Despark and Vindicate are flexible removal options that help against large creatures or planeswalkers.
Against artifact or enchantment decks, I bring in Wear / Tear.
Any comments or suggestions are welcome! I want to make this as competitive as possible!
