Necromancer's Wet Dream: Sidisi Edition

Commander / EDH BUG (Sultai) Casual Mill Reanimator

oliveoilonyaasscureshemorrhoid

Land (35)

• 1x Alchemist's Refuge
• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crypt of Agadeem
• 1x Fetid Pools
• 1x Field of the Dead
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Glacial Chasm
• 1x Lonely Sandbar
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Morphic Pool
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Rejuvenating Springs
• 2x Snow-Covered Forest
• 1x Snow-Covered Island
• 2x Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1x Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
• 1x Tranquil Thicket
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Undergrowth Stadium
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Volrath's Stronghold
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Witch's Cottage
• 1x Zagoth Triome

Ramp (8)

• 1x Cryptolith Rite
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Krosan Restorer
• 1x Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
• 1x Shaman of Forgotten Ways
• 1x World Shaper
• 1x The Gitrog Monster

Other (5)

• 1x Villainous Wealth
• 1x Vizier of Many Faces
• 1x Wonder
• 1x Corpse Connoisseur
• 1x Seedborn Muse

Recursion (23)

• 1x Volrath's Stronghold
• 1x Witch's Cottage
• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Dance of the Dead
• 1x Life from the Loam
• 1x Agadeem's Awakening  ^Flip
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Journey to Eternity  ^Flip
• 1x Necromancy
• 1x Ramunap Excavator
• 1x Skullwinder
• 1x Dread Return
• 1x Meren of Clan Nel Toth
• 1x Whip of Erebos
• 1x Whisper, Blood Liturgist
• 1x Cavalier of Night
• 1x Havengul Lich
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Phyrexian Delver
• 1x The Scarab God
• 1x Muldrotha, the Gravetide
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x The Cauldron of Eternity

Removal (13)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Evil Twin
• 1x Frilled Mystic
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Hostage Taker
• 1x Mystic Snake
• 1x Cavalier of Night
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Bane of Progress
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Kederekt Leviathan
• 1x Woodfall Primus

Draw (7)

• 1x Life from the Loam
• 1x Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
• 1x Disciple of Bolas
• 1x Garruk Relentless  ^Flip
• 1x God-Eternal Bontu
• 1x The Gitrog Monster
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed

Commander (1)

Beatsticks (15)

• 1x Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Mindshrieker
• 1x Shaman of Forgotten Ways
• 1x Garruk Relentless  ^Flip
• 1x Poison-Tip Archer
• 1x Tombstone Stairwell
• 1x Kessig Cagebreakers
• 1x Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1x The Scarab God
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1x Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1x Woodfall Primus
• 1x Blightsteel Colossus

Protection/Empty Library (11)

• 1x Glacial Chasm
• 1x Volrath's Stronghold
• 1x Witch's Cottage
• 1x Siren Stormtamer
• 1x Sylvan Safekeeper
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Spellskite
• 1x Journey to Eternity  ^Flip
• 1x Loaming Shaman
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1x Blightsteel Colossus

Mill (6)

• 1x Life from the Loam
• 1x Mesmeric Orb
• 1x Mindshrieker
• 1x World Shaper
• 1x Phenax, God of Deception
• 1x Syr Konrad, the Grim

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Maybeboard

Graveyard (8)

• 1x Hedron Crab
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Selhoff Occultist
• 1x Victimize
• 1x Genesis
• 1x Infernal Offering
• 1x The Mimeoplasm
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes

Removal (6)

• 1x Sower of Temptation
• 1x Acidic Slime
• 1x Archfiend of Depravity
• 1x Grimgrin, Corpse-Born *oversized*
• 1x Shriekmaw
• 1x Agent of Treachery

Draw (5)

• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Mindblade Render
• 1x Satyr Wayfinder
• 1x Corpse Augur
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana

Other (5)

• 1x Port of Karfell
• 1x Boneyard Mycodrax
• 1x Daring Fiendbonder
• 1x Faerie Artisans
• 1x Soul of New Phyrexia

Ramp (4)

• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Skull Prophet
• 1x Avenging Druid
• 1x Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger

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Welcome to my version of a powerful reanimator deck! This deck is mainly focused around reanimation, self-milling, and accumulating value with utility/high costing creatures. Also, this deck isn't a zombie tribal deck, the 2/2 black zombies are fuel and fodder. I try to keep this deck on the casual side of the power level but it can get nasty in casual edh. Some of the deck's faults are that its lackluster in the early stages of the game with all the high CMC cards, there's very few tutors to keep it consistent and any infinite combos are intentionally difficult to set up because this isn't a combo deck, and it's extremely vulnerable to graveyard hate. The foil cards are the highlight of the deck, and all updates are recorded in the last section.

All suggestions and upvotes are always appreciated!

Possible Combos Show

Infinite Mill and 2/2 black zombies

Notes: To protect Colossus and other combo pieces, use cards in the protection category like Necromancy targeting Siren Stormtamer i.e. Once this combo is achieved, you can win by flashing back Dread Return targeting Muldrotha, the Gravetide , casting Blood Artist , casting Animate Dead targeting God-Eternal Bontu and sacrificing all your zombies. Or, cast Cryptolith Rite , generate infinite mana (as explained below), and win with Villainous Wealth , Mindshrieker , Syr Konrad, the Grim , Blood Artist , Poison-Tip Archer , Kessig Cagebreakers , Craterhoof Behemoth , Shaman of Forgotten Ways + Kederekt Leviathan , Woodfall Primus + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed .

a)

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant + Phenax, God of Deception + Lightning Greaves

How it works: Mill yourself with Phenax's ability which most likely makes a zombie with Sidisi's ability, repeat with the new zombie (with the help of Greaves). Thanks to Blightsteel Colossus , this combo eventually becomes infinite.

b)

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant + Mindshrieker + Ashnod's Altar

How it works: Activate Mindshrieker which most likely makes a zombie with Sidisi's ability, activate Altar targeting the zombie to gain , use the to activate Mindshrieker, repeat. Thanks to Blightsteel Colossus , this combo eventually becomes infinite.

Infinite Mana

Notes: These combos are intentionally complicated and inconsistent to set up, this is not a combo deck. Once any of the infinite mana combos are achieved, you could also have infinite mill (with the commander and Havengul Lich), and infinite creature reanimation from all player's graveyards (with Havengul Lich). Additionally, Lich pairs best with Eternal Witness as you can yield your entire library, graveyard, creatures in your opponent's graveyards, and with infinite mana. Great job, you've become Mannimarco, and can use your unstoppable necromancy to win the game with Villainous Wealth , Mindshrieker , Syr Konrad, the Grim , Blood Artist , Kessig Cagebreakers , Craterhoof Behemoth , Shaman of Forgotten Ways + Kederekt Leviathan , Woodfall Primus + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed .

a)

The previous combo (infinite mill and zombies) + Cryptolith Rite + Lightning Greaves

How it works: Activate the zombie's mana ability (from Cryptolith Rite, with the help of Greaves) before continuing to mill.

b)

Havengul Lich + Ashnod's Altar + Lightning Greaves + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds

How it works: Activate Selvala with the help of Greaves, costing to gain , net gaining . Then activate Altar targeting Selvala, net gaining . Then activate Lich targeting Selvala, costing , then cast Selvala, costing , net gaining . Repeat to gain infinite , then activate Selvala for other colors and gain infinite .

c)

Havengul Lich + Ashnod's Altar + Lightning Greaves + Krosan Restorer

How it works: Activate Krosan targeting three lands with the help of Greaves, gaining . Then activate Altar targeting Krosan, net gaining . Then activate Lich targeting Krosan, costing , then cast Krosan, costing , net gaining . Repeat to gain infinite , then infinite .

d)

Ashnod's Altar + Lightning Greaves + Krosan Restorer + Atzal, Cave of Eternity + Gaea's Cradle + 2 other creatures

How it works: Activate Krosan targeting Cradle, Atzal, and another land with the help of Greaves, gaining (not tapping Atzal for mana). Then activate Altar targeting Krosan, net gaining . Then activate Atzal's second ability targeting Krosan, costing , and net gaining . Repeat to gain infinite , then infinite .

Notable Inclusions (The Foil Cards) Show

Phenax, God of Deception - Here it is, Ladies and Gentleman. This is the golden ticket to a necromancer's (undead)heart. This card changed the game. Every creature under your control now can fill graveyards, making you more powerful with choices and coming closer to end game strategies. Furthermore, it synergizes great with the commander, because each creature will almost always replace itself with a 2/2 black zombie, and therefore, produce more mill engines. However, Phenax is also a high value target for spot removal, so make room for error or wait for the right moment to bring him out. If you're considering any of the highlights in this deck, this is my highest recommendation.

Eternal Witness and Skullwinder - Talk about value! It's an early drop, that can be abused by reanimation over and over, and recur any card your little heart desires. And Skullwinder can be political, like bringing Swords to Plowshares into the game one more time which won't target your stuff because you've made a deal, or it can double your chance of a player casting a critical board wipe.

Siren Stormtamer - One of the only responses to graveyard hate, and activated abilities are difficult to stop too. It can simply stop Bojuka Bog (which is in ~33% of decks on the EDHREC database), Rakdos Charm , Nihil Spellbomb , Tormod's Crypt , Primal Command , Agent of Erebos , Angel of Finality , Jund Charm , etc., as well as protect your reanimated creatures from cards like Swords to Plowshares (which is in ~55% of decks on the EDHREC database).

World Shaper - 'Nuf said. And works well with God-Eternal Bontu .

Necromancy - This is probably the best reanimation spell in the deck. It's cheap, and the only con is that it makes the creature more vulnerable. The best part of Necromancy is its ability to be cast at instantaneous speed, from any graveyard. Furthermore, it synergizes with Muldrotha, the Gravetide because of its card type. It can stop an opponent's reanimation spell, it can save your best creature from graveyard hate (or all with Siren Stormtamer ), it can become a sweeper , a counterspell , a removal spell , a draw spell , a ramp spell , a tutor , and more! All this for , and flash when you need it.

Notable Exclusions Show

I felt like I should include my favorite spells that were the most frustrating to cut or weren't very synergistic with the rest of the 99. If you're making a similar deck to mine, this list should give you some good suggestions and footnotes. Hope this helps!

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord - Ah, Jarad.. he was one of the seeds that planted my Golgari Swarm and EDH format obssession. His first activated ability is an alternate win-con too. So why cut him? First off, this deck had much more ETB-licious reanimation targets instead of focusing on combat as its primary strategy. Also, this deck doesn't have a lot of beaters or buff cards, so his first activated ability would generally benefit less at the end of the day. Second, I was bull-headed in keeping this card in my deck for a long time simply because I loved it so much. Jarad was my favorite homebrew deck for a long time, and was always tweaking it for my LGS matches. I eventually tore it apart, as well as Sultai Schemers and Phenax , to make the ultimate necromancer deck with Sidisi at command, where Jarad was never leaving the 99. I'm not clingy or anything. So, putting aside the fight-or-flight response to the new idea of taking out my Jarad for more competitive cards, the choice to cut it was personally symbolic.

Bound - I like this card more than I should. It protects the deck from board exile, graveyard exile, its unique and not well-known, and helps this deck master its strategy by protecting the yard. Unfortunately, most creatures in the deck don't have more than one color, so this card won't protect much in this deck, and this deck isn't a combo deck that needs consistent protection.

Mirror-Mad Phantasm - Since Sidisi only plops out 2/2 black zombies with "one or more" mill'd creatures, this deck prefers milling at increments, not at once. This is why i also don't include Traumatize , Tunnel Vision , etc.

Conqueror's Galleon   - Galleon is ramp, a discard engine, a draw engine, and graveyard recursion all in one, and won't be countered. If you're building a similar deck, this might be a great addition.

Blade of Selves - Think not of combat, but of ETB or attack triggers. Best case scenario, you'll come across Craterhoof Behemoth or something. Also works well with Identity Thief (not included).

It That Betrays - I love indirect board-wipes like Massacre Girl and Archfiend of Depravity (both not included). I figured I should mention this because it goes well with Living Death / Sheoldred, Whispering One and other similar cards in the deck.

Phyrexian Reclamation - Talk about value, especially in a necromancer deck. Definitely consider this card thoroughly, redundancy is always good. This card is better if you're planning on abusing low CMC creatures, like Fleshbag Marauder , Wood Elves , etc., instead of abusing high CMC creatures like this deck wants to do.

BUDGET SECTION (OUTDATED!)

Price was never a consideration when I made this deck... at least on tappedout. I wanted to leave price out of my thought processes so every card is, what I think to be, the best possible card to complement the commander or provide enough value to be at same advantage as the opponent in every aspect. Lands can be easily replaced, but look at these. Transguild Promenade / Rupture Spire / Rhystic Cave / vivid lands / pain lands / scry lands . Hope this helps!

Volrath's Stronghold - Whether you want an extra 2/2 black zombie, to make your next draw a pseudo-tutor, or are about to loose from drawing from an empty library, this card's versatile value has a valid spot in the 99. Unholy Grotto , Bow of Nylea , and Noxious Revival are all good replacements at a lower cost.

Craterhoof Behemoth - Look at Thunderfoot Baloth , Pathbreaker Ibex , and Siege Behemoth . Cute lil Behemoths.

Oracle of Mul Daya - Great card in itself, but it's value is doubled when paired with this commander. Not only does it empty your library faster, and it's ability is more manipulatable as you can mill your way to a land, it also gets the lands out the way so you've a greater chance at milling a creature and producing a 2/2 black zombie. A cheaper option is Courser of Kruphix .

The Scarab God - Apparently this card is a staple in some pro tour deck, so it's rather pricey at the moment. Some similar, cheaper cards are Chainer, Dementia Master , Dimir Doppelganger , Graveborn Muse (and Champion of Stray Souls ).

Venser, Shaper Savant - I like this because it gets around "can't be countered" like Unsubstantiate . Also consider Countervailing Winds , Perplex (so you can also target their creatures), and Rakshasa's Disdain .

Cyclonic Rift - Where there is , there is Cyclonic Rift. Sever the Bloodline has flashback, and Perilous Vault is very persuasive. There's also Bane of Progress , but I don''t like him as much for the same reason I prefer By Force over Vandalblast : more control and political possibilities.

Phenax - This is the spine of the deck; if you're buying Sidisi, this is the first card I recommend. Still here? FINEfinefinefine.. Embalmer's Tools is a similar card.

Eternal Witness / Skullwinder - Another essential card in the deck, just as all the foiled highlights of the deck. There are cheaper options, but redundancy is always good. Also look at Seasons Past , Codex Shredder . Creeping Renaissance , and Nyx Weaver .

Necromancy - Ooh boy, the first reanimation spell in the budget section. My favorite budget reanimation spells are Infernal Offering , Tempt with Immortality , and Wake the Dead .

Living Death - Even though this deck demands creature majority, this card makes up for it in its value. It's a board wipe, which can possibly be one sided if you've a sacrifice outlet, and a massive reanimation spell. In addition, its only , and has amazing art. There's also other board wipes which favor necromancer strategies, like Dread Cacodemon (a creature!) and Life's Finale , and the Necronomicon .

Ashnod's Altar - Charmed Pendant for some ramp, Greater Good / yahenni for some sacrifice.

Changelog Show

1/18/21

+ Undergrowth Stadium + Rejuvenating Springs + Zagoth Triome + Sakura-Tribe Elder + Woodfall Primus + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Agadeem's Awakening + Spellskite ; - Nurturing Peatland - Waterlogged Grove - Oracle of Mul Daya - Terastodon - Eldrazi Monument - Necrotic Ooze - Deepfathom Skulker - Sidisi, Undead Vizier . I'm taking Alsedarna's suggestion and replacing Oracle with Elder and adding an extra land (or two if you count agadeem's awakening). I'm also taking suggestions from Dies_to_Doom_Blade's primer ( link here ) to play more defensively and adding Spellskite and Mikaeus. Primus is in because it has trample and combos with Mikaeus to essentially win by destroying your opponent's lands.

3/17/20

+ Eldrazi Monument + Hostage Taker + Deepfathom Skulker ; - Altar of Dementia - Clever Impersonator - Ohran Frostfang . Clever Impersonator was one of the highlights of the deck, it was a pet card of mine since it coould extend the deck's utility beyond what BUG colors could do, but I want to test out Hostage Taker which also removes the opponent's resource. Altar was a fantastic include for this deck, but almost everytime it resolved it emptied my library into my graveyard so it's a little too powerful for what I want this casual deck to be doing ( Phenax, God of Deception is also as powerful as this card but it requires Lightning Greaves instead of being a one card combo). Skulker can make any player's creatures unblockable, which is probably better than deathtouch. Monument should be great in a board wipe heavy format like casual edh, and works well with Sidisi, Brood Tyrant which will most likely create a 2/2 black zombie with every attack to keep up with Eldrazi Monument's upkeep trigger.

9/29/18

Throne of Eldraine update! Order of Midnight and Murderous Rider have the right card type (creatures can be protected, abused, recurred much easier and make 2/2 black zombie when mill'd), and are two spells for one card, but they aren't as good as Skullwinder or Shriekmaw , for example. Ayara, First of Locthwain costs a rough , and although Sidisi and Tombstone Stairwell makes black creatures, it's not as good as Blood Artist because Ayara needs to be on the battlefield before you're building your big board state instead of after. Cauldron's Gift isn't the best reanimation spell, it only reanimates one creature from your graveyard, and the extra +1/+1 counter is irrelevant in this deck. Rankle, Master of Pranks can dump big creatures in the graveyard, and it's easy to make an expendable 2/2 black zombie, so it's much more relevant in this deck.

+ Syr Konrad, the Grim + Witch's Cottage + The Cauldron of Eternity ; - Geier Reach Sanitarium - Demon of Dark Schemes - Command the Dreadhorde . These are the cards from the new set. Syr Konrad is another copy of Blood Artist and Poison-Tip Archer essentially, but it also triggers on reanimation , and graveyard hate like Bojuka Bog (apparently nuking your own graveyard is now a viable strategy). His activated ability is great too, milling at smalling increments is better than milling than Mirror-Mad Phantasm , for example, because you get more Sidisi triggers, and milling your opponents is great for our reanimation package too. The Cauldron seems great too, reanimating once a turn is exactly what this deck wants to do, and can be recurred by Muldrotha, the Gravetide .

+ Loaming Shaman ; - Heroic Intervention . I took out a lot of graveyard protection in the last update and it was a mistake. There's lot's of ways to instantly reanimate a creature ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) in response to graveyard hate or drawing from an empty library, and I needed the extra consistency.

+ Vizier of Many Faces ; - Phyrexian Metamorph . Vizier has a very similar effect that I don't have to spend extra resources on to reanimate.

+ Shaman of Forgotten Ways ; - Mortal Combat . I've never won a game with Mortal Combat. With Shaman being a creature, it can be accessed in the graveyard and protected much easier, and combos with Kederekt Leviathan .

+ Ohran Frostfang + Wonder ; - Slithermuse - Thousand-Year Elixir . Both of these includes should work well with the main strategy of putting creatures on the battlefield.

7/1/19

Core Set 2020 update! Blood for Bones is the next best card to mainboard from this set, especially since it doesn't have to 'target' a card, but sorceries are more difficult to recur. I don't like the consistencies of tutors for more casual decks, but Scheming Symmetry would also be great because of how easy it is to mill opponents, and you could bargain for a critical boardwipe and such. Grafdigger's Cage is getting cheaper with the reprint... it can stay far, far away from this deck. Embodiment of Agonies can get huge with this deck's crazy curve, but the wincons in this deck are optimized for a huge board of creatures like Blood Artist , Kessig Cagebreakers , etc., instead of many singular beatsticks lke Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar , Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord , etc. Agent of Treachery , Yarok, the Desecrated , Cavalier of Thorns also deserve mentions; Yarok can flare engines in the right deck, but it's easier to abuse a reanimation target twice than reanimate Yarok first, Agent can stop a combo and such, and Cavalier of Thorns is underwhelming, the first ability is like an expensive Satyr Wayfinder , and the second ability says exile so it can't be abused with reanimation, or put a card like Mystic Snake , Frilled Mystic , or something with Alchemist's Refuge in your hand to properly interact.

+ Cavalier of Night ; - Liliana, Heretical Healer  . Cavalier of Knight is much more impressive than Cavalier of Thorns or Cavalier of Gales ; it can be reanimated instantly to protect your board from Swords to Plowshares (which is in ~50% of decks on the EDHREC database), it can die at instant speed to renimate Siren Stormtamer , Blood Artist , Sylvan Safekeeper , Eternal Witness targeting Mystic Snake or Frilled Mystic , etc.

+ Waterlogged Grove + Nurturing Peatland + Field of the Dead ; - Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - Cabal Coffers -Forest. Field of the Dead is the last card from Core Set 2020, and should be great with World Shaper + God-Eternal Bontu , The Scarab God , etc. I took out Urborg + Coffers because I'm trying to keep this deck more casual, and it doesn't fit the themes of the deck like Gaea's Cradle or Crypt of Agadeem do.

+ Siren Stormtamer + Sylvan Safekeeper + Tombstone Stairwell ; - Voidmage Prodigy - Gravepurge - Loaming Shaman . Better protection. Siren can stop Bojuka Bog (which is in ~33% of decks on the EDHREC database), Rakdos Charm , Jund Charm , Nihil Spellbomb , Agent of Erebos , Angel of Finality , etc. as well as cards that Sylvan Safekeeper can stop like Swords to Plowshares (which is in ~55% of decks on the EDHREC database). Stairwell also works very well with Muldrotha, the Gravetide (cumulative upkeep), Blood Artist , Poison-Tip Archer , The Scarab God , Meren of Clan Nel Toth , Demon of Dark Schemes , and Altar of Dementia . It's also worth mentioning I'm removing Gravepurge, which was one of the Notable Inclusions (it's a poor man's Eternal Witness , it can save yourself from drawing with an empty library, and flares your mill and 2/2 black zombie engines).

+ Demon of Dark Schemes ; - Archfiend of Depravity . I love indirect boardwipes like Archfiend, plus the art and flavor text! But I'm trading these demons because Demon of Dark Schemes works well with all the sacrifice (~25% of the deck currently sacrifice creatures), and it's good to have an immediate effect that can be abused with reanimation, and having a low cost, instant reanimation from any graveyard that is difficult to stop, makes this a great engine for this deck.

+ Poison-Tip Archer + Izoni, Thousand-Eyed ; - Victimize - The Mimeoplasm . More wincons, less reanimation (~25% of the deck currently recurs, I think it could use less). Blood Artist is more than an insurance policy, it can finish out a game, so I added a functional copy, and Izoni is like a one time Kessig Cagebreakers which can already finish out a game.

+ Bane of Progress + Whisper, Blood Liturgist ; - Riftsweeper - Sakura-Tribe Elder . Elder is less effective with only 5 basic lands left in the deck, and Riftsweeper is sometimes a dead card. Whisper can recur at instant speed for no mana, protect your creatures from board exile or graveyard exile , and has all the amazing functionality of Necromancy (which you can read in the Notable Inclusions section).

5/8/19

War of Spark update! Finale of Devastation and Finale of Eternity would be easy to cast in this deck, but I don't like tutors because they're mostly too consistent for a more casual deck, and I cut Rise of the Dark Realms a while ago because this deck doesn't need huge spells to close out the game. Return to Nature and Ashiok, Dream Render can stay far, far away from this deck. Storrev, DOVAHKIIN Lich would fit well too; the trample goes well with Craterhoof Behemoth or The Mimeoplasm , the card type and mana cost makes it better than Palace Siege because it can be protected, reanimated/recurred much better, and work well with Mindshrieker , Sidisi, etc.

+ God-Eternal Bontu ; - Erebos, God of the Dead . A god for a god. Bontu works well with strategies like overdrawing and dumping expensive creatures, having many 2/2 black zombies, or abusing reanimation. Here's some cool synergies I found: if Necromancy targets Bontu, all the sacrifice can protect the deck from board exile (like Swords to Plowshares ); if Living Death resolves with Kederekt Leviathan in the graveyard, you can trigger Bontu first and sacrifice your board instead of bouncing it; if you sacrifice a bunch of lands to Bontu, you can get them back with World Shaper and repeat.

+ Voidmage Prodigy ; - Phyrexian Plaguelord . Increasing counterspell density, and as explain in the last update, I grabbed a few tips from Dies_to_Doom_Blade's cEDH deck ( link here ) and I agree that reanimator decks need to pack more than a few counterspells. Prodigy is good for the deck because the deck currently has five other wizards, and it can sacrifice itself (protecting itself from board exile, works well with Seedborn Muse + Alchemist's Refuge / Atzal, Cave of Eternity , and counterspells can't counter activated abilities too well).

+ Command the Dreadhorde + Dance of the Dead ; - Damia, Sage of Stone - Growing Rites of Itlimoc  . Increasing reanimation density.

+ Alchemist's Refuge ; - Command Beacon . I grabbed a few tips from T12H's deck ( link here ), and I really like how this land and Seedborn Muse work well together.

2/1/19

Ravnica Allegiance update!

+ Frilled Mystic ; Venser, Shaper Savant . With Ravnica Allegiance finally released, the only card that seemed good for the deck was Frilled Mystic. Prime Speaker Vannifar seems badass, and is a creature unlike Birthing Pod / Eldritch Evolution so it can be protected , abused , or plop out a 2/2 black zombie when mill'd. Wilderness Reclamation is a financially better option than Awakening (not included) or Seedborn Muse , but there's only one trigger and only affects lands so it won't flare the Phenax engine. But we all know what the best card was from Ravnica Allegiance is. Catacomb Crocodile . Favor text win.

+ Glen Elendra Archmage ; - Razaketh, the Foulblooded . Just like Hermit Druid , Razaketh was way too good for this casual deck. I don't want this deck to win through the same infinite combo consistently and as fast as possible. On the same token, I've also read Dies_to_Doom_Blade's cEDH primer ( link here ), and I agree that it's a good idea for reanimator decks to play defensively and pack plenty of counterspells. So with this update I'm hoping to increase my counterspell density by adding Frilled Mystic and Glen Elendra Archmage.

+ Growing Rites of Itlimoc  ; - Sol Ring . I don't have a good excuse for taking out Sol Ring. It's the best card in the format according to EDHREC, and is banned in a lot of formats. But one of the reasons why I like this deck is because its ramp package is unique; all the ramp pieces are on creatures, fueled by creatures on the battlefield, or fueled by creatures on the graveyard. So instead of also adding mana crypt, mana vault, mox diamond, and all the other most effective mana acceleration known to this game, I included a ramp piece that reflects the most prominent card type and reflects the primary strategy of the deck: getting creatures on the battlefield.

11/20/18

+ Erebos, God of the Dead ; - Murder of Crows . Erebos can start immediately start drawing, and can overdraw in order to dump big creatures. And since Erebos is indestructible, it can start swinging for a good amount of damage after a board wipe sweeps the combat map. It also stops Aetherflux Reservoir or other life combos.

+ Sol Ring ; - Hermit Druid . Hermit Druid was way too good for this casual deck, since it takes six activations at most to fill my yard. I don't want my deck to be that competitive. I would rather have a powerful deck tuned for casual games with grave weakness to graveyard hate.

+ Seedborn Muse ; - Underrealm Lich . Underrealm Lich was ... underrealming, so Seedborn Muse should be the new fun toy for the deck. Seedborn Muse can flare the engines of the deck, like Phenax / Mesmeric Orb / Journey to Eternity  / The Scarab God / Mindshrieker , or the new addition of Erebos , so there's obvious utility.

9/22/18

+ Evil Twin ; - Shriekmaw . Other than obvious utility, Evil Twin synergizes with Thousand-Year Elixir / Lightning Greaves , and continuously remove a commander from the game again and again.

+ Animate Dead ; - Stitch Together . Animate Dead can reanimate a creature from any graveyard, and synergizes with Muldrotha, the Gravetide . Easy include.

+ Heroic Intervention ; - Rise of the Dark Realms . Rise of the Dark Realms is sometimes a 'nombo' with Kederekt Leviathan , and this deck is rather powerful and doesn't need huge "I win" spells to close out a game. Heroic Intervention should be a great include; it's sometimes better than Counterspell because it's also a combat trick (and can respond to activated abilities like Nevinyrral's Disk ), turns any board wipe into one-sided board wipes.

+ Underrealm Lich ; - Protean Hulk . I tested out Protean Hulk for a while, but it didn't fit great in this deck. Now I'm testing Underrealm Lich.

+ The Mimeoplasm ; - Perpetual Timepiece . Since this update took out Rise of the Dark Realms, there's less of a need to worry about Kederekt Leviathan making it a 'nombo', which is what I would often target with Perpetual Timepiece. I also don't need that many graveyard emergency buttons, especially since Volrath's Stronghold is usually enough.

7/19/18

+ Hermit Druid ; - Ulvenwald Hydra . Hydra has a high CMC, and is not a prime reanimation target. Also, I usually mill a bunch of my library and get the lands that Hydra would tutor for anyway. Druid should be a fantastic include. Other than obvious reasons, it makes a shitty hand OK, and it helps with tempo.

+ Damia, Sage of Stone ; - Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur .

+ Barren Moor + Lonely Sandbar + Tranquil Thicket + Morphic Pool + Mana Confluence ; - Cephalid Coliseum -Island -2 Swamp -Forest. More lands for a more effective Life from the Loam and Hermit Druid .

4-29-18

+ Muldrotha ; - Beacon of Unrest . Muldrotha is an auto-include, especially in decks like this that don't prefer instants/sorceries. It's Ramunap Excavator , Eternal Witness , and Havengul Lich all in one, and is a creature!. Muldrotha fills the holes Beacon was included to do, which is to extend graveyard interaction.

+ Ulvenwald Hydra ; - Lurking Predators . Some of the biggest ramp pieces are on lands, so I added Hydra.

+ Fetid Pools ; - Strip Mine . Other than obvious reasons, I mainly put in Pools because it's a great land to go with Life from the Loam . This can also enable infinite mill once you have infinite mana (which is now a much harder combo to pull off).

+ Slithermuse + Altar of Dementia +Forest; - Conjurer's Closet - Pili-Pala - Time Warp . Each of these 3 cards I cut are a part of infinite combos. I'm trying to make this deck less of a dedicated combo deck, and more tuned to be successful in a casual setting. And for the cards I added, Altar should be a great include. It can mill, protect your creatures from exile, continue the reanimation abuse, etc.

3-14-18

+ Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur ; - Damia, Sage of Stone . I have Damia in my IRL deck, but I want to see how Jin fares.

+ Protean Hulk ; - Rune-Scarred Demon . Hulk is finally unbanned! There's no good reason for cutting this demon, other than the unbanning of Hulk. Demon can pull out a card to make milling more effective, which can enable a combo or save the day in a dire situation, etc. It was a great addition to the deck, until Hulk came along, which can tutor for Sidisi, Undead Vizier so it further justifies cutting Demon. Hulk is insanely useful; it can be removal , recursion , a counterspell , a tutor , reanimation , and most importantly, mill or anything your little heart desires. Hulk also pairs well with Necromancy .

+ Blightsteel Colossus ; - Vigor . Colossus is functionally the same card as Vigor in this deck, only better because it's an infectious beater than only benefits from wrath effects.

+ Geier Reach Sanitarium + Cabal Coffers ; - Cascading Cataracts - Nephalia Drownyard . Cataract will net lose one mana, in a deck that has multiple mana-fixing fetch and shock lands, and Drownyard rarely helps my game plan in most games. I'd rather have Cabal Coffers that can easily ramp, and great inclusion beside Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth . Sanitarium is very valuable too as it can filter in a deck that loves to discard, and can be political at the right moment.

+ Sakura-Tribe Elder + Life from the Loam ; - Archetype of Endurance - Wretched Confluence . Despite how much value Confluence brings to the deck, its a 5 mana. This deck is starved for early game advantage, but I also don't want it to be hyper competitive with mox and every fetch possible. Elder can protect itself from exile while filling up my graveyard, pull out a land to make milling more effective, and pairs well with Meren . Loam can be accessed from the graveyard every turn while milling, and can overdraw which makes you discard a creature for reanimation. I've also noticed that most game last until about ~35 turns, so assuming the milling and draw per turn isn't uninterrupted for a while, Loam can ensure a land drop for 1/3 of the entire game. Furthermore, Loam pairs great with utility lands like Cephalid Coliseum / Glacial Chasm / Strip Mine .

+ Shriekmaw ; - Draining Whelk . For the same reasons above, this deck needs more early game interaction. Shriekmaw can destroy a creature very cheaply, while protecting itself from board exile, or do so late with an evasive body. I originally considering Silumgar Sorcerer for Whelk's replacement as it's half the cost and protects itself from board exile, and because aggro-based/token-based strategies are more prominent in most non-cEDH games. So, for virtually the same creature removal card, a turn sooner play, and not saving up mana with so many 3 drops in this deck, Shriekmaw replaces both Whelk and Sorcerer.

2-17-18

+ Selvala, Heart of the Wilds ; - Sudden Spoiling . In many games, Spoiling has proven to be a dead card, as it wouldn't save me from combat damage or stop an infinite combo. This deck usually won't hold up mana as well, and a creature replacing a noncreature is always great, so I decided to cut this card for more ramp. Selvala is great because it mana fixes for each mana she adds, and we will most likely benefit off of her draw engine the most as this deck loves to cheat big 'uns via reanimation.

+ Sheoldred ; - Gravespawn Sovereign . She's back! I took Sheoldred out a while ago, but it's one of the praetors that fits this deck perfectly. Sheoldred can evade your opponent's creatures with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth , reanimate whatever your little heart desires at your upkeep, and undermine your opponents combat map. I decided to cut Gravespawn because it's ability is a bit expensive for how long it stays alive, and unlike Sheoldred, it will tap with it's ability and not attack. Gravespawn is still a great, flavorful card though, and it used to empower my infinite mill combos by providing infinite reanimation.

1-6-18

+ World Shaper ; - Splendid Reclamation . A direct upgrade. Shaper can mill on its own, won't care if it's buried, and has the ideal card type. As a creature, it can be protected , abused , plop out a 2/2 black zombie when mill'd, etc.

+ Journey to Eternity  ; - Ever After . There isn't much zombie synergy, so the "zombie in addition" isn't too helpful, but I like the rest of Ever After. It can protect us if we're rather low on library cards, gets two creatures with one spell, and protects itself from graveyard hate. However, a five mana reanimation spell, on a land, that can't be countered with a spell, at instantaneous speed is what this deck truly needs. In addition, it's reanimation/ protection, triggers any ETB or LTB trigger, is protection against board wipes, is a three mana ramp spell, and can be manipulated by Krosan Restorer .

+ Wretched Confluence ; - Butcher of Malakir . Originally, Butcher was in here because I wanted Dictate of Erebos and Grave Pact in the deck, and Butcher did this as a creature type, which is very important to Sidisi. Butcher is a great card though; it has commonly underrated flying, and is great as an insurance policy or during a one-sided board wipe. However, Confluence is a great card that fills in some gaps I think the deck needs. It can recur a much needed creature, and as an instant it can respond to graveyard hate ; it has draw, or can finish a game when an opponent's library or life total is critical; lastly, its reduced toughness has the best chance of removing the creature, and can save the day during combat or something like Chandra's Ignition . Each mode does double duty, so I think it's justified in replacing a valuable creature.

+ Command Beacon + Strip Mine ; -Swamp - River of Tears . More utility lands to be abused by Ramunap Excavator , Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth , etc.

12-12-17

+ Mesmeric Orb ; - Cephalid Vandal . Despite Orb being a non creature, it's far better than Vandal. Orb can mill everyone (also this might be more of a bane as it encourages players to remove it), can mill better than Vandal (as it's not an upkeep trigger, reflects the board state, deters any untap strategy/ combo, and mills seperately - very important for Sidisi ), and is still a bit more accessible with Beacon of Unrest (other than Eternal Witness . ah, if only Obzedat's Aid was in BUG colors...), and won't be affected by the ever so frequent sweeper .

+ Skullwinder ; - Platinum Angel . I'd rather have redundancy of one of the best cards in the deck . Skullwinder is also arguably better as it has deathtouch and can be very political. JumboCommander would be proud haha.

11-26-17

+ Kederekt Leviathan ; - Tombstone Stairwell . Leviathan is more relevant in a loosing situation, and Stairwell is more relevant in a winning situation; I felt like the deck needed some more cards that pull me out of loosing than pull me to winning. Furthermore, this commander demands creatures and this deck can manipulate/ protect creatures better, and Stairwell wasn't in the xmage database so I could test it out way less.

+ Phyrexian Metamorph ; - Beast Within . I'd rather have redundancy of one of the best cards in the deck , I think I have enough answers.

+ Rune-Scarred Demon ; - Grand Architect . I used to have another infinite mana combo with Architect and Pili-Pala , but I'd rather have just one infinite combo to fall back on instead of this deck having infinite combos every corner to win. Plus, in the other combo with Pili-Pala + Krosan Restorer + Necrotic Ooze , Pili-Pala was the only useless card. Architect was just another useless card to enable an infinite combo and didn't contribute to the deck whatsoever other than that reason.

11-6-17

+ Lurking Predators ; - Chord of Calling . People are always casting, now I'm possibly at the same advantage.

+ Beast Within ; - Primal Surge . Surge will stop at any instant or sorcery, and even with creature majority, it's usually around 15% of the deck. And for that much mana, I'd rather cast Genesis Wave (not included) which also mills, or Villainous Wealth . Plus Lurking Predators is a better win-con than Surge.

+ Draining Whelk ; - Laboratory Maniac . Having a good graveyard is common, but emptying your library is not. Lab Man is usually a dead card, despite it's literal win condition. But Mortal Combat is still in the deck, and it needed more control. Even if Whelk is a bit expensive, it's a creature and can be manipulated with Necromancy and others. Whelk also pairs well with the new edition of Lurking Predators .

+ Garruk, the Veil-Cursed ; - Torrent Elemental . Garruk Relentless can sometimes defend himself with his last ability, and his second ability is rather easy to pull off, especially in this deck centered around plopping out 2/2 black zombies. Garruk, the Veil-Cursed can plop out deterrents in the form of deathtouchers, protect one of your valuable ETB creatures from further removal while providing the best kind of card advantage, and lastly, provide another necromancy-fueled combat strategy (which replaces Elemental's combat strategy). In addition to that, I took out Elemental because I need to keep taking out cool, unique cards in the name of competitiveness.

+ Reclamation Sage ; - Acidic Slime . I prefer a quick answer over the occasional threatening land that Terastodon can deal with.

+ Bojuka Bog ; - Mirage Mirror . Needed more than 32 lands.

10/8/17

+ Bayou + Tropical Island + Underground Sea ; -Island -Swamp -Forest. Quick land swap.

9/3/17

+ Vigor ; - Void Winnower . Winnower is a very popular reanimation target of mine as it can lock down most of player's hands and defensive combat strategies. However, Vigor makes some of my other combos infinite.

+ Cephalid Coliseum ; - Tranquil Thicket . Coliseum works well the the new editions of Ramunap Excavator and The Gitrog Monster . Oracle of Mul Daya also works well it. Plus I missed the Thicket and Life from the Loam little combo, so Coliseum and Excavator will have to entertain me for now.

+ Living Death ; - Dread Cacodemon . It's a sad day whenever a creature is replaced with a non-creature is a Sidisi deck. Even though this deck demands creature majority, this card makes up for it in its value. It's a board wipe, which can possibly be one sided if you've a sacrifice outlet, and a massive reanimation spell. In addition, its only , and has amazing art.

9/2/17

+ Ramunap Excavator ; - Life from the Loam . This was a hard decision. Loam can do so much; it can grab emergency lands , mill lands , cycle lands to dredge Loam right back again. However, Crucible of Worlds has always been in at least one of my boards in this deck, however it had one flaw that Excavator fixed: it's card type. Now I can protect it by sacrificing it, reanimate it much easier, have it make a 2/2 black zombie as it gets buried, etc.

+ The Scarab God ; - Champion of Stray Souls . An alternate win-con, an ability that doesn't tap which is far less likely to be countered like a normal spell, and a pseudo-tutor at upkeep? Yes please.

+ Primal Surge ; - Sheoldred, Whispering One . I'm not a fan of replacing a creature with a non-creature card in this deck. Creatures can be protected with Gravepurge or a sacrifice outlet, be abused with reanimation, etc. However, Surge has so much value in this deck, especially with the instant and sorcery amount as low as possible.

+ Gaea's Cradle + River of Tears ; -Forest -Swamp. Some land swaps, no biggie.

+ Razaketh, the Foulblooded ; - Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest . Originally, Mazirek was in the 99 simply because of all the sacrifice by fire-and-forget spells and by sacrifice outlets. Then I met Razaketh. Hot, right?

+ Chord of Calling ; - Solemn Simulacrum . I know what you're thinking, how dare I take out Sad Robot. First you admire Sad Robot, then see how expensive he is. You see all your friends casting him. You work extra hours just imagining him in your hands. After your check is in, you finally buy him. You finally play him alongside your friends and win with his trigger and Lab Man. All while abusing him with your black magic reanimation. Don't abuse Sad Robot. Switch to Chord.

+ The Gitrog Monster ; - Sultai Ascendancy . Yay! I replaced a non-creature card with a creature card! I thought I would replace this with Taigam, Sidisi's Hand , a more direct replacement with a second ability for spot removal. Gitrog makes the milling way more worth-while; now you'll either get a 2/2 black zombie (creature), draw a card (land), or nothing (other types).

+ Mirage Mirror ; - Nighthowler . Nighthowler has always done, it was my mini Lord of Extinction that could survive a board wipe only to come back stronger and was arguably better. However, Mirror seems better in my opinion as I can put myself on the same level as my opponent. Like targeting thier Glacial Chasm for only one turn, or Archangel of Tithes , etc.

+ Lightning Greaves ; - Whispersilk Cloak . Cloak was really only there for the shroud, but after looking at the deck as a whole, I can see haste is important enough to have a bit more redundancy. Plus it enables another infinite mill combo.

8/13/17

+ Blood Artist ; - Zulaport Cutthroat . Artist triggers on everyone's creatures, and can deter some creature death-based combo or strategy. Plus it's a great insurance policy if you've a big board state.

Top Ranked	Achieved #8 position overall 7 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Casual 5 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Mill 5 years ago
Date added	7 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	19 - 0 Mythic Rares 49 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.15
Tokens	Copy Clone, Experience Token, Human 2/2 G, Insect 1/1 BG, Spirit 1/1 C, Vizier of Many Faces 0/0 W, Wolf 1/1 B, Wolf 2/2 G, Zombie 2/2 B, Zombie 2/2 B w/ Haste
Folders	TappedOut Favourites, Sultan Zombie decks, Sidisi, Brood Tyrant EDH, Commander Decks, EDH, EDH, Cool Commander decks, Sultai Mill, cEDH, Interesting Commander Decks