Welcome to an archetype that hasn't been seen in standard for a LONG time. Reanimator is back!
Let's get to the deck:
This deck is based of a UB Reanimator brew that some pros have been toying around with, including Michael Majors, who I first saw with the deck.
This is a spin off of that idea. Instead of a grindy Jace+card draw deck, I wanted to try and build a relatively normal Jund Midrange deck that we are all accustomed to, but with a killer endgame.
Ok, let me take a step back. Maybe you have no idea what this UB reanimator deck is, and think I should stop mentioning it and explain MY deck. Ok then, here goes:
This deck is a Jund midrange deck with a reanimator theme as a finisher.
Necromantic Summons
is a great card that makes this all possible, and Spell mastery is almost always enabled in this deck. Now that all the insane removal is out of the format, Turn 5 10/10
Dragonlord Atarka
should be pretty devastating.
The cards that make up the "Midrange" portion of this deck all contribute somehow to the reanimator theme: The spells kill creatures, enable delirium, and act as discard outlets for atarka or other fatties. Now to the creatures:
Den Protector
is a value 2/3/5 drop that can recur
Necromantic Summons
, or anything else we may need.
Mindwrack Demon
Is an absurd card in a deck like this that can easily enable delirium and loves the self mill. He's also a pretty great Necro target. 6/7 Flying Trample beater? Don't mind if I do.
Olivia, Mobilized for War is a great card by herself, and she's a discard outlet, but she's really in here for 1 reason... Big, hasty Atarkas! 11/11 atarka with haste should be enough to win a game more times than not. This also works with anything else you necro back. Also, in a pinch, Olivia herself is a decent necro target! 5/5 flyer with that ability is nothing to laugh at.
and lastly: Dragonlord Kolaghan - just another great necro target, and one thats great when cast too. I originally had Greenwarden of Murasa in this slot, but in testing he's too clunky and does nothing against faster decks. Greenwarden is great for grindy matchups tho, so I have one in board which i'll get to later.
The deck should realistically be able to play a normal graveyard-centric midrange game when necessary, and then "combo" kill when necessary - There's even a possible turn 5 kill!
In the sideboard, we have different types of removal that are necessary or better than others in certain matchups, as well as a Control Package in Goblin Dark-Dwellers and
Read the Bones
. This package is here to have game against some of the slower decks that have emerged recently. It lets us grind and hopefully pull out a victory. Dark-Dwellers is also a pretty good necro target, as you get the ETB effect as well as a big menace creature. Now to the other cards:To the Slaughter is VERY good against planeswalker heavy decks or midrange decks without many small creatures in general. However, the card isn't in main because token decks and aggro decks will be popular, as will the card Hangarback Walker. We don't want to have this card when those are being played against us.The Radiant Flames are for token decks like Humans or Cryptolith Ramp. Grasp of Darkness is to kill haymakers like Ojutai and Avacyn, as well as anything else we may need.
Ruinous Path
and Transgress the Mind are grindier cards that are for midrange or control decks to help us keep up. Transgress also hits Ramp and Goggles.
However, this sideboard isn't set in stone. Here are some options for matchups I haven't highlighted here:
UR Goggles, Esper Control, GB Season's past: I have some decent sb hate for the goggles deck, as well as K command Main, but if you REALLY want to be sure you can beat these decks, look to
Erebos's Titan
. You may need to tweak the mana a tiny bit (maybe swap a single Cinder Glade for a Smoldering Marsh or something), but Titan is killer in the matchups. The esper deck has almost no creatures, the season's past deck has very few, and the goggles deck boards out all their creatures. All 3 decks have close to 0 ways to remove the titan, so unless they can kill you in time, Titan is game over.
Ramp: This is normal, but
Eldrazi Obligator
is still great vs ramp. you'd have to include a Wastes (So we can look for it with evolving wilds) or a couple pain lands, but it could work. Alternatively, there is Mind Rot, which is another possible plan vs. ramp. We already have 4 K Commands and Transgress, but more could help.
Let me know what you think, and a +1 if you liked the deck would be greatly appreciated!
Tourni results:
2-0-2 at SCGIQ on 4/11/16: I beat GR Eldrazi and GW humans/midrange before double drawing into top 8. In top 8, I lost to UW humans, though it was a misplay by me. Ojutai+Always watching game 1 is OP...
3rd place (4-0-1) on 4/26/16 at weekly standard event: The tweaks I made to the deck really worked! I beat BG seasons past, Mono-White humans, Bant company, and UB reanimator before drawing into top 4. In top 4 I lost to BG aristocrats where he outraced me with husk both games, and without me drawing sweepers. I won 18 packs tho! :D
