Per request by PM, this is my casual reanimator deck. It's very competitive for a casual environment, and performs well. Reanimator is not very budget friendly, but this casual variant is cheaper than tournament builds. Goals are first, then the list, then evolution of the deck, then lastly, Tips and Tricks below.
Goals:
- I set about to adjust the high power level of a tournament build of reanimator to a casual crowd.
- After noting how well certain rats (Rotting Rats, Carrion Rats, Nezumi Graverobber) work with reanimator stategies, I decided to go rat tribal. (Not tribal legal with 15 rats, probably)
- Use whatever reanimator targets I had on hand for budget.
Evolution:
- This deck is pretty much how I started the deck several months ago and maybe a dozen games in. Does pretty darn well in my playgroup.
- 22 land may be too low. Add 1 more Swamp and take out one card?
- Never been disappointed in Nezumi. Add more? What to take out?
- How many reanimator targets are ideal?
- Obviously, this deck can be made more competitive as your budget allows, ie replace with better targets, more Buried Alive, Entomb, Animate Dead, etc.
Tips & Tricks:
- Rotting Rats is your MVP of the rats. Only cast when you have a target to chuck and only unearth when you have another. Since unearthed rats are going to die at end of turn, Victimize, Soul Exchange, or Arena them!
- Ex Capsule is nice for taking out opponent's Exhumed creatures. If there are creatures that bounce your creatures, kill them. You don't want them bouncing your targets back to your hand.
- Arena is great for killing. Attack with your big reanimated fatty; you can make it fight even if it is tapped. Your rats actually have surprisingly high power when you have a lot of them - Pestilence and Swarm - they usually take out anything in there with them.
- Carrion Rats starts the pressure early (and sometimes take out Exhume targets), and the Razortooths are fear-enabled to continue damage.
- You do have weaknesses. Problem artifacts and enchantments are a problem. Graveyard hate, of course (who runs that maindeck in casual though?). Remember speed is your strength - you get BIG creatures very early. Decimate your opponent!
Comments / critiques / hate mail (?!) all welcome. Thanks in advance.
I think 7 reanimation targets are fine. Since Rotting Rats is reusable, you can afford to cut either the Tortured Existence or Buried Alive. Sign in Blood or Phyrexian Arena lets you dig further after you've emptied your hand.
A good reanimation target, barring theusual, is Teneb, the Harvester. His ability is monoblack and like Reya can resurrect more things.
Regarding the filler rats, Razortooth can be replaced by Nezumi Cutthroat. It comes in earlier, and you probably don't want a 2/1 fear blocking anyway. If you need the rat count to be 20, up some rats to 4-ofs and/or add Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni as a reanimation target. Crypt Rats work for removal at the expense of your other Rats. Overall, this seems like a pretty fun deck to play.
I like how you're directing your build, seems really cool.
I think you can up Nezumi Graverobber to 4-of, 'cause you don't need to trigger all of them switching to the legendary dude, you can just leave them there 'til the other was killed then activate the new one.
It is pretty impressive as an rat reanimator.
I like the inclusion of Carrion Rats as well, which should be 4-of the keep the grave clean for an easier Robber activation.
The "beating" rats are not necessary or help the deck in any form to archieve it's goal, so Razortooth, Pestilence nor Swarm should be included.
Now that i've mentioned it, i agree with Zkornz/Stubborn, Crypt Rats + Swarmyard is really cool the keep the board control at your favor in case you're not able to put in your fatties.
Another card that rocks is Nezumi Bone-Reader since you can target yourself for discard, you can sac a dying creature to force opponent to discard, and another usage is saving your fatties from Exile spells like StP and PtE.
Ostracize is nice vs creature based decks to dump exactly the creature you want to steal.
Dirty Wererat and Earsplitting Rats can also fit the deck as discard outlets that can become a beater, but they are slower.
It's slower than regular reanimation, a certain thing to happen once we fill the deck to base it into rats. Anyway, it's seems fun and pretty much effective.
Anyway, i'd love to hear Blutsau thoughts about it.
sry to ruin your suggestion Asylum, but Bone-Reader reads:
Sacrifice a creature: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
So no 'sac a dead creature in response' shenanigans.
*notices I was reffered to :)*
I'd try to fit in a fatty with troll-/shroud (Benthicore, M10 9/9) and something that has two bodies Symbiotic Wurm, Penumbra Wurm or Woodfall Primus.
Strossus is really cool if you have a Corpse Dance, sac Strossus to his reg. ability pre eot, and swing again for 9 flying trample dmg next turn for another 5. Else I'd cut it for said shroud fatty (and trade it with me ^^).
If you go for Benthicore and Symbiotic, you might want to consider keeping Strossus as you can feed him with their tokens.
The next best two things I'd cut are the two dragons, as neither has an effect besides being big and you want your fatties to do something.
I'd also not worry for creatures, Reanimator simply outclasses anything -> cut the capsules and go for targeted discard, like Asylum said.
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Goals:
- I set about to adjust the high power level of a tournament build of reanimator to a casual crowd.
- After noting how well certain rats (Rotting Rats, Carrion Rats, Nezumi Graverobber) work with reanimator stategies, I decided to go rat tribal. (Not tribal legal with 15 rats, probably)
- Use whatever reanimator targets I had on hand for budget.
60 cards
Discard Outlets:
2 Tortured Existence
4 Rotting Rats
More Ratz:
3 Carrion Rats
2 Swarm of Rats
1 Nezumi Graverobber
2 Razortooth Rats
3 Pestilence Rats
3 Executioner's Capsule
Reanimate:
2 Buried Alive
2 Exhume
1 Animate Dead
1 Soul Exchange
2 Victimize
1 Necromancy
1 Strands of Night
1 Reya Dawnbringer
1 Devouring Strossus
1 Verdant Force
1 Teeka's Dragon
1 Knollspine Dragon
1 Mindleech Mass
1 Blazing Archon
Gravelands:
21 Swamp
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Arena
Evolution:
- This deck is pretty much how I started the deck several months ago and maybe a dozen games in. Does pretty darn well in my playgroup.
- 22 land may be too low. Add 1 more Swamp and take out one card?
- Never been disappointed in Nezumi. Add more? What to take out?
- How many reanimator targets are ideal?
- Obviously, this deck can be made more competitive as your budget allows, ie replace with better targets, more Buried Alive, Entomb, Animate Dead, etc.
Tips & Tricks:
- Rotting Rats is your MVP of the rats. Only cast when you have a target to chuck and only unearth when you have another. Since unearthed rats are going to die at end of turn, Victimize, Soul Exchange, or Arena them!
- Ex Capsule is nice for taking out opponent's Exhumed creatures. If there are creatures that bounce your creatures, kill them. You don't want them bouncing your targets back to your hand.
- Arena is great for killing. Attack with your big reanimated fatty; you can make it fight even if it is tapped. Your rats actually have surprisingly high power when you have a lot of them - Pestilence and Swarm - they usually take out anything in there with them.
- Carrion Rats starts the pressure early (and sometimes take out Exhume targets), and the Razortooths are fear-enabled to continue damage.
- You do have weaknesses. Problem artifacts and enchantments are a problem. Graveyard hate, of course (who runs that maindeck in casual though?). Remember speed is your strength - you get BIG creatures very early. Decimate your opponent!
Comments / critiques / hate mail (?!) all welcome. Thanks in advance.
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A good reanimation target, barring the usual, is Teneb, the Harvester. His ability is monoblack and like Reya can resurrect more things.
Regarding the filler rats, Razortooth can be replaced by Nezumi Cutthroat. It comes in earlier, and you probably don't want a 2/1 fear blocking anyway. If you need the rat count to be 20, up some rats to 4-ofs and/or add Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni as a reanimation target. Crypt Rats work for removal at the expense of your other Rats. Overall, this seems like a pretty fun deck to play.
I think you can up Nezumi Graverobber to 4-of, 'cause you don't need to trigger all of them switching to the legendary dude, you can just leave them there 'til the other was killed then activate the new one.
It is pretty impressive as an rat reanimator.
I like the inclusion of Carrion Rats as well, which should be 4-of the keep the grave clean for an easier Robber activation.
The "beating" rats are not necessary or help the deck in any form to archieve it's goal, so Razortooth, Pestilence nor Swarm should be included.
I believe Rotting Rats, Carrion Rats, Nezumi Graverobber and Crypt Rats should be the core.
Now that i've mentioned it, i agree with Zkornz/Stubborn, Crypt Rats + Swarmyard is really cool the keep the board control at your favor in case you're not able to put in your fatties.
Another card that rocks is Nezumi Bone-Reader since you can target yourself for discard, you can sac a dying creature to force opponent to discard, and another usage is saving your fatties from Exile spells like StP and PtE.
To deal with artifacts and enchantments you need Duress (Distress on budget). Phyrexian Tribute can deal with artifacts.
At first, i'd make something like this:
01 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
01 Cabal Coffers
01 Arena
03 Swarmyard
14 Swamp
// RATS (19)
04 Carrion Rats
04 Rotting Rats
04 Nezumi Bone-Reader
04 Nezumi Graverobber
03 Crypt Rats
01 Teneb, the Harvester
01 Reya Dawnbringer
01 Blazing Archon
01 Bladewing the Risen
01 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
01 Patron of the Nezumi
03 Distress
04 Buried Alive
04 Sign in Blood
04 Exhume
Reanimation outlets: 8 (robber, exhume)
Reanimation Targets: 6
Discard outlets: 8 (bone-reader, rotting rats)
Digging: 8 (sign in blood, buried alive)
Ostracize is nice vs creature based decks to dump exactly the creature you want to steal.
Dirty Wererat and Earsplitting Rats can also fit the deck as discard outlets that can become a beater, but they are slower.
It's slower than regular reanimation, a certain thing to happen once we fill the deck to base it into rats. Anyway, it's seems fun and pretty much effective.
Anyway, i'd love to hear Blutsau thoughts about it.
Sacrifice a creature: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
So no 'sac a dead creature in response' shenanigans.
*notices I was reffered to :)*
I'd try to fit in a fatty with troll-/shroud (Benthicore, M10 9/9) and something that has two bodies Symbiotic Wurm, Penumbra Wurm or Woodfall Primus.
Strossus is really cool if you have a Corpse Dance, sac Strossus to his reg. ability pre eot, and swing again for 9 flying trample dmg next turn for another 5. Else I'd cut it for said shroud fatty (and trade it with me ^^).
If you go for Benthicore and Symbiotic, you might want to consider keeping Strossus as you can feed him with their tokens.
The next best two things I'd cut are the two dragons, as neither has an effect besides being big and you want your fatties to do something.
I'd also not worry for creatures, Reanimator simply outclasses anything -> cut the capsules and go for targeted discard, like Asylum said.