Reanimator

The ability to reanimate a creature has been around since the release of Alpha, MtG’s first set. Animate Dead is an enchant creature that allows a player to target a creature in either graveyard and put it into play under their control with a -1/-0 counter on it. Since then, Wizards of the Coast have printed many different cards that allow players to ‘cheat’ big creatures into play without paying their actual mana cost; which resulted in the spawning the archetype Reanimator.

With the release of Mirage came Buried Alive; a card that allows a player to put a number of creatures from their library into their graveyard during their first or second turn (thanks to Dark Ritual). The combination of Buried Alive and reanimation effects allowed players a fast and reliable way to access reanimation targets from the graveyard. Later on, WotC printed Entomb, which does not rely on a Dark Ritual to be cast on the first turn. Animate Dead, Reanimation and Exhume can then be used to put a creature into play and attack for the win.

The Ancient Reanimator shell is very similar to those currently played in Legacy, with the main exception being its access to creatures.  Akroma, Angel of Wrath is one of the strongest creatures, in terms of power, in the format. Akroma’s main weakness is that it lacks protection from white (and thus the best removal card in the game). It also has protection from black, which means Animate Dead can’t be used on it. I chose to add Multani, Maro-Sorcerer because it can be a fast clock if cast early on and has Shroud to help protect it. The sideboard contains 4 Show and Tell and 4 Chain of Vapors to deal with graveyard hate such as Planar Void, which stays in play instead of being a one-shot deal ala Tormod’s Crypt. I also included 4 Wasteland in the mainboard to deal with Maze of Ith and Karakas. Despite the deck having several key cards, there remains a lot of room for change. Happy brewing!

Reanimator

Land:

4 Underground Sea

1 Island

1 Swamp

4 Wasteland

7 Fetchlands

Total: 17

Creatures:

Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

Verdant Force

Thorn Elemental

Spirit of the Night

Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Total: 5

Spells:

4 Animate Dead

4 Brainstorm

1 Buried Alive

4 Careful Study

4 Dark Ritual

4 Daze

4 Entomb

4 Exhume

4 Force of Will

4 Reanimate

1 Recurring Nightmare

Total: 38

Sideboard:

4 Show and Tell

4 Tormod’s Crypt

4 Chain of Vapors

1 Stifle

1 Hydroblast

1 Boomerang