reanimator???

[Maximus]

Has anyone tried to build a highlander reanimate deck?
When Urza's was still extended legal that was my deck of choice and I miss playing it.
I have very rough "lists" for it, but thought someone may have tried it and found it didnt work very well.

[king of nothing]

I have been formulating ideas around a HL reanimator deck, but have yet to actually bulid one. It would probably be a zombie/reanimate deck of some sorts.

[Maximus]

what colors are you using?
mine are GUB.
G for survival, regrowth, LFTL, etc. B and U for obviuos reasons.
one card I really want to try out is Greater Good. Discard outlet and gets around RFG cards like Corpse Dance etc.

[pyyhttu]

Has anyone tried to build a highlander reanimate deck?

http://iki.fi/~pyyhttu/magic/highlander/reanimator_ub.txt

The mana base might be little off but my design approach for a good reanimator would go something like on those lines. The defining factor has been finding the correct ratio between fatties, animate spells and draw/discard spells, then fill the rest of the build with good overall answers to various threats.

[Maximus]

No white Akroma, Rorix Bladewing, Spirit of Night, etc?
I saw Makeshift Mannequin, but no Imperial Archangel or Simic Skyswallower.
Have you played this against anyone yet?

[Maximus]

No white Akroma, Rorix Bladewing, Spirit of Night, etc?
I saw Makeshift Mannequin, but no Imperial Archangel or Simic Skyswallower.
Have you played this against anyone yet?

That may have come off as looking down on your list, didn't mean it to.
I apologize if it did.

[pyyhttu]

Sorry, I didn't outline the design too much. The thing with missing Akroma and Spirit of the Night is that they both have protection from black and thus don't play nice with Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead or Necromancy. Same thing with Progenitus. I want synergy from my decks.

Also, I wanted to use creatures that actually _do_ something before are removed: this way they also use the element of surprise. Haste is a valid reason so threw in that Kartthus Dragon eats the slot from Rorix. Simic Skyswallower being untargetable isn't reason enough for this build nor design philosophy so didn't include it + I have counters and in emergency bounce to deal with control magics.

I have only vaguely tested this against Mikael's Niemi's Zoo with a rough 60-50 success.

Imperial Archangel on the other hand would be nice, but so far I haven't had that much problems with aggro, but should see.

[markers]

I currently develop a Reanimator-Deck...It's B/u/w-Deck with discard as support (vs. burn and control)...

Feedback is highly appreciated...

Here is my deck list:

[deck]
Lands/Mana sources: 38

1 Diamond Valley
1 Esper Panorama
1 B/U Fetch
1 B/R Fetch
1 W/U Fetch
1 Fetid Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Island
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Lotus Petal
1 Dark Ritual
1 Scrubland
18 Swamps
1 Teramorphic Expanse
1 Underground Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Wasteland
1 Watery Grave
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Tundra
1 M10 B/U-Dual

Creatures: 20

1 Abyssal Nocturnus
1 Angel of Despair
1 Augur of Skulls
1 Charnelhoard Wurm
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Laquatus Champion
1 Nether Traitor
1 Nezumi Shortfang
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Rotting Rats
1 Scion of Darkness
1 Shriekmaw
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Thrull Surgeon
1 Undead Gladiator

Spells: 42

1 Animate Dead
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Bitterblossom
1 Coercion
1 Corpse Dance
1 Damnation
1 Dawn of the Dead
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Distress
1 Entomb
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Exhume
1 Funeral Charm
1 Gifts ungiven
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Intuition
1 Liliana Vess
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Mind Twist
1 Miscalculation
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Raven's Crime
1 Reanimate
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Remand
1 Scepter of Fugue
1 Sensei's Diving Top
1 Shallow Grave
1 Smother
1 Stitch together
1 Stupor
1 Sudden Death
1 Terror
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Thoughtseize
1 Unburden
1 Vindicate
1 Wrench Mind
1 Zombify
[/deck]

[GoblinPiledriver]

Hi
This deck doesnt look straight reanimator. Either you play reanimator or discard.
When you play reanimator you cant play discard, only draw spells which let you discard, fat creatures, and Reanimation.
So you can`t support your reanimate strategy with discard spells.
Your deck is more discard with a reanimate support. If you want to play discard you should play your creatures direct from hand.



Here is my version from a Reanimator which i played in edh on mws.(With sol ring , vampiric tutor, imperial seal)
// Lands
    1 [CS] Snow-Covered Island
    1 [RAV] Watery Grave
    1 [GP] Steam Vents
    1 [SHM] Sunken Ruins
    1 [FUT] Graven Cairns
    1 [RAV] Dimir Aqueduct
    1 [PLC] Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    1 [MI] Bad River
    1 [CS] Snow-Covered Swamp
    1 [EVE] Cascade Bluffs
    1 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
    1 Badlands
    1 [LRW] Vivid Marsh
    1 [LRW] Vivid Creek
    1 [ALA] Crumbling Necropolis
    1 Underground Sea
    1 [MI] Rocky Tar Pit
    1 [R] Volcanic Island
    1 [ON] Flooded Strand
    1 [ON] Polluted Delta
    1 [ON] Wooded Foothills
    1 [LRW] Spinerock Knoll
    1 [CHK] Shizo, Death's Storehouse
    1 [CHK] Minamo, School at Water's Edge
    1 [SH] Volrath's Stronghold
    1 [JU] Krosan Verge
    1 [A] Tundra
    1 [R] Tropical Island
    1 [R] Scrubland
    1 [R] Bayou
    1 [ON] Windswept Heath
    1 [ALA] Arcane Sanctum
    1 [R] Plateau
    1 [CH] City of Brass
    1 [DIS] Rakdos Carnarium

// Creatures
    1 [TSB] Avatar of Woe
    1 [ON] Doomed Necromancer
    1 [CS] Garza Zol, Plague Queen
    1 [TSB] Shadowmage Infiltrator
    1 [TSP] Bogardan Hellkite
    1 [PLC] Body Double
    1 [LRW] Shriekmaw
    1 [CNF] Inkwell Leviathan
    1 [EX] Merfolk Looter
    1 [MI] Spirit of the Night
    1 [ON] Visara the Dreadful
    1 [9E] Hell's Caretaker
    1 [FD] Thought Courier
    1 [CHK] Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
    1 [LRW] Pestermite
    1 [DIS] Tidespout Tyrant
    1 [ALA] Godsire
    1 [UL] Karmic Guide
    1 [GP] Angel of Despair
    1 [PLC] Teneb, the Harvester
    1 [SHM] Woodfall Primus
    1 [CNF] Magister Sphinx
    1 [LE] Akroma, Angel of Wrath
    1 [ALA] Hellkite Overlord
    1 [DIS] Simic Sky Swallower
    1 [ALA] Empyrial Archangel
    1 [TSP] Looter il-Kor
    1 [PLC] Magus of the Bazaar
    1 [RAV] Blazing Archon
    1 [CNF] Charnelhoard Wurm

// Spells
    1 [OD] Tainted Pact
    1 [TE] Reanimate
    1 [LRW] Makeshift Mannequin
    1 Demonic Tutor
    1 [TE] Living Death
    1 [R] Animate Dead
    1 [MR] Thirst for Knowledge
    1 [LRW] Ponder
    1 [RAV] Dimir Signet
    1 [DIS] Rakdos Signet
    1 [MR] Lightning Greaves
    1 [OD] Entomb
    1 [OD] Careful Study
    1 [OD] Zombify
    1 [VI] Necromancy
    1 [US] Exhume
    1 [MM] Bribery
    1 [IA] Dance of the Dead
    1 [OD] Buried Alive
    1 [US] Diabolic Servitude
    1 [US] Attunement
    1 [TE] Intuition
    1 [US] Victimize
    1 [UL] Frantic Search
    1 [TSP] Dread Return
    1 [CHK] Gifts Ungiven
    1 [JU] Stitch Together
    1 [7E] Breath of Life
    1 [AP] Vindicate
    1 [SOK] Ideas Unbound
    1 [RAV] Compulsive Research
    1 [RAV] Vigor Mortis
    1 [IN] Twilight's Call
    1 [US] Catalog

[markers]

I have to disagree with you GoblinPiledriver.

If you have a Fattie in your hand...All you want is to discard it, just use the Scepter or a discard spell to get in the graveyard...Your deck is fine but a lot of cards are on the banned list (Buried Alive and Dread Return) and Akroma and the Spirit of the Night are not my favorites (considering you can't enchant them).

[GoblinPiledriver]

Right 
Buried Alive is now on the banned list and dread return was there before.

But fact is for a Reanimator you need discard, (fat)creature and Reanimation. That is a 3 part combo, so i decided to play more draw-and-discard spells to gather all pieces together.

Pure discard spells should only be used on your opponent. That is the only way for a effective use. And yes of course if you have a fattie, a discard spell, and a reanimate spell you could use your discard spell against yourself. But only the normal and not the random ones. So i decided to play none of them and focuse on the main strategy.

[Mythrandir]

PPl shouldn't compare EDH to regular Highlander. EDH, as far i know starts wth 40 life, which makes deckbuilding/strategy a lot different, not to mention the general part, of course.

I think reanimator decks should work "combo-like", meaning you should play creatues via grave not really caring if you're able to play (most of them) from hand, but yes i aggree pure discard is a bit bad, things like careful study are great by comparison.

[markers]

Okay guys...You win Changed the deck quite a bit I am currently testing it...

[deck]
Lands/Mana sources: 37

1 Diamond Valley
1 Esper Panorama
1 B/U Fetch
1 B/R Fetch
1 W/U Fetch
1 Fetid Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Island
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Dark Ritual
1 Scrubland
15 Swamps
1 Teramorphic Expanse
1 Underground Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Wasteland
1 Watery Grave
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Tundra
1 M10 B/U-Dual
1 Shards Tapland (B/U/W)
1 Reflecting Pool
1 City of Brass

Creatures: 21


1 Angel of Despair
1 Augur of Skulls
1 Charnelhoard Wurm
1 Doomed Necromancer
1 Empyrial Archangel
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Laquatus Champion
1 Nether Traitor
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Putrid Imp
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Rotting Rats
1 Scion of Darkness
1 Shriekmaw
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Thought Courier
1 Undead Gladiator

Spells: 42

1 Animate Dead
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Corpse Dance
1 Damnation
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Dawn of the Dead
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Distress
1 Entomb
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Exhume
1 Frantic Search
1 Funeral Charm
1 Gifts ungiven
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Intuition
1 Liliana Vess
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Makeshift Mannequin
1 Mind Twist
1 Miscalculation
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Raven's Crime
1 Reanimate
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Remand
1 Scepter of Fugue
1 Sensei's Diving Top
1 Shallow Grave
1 Smother
1 Stitch together
1 Stupor
1 Sudden Death
1 Terror
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Thoughtseize
1 Vigor Mortis
1 Vindicate
1 Zombify
[/deck]

[grizzledmage]

So, yes, I have been following the tournament results here with my usual interest, and it seems to me that I'm seeing a fair number of reanimator users. Reminded me that I'd been considering such a deck for myself, and after a few versions here's what I currently have. Still very much a work in progress, and it has gone through very little playtesting so far (scarcity of players locally!).

Currently running 4 colors; all except R

Lands

    1 Terminal Moraine
    1 Mutavault
    1 Faerie Conclave
    1 Treetop Village
    1 Arcane Sanctum
    1 Seaside Citadel
    1 Dust Bowl
    1 Mishra's Factory
    1 Terramorphic Expanse
    1 Vivid Creek
    1 Wasteland
    3 Swamp
    4 Plains
    2 Forest
    3 Island
    1 Vivid Meadow
    1 Vivid Marsh
    1 Vivid Grove
    1 Temple Garden
    1 Marsh Flats
    1 Misty Rainforest
    1 Verdant Catacombs
    1 Hallowed Fountain
    1 Watery Grave
    1 Overgrown Tomb
    1 Godless Shrine
    1 Tropical Island
    1 Bayou

Threatening Creatures

    Sphinx of Jwar Isle
    Simic Sky Swallower
    Empyrial Archangel
    Iridescent Angel
    Angel of Despair
    Teneb the Harvester (also reanimates)
    Sphinx of the Steel Wind
    Symbiotic Wurm
    Woodfall Primus
    Akroma, Angel of Wrath
    Eternal Dragon
    Reya Dawnbringer (also reanimates)
    Hellkite Overlord
    Inkwell Leviathan

Draw/Discard Creatures/Utilities

    Frantic Search
    Intuition
    Compulsive Research
    Sphinx of Lost Truths
    Merfolk Looter
    Bonded Fetch
    Thirst for Knowledge
    Careful Consideration
    Fact or Fiction
    Gifts Ungiven
    Inspired Sprite
    Breakthrough
    Corpse Connoisseur (not d/d but does feed the graveyard)
    Thought Courier

Reanimation Creatures/Utilities

    Zombify
    Life/Death
    Miraculous Recovery
    Stitch Together
    Beacon of Unrest
    Makeshift Mannequin
    Resurrection
    Breath of Life
    Rise from the Grave
    Karmic Guide
    Doomed Necromancer
    Exhume
    Animate Dead

General Utility Creatures/Spells

    Swords to Plowshares
    Echoing Truth
    Putrefy
    Demonic Tutor
    Life from the Loam
    Mulldrifter
    Krosan Grip
    Crib Swap
    Path to Exile
    Trygon Predator
    Oblivion Stone
    Mortify
    Damnation
    Into the Roil
    Wrath of God
    Chainer's Edict
    Day of Judgment
    Lightning Greaves
    Darksteel Ingot
    Phyrexian Furnace
    Sensei's Divining Top
    Oblivion Ring
    Eternal Witness

Comments:

1. I admit that I am not thrilled with Reya Dawnbringer; initial goldfishing is unimpressive

2. I believe Sphinx of Jwar Isle could be good; the shroud keeps it from being easily removed and the last ability helps with Merfolk Looter and buddies. And it isn't difficult to hard cast.

3. Yes, Reanimate is missing but I do not currently have any.

4. Two cards I am eying closely are Psychatog and Wild Mongrel.

5. I am aware of the anti-synchrony between Animate Dead and Akroma as well as Iridescent Angel, but it has not been a problem in goldfishing so far. But keeping on eye on this...

Thoughts, suggestions, feedback?

[kriisi]

cards that could be worth considering:

Living Death - animates stuff
Hermit Druid - gets stuff into the bin
Recurring Nightmare - animates stuff