Top 10 Reanimator Spells You Should Play More Often

Reanimator is one of the most fun archetypes in Commander. Whether you’re all in on the strategy or you’re just looking for a few choice recursion tools to add to your deck, it’s always good to keep up with the latest and greatest effects. Here are 10 Reanimator Spells You Should Play More Often.

REANIMATOR IN COMMANDER

Reanimator has been around in Commander since its inception. In a format where board wipes can nullify your progress, and one where discarding cards – either in search of more, or through wheels and other effects – is commonplace, having ways to make use of your graveyard is key to having a flexible gameplan that can pivot as the game progresses.

The other factor in just how popular Reanimator is in Commander is because of how efficient it can be. The low mana ways to cheat a big creature into play like Reanimate, Animate Dead and Stitch Together have remained popular due to their efficiency. 

Other effects are repeatable, offering ongoing value that you don’t have to keep paying for. Sun Titan is truly the sun that never sets – or so I wrote a few months back – and it’s a prime example of the best recursion can give.  

And then we have the game-ending type of Reanimator; think Living Death, or Finale of Devastation. These big splashy spells can win you the game on the spot, and are popular win conditions even in decks that don’t have Reanimator as the primary strategy. 

So, what are some Reanimator effects that deserve to see more play? What might you have missed in your search for ways to bring your favorites back to play? Let’s look at a few. 

TOP 10 UNDERPLAYED REANIMATOR CARDS

10. EMERIA, THE SKY RUIN

First up, an oldie but a goodie. Emeria, the Sky Ruin gives you free reanimation every. single. upkeep. 

So why is it a card I don’t see often enough? Well, that’s mainly down to the rider of needing seven or more Plains in play for it to trigger (and maybe a little because some white decks can’t tutor it, so folks tend to undervalue having access to it). 

While it used to be the case that you needed to run way more Basic Plains to enable it, nowadays with Edge of Eternities Commander completing the tango and bicycle lands for Boros, and Murders at Karlov Manor giving us the fantastic Surveil lands, it’s never been easier to assemble a strong manabase with access to more nonbasic Plains. 

That aside, I feel like Commander players do need to just run more Basics. They come in untapped, and can help build you toward Emeria, the Sky Ruin being online. What’s not to love?

9. RAKDOS JOINS UP

Next up, one I still haven’t seen in play yet, despite playing against a number of Legendary-matters decks since Outlaws at Thunder Junction released. Rakdos Joins Up is a fantastic variant of the five mana “bring something back with two +1/+1 counters on it”. It gives you that effect on a burn damage Enchantment that can keep triggering well past the EtB effect going off. 

Burn wins games, and having some burn really helps you win a game. After all… Commander Games Feel Fast These Days, and Here’s Why. 

8. COSMIC REBIRTH

Mana curves are lower these days, it’s true. So, considering that, maybe it’s time you reconsidered Cosmic Rebirth. Instant speed Reanimator effects are few and far between for such a low mana value, and if you do want to target anything bigger than a mana value of 3, you can bring it back to your hand to save it from a graveyard disrupting effect. 

7. BLOODLINE BIDDING

There’s no way people are missing this one because they don’t think it’s good – but more just because of how new it is. Released in Lorwyn Eclipsed, Bloodline Bidding is probably one of the best typal Reanimator effects that’s available. It’s one sided, and can cost quite little, relatively, if you have a large enough board. 

Pro tip, though – you must activate mana abilities before paying costs (which includes Convoke). So, no… you can’t convoke and sac creatures for mana to pay for this. 

6. COLOSSAL GRAVE-REAVER

Tarkir Dragonstorm was a really great set, and the Commander Decks were also some of the best we’ve had in a hot second. I’m still enjoying tinkering with Shiko & Narset, and that’s as someone that doesn’t jam with Jeskai that often. 

Over on the other side of the color pie is Colossal Grave–Reaver, which reads as an absolutely bonkers Magic card. Whenever one or more creatures are put into your yard from your library, you get to reanimate one, as a treat. This is bonkers because self-mill in Golgari colors means being able to just get everything you want into play. It means milling yourself incrementally with Altar of Dementia can tear through your deck and reanimate a bunch of creatures, building for an overwhelming Living Death. 

You gotta get it into play first, but that’s what Animate Dead is for, right?

5. WILL OF THE ABZAN

Still in Tarkir Dragonstorm Commander for a moment, I want you to read Will of the Abzan once again. It’s an edict for only opponents… and you also get to reanimate something. Oh, and for good measure, each opponent also loses 3 life.

So you’re getting a Soul Shatter, three Bump in the Nights, and a Breath of Life (that’s ten mana of spells) for just four mana, provided your Commander is in play. This is far beyond a two-for-one, and a great deal. Sorcery-schmorcery, who cares if it isn’t Instant. I don’t. 

4. VAT OF REBIRTH

This one is such a no-brainer in any deck that uses the graveyard judiciously. If you’re sacrificing creatures a lot, it can wrack up counters very quickly. If you’re also dipping into artifacts – whether permanents, or in token form (treasures, clues, etc) – then you’re double dipping on value with Vat of Rebirth. In a time when having a good one-drop to play on T1 or T2 is worth a lot, Vat stonks are high. 

3. METAMORPHOSIS FANATIC

Alongside Angel of Indemnity, Metamorphosis Fanatic is a key card for turning the tables and mounting a comeback. Life totals drop quite fast these days, and being able to get two lifelinking bodies into play for six mana is a hell of a deal. The miracle cost is just gravy, really. Even if you never miracle the Fanatic, it’s well worth running.

2. REDEMPTION CHOIR

Redemption Choir is one of my favorite spells printed in the last five years. It’s a mini Sun Titan, and the requirement to have Coven online in order to make it work is generally quite trivial. Having access to a Sun Titan at such a low mana cost is wonderful, and you should play it in your white decks. Probably all of them, to be honest.

1. BREACH THE MULTIVERSE

Much like favorite of mine Incarnation Technique, Breach the Multiverse is so good because it fills your graveyard as part of the spell. This is such a pivotal effect for graveyard decks precisely because most reanimation spells require a graveyard to work – something which can be interrupted by vigilant opponents who are tired off your shenanigans. Forcing everyone to mill ten before this resolves almost guarantees you get four creatures every time.

What a fantastic spell.

END STEP

And those are 10 Reanimator Spells You Should Play More Often. They’re some of the best ones available that aren’t the best-in-class eponymous cards that give the archetype its name. Have any more you run that you think deserve a second look? Let us know.