With these changes I went 6-3 at a PTQ in Tampa yesterday. The deck worked great except for some bad luck in the first few rounds.
One round in game 3 against a bant deck the life totals were 25-3 in my favor with lethal damage on board for next turn. My opponent draws Supreme Verdict. Ok fine, you're still at 3 life. NOPE! Next 4 draws for him in order (I know they were drawn because I had seen his hand the turn before the verdict off an Appetite for Brains): Thragtusk, Resto Angel, Thragtusk, Resto Angel. There's just nothing I can do against that level of luck.
Went 6-3 at GP Miami with this. Things that were awesome: My change to a single Liliana in the main was smart, it saved me against Bant Hexproof as intended. Abrupt Decay was pulling overtime against all the aggro I faced. Unflinching Courage was the star of the sideboard, it won me more post-board games than anything else.
I just cannot get junk aristocrats to perform for me! So much variance! Argh! Seems like a third of the time I flood out, a third I get mana screwed, and a third I have a fighting chance, which only sometimes comes out in my favor.
Thanks for all that info. I'm going to run this deck (minus the Lili, me no gotto) for the next few weeks at least and see what I can do. Even if it is giving me fits right now.
Actually it was critical in about half the games I played. Especially in aggro matchups you're going to want to side it in, so having it in already when half the field is aggro works.
What was it's main target? Reckoner? Was Tragic Slip not morbid activated enough for that? Or was it for other annoying permanents (looking at you Rest in Peace)?
Yup, I used it on RIP before I ran Lingering Souls out in one match. I also used it on Reckoner. They basically functioned as Tragic Slip #5-6 in other matchups, in this field I just need more removal (hence the two Putrefy in the board). I also liked to hold Tragic Slip to deal with big fatties if possible, use the Abrupt Decay on cheap stuff to save the slips.
Well done. I crushed with USA Midrange, lost one game (also to jund). Can't beat 3 slaughter games and 2 bonfires... The reanimator I put together went 6-2, piloted by a friend who had never played reanimator (but wasnt new to magic).
Well, this thing went undefeated this past weekend!
In fact, it only had ONE game loss the entire tournament, and that was against a Jund deck that happened to have four removal spells to play on a single turn. Can't do anything against a god hand, but it swept the board otherwise.
Ray of revelations for bant auras. Yeah you might take a hit from the geist angel, but if you can beat them out on combat it's win. Combat trick their pants off the geist, block out with an aristocrat on the geist and sac something to pro it. Something like that. I'd cut a land and put in an abrupt decay main board. Anyone with half a brain will rest in peace you, which completely shuts down your deck.
Yup, looks good. This deck won't survive rotation btw. It always boggled my mind that Act 1 actually worked without blood artists. Thankfully the only expensive cards in the whole deck are the voices, which will have value for quite a while :D
Yeah that's why I put it together. I was only playing my token deck
casually so I already had the mana base, the Voices, etc. I just had to
re-acquire the blood artists, I traded those off when I took BR Zombies
apart back in February.
Eh, I prefer Sorin. Free Vampires I can sacrifice or an Emblem to fly over more damage to get within range of sacrificing the team for Blood Artist triggers. I feel like I'll side Garruk out in more match-ups.
Basically against aggro I bring in the Abrupt Decay and enchantments, maybe Garruk depending on the particular matchup (he's for more mid-rangey aggro decks since he's slower), side out Sorin and Varolz.
Against control bring in Sin Collectors and Deathrite Shamans. The latter because I want to exile any tasty Snapcaster targets in the more flashy matchup than pure control. I side out the Tragic Slips and Young Wolves for those usually.
Reanimator I want to bring in Appetite for Brains to hit fatties, Deathrites for graveyard hate, and Putrefies to kill and fatties that stick. Depending on the acceleration I think Abrupt Decay can be good for mopping up early mana dorks to buy time. It's actually one of the better matchups pre-board as long as they don't get insanely lucky on an early mulch.
Final thought: I have been debating replacing Garruk with Liliana of the Veil. I need some sort of edict removal plan against bant auras since I don't have access to any sweepers, unless I wanted to be crazy and run Mutilate.
I think that as long as Cartel Aristocrat is around it can exist in some form, but without Blood Artist this deck will suffer since that's a huge win con. I hope we get something to make it viable.
Right on. The build I'm working on has 24. My meta is mostly Reanimator, so my SB is heavily skewed in that direction. Only like one other guy is playing this, but lots of folks are playing RIP or CoDH. At the moment my eventual build is looking to contain some Golgari Charm to fight that post-SB.
On a totally unrelated note: I read your comment on your profile page about folding over tape on toploaders. I use the small post-it notes instead of tape. Real easy to take off, but stay put when inside an envelope.
I can see that. Anything is better than these people who think they have to hermetically seal the case with packing tape, though....especially in Florida, it's so hot the glue melts and gets even worse.
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One round in game 3 against a bant deck the life totals were 25-3 in my favor with lethal damage on board for next turn. My opponent draws Supreme Verdict. Ok fine, you're still at 3 life. NOPE! Next 4 draws for him in order (I know they were drawn because I had seen his hand the turn before the verdict off an Appetite for Brains): Thragtusk, Resto Angel, Thragtusk, Resto Angel. There's just nothing I can do against that level of luck.
-2 Young Wolf
-1 Liliana
-2 Sorin
-1 Varolz
-1 Woodland Cemetery
+3 Unflinching Courage
+4 Deathrite Shaman
-2 Young Wolf
-1 Liliana
-3 Varolz
+2 Appetite for Brains
+4 Deathrite Shaman
-2 Abrupt Decay
-4 Doomed Traveler
+2 Appetite for Brains
+2 Sin Collector
+1 Liliana
+1 Garruk
-2 Young Wolf
-4 Tragic Slip
+1 Liliana
+2 Ray of Revelation
+3 Unflinching Courage
-4 Tragic Slip
-2 Young Wolf
-3 Blood Artist
+2 Sin Collector
+2 Appetite for Brains
+1 Liliana
+4 Deathrite Shaman
-1 Liliana
-2 Sorin
-1 Woodland Cemetery
+3 Unflinching Courage
+1 Garruk
In fact, it only had ONE game loss the entire tournament, and that was against a Jund deck that happened to have four removal spells to play on a single turn. Can't do anything against a god hand, but it swept the board otherwise.
casually so I already had the mana base, the Voices, etc. I just had to
re-acquire the blood artists, I traded those off when I took BR Zombies
apart back in February.
BTW, did you see Brad Nelson's current list on SCG today? Sorin's out, and Garruk is in 3x main.
Against control bring in Sin Collectors and Deathrite Shamans. The latter because I want to exile any tasty Snapcaster targets in the more flashy matchup than pure control. I side out the Tragic Slips and Young Wolves for those usually.
Reanimator I want to bring in Appetite for Brains to hit fatties, Deathrites for graveyard hate, and Putrefies to kill and fatties that stick. Depending on the acceleration I think Abrupt Decay can be good for mopping up early mana dorks to buy time. It's actually one of the better matchups pre-board as long as they don't get insanely lucky on an early mulch.
do you think there's any chance it'll survive innistrad rotation? Think well get replacement parts?