<p style="text-align: right;"><em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate|dsc|155" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJohann+Bodin%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johann Bodin</a></em></p>
<p>Reanimator is a popular Commander archetype that takes advantage of the graveyard to spruce up the battlefield. Whether it's to cheat the cost of a creature, reuse the same ones over and over, or expand your hand into the ground, the Reanimator archetype offers lots of opportunity for a satisfying, powerful puzzle to solve.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animate Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breach the Multiverse"></div></div>
<p>In this guide, we'll look at what makes a deck "Reanimator," the best cards and commanders for the strategy, and how to play it.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Reanimate.jpg

<p>A <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reanimator</a> deck is a subcategorization of a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/graveyard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Graveyard</a> deck. It takes cards from the graveyard and puts them into play in one form or another.</p>
<p>For our purposes, we'll be focusing on creature-focused Reanimator decks because this is the purest definition of Reanimator without tipping too much toward just a Graveyard deck that happens to run some reanimation.</p>
<p>So, while there are commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Osgir, the Reconstructor" href="#" target="_blank">Osgir, the Reconstructor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that allow their controllers to make use of a thick graveyard, these are Graveyard decks. Every Reanimator deck is a Graveyard deck, but not every Graveyard deck is a Reanimator deck.</p>


<p>Here are the main characteristics of a Reanimator Commander deck:</p>
<ul>
<li>Big graveyards, whether your own or your opponents'.</li>
<li>Spells and abilities that return creatures to the battlefield from the graveyard or some equivalent effect.</li>
<li>"Cheating," aka circumventing, high mana costs via a detour to the graveyard.</li>
<li>Reanimator strategies are primarily in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>white and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>black, with other colors usually providing support.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hofri Ghostforge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sin, Spira&#039;s Punishment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Scarab God"></div></div>


<h3>Benefits of Reanimator</h3>
<ul>
<li>It's a flexible archetype with varied playstyles that can range from on-rails to a "moving puzzle."</li>
</ul>
<p>Reanimator is so flexible that it can range <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from casual to competitive</a>. If it weren't for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wouldn't be so popular in Legacy. Not to mention, of course, that cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can tutor anything you need directly to your graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Buried Alive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sheoldred, Whispering One"></div></div>
<p>A bomb like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheoldred, Whispering One" href="#" target="_blank">Sheoldred, Whispering One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can hit play on turn one thanks to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Ritual" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Ritual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For those more competitive players, this is what the game's all about.</p>
<p>There are other ways to play Reanimator. Some builds can find themselves sharing some overlap with <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/sacrifice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacrifice</a> decks. Sometimes it's about getting yourself set up with an engine so you can use and abuse creatures leaving and reentering the battlefield thanks to a sacrifice outlet and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shirei, Shizo&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Shirei, Shizo&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Brewing a Reanimator deck list will have you tinkering and tooling with your ratios to get it just right.</p>
<ul>
<li>Big bombs!</li>
</ul>
<p>I don't often play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashen Rider" href="#" target="_blank">Ashen Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Cruelty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but when I do, it's because I have a way to take advantage of them without having to pay their high mana costs.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashen Rider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Cruelty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doomed Necromancer"></div></div>
<p>Sacrificing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood|tinr|21" href="#" target="_blank">Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> token the end step before your turn lets you dump the Rider into your graveyard for you to target with your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doomed Necromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Doomed Necromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> activation.</p>
<p>If this made your eyes widen with excitement, congratulations! You're going to love being a necromancer.</p>
<ul>
<li>You get to play with other players' graveyards, too.</li>
</ul>
<p>While this isn't everybody's favorite, there are tools in the Reanimator's belt that grant you the pick of <em>any</em> graveyard, and sometimes <em>each</em> graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sepulchral Primordial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grave Researcher"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sepulchral Primordial" href="#" target="_blank">Sepulchral Primordial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may cost seven mana, but it should net you three bodies plus its own. You probably won't have paid seven mana for that either.</p>
<p>There's no shame in admitting that sometimes your opponents are running amazing cards. Compliment them by using your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on something plucked from one of their graveyards. They'll be so flattered!</p>
<p>Actually, many will be a little (or very) annoyed, but that's just how it goes sometimes.</p>
<h3>Drawbacks of Reanimator</h3>
<ul>
<li>Your plan is weak to graveyard hate.</li>
</ul>
<p>When you're playing any sort of Graveyard deck, you'll dread seeing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of the Void" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of the Void</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bojuka Bog"></div></div>
<p>If a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bojuka Bog" href="#" target="_blank">Bojuka Bog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes an appearance, it makes a ton of sense to aim it at the person who's put all their eggs in one graveyard.</p>
<ul>
<li>Sometimes you draw the "wrong side" of the deck.</li>
</ul>
<p>When you play a Reanimator strategy, your deck will often be designed to have three types of effects: graveyard-filling effects, reanimation effects, and reanimation targets. It's necessary to strike a balance between these three.</p>
<p>Luckily there are ways to smooth things out on cards that offer a two-fer, like on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Junji, the Midnight Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Junji, the Midnight Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a great target to reanimate and a reanimator itself.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Junji, the Midnight Sky"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Delver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sister Hospitaller"></div></div>
<p>Unfortunately, sometimes you draw nothing but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Delver" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Delver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sister Hospitaller" href="#" target="_blank">Sister Hospitaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s when what you really need is some self-mill or looters.</p>
<p>If you're not optimizing this strategy, it can still be a late-game contender. If left alone long enough, because of the reanimation targets, you've still got some action if you have to hard-cast them.</p>
<p>The deck isn't dead in the water, but if things don't come together, games can feel like a thumb-twiddling session.</p>


<p>Here are some tips for playing Reanimator in Commander:</p>
<ul>
<li>Be prepared to accept your role as the archenemy. Reanimator decks forecast themselves by showing what can come into play next or with a display of power that makes your opponents fear your next turn. This also means accepting the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bojuka Bog" href="#" target="_blank">Bojuka Bog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s targeting you more often.</li>
<li>Prioritize looting as your card draw options. Draw into your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necromancy" href="#" target="_blank">Necromancy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while throwing a powerful creature into the graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Likeness Looter" href="#" target="_blank">Likeness Looter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greater Good" href="#" target="_blank">Greater Good</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> always feel great to draw in a Reanimator deck. Blood tokens are phenomenal for this strategy.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Necromancy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Likeness Looter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greater Good"></div></div>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=oracle%3Asurveil+%28game%3Apaper%29+prefer%3Abest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surveil</a> mechanic is <i>Magic</i>'s gift to Reanimator players. Use it a bunch!</li>
<li>If you find yourself building a lot of Reanimator lists, vary the reanimation targets. You'll thank me later. People get tired of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> quick, but you'll get tired of the lil' guy too, eventually.</li>
<li>Don't put all your eggs in the grave-basket. You might want to fire off all your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s because things are rolling right now, but hold onto one of them or a way to buy them back, in case. If you lose your reanimation effects, you're in for an uphill battle.</li>
<li>Goldfish the heck out of your decks. Know your cards and how they interact because Reanimator decks can offer a ton of different choices which can be overwhelming. You don't want to take up too much of everybody's night being in the tank so long. Get acquainted with the cards that make you excited when you see them!</li>
</ul>


<p>Here are the top three commanders for Reanimator <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to EDHREC</a>, with some insight into what makes them as popular as they are.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, the Balanced Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, the Balanced Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval, the Balanced Scale"></div></div>
<p>Teval isn't popular just because it was one of the commanders from the <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/sultai-arisen" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Sultai Arisen</em> precon deck</a>. Teval provides three things that make it an attractive option in the command zone.</p>
<ol>
<li>It fills the graveyard with its attack trigger. Having the ability to fill the graveyard right in the command zone allows you to cut down on a few of those slots in the 99. You need the 'yard filled so you can pull stuff out of it!</li>
<li>Teval gives you an additional incentive to bring things out of your graveyard by giving you Zombie tokens which can be blockers and sacrifice fodder.</li>
<li>It's in a popular three-color combination known for big value.</li>
</ol>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meren of Clan Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Meren of Clan Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meren of Clan Nel Toth"></div></div>
<p>It absolutely warms my heart to see Meren still topping the Reanimator charts 11 years after her first printing as the face commander in the Commander 2015 precon <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/plunder-the-graves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Plunder the Graves</em></a>.</p>
<ol>
<li>Meren is your primary reanimation engine right in the command zone. With experience counters, no matter how many times your opponents get rid of her, when she comes back and survives to your end step, she can still bring back a creature with mana value based on the number of those counters.</li>
<li>Meren partners the Reanimator experience with a Sacrifice one.</li>
<li>Meren is a resilient reanimation engine that requires some protection, but ultimately nets you a great deal of value over time.</li>
</ol>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra, Herald of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Terra, Herald of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terra, Herald of Hope"></div></div>
<p>The popular face commander from <em>Final Fantasy</em>'s <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/revival-trance" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Revival Trance</em> precon</a> led a deck full of fantastic new designs for one of the most iconic <em>Final Fantasy </em>sequels.</p>
<ol>
<li>Terra solves two parts of the puzzle: she fills your graveyard <em>and</em> reanimates creatures</li>
<li>She isn't just a popular character from a popular Universes Beyond product, she offers fans of the archetype a new way to break creatures out of the 'yard. Requiring combat damage and a two-mana payment, Terra is also limited to reanimating creatures with three power. Is this as restrictive as it would seem? One match against a Terra deck, you won't be wondering that anymore.</li>
<li>Terra is in a popular color combination, and a particularly good one for Reanimators. Terra gives you access to both primary Reanimator colors, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>black and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>white, and the secondary Reanimator color, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>red)</li>
</ol>


<p>Here's <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/21869837/the_master_transcendent_reanimator_for_you_and_me" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my deck list</a> for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Master, Transcendent" href="#" target="_blank">The Master, Transcendent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a Sulati (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) commander from <em>Fallout</em>. The deck has a total of 55 creatures in it, so tons of great targets to reanimate.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 The Master, Transcendent
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abyssal Harvester
*1 Acidic Slime
*1 Amphin Mutineer
*1 Ancient Brass Dragon
*1 Archetype of Endurance
*1 Blossoming Tortoise
*1 Body Double
*1 Bonny Pall, Clearcutter
*1 Bramble Sovereign
*1 Callidus Assassin
*1 Colossal Grave-Reaver
*1 Dreamborn Muse
*1 Druid of Purification
*1 Enduring Vitality
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Extractor Demon
*1 Freestrider Lookout
*1 Garruk&#039;s Packleader
*1 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
*1 Icetill Explorer
*1 Kheru Goldkeeper
*1 Kiora&#039;s Follower
*1 Kodama of the East Tree
*1 Lizard, Connors&#039;s Curse
*1 Loaming Shaman
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
*1 Marvin, Murderous Mimic
*1 Metamorphosis Fanatic
*1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
*1 Millikin
*1 Muldrotha, the Gravetide
*1 Mystic Snake
*1 Necron Deathmark
*1 Phenax, God of Deception
*1 Prime Speaker Zegana
*1 Puppeteer Clique
*1 Quistis Trepe
*1 Raul, Trouble Shooter
*1 Riddlekeeper
*1 Ruin Crab
*1 Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
*1 Satoru, the Infiltrator
*1 Sepulchral Primordial
*1 Sheoldred // The True Scriptures
*1 Sidisi, Regent of the Mire
*1 Sin, Spira&#039;s Punishment
*1 Six
*1 Skull Prophet
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Tato Farmer
*1 Teval, the Balanced Scale
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Wood Elves
*1 Yarok, the Desecrated
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Ripples of Undeath
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Altar of the Brood
*1 Mindcrank
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deathcap Glade
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*3 Forest
*1 Hedge Maze
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*2 Island
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Opulent Palace
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Swamp
*1 Three Tree City
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground Mortuary
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Volrath&#039;s Stronghold
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Woodland Cemetery
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*1 Zagoth Triome
[/Lands]"></span></div>


how to play reanimator

EDHREC Guide to Reanimator in Commander