Legacy Reanimator deck

UPDATED MARCH/2022
Reanimator is one of the decks that has been in Legacy since its origins. It follows the classic Reanimator concept of placing a creature into the graveyard, then putting it into play from there with a cheap, efficient spell.
==Early Decklists==
This version by Andreas Müller was piloted to a win at Grand Prix Madrid 2010 and can be characterized by three significant things:
#Presence of creatures efficient to creature-based aggro decks - <c>Blazing Archon</c>, <c>Sphinx of the Steel Wind</c> and <c>Empyrial Archangel</c>.
#Presence of <c>Mystical Tutor</c>, a card that can search up the missing piece (either an <c>Entomb</c> or a <c>Reanimate</c>).
#The protection which is created from a small number of copies of <c>Thoughtseize</c> along with <c>Daze</c> and <c>Force of Will</c>.
If one pays attention to the list, they will find that there are many means to place a creature card in the Graveyard:
*Natural discard to hand size
*Entomb
*Careful Study
*Thoughtseize targeting oneself
Once that part is covered, the next step is to reanimate it:
*Reanimate
*Exhume
<d title="Reanimator - Andreas Müller - Grand Prix Madrid 2010">
Creatures
2 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Blazing Archon
1 Empyrial Archangel
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Reanimation Suit
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
4 Reanimate
1 Show and Tell
Card Search
4 Mystical Tutor
4 Brainstorm
4 Careful Study
Additional Spells
2 Thoughtseize
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
1 Echoing Truth
1 Dark Ritual
Lands
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Polluted Delta
2 Island
2 Swamp
4 Underground Sea
Sideboard
1 Animate Dead
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Misdirection
2 Perish
1 Show and Tell
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Wipe Away
1 Woodfall Primus</d>
==Contemporary Decklists==
With the evolution of legacy, too came the evolution of Reanimator decks. And there probably never has been a wider variety of Reanimator decks in the Legacy format before.
The idea of the deck is still the same, but due to more recent printings, many creatures have been replaced and many versions of the deck have surged.
===Mono-Black Reanimator===
Here, a Mono-Black decklist that won a 26-people tournament in Belgium - funny enough the 2nd place was also a Mono-Black Reanimator. The rest of the top-8 included Death and Taxes, UR Ragavan Delver, BR Goblins, UB Ninjas, Bomberman and Sharkstill.
It is totally possible to be implemented without <c>Lake of the Dead</c> and <c>Helm of Obedience</c>, and it makes it a much more affordable deck and a popular choice for Legacy beginners.
Notice how the Side Board uses <c>Ratchet Bomb</c> to deal with Graveyard hate and uses <c>Helm of Obedience</c> + <c>Leyline of the Void</c> as a backup combo.
<d title="1st Place: B Reanimator - Bertram D'hooge - Semi-annual League (Leuven, Belgium) - 20/01/22">
Creatures
1 Archon of Cruelty
3 Grave Titan
1 Grief
2 Griselbrand
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Serra's Emissary
Instants and Sorceries
2 Collective Brutality
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
4 Entomb
2 Exhume
4 Reanimate
4 Thoughtseize
2 Unmarked Grave
Other Spells
4 Animate Dead
Lands
1 Castle Locthwain
2 Lake of the Dead
17 Swamp
Sideboard
2 Dauthi Voidwalker
1 Grave Titan
2 Helm of Obedience
3 Hymn to Tourach
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Ratchet Bomb</d>
===Black-Red Reanimator===
Next, a 2nd place finish by Bruno Cardoso in a 38-people tournament in Brazil. The top-8 included Turbo-Depths, Death and Taxes, Bant Control, Canadian Threshold, Curses, Hollow One Madness and Elves.
Although the core of the list is of Black-Red nature, there is Blue and White to enable some of the Side board choices. Some players don't find the Blue alternative needed and stick to Black-Red with an optional splash for either Green or White.
Here the player chose to dodge Graveyard hate with <c>Show and Tell</c>. <c>Silence</c> is an interesting choice as a "preemptive counterspell". Sometimes players will also use <c>Wear/Tear</c> if they have access to Red and White.
<d title="2nd Place: BR Reanimator - Bruno Cardoso - RS 1º Temporada (Porto Alegre, Brazil) - 30/01/22">
Creatures
1 Archon of Cruelty
4 Chancellor of the Annex
2 Grief
4 Griselbrand
1 Sire of Insanity
Instants and Sorceries
4 Faithless Looting
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
4 Reanimate
2 Thoughtseize
4 Unmask
Other Spells
4 Animate Dead
4 Lotus Petal
Lands
2 Badlands
1 Bayou
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scrubland
2 Swamp
1 Underground Sea
3 Verdant Catacombs
Sideboard
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Archetype of Endurance
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Faerie Macabre
2 Serenity
1 Shenanigans
3 Show and Tell
3 Silence</d>
===Mono-Black Storm Reanimator===
Then, this list from Japan in a 25-people tournament. The podium was shared with Bant Control and Oops, All Spells! followed by Lands in 4th.
Storm Reanimator is a bit less easy to be made without Reserved List cards, but it is not impossible. Players usually swap <c>Lion's Eye Diamond</c> for <c>Cabal Ritual</c> or <c>Chrome Mox</c>. It is slightly less popular among budget-restricted players because of how strong <c>Lion's Eye Diamond</c> is. 
This player's Side board chose to use <c>Sedgemoor Witch</c> to benefit from generating tokens. <c>Chain of Smog</c> is a card that has been gaining on popularity and even winning some dedicated lists for itself. The idea is that Chain of Smog will benefit the Reanimator player much more than the opponent if they choose to keep "exchanging blows".
<d title="2nd Place: Storm Reanimator - Watanabe Shota - Hareruya (Japan) - 08/01/22">
Creatures
3 Archon of Cruelty
4 Griselbrand
1 Magus of the Will
Instants and Sorceries
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
3 Infernal Tutor
4 Thoughtseize
4 Unmask
4 Shallow Grave
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Unburial Rites
Other Spells
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
Lands
15 Swamp
Sideboard
3 Chain of Smog
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Massacre
3 Sedgemoor Witch
3 Surgical Extraction</d>
===Blue-Black Reanimator===
This one was a 4th place in a 38-people tournament. The top-8 featured 2 UR Delvers, Affinity Scales, Death and Taxes, Lands, BR Goblins and ANT Storm.
Also in a Blue-Black core the player chose to splash some Green to enable some other Side board options.
This Side board has a bit of everything. It has a bounce spell with <c>Brazen Borrower</c>, it can dodge the Graveyard hate with <c>Show and Tell</c>, it can get rid of most Graveyard hate with <c>Abrupt Decay</c> and it can fight discard and counterspells with <c>Veil of Summer</c>.
<d title="4th Place: UB Reanimator - Hunter Schreifels - Diamond Event (Mankato, MN) - 26/02/22">
Creatures
1 Archon of Cruelty
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Grief
2 Griselbrand
2 Hapless Researcher
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
Instants and Sorceries
4 Brainstorm
3 Careful Study
1 Collective Brutality
2 Daze
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
4 Force of Will
2 Ponder
4 Reanimate
1 Show and Tell
2 Thoughtseize 
Other Spells
4 Lotus Petal
Lands
1 Bayou
1 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
1 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Verdant Catacombs
Sideboard
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Brazen Borrower
2 Carpet of Flowers
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Massacre
2 Pithing Needle
1 Serra's Emissary
2 Show and Tell
2 Veil of Summer</d>
===Lands Reanimator===
An even less conventional list that mixes both Turbo-Depths and Reanimator. this list claimed 5th place in an 18-people tournament in Japan. Top-8 was composed of Omni-Show, 2 UR Delvers, Selesnya Depths, Food Griffin, Merfolk and 4-Color Control.
This list allows for either a Reanimator win or a <c>Dark Depths</c> win. It is possible to make it entirely Mono-Black and this is a somewhat popular choice among players who can't afford Reserved List cards. It is also a good strategy to implement an alternate win condition with little effort.
This player also chose <c>Chain of Smog</c> for their sideboard. Interestingly, they chose <c>Witherbloom Apprentice</c> which provides a similar strategy to <c>Sedgemoor Witch</c> in a previous list. It also fights against enchantments with <c>Reverent Silence</c>; this card can be free to cast and that allows for a player to deal with the Graveyard hate and still combo in the same turn.
<d title="5th Place: Lands Reanimator - Sakuma Takamichi - Hareruya (Japan) - 22/01/2022">
Creatures
3 Archon of Cruelty
2 Grief
1 Griselbrand
1 Primeval Titan
1 Serra's Emissary
4 Vampire Hexmage
Instants and Sorceries
1 Collective Brutality
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
1 Exhume
1 Hymn to Tourach
4 Reanimate
4 Thoughtseize
2 Unmarked Grave
Other Spells
3 Animate Dead
4 Lotus Petal
Lands
2 Bayou
4 Dark Depths
1 Lake of the Dead
2 Swamp
3 Thespian's Stage
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
Sideboard
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Chain of Smog
3 Dauthi Voidwalker
2 Reverent Silence
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Witherbloom Apprentice</d>
==Reanimator for all budgetary options==
Legacy has an issue; namely the growth of the format and how the Reserved List affects this. The main factor preventing people to join the Legacy format is that multicolour decks often need old dual lands from the Reserved List, and since they are from the Reserved List, they are expensive and inaccessible to most players. Hence, decks and archetypes like Reanimator become key to the format's growth.
The core strategy of the deck resorts to a total of zero cards from the Reserved List. Additionally, the only colour required for the core strategy is black. Such a powerful strategy being available in a deck that doesn't need hard-to-acquire cards lets more players join the format. Not only that, but the card pool in Mono-Black allows for a fully competitive experience without downgrading the deck's power.
In the end, Reanimator offers players the possibility to play a fully competitive deck without Reserved List cards - which gives players peace of mind on not having to worry about acquiring cards that will never be reprinted. Despite having more options to choose from and more colors to play with, a highly competitive Mono-Black version of the deck is still available to those that want to play it, but can't afford old duals, which makes it an important factor when it comes to the survival and expansion of the Legacy format.
Alongside Reanimator, other strategies also play a vital role in drawing more players into the format, These are some of them:
*Mono-Blue Show and Tell
*Mono-Blue Delver
*Burn
*Turbo-Depths
*Mono-Blue/Mono-Green Infect
*Mono-Red Storm
*Mono-White/Mono-Red Painter
*Belcher
*Oops, All Spells!
*Dredge (Manaless/5-Color Led-less)
*Titan Post/12-Post
*Affinity/Robots
*Death's Shadow
*Mono-Red Sneak Attack
*Goblins
*Slivers
*Humans
*Death and Taxes
In this format - where many cards are limited and growing more expensive because of the Reserved List - having a wide variety of competitive decks to choose from (and that do not depend on Reserved List cards to exist) is vital to the survival and growth of the format.
==See also==
*Reanimator
*Griselbrand
*Legacy
*Vintage
*Modern
*Black
*Combo deck
*Aggro deck
*Reserved List
*Revitalization of Legacy
Category:Legacy format
Category:Tournament decks
Category:Deck archetypes