A Reanimator deck is a subcategorization of a Graveyard deck. It takes cards from the graveyard and puts them into play in one form or another.

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.

So, while there are commanders like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide or Osgir, the ReconstructorOsgir, the Reconstructor 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.

Here are the main characteristics of a Reanimator Commander deck:

• Big graveyards, whether your own or your opponents'.
• Spells and abilities that return creatures to the battlefield from the graveyard or some equivalent effect.
• "Cheating," aka circumventing, high mana costs via a detour to the graveyard.
• Reanimator strategies are primarily in white and black, with other colors usually providing support.

Benefits of Reanimator

• It's a flexible archetype with varied playstyles that can range from on-rails to a "moving puzzle."

Reanimator is so flexible that it can range from casual to competitive. If it weren't for ReanimateReanimate and Animate DeadAnimate Dead effects, GriselbrandGriselbrand wouldn't be so popular in Legacy. Not to mention, of course, that cards like Buried AliveBuried Alive and EntombEntomb can tutor anything you need directly to your graveyard.

A bomb like Sheoldred, Whispering OneSheoldred, Whispering One can hit play on turn one thanks to a Dark RitualDark Ritual, EntombEntomb, and ReanimateReanimate. For those more competitive players, this is what the game's all about.

There are other ways to play Reanimator. Some builds can find themselves sharing some overlap with Sacrifice 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 Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerShirei, Shizo's Caretaker.

Brewing a Reanimator deck list will have you tinkering and tooling with your ratios to get it just right.

• Big bombs!

I don't often play Ashen RiderAshen Rider or Archon of CrueltyArchon of Cruelty, but when I do, it's because I have a way to take advantage of them without having to pay their high mana costs.

Sacrificing a BloodBlood token the end step before your turn lets you dump the Rider into your graveyard for you to target with your Doomed NecromancerDoomed Necromancer activation.

If this made your eyes widen with excitement, congratulations! You're going to love being a necromancer.

• You get to play with other players' graveyards, too.

While this isn't everybody's favorite, there are tools in the Reanimator's belt that grant you the pick of any graveyard, and sometimes each graveyard.

Sepulchral PrimordialSepulchral Primordial 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.

There's no shame in admitting that sometimes your opponents are running amazing cards. Compliment them by using your ReanimateReanimate on something plucked from one of their graveyards. They'll be so flattered!

Actually, many will be a little (or very) annoyed, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

Drawbacks of Reanimator

• Your plan is weak to graveyard hate.

When you're playing any sort of Graveyard deck, you'll dread seeing a Rest in PeaceRest in Peace or Leyline of the VoidLeyline of the Void.

If a Bojuka BogBojuka Bog makes an appearance, it makes a ton of sense to aim it at the person who's put all their eggs in one graveyard.

• Sometimes you draw the "wrong side" of the deck.

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.

Luckily there are ways to smooth things out on cards that offer a two-fer, like on Junji, the Midnight SkyJunji, the Midnight Sky, which is a great target to reanimate and a reanimator itself.

Unfortunately, sometimes you draw nothing but Phyrexian DelverPhyrexian Delvers and Sister HospitallerSister Hospitallers when what you really need is some self-mill or looters.

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.

The deck isn't dead in the water, but if things don't come together, games can feel like a thumb-twiddling session.

Here are some tips for playing Reanimator in Commander:

• 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 Bojuka BogBojuka Bogs targeting you more often.
• Prioritize looting as your card draw options. Draw into your NecromancyNecromancy while throwing a powerful creature into the graveyard. Likeness LooterLikeness Looter and Greater GoodGreater Good always feel great to draw in a Reanimator deck. Blood tokens are phenomenal for this strategy.

• The surveil mechanic is Magic's gift to Reanimator players. Use it a bunch!
• If you find yourself building a lot of Reanimator lists, vary the reanimation targets. You'll thank me later. People get tired of Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel quick, but you'll get tired of the lil' guy too, eventually.
• Don't put all your eggs in the grave-basket. You might want to fire off all your Karmic GuideKarmic Guides 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.
• 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!

Here are the top three commanders for Reanimator according to EDHREC, with some insight into what makes them as popular as they are.

Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale

Teval isn't popular just because it was one of the commanders from the Sultai Arisen precon deck. Teval provides three things that make it an attractive option in the command zone.

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. It's in a popular three-color combination known for big value.

Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth

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 Plunder the Graves.

1. 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.
2. Meren partners the Reanimator experience with a Sacrifice one.
3. Meren is a resilient reanimation engine that requires some protection, but ultimately nets you a great deal of value over time.

Terra, Herald of HopeTerra, Herald of Hope

The popular face commander from Final Fantasy's Revival Trance precon led a deck full of fantastic new designs for one of the most iconic Final Fantasy sequels.

1. Terra solves two parts of the puzzle: she fills your graveyard and reanimates creatures
2. 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.
3. Terra is in a popular color combination, and a particularly good one for Reanimators. Terra gives you access to both primary Reanimator colors, black and white, and the secondary Reanimator color, red)

Here's my deck list for The Master, TranscendentThe Master, Transcendent, a Sulati () commander from Fallout. The deck has a total of 55 creatures in it, so tons of great targets to reanimate.