Standard: Rakdos Reanimator - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Rakdos Reanimator, as its name suggests, focuses mainly on putting valuable creatures in play as fast as possible through the graveyard. Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Etali, Primal Conqueror are its win conditions, and create value for you in multiple ways.

To reanimate your creatures, first you'll need tools that let you move them from your graveyard and put them in play. Coiling Rebirth and Rakdos Joins Up are the most important ones.

Coiling Rebirth lets you reanimate a creature and copy it if it isn't legendary. Rakdos Joins Up, in turn, brings a creature back with two +1/+1 counters, and, whenever a legendary creature under your control dies, it deals damage to your opponent equal to the creature's power.

The Cruelty of Gix and Virtue of Persistence work similarly. The Cruelty of Gix forces your opponent to discard a card, puts an extra card in your hand, and reanimates a creature (in its final chapter). It also lets you use the chapter you prefer first because of its Read Ahead. In turn, you can cast Virtue of Persistence through its Adventure, remove a creature in the first few turns, and later use it to bring a creature back from the graveyard at the beginning of your upkeep. Both let you use any graveyard in play.

Breach the Multiverse can decide the game all on its own, as it brings two creatures and/or planeswalkers to your battlefield under your control. You can also use it to empty your opponent's deck and thus beat them with an alternative win condition if you need to.

This deck also plays The Infamous Cruelclaw and Harvester of Misery as its final creatures. Cruelclaw's ability works almost like a Cascade effect, as it lets you discard something and put it in your graveyard, so it is great in this list, and you can cast it as early as turn 3. Harvester, on the other side, is a good target for Coiling Rebirth, as you can copy it and trigger its ability twice. Furthermore, its second ability lets you discard it and put it in your graveyard.

Collector’s Vault and Demand Answers will give you card advantage and progress this deck's main game plan, and Bitter Triumph is an excellent removal for this list. Terror Tide will let you deal with many creatures at once.

Mulligan and Game Style

You'll prefer starting hands that let you progress your game plan as fast as possible, or that let you control the board and keep you alive until you can reanimate an Atraxa or Etali. Hands with just a few lands that let you develop your game plan (Collector's Vault, for instance, is great in a hand with two or three lands) are not that risky, as this deck can use its cards well to create different resources depending on each situation.

Your game style should focus on executing your game plan as fast as possible while resisting your opponent's threats.

After the rotation and Bloomburrow, Standard changed considerably. Nowadays, the format is quite diverse, with still dominant old suspects, but many new decks have also been standing out in big tournaments.

With this in mind, the sideboard we'll show you for this deck has been tested and performed well. Check out below how to deal with the main matchups in the format.

Vs. Golgari Midrange

This was one of the best decks before rotation, and it is even stronger now in the new season.

Golgari Midrange is quite problematic, so I consider this matchup equally complex. Deep-Cavern Bat can disrupt you considerably, particularly when your opponent plays several copies one after another. This deck also includes several removals that can disrupt our game plan a lot, but a nicely played Breach the Multiverse can turn the course of the game. Try to control the board as much as possible and survive until you can use Breach to revert the situation on game 1.

On game 2, your sideboard will help you even things out.

Side In

Side Out

Vs. Gruul Prowess

Against aggro decks, the plan is simple: survive for as long as possible and lean on Atraxa's life gain to get back into the game. Slickshot Show-Off is, by far, the most problematic creature in this matchup, but you should worry about all of them.

Game 1 will be complex, but you can be more reactive in game 2, as you'll have better interactions then.

Side In

Side Out

Vs. Azorius Artifacts

This deck is quite unusual and will play similarly to Rakdos Reanimator. With this in mind, treat this matchup as a race and try to make the most out of the value Etali, Primal Conqueror gives you to use your opponent's resources against them.

Post-side, there are many cards you can add to improve this matchup, but Abrade is, by far, the best option of all, as it can answer basically anything your opponent does. Be careful with Simulacrum Synthesizer and Unstable Glyphbridge, which create a lot of value for your opponent.

Side In

Side Out

Vs. Domain Ramp

Domain Ramp is possibly the best deck in the format right now. I consider this matchup quite terrible, but not impossible. Your best choice is leaning on disruption, considering Domain's game plan is slower. If you explore that line of play, you'll increase your odds considerably.

Duress and Liliana of the Veil are quite strong in this matchup, as well as The Infamous Cruelclaw, which is a powerful threat in any turn you play it. Our Rakdos doesn't have many ways to deal with Leyline Binding directly, so be careful with your removals.

Side In

Side Out

Vs. Dimir Reanimator

This is practically a mirror, so, once again, you'll be racing for resources against your opponent. Focus on your main game plan in game 1, and be careful with Jace, the Perfected Mind, which can be quite disruptive. In game 2, bring all the disruption you have and try to get in the way of your opponent as much as you can. Don't forget to progress your own game plan.

Your opponent will be able to execute their game plan much earlier, as Reenact the Crime costs one mana less than Rakdos' reanimators, but you have effective ways to interact with their threats. Trust me, you can turn the game back around.

Be careful with the cards you put in the graveyard, as your opponent can copy your creatures with Reenact the Crime. Soul-Guide Lantern is the best card for you in this matchup, as it hasn't been popular in the current metagame, so it might surprise your opponent and change the course of the game completely.

Side In

Side Out

Rakdos Reanimator is extremely fun and has been challenging to pilot in a metagame as diverse as the current Standard. I believe there is some space for this strategy in the format, and we can still explore it a bit more.

What do you think of this deck? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below!

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!