Saruman Reanimator by mordonextra

Format: Commander

Commander: Saruman, the White Hand

Bracket: 4

DeckCheck Threat Index: 55

Deck overview

This Grixis Reanimator deck pairs rapid graveyard setup with decisive, high-impact payoffs and a compact infinite combo. Using efficient loot effects, tutors like Buried Alive and Demonic Tutor, and dense 2-CMC mana ramp, the deck rapidly stocks the graveyard with devastating creatures. Its primary win condition resolves on Turn 4 by using Victimize or Living Death to return Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion, executing an infinite direct-damage loop with zero opponent response cycles. If the combo pieces are unavailable, the deck pivots smoothly to oppressive reanimation targets such as Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, Archon of Cruelty, and Valgavoth, Terror Eater, stripping opponent hands and boards through asymmetric attrition. While Saruman, the White Hand provides passive ward protection and creates Army tokens from noncreature spells, the deck functions with total independence from the command zone. It operates with high resilience, recovering quickly from disruption through deep recursion redundancy.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Anger
  • 1 Animate Dead
  • 1 Arcane Denial
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Archon of Cruelty
  • 1 Archpriest of Shadows
  • 1 Baleful Strix
  • 1 Big Score
  • 1 Blood Crypt
  • 1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
  • 1 Buried Alive
  • 1 Burning-Rune Demon
  • 1 Cavern-Hoard Dragon
  • 1 Chainer, Nightmare Adept
  • 1 Choked Estuary
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Corsairs of Umbar
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Dimir Signet
  • 1 Dragonskull Summit
  • 1 Drowned Catacomb
  • 1 Faithless Looting
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Feldon of the Third Path
  • 1 Final Parting
  • 1 Flayer of the Hatebound
  • 1 Foreboding Ruins
  • 1 Frantic Search
  • 1 Frostboil Snarl
  • 1 Hexing Squelcher
  • 1 Hostage Taker
  • 6 Island
  • 1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Living Death
  • 1 Lord of Change
  • 1 Merfolk Looter
  • 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
  • 1 Mind Stone
  • 1 Morbid Opportunist
  • 7 Mountain
  • 1 Mystic Remora
  • 1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
  • 1 Noxious Gearhulk
  • 1 Obsessive Stitcher
  • 1 Port Razer
  • 1 Rakdos Charm
  • 1 Rakdos Joins Up
  • 1 Rakdos Signet
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Relic of Sauron
  • 1 Rielle, the Everwise
  • 1 Rogue's Passage
  • 1 Rona, Herald of Invasion // Rona, Tolarian Obliterator
  • 1 Saruman, the White Hand
  • 1 Sauron, Lord of the Rings
  • 1 Sauron, the Dark Lord
  • 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
  • 1 Smoldering Marsh
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Sphinx of the Second Sun
  • 1 Steam Vents
  • 1 Sulfur Falls
  • 1 Sulfurous Springs
  • 1 Sunken Hollow
  • 7 Swamp
  • 1 Swan Song
  • 1 Sword of the Animist
  • 1 Tainted Indulgence
  • 1 Talisman of Creativity
  • 1 Talisman of Dominance
  • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
  • 1 The Balrog of Moria
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 Triskelion
  • 1 Underground River
  • 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Victimize
  • 1 Vile Entomber
  • 1 Vohar, Vodalian Desecrator
  • 1 Watery Grave