EDH Optimizer
Reanimator Commander decks
Reanimator skips the mana cost: it puts huge creatures into the graveyard and returns them to the battlefield for a fraction of their price. It needs two halves — discard and recursion — so it runs tutors and redundancy for both.
Cards that define the archetype
Ranked by how much MORE they are played inside the archetype than in the rest of Commander. Generic staples (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet…) fall out for exactly that reason: they are played everywhere equally.
| Card | Commanders | Avg. inclusion | Excess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reanimate | 147 | 50% | +35 pts |
| Victimize | 121 | 47% | +31 pts |
| Animate Dead | 73 | 42% | +23 pts |
| Buried Alive | 66 | 51% | +21 pts |
| Stitcher's Supplier | 53 | 52% | +17 pts |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 70 | 47% | +16 pts |
| Faithless Looting | 48 | 63% | +14 pts |
| Entomb | 42 | 41% | +13 pts |
| Ripples of Undeath | 37 | 45% | +11 pts |
| Dread Return | 38 | 45% | +11 pts |
| Living Death | 32 | 45% | +11 pts |
| Sun Titan | 35 | 51% | +10 pts |
| Accursed Marauder | 46 | 45% | +9 pts |
| Massacre Wurm | 38 | 44% | +9 pts |
| Millikin | 27 | 46% | +9 pts |
| Anger | 28 | 53% | +8 pts |
Commanders for Reanimator
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is, according to EDHREC data.
By color identity
Black Best cards by color →
Blue · Black Best cards by color →
Black · Red Best cards by color →
Black · Green Best cards by color →
White · Black Best cards by color →
White Best cards by color →
Paste your list and we tell you whether the deck actually does what it wants to do: curve, ramp, interaction and a 10,000-game simulation.
🛠️ Build a deck like this 📥 Analyze my deckFrequently asked questions
What is the best commander for a Reanimator deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Nethroi, Apex of Death, Marchesa, Dealer of Death. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 723 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Reanimator is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Reanimator deck?
The three most characteristic are Reanimate, Victimize, Animate Dead. They are not the most-played cards in the format, but the ones that appear far more inside this archetype than in the rest of Commander — which is what actually makes them essential here.
What colors is Reanimator played in?
The most common color identities are Black, Blue · Black, Black · Red. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Reanimator deck cost?
It depends on the price cap PER CARD you set. Each commander page lists the best cards in three tiers (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.