Sauron, the Dark Lord
The Hosts of Mordor precon, rebuilt as Grixis reanimator.
- 1Fill the graveyard with Entomb, Buried Alive and Unmarked Grave, then bring the biggest threat back on turn three or four with Animate Dead, Necromancy, Dance of the Dead or Persist.
- 2Windfall and Sauron's own discard-your-hand-and-draw-four refill the hand and pitch more targets into the yard. Orcish Bowmasters punishes everyone else's extra draws.
- 3Every spell an opponent casts still amasses Orcs, and his ward makes them sacrifice a legendary to target him. About 30 new cards on top of the precon, and it stays Bracket 3 with Bowmasters as the only Game Changer.
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth · Borderless · Art by Dominik Mayer & Anato Finnstark
Fill the graveyard
Put the big creature in the yard, fast.
Entomb
Borderless · Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal
Buried Alive
Regular · Modern Horizons 3
Unmarked Grave
Extended art · Modern Horizons 2
Final Parting
Regular · Commander Masters
Stitcher's Supplier
Regular · Final Fantasy Commander
$0.50
NM · Core Set 2019 · 1 left
Troll of Khazad-dûm
Regular · The Hobbit Eternal
Bring them back
Cheap reanimation to cheat the payoff into play.
Animate Dead
Regular · Secrets of Strixhaven Commander
Necromancy
Regular · Murders at Karlov Manor Commander
Dance of the Dead
Regular · Ice Age
Persist
Borderless · Special Guests
Reanimate
Borderless · Marvel Universe
Victimize
Borderless · Special Guests
The big targets
What you actually want to reanimate.
Archon of Cruelty
Showcase · Modern Horizons 2
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Borderless · Multiverse Legends
Archfiend of Ifnir
Regular · Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander
Card flow & interaction
Keep the hand full and the table honest.
Windfall
Regular · Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander
Toxic Deluge
Borderless · Double Masters
Infernal Grasp
Borderless · Marvel Universe
Counterspell
Borderless · Marvel Universe
Saruman's Trickery
Showcase · The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Lands of Mordor
Flavor-perfect utility lands that pull their weight.
Barad-dûr
Borderless · The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Mount Doom
Borderless · The Hobbit Eternal
The Black Gate
Borderless · The Hobbit Eternal
Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
Borderless · The Hobbit Eternal
Picks are drawn from EDHREC's data for Sauron, the Dark Lord: its most-played cards, its high-lift cards (ones that show up far more in this deck than elsewhere) and its newest additions. 1 of the 26 are in stock right now; request the rest and we'll see what we can find.
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