Tier 2combo

Five Color Reanimator

Reanimator Combo

Featured list~$960Technoliga Valenciana de Premodern (4 bodas y un funeral)

Overview

"Five Color Reanimator is a dedicated combo deck that discards a fatty and returns it to play on turn one or two with Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead. Careful Study and Putrid Imp enable the discard outlet, Dark Ritual and Lotus Petal provide explosive acceleration, and Cabal Therapy plus Unmask strip away interaction before going off. The reanimation targets are game-ending bombs like Akroma, Angel of Wrath, Phantom Nishoba, Verdant Force, and Symbiotic Wurm."

Game Plan

Discard a huge creature via Careful Study or Putrid Imp, then Reanimate or Exhume it on turn one or two and ride Akroma or another fatty to victory while disruption protects the play.

Key Cards

Core engine & flex

Signature

Reanimate

$16.41

TCG MP CK

Exhume

$4.51

TCG MP CK

Cabal Therapy

$24.71

TCG MP CK

Careful Study

$3.53

TCG MP CK

Putrid Imp

$3.39

TCG MP CK

Gemstone Mine

$12.90

TCG MP CK

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Sample Decklists

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Technoliga Valenciana de Premodern (4 bodas y un funeral)

1st PlaceJun 13, 2026

Juankawin

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Juankawin

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$847

Creature (16)

$159

4Akroma, Angel of Wrath

$78.965WWW

4Phantom Nishoba

$28.965GW

4Putrid Imp

$13.56B

4Verdant Force

$38.005GGG

Instant (8)

$56.48

4Dark Ritual

$21.04B

4Mental Note

$35.44U

Sorcery (14)

$147

$14.12U

$18.041B

$65.64B

$49.42B

Artifact (4)

$150

4Lotus Petal

$1500

Enchantment (4)

$38.04

4Animate Dead

$38.041B

Land (14)

$296

4City of Brass

$128

4Gemstone Mine

$51.60

4Underground River

$40.60

2Undiscovered Paradise

$76.04

Sideboard (15)

$112

4Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

$67.004GG

$7.725WU

$7.86U

$11.10R

$18.62R

Est. Total$960

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Lega Milano 3/10 @ Milano (Italy)

1st PlaceJun 12, 2026

Davidedoneda

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Davidedoneda

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$837

Creature (16)

$159

4Akroma, Angel of Wrath

$78.965WWW

4Phantom Nishoba

$28.965GW

4Putrid Imp

$13.56B

4Verdant Force

$38.005GGG

Instant (4)

$21.04

4Dark Ritual

$21.04B

Sorcery (22)

$211

$98.84B

$14.12U

$11.10B

$18.041B

$3.18G1B

$65.64B

Artifact (4)

$150

4Lotus Petal

$1500

Land (14)

$296

4City of Brass

$128

4Gemstone Mine

$51.60

4Underground River

$40.60

2Undiscovered Paradise

$76.04

Sideboard (15)

$398

2Ascendant Evincar

$9.124BB

2Crumble

$0.58G

3Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

$50.254GG

4Oath of Druids

$1231G

4Show and Tell

$2152U

Est. Total$1236

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Casual Event @ Maginzer (Vigo, Spain)

1st PlaceJun 6, 2026

Manuel Lago

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Manuel Lago

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$753

Creature (16)

$104

2Akroma, Angel of Wrath

$39.485WWW

$0.333BBB

$0.396RR

$28.965GW

$13.56B

$1.323RRR

$14.025GGG

$5.823BBB

Instant (4)

$21.04

4Dark Ritual

$21.04B

Sorcery (20)

$238

$98.84B

$14.12U

$18.041B

$1.06G1B

$65.64B

$1.331B

$39.343B

Artifact (4)

$150

4Lotus Petal

$1500

Enchantment (2)

$19.02

2Animate Dead

$19.021B

Land (14)

$221

$128

$51.60

$0.82

$40.60

Sideboard (15)

$225

1Ascendant Evincar

$4.564BB

1Duress

$3.70B

1Llanowar Wastes

$33.11

3Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

$50.254GG

$6.481G

$1231G

$1.331B

$2.041G

Est. Total$978

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Archetype Anatomy

Based on 353 decks with known dates2021-08-03 to 2026-06-16

Mana Base

Average14.6lands

Median14lands

Range12–22lands

Spells45.4avg non-land

Based on 353 decks (All-time)

core Cards(>80%)

Reanimate

100%

4.0x

Exhume

100%

4.0x

Cabal Therapy

97%

3.7x

Careful Study

97%

4.0x

Putrid Imp

94%

3.9x

Gemstone Mine

93%

4.0x

Akroma, Angel of Wrath

91%

3.1x

City of Brass

91%

3.6x

Phantom Nishoba

91%

3.7x

Lotus Petal

90%

4.0x

Dark Ritual

88%

4.0x

Underground River

85%

3.4x

Undiscovered Paradise

81%

2.2x

Animate Dead

81%

2.8x

flex Cards(30-80%)

Verdant Force

57%

2.3x

Sickening Dreams

53%

1.9x

Life // Death

52%

1.9x

Symbiotic Wurm

46%

2.5x

Unmask

39%

2.6x

Visara the Dreadful

36%

1.7x

Rorix Bladewing

33%

2.0x

Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

31%

2.5x

Duress

30%

2.2x

fringe Cards(<30%)

Hapless Researcher

14%

2.7x

Polluted Delta

13%

3.5x

Iridescent Angel

12%

2.0x

Spirit of the Night

11%

1.4x

Llanowar Wastes

10%

2.4x

1.4x

1.2x

1.0x

1.5x

2.6x

2.3x

1.9x

3.0x

2.8x

1.5x

2.7x

2.0x

3.5x

2.3x

1.7x

2.0x

1.8x

4.0x

2.3x

2.0x

2.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

Sideboard Anatomy

flex Sideboard Options(30-80%)

Oath Of Druids

77%

3.7x

Multani, Maro-Sorcerer

55.9%

2.7x

Duress

52.1%

2.3x

Naturalize

51.2%

2.2x

Iridescent Angel

33.3%

1.9x

Crumble

31%

2.0x

fringe Sideboard Options(<30%)

Stronghold Gambit

26.4%

2.6x

Sickening Dreams

23.9%

1.8x

Disenchant

21.5%

2.1x

Ihsan'S Shade

17.8%

1.5x

Tormod'S Crypt

14.6%

1.7x

Ascendant Evincar

14%

2.5x

Show And Tell

12.8%

3.2x

Red Elemental Blast

12.2%

2.5x

Phantom Nishoba

11.4%

2.5x

Ray Of Revelation

10.9%

2.2x

Tranquil Domain

10.3%

1.2x

Engineered Plague

8.9%

2.3x

Firestorm

7.4%

1.8x

Chain Of Vapor

7.4%

2.7x

Visara The Dreadful

7.3%

1.4x

Pyroblast

7.2%

2.0x

Null Rod

6.8%

2.2x

Chill

5.5%

2.1x

Annul

5.5%

2.7x

Rushing River

5.4%

2.8x

Smother

5.2%

1.8x

Cabal Therapy

4.7%

1.8x

Gloom

4.7%

2.8x

Akroma, Angel Of Wrath

4.5%

2.2x

Gaea'S Blessing

4.1%

1.1x

Powder Keg

2.0x

Peacekeeper

3.9%

1.2x

Rites Of Refusal

1.2x

Stifle

2.7%

2.5x

Zombie Infestation

2.5%

1.8x

Tsabo'S Web

2.4%

2.0x

Swords To Plowshares

2.3%

2.0x

Intervene

2.3%

2.2x

Phyrexian Negator

2.1%

3.1x

Avatar Of Woe

2.0x

Overload

1.9%

2.1x

Winter Orb

1.9%

1.3x

Phyrexian Furnace

1.7%

1.8x

Mana Leak

1.5%

2.3x

Cursed Totem

1.5%

1.8x

Snuff Out

1.5%

2.8x

Defense Grid

1.4%

2.1x

Pyroclasm

1.4%

2.2x

Compost

1.4%

2.0x

Verdant Force

1.3%

2.5x

Petradon

1.2%

2.6x

Phyrexian Dreadnought

1.2%

4.0x

Vision Charm

1.2%

4.0x

Spirit Of The Night

1.2%

1.0x

Recent Events Featuring this Archetype

MTGO Challenge 32

2026-06-16•Magic Online•64 Players

Highest Finish: 5th

VIEW EVENT

Dragonmaster Games June 2026 2k

2026-06-13•Binghamton, USA•31 Players

Highest Finish: 5th

VIEW EVENT

Technoliga Valenciana de Premodern (4 bodas y un funeral)

2026-06-13•Valencia, Spain•9 Players

Highest Finish: 1st

VIEW EVENT

Lega Milano 3/10 @ Milano (Italy)

2026-06-12•Milano, Italy•56 Players

Highest Finish: 1st

VIEW EVENT

SPMCR Monthly Burro Singles June @ SPMCR (San Jose, Coasta Rica)

2026-06-09•San Jose, Costa Rica•22 Players

Highest Finish: 7th

VIEW EVENT

Quick Facts

Tier2

Stylecombo

Meta Share1.0%

Avg Lands14.6

Est. Price~$960

Colors

Deck Weaknesses

Graveyard hate such as Tormod's Crypt or Phyrexian Furnace shuts off the entire reanimation plan.
The deck can stumble into hands with a reanimation spell but no target or a target but no enabler.
Reanimate and Exhume give the opponent the creature too with some effects, and single removal on the reanimated threat can blow them out.
Fast aggro or efficient counterspells can disrupt the fragile turn — one or turn-two setup.

How to win with it

Mulligan ruthlessly for a two-card engine: a keepable hand needs at least one discard outlet (Putrid Imp or Careful Study) AND at least one reanimation spell (Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead) backed by a single land; a hand with fatties but no way to bin them, or discard with no reanimation, is a snap mulligan regardless of land count.
The dream draw is Dark Ritual into Putrid Imp on turn one, then activate Putrid Imp's discard ability to pitch Akroma, Angel of Wrath or Phantom Nishoba, and cast Reanimate or Animate Dead on turn two for a 6/6 most decks cannot immediately answer; always prioritize this line when your opener supports it, leaning on Akroma, Angel of Wrath for its built-in protection.
Careful Study is your most flexible enabler: cast it on turn one to draw two and pitch a fatty, setting up a turn-two Exhume or Reanimate with no extra mana; crack Lotus Petal to move this a full turn faster when you want the threat down on turn one.
Hold Cabal Therapy until a creature has resolved into your graveyard, then cast it naming the card most likely to remove your reanimation target; if Putrid Imp is in play, sacrifice it afterward to flashback Cabal Therapy and strip a second card, turning your discard outlet into a two-for-one before you reanimate.
When the fast line is unavailable, grind: cast Sickening Dreams by discarding several cards (it deals that many damage to each creature and each player, so it costs you life while wiping the board) to bin Verdant Force or Symbiotic Wurm, then Exhume it back; both leave value behind, Verdant Force generating Saproling tokens each upkeep and Symbiotic Wurm leaving six 1/1 Insect tokens when it dies.
Treat Life // Death as a key decision: the Death half returns a creature card only from your own graveyard for two life and can be cast only if a creature died that turn, so save it as a late reanimation effect; favor Death over Exhume when your opponent has a creature worth bringing back, since Exhume returns a creature from each graveyard while Death targets yours alone.

How to beat it

Deploy graveyard hate like Tormod's Crypt before they reanimate, removing the target from the bin in response.
Hold instant-speed removal such as Swords to Plowshares for the reanimated Akroma or Phantom Nishoba.
Counter the key Reanimate, Exhume, or Animate Dead rather than the setup discard spells.
Apply pressure with disruption like Duress or discard to strip the combo before it assembles.
Race the deck if it stumbles, since a missed turn-two reanimation leaves it with a clunky, slow hand.

Resources

premodernmagic.com premodernmagic.com

Last Updated: May 2026

Overview

Game Plan

Key Cards

Sample Decklists

Juankawin

Mainboard (60)

Creature (16)

Instant (8)

Sorcery (14)

Artifact (4)

Enchantment (4)

Land (14)

Sideboard (15)

Davidedoneda

Mainboard (60)

Creature (16)

Instant (4)

Sorcery (22)

Artifact (4)

Land (14)

Sideboard (15)

Manuel Lago

Mainboard (60)

Creature (16)

Instant (4)

Sorcery (20)

Artifact (4)

Enchantment (2)

Land (14)

Sideboard (15)

Unchained Appearances10 decks

Archetype Anatomy

Mana Base

core Cards(>80%)

flex Cards(30-80%)

fringe Cards(<30%)

Sideboard Anatomy

flex Sideboard Options(30-80%)

fringe Sideboard Options(<30%)

Recent Events Featuring this Archetype