Reanimate
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Sorcery
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Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander (DSC)
Reanimate sits in 7.2% of tracked Commander decks, and when players do draw it, only 46% cast it before the game ends — a median first-cast turn of 7 tells you why.
Reanimate is a one-mana reanimation spell with a ceiling as high as whatever creature is rotting in any graveyard. Across 161 tracked games on Playgroup Live, it appears in 7.2% of decks — a focused inclusion rate that reflects its strict black-only color identity and the need to build around a graveyard.
The draw-to-play rate of 46% is the sharpest signal in the data. Players who draw Reanimate hold it a median of 2 turns before casting, and only 29% slam it the same turn they draw it. That patience is intentional: the spell is useless without a worthwhile target in a graveyard, so players wait for the right moment. The median first-cast turn of 7 confirms this is a mid-to-late-game payoff, not an opener.
Battlefield stickiness is effectively zero here because Reanimate is a sorcery — it resolves and goes straight to the graveyard. The creature it returns is a separate permanent, so the final zone data shows 34 instances ending in the graveyard and only 1 on the battlefield, which is exactly what you'd expect from a one-shot spell.
- 7.2% inclusion rate across tracked Commander decks
- 46% of drawn Reanimates are cast before the game ends
- T7 median first-cast turn — a deliberate, late-game payoff
- 2 turns median time Reanimate sits in hand before being cast
- 33% win rate in games where Reanimate was cast
- 129 distinct decks including Reanimate across Playgroup Live
First-cast turn
n=29The "good card" funnel
226 broughtOf 183 Reanimates brought to games, 46 were drawn, 24 of those were cast, and only 1 remained on the battlefield at game end — which is exactly right for a sorcery that goes to the graveyard on resolution.
Players who cast this card win 34% of the time (n=29) , vs 37% when it never left the library (n=161).
Final zone distribution
226 instances129 of 183 brought instances end in the library, which is expected for a 7.2%-inclusion singleton — the 34 graveyard instances confirm Reanimate resolved and was consumed as intended.
Top commanders running this card
by deck count-
1
Sauron, the Dark Lord
13 decks
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2
Terra, Herald of Hope
10 decks
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3
Sauron, Lord of the Rings
8 decks
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4
Kaalia of the Vast
7 decks
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5
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
7 decks
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6
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
6 decks
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7
Maha, Its Feathers Night
5 decks
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8
Silverquill, the Disputant
5 decks
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9
The Scarab God
5 decks
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10
Ardyn, the Usurper
4 decks
The top ten commanders span five different color combinations, with Sauron, Lord of the Rings leading at 8 decks — Reanimate has no single dominant home, it fits any black shell with a graveyard plan.
How often is Reanimate drawn in a Commander game? ▾
In 161 tracked games where Reanimate was in the deck, it was drawn in 25% of deck-participations. That is normal for a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 46 instances that reached a player's hand, 24 were eventually cast — a draw-to-play rate of 46%. The other 54% reflects games that ended before the right target appeared, or hands where the card was drawn too late to matter.
Why does Reanimate have a median cast turn of 7? ▾
Reanimate is a reactive spell. It needs a high-value creature in a graveyard before it does anything meaningful. Players deliberately hold it until the right target is available, which pushes the median cast turn to 7. Only 29% of instances are cast on the same turn they are drawn, compared to something like Sol Ring where players slam it immediately. The setup cost is real, even at one mana.
What does the 46% draw-to-play rate actually mean? ▾
Of 46 times Reanimate entered a player's hand in tracked games, only 24 were cast. The remaining instances were stuck in hand when the game ended, or the player never found a target worth reanimating. This is below average for a cheap spell, and it reflects the conditional nature of the card. It is not a 'cast it whenever you draw it' card — it is a 'cast it when the moment is right' card.
Does casting Reanimate actually improve your win rate? ▾
The data here is directional rather than conclusive, given that the cast bucket has only 24 observations. Win rate when cast is 33%, versus 34% when the card stays in the library all game. The delta of roughly -0.8 percentage points is effectively flat. In a 4-player pod, the baseline win rate is 25%, so both groups are running above baseline. We cannot draw strong conclusions from this split at current sample sizes.
Is Reanimate banned in Commander? ▾
Reanimate is legal and unrestricted in Commander. It is banned in Duel Commander, Historic, and Gladiator, where its one-mana cost is considered too powerful for 20-life or smaller-card-pool formats. In multiplayer Commander at 40 life, the life payment is easier to absorb, which keeps it off the ban list.
Which commanders most often run Reanimate on Playgroup Live? ▾
Sauron, Lord of the Rings leads with 8 decks, followed by Kaalia of the Vast and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER at 7 each. Korvold, Fae-Cursed King and Sauron, the Dark Lord each appear in 6 decks. The spread across Grixis, Mardu, mono-black, and Jund commanders shows that Reanimate fits any black shell that plans to fill graveyards fast and cash in on an opponent's finisher.