{"ops":[{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Domino Reanimator!"},{"insert":"\nCeles is famous for combo lines with Persist, but that's not what we're about here. Fill the yard, then use a chain reaction of reanimation effects to bring tons of creatures back in a single turn. No game changers needed, but this is still a strong Bracket 3 entry because it can assemble a large board, sometimes 30 or 40+ power, by turn 5, and very consistently by turn 6.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"The Strategy"},{"insert":"\nCast "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Celes, Rune Knight"}},{"insert":", blink her once with a card like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cloudshift"}},{"insert":" , and you suddenly have 6+ cards in the yard and a whole new hand of toys. With enough density of blink spells in the 99, she'll find another blink spell quickly, allowing you to repeat this process a bunch of times and wind up with an enormous graveyard.\n\nOnce the graveyard is full, a single reanimation spell can kick off an awesome chain of events. For instance, cast "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reanimate"}},{"insert":" to get back a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sister Hospitaller"}},{"insert":", which triggers to get back a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Metamorphosis Fanatic"}},{"insert":", which brings back a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sun Titan"}},{"insert":" targeting an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Animate Dead"}},{"insert":", etc etc. Celes will see each individual instance of creatures coming into play from the yard, and distribute +1/+1 counters to the entire team. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"CLEVER STACKING: HOW TO GET THE BIGGEST ARMY"},{"insert":"\nCeles triggers to put +1/+1 counters on your entire team whenever one or more other creatures enter from the graveyard. With some clever stacking of triggers, you can grant the same total buffs to the entire team, rather than tracking different numbers of counters on each individual creature. \n\nFor example, say you reanimated that "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sister Hospitaller"}},{"insert":". She enters, triggering Celes and her own ETB ability. Stack those triggers so that Celes resolves last, and the Sister resolves first. Sister brings back a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Metamorphosis Fanatic"}},{"insert":". Celes still has a trigger waiting in the wings, but the new arrival has to go on the stack now: once again, we have Celes triggering from a graveyard entry, and the Fanatic's own ETB ability. Stack them so that the Fanatic resolves first, with now 2 Celes buff triggers waiting to resolve. Fanatic brings back another creature, triggering Celes a 3rd time, and once the dust settles, "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"now "},{"insert":"we can let all of those Celes triggers resolve, each of them putting a +1/+1 counter on each creature we control. Rather than Celes resolving her buffs in between each revival, stacking the triggers in this way allows an easy-to-track blanket buff on the whole team, and the biggest possible boost, too, turning some normal creatures into properly beefy threats. \n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"CARDS YOU KEEP"},{"insert":"\nCeles doesn't force you to discard every single card, she can pick and choose. so can sculpt your hand however you please. I recommend that you absolutely "},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"never"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"discard a blink spell from your hand. Every blink spell is a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stitcher's Supplier"}},{"insert":" that also draws you cards, so you do "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"not "},{"insert":"want to pitch them when they represent sifting through 8 or 10 or 12 more cards. I "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"sometimes "},{"insert":"will "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"maybe "},{"insert":"keep a cheap reanimation spell in my hand too, if I think I need to kick off a reanimation domino soon and don't trust that I'll draw into a better one. Aside from those, there is no other type of card I keep in my hand with Celes's trigger. The more she discards, the more she draws; you will find more lands, you will draw more removal, you will find more reanimation, you will find more creatures. Keeping blink spells ensures that even if you wheel your hand and draw into 6 lands, you still have velocity. \n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"WHAT TO WATCH FOR"},{"insert":"\nBoard wipes barely phase this deck. It's dead easy to get the team back again. Celes getting removed isn't even that big of a concern either, since her ETB ability is the thing we're trying to repeat a bunch of times anyway. Exile effects that hit your whole board are a much bigger concern. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bruna, the Fading Light"}},{"insert":" is a "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"cast "},{"insert":"trigger, not an ETB trigger like so many of the other creatures. Still awesome to be here for the chance to meld a Brisela, though!"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"This deck draws attention fast; after a single turn you've likely assembled 3+ creatures with 3+ counters on each of them, positioning you for a hefty combat next turn. Without haste, though, that leaves a window open for other people to pick apart your board. Cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bitter Reunion"}},{"insert":" have proven "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"extremely "},{"insert":"useful for cases like these. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Just because you have a huge board doesn't mean it can get behind enemy lines! "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Odric, Master Tactician"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Abzan Falconer"}},{"insert":" are some of my favorite cards to wheel into with Celes."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Yeah, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Smothering Tithe"}},{"insert":" is this deck's worst nightmare. Celes draws a frankly obscene number of cards. While there're plenty of creatures in the deck that can destroy unfriendly permanents, and the deck pops things in and out of play multiple times to trigger those abilities when needed, enemy cards that take advantage of our card velocity are a huge liability that will be extremely tough to dodge successfully. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"MVPS"},{"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Angel of Glory's Rise"}},{"insert":" returns all Humans from the yard back to the field. A surprising majority of the important creatures in this deck are Humans"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Starfall Invocation"}},{"insert":" continues to impress. Wipe the board in a pinch, but by gifting a single card, you get to keep & blink a creature, whether that's to trigger Celes again, or to kick off another round of domino reanimation."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Flayer of the Hatebound"}},{"insert":" unsurprisingly, this card rocks. The fact that Celes negates its Undying ability doesn't matter at all, this represents enormous chunks of damage and functions as a revivable "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Warstorm Surge"}},{"insert":" in this list. I may even consider "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Terror of the Peaks"}},{"insert":" in future versions, given how easy it is to get multiple creatures into play in a single turn."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Renegade Bull"}},{"insert":" is new but I've been hoping for almost exactly this effect, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ardent Elementalist"}},{"insert":" & "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak"}},{"insert":" have already proven how valuable it is. Re-casting your blink spells or a reanimation spell that wound up in the graveyard is "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"clutch. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Maybeboard/Notable exclusions"},{"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Anger"}},{"insert":" - I encountered a couple times where this card actually "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"had "},{"insert":" to leave my graveyard, negating the haste-granting effect. I'd still like to experiment with it, but for now, the domino reanimations have proven "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"so "},{"insert":"powerful that this ends up getting swept up in the chain reaction a lot of the time, and isn't able to consistently confer the haste benefit like I want it to."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Slip On the Ring"}},{"insert":" - honestly "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"should "},{"insert":"be in the deck; immediate blinks, instead of delayed flicker spells, make Celes absolutely pop off. I just didn't put it in the 99 because I didn't wanna track The Ring Tempts You. Silly reason not to play it, I know. You probably should and I hope I get over that aversion soon."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"There are several other creatures-that-reanimate-creatures I'd like to put into this deck that I simply don't own just yet. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"}]}