Chainer, Dementia Master

Gameplan

Reanimate the best creatures from any graveyard repeatedly using Chainer's activated ability, paying life as your primary resource. Fill graveyards with self-mill and discard, steal opponents' bombs, then convert those Nightmares into a board that closes the game. You operate as a grindy mono-black reanimator that turns life total into mana value.

Key Cards

• Buried Alive — Stocks your own graveyard with three reanimation targets in one card for Chainer to grab.
• Bolas's Citadel — Turns your high life total into raw card advantage, perfectly synergizing with a life-as-resource deck.
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel — A repeatable reanimation target that drains the table and helps recoup the life Chainer spends.
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed — Protects your non-Human Nightmares with undying and enables sacrifice loops alongside Chainer.
• Sheoldred, the Whispering One — A premier reanimation target that recurs your creatures and forces opponents to sacrifice each turn.
• Caged Sun — Doubles black mana so you can activate Chainer multiple times per turn and fuels Citadel.
• Whip of Erebos — Grants lifelink to your whole team, refilling the life Chainer drains while keeping reanimated threats alive.

Upgrade Path

Add fast mana and black ramp (Dark Ritual, Cabal Coffers, Nykthos) to power out multiple Chainer activations per turn. Lean into protection for Chainer himself (Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots) since his death exiles your whole board, and add a sacrifice outlet plus Mikaeus for an infinite combo finish. Tighten the reanimation suite with Buried Alive, Entomb, and Victimize to maximize value per activation.