Deck of the Day – Reclamation Emrakul

It turns out that traditional ramp spells aren’t the only ways to accelerate in Standard.

Splendid Reclamation is capable of creating an incredible amount of mana. With self-mill to load up your graveyard with lands, you can start “ramping” as early as turns 4 and 5. Evolving Wilds can go get a land, and then wait in your graveyard for Reclamation to bring it back. It even adds the option of going right back to your graveyard to help count for delirium or Emrakul. Normally with self-mill, you’re looking to hit tons of different card types as pseudo-ramp for Emrakul. Now, with Reclamation, every land hit off of a self-mill spell acts as an additional type as they’ll each be reducing the amount of mana you need for Emrakul.

Grapple with the Past is the most powerful spell in typical delirium decks. Not only does it go to your graveyard as an instant, it hits nearly 100% of the time, and adds a couple more cards to the graveyard as well. It also gets better and better later in the game as it can function as a tutor when your graveyard gets bigger. Here, Gather the Pack is actually the superior option, as getting 5 cards to your graveyard is so critical when you’re trying to maximize Splendid Reclamation. There are only 17 creatures in this deck, but you’re pretty content just hitting 1 and getting as many lands into the bin as you can.

Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Oath of Jace will help with your plans. Jace himself can discard “excess” lands, which every land beyond the first technically is if you draw Reclamation. A turn-2 Jace, turn-3 Gather (hitting some lands and a creature), flip Jace to flashback Gather and prepare for a turn-5 Reclamation for a ton is a pretty exciting line that doesn’t require much setup. In fact, a Jace into Gather, flipping the Jace, can also flashback any milled Reclamation, so you don’t even need to draw all three cards! Oath of Jace is another card type and a great way to get extra Reclamations or excess lands into a better place.

Nissa, Vastwood Seer and Pilgrim’s Eye will help make sure you have lands in hand to either play or discard. They’re also great fodder for your Elder Deep-Fiends to come out on time.

Kozilek’s Return is awesome in any deck with Eldrazi and self-mill, but this one also has some looting potential with both Jace and his Oath. Having all of these ways to get Returns into your graveyard, which is where you want them, is key.

Ishkanah, Grafwidow is the bridge. Resolving Emrakul can decimate an opponent’s hand and eat their biggest creature, but Ishkanah really locks that up. With all of these Spiders in play, you’re sure to be able to wipe the majority of their board from the battlefield.

Then you have Emrakul, the Promised End to clean up the mess and finish off the game. Bringing back Kozilek’s Return to go with your 13/13 flying trample is a great combo, but you can actually play multiple spells on the same turn as Emrakul in a deck with this much ramp. Nissa’s Pilgrimage does its job well, but it also requires you to skew your mana base so heavily in favor of Forests. Reclamation allows you to keep piling up the lands in the graveyard, always keep spells in hand, and still access all of their potential when needed.

Splendid Reclamation is a powerful effect that has yet to be fully explored. Finding the best way to get lands in the ‘yard to cast the biggest threats in the format sure sounds like a great place to start.

Reclamation Emrakul

MULLDRIFTER, 5-0 in an MTGO Competitive League

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