Combo and win condition theory

Reanimator targets sorted by impact: which big creature actually wins?

Razaketh vs Jin-Gitaxias vs Atraxa vs Vorinclex — the right pick depends on what comes next.

TL;DR: The best reanimator target isn't the creature with the most text. It's the creature that wins your game state. Razaketh ends the game on resolve if you have creatures to sacrifice. Jin-Gitaxias wins through card advantage in 2-3 turns. Atraxa generates value over many turns. Vorinclex locks opponents out of mana if they can't answer it immediately. The right pick depends on the speed of your pod and what you're holding in hand when the creature resolves.

Why "biggest creature" is wrong

Reanimator spells cost 1-2 mana. Reanimate costs B. Animate Dead costs 1B. Necromancy costs 2B. You're spending pocket change to cheat 7-9 mana creatures into play. The temptation is to pick the creature with the most lines of text or the highest power/toughness. That's backwards.

The right question is: what happens on the turn this creature resolves? Some creatures win immediately. Some set up a win 2-3 turns out. Some generate incremental advantage that compounds over six turns. If your pod plays fast (cEDH or high-power casual), you need the first kind. If your pod plays slower (bracket 2-3), you can afford the second or third kind.

This article ranks four classic reanimator targets by how fast they convert mana advantage into game wins. Each has a place. None of them is "best" without context.

Razaketh: wins on resolve

Razaketh, the Foulblooded

Razaketh, the Foulblooded costs 7BB. 8/8 flying trampler. The text that matters: "Pay 2 life, Sacrifice another creature: Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle."

If you resolve Razaketh with two creatures on board (Razaketh plus two others), you can sacrifice both, pay 4 life, and tutor twice. If you have four creatures, you tutor four times. If you're in a combo deck, those tutors assemble your win condition on the spot. If you're not in a combo deck, those tutors find your best answers to the current board state and your best threats for next turn.

The math: in a typical reanimator shell you're running 15-20 creatures. By the time you cast Reanimate (turn 2-4 in a tuned list), you've drawn 9-11 cards. Probability you have at least one other creature in play or in hand when Razaketh resolves is above 70%. One tutor is strong. Two tutors is a win in most cEDH pods.

Razaketh is the right pick when:

Your deck runs a compact combo (2-3 cards that win on the spot).
Your pod plays interaction-heavy games where you need to tutor answers before you tutor threats.
You're in cEDH or bracket 4 and the game needs to end within 1-2 turn cycles.

Razaketh is the wrong pick when:

You're playing a creature-light control shell. You won't have fodder to sacrifice.
Your pod is slow enough that spending 4 life per tutor is wasteful. Just cast your threats normally.

Jin-Gitaxias: wins through card advantage in 2-3 turns

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur costs 8UU. 5/4 with flash. Text: "At the beginning of your end step, draw seven cards. Each opponent's maximum hand size is reduced to zero."

The first effect is a one-sided Timetwister every turn. The second effect forces opponents to discard their hands every turn. If Jin-Gitaxias survives one turn cycle (your end step, then around the table back to you), you've drawn 7 cards and each opponent has discarded their hand. That's a 21-card swing in a 3-opponent pod.

The catch: Jin-Gitaxias doesn't win immediately. He wins by burying opponents in card advantage over 2-3 turns. If your pod runs heavy interaction (counterspells, instant-speed removal), Jin-Gitaxias can be answered before you untap. If your pod runs light interaction, Jin-Gitaxias is nearly unbeatable once he resolves.

Jin-Gitaxias is the right pick when:

Your deck is blue-heavy and can protect Jin-Gitaxias with countermagic.
Your pod plays midrange games (turns 6-10 wins are normal).
You don't have a compact combo to tutor for. You're winning through attrition.

Jin-Gitaxias is the wrong pick when:

Your pod runs creature-light decks with instant-speed answers. He'll eat a Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares before you draw a single card.
Your meta is fast (cEDH). Drawing 7 cards on your end step doesn't matter if an opponent combos off before your next turn.

Atraxa: value over time, not a game-ender

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice costs GWUB. 4/4 flying vigilance deathtouch lifelink. Text: "At the beginning of your end step, proliferate."

Atraxa is the "generic good creature" reanimator target. Four relevant keywords. Proliferate once per turn. She's hard to attack into (deathtouch + lifelink means most attackers trade down). She threatens planeswalkers (proliferate advances their loyalty). She threatens +1/+1 counter decks (proliferate doubles as a team buff).

But Atraxa doesn't win the game on resolve. She generates incremental value. If your deck already has a board state that's winning (planeswalkers ticking up, creatures with counters, poison counters on opponents), Atraxa accelerates that win. If your board state is empty, Atraxa is a 4/4 that proliferates nothing.

Atraxa is the right pick when:

Your deck is a superfriends list or a +1/+1 counter list. Atraxa amplifies your existing plan.
Your pod plays long games (turns 10-15). Atraxa's value compounds over many turn cycles.
You're in bracket 2-3 and the table expects "fair Magic." Atraxa doesn't draw the same hate that Razaketh or Jin-Gitaxias do.

Atraxa is the wrong pick when:

Your deck doesn't have other proliferate payoffs. She's just a 4/4 flier in that case.
Your meta is fast. Incremental value doesn't matter when an opponent wins on turn 5.

Vorinclex: wins by denying mana

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger costs 6GG. 7/6 trample. Text: "Whenever you tap a land for mana, add one mana of any type that land produced. Whenever an opponent taps a land for mana, that land doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step."

Vorinclex is a Stax piece stapled to a 7/6 body. He doubles your mana and halves your opponents' mana. If Vorinclex survives one turn cycle, each opponent has effectively skipped a land drop (they tapped lands to cast removal or to advance their board, those lands don't untap). If Vorinclex survives two turn cycles, each opponent is two turns behind on mana.

The catch: Vorinclex draws instant hate. Every opponent knows that if Vorinclex survives, they lose. Every piece of removal in every hand targets Vorinclex the moment he resolves. Vorinclex is the right pick when your pod is slow to answer threats or when you can protect Vorinclex with hexproof/indestructible effects.

Vorinclex is the right pick when:

Your pod is removal-light. Battlecruiser metas where players durdle for 10 turns before casting their first creature.
Your deck runs protection effects (Heroic Intervention, Veil of Summer, Deflecting Swat). You can keep Vorinclex alive through the first answer.
Your meta is mana-hungry. Midrange decks that need 8-10 mana to execute their game plan suffer hard under Vorinclex.

Vorinclex is the wrong pick when:

Your pod runs heavy instant-speed interaction. Vorinclex eats a removal spell before you untap.
Your opponents are playing low-to-the-ground aggressive decks. If they're casting 1-2 mana spells every turn, Vorinclex's mana denial doesn't hurt them as much.

The right pick depends on what comes next

The reanimator package (Reanimate, Animate Dead, Necromancy) costs 1-3 mana total. You're cheating 7-10 mana creatures into play on turn 2-4. The bottleneck isn't mana. The bottleneck is what you're holding in hand when the creature resolves.

If you're holding a compact combo (Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle, or a two-card loop), reanimate Razaketh. Tutor twice, win.

If you're holding countermagic and your pod is midrange, reanimate Jin-Gitaxias. Protect him for one turn cycle, draw 7 cards, bury opponents in card advantage.

If you're holding a board state that's already winning (planeswalkers, counters, poison), reanimate Atraxa. Accelerate your existing plan.

If your pod is slow and removal-light, reanimate Vorinclex. Lock opponents out of mana, win over 3-4 turns.

The creature with the most text isn't the right pick. The creature that wins this game state is the right pick. Know your pod's speed. Know what you're holding. Pick accordingly.

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