Saw this archetype implemented in the MAD Cube where it is heavily supported by Act on Impulse draw effects all over the 
section and got immediately inspired š¤©
At first glance I thought Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival is very niche until I realized that you can trigger her also with, e.g.:
- Madness (+ Containment Construct, Conspiracy Theorist)
- Adventure (e.g. Shepherd of the Flock and other cool cards) - But currently avoided due to complexity
- Rebound (e.g. Staggershock)
- Spell Cheat (e.g. Mizzix's Mastery, Arcane Bombardment)
- Suspend (e.g. Greater Gargadon)
Primers on Moxfield for Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival can be a great inspiration for enablers - e.g. this one.
More Payoffs
Cool Enablers
Drawbacks of the archetype are:
- Some non-obvious edge cases for beginners (e.g. who knows that
Adventureis cast from exile?) - Not many payoffs available yet
- Most payoffs are super wordy, inelegant and/or Commander-focused (see Party Thrasher and Charred Foyer // Warped Space)
Pros:
- Easily supported as all the enablers function fine on their own
- Can be a hidden gem and make a player feel very clever for assembling a deck around it
I'm not sure what a gold section should offer - enablers or payoffs?
Is an enabler for a ETB deck. Is not as repetitive as Soulherder.
Can flicker Demonic Pact.
The 3/2 body also fares well in a 
aggressive shell and can temporarily remove a blocker if needed.
makes this card super flexible. Maybe it shouldn't be in a gold slot at all?
Can be tapped via Cryptolith Rite or Chief Engineer. Some more Convoke could be cool.
Not sure how it will actually play, but I have high hopes.
Does everything I want from a 
signpost š¤©
Powers a ETB deck but can also be a payoff in Egg storm.
Feels like a more flexible Barrin, Tolarian Archmage. It is a pretty exciting blink target as you can reevaluate the most useful option after every blink.
Targeting any nonland permanent can also bounce Demonic Pact.
Slowcaster Mage ;P
Should be appropriate for my powerlevel and should function well in control and aggro.
The 3 power attacks will create some pressure but should still allow you to feel like you are doing your thing before the game is over.
Slinging more spells is always fun.
The flash should guarantee at least a single attack trigger.
(Of course the original Snapcaster Mage would even be coolr, but who has that kind of money in this economy?)
Cuts
While Reflector Mage is a great ETB effect it doesn't pull you in any direction.
Glassdust Hulk is a super cool card all around imo, sad to cut it.
Barrin, Tolarian Archmage is a bit prohibitive at 
. Als being Legendary is a bit of an awkward drawback for Quasiduplicate.
Polymorph just is too niche as analyzed in Ponderings - Reanimator (and Polymorph).
With the print of Innistrad Remasterd I finally got my hands on this bad boy š¤©
Plays super nice with
Cuts
I like that Druids' Repository powers aggressive 
decks and turns your Proliferate triggers into mana. Nevertheless, Cryptolith Rites feels cleaner and easier to parse.
Cryptolith Rite / "Earth Craft" Implementation in this cube
Katilda, Dawnhart Prime is omitted as currently has basically no Humans at the moment.
& 
struggle to create wide token boards to abuse Insidious Roots:
So Insidious Roots as a mana engine probably will be at home in Abzan .
Also consider this cautionary tale on a format with many tokens by sigh.
Decay might also be a cool solution for the tokens clogging the board problem in
I think this could profit from some more scaling mana dumps like the suggested:
- Mikaeus, the Lunarch
- Secure the Wastes
- Venerated Loxodon
- Contortionist Troupe (not so relevant without Katilda) | Jadelight Spelunker | Nyxborn Hydra | Slime Molding
- Luxurious Libation | Primal Might | Tyvar's Stand
- Wolfbriar Elemental
- Dark Salvation | Dread Summons
- Hangarback Walker | Marketback Walker | Endless One | Walking Ballista | Stonecoil Serpent
Mana Generators
Rishkar Enablers
Token Superchargers for Insidious Roots
The Dream
The Harsh Truth
Playing with a good Reanimator deck is incredibly fun.
It feels like youāre not playing the same game as your opponent and like you aced the draft portion.
...
Playing against Reanimator, on the other hand, is pretty consistently horrible.
...
The giant monster often either gets there or it doesnāt, with little else mattering.~ Ryan Overturf in his great article
What does it mean for this cube?
I think Ryans analysis is spot on.
As a consequence I will lean into the I'm cheating / I'm being cheated feeling as the archetype is a cool dream and shall be supported, but reduce the frequency with which it occurs.
Reanimator should not be the single plan for a deck in this cube, as it would require heavy support (== cube slots) like tutors (e.g. Entomb), acceleration (e.g. Dark Ritual, Mox Jet) and un-interactive finishers (e.g. Inkwell Leviathan, Iona, Shield of Emeria) to feel most broken.
Instead I'm going for a reanimator package that can be one of multiple win conditions in a controlling shell.
If the stars align and you draw your pieces in order you should be rewarded with a spectacular win, e.g.
Turn 2: cycle Titanoth Rex ->Turn 3: Life // DeathTurn 1-3: Discard/mill your fatty (Demon of Death's Gate) ->Turn 4: Dread Return
If they don't, the reanimator pieces should have solid floor for value plays and forward your other game plans/win cons, e.g. by replaying a 4-cmc creature with a good ETB (e.g. Skinrender) to control the board.
To facilitate the stars aligning the Reanimation targets should be able to put themself in the graveyard, e.g.
As we want to reward our drafter for being so clever to draft reanimator and so lucky that it actually worked the removal suite in this cube is tuned to support this.
Vendetta over Doom Blade and Condemn over Path to Exile. So even if your splashy play gets answered you still get some benefit.
,, have only ~2 spells that can answer a big fatty early on (<=2cmc).
But if you're facing you should mentally prepare yourself for Snap. šØ
Cross-Pollination
Self-discarding fatties naturally extend into a more relaxed archetype with Living Death where you want to out-value your opponent by cycling also many, smaller creatures into your graveyard.
- Archfiend of Ifnir
- Hollow One
- Glassdust Hulk
- Bannerhide Krushok
- Timeless Dragon
- Curator of Mysteries
- Ironhoof Boar
- Ruin Grinder
Non of these creatures alone would win you the game but reanimting multiple should close it out for you.
I think all of the points made above are also true for the Polymorph archetype.
Polymorph should also invoke this I'm cheating / I'm being cheated feeling.
Rather than looking for ways to bin your fatties, Polymorph wants to go for a Oops, all spells archetype.
Token Makers like:
- Gather the Townsfolk, Servo Exhibition, Sram's Expertise, Hard Evidence
- Mandibular Kite, Flayer Husk, Servo Schematic
Polymorph is even more extreme as it discourages you from drafting controlling creatures.
Yet there are no other archetypes in this cube that incentivize building a (mostly) creatureless deck.
It is even more feast or famine in that regard.
Here is a thread on MTG Salvation on the Polymorph archetype.
Token-producing planeswalkers are listed there as additional enablers, but they are not applicable for this cube.
One additional big drawback is mentioned: Your Polymorph gets countered by any instant speed removal. šØ
For this cube it is time to wake up and cut the Polymorph dream.
The strain on cube slots (enablers) and deck building (no small creatures) is too high for a too inconsistent payoff.
To properly support it one would have to run tutors + multiple effects of Polymorph + a bunch of enablers.
Some nice support pieces currently in the cube that rob your opponent of an actual choice:
- Sevinne's Reclamation
- Dread Return
- Dryad's Revival
- Moment's Peace
- Honored Hydra
- Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
- Bring to Light (as your second copy of Gifts Ungiven)
- Myr Retriever (together with a reanimate/regrowth effect allows you to tutor for your artifact combo engines)
Is there a pile with Cauldron Familiar š¤
For more inspiration there is a nasty Jeskai Gifts archetype with Orim's Chant + Isochron Scepter.
A traditional Gifts deck by LSV.
Creatures with Embalm or Eternalize are also juicy targets, e.g. Timeless Dragon.
Cards with Retrace like Formless Genesis.
A thread on Reddit on Gifts from 2023.
A thread on the Gifts archetype on riptidelab.
Add
I think you are obligated by law to run this if you run Gifts Ungiven.
Just grab 3 fatties and this and have fun.
The speed of this combo should be appropriate for this deck.
Only concern is that splashing for in this cube is not trivial.
Cut
Victimize is currently only a value play. The sacrifice effect is not curcial.
The Unburial Rites can eventually also reanimate two targets.
This update implements the Ponderings - Cheaty Instants.
There is already some support present for cheating effects with:
- Arcane Bombardment archetype introduced in V1.34 - Spells Mattering
- Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
- Aetherworks Marvel
- Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
- Bring to Light which can find your Mizzix's Mastery
- Gifts Ungiven might have some piles that allow you to go off š¤
- Etali, Primal Storm
Some available desriable targets are:
A high density of Treasure creating effects is supporting this archetype by ramping you into casting the big spells naturally.
Currently holding back on running Unite the Coalition over Etched Monstrosity as the Monstrosity is nice in Golem tribal and can be run in any deck whereas Unite the Coalition is way more narrow.
Probably Jeskai Revelation should also be added for more consistency in the deck.
Presumably this deck will have the same struggles (but even more pronounced) as a traditional Reanimator deck. Finding the A + B pieces will be even harder.
Thus it shouldn't be the only gameplan of the deck, but only one of the decks routes to victory.
Adds
Reanimator for your big spells, essential for letting you cheat on mana.
Discarding Magma Opus on turn 2 lets you play it with this on turn 3 š
The Overload is a great dream to chase.
This dream is supported by the self mill decks e.g. with Laboratory Maniac or Mesmeric Orb.
The floor is pretty unexciting, but if you target a 2cmc instant/sorcery it is equal rate to a Regrowth (with more narrow scope).
It shoulde be somewhat (outside the intended archetype) in control decks as a backup copy of sweepers like Whelming Wave or Fumigate.
Great top-end with a identity and will always feel like a splashy play.
Can be fetched with Tinker but the limitation of recurring only instants requires some additional setup to get more value than e.g. Scuttling Doom Engine.
With its ETB effect also cool target in Polymorph.
Awesome because it can put itself in the graveyard while giving you small ramp.
Cuts
Yidaro, Wandering Monster has been quite a long time in the cube and never worked once š
Orginally part of the Doomsday pile, but even there not quite attractive.
Trample, haste was nice for Soulflayer š
Ormos, Archive Keeper has the same problem as Yidaro. Nice on paper, never worked once in practice. A second piece for the Laboratory Maniac deck would be cool, but Thassa's Oracle is still way to pricey (and wordy).
Rielle, the Everwise is really cool, but gold slots are so limited.
With Containment Construct, Conspiracy Theorist and Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer there should be enough ways to generate "card advantage" off discarding.
I like that she cares about just any token.
Sweet combo with Animation Module that doesn't go quite infinite but is a nice dream.
She is a nice token lord and could also read All your token creatures enter with a +1/+1 counter.
I'm not happy that it is a card from the LOTR set. Atleast the character is not very well known.
Cut
The Bygone Bishop feels outclassed by Oltec Matterweaver.
Cutting a investigate card is a bit sad but I don't feel that is part of the Academy Manufactor deck anyway.
I love this unique effect of generating mana when you sacrifice any artifact. Looking especially great with the current support for Treasure tokens in the cube.
This should create some explosive and splashy turns.
A little +1/+1 counter payoff that lets you go wide.
Acts as a self-contained manasink as long as you have a creature with a +1/+1 counter on the field.
Cuts
Goblin Welder got the boot over the Goblin Engineer because there currently are no longer any attractive high cmc artifact creatures. Mindslaver is also gone for now.
Contagion Clasp is all around awesome but with Necroskitter and the -1/-1 counter micro archetype gone it feels a little less relevant.
Maybe there is an archetype somewhere with:
To capitalize to the fullest you would want a high density of the following effects in your final deck:
- Instants
- Flash
- Activated Abilities (non-"sorcery speed" ofc :P)
- Instant
spells (e.g. Expansion // Explosion or Electrodominance) - Clue | Food | Blood | Map Tokens
See the Buildaround cube for a Wilderness Reclamation support.
Here is a nice thread on Untap based ramp
Some sweet payoffs:
Implementation of Ponderings - Academy Manufactor (& Treasure / Food / Clue)
Doomsday may return :)