Apprentice Necromancer

Creature — Zombie Wizard

{B}, {T}, Sacrifice Apprentice Necromancer: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature gains haste. At the beginning of the next end step, sacrifice it.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (39)

legendofa on Is WotC Being Inconsistent in …

1 year ago

DemonDragonJ I'm not a professional designer, but if I had to guess at the reasonings for the restrictions on those cards:

Whispering Wizard is a 3/2, which carries a lot more pressure than a 1/5. It also triggers off planeswalkers, no creature artifacts, and battles, while Murmuring Mystic is instants and sorceries only.

Your desired used of Sunshot Militia is hugely above the expected complexity of a common card. It would be more powerful, but it would also be a rare card, at a glance. There's a loose but present ceiling on what a common should be able to do. And upgrading one red creature card's rarity means that either another red creature card has to get downgraded, or a rare red creature gets scrapped and a new common red creature created. And that's the minimum level of changes, assuming this was done very early in the process.

Instant-speed reanimation is unusual and expensive. When it does happen, it's 5+ mana Gravewaker, short-term Apprentice Necromancer, single-use Doomed Necromancer, or carries some other restrictions. (All my examples are activated abilities, but the same goes for spells, too). Permanently returning two creatures for four mana, at instant speed (so surprise blocker + haste), with the option of reusability, would make Slimefoot and Squee the strongest reanimator spell by far in the Modern era.

LumpySpaceJams on Ashnod's Vault

1 year ago

Thanks for the suggestions SufferFromEDHD!!

Fulminator Mage is a great suggestion, I'm always hesitant to dedicate a full spell slot to land destruction, but this may end up being an exception as it would be doubled and repeatable.

Doomed Necromancer and Hell's Caretaker I opted for Apprentice Necromancer instead since it combos with Blood Pet when Ashnod is out and does grant haste to my creatures it reanimates. Sacing it at end of turn isn't even a down side because I can instead sac it to one of the many sac outlets for value instead.

Stronghold Assassin is an interesting choice, I don't feel like I have enough targeted removal, so this may have to be tested.

Azoth2099 on Wilhelt, undead shenanigans

1 year ago

So here are my recs:

Apprentice Necromancer, Cryptic Gateway, Kindred Discovery, Coat of Arms, Vanquisher's Banner, Urza's Incubator, Pyre of Heroes, Species Specialist, Dark Ritual, Culling the Weak & Sacrifice

I'm iffy on Corpse Harvester but it could be decent, if not a bit slow.

awesomedude20 on The Advantage Train (Shirei)

2 years ago

Nyx_The_Necromancer Oh definitely, but I'd say permanently saccing a creature could potentially be worth the draw 2, in a pinch. Could run some recursion stuff even, like Hell's Caretaker or Apprentice Necromancer

But for the most part, keeping it around for tokens seems like an alright plan in general. But, that being said, there's no shortage of draw for the deck, so uh, choices I guess haha

multimedia on Abzan Graveyard Recursion Help

2 years ago

Good choices for cuts and adds.

Unfortunately, don't use the scale here to gauge competitiveness of your deck. It's crap, doesn't work well and it's better to just ignore it, turn it off in the editor. Trust me and everyone else who's helping you here in the comments. Your deck is improving, becoming more competitive with each change.

Yes, Bane of Bala Ged is better than Demon of Loathing, but it has similar drawback since it's also 7 mana and has to attack to trigger. Creatures like Bane and Demon are better in colors that have lots of haste enablers. On a budget Abzan doesn't have them therefore if you're going to play high mana cost creatures they should have an ETB ability or provide value another way. Sun Titan is an example, it's 6 mana, but in my opinion it's better than Bane and Demon since it could reanimate something when it ETB and it can be a combo piece.

I'm not saying to not play creatures who don't do anything the turn they ETB, but those creatures should be lower mana cost, not higher mana cost. Low mana cost to potentially play one and something else that same turn or play one and leave up mana for instant interaction with your opponents. Fauna Shaman is a good example, it can't tap the same turn you play it, but it's a 2 drop not a 7 drop. It's possible that Body Launderer won't do anything the same turn it ETB, but it's 4 drop as well as being a combo piece. These are big differences than a 7 drop.

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Currently, your only option is to mutate Nethroi at sorcery speed on your turn thus the creatures you reanimate should give you value or combine to win the game that same turn. You don't want to rely on having those creatures on your next turn, reanimating creatures who don't do anything until they can attack could just waste Nethroi mutate. An opponent may just cast a board wipe and destroy all your creatures potentially not getting much from mutate.

There are effects in Abzan that are like haste such as flash or reanimating at instant speed. An effect that gives flash to a creature would let you cast/mutate Nethroi on an opponent's turn. Doing this lets all creatures you reanimated then attack on your next turn.

• Vivien, Champion of the Wilds: the best option since it's static ability gives flash to all creatures you can cast.
• Yeva, Nature's Herald: only really useful to flash mutate Nethroi, but it's a creature.
• Savage Summoning

When you're playing so many creatures giving them flash can be very useful and also powerful. More instant creature reanimation goes with the strategy of self-mill, consistent creatures in graveyard. You're playing Doomed Necromancer, it and Apprentice Necromancer if they can tap can reanimate on an opponent's turn.

multimedia on Abzan Graveyard Recursion Help

2 years ago

Sun Titan is a good budget value creature for repeatable reanimation of permanents. Pair Titan with Apprentice Necromancer, but only on your turn because you have to attack with Titan. For only one {B} the combo reanimates Titan with Necromancer, Titan reanimates Necromancer and attack with Titan because it has haste to reanimate any other 3 CMC or less permanent. Titan dies in combat or at your end step and repeat the combo on your next turn. With a sac outlet such as Viscera Seer you could repeatedly reanimate Eternal Witness to recur any card.

Golgari Thug is more dredge and it's only a two drop for sac fodder. It interacts well with draw spells that make you sac a creature to cast the spell: Deadly Dispute, Village Rites, etc. First draw the creature you put on top of your library from Thug die trigger and second draw replace it to dredge or vice versa.

Golgari Thug + Eternal Witness + Deadly Dispute can be lots of repeatable value.

BishopAtavist on How I Cheat My Dragons

2 years ago

Love a dragon-theme deck! You should go into more detail about how you "cheat" your dragons. I'd love to hear the strategy there. I would consider adding Doomed Necromancer in place of Apprentice Necromancer. You lose the creature entering the battlefield with haste, but I'd rather keep the creature around longer than one turn in exchange for that ability.

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

2 years ago

Hey, keep an eye on Verrak, Warped Sengir, new card in Dominaria United Commander precon Legends' Legacy. Extra activation for no additional mana cost just life is really good. Also has flying and lifelink. Deathtouch is nice with reanimation especially Sun Titan.

Verrak, Warped Sengir triggers from each activation, if you make a lot of Greed activations each one gets an extra activation for the cost of additional 2 life. 1 mana + 4 life to draw 2 cards is great value when you can consistently gain life. Priest of Fell Rites with Verrak can reanimate any two creatures in your graveyard for 6 life. Priest can be reanimated by Sun Titan.

Speaking of Sun Titan for reanimation it combines well with Apprentice Necromancer. They can reanimate each other and then one other permanent 3 CMC or less on your turn. That's excellent value for only 1 mana especially when it can be repeatable.

When Apprentice Necromancer reanimates Sun Titan you get two triggers, ETB and when Titan attacks because Necromancer gives it haste. Titan ETB reanimates Necromancer then attacks and reanimates any other permanent it can from your graveyard. At the end of your turn Titan is saced, putting it in your graveyard to repeat the interaction on your next turn.