Eh? Get it? Allies? "Arise"? Ahhh, forget it...
While the first take on allies was definitely the best, Zendikar and Worldwake had a number of representatives with abilities that pulled them in very different - and very specific - directions. You had allies that could mill, force discards, blow up artifacts, shoot flyers... one that seemed quite intriguing to me was Agadeem Occultist. He can reanimate creatures from your opponent's graveyard just by tapping, so long as you had a healthy contingent of allies. Seeing as he's only three to play, that's quite the bargain. The other interesting thing is that unlike some classic examples of the same (Coffin Queen comes to mind) nothing untoward happens if the reanimated creature dies. You can chump block with the same guy turn after turn, or keep feeding him to a sacrifice outlet, so long as the Occultist is around. Neat!
Okay, black is one of the less-represented colours for allies, so how do we build around him? Bala Ged Thief gives you targets to work with, knocking juicy creatures or problem cards out of your opponent's hands. Meanwhile, white gives us the raw numbers to ensure the Occultist can reanimate some good-sized bodies. Gideon nets you another ally every turn, and his oath is a two-for-one deal that also helps buff up the planeswalker a little. Meanwhile, Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster provide an early presence to ensure you aren't overrun. What, you think your occultist's 0/2 body is gonna scare people off? Likewise, Ondu Cleric can counteract some early hits you take as well as undo the damage from Thoughtseize and shocklands.
Maskwood Nexus gives you another way to add another ally every turn, and also has the fun side benefit of turning every creature you steal into an ally, too - let's get that exponential ball rolling! The other tricky artifact is Helm of Possession, which lets you trade a small creature you reanimated for a big creature in play. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from reanimating that poor patsy again, either!
