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Dissident Surgery: Kess Turbo Reanimator cEDH

Commander / EDH Bracket 5 Combo Competitive Counterspell Flash Mill Reanimator Storm UBR (Grixis)

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Instant (32)

Enchantment (5)

Land (24)

Artifact (14)

Commander (1)

Commander: Kess, Dissident Mage

Sorcery (17)

Creature (7)

DISSIDENT SURGERY

Kess Saw in Half Reanimator

Dissident Surgery is a Grixis turbo reanimator list built around Hoarding Broodlord and Saw in Half as the primary combo engine. The deck aims to win turns 2-4 by reanimating Broodlord, sawing it in half for double tutor triggers, and assembling a deterministic win from there.

This isnt Kess storm. This isnt Kess control. Kess, Dissident Mage is gravy here, not the engine. She recasts your Entombs, your Reanimates, your tutors from the yard. Thats pure upside but the deck wins without ever casting her.

The core philosophy is redundancy over raw speed. Running just Thoracle Consult as your win condition means you need specific cards in hand. Adding the reanimator package means any Entomb effect plus any reanimation spell equals a win because Broodlord tutors the rest on ETB.

Four Entomb effects paired with six reanimation spells gives you significantly more keepable hands and live topdecks than a pure Breach/Thoracle list. The math works out to roughly 10-15% more hands that can threaten a turn 2-3 win. Same speed, more consistency.

1. Reanimate Hoarding Broodlord 2. Broodlord ETB, tutor Saw in Half 3. Saw in Half Broodlord ( with convoke) 4. Token A tutors Demonic Consultation 5. Token B tutors Thassa's Oracle 6. Cast Oracle (), hold priority with ETB on stack 7. Cast Consultation (), name a card not in deck, exile library 8. Consultation resolves, then Oracle ETB resolves, win

Mana post-reanimate: + + (5 mana)

1. Reanimate Hoarding Broodlord 2. Broodlord ETB, tutor Saw in Half 3. Saw in Half Broodlord ( with convoke) 4. Token A tutors Burnt Offering 5. Token B tutors Underworld Breach 6. Burnt Offering sac Token A, makes 7. Cast Breach () 8. Escape Saw in Half (, exile 3) targeting Token B 9. Two new tokens tutor Lion's Eye Diamond and Brain Freeze 10. LED, crack, Brain Freeze, escape, repeat

Finish A: Mill yourself, Escape Thassa's Oracle, win

Finish B: Mill opponents, Escape The One Ring, protection until they draw dead

Mana post-reanimate: (2 mana)

1. Cast Entomb, put Thassa's Oracle in yard 2. Cast reanimate spell (Reanimate, Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, Persist, Shallow Grave) 3. Oracle ETB on stack, hold priority 4. Cast Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact, exile library 5. Oracle ETB resolves, win

Mana: (Entomb) + 1-2 (reanimate) + (Consultation) = 3-4 mana

Cast Thassa's Oracle (), hold priority. Cast Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact with ETB on stack. Exile library, ETB resolves, win.

Mana: + = 3 mana

Underworld Breach plus Lion's Eye Diamond plus Brain Freeze in yard. Loop escapes until opponents milled or self-mill into Thoracle.

Ad Nauseam: Cast Ad Nauseam with flash enabler or at end step. Draw until you hit a winning line - odds favor you will. Low curve means you'll see 30+ cards safely.

Necropotence: 1. Cast Necropotence during your turn 2. Exile cards until comfortable life total (6-10 range) 3. Move to end step, cards go to hand 4. Cast Borne Upon a Wind or activate Emergence Zone 5. Combo off at instant speed with full grip

The deck runs dense interaction. Hexing Squelcher makes your combo turn uncounterable. Gilded Drake steals whatever is in your way. Force of Will, Fierce Guardianship, Pact of Negation, Force of Negation, and Mental Misstep protect your wins and stop opposing combos.

Reanimation density sits at six spells: Reanimate, Animate Dead, Necromancy, Dance of the Dead, Persist, Shallow Grave. Four Entomb effects: Entomb, Buried Alive, Unmarked Grave, Lively Dirge. Any combination of one from each column threatens a win.

Fast mana is standard cEDH fare. Rituals include Dark Ritualfoil, Cabal Ritual, Burnt Offering, Culling the Weak, Sacrifice, Jeska's Will. Rocks include the usual suspects. The goal is explosive turn 2-3 kills.

The One Ring does double duty as protection for your combo turn and a draw engine for Breach loops. Bounce it with Chain of Vapor or Otawara, Soaring City and recast for fresh protection.

Race. Both decks are trying to win turn 2-3. Your interaction suite is denser than most turbo lists. Use free counters to stop their win, then combo on your turn. Mental Misstep hits their Vampiric Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Dark Ritualfoil, and Entomb. Hexing Squelcher on board before your combo turn is backbreaking.

Midrange wants to grind. You dont. Jam fast and force them to have answers. Dauthi Voidwalker and Opposition Agent slow their value engines while you assemble your win. If the game goes long, Kess, Dissident Mage provides value by recasting your interaction and tutors from the yard. Necropotence and Rhystic Study keep your hand full if you need to play a longer game.

Kill the stax pieces or win under them. Gilded Drake steals their Drannith Magistrate or Aven Mindcensor. Cyclonic Rift and Chain of Vapor bounce problematic permanents. Your combo is cheap enough to function under Sphere of Resistance effects if you sequence properly. Prioritize removing pieces that directly stop your combo like Rest in Peace or Grafdigger's Cage over general tax effects.

Six lines. All fast. All lethal.

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