Grave Researcher // Reanimate is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
At the beginning of your upkeep, surveil 1. Then if there are three or more creature cards in your graveyard, this creature becomes prepared. (While it's prepared, you may cast a copy of its spell. Doing so unprepares it.) Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose life equal to that card's mana value.
Complete guide
Grave Researcher is a versatile Troll Warlock that bridges the gap between your graveyard and the battlefield. Using the new Prepare mechanic, it allows you to fill your graveyard through surveilling and then rewards you with a copy of the iconic Reanimate spell.
Understanding Prepare
Grave Researcher features a 'prepare spell' called Reanimate. At the beginning of your upkeep, you surveil 1, helping you curate your draws and graveyard. If you have three or more creature cards in your graveyard after this, Grave Researcher becomes prepared. This action creates a copy of Reanimate in exile that you can cast. Once you cast that copy, the creature becomes unprepared and must meet the condition again to prepare once more.
Resolving Reanimate
When you cast the copy of Reanimate from exile, you choose a target creature card in any graveyard. As the spell resolves, you put that creature onto the battlefield under your control and lose life equal to its mana value. Note that the life loss happens after the creature is on the battlefield, but the amount is determined by the card's mana value as it existed in the graveyard. If the creature has an {X} in its cost, X is considered 0.
Strategic Timing and State
Being prepared is a state tied to the permanent on the battlefield, not a copiable value. If a prepared Grave Researcher is copied, the copy isn't prepared automatically. Conversely, if Grave Researcher loses all abilities while prepared, it stays prepared and you can still cast the Reanimate copy. You should play Reanimate when you have a high-impact target available and enough life to sustain the cost, as losing life can lead to losing the game before any 'enters-the-battlefield' triggers resolve.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you use Grave Researcher's Reanimate spell to target Solemn Simulacrum in your graveyard, the Golem enters the battlefield under your control. You then lose 4 life because its mana value is 4. After the life loss is processed, Solemn Simulacrum's ability triggers, allowing you to search for a basic land card.
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Troll' or 'Warlock,' Grave Researcher's upkeep ability triggers twice. Each trigger lets you surveil 1 and check if you have three creatures in your graveyard. While this helps you mill faster, note that a creature cannot be prepared 'twice'—the second trigger will resolve, but if the creature is already prepared, it won't create a second copy of Reanimate.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Grave Researcher // Reanimate
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If any abilities trigger on the creature entering the battlefield, those abilities resolve after you lose life. If losing life results in you losing the game, those abilities won't resolve.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a card in a graveyard has
in its mana cost, X is 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A preparation card is a creature card in every zone. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Emeritus of Ideation is a blue creature whose mana value is 5. It can't be the target of Zealous Lorecaster's triggered ability ("When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.").
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
As an effect causes a creature with a prepare spell to become prepared (including effects that state that a creature "enters prepared"), that creature's controller creates a copy of that creature's prepare spell in exile. That copy remains in exile for as long as that permanent is on the battlefield and is prepared. That creature's controller may cast that copy as long as it remains in exile. As they cast it, that creature stops being prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Being prepared isn't a copiable value. If a permanent becomes a copy of a prepared creature, it won't be prepared. That permanent will have the alternative characteristics, though, and some other effect could cause it to become prepared later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
A creature without a prepare spell can't become prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You lose life after the creature is already on the battlefield. Any abilities it has that interact with loss of life, such as that of Platinum Emperion, apply to that loss of life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Preparation cards can only be cast with their base characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect causes a creature to become unprepared, a prepared creature stops being prepared and the associated copy of its prepare spell in exile ceases to exist. If it wasn't prepared at that time, nothing happens.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
Only the current controller of a prepared creature can cast the copy of its prepare spell in exile. It doesn't matter who owns that creature or who controlled it when it became prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepare spell with one or more targets has no legal targets when it tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. Since the spell was cast, the associated permanent will still not be prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
While copies of spells in zones other than the stack cease to exist when state-based actions are checked, this does not apply to copies of prepare spells in exile that were created as a creature became prepared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepared creature stops being a creature, it will still be prepared, and the copy of its prepare spell will remain in exile. That permanent's controller will still be able to cast it. The same is true if a prepared creature becomes a copy of something else, even if it's then a permanent without a prepare spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
The amount of life you lose as Reanimate resolves is determined by the mana value of the card in your graveyard, not the creature once it's on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, the creature you control from Reanimate is exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
Casting a copy of a prepare spell from exile isn't casting it for an alternative cost. Effects that allow you to cast a spell for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost may allow you to apply those to a copy of a prepare spell cast from exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #17· Wizards of the Coast
If a prepared creature loses all abilities, it won't stop being prepared, and nothing will happen to its alternative characteristics or to the copy of its prepare spell in exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #18· Wizards of the Coast
A creature with a prepare spell can't become prepared more than once at the same time. For example, Emeritus of Ideation is on the battlefield and is prepared. When it attacks, its last ability triggers. When that ability resolves, its controller may still exile eight cards from their graveyard, but doing so won't cause Emeritus of Ideation to become prepared a second time or create a second copy of Ancestral Recall in exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #19· Wizards of the Coast
Creating a copy of a creature's prepare spell in exile ignores copy exceptions applied to that creature that would affect the copiable values of that spell. For example, say a player casts Croaking Counterpart (a sorcery that says "Create a token that's a copy of target non-Frog creature, except it's a 1/1 green Frog.") targeting Goblin Glasswright. The token copy of Goblin Glasswright will enter prepared as a 1/1 green Frog creature, but the copy of Craft with Pride in exile will still be a red sorcery. The copy of Craft with Pride won't be green, a creature, or a Frog, and it won't have power or toughness.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #20· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose the alternative prepare spell's name. Consider only the alternative characteristics to determine whether that is an appropriate name to choose.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Phyrexian Altar + South Wind Avatar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding
. - 2South Wind Avatar's first triggered ability triggers, causing you to gain 4 life.
- 3South Wind Avatar's last ability triggers, causing each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 4Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 5When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 6Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Kheru Bloodsucker + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Kheru Bloodsucker triggers, causing each opponent to lose 2 life and you to gain 2 life.
- 3Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 4When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Repeat until each opponent with a lower life total than your own has lost the game.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Phyrexian Altar + Angelic Chorus
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 3When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it and Angelic Chorus trigger.
- 4Resolve Biblioplex Tromekeeper's trigger, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Resolve Angelic Chorus's trigger, gaining 4 life.
- 6Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Proper Burial + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Proper Burial triggers, causing you to gain 4 life.
- 3Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 4When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Trostani, Selesnya's Voice + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 3When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it and Trostani trigger.
- 4Resolve Biblioplex Tromekeeper's trigger, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Resolve Trostani's trigger, gaining 4 life.
- 6Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Verdant Sun's Avatar + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 3When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it and Verdant Sun's Avatar trigger.
- 4Resolve Biblioplex Tromekeeper's trigger, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Resolve Verdant Sun's Avatar's trigger, gaining 4 life.
- 6Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Phyrexian Altar + Sultai Flayer
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Sultai Flayer triggers, causing you to gain 4 life.
- 3Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying , returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 4When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 5Repeat.
Grave Researcher // Reanimate + Biblioplex Tomekeeper + Aetherflux Reservoir + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Biblioplex Tomekeeper, adding .
- 2Cast the copy of Reanimate from exile by paying .
- 3Aetherflux Reservoir triggers, gaining 1 life for each spell you've cast this turn.
- 4Resolve Reanimate, returning Biblioplex Tomekeeper from your graveyard to the battlefield and losing 4 life.
- 5When Biblioplex Tomekeeper enters, it triggers, preparing Grave Researcher.
- 6Repeat any number of times.
- 7Once you have infinite life, you may activate Aetherflux Reservoir's last ability any number of times, dealing infinite damage.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Grave Researcher // Reanimate
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