It was the 'Double Dragon' reference I didn't understand...
My problem with Animate Dead (and Resurrection), is there is no mana discount, and I'd rather just put an extra copy of the creature I am likely to want to cast in my book, than have to rely on what's available in a discard pile. Given that the game is about killing a mage, not creatures, I find that by the time something I want is dead and waiting, the game is often almost over - the right creature in my book would have come out much earlier...
I get (very) niche use in ForceMaster, etc, but even that's marginal. Essentially it gives you some versatility and choice, but it costs you a lot of precision and control over choice of creature and timing. In a game with spell selection, rather than card draw, that's usually a poor trade in my experience, and especially here.
