(Iona, Shield of Emeria is no longer commander legal, however, at one point in time she was legal and at this point I'm too attached to her being a part of the deck to remove her
However, we wanted to talk about the cards here honestly and what was said internally for transparency
Black Creatures could stitch themselves back together through sheer graveyard audacity
When the spell or ability resolves, it checks the targets to make sure theyre still legal (that is, theyre still there and they still match the requirements of the spell or ability)
Pulse of the Fields Lightning Helix Sorin Markov Griselbrand Sphinx of the Steel Wind Knight of Meadowgrain Swords to Plowshares Obstinate Baloth Ivory Tower Pelakka Wurm Pelakka Wurm was popular in Reanimate decks for a decent period as he would give a big immediate life return while also being an OK threat with a bit of extra value should they answer it
What's happening is that you may have just run into a "stax" deck