LED and Corpse Dance

[The Cisco Kid]

Can I play a reanimation spell like Corpse Dance with no target in my graveyard and respond by saccing a Lion's Eye Diamond, which would then put a creature in the yard? I know it's probably a dumb question and doesn't work, but I don't trust myself to know for sure. Thanks.

Lion's Eye Diamond
0
Artifact
Sacrifice Lion's Eye Diamond, Discard your hand: Add three mana of any one color to your mana pool. Play this ability only any time you could play an instant.

Corpse Dance
2B
Instant
Buyback 2 (You may pay an additional 2 as you play this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.) Return the top creature card from your graveyard to play. That creature gains haste. Remove the creature from the game at end of turn.

Such questions belong in the Rules forum. Additionally, please include Oracle wordings of cards for rules questions.
-Godder

[Godder]

If the reanimation spell/ability doesn't target, then it's a legal play. If it does target, then a legal target must be named on announcement of the spell/ability, and if there is no legal target available, you can't play the spell/ability.

For example, Reanimate targets the creature card you intend to return to play, so requires a legal target to be available, or you can't play Reanimate. Corpse Dance doesn't say anything about targetting, so it can be played, even with an empty graveyard, because you determine the creature card to put into play on resolution of the spell, not while playing it. Discarding your hand to LED with Corpse Dance on the stack will then give you a creature (presumably) to put into play. This trick also works with Shallow Grave & Goryo's Vengeance, and cards like Necromancy (the erratum issued to this card makes the reanimation effect a triggered ability that triggers when the card comes into play, not while it's on the stack as a spell).

[forests failed you]

I believe you could also use Animate Dead to do this, as Animate Dead now has a triggered ability to target when it comes into play.

[parallax]

Yes. This trick works with both Corpse Dance and Animate Dead/ Dance of the Dead/ Necromancy. None of these cards target while they are on the stack. Corpse Dance will return the top creature card of your graveyard when it resolves.

Note that LED mana cannot be used to pay for Corpse Dance or any of the enchantments.

[forests failed you]

If Exhume says "each player chooses" that would be another possible card for that style of deck.