Uhhhh, question guys, why on earth is this a tier 3 deck, the geist decks that Great Nate has been playing is the tier 1 decks that's been doing well in the tournaments and on mtgo. Meanwhile, the tier 2 jeskai thread is playing all sorts of jeskai decks
Seriously, what gives?
I don't think we can call the deck Tier 1 at the moment (don't think it has a big enough meta share), but we should at least be bumped to 2.
I wouldn't recommend Spreading Seas in the sideboard. If you want to beat Eldrazi Tron dump the Crumbles and molten rains and run Ceremonious Rejection. It can counter any of their spells, even a T1 Map. And cheap to flashback. I've had much more success against Tron/Eldrazi, Lantern, affinity since adding copies of this card in the sideboard.
Why wouldn't you recommend Spreading Seas? It's so much better than Rejection in a metagame full of greedy manabases. Like it's way more broadly applicable than Rejection. Which isn't to say Rejection is bad, I think it's certainly playable, but Spreading Seas draws you a card so you can maintain card velocity and can very easily cut colors in this format right now.
I am playing a burn oriented version, I really don't want to play Wall of Omens because they force me to tap out on turn 2 and possible fetch untapped shocks. I am closing my first round of tests with the list posted on page 217. Over 46 Matches counting only decks listed in modern sections of MTGSalvation, finishing with 73,91% winrate. Most losses were against the mentioned decks. 33% winrate against Counters Company or similar decks and 25% against Eldrazi.
Definetly didn't like it trying out Ancestral Visions last night, even tho I played very few matches with it, the card just felt too slow for my game plan even when I played it early. Going to replace them with Serum Visions.
Remands helped me find extra burns/lands or occasionally dodging some counters by bouncing my other spells back to my hand. Unfortunatly I do end up sideboarding them out against most matches except Combo decks, which I haven't was paired against all that much.
Following your advice, I am replacing one of them (down to 2) with Electrolyze. It's extra removal against Company decks and it still gives card advantage. Unfortunatly Devoted Druid is still a 0/2 danger, I guess I will have to bolt it and Eletrolyze other creepers.
I removed Celestial Purge, which was helping alot against Deathshadow decks, because it hits every creature of theirs and answer Liliana in any given point in time. Not having faced many Lilianas in this current meta and having charms as a bad alternative for her and considering my current winrate against Grixis Deathshadow is 83% over 6 matches and 100% against all other variations for a total of 9 Deathshadow matches. I guess I can afford to lose that card even tho. But by removing it, I am literally dead against Blood Moon, Ajani Vengeants or Skred red Planeswalkers if I didn't drop a Geist early enough.
I removed Grim Lavamancer of the sideboard and Eidolon of Rhetoric aswell. These two removals along with Celestial Purge, were exchanged with Ceremonious Rejection.
The question now is, since I have 3 Ceremonious Rejection, is it still worth to keep the two stony silences on the sideboard? I mean Tron variants are usually Eldrazi Variants now, that means no O-Stones and all sorts of annoying on activation artifacts, which have been replaced by colorless aggressive creatures and chalice of the void. By doing so, I could re-insert Grim Lavamancer for Affinity/Company decks (even tho I found them slightly antisinergetic with my Snaps since I run only 8 Fetch Lands) along with Shatterstorm or Celestial Purge.
Waiting for more feedback to start statistically testing a round with the new list (below). One month and a half to tune it for GP.
Creatures:
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
You're complaining about decks having their nut hand and you not being able to beat them. That's going to happen sometimes. I can't tell you the last time I lost to Abzan Company. Play 4 Spreading Seas in your sideboard if you want to beat Eldrazi Tron, their manabase is abysmal. Seas is great in the format right now anyway.
Esper doesn't pair well with geist in modern, you'll lose a lot of reach that he needs not to mention that man-lands are smaller and your aggro match ups will be worse. That's my opinion, mind that I have nothing against esper, but I tried it before and for me, a UW version would be the best, but unfortunately, red is a must with geist.
I agree that red is the best color to pair with Geist, however, Shizo, Death's Storehouse is the truth
I was more rering to your statement that "nothing comes close" to firewalker. Jeskai decks almost never run it because we've found it rarely comes to close to cards like Timely reinforcements (which often gains 12 life) and six creatures, Blessed Alliance which is a clean 2 for 1 (again can be flashed back.
I think it's a very rare sideboard choice against burn because 1. It's hard to cast early without double fetch, double shock. 2. You need it by turn two because burn often kills a few turns later. 3. It doesn't increase in value like instants and sorceries which benefit from the deck's 4 copies of snapcaster mages. 4. It's not good in other match-ups while cards like Ajani, BA, and even Timely can be. 5. You have to worry about getting blown out on blocks.
Most of the other cards are fine top decks late, easily to cast, have value in other match-ups and can either be recurred or are straight up 2 for 1. So I'm not saying Firewalker isn't ok but in Jeskai it's incorrect to say "nothing is close to it" when in fact many cards are close if not much better.
If you're gaining 12 life off of a Timely, you were already winning that game. Alliance isn't always a 2-for-1, if they have a spell heavy hand it's like a 1.3-for-1. Snapping back an Alliance is 4 mana or more, which isn't good in the matchup.
It's a rare sideboard card because Burn is only 5% of the meta and Zoo is non-existent. The card doesn't do anything against Shadow, where as Blessed Alliance and Condemn are both more reasonable there. The best thing for you to be Snapping back in that matchup is Lightning Helix because it gets close to a 3-for-1 a good amount of the time. Ajani is far too slow, 4 mana Lightning Helix isn't good enough.
Firewalker is best against Burn, and worse than other cards in other matchups, and that's why you don't see it.
Are you playing Counterflux anywhere in your 75? A lot of the counter decisions come from what the game looks like in that moment, what's in your hand, etc. so you really just have to play the matchup and get eexperience. Kill their Electromancers and Barals on sight, I like going after their rituals and card draw pretty aggressively, but of course that is dependent on board state, etc. like i said. Are you paying Geists in your list?
I'm of the opinion that Storm is one of our best matchups. Lantern, not so much, but it's certainly winnable. I went 4-0 at my last FNM and was planning on doing a write up, but haven't taken the time yet. I will tomorrow. Ranched all over Storm during my match against it.
If you guys want to know anything specific about the matches, let me know, I just have to be up early and don't want to spend the time tonight to write up a whole report for the night. Also, I know these are just FNM reports, but I figure any content on the deck is better than nothing
The Lavamancer is primairly for Abzan Coco. I find the new versions with al those combo pieces to be a tough matchup. The deck is quickly becomming a tier 1 deck.
I suppose that's fair. If that deck does end up being more popular, i'll probably have to consider Lavaman again as well.
Outside of the AV and 2 Flooded Strands my whole 75 is foil.
I sold almost all of my foils at GenCon last year (the only foils I kept were promo Geists, Paths and Remands and 8th ed. Mana Leaks). I regret it a whole lot.
I also love the card. I just don't know if I'll have the room for it this time around. In my last GP I almost never brought it in.
That's fair. Like I said, I personally just always like to have one. Granted, I also have a couple foils which are gorgeous, so maybe I just like having one so I can look at it.
I still keep bringing Staticaster with me. Storm is getting so populair and I like having an anwser to all those goblin tokens.
I'm trying something new this saturday. Mainboard an Moorland Haunt and a Grim Lavamancer. Sideboard will have 4 Nahiri and 1 Emrakul for the matchups in wich Geist is horrible. It's not my idea but after talking to another Geist player who has a ton of experience, I'm giving it a trie.
I don't like either of those inclusions. I've played a Lavamancer, and the card is great, but I don't think it's good enough in the current meta. Back when Infect was big though, there were multiple times that I won matches due to turn 1 Lavaman. As for Moorland Haunt, I don't think the deck plays enough creatures to take advantage of it.
The aggro decks are your good matchups, midrange decks are fair and very skill intensive, and big mana decks are the struggle.
I don't think we can call the deck Tier 1 at the moment (don't think it has a big enough meta share), but we should at least be bumped to 2.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
Have done it, feels great. T2 Seas into T3 Geist is close to game over. I also will play 4 Seas in the sideboard if I don't play them in the main.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
Why wouldn't you recommend Spreading Seas? It's so much better than Rejection in a metagame full of greedy manabases. Like it's way more broadly applicable than Rejection. Which isn't to say Rejection is bad, I think it's certainly playable, but Spreading Seas draws you a card so you can maintain card velocity and can very easily cut colors in this format right now.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
You're complaining about decks having their nut hand and you not being able to beat them. That's going to happen sometimes. I can't tell you the last time I lost to Abzan Company. Play 4 Spreading Seas in your sideboard if you want to beat Eldrazi Tron, their manabase is abysmal. Seas is great in the format right now anyway.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
I agree that red is the best color to pair with Geist, however, Shizo, Death's Storehouse is the truth
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
If you're gaining 12 life off of a Timely, you were already winning that game. Alliance isn't always a 2-for-1, if they have a spell heavy hand it's like a 1.3-for-1. Snapping back an Alliance is 4 mana or more, which isn't good in the matchup.
It's a rare sideboard card because Burn is only 5% of the meta and Zoo is non-existent. The card doesn't do anything against Shadow, where as Blessed Alliance and Condemn are both more reasonable there. The best thing for you to be Snapping back in that matchup is Lightning Helix because it gets close to a 3-for-1 a good amount of the time. Ajani is far too slow, 4 mana Lightning Helix isn't good enough.
Firewalker is best against Burn, and worse than other cards in other matchups, and that's why you don't see it.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
Yeah, it is, but I wanted another flash threat and Avacyn hits hard.
I bought a foil AKH Mindcensor, so I wanted to play it haha
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
3x Mana Leak
2x Remand
1x Valorous Stance
3x Lightning Helix
1x Electrolyze
2x Cyptic Command
Creatures:
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Aven Mindcensor
3x Spell Queller
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Restoration Angel
1x Archangel Avacyn
4x Flooded Strand
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Steam Vents
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Mountain
3x Celestial Colonnade
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Sulfur Falls
1x Eiganjo Castle
1x Desolate Lighthouse
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2x Rest in Peace
1x Celestial Purge
1x Jace, Architect of Thought
3x Spreading Seas
1x Negate
1x Dispel
1x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Surgical Extraction
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Wear//Tear
1x Engineered Explosives
Round 1: Elves, W 2-1
Round 2: Burn, W 2-1
Round 3: Mardu Nahiri, W 2-0
Round 4: Gifts Storm, L 1-2
If you guys want to know anything specific about the matches, let me know, I just have to be up early and don't want to spend the time tonight to write up a whole report for the night. Also, I know these are just FNM reports, but I figure any content on the deck is better than nothing
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
I suppose that's fair. If that deck does end up being more popular, i'll probably have to consider Lavaman again as well.
I sold almost all of my foils at GenCon last year (the only foils I kept were promo Geists, Paths and Remands and 8th ed. Mana Leaks). I regret it a whole lot.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
That's fair. Like I said, I personally just always like to have one. Granted, I also have a couple foils which are gorgeous, so maybe I just like having one so I can look at it.
I don't like either of those inclusions. I've played a Lavamancer, and the card is great, but I don't think it's good enough in the current meta. Back when Infect was big though, there were multiple times that I won matches due to turn 1 Lavaman. As for Moorland Haunt, I don't think the deck plays enough creatures to take advantage of it.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control