Another decent instant speed option for the deck is Midnight Haunting which is like another flash spirit and works well with Wanderer
(and obviously Drogskol as well).
I don't need convincing that Vial is a powerful card, I've played with it for many years. I just wanted to bring up for discussion an alternate build for the tribe that my own experience has shown to have strengths. This type of disruption build suits my playstyle better, as it may for others. Certainly we have room in the thread to talk about different angles the deck can take.
Regarding Spyglass, I'm interested to see what your testing reveals as I have been having the same debate about it vs needle. The extra info it provides is tantalizing, especially against Tron. I don't currently have either in my board, but I think with the Jace unbanning I will probably stick with a few needles because it only costs 1 and I will so often know that I am naming Jace.
Hey all, I've been posting over on the Bant Spirits list about a variation of the deck with Curious Obsession, and I figured I'd point out that the last 3 modern 5-0 deck dumps have included a UW Spirits list with the same ideas. Here's the most recent one, which I believe is nearly identical to the past few:
Compared to my Bant list (which you can see on the deck dump or MTGSalvation thread), the better mana lets you go on the 4 Arbiter + 4 Ghost Quarter plan (which is nice against a lot of modern decks right now), while the lack of Nobles means they're playing Drogskol Captain over Geist. Bant gets Hierarch, some nice spell lands in Township/Horizon Canopy, and a few more sideboard options. As I've said on the Bant thread I think Curious Obsession could be the way forward for this archetype and I'm interested to hear of any of ya'll have been experimenting with it.
I posted on the Bant thread about GP Phoenix, I went 10-5. Lost to a bunch of aggro decks including 2 losses to Affinity and 1 to Bogles which I under-sideboarded for hoping to dodge. I mispredicted the meta and was hoping that the Storm/Grishoalbrand/UWx decks would be much better than they were.
Hi, i've been absent for a while but i'm getting back into modern after a little break, i'm eager to try that curious obsession tech. Also is eidolon of rhetoric worthy of MD now with bbe and all the unfair stuff?
Sadly there hasn't been any new spirit printed in a while, vampire revenant is the only new spirit since shadows block and there are zero spoiled in dominaria (yet)
Still i'm keeping my spirits up, will report once i get enough game with the cute new aura.
Back from testing, won both monday and tuesday event 3-0, beating grixis control, u/b delver and w/b tokens monday, and u/w control, r/g eldrazi and scrap trawler/KCI eggs tuesday.
Eidolon of rhetoric also had its moments of glory in my testing. A lot of tricks can be done with it. Seems good vs both control and aggro, our deck can break the symmetry with vial and flash stuff. Curious obsession was kind of nice, i'll keep playing the two i have in my main deck. Had to cut kira for it, obviously the card is a nonbo with auras, which is the thing i like the least about the card.
Seems good vs both control and aggro, our deck can break the symmetry with vial and flash stuff.
That How many copies are you running MB?
Kira and auras just don't fit the same shell indeed.
I started with one main one side, a 3/1 split between nebelgast herald, with the 4th herald in the sideboard. I still drew it kind of often, i might go with 2/2 but i'm not sure since multiple aren't needed.
I'm currently on a heavy creature list, i like all the 4 Heralds and i have 2x Kira and 2x Eidolon + 1 Vendilion Clique in my flex slots. It feels like i need fuel against jund/heavy removal lists, or i'll soon have a hand full of air. 4 Pte revealed to be too much(i'd rather keep creatures at home with the 4th herald), other than a dead card in my opening 7, Vapor Snag is also useless many times in this midrange-oriented metagame.
Life is better when you T1 Aether Vial. My friends hate me for starting Seachrome Coast(double colour, no pain) -> Vial. They know that match won't be simple.
Play it.
I need to fill in 6 more creatures. Any suggestions? I worry adding in more 3 drops, don’t know if we should be so too heavy. Merfolk have the advantage of mostly being 2 drops, our guys are mostly 3 drops. But then on the plus side, we don’t have to rely on Spreading Seas to go wide since we have flyers. So I’m thinking we stay all fliers unless we add an ability that’s a no brainer. I’ve considered Reflector Mage to help control the board, but again, another 3 drop. Also, Geist is an awesome card on its own, ironically, I don’t feel he is best in a spirit tribal deck, the synergy isn’t there.
I have been doing well at my LGS with U/W spirits. The main difference from what I have heard is that I run Opt and Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit. Anafenza puts a lot of power on the board. Opt helps to make the deck more consistent. Additionally I play a detention sphere main board as a 1 of as it deals with a lot of threats really well. Another card I have enjoyed a lot is irrigated farmland as it gives me free card advantage if a game goes long and helps prevent flooding.
The mention of Curious Obsession seems cool and might be good with Tallowisp. (Other potential targets could be steel of godhead or threads of disloyalty as a one offs.) I haven’t tried an enchantment package yet but it seems cool.
Phantasmal image as a 4x for me helps the matchup because I just copy their sivergill get their islandwalk on Atlantis and swing. Or copy spell Queller with a vial at 2. Copy drogskoll. Copy Master of Waves. Copy harbinger of tides. I have had fun with it but it is bad in some matchups.
I tried tallowisp and didn't like it, felt very clunky and slow, i don't think curious obsession changes things. Also wisp never could fetch threads of disloyalty because wizards decided they hate the little candle (because of the wording wisp can only search for enchant creature with exactly «enchant creature» and nothing else in the sentence).
4x Phantasmal is a bit of air and gets rotated out against those matchups. They are not that bad as you can copy either your efficient creatures or snapcaster. I feel Jeskai/Jund/and Grixis are strong matchups for us especially after sideboard. I have only played a few tourneys as a 4x instead of a lower count but I haven’t had a problem yet.
Thanks Ace for the heads up on tallowisp. I am super sad now
Hey guys, I'm in a bit of a brewing mood with no big modern tournaments coming up, and I'm wanting to do more testing on UW rather than Bant to take advantage of the better manabase. Has anybody tested Myth Realized with slightly more noncreature spells? I feel like the deck wants more one drops and Myth plays nicely with the instant speed plan (giving us a mana sink while we're holding up flash threats), gives a natural mana sink if there's flood issues, as well as being a pseudo-evasive threat. However it would likely need more noncreatures than I've been playing (I have been playing about 8-9 - 4 Curious, 3-4 Path, 1 walker). I had very much enjoyed Spell Snare as a fun-of in my Bant testing, and some copies of flexible noncreature spells that add to the tempo like Remand don't seem like they'd be out of place in UW. Any thoughts?
Myth realized ism't even a spirit (i thought it was when you made the suggestion). Don't be deceived by the colors of this deck. We are a creature based tempo deck, jamming a control win con just because we are u/w doesn't make sense.
Another decent option is Spell Snare which I'd pick before Mana Tithe and there is also Censor which at least cantrips when it can't Force Spike.
Another decent instant speed option for the deck is Midnight Haunting which is like another flash spirit and works well with Wanderer
(and obviously Drogskol as well).
Regarding Spyglass, I'm interested to see what your testing reveals as I have been having the same debate about it vs needle. The extra info it provides is tantalizing, especially against Tron. I don't currently have either in my board, but I think with the Jace unbanning I will probably stick with a few needles because it only costs 1 and I will so often know that I am naming Jace.
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Adarkar Wastes
3 Hallowed Fountain
2 Moorland Haunt
2 Island
2 Plains
1 Shefet Dunes
Spells (11)
4 Aether Vial
4 Curious Obsession
3 Path to Exile
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Phantasmal Image
2 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Drogskol Captain
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Path to Exile
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Stony Silence
2 Settle the Wreckage
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Rest in Peace
2 Spirit of the Labryinth
3 Unified Will
Compared to my Bant list (which you can see on the deck dump or MTGSalvation thread), the better mana lets you go on the 4 Arbiter + 4 Ghost Quarter plan (which is nice against a lot of modern decks right now), while the lack of Nobles means they're playing Drogskol Captain over Geist. Bant gets Hierarch, some nice spell lands in Township/Horizon Canopy, and a few more sideboard options. As I've said on the Bant thread I think Curious Obsession could be the way forward for this archetype and I'm interested to hear of any of ya'll have been experimenting with it.
I posted on the Bant thread about GP Phoenix, I went 10-5. Lost to a bunch of aggro decks including 2 losses to Affinity and 1 to Bogles which I under-sideboarded for hoping to dodge. I mispredicted the meta and was hoping that the Storm/Grishoalbrand/UWx decks would be much better than they were.
Sadly there hasn't been any new spirit printed in a while, vampire revenant is the only new spirit since shadows block and there are zero spoiled in dominaria (yet)
Still i'm keeping my spirits up, will report once i get enough game with the cute new aura.
Eidolon of rhetoric also had its moments of glory in my testing. A lot of tricks can be done with it. Seems good vs both control and aggro, our deck can break the symmetry with vial and flash stuff. Curious obsession was kind of nice, i'll keep playing the two i have in my main deck. Had to cut kira for it, obviously the card is a nonbo with auras, which is the thing i like the least about the card.
I started with one main one side, a 3/1 split between nebelgast herald, with the 4th herald in the sideboard. I still drew it kind of often, i might go with 2/2 but i'm not sure since multiple aren't needed.
Yes (for me at least). If you don't play vial just play bant with CoCo.
So far my creature base looks like this..
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Drogskol Captain
2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
I need to fill in 6 more creatures. Any suggestions? I worry adding in more 3 drops, don’t know if we should be so too heavy. Merfolk have the advantage of mostly being 2 drops, our guys are mostly 3 drops. But then on the plus side, we don’t have to rely on Spreading Seas to go wide since we have flyers. So I’m thinking we stay all fliers unless we add an ability that’s a no brainer. I’ve considered Reflector Mage to help control the board, but again, another 3 drop. Also, Geist is an awesome card on its own, ironically, I don’t feel he is best in a spirit tribal deck, the synergy isn’t there.
Spirits need a Silvergill Adept or a Venser type effect would also be cool.
The mention of Curious Obsession seems cool and might be good with Tallowisp. (Other potential targets could be steel of godhead or threads of disloyalty as a one offs.) I haven’t tried an enchantment package yet but it seems cool.
Thanks Ace for the heads up on tallowisp. I am super sad now
Well there is no reason in my mind not to play one or the other, they're just great and win games.
I had to copy/paste link to search bar for it to work
That is the tournament you are looking for. Unfortunately only logs up to 32nd, and a few StarCityGames pro's decks and finishes.