Basically we needed more early game answers
Going 4 Sinister Sabotage and 4 Ionize was to greedy so we ended up with a 4/2 or 3/3 split. Essence Scatter has been very good in the current "format" (if we can call it that by now).
Haven't tried the grixis version (not enough tokens for lands rip).
Thanks to Mikasa's post we also have a "Grixis" Control option of the deck. Having access to The Eldest Reborn gives us answers not only to Carnage Tyrant but also planeswalkers and it can also be a secondary win condition.
Lava Coil answers Rekindling Phoenix perfectly. Nullhide Ferox would require a counterspell to deal with it efficiently, but if he manages to get to the battlefield you would need to kill it with Ral, Izzet Viceroy or double burn spell. I don´t think we need Response//Resurgence but it´s good to have more possible anwers.
In my testing Niv-Mizzet, Parun has been pretty good, you usually play him with enough mana to at least cast one spell for value (usually a counterspell to protect him). If Niv-Mizzet, Parun is not answered he just takes over the game with his ridiculous card advantage. Nezahal, Primal Tide is a good finisher (especially against control), but i think Niv-Mizzet, Parun is better overall. I don´t have Nezahal, Primal Tide in the sideboard against control because my sideboard plan is to burn them out so he´s not needed.
UR Control for the next GRN standard format. Red has the best removal IMO with shock,lightning strike and lava coil answering almost every if not every early/mid game threats. The counter spells are used to answer all the spells that our red removal aren´t able to (like planeswalkers or high thoughness creatures). Between Search for Azcanta, Chemister's Insight and Ral, Izzet Viceroy we have more than enough card draw to gain advantage in the long run giving us the win with Ral, Izzet Viceroy ultimate and/or with Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
For the sideboard plan against control we want to win with burn while having a huge amount of counter spells. Inescapable Blaze can´t be countered so the only way for control to answer it would be discard spells such as Duress and Thought Erasure or cards like Unmoored Ego, but with a high number of counter spells we have more than enough protection against that.
For aggro/token decks we rely on Fiery Cannonade so we don´t lose to go wide strategies.
The deck weakness seems to be hexproof creatures such as Carnage Tyrant, so we need Detection Tower in the sideboard as an answer to such threats. Another way of building against hexproof would be going Jeskai Control for Settle the Wreckage and other wrath-like spells.
We've seen some Vial/Company ideas here, but 3 Vials trigger me so much hahaha. Also, my love for 4 Rattlechains and 4 Selfless Spirits is unconditional, at least until we get more sexy spirits.
It should prevent flooding out, while also guaranteeing enough coloured sources to be playable. Horizon canopy acts as a plains that grants an additional redraw later in game
Btw Tron is a difficult matchup but not nearly as bad as terminus (miracles), elves, hardened scales affinity or primeval titan decks
Have you test this manabase this days? I'm really curious about your results.
I am not sure how to deal with bridge or boggles out side of worship. I put in 3 Leyline because I was struggling with Scapeshift. What do you think about going down the leylines, +1 Worship and +2 Disenchants or Detention Spheres?
The biggest take away is that spirits in both variants is a fringe archetype no more.
It would be interesting to know the actual winrates of each list, because in a team event the result of a team might not reflect the individual scores.
Thanks to Wizards, the only way to know that is to ask directly to the Spirits players :/
Interesting.
-2 Sinister Sabotage
-2 Disdainful Stroke
+2 Essence Scatter
+2 Syncopate
Basically we needed more early game answers
Going 4 Sinister Sabotage and 4 Ionize was to greedy so we ended up with a 4/2 or 3/3 split.
Essence Scatter has been very good in the current "format" (if we can call it that by now).
Haven't tried the grixis version (not enough tokens for lands rip).
UR Control
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
3x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (14)
4x Essence Scatter
2x Syncopate
2x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Blue-Red Spells (9)
4x Ionize
3x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
2x Izzet Guildgate
8x Island
5x Mountain
2x Detection Tower
1x Field of Ruin
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Negate
1x Lava Coil
4x Fiery Cannonade
4x Inescapable Blaze
1) UR Control
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
3x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (14)
2x Essence Scatter
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Blue-Red Spells (9)
4x Ionize
3x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
2x Izzet Guildgate
8x Island
5x Mountain
1x Memorial to War
2x Detection Tower
4x Negate
2x Disdainful Stroke
1x Lava Coil
3x Fiery Cannonade
4x Inescapable Blaze
1x Star of Extinction
2) Grixis Control (Probably the better deck)
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
2x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (14)
2x Essence Scatter
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Black Spells (2)
2x The Eldest Reborn
Blue-Red Spells (8)
4x Ionize
2x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
4x Watery Grave
3x Dragonskull Summit
6x Island
3x Mountain
1x Swamp
1x Field of Ruin
4x Negate
2x Disdainful Stroke
3x Fiery Cannonade
2x The Eldest Reborn
4x Inescapable Blaze
-2 Field of Ruin main deck
-2 Detection Tower sideboard
+2 Detection tower maindeck
+1 Fiery Cannonade sideboard
+1 Star of extinction sideboard (Red spell that answers Carnage Tyrant)
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
4x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (12)
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Blue-Red Spells (10)
4x Ionize
4x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
2x Izzet Guildgate
8x Island
6x Mountain
2x Detection Tower
4x Negate
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Fiery Cannonade
4x Inescapable Blaze
1x Star of extinction
Thanks to Mikasa's post we also have a "Grixis" Control option of the deck. Having access to The Eldest Reborn gives us answers not only to Carnage Tyrant but also planeswalkers and it can also be a secondary win condition.
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
4x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (12)
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Black Spells (2)
2x The Eldest Reborn
4x Ionize
2x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
Lands (26)
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
4x Watery Grave
4x Dragonskull Summit
6x Island
4x Mountain
4x Negate
2x Disdainful Stroke
3x Fiery Cannonade
2x The Eldest Reborn
4x Inescapable Blaze
Deep Freeze cannot target hexproof creatures and River´s Rebuke will not answer Carnage Tyrant for good, it will just give you one extra turn.
In my testing Niv-Mizzet, Parun has been pretty good, you usually play him with enough mana to at least cast one spell for value (usually a counterspell to protect him). If Niv-Mizzet, Parun is not answered he just takes over the game with his ridiculous card advantage. Nezahal, Primal Tide is a good finisher (especially against control), but i think Niv-Mizzet, Parun is better overall. I don´t have Nezahal, Primal Tide in the sideboard against control because my sideboard plan is to burn them out so he´s not needed.
I still think the best possible way to answer Carnage Tyrant with this deck would be going jeskai for Settle the Wreckage. With the current version the only way to deal with it would be Detection Tower and Ral, Izzet Viceroy/Inescapable Blaze/double burn to kill him (wich is fine if they just bring 1 or 2 copies).
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
4x Lava Coil
Blue Spells (12)
2x Disdainful Stroke
4x Sinister Sabotage
2x Search for Azcanta
4x Chemister's Insight
Blue-Red Spells (10)
4x Ionize
4x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
4x Steam Vents
4x Sulfur Falls
2x Izzet Guildgate
8x Island
6x Mountain
2x Field of Ruin
2x Detection Tower
4x Negate
2x Disdainful Stroke
3x Fiery Cannonade
4x Inescapable Blaze
UR Control for the next GRN standard format. Red has the best removal IMO with shock,lightning strike and lava coil answering almost every if not every early/mid game threats. The counter spells are used to answer all the spells that our red removal aren´t able to (like planeswalkers or high thoughness creatures). Between Search for Azcanta, Chemister's Insight and Ral, Izzet Viceroy we have more than enough card draw to gain advantage in the long run giving us the win with Ral, Izzet Viceroy ultimate and/or with Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
For the sideboard plan against control we want to win with burn while having a huge amount of counter spells. Inescapable Blaze can´t be countered so the only way for control to answer it would be discard spells such as Duress and Thought Erasure or cards like Unmoored Ego, but with a high number of counter spells we have more than enough protection against that.
For aggro/token decks we rely on Fiery Cannonade so we don´t lose to go wide strategies.
The deck weakness seems to be hexproof creatures such as Carnage Tyrant, so we need Detection Tower in the sideboard as an answer to such threats. Another way of building against hexproof would be going Jeskai Control for Settle the Wreckage and other wrath-like spells.
Have you test this manabase this days? I'm really curious about your results.
WOW, I did'n see that kawaii spirit before, Surveil HYPE!
If you look closely, you can see a lot of possible spirits in the card, and that'd fit with the flavor text
List:
http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/123381
https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gppra18/8-0-decklists-grand-prix-prague-2018-2018-08-26
It's nice to see good results in general. I can't wait to next spoilers season hahaha.
PS: I can't see the tool editors to embed kawaii content
Video:
UW Spirits - Modern - August 16th, 2018
Decklist:
https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/SJeI9hSQUX
He said that maybe a No-Vial version could be interesting, using 24 lands with more disruption.
-3 Leyline of Sanctity
+2 Echoing Truth
+1 Hurkyl's Recall
Thanks to Wizards, the only way to know that is to ask directly to the Spirits players :/
This is the link for all decks (3 Bant Spirits included):