I don’t know if that is the case or not. U/W Spirits just took 10th in an SCG open, which seems pretty impressive. I am not sure why everyone stopped posting on here though.
The more spirits get mentioned here the more apparent it is that"UW Spirits" is the superior deck.
I don’t agree with this sentiment. I have been playing U/W spirits for about a year now. Although the decks have similar win rates against decks and look similar on paper, they play completely differently. I think the most interesting thing about AGB is the fact that it has the most room to grow. Also, the card advantage that it creates is awesome and the fact that you don’t have the restriction of just playing spirit creatures.
What does this have over the Spirits deck ? Probably only Pride of the Clouds, and this isn't really enough.
Spirits can play anything this deck can play and have way more synergy/lords/payoff cards for playing their tribe/theme.
The best flying creatures with utility (Cleric, Queller, Wanderer, Selfless) are spirits anyway (besides some Faeries like: Seer, Spellstutter and Clique).
The more spirits get mentioned here the more apparent it is that"UW Spirits" is the superior deck.
I don’t agree with this sentiment. I have been playing U/W spirits for about a year now. Although the decks have similar win rates against decks and look similar on paper, they play completely differently. I think the most interesting thing about AGB is the fact that it has the most room to grow. Also, the card advantage that it creates is awesome and the fact that you don’t have the restriction of just playing spirit creatures.
What does this have over the Spirits deck ? Probably only Pride of the Clouds, and this isn't really enough.
Spirits can play anything this deck can play and have way more synergy/lords/payoff cards for playing their tribe/theme.
The best flying creatures with utility (Cleric, Queller, Wanderer, Selfless) are spirits anyway (besides some Faeries like: Seer, Spellstutter and Clique).
I hear what you are saying and that is probably why I am currently still playing U/W spirits but I think this deck has potential. It is hard to quantify just how much work Shy Hussar and Ghostly Prison actually do until you play AGB or play against it. So to answer your question I think the 4 things this deck has over Spirits are: 1, card advantage, this is something spirits has always lacked. 2, Pride of the Clouds 3, Shy Hussar, and 4, Ghostly Prison. With all of this said, Spirits has its advantages as well, I just think that AGB is definitely worth exploring.
The more spirits get mentioned here the more apparent it is that"UW Spirits" is the superior deck.
I don’t agree with this sentiment. I have been playing U/W spirits for about a year now. Although the decks have similar win rates against decks and look similar on paper, they play completely differently. I think the most interesting thing about AGB is the fact that it has the most room to grow. Also, the card advantage that it creates is awesome and the fact that you don’t have the restriction of just playing spirit creatures.
post your current sideboard and I can make a little cheat sheet for you, i would be bringing in chalice vs phoenix variants, gds, storm (on 2), vs storm I cut kira path and a vial, vs gds I'll cut 2 paths 1 drogskol, and one vial, for 3 chalice and 1 dec in stone (dec in stone is almost needed if youre playing chalice). phoenix variants, 1 drogskol, 1 vial, 1 path, for chalices, then I'll also add eidolon of rhetoric(s), Dec in stone, and one damping sphere if on the play, ill cut a thalia, 1-2 deputy, and either a selfless or an additional vial for them. It also depends if I see pyromancer ascension or not.
Here is the list that I have been playing. I was playing Azorius Spirits and I feel like they play similarly. I would like to go back to Azorius but I felt like Esper was more powerful. I like your list though and am thinking that it may be just as powerful.
Hey guys, my name is Evan Berg I've been putting up results with Azorius spirits in both paper and mtgo leagues (EnigmaNJ).I most recently top 8d two IQs in the same weekend March 23/24 the deck feels amazing right now and actually well positioned going forward despite Bant still being the more popular variant. I started playing spirits about a month and a half before the KCI ban, I first picked azorius as the "budget version" more than anything but I quickly fell in love with the deck, I'd always wanted to play an aether vial deck so I was stoked I was planning on picking up nobles and cocos eventually to play bant, never happened because azorius was such a blast to play with rattlechains shenanigans and being almost like a tempo taxes that could hold its own in the format.
Enough about that though, I started with a mostly stock azorius list
4x mausoleum wanderer
3x paths
4x vial
4x chains
3x selfless
2x phantasmal
4x supreme
3x thalia, guardian
4x queller
4x captain
1x Kira (always loved her in the deck even pre deputy)
2x nebelgast herald (my tech against humans since it was top dog at the time, soo good)
Grinding leagues everyday that I could and hitting an SCG or some form of 1k on saturdays, I began testing other versions as the meta evolved, mtgo is always different than paper meta-wise, and I like being a little more creative on mtgo because of the ease of access to all cards. Here are a few different lists I posted 5-0 with and explanations to the card choices.
This was my first, and oddest of them all. Right after Guilds came out on mtgo I wanted to test some cards I'd been thinking about from guilds (tithe taker, forbidding spirit) as well as some sideboard options (Fragmentize, Eidolon of rhetoric, remand), Spirit of the labyrinth was also getting a test run as a 2-of in the mainboard. I think I benefited a lot from people not knowing about tithe taker, it has two very relevant abilities and is a pseudo two-for-one, figuratively good dead or alive lol. Forbidding Spirit was great against humans/spirits but the meta was beginning to shift, I keep him in the maybeboard binder, card is powerful, and in a version with phantasmals could be great in a creature intensive meta. Eidolon was great and stuck in the sideboard from then until now, almost a necessity against gds/phoenix and combo decks amongst others. Spirit of the labyrinth was a little too squishy at the time, however now that Phoenix is down to one gut shot main in izzet, I think it could be viable in the mainboard at this time.
I wanted another one drop creature, very badly lol, so after scouring gatherer for a few days I stumbled upon Siren Stormtsmer (I had not been playing magic at all during amonkhet, ixalan, and most of dominaria standards so I didn't know much about those sets. She was great in the briefly midrange/phoenix heavy meta that I was experiencing at this time,had flying evasion fittingly, and had a better turn aside stapled to her that didn't require tapping to activate. I still think shes a gem, and with dredge falling off a little in overall percentage I could see myself playing her in the 75 again sometime in the near future. Eidolon was also in the main as the influx phoenix continued.This was my first league with Deputy of Detention also, which has proven to become a staple in our deck as well as humans. I still think reflector is better for bant because of coco but DoD has been firmly slotted as a 2-3 of mainboard card for me ever since this league. Siren is also very playable. dovin ban was never seen and never really needed juries out there.
Curious obsession is great, I took this same list to t32 at the NJ regionals, when humans was still dominant this version felt ideal. With phoenix decks now all over, it isnt as good but if the meta shifts away I'll be playing this again. Hurkyl's was amazing out of the board, I was talking to an old friend who played fish in the past, I remembered the card during our chat he helped me identify the name. Its proven invaluable since and has become a staple in my board. Stony actually isnt that good right now so going forward I shifted my artifact to two hurkyl's or two and one kataki if I expect a lot of whir/affinity/tron. Alliance is also great if youre expecting a lot of burn/gds/amulet titan. Stroke has proven to be the best counterspell out of the board for Azorius in particular as in some matches we don't want to develop our board quickly which could be awkward with unified will. Stroke also covers/overlaps with queller almost ideally, just feels good overall, all-star against amulet titan/tron/combo can be used against gurmsg angler decks as well.
These are my most recent results, two IQs in one weeekend, topped both, went into the bernardsville IQ at top seed to boot. I also used this list at the philadelphia open and started 5-1 before variance took me out. Unfortunately I saw bad variance in both quarterfinal rounds of the Iqs as well and was unable to advance further.
remorseful cleric overperformed all weekend as I played against a lot of dredge, it allowed me to steal game ones on multiple occasions in what couldve easily been blowouts in those occasions had I not had it.
Declaration in stone is extremely good right now, I highly recommend it to combat humans/gds/phoenix/dredge/affinity/tron/amulet/mirrors sometimes giving the opponent a land with path feels really bad, dec in stone feels better and although sorcery speed it feels more like a two mana maelstrom pulse in white than anything most of the times you cast it, and being two mana it doesnt even feel bad as a 1-1, bonus synergy with kataki/hurkyls.
Chalice of the void is a very powerful addition I unfortunately did not play against many decks that it was good against that weekend so I felt like I had a 12 card sideboard for the majority of it, shoutout to therift on discord for being the mastermind behind it, I will be playing this version in larger events (with an additional cavern of souls) going forward. Chalice is incredibly well positioned in the current meta.
Going forward I've been experimenting with 3 captain and 2 kira in the mainboard and it has actually been performing very well as phoenix has taken over my local metagame pretty heavily. I am also exxperimenting with a full set of thalia in the mainboard as she is incredibly powerful right now and a key card in many matchups.
Thank you for skimming/reading I apologise for the length of this post, but I've been meaning to become more active on these forums for a while, and I wanted to share my experiences. You can look forward to normal sized posts in the future
I am really glad to see you posting on here. I noticed that you placed in those last few IQs. I am very interested in your Azorius Spirits lists. The most difficult part for me has been side boarding with Azorius Spirits. Do you have a side board guide by chance? What match ups do you usually bring in Chalice of the Void and what do you usually take out?
I played Esper Spirits last night and went 2-1 coming in 2nd. I was able to beat Golgari Midrange 2-0 and then Death and Taxes 2-0. In the final round I went 1-2 against Izzet Phoenix.
All in all I felt pretty good, but I think it may be worth running Surgical Extraction in the sideboard for this deck or even in place of Collective Brutality mainboard. I think that would help against MUs against Phoenix decks and Dredge. Also I have been wondering about running Thoughtseize mainboard. I do like Collective Brutality but I would say about half the time I run into it it does not do anything. The other half of the time it is either great of moderate. I know there has been discussion on Thoughtseize in the past but what is everyone thinking now? Also, what are the thoughts on Surgical Extraction in the main or side? Lastly, and thoughts or suggestions on my main or sideboard in general would be greatly appreciated.
I ran this deck last night and came in 2nd. We did only play 3 rounds though. I beat Tron 2-0, lost to a weird Titan deck (not the normal build) 1-2, and then beat regular Izzet Phoenix 2-0.
In my meta, I run into a lot of Izzet Phoenix, Humans, Jeskai Control and Dredge. Do you guys have any side board recommendations against these decks? Also, when side boarding against these decks, what cards do you take out, to bring the side board cards in. That is my biggest struggle, trying to figure out what to take out. I am a terrible side-boarder in Modern and I would appreciate any help.
A couple comments on the deck.
I have been running U/W Spirits for the last few months and I like it, but Esper has felt a lot more powerful. Being able to run both Fatal Push and Path to Exile is huge. Also, Lingering Souls has won some games for me that I would have lost otherwise. It has great synergy with Mausoleum Wanderer and Collective Brutality. The ability to discard Lingering Souls to Collective Brutality and not feel like you are losing anything or being able to cast both for 4 mana is awesome. Also, Lingering Souls can feel like drawing a lord when you have Mausoleum Wanderers on the field since it gets such a big boost from the two spirits.
2-1 against Storm
2-1 against Jund
0-2 against Humans
2-1 against Hollow One
I thought my match up against Humans would be good but I got crushed. I did not really have anything to side in against Humans. At the very least I did not know what the best strategy would be for siding against Humans. How is everyone else doing against Humans? Do you have any tips for me in this match up both in siding and playing in general?
I hear what you are saying and that is probably why I am currently still playing U/W spirits but I think this deck has potential. It is hard to quantify just how much work Shy Hussar and Ghostly Prison actually do until you play AGB or play against it. So to answer your question I think the 4 things this deck has over Spirits are: 1, card advantage, this is something spirits has always lacked. 2, Pride of the Clouds 3, Shy Hussar, and 4, Ghostly Prison. With all of this said, Spirits has its advantages as well, I just think that AGB is definitely worth exploring.
I don’t agree with this sentiment. I have been playing U/W spirits for about a year now. Although the decks have similar win rates against decks and look similar on paper, they play completely differently. I think the most interesting thing about AGB is the fact that it has the most room to grow. Also, the card advantage that it creates is awesome and the fact that you don’t have the restriction of just playing spirit creatures.
Here is the list that I have been playing. I was playing Azorius Spirits and I feel like they play similarly. I would like to go back to Azorius but I felt like Esper was more powerful. I like your list though and am thinking that it may be just as powerful.
4 Drogskol Captain
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Supreme Phantom
Land: 21
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Darkslick Shores
4 Flooded Strand
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
3 Fatal Push
3 Path to Exile
Sorcery: 5
2 Collective Brutality
3 Lingering Souls
Enchantment: 1
1 Curious Obsession
Artifact: 4
4 Aether Vial
1 Damping Sphere
1 Path to Exile
1 Collective Brutality
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Countersquall
2 Rest in Peace
2 Deputy of Detention
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I am really glad to see you posting on here. I noticed that you placed in those last few IQs. I am very interested in your Azorius Spirits lists. The most difficult part for me has been side boarding with Azorius Spirits. Do you have a side board guide by chance? What match ups do you usually bring in Chalice of the Void and what do you usually take out?
Here is the list that I played.
4 Drogskol Captain
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Supreme Phantom
Land: 21
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Darkslick Shores
4 Flooded Strand
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
3 Fatal Push
3 Path to Exile
Sorcery: 5
2 Collective Brutality
3 Lingering Souls
Enchantment: 1
1 Curious Obsession
Artifact: 4
4 Aether Vial
1 Damping Sphere
1 Path to Exile
1 Collective Brutality
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Countersquall
2 Rest in Peace
2 Deputy of Detention
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I would like some help with side-boarding but here is what I ended up doing.
In Round 1 against Golgari Midrange I won pretty easily so I just took out Curious Obsession for one Countersquall
In Round 2 it was very close. In game 1 he got me down to 2 life and then I flew over the top for the win. I did not know how to side against him but I ended up bringing in Path to Exile and Collective Brutality and taking out Curious Obsession and one Lingering Souls. In Game 2 I Pushed 2 Noble Hierarchs then landed a Rattlechains turn 3. Then he landed a Flickerwisp and on turn 4 I played Collective Brutality discarding Lingering Souls making him discard a Path and putting -2/-2 on his Flickerwisp. After that I flashed back Lingering Souls played a Lord and killed him.
In Round 3 he was just to fast and lost game 1. I took out 4 Aether Vial, Curious Obsession, 3 Lingering Souls, and 3 Fatal Push and brought in Damping Sphere, Path to Exile, Collective Brutality, 2 Eidolon of Rhetoric, Countersquall, 2 Rest in Peace, 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
Game 2 I brought down a Damping Sphere and then a Rest in Peace and won.
Game 3 I tried to land Thalia, Guardian of Thraben but she got the bolt, then I tried to land Damping Sphere and that got Spell Pierced. Then I could not draw any removal and he overran me with Thing in the Ice.
All in all I felt pretty good, but I think it may be worth running Surgical Extraction in the sideboard for this deck or even in place of Collective Brutality mainboard. I think that would help against MUs against Phoenix decks and Dredge. Also I have been wondering about running Thoughtseize mainboard. I do like Collective Brutality but I would say about half the time I run into it it does not do anything. The other half of the time it is either great of moderate. I know there has been discussion on Thoughtseize in the past but what is everyone thinking now? Also, what are the thoughts on Surgical Extraction in the main or side? Lastly, and thoughts or suggestions on my main or sideboard in general would be greatly appreciated.
4 Drogskol Captain
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Supreme Phantom
Land: 21
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Darkslick Shores
4 Flooded Strand
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
3 Fatal Push
3 Path to Exile
Sorcery: 5
2 Collective Brutality
3 Lingering Souls
Enchantment: 1
1 Curious Obsession
Artifact: 4
4 Aether Vial
In my meta, I run into a lot of Izzet Phoenix, Humans, Jeskai Control and Dredge. Do you guys have any side board recommendations against these decks? Also, when side boarding against these decks, what cards do you take out, to bring the side board cards in. That is my biggest struggle, trying to figure out what to take out. I am a terrible side-boarder in Modern and I would appreciate any help.
A couple comments on the deck.
I have been running U/W Spirits for the last few months and I like it, but Esper has felt a lot more powerful. Being able to run both Fatal Push and Path to Exile is huge. Also, Lingering Souls has won some games for me that I would have lost otherwise. It has great synergy with Mausoleum Wanderer and Collective Brutality. The ability to discard Lingering Souls to Collective Brutality and not feel like you are losing anything or being able to cast both for 4 mana is awesome. Also, Lingering Souls can feel like drawing a lord when you have Mausoleum Wanderers on the field since it gets such a big boost from the two spirits.
4 Drogskol Captain
3 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
1 Nebelgast Herald
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Rattlechains
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Spell Queller
4 Supreme Phantom
Lands
1 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Moorland Haunt
4 Mutavault
1 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Path to Exile
3 Curious Obsession
4 Aether Vial
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Guist of Saint Traft
1 Nikko-Onna
2 Stony Silence
3 Deprive
2 Rest in Peace
1 Echoing Truth
1 Damping Sphere
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Worship
2-1 against Storm
2-1 against Jund
0-2 against Humans
2-1 against Hollow One
I thought my match up against Humans would be good but I got crushed. I did not really have anything to side in against Humans. At the very least I did not know what the best strategy would be for siding against Humans. How is everyone else doing against Humans? Do you have any tips for me in this match up both in siding and playing in general?
Also any suggestions on my list?