Putting this one in for testing asap. Not as reliable as the other looters at looting sure, but oh wow dem interactions! I can see it being a fairly high pick for UB/UR/Grixis tempo decks (which are already higher tier decks for us).
This card looks pretty sick. With just one red symbol in its casting cost it will also curve nicely into Hero of Bladehold and Braids (and Opposition though you have to wait).
Though it's close I'd probably put Reflector Mage ahead of Geist now. Geist definitely has a very high ceiling and is an absolute beast in tempo/decks with lots of removal but Reflector Mage is such a consistently strong play in pretty much any type of deck that can cast it.
For me it's probably going to be that 1WW guy that makes flying tokens when he dies. Forget the name.
Hallowed Spiritkeeper has been a house for my token happy cube. It is one of those cards that isn't part of the the most explosive wins but has helped so many comebacks and wrecks the big removal decks that white has trouble with.
If you could only have one, would you choose Spiritkeeper or Mirror Entity for the token decks? I'm leaning towards Mirror Entity but I'd be open to thoughts on this.
Flickerwisp is also a potential cut for Thalia but it's a crowd favorite over here.
The single W in the casting cost makes this card so much sexier since I want to be running this with stuff like Sinkhole and Braids. Corner case but I'm enjoying the fact that it kills Thragtusk and Reflector Mage in combat (both will still get value but at least it's something for aggro).
I think some people here over-value versatility in their cheaty targets and undervalue upside.
I personally rank old Emrakul 2nd (agree with your #1).
Brief argument:
The ratio of decks that are trying to hardcast eldrazi BUT have 0 or 1 way to cheat them out, is noticeably smaller than the ones based around cheating them out. While emrakul is narrowest, it's not by a large margin; considering the set of strategies that actively want eldrazi.
"Reanimatability" is only a very small concern to me. If you properly support a variety of cheaty strategies, reanimator should have a wealth of targets, many of which are better than the eldrazi. This reduces the need for the eldrazi to be reanimatable.
The higher upside of emrakul, more than makes up for it's increased narrowness IMO.
Question for those of you running this combo: I run Pestermite, Zealous Conscripts, and Restoration Angel (only works with Kiki-Jiki, though) as targets the combo. Is it worth it to find room for Deceiver Exarch as well? The other three see enough play in other decks, but I'm not so sure Exarch would.
Exarch is definitely worth running if you're supporting the combo. He's not too shabby in control decks either and if I had to choose I'd probably keep him over Pestermite (but I would and do run both).
+1 regarding Great Oak Guardian being awesome. I'm a fan.
Flickerwisp is also a potential cut for Thalia but it's a crowd favorite over here.
+1 regarding Great Oak Guardian being awesome. I'm a fan.