Have you considered Platinum Angel instead? It lets you effectively run Pact of Negation for free, and explicitly beats any decks that can't remove it outright.
I guess Phantasmal Image works best in a creature heavy shell, though obviously in the list above, copying a captain to immediately protect your entire board is awesome. If you don't draw a captain though, I can't see many great plays available; you really want the image to have hexproof. If Geist weren't legendary there'd probably be enough decent targets (I'm pretty sure if image copies Rattlechains and tries to give itself hexproof until EoT, the image just dies immediately?)
Maybe dropping the Kiras and run 2 Drift of Phantasms and 2 Phantasmal Image could work. The idea being that you now have 8 cards in the form of 4 captains, 2 drifts and 2 images, and if you draw any two of them (except both images) you have a line to getting hexproof over your entire board, either by playing the cards out or by transmuting for a captain first. The only card that's pretty dead on its own is image, so I'd keep it to 2. Transmuting is sorcery speed and pretty slow, so I don't know how smooth this would play.
Nah, I don't think it's worth running 2 copies of a card as mediocre as Drift of Phantasms at all. Also, why would you be using Phantasmal Image copying a Rattlechains ability to give ITSELF hexproof? You'd want to be bringing it in response to a different creature getting targeted and saving that one.
My personal issue with Phantasmal Image is that it can only serve that kind of reactive role in the deck if you have an Aether Vial out, which means that you deck hinges pretty heavily on a card that I think is kinda mediocre when you're wanting to get it to 3 most of the time, and you don't have a ton of creatures in the first place.
Using Phantasmal Image to copy Rattlechains and give itself hexproof (or flashing in Rattlechains to give it hexproof) would kill the Image due to a targeted ability...
I... I realize this. What I said was WHY would you be playing a Phantasmal Image, copying Rattlechains, and targeting itself? It doesn't make sense for a number of different reasons (one being that you should really be using the hexproof to protect other creatures, another being well... exactly that. If you have it target itself, it dies. Why do that?) And no one said anything about flashing in a Rattlechains to give a Phantasmal Image hexproof, that was already pretty obvious...
You play image to copy Captain so the entire team becomes Hexproof and you just doubled your lord count.
Also gets the first Captain (and the second, and all your critters) outside of Kozilek's Return range, which Rattlechains can't do anything about.
I know it's not a lord exactly, but if we're running Aether Vial and Rattlechains, we're already playing the "instant" game, so Bygone Bishop seems like a good draw engine, and it's in tribe.
He only works on Cast so it's nombo with Vial.. That being said, it does provide us with some nice card draw if we rely on the flash casts of our guys (though I think 2 mana is a LOT to spend and we rarely will want to do that over casting our actual spells or using Moorland Haunt)
I was referring to the fact that with Aether Vial and Rattlechains, you'll be able to t keep your mana open to play things EOT, and so you can decide then whether to crack a clue or cast a spell/spirit/Moorland Haunt. Sort of like how Merfolk plays a reactive game, only we have no Cursecatcher.
I know it's not a lord exactly, but if we're running Aether Vial and Rattlechains, we're already playing the "instant" game, so Bygone Bishop seems like a good draw engine, and it's in tribe.
I found my old build in the archives. Key point: Figure of Destiny becomes a Spirit as soon as you level it up once. Figure of Destiny RAAAAAAAAPED for me. It's been a long time since I played this but it was a lot more consistent and powerful than it looks. Please feel free to borrow or discard ideas.
@Balefire In regards to Kira, I was more thinking of her like additional copies of Drogskol since you REALLY want his effect (both the lord and the hexproof). I think Geist is strong enough not to dilute yourself with Tallowisp and Auras though. This allows you to go wide while having a couple very real threats. I am currently testing out a different deck but will try to proxy up this tribal soon. It seems like it's really strong and has some really good pieces (I am still a big fan of Eidolon of Countless Battles since you can either use it as "just a dumb beater" or make one of your creatures huge. Bonus effect of making one of your dudes big is that if they kill it, you get a large dude as a replacement.
The trouble with Kira is specifically that it makes Eidolon or Steel of the Godhead really bad. I think that the Tallowisp version of the deck would probably play a more controlling route, dropping tokens and running counters since Rattlechains lets you keep everything up all of the time.
As far as a token version is concerned though, I definitely think Eidolon is better. Not only does it make a mean Geist, you can throw it onto just about anything. Unfortunately it's not uncounterable and it doesn't get hexproof while it's an aura, but effectively requiring two removal spells more than makes up for the cost I think.Figure of Destiny seems really good as an additional 1-drop in either case. Not sure it will ever reach it's level cap since it's so white intensive, but adding another cheap threat can't be bad.
One card someone else mentioned in the other thread was Spirt Bonds, which combines really well with Aether Vial, essentially getting you a token each turn just for "playing" your spells.
"Rattlechains" - 1U
Creature - Spirit {R}
Flash, flying
When ~ enters the battlefield, target spirit gains hexproof until end of turn.
You can cast spirit spells as though they had flash.
2/1.
I've been wanting to brew with Rabblemaster a bit but the problem was always twin - All-in red type shell with moons, Chalice, etc. and Rabble as the win-con. Problem has always been that you want rabble to ideally come down on turn 3 once you've stabilized AND locked bolts out with Chalice, well, now you can tap out on turn three!
Rabblemaster even has an infinite combo with Breath of Fury if you're willing to go deep.
First off, I cut down on Inverter of Truth because the deck is full of dig, and it's not terribly useful in multiples. Meanwhile,Gloom Surgeon is the perfect blocker for this deck since he shrugs off all of Burn's creatures, most of BX Eldrazi's creatures, as well as Goyf, Wurmcoil, and tons of other stuff while forwarding our exile-the-library gameplan. Meanwhile, Augury Owl helps to find thing and set up Shelldock Isle while serving as an aerial blocker. The lone Emrakul not only wipes our yard, it can also be cast off Shelldock. I decided to throw in Elixir of Immortality as a nod to Birn which also wipes our graveyard, while Days' Undoing digs extremely deep and also gets an empty yard. Dimir Charm is a nod to Scapeshift and Twin that also digs, and Tolaria West can help find Shelldock. Everything else should be self-explanatory.
Also our new goblin friend can cast the 0-cost suspend spells like Living End, restore balance and the wheel of fortune one. Maybe relevant. Decks like living end sometimes could do with a way to get the ends back from the yard.
Not only that, but I believe it can also cast the expensive half of split cards, which is downright nasty with Boom // Bust and could help Breaking // Entering.deck,
1
1
1
Also gets the first Captain (and the second, and all your critters) outside of Kozilek's Return range, which Rattlechains can't do anything about.
1
1
1
The trouble with Kira is specifically that it makes Eidolon or Steel of the Godhead really bad. I think that the Tallowisp version of the deck would probably play a more controlling route, dropping tokens and running counters since Rattlechains lets you keep everything up all of the time.
As far as a token version is concerned though, I definitely think Eidolon is better. Not only does it make a mean Geist, you can throw it onto just about anything. Unfortunately it's not uncounterable and it doesn't get hexproof while it's an aura, but effectively requiring two removal spells more than makes up for the cost I think.Figure of Destiny seems really good as an additional 1-drop in either case. Not sure it will ever reach it's level cap since it's so white intensive, but adding another cheap threat can't be bad.
One card someone else mentioned in the other thread was Spirt Bonds, which combines really well with Aether Vial, essentially getting you a token each turn just for "playing" your spells.
1
Creature - Spirit {R}
Flash, flying
When ~ enters the battlefield, target spirit gains hexproof until end of turn.
You can cast spirit spells as though they had flash.
2/1.
This looks good enough for modern - in between this and Drogskol Captain (and Phantasmal Image), they can never really kill anything. Add in Lingering Souls, Moorland Haunt, maybe Topplegeist, and maybe Devouring Greed and you're looking at the start of a pretty resilient tribal deck with potentially a combo-ish finish.
1
Rabblemaster even has an infinite combo with Breath of Fury if you're willing to go deep.
1
3 Inverter of Truth
3 Gloom Surgeon
3 Street Wraith
3 Augury Owl
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Relic of Progenitus
2 Elixir of Immortality
3 Gitaxian Probe
3 Pact of Negation
2 Day's Undoing
2 Dimir Charm
2 Dismember
4 Polluted Delta
4 Watery Grave
2 Shelldock Isle
2 Sunken Hollow
2 Darkslick Shores
2 Tolaria West
3 Island
3 Swamp
First off, I cut down on Inverter of Truth because the deck is full of dig, and it's not terribly useful in multiples. Meanwhile,Gloom Surgeon is the perfect blocker for this deck since he shrugs off all of Burn's creatures, most of BX Eldrazi's creatures, as well as Goyf, Wurmcoil, and tons of other stuff while forwarding our exile-the-library gameplan. Meanwhile, Augury Owl helps to find thing and set up Shelldock Isle while serving as an aerial blocker. The lone Emrakul not only wipes our yard, it can also be cast off Shelldock. I decided to throw in Elixir of Immortality as a nod to Birn which also wipes our graveyard, while Days' Undoing digs extremely deep and also gets an empty yard. Dimir Charm is a nod to Scapeshift and Twin that also digs, and Tolaria West can help find Shelldock. Everything else should be self-explanatory.
1