MTG Salvation

I wondered if Frenetic Sliver could give Slivers game vs UW Control. According to my initial testing, Fast Slivers holds its own against Terminus and the aggro decks of the format. I like Frenetic Sliver as an alternative to CoCo, as it makes your slivers more likely to survive; it creates card advantage, on average. A few more thoughts:

• I used to like a few Mutagenic Growth. Now I'm not sure, since fewer of the top decks play Bolt. But many do play Phantasmal Image, which the Growth is still good against.
• I tend to err on the side of more mana sources, since the 5c mana base includes Mutavaults. I have one basic, an Island. I would like another, but I don't think that's reasonable.
• Bonesplitter Sliver lets the team hit hard. I am tempted to play it as at least a one-of (in a no-CoCo list), though it is likely too slow to cast off AEther Vial.
• Since I still feel that Diffusion Sliver is our best card, I would hate to play Phantasmal Image, as it's not protected. I wonder about Mirror Image instead.
• My working list is linked below. Do offer advice on my curve. Thanks!

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/11-05-16-zcb-slivers/

Three Bant Spirits players made day 2 of GP Vegas. I was one of them. Had a great time.

Link to my list. My sideboard likely isn't perfect.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/09-07-16-Aib-spirits/

I dislike Phyrexian Revoker against Devoted Druid because it plays into their sideboarded Orzhov Pontiff. The timing of Reflector Mage off CoCo makes it awkward. Linvala is golden, even if she doesn't play well with CoCo.

I believe Kira is the best option in attrition matchups, compared to Elder Pine.

I do like the Nebelgast Heralds, against Death's Shadow and Eldrazi especially. As it's a hit off CoCo, I prefer it to Path against everything but Devoted Druid. Here's my current sideboard. What should I include in the last spot? The Kami of False Hope is good vs faster tribal strategies and even Dredge.

Sideboard (14)
2x Dismember
1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
1x Kami of False Hope
1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Remand
2x Rest in Peace
2x Stony Silence
1x Worship

Any suggestions for the Collected Counters matchup (Devoted Druid)? It's tough on me, as I'm running Nebelgast Herald instead of 3rd and 4th removal in the main. In side I'm trying Dispel and Negate. Considering Dismember and Suppression Field (shuts down most of their deck but also our sac spirits).

I've liked Nebelgast Herald well enough. I play two. Had a third in my sideboard today, though it likely just should've been a Worship.

Eidolon of Rhetoric wrecked a Snapcaster deck today. That card is just solid against control, Burn, and combo. Am tempted to add a second to my sideboard, but I'm worried Cheerios may kill me before I can resolve it. Currently have two Chalice of the Void against combo. Was fiddling with Ceremonial Rejection vs Eldrazi and Tron and Affinity decks, but it's not always good vs Cavern of Souls in Bant Eldrazi. Most importantly, I suggest Leyline of Sanctity. It's good vs the massive discard suite of Death's Shadow, and we do not want opponents looking at our hand.

I'm getting back into this deck after taking a break. Did well when the Spirits first became a thing, top 8'd a few PPTQ's, and my win rate is curiously high, over 75%. Fundamentally it's a hard deck to play against.

To answer some of batmansbackpack's questions, I do play 2 Nebelgast Herald and have been content with them. Like the Sword of the Godhead, it's situational, but I can hit it off CoCo and don't have to play it as a sorcery.

I like 2 Gavony Township over 1 and 1 Moorland Haunt. Township is very good with Geist of Saint Traft. My deck facilitates the Saint in particular. I play 4 and 2 supporting Birds of Paradise. I'd rather draw multiple Saints than not draw any at all.

I would recommend against Kira and Phantasmal Image. Kira still dies to Abrupt Decay and doesn't save your creature if you respond with CoCo. Phantasmal Image can't be saved after it's targeted, and it's a nombo with Rattlechains.

My sideboard is a bit of a mess, but I can recommend Kami of False Hope. It's superb against Infect-style decks and provides the extra turn needed to win against fair creature decks like Merfolk. One card I'm interested in is Eidolon of Rhetoric. It can slow down combo decks, and it's synergistic with Spell Queller. If they kill your Queller, Eidolon stops them from casting the unlocked spell. Has anyone experimented with it? On the other hand, maybe my sideboard slots should be Chalice of the Void, as it's faster against the new Cheerios deck.

There's now a thread dedicated to the Bant flavor of this deck.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/755876-bant-spirits?page=2

Happy haunting.

Hi, I've been loving the spookiness of the deck, and I've had success with it at local tournaments, including PPTQ's. I'll post more soon, but for now I'll say a few things.

Re: Is Noble Hierarch essential? Yes. I had to borrow mine at first. Perhaps that will work for you.

Has anyone else tried Vapor Snag? I like it in many theoretical situations, but I haven't been able to test it much. In general I believe the deck wants more turn-one plays, and I think I'd play Vapor Snag over Steel of the Godhead.

The case could be made for playing one less than the full four Geists. I did cast Collected Company and found only two Geists. The thing is, I still easily won that game due to the instant-speed Geist. Once I drew three (or four, I forget), and I still won easily. Because it's Geist, and it has the most raw power of any spirit printed. Pump effects from Noble Heirarch and Drog Captain can help it survive. Or it might not even need to for you to win.

Top-8'd both of the last PPTQ's with Bant Spirits. This time I spooked my way to finals. The tournament was an ectoplasmic delight.



I effuse more about the deck on my article on GatheringMagic: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/aemarling-07212016-bant-spirits/

Re: frabrewer, I have been playing one Nebelgast Herald in my Bant Spirits, and I do like it. It's possible the deck should play as many as two.

Re: Kruphix7, I haven't tested the other spirit decks. With Bant Spirits, I have over a 50% win rate, and I love the instant-speed nature of the deck.

I don't see a separate thread for Bant Spirits in Modern, and I'm not certain there should be one, so I'll post here. I top-eight'd a PPTQ with Bant Spirits yesterday. People were delighted to see the new archetype, even when I beat them. I had a cackling good time. The deck feels tricky and strong. Adding green for mana dorks makes our powerful three-drops more relevant, and Collected Company is a large threat since the deck operates at instant speed. I go into more depth in this article:
http://www.gatheringmagic.com/aemarling-07212016-bant-spirits/

Some of the numbers I'm not certain about, such as the mana base and how many Heralds are best. But I wouldn't consider playing less than four Geist of Saint Traft. Flashed him in too many times to surprise the opponent and wreck havoc.

This take with Collected Company maximizes the instant-speed nature of the deck. The 3-drop spirits give you the most value off CoCo, and I don't mind playing lots of them. I tried Phantasmal Image, but I didn't like having to play it at sorcery speed.


Anafenza is likely wrong. And my mana base might not be optimal.

The secret is, Allosaurus Rider isn't a bad card even without the combo. I've discarded two mana dorks in the late game (turn 3) multiple times to accelerate out a 3/3+ for free while casting a Finks or something. The combo doesn't put a large burden on the deck.