WUx Ghostbusters

[Barook]

Caleb Durward tested an interesting Spirit deck for Modern yesterday. Given the amount of utility spirits can provide, I think a spirit tribal deck could be viable in Legacy as well.

The core of the deck would be:
Drogskol Captain
Rattlechains
Mausoleum Wanderer
Spell Queller

And there are lots of ther spirit-related cards to consider, e.g.:
Geist of Saint Traft
Kami of False Hope
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Selfless Spirit
Spirit of the Labyrinth
Tallowisp
Topplegeist
Lingering Souls etc.

Question is how to build it. Maybe a Blade plan with SFM, hexproof creatures and Lingering Souls?

I'm not really sold on Tallowisp due to the nonbo with Aether Vial, but maybe that's a non-factor.

Spirit of the Labyrinth shenanigans with flash from Rattlechains/Aether Vials sounds hilarious, too, especially when you back it up with Geier Reach Sanatorium and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea to generate active CA. That clashes with your own ability of playing cantrips, though.

[square_two]

I've always enjoyed the idea of flashing in Spirit of the Labyrinth in response to Brainstorm. I'd assume that Brainstorm is dominant enough in most meta's that it might be worth it to forego cantrips and instead try for Spirit plus ways to break symmetry, such as the lands you suggested. Blue decks that can slowly build CA can be very powerful in the right meta (for example...Mono Blue Martyr?).

So many ways to nullify removal here, with Rattlechains and Kira, and potentially Spell Queller. Similar to Slivers having either Crystalline or Hibernation guys out. Hibernation does quite a bit better job against Terminus I assume...

Topplegeist seems really bad unless you can virtually guarantee that delirium is achieved early each game. Maybe Geier Reach Sanitorium could help throw stuff in the bin?

[Rook1e]

I have been toying around with Spirits myself, haven't played yet, build worked on several lists, and this is my current one:

Land (20)
2x Cavern of Souls
4x Flooded Strand
1x Island
1x Karakas
2x Moorland Haunt
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
4x Tundra
1x Wasteland

Creature (22)
3x Drogskol Captain
3x Geist of Saint Traft
4x Mausoleum Wanderer
4x Rattlechains
4x Spell Queller
4x Stoneforge Mystic

Instant (12)
4x Brainstorm
4x Force of Will
4x Swords to Plowshares

Artifact (6)
4x AEther Vial
1x Batterskull
1x Umezawa's Jitte

Sideboard (15)
2x Disenchant
2x Eidolon of Rhetoric
2x Flusterstorm
1x Karakas
2x Meddling Mage
2x Pithing Needle
2x Rest in Peace
2x Selfless Spirit

As I haven't played yet, I have no idea if the list is any good, but this would be my starting point when I get around to testing

[Finn]

Great idea, Barook. Let's do it. I think Spirits are what faeries wanted to be.

The first path I want to take is with Talllowisp for massive card econ. Hexproof is great and all, but it isn't worth squat if your dudes are not capable of winning the match.
Treachery
Mark of Eviction
( - maybe too cute)
Prison Term
Spectral Flight
Fate Foretold
Sleeping Potion
Weight of Conscience
Encrust
( - need a ruling on whether Tallowisp can fetch this. If it can, what about Enchant Permanent cards?)
Ice Cage
Sigil of the Nayan Gods
( - just to cycle)
Curiosity
( - This is probably the best of the bunch in a deck with flying hexproof)
Eldrazi Conscription

[Firefraise]

spirit tribal is quite viable in modern, I expected someone to post something here at the Source with the idea to try the concept in legacy. I'm glad it is so and I like the name of the deck even if obvious. I was thinking about Brago, King Eternal as a one of.

He give pseudo vigilance and has synergy with Tallowisp and Spell Queller

Also, for the tallowisp route : Unquestioned Authority ?

Both of these cards are costy though

[square_two]

Eldrazi Conscription

Can't mention Eldrazi Conscription without also mentioning Arcanum Wings

On a more serious note, it is veeery unfortunate that Spell Queller can't exile a miracle'd Terminus.

[Barook]

Tallowisp can only fetch stuff that says "enchant creature" - if anything is added to that, it can't find it. Curiosity is a good call, though. Steel of the Godhead might also be nice.

While Spell Queller can't counter Terminus, it can counter Abrupt Decay. Very important if you go for the equipment route with SFM.

@Firefraise: Tallowisp is a cast trigger, therefore Brago can't trigger it. Same goes for Vial. And I fail to see the synergy with Spell Queller.

[Firefraise]

during my games with the modern version, I often "spell quelled" mass removal. "Synergy" might be too strong a word in that case, but I find the ability to "blank" spell queller quite usefull. And for Tallowisp, I need to grasp myself a set of eyes.

[maraxusofkelds]

If you are gonna build this deck, since the core of your deck already has evasion, you would build it as you would merfolk and affinity. Basically swing through the air with your synergies or buffs. Maybe some sort of tribal buff besides drogskol such as favorable wins or even sprit noble, cavern of souls + vial, and daze / fow combo. While you do not have the clock and buff synergy merfolk has, spirits have better versatility and protection. You don't really have to worry about targeted removal so you can save your counters for terminus or combo. With spell queller and mausoleum wanderer in the deck as the core, you can even run collected company as your card advantage engine and counter combined. In response to infernal tutor / thot knot / kotr, I will collected company > wanderer or queller.

I know this sounds like modern, but the big difference is the amount of protection this deck can run and ensure inevitability.

[Fox]

Looking through the spirits, there's some nonsensical fun to be had. Red has maybe 2 powerful effects, but is largely useless. Unfortunately new printings are pushing white which mostly disqualifies competitive creature stats and powerful effects. That said, you've got some really good Counterbalance hate, reasonable card advantage (clue generation), and artifact shenanigans (generally for artifacts you control). The deck probably ends up selecting away from Rattlechains and towards Equipment/Aether Vial in what is a UW DnT-type deck (ex: a card like Maus. Wanderer is probably better off with a Jitte attached with 2x counters rather than flashing in Rattlechains/other spirit to pump power).

Green has some pretty cool tribal critters, but is fairly antagonistic if you've gone white (can't use DRS + white cards, and you don't need Decay with white options). Black has the most potential to raise the power floor of this deck and do something legitimately busted but you'd need to protect the graveyard which would select away from the white + equip/vial direction the deck wants to go in favor of more blue. It should also be noted that most of your tribal spirit synergies search for cast triggers which further hurts the Vial plan. I don't know how "good" the graveyard shenanigans side is, but I'd guess there is at least an opportunity to create a Spirit-fueled approach to Zombardment incorporating blue.

Sideboard ideas on-color:
Kami of Ancient Law (first name for CB)
Keening Apparition (second name for CB)
Kami of the Crescent Moon (assumes Karakas)
Hokori, Dust Drinker
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit (quite good with Maus. Wanderer)
Bygone Bishop (card advantage)
Celestial Kirin
Chisei, Heart of Oceans (cumulative upkeep shenanigans, more realistically Aether Vial management)
Eidolon of Rhetoric
Kataki, War's Wage
Lantern Spirit (anti-Terminus, return card to hand for FoW)
Pteron Ghost (protect Vial)
Sustaining Spirit (reserved list, undercosted Worship)
Tradewind Rider (let the trolling begin)

Sideboard ideas off-color
Horobi, Death's Wail
Dimir Infiltrator (Transmute tutor)
Xenic Poltergeist (Chalice killer)
Infernal Kirin
Harbinger of Night (vs Empty the Warrens)
Foul Familiar (because, Terminus)
Akuta, Born of Ash
Hearth Kami (Chalice killer)
Haru-Onna (grindy card advantage?)
Hana Kami (arcane spells??)
Arashi, the Sky Asunder (uncounterable flyer hate)
Permeating Mass

The Entomb side:
Graveborn Muse (maybe there's some Maus. Wanderer/Bridge from Below nonsense?)
Bloodghast
Krovikan Horror
Nether Traitor
Thief of Hope

[HdH_Cthulhu]

I play geier santuarium in modern. Its not only CA with spirt of the labyrinth, it can be a hardlock! You probably should should run mother of runes, yah its no spirit, but beside wanderer there is no good 1 drop anyway! MoM is great to protect Spell queller/drogosol captain.

I like the idea of 1 tradewind rider!

I was really happy with 2 dungeon geist, probably too slow for legacy, but really powerful! S&T emrakrul? right into the dungeon -.-

[Fox]

I like the idea of 1 tradewind rider!

Yeah it's pretty obnoxious with: play Spell Queller, target a spell, trigger on stack, tap Tradewind + Queller + creature, return Queller to hand, and just exile the spell you initially targeted.

Edit: as far as the LTB trigger on Queller goes, Eidolon pulls double duty...potentially.

[mgrinshpon]

Tallowisp cards that haven't been mentioned as potential targets:

On-color
Threads of Disloyalty // this one is actually good!
Flickering Ward
Mystic Veil
Mana Chains
Unstable Mutation
Plumes of Peace
Sigil of Sleep // in a deck of entirely evasive fliers, this can't be the worst choice
Tatoo Ward // kills Counterbalance
Gelid Shackles // for DRS

Off-color
Parallax Dementia

Rules question: since Tallowisp can't fetch Encrust, it also can't fetch Animate Dead, right?

[H]

Rules question: since Tallowisp can't fetch Encrust, it also can't fetch Animate Dead, right?

That is correct, it cannot.

[Cire]

@mgrinshpon: Tallowisp is unintuitive - it can't search up Threads of Disloyalty (honestly I would love it if it got an errata that let it search up any aura)

[mgrinshpon]

@mgrinshpon: Tallowisp is unintuitive - it can't search up Threads of Disloyalty (honestly I would love it if it got an errata that let it search up any aura)

I didn't read the Oracle text, just the actual card. Woops.

[EunB]

Played in a small local event tonight and had a blast -- went 2-1 and ended up in 4th with this:

4 AEther Vial

4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Spell Queller
4 Drogskol Captain
1 Vendilion Clique

4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Swords to Plowshares

4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Plains
4 Cavern of Souls
3 Tundra
3 Mutavault
1 Karakas
1 Moorland Haunt
2 Misty Rainforest

Sideboard:
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Winter Orb
2 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Rest in Peace
2 Crackdown
2 Flusterstorm
2 Disenchant

Round one was vs Storm and I won quite easily off the back of multiple Mausoleum Wanderers + Phantasmal Image making a few more. Once a Captain hit the field the flying spell pierces made defeat essentially impossible.

Round two was vs Dredge -- I won game 1 easily off of Wanderer, but g2 and 3 I didn't find RIP and despite me countering his first Careful Study effects he went off the next turn easily. I should perhaps mulligan more aggressively.

Round three was vs Elves -- just countered and killed everything on sight. Game 2 Jitte put in work. Spell Quellering a Natural Order feels great.

I wonder if Spirit of the Labyrinth should be in the sideboard and Brainstorm in the main. The deck needs some card selection because we don't have enough lords to just overrun people straight up like Fish.

The Vendilion Clique was just a test -- I had considered a 3rd Image or a Anfenza Kin Tree. I think I'd rather have the 3rd Phantasmal Image; Clique is nice but I felt like I had a glut of 3 drops. Daze was pretty rough too unless a vial was out for the same reason since you'd love to curve into Spell Queller ASAP. Not sure what I'd cut the Dazes for though, maybe Spell Pierce.

The deck really wants more one drops. A hand without Wanderer or Vial is practically unkeepable. I wish Topplegeist was good. Maybe with Spirit it's easier to turn on Delerium than I previously thought. I'll probably test it as a 2-of and see how it goes.

Anyway, the deck is fun and can definitely win games. Cheers.

[knopfler]

Can't mention Eldrazi Conscription without also mentioning Arcanum Wings

I would use Sovereigns of Lost Alara if you
plan to play around Eldrazi Conscription.

I also like cards as:

Drogskol Reaver
Eternal Dragon with Emeria, the Sky Ruin

Karador, Ghost Chieftain


Regards

[tescrin]

Definitely go into black. In casual I use [card]Dead Weight[/card] and you can also use [card]Paralyze[/card].

These are 1-mana removal cards that are tutorable with the wisp; giving you continuous removal. Add in the fact that you get to run Lingering Souls, and possibly things like Plagued Resulka and you can lock out creature decks quite well. There's also that black spirit that bleeds people for spirit spells and has soulshift, which I used to recur removal in casual (nameless inversion)

Definitely consider Dead Weight though. The ability for it to still be live even when it doesn't kill stuff is pity sweat