Welp, Lutri, the Spellchaser just got worse. Not sure if we can run it as effectively since the companion mechanic got changed around. What does everyone think of the change?
Well, my Lutri Jeskai deck is dead after this change. Mana for Lutri was already tight. Control versions with 24-25 lands can still play Lutri though. I guess that Lurrus decks are going to disappear but Yorion players won't care at all. They play Yorion when they have like ten lands in play... I don't really mind though since my mono white deck has a very good win rate against most Yorion variants
I'm still going to jam my Lutri deck in pioneer, but six mana is a lot to commit to a deck in modern so I'll probably just switch back to Jeskai Stonblade, Delver, or a Yidaro, Wandering Monster build I've been brewing up. Either way I'm sad for our otter friend, but interested to see where the meta goes without companions running around everywhere.
So I've decided to try and write a primer for my personal Geist deck list.
Team Geist primer (2020):
Our Geist, who art a spirit,
hallowed be thy fountain. Thy angel come.
Six damage done on the ground, as well as the heavens.
Give us this game,
and all of our rounds
and forgive us our misplays,
as we punish those who misplay against us,
and lead us not into 0-2 drop,
but deliver us into Top 8!
For this is the deck list,
of value and hexproof.
Forever and ever, Amen.
Part 1: Introduction
Jeskai Geist, also commonly known as Team Geist, is a blue, white, red aggro-control (midrange)deck in the modern format. Based off an old Standard deck which also centered around the classic Legendary Spirit, Team Geist seeks to use cheap interaction and counterspells to control the battlefield in the early turns of the game, with the eventual goal of landing a Geist of Saint Traft or another threat in order to begin applying pressure to the opponent's life total.
Like most other creature-based Jeskai decks, the Team Geist deck functions as an aggro-control deck that functions closer to the aggro end of the spectrum than other Jeskai variants, such as Flash. It is designed to present a core of solid mid-game threats that are capable of constantly pressuring the opponent, while using its plethora of removal and burn spells to clear the path for said threats to threaten the opponent. unlike other UWR variants such as Delver or Prowess, however, the Team Geist version of Jeskai primarily relies upon counters and removal to clear the way for Geist and his Angel to strike the opponent.
Like all Jeskai variants, Team Geist lists are highly customizable, with individual variants ranging from the aggressive to controlling ends of the UWR spectrum. Regardless of their build composition, however, all Geist lists share a common goal: 'Draw well, land Geist, and smash face.'
Part 2: The History of Team Geist
I. Boremandos (2011-2013)
The first major Jeskai list with Geist to gain prominence in Modern was referred to as BOREMANDOS for "Boros" + "Remand". Although it was not officially a Team Geist deck (as it was designed with Delver and Steppe Lynx to function as threats well before Geist hit the board), it shared two factors with the later Geist decks of the present day. The first, of course, was the inclusion of Geist of Saint Traft himself. More importantly, however, Boremandos established the play pattern commonly associated with all Jeskai Geist lists in modern: land a Geist, then protect it with powerful counter-magic and burn spells to keep blockers out of its path. While it was far more of a Delver-esque tempo build than a pure midrange shell, Boremandos was nevertheless important in the development of later Geist strategies.
Boremandos was played and was a tier 2 deck for several years until the rise of burn as a prominent deck in the format, which stemmed from the printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel in Journey into Nyx. As burn's stock rose, the stock of Boremandos began to fall, until the deck eventually fell out of favor. By this time, however, a proper Geist Midrange shell was starting to be formed.
II. Nathan "GreatNate" Quintanilla and the rise of Team Geist (2014-2016)
The shell which would become classic Team Geist was formulated and tested by Scot "Mr. Scotty Mac" McCallum, Nathan "GreatNate Quintinilla, and several other players, who began to formulate a shell built entirely around the strengths of Geist of Saint Traft. Drawing upon cards such as Restoration Angel and Thundermaw Hellkite (which were all played alongside the Spirit Cleric during his run in Innistrad block Standard,) and older cards, such as Batterskull and Vendillion Clique, the team sought to move away from the Delver style Boremandos shell towards a midrange deck with more staying power and late-game presence. Combining these creatures with the powerful removal trifecta of Bolt, Path, and Remand gave the deck a powerful means to clear the way for Geist on the ground, while additional spells such as Valorous Stance and Lightning Helix added even more weapons to the arsenal.
in early 2015 (Just prior to 'Eldrazi Winter,')the classic "Team Geist" list looked something like this
With minimal exception, this was the core of the classic Team Geist shell. There were changes, (such as the inclusion of Dig Through Time during its brief period of legality in Modern and a splash of black for Crackling Doom and Lingering Souls to counter the Abzan midrange shell which was popular after the release ofKhans of Tarkir), but these were meta-calls, natural shifts to the deck made in response to the environment around it. However, while the deck generally interacted favorably with the meta for a couple years, the rise of the Eldrazi threat in 2015-2016 proved too great a challenge for Geist to handle. With the dawn of Eldrazi Winter, it appeared Saint Traft's eternal vigil over Modern might finally end.
(to be continued)
Part 3: The Gameplan
The basic gameplan of Team Geist is as follows:
A) Control the board state for the first two turns using a combination of counter-magic, removal and burn spells
B) Land a powerful threat, such as Geist of Saint Traft, and use said threat to inflict large chunks of damage against the opponent.
C) Do so while utilizing disruption (counter magic, removal, burn spells) to keep the board clear and opponent on the defensive.
D) Utilize direct damage/evasion to finish the game if necessary.
Just like Saint Traft himself, Team Geist decks are built around efficiency, versatility, and power. The deck plays out as an aggro-control/tempo deck that attacks on a different angle than most decks in the format. Like most tempo decks, Team Geist utilizes early efficient threats along with removal spells and counter magic to maintain control on the battlefield. While maintaining control of the battlefield, the deck presents a variety of efficient threat(s) and reach that can win the game at any point.
A major strength that most Jeskai tempo decks, (including Team Geist) hold over some of the other shards in the format (Esper, Grixis, Sultai, Temur) is the wide variety of reach the deck has at its disposal. Much of this reach is in the form of burn spells such as Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Electrolyze, Forked Bolt, Jeskai Charm, etc. This gives Jeskai a leg up on other tempo decks in modern as the Jeskai deck can end games quickly even if tempo is lost. ‘Bolt-Snap-Bolt’ is powerful in most decks in the colors, but with access to other burn spells, Jeskai takes that to an entirely different level/
The final benefit of Team Geist is the synergy present within our deck. As stated earlier, efficiency is very important aspect of this deck. All of the instant/sorcery spells either cause direct damage, clear the way for our creatures, or disrupt our opponent’s game plan. Many do several at the same time (or provide us the ability to choose which we prefer at any given moment). In addition, many of the spells cantrip (replace themselves by drawing another card.) This means that most of the draws we have are live at all times (especially if we have a Geist or other threat on board).
There are two main schools of thought for Team Geist lists: the “Old School” lists developed by GreatNate, Larry Swayze, and Scott McCallum, and the more current tempo-based lists centered around Spell Queller.
Old-School Geist
Old-School Geist focuses on beating down the opponent, using minimal counter-magic and maximizing on attacking creatures. It is designed to play the control role in the first few turns, then land a threat when opportunity arises and ‘turn the corner’ into the role of the aggressor. While it has more threats than the Queller/Tempo shell, it also lacks some of the flexibility provided by Queller and the Teferi lock.
You can recognize an “Old School Geist” shell from some of these features:
- More likely to run some number of top-end threats in the main deck (Planeswalkers, 5CMC Dragons/Angels, etc.)
- Tends to run minimal mainboard counter-magic (Most Old-School lists only ran four Remands maindeck, with some number of counters out of the board.)
- 24-25 lands
- Normally doesn’t run cantrips such as Serum Visions or Opt
- Doesn’t tend to mainboard Spell Queller, runs Restoration Angel instead.
This is my personal preferred style of Geist deck. While it is weaker as a pure tempo build, I have found it can close games more quickly and play more aggressively than its Queller-based counterpart.
Queller/Tempo Geist
This shell of Geist came into fruition following the printing of Spell Queller in Eldritch Moon. Unlike Old-School Geist, which tends to have a dedicated role-shift in the midgame, the Queller-based list is able to generate tempo and value throughout the game because of the use of Queller’s tempo. Combine that with the printing of Teferi, Time Raveler in War of the Spark and you get a powerful tempo-based core to build around. Generally, Queller based Geist lists tend to run fewer creatures and threats than Old-School Geist, but make up for it with the variety of answers they are able to present to the opponent.
You can recognize a “Queller/Tempo” shell from some of these features:
- Tends to run more mainboard counter-magic, such as Logic Knot, Cryptic Command, or Mana Leak
- 23-24 lands
- Normally runs some number of dedicated cantrips such as Serum Visions or Opt
- Built around Spell Queller and/or Teferi, Time Raveler
- Less likely to play cards above 3CMC
Part 4: Card Choices
The Core Creatures
The creatures in Team Geist tend to meet three important criteria:
• They all get larger or more powerful by casting non-creature or instant/sorcery spells (thus, they are all stronger in decks with large quantities of non-creature spells).
• They generally cost between 2-4 CMC
• They can attack for large chunks of damage.
• With the exception of Geist of Saint Traft himself, most have an ETB ability that synergizes with the rest of the deck.
There are actually many creatures that meet these requirements (some more powerful than others); and each will fit better in different builds. The following is a "breakdown" of the best potential "Team Geist" creature options. The first and the namesake for many of these decks is Geist of Saint Traft.
Geist of Saint Traft (run in both variants):
My personal favorite creature and a favorite of tempo players since his induction, Geist is an incredibly efficient threat that is also very difficult to remove once in play, as Hexproof grants him the ultimate protection from removal spells. In addition, he offers the most efficient source of damage a three drop can offer (he attacks for 6 damage with the angel). His only weakness is his 2/2 stats, and his vulnerability to indirect removal, such as edict effects or board-wipes. However, Team Geist’s removal package can usually clear the path for his attacks, and spells such as Remand and Unsubstantiate will generally stop edict effects and board wipes from becoming too much of an issue. Sticking a Geist turn 3 with removal and counterspell backup will mean a win in many cases. While he is legendary, most lists still run 4 because it is just that good. A lot of times you will ride to victory on the back of Geist alone.
Snapcaster Mage (Run in Both Variants):
The other core creature of the deck, Snapcaster Mage is one of the best creatures in modern and is almost assuredly the best blue creature in the format. Simply put, Snappy is the best source of card advantage a creature can offer. With all of the great cheap removal/burn/counters that we play, this is the perfect deck for him to shine in. He doesn't require a lot of explanation; you get to reuse your spells and get a 2/1 body to boot. Almost always run as a four-of because of his sheer value. Restoration Angel (Old-School Geist):
Restoration Angel is a powerful card. She can save from combat damage, saves your other guys from targeted removal, and abuses ETB effects, together with a 3/4 flying body. All of this for a mana cost of 3W means she’s a very efficient card, one which is good for naturally curving into after landing a turn 3 Geist of Saint Traft.
For these reasons, Restoration Angel was a staple of the old-school Team Geist decks, which used her to great effect in protecting Geist during the Khans era. While generally supplanted by Spell Queller in more recent decks, she is still powerful enough to be run in updated realizations of the old-school Geist shell. Additionally, she can be used synergistically alongside Queller, (though this is normally done in pure Flash based tempo decks without Geist of Saint Traft.) Spell Queller (Normally found in Tempo Geist, but can be played in Old-School Geist shells as well):
Spell Queller is, at its core, a creature that’s almost a counterspell on a stick. It embodies the concept of Tempo, merging both the aspects of control and pressure. Since it can have such an impressive impact on the game, it will always be the primary target for your opponent's removal spells, thus holding a Spell Queller in your hand implies spending time to think what are your current options to protect it once it's hit the battlefield with profit.
Overall, Queller provides Team Geist with a great tempo option. It adds disruption to the deck while also adding another threat, and its synergistic ‘lock’ with Teferi, Time Raveler creates a powerful core that can easily be built around. This means that Queller is the centerpiece of the “Tempo” Geist list, which is far more focused on generating tempo value than the more aggressive ‘Old-School’ Geist shell. However, I have seen Old School lists run him out of the sideboard as well, creating a ‘transformative’ build that plays aggressively at first and shifts into a tempo role. Given the current state of the meta, I tend to recommend the Queller based lists at this point in time.
The Core Spells
While the spells in Team Geist perform a variety of roles, their most important role is to protect Geist and our other threats so that they can get in for damage. They spells are utilized to allow threats such as Geist to perform at their highest level. The spells utilized need to fit two of these three criteria:
1.) They offer utility. Each spell should help our threats in multiple ways. Whether it be to protect our threats from damage, counter opposing threats, remove opposing blockers, or provide reach to finish off a crippled opponent, each spell can be utilized in multiple ways.
2.) They offer efficiency. While each spell in Team Geist is generally best suited to one or two particular roles, every spell is capable of performing one or more options as the board state dictates. The burn spells offer direct damage and removal and cards such as charm(s) or Cryptic Command offer several options inherently.
3.) They offer card advantage. Cantrips are great for the deck because they can perform their role while not losing any card advantage. Cards like Remand and Electrolyze can also be utilized to gain actual card advantage while affecting the board state in some way.
Below are some of the staple spells for Team Geist variants.
Lightning Bolt (Run in Both Variants):
The single best burn spell in the modern format, and among the best spells overall. Three damage that can go directly to the face or act as removal for most early threats in the modern format all for the low cost of one red mana. Bolt represents everything this deck wants in a spell: cheap,versatile effects that can affect the board state across multiple scenarios.
Lightning Helix (Run in Both Variants):
The single most efficient life swing in modern. This instant offers a 6 life swing for one red and one white mana, which helps improve many of the aggro matchups in the format. Helix-Snap-Helix is no joke against Burn or other aggressive matchups, and like its Bolt counterpart, Helix can be directed at either the opponent's face as reach or towards a creature as removal.
Path to Exile(Run in Both Variants):
The single best creature removal spell in modern. What our bolts and helixes cannot kill, the path to exile can. The drawback of offering the opponent an additional mana is somewhat mitigated in this deck given that the game should end somewhat quickly with a threat on board.
Remand (Run in Both Variants):
Remand is the premier tempo counter spell. It provides a loss in tempo to our opponent while providing our deck with card advantage. It can also be utilized to bounce back any spell that is countered by our opponent that we would like to keep.
Electrolyze (Run in Both Variants):
At best it will kill two of their creatures and draw you a card. At worst, it's 2 to the opponent's face and a cantrip. No matter which way you spin it, Electrolyze is a very versatile tempo spell that fits the philosophy of Team Geist perfectly. While powerful, it is also something of a meta call, so it's best to pick it if you expect to be going up against a lot of X/1's.
Unsubstantiate (Run in my personal revival of Old School Geist):
I've spoken at length about Unsub in the past, but I'll do my best to summarize here. Essentially, Unsub has made the old school, aggro oriented Geist decks more viable. Being able to either pseudo-Remand or bounce a creature back to its owner's hand is a very flexible set of options. The bounce effect can be used to clear blockers for Geist, save him from lethal damage, or bounce one of our ETB creatures to replay again later in the game. Additionally, the wording on Unsub ("Return to hand" instead of "Counter") means we can bounce spells such as Supreme Verdict or Abrupt Decay. The only downside I can see in this over Remand is its lack of cantrip, but I think its versatility can make up for that defecit.
Other Spells: Counters Mana Leak: (Run in both Variants, generally in the more controlling variants):
It's one of the best "hard" counters Geist has access to in the early game. However, it gets worse the more mana the opponent has access to, so keep that in mind, but it's still a powerful tempo spell if timed right.
Logic Knot:: Essentially a Mana Leak with Delve that scales better the longer the game progresses. If you have a lot of Delve fuel that can help keep Knot relevant into the later game, and you plan on playing a more controlling gameplan, Knot might be a good choice.
Cryptic Command: Not "just" a Counter spell, since it can also act as a cantrip, bounce effect, and tap-down, but since that mode is used pretty often, I figured I'd mention it here. Cryptic can be an incredibly powerful spell that synergizes with our gameplan (since a T3 Geist followed by a turn 4 Cryptic to counter a potential board state or tap down a field of blockers is pretty effective), but its 1UUU mana can be prohibitive and difficult to run depending on your land base. If your mana can support it, I might consider trying out Cryptic Command as a versatile turn 4 catch-all, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Dispel, Negate,Spell Pierce,Spell Snare,,Dovin's Veto: All of these counter spells are cheap utility options as well. Dispel is best for dealing with lists with a lot of instants, Pierce and Snare counter a lot of cheap spells in the format, and Negate and Veto provide powerful catch-alls for most noncreature spells, with Veto being better in counter-spell heavy formats. Whichever you prefer for your build and your meta will work.
Other Spells: Burn spells:
Forked Bolt: A cheaper, sorcery speed Electrolyze that doesn't cantrip. If you absolutely need two X/1's dead on turn 1, this is an option, but with Affinity basically out of the format that need isn't as high as it was in the 2015-2016 era of Geist.
Burst Lightning: Another cheap burn spell option. Burst is unique since it can be kicked later in the game, meaning it can be used as a shock to pick off an early threat, then Snapped back as a finisher, or vice versa. It's versatile, cheap, and relatively effective for its cost,if you need that sort of effect.
Boros Charm: While commonly seen as "Dome 4" (hence its inclusion in the Burn spells section,) all three modes of Boros Charm can be relevant for Team Geist. Double Strike can make a single threat lethal. Four damage can provide the reach we need to finish the game or kill a pesky planeswalker like Liliana of the Veil. Finally, the indestructible clause helps us protect our threats from sweepers and removal. A great utility spell for the deck, particularly if you want to play more aggressively.
Other Spells: Utility:
Valorous Stance: Popular in the days of Old School Geist, Stance offers two pieces of utility that are good for us: protection for Geist and removal for higher toughness creatures in the format. Nowadays, it's best in a format full of GBx, Death's Shadow, or other larger threats, but when it's relevant, it can be quite good.
Abrade: Another flexible utility option. Great against small creature aggro and artifact based decks alike, Abrade is a powerful option in the right meta. It's great against Vial decks, as it can either kill a smaller creature or destroy the Aether Vial itself.
Izzet Charm: Izzet charm is another perfect utility spell for the deck. It offers a looting option to smooth out our draws while also providing an additional semi-counter spell and possible removal for a smaller creature.
I agree guys. Lutri may have bit the dust with the new announcement. However, with the introduction of Containment Priest I am firmly back into jeskai flash again for the foreseeable future. I was really hoping for a printing of that card. I am excited to get back into jeskai for sure!
I can' wait to get back into jeskai flash. Unfortunately it won't have my favorite creature Geist of Saint Traft, but that will have to do.
Love the primer Goyftomcat! Great start to the primer.
The new Teferi looks intriguing. Instant speed activation on a PW seems really good for a Geist or flash based tempo deck that relies on instant speed shenanigans. Looting as a +1 is a reasonable effect for filtering through your library, and the phasing for protecting himself seems like a unique means to do so. Only thing I dislike is that you can't phase out an opposing creature the turn Teferi enters the battlefield, but the flash based decks that would like him generally run plenty of counter-magic and removal to help keep him around.
Not necessarily as great for the Prowess variants, but Geist and Flash players such as myself are at least intrigued.
I was really hoping for a flash planeswalker. That would be awesome. I am not sold on Teferi yet, but I would be happy to be wrong. I think he will definitely see play and will be better in play than he reads. I will definitely be giving him a try.
Also, welcome back prowess!!! Looks like prowess is back as an evergreen mechanic so that is always nice to see.
with a lot of our draw packages in Jeskai, could Teferi's tutelage be something to build around? I am excited to see many reprints of cards I would like to own.
We got a good one! I really like this card in a base UR deck. It works great with snapcaster obviously, but it also works great with a lot of the chandra affects. It reads- Look at the top three cards of your deck. Put one card in your hand and the other two at the bottom of your library. If you cast this card from anywhere other than your hand, draw three cards instead.
Every time I get pulled back to jeskai they do something like this that really fits best in a UR deck.
@CurdBros: Nice card! Snapcaster, Mission Briefing, Light Up The Stage, Chandra... It's just hard to find the right balance between card advantage and power to actually win the game, while not losing too much tempo...
I am super excited to see what Barrin is like. I feel like his art looks UR so hopefully he is a 3 CMC or less wizard so he may fit into one of our decks
Hi guys it has been a long time since I played Jeskai delver,I just wanted to share this discord where all kinds of delver is discussed. Discord: https://discord.gg/G7kKfTD
Well it has certainly been a long time since anyone has last posted, and even longer since I've posted for that matter! How has everyone been doing? Work/Virus has been taking its toll on me, but I've still managed to squeeze in some playtime on MTGO whenever I can. For anyone who happens to swing by, or is at all interested, this is the delver list I've been jamming over the last couple of weeks.
This deck has been proving to be my favorite version of Jeskai Delver so far because of how well Sprite Dragon works with Mishra's Bauble and Force of Negation. While these interactions are good it's Lurrus of the Dream-Den that really allows this deck to compete against other grindy decks in the format. Delver and the Sprite make for a fast clock against unfair decks like Tron and Storm, but Snapcaster Mage and Lurrus allows the deck to fight into the late game and still pull out wins on occasion.
In any case I hope everyone is doing okay out there and all is going well!
Awesome list ManDolphin! I have really been into Sprite Dragon as well. It's a great card for our deck. I have been playing UR delver when I get some time to play. Once I have a bit more time I will get back into jeskai! The list looks awesome.
Hi Dezzo. Thanks for sharing the list. It is great to see Jeskai Delver doing well! It has been awhile. I think Delver is better than a lot of people give it credit for. I am currently working on reworking my jeskai delver list so thanks so much for sharing. I have been on UR delver for a bit, but want to get back to my Jeskai roots.
Hi all. I am beginning to think that WOTC might have used one my designs in a future set. I wrote them about two years ago with this design:
School Student
U
Human
Tap: Put the top card of your library into the graveyard. If you have 2 or more instants/sorceries in your graveyard transform Student.
1/2
Flipped Side
School Graduate
Human Wizard
Flying
3/3
This design gives a great view of a student "learning" and becoming a wizard. It also works great in a tempo deck and isn't crazy in aggro like prowess is. It fits more in aggro-control or tempo. Now that I have read that DFC's will be in the Stryxhaven school for mages set I honestly think they may use the design I sent them. Full disclosure I told them in the email I wanted to payment or acknowledgement if they used the design so I am very hopeful they used it. I gave them several other examples as well. I am very hopeful they utilize it because that would be AWESOME for our deck.
Are there no Delver players left? Not much happening anymore in this thread
Today I saw Squa Chief playing a pretty good Delver deck, but it's not Jeskai.
Just a few minutes ago someone played it on MTGO and run into my Mono White deck. You can check game 1 here if you're interested. It shows the power of the Broodmoth Game 2 my opponent was pretty unlucky and his Delvers didn't flip for several turns. When they finally flipped it was too late because I had a Mirran Crusader with Sword of Fire & Ice who finished him.
Thread seems completely dead
Today I saw a game with GreatNate and he's still playing Jeskai Geist.
You can watch his game here at 31:00 but it's pretty sad. He misplayes the new Apparition and scoops the whole match. Not that great.
@StevomatUWR: It's certainly been a while since I've had the chance to play any form of MTG at all. Between my promotion (which means more hours) at work and Covid I haven't gone much of anywhere lately. The little I have played was a Jeskai Delver list that I used to run back in the day. I'm sure it's posted on here somewhere, but it's Delver, Snapcaster, Queller, and T3feri. Yeah, the game you posted was far from over, but the OP got frustrated and just left. Oh well. Always love seeing me some good Geist action. Sorry for the late response but I hope you, and anyone else who sees this post, are doing well in everything you're doing!
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Welp, Lutri, the Spellchaser just got worse. Not sure if we can run it as effectively since the companion mechanic got changed around. What does everyone think of the change?
Our Geist, who art a spirit,
hallowed be thy fountain. Thy angel come.
Six damage done on the ground, as well as the heavens.
Give us this game,
and all of our rounds
and forgive us our misplays,
as we punish those who misplay against us,
and lead us not into 0-2 drop,
but deliver us into Top 8!
For this is the deck list,
of value and hexproof.
Forever and ever, Amen.
Like most other creature-based Jeskai decks, the Team Geist deck functions as an aggro-control deck that functions closer to the aggro end of the spectrum than other Jeskai variants, such as Flash. It is designed to present a core of solid mid-game threats that are capable of constantly pressuring the opponent, while using its plethora of removal and burn spells to clear the path for said threats to threaten the opponent. unlike other UWR variants such as Delver or Prowess, however, the Team Geist version of Jeskai primarily relies upon counters and removal to clear the way for Geist and his Angel to strike the opponent.
Like all Jeskai variants, Team Geist lists are highly customizable, with individual variants ranging from the aggressive to controlling ends of the UWR spectrum. Regardless of their build composition, however, all Geist lists share a common goal: 'Draw well, land Geist, and smash face.'
The first major Jeskai list with Geist to gain prominence in Modern was referred to as BOREMANDOS for "Boros" + "Remand". Although it was not officially a Team Geist deck (as it was designed with Delver and Steppe Lynx to function as threats well before Geist hit the board), it shared two factors with the later Geist decks of the present day. The first, of course, was the inclusion of Geist of Saint Traft himself. More importantly, however, Boremandos established the play pattern commonly associated with all Jeskai Geist lists in modern: land a Geist, then protect it with powerful counter-magic and burn spells to keep blockers out of its path. While it was far more of a Delver-esque tempo build than a pure midrange shell, Boremandos was nevertheless important in the development of later Geist strategies.
Boremandos was played and was a tier 2 deck for several years until the rise of burn as a prominent deck in the format, which stemmed from the printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel in Journey into Nyx. As burn's stock rose, the stock of Boremandos began to fall, until the deck eventually fell out of favor. By this time, however, a proper Geist Midrange shell was starting to be formed.
II. Nathan "GreatNate" Quintanilla and the rise of Team Geist (2014-2016)
The shell which would become classic Team Geist was formulated and tested by Scot "Mr. Scotty Mac" McCallum, Nathan "GreatNate Quintinilla, and several other players, who began to formulate a shell built entirely around the strengths of Geist of Saint Traft. Drawing upon cards such as Restoration Angel and Thundermaw Hellkite (which were all played alongside the Spirit Cleric during his run in Innistrad block Standard,) and older cards, such as Batterskull and Vendillion Clique, the team sought to move away from the Delver style Boremandos shell towards a midrange deck with more staying power and late-game presence. Combining these creatures with the powerful removal trifecta of Bolt, Path, and Remand gave the deck a powerful means to clear the way for Geist on the ground, while additional spells such as Valorous Stance and Lightning Helix added even more weapons to the arsenal.
in early 2015 (Just prior to 'Eldrazi Winter,')the classic "Team Geist" list looked something like this
4 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Restoration Angel
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Electrolyze
4 Path to Exile
4 Remand
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Eiganjo Castle
2 Sulfur Falls
With minimal exception, this was the core of the classic Team Geist shell. There were changes, (such as the inclusion of Dig Through Time during its brief period of legality in Modern and a splash of black for Crackling Doom and Lingering Souls to counter the Abzan midrange shell which was popular after the release ofKhans of Tarkir), but these were meta-calls, natural shifts to the deck made in response to the environment around it. However, while the deck generally interacted favorably with the meta for a couple years, the rise of the Eldrazi threat in 2015-2016 proved too great a challenge for Geist to handle. With the dawn of Eldrazi Winter, it appeared Saint Traft's eternal vigil over Modern might finally end.
(to be continued)
The basic gameplan of Team Geist is as follows:
A) Control the board state for the first two turns using a combination of counter-magic, removal and burn spells
B) Land a powerful threat, such as Geist of Saint Traft, and use said threat to inflict large chunks of damage against the opponent.
C) Do so while utilizing disruption (counter magic, removal, burn spells) to keep the board clear and opponent on the defensive.
D) Utilize direct damage/evasion to finish the game if necessary.
Just like Saint Traft himself, Team Geist decks are built around efficiency, versatility, and power. The deck plays out as an aggro-control/tempo deck that attacks on a different angle than most decks in the format. Like most tempo decks, Team Geist utilizes early efficient threats along with removal spells and counter magic to maintain control on the battlefield. While maintaining control of the battlefield, the deck presents a variety of efficient threat(s) and reach that can win the game at any point.
A major strength that most Jeskai tempo decks, (including Team Geist) hold over some of the other shards in the format (Esper, Grixis, Sultai, Temur) is the wide variety of reach the deck has at its disposal. Much of this reach is in the form of burn spells such as Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Electrolyze, Forked Bolt, Jeskai Charm, etc. This gives Jeskai a leg up on other tempo decks in modern as the Jeskai deck can end games quickly even if tempo is lost. ‘Bolt-Snap-Bolt’ is powerful in most decks in the colors, but with access to other burn spells, Jeskai takes that to an entirely different level/
The final benefit of Team Geist is the synergy present within our deck. As stated earlier, efficiency is very important aspect of this deck. All of the instant/sorcery spells either cause direct damage, clear the way for our creatures, or disrupt our opponent’s game plan. Many do several at the same time (or provide us the ability to choose which we prefer at any given moment). In addition, many of the spells cantrip (replace themselves by drawing another card.) This means that most of the draws we have are live at all times (especially if we have a Geist or other threat on board).
There are two main schools of thought for Team Geist lists: the “Old School” lists developed by GreatNate, Larry Swayze, and Scott McCallum, and the more current tempo-based lists centered around Spell Queller.
Old-School Geist
Old-School Geist focuses on beating down the opponent, using minimal counter-magic and maximizing on attacking creatures. It is designed to play the control role in the first few turns, then land a threat when opportunity arises and ‘turn the corner’ into the role of the aggressor. While it has more threats than the Queller/Tempo shell, it also lacks some of the flexibility provided by Queller and the Teferi lock.
You can recognize an “Old School Geist” shell from some of these features:
- More likely to run some number of top-end threats in the main deck (Planeswalkers, 5CMC Dragons/Angels, etc.)
- Tends to run minimal mainboard counter-magic (Most Old-School lists only ran four Remands maindeck, with some number of counters out of the board.)
- 24-25 lands
- Normally doesn’t run cantrips such as Serum Visions or Opt
- Doesn’t tend to mainboard Spell Queller, runs Restoration Angel instead.
This is my personal preferred style of Geist deck. While it is weaker as a pure tempo build, I have found it can close games more quickly and play more aggressively than its Queller-based counterpart.
Queller/Tempo Geist
This shell of Geist came into fruition following the printing of Spell Queller in Eldritch Moon. Unlike Old-School Geist, which tends to have a dedicated role-shift in the midgame, the Queller-based list is able to generate tempo and value throughout the game because of the use of Queller’s tempo. Combine that with the printing of Teferi, Time Raveler in War of the Spark and you get a powerful tempo-based core to build around. Generally, Queller based Geist lists tend to run fewer creatures and threats than Old-School Geist, but make up for it with the variety of answers they are able to present to the opponent.
You can recognize a “Queller/Tempo” shell from some of these features:
- Tends to run more mainboard counter-magic, such as Logic Knot, Cryptic Command, or Mana Leak
- 23-24 lands
- Normally runs some number of dedicated cantrips such as Serum Visions or Opt
- Built around Spell Queller and/or Teferi, Time Raveler
- Less likely to play cards above 3CMC
The creatures in Team Geist tend to meet three important criteria:
• They all get larger or more powerful by casting non-creature or instant/sorcery spells (thus, they are all stronger in decks with large quantities of non-creature spells).
• They generally cost between 2-4 CMC
• They can attack for large chunks of damage.
• With the exception of Geist of Saint Traft himself, most have an ETB ability that synergizes with the rest of the deck.
There are actually many creatures that meet these requirements (some more powerful than others); and each will fit better in different builds. The following is a "breakdown" of the best potential "Team Geist" creature options. The first and the namesake for many of these decks is Geist of Saint Traft.
Geist of Saint Traft (run in both variants):
My personal favorite creature and a favorite of tempo players since his induction, Geist is an incredibly efficient threat that is also very difficult to remove once in play, as Hexproof grants him the ultimate protection from removal spells. In addition, he offers the most efficient source of damage a three drop can offer (he attacks for 6 damage with the angel). His only weakness is his 2/2 stats, and his vulnerability to indirect removal, such as edict effects or board-wipes. However, Team Geist’s removal package can usually clear the path for his attacks, and spells such as Remand and Unsubstantiate will generally stop edict effects and board wipes from becoming too much of an issue. Sticking a Geist turn 3 with removal and counterspell backup will mean a win in many cases. While he is legendary, most lists still run 4 because it is just that good. A lot of times you will ride to victory on the back of Geist alone.
Snapcaster Mage (Run in Both Variants):
The other core creature of the deck, Snapcaster Mage is one of the best creatures in modern and is almost assuredly the best blue creature in the format. Simply put, Snappy is the best source of card advantage a creature can offer. With all of the great cheap removal/burn/counters that we play, this is the perfect deck for him to shine in. He doesn't require a lot of explanation; you get to reuse your spells and get a 2/1 body to boot. Almost always run as a four-of because of his sheer value.
Restoration Angel (Old-School Geist):
Restoration Angel is a powerful card. She can save from combat damage, saves your other guys from targeted removal, and abuses ETB effects, together with a 3/4 flying body. All of this for a mana cost of 3W means she’s a very efficient card, one which is good for naturally curving into after landing a turn 3 Geist of Saint Traft.
For these reasons, Restoration Angel was a staple of the old-school Team Geist decks, which used her to great effect in protecting Geist during the Khans era. While generally supplanted by Spell Queller in more recent decks, she is still powerful enough to be run in updated realizations of the old-school Geist shell. Additionally, she can be used synergistically alongside Queller, (though this is normally done in pure Flash based tempo decks without Geist of Saint Traft.)
Spell Queller (Normally found in Tempo Geist, but can be played in Old-School Geist shells as well):
Spell Queller is, at its core, a creature that’s almost a counterspell on a stick. It embodies the concept of Tempo, merging both the aspects of control and pressure. Since it can have such an impressive impact on the game, it will always be the primary target for your opponent's removal spells, thus holding a Spell Queller in your hand implies spending time to think what are your current options to protect it once it's hit the battlefield with profit.
Overall, Queller provides Team Geist with a great tempo option. It adds disruption to the deck while also adding another threat, and its synergistic ‘lock’ with Teferi, Time Raveler creates a powerful core that can easily be built around. This means that Queller is the centerpiece of the “Tempo” Geist list, which is far more focused on generating tempo value than the more aggressive ‘Old-School’ Geist shell. However, I have seen Old School lists run him out of the sideboard as well, creating a ‘transformative’ build that plays aggressively at first and shifts into a tempo role. Given the current state of the meta, I tend to recommend the Queller based lists at this point in time.
The Core Spells
While the spells in Team Geist perform a variety of roles, their most important role is to protect Geist and our other threats so that they can get in for damage. They spells are utilized to allow threats such as Geist to perform at their highest level. The spells utilized need to fit two of these three criteria:
1.) They offer utility. Each spell should help our threats in multiple ways. Whether it be to protect our threats from damage, counter opposing threats, remove opposing blockers, or provide reach to finish off a crippled opponent, each spell can be utilized in multiple ways.
2.) They offer efficiency. While each spell in Team Geist is generally best suited to one or two particular roles, every spell is capable of performing one or more options as the board state dictates. The burn spells offer direct damage and removal and cards such as charm(s) or Cryptic Command offer several options inherently.
3.) They offer card advantage. Cantrips are great for the deck because they can perform their role while not losing any card advantage. Cards like Remand and Electrolyze can also be utilized to gain actual card advantage while affecting the board state in some way.
Below are some of the staple spells for Team Geist variants.
Lightning Bolt (Run in Both Variants):
The single best burn spell in the modern format, and among the best spells overall. Three damage that can go directly to the face or act as removal for most early threats in the modern format all for the low cost of one red mana. Bolt represents everything this deck wants in a spell: cheap,versatile effects that can affect the board state across multiple scenarios.
Lightning Helix (Run in Both Variants):
The single most efficient life swing in modern. This instant offers a 6 life swing for one red and one white mana, which helps improve many of the aggro matchups in the format. Helix-Snap-Helix is no joke against Burn or other aggressive matchups, and like its Bolt counterpart, Helix can be directed at either the opponent's face as reach or towards a creature as removal.
Path to Exile(Run in Both Variants):
The single best creature removal spell in modern. What our bolts and helixes cannot kill, the path to exile can. The drawback of offering the opponent an additional mana is somewhat mitigated in this deck given that the game should end somewhat quickly with a threat on board.
Remand (Run in Both Variants):
Remand is the premier tempo counter spell. It provides a loss in tempo to our opponent while providing our deck with card advantage. It can also be utilized to bounce back any spell that is countered by our opponent that we would like to keep.
Electrolyze (Run in Both Variants):
At best it will kill two of their creatures and draw you a card. At worst, it's 2 to the opponent's face and a cantrip. No matter which way you spin it, Electrolyze is a very versatile tempo spell that fits the philosophy of Team Geist perfectly. While powerful, it is also something of a meta call, so it's best to pick it if you expect to be going up against a lot of X/1's.
Unsubstantiate (Run in my personal revival of Old School Geist):
I've spoken at length about Unsub in the past, but I'll do my best to summarize here. Essentially, Unsub has made the old school, aggro oriented Geist decks more viable. Being able to either pseudo-Remand or bounce a creature back to its owner's hand is a very flexible set of options. The bounce effect can be used to clear blockers for Geist, save him from lethal damage, or bounce one of our ETB creatures to replay again later in the game. Additionally, the wording on Unsub ("Return to hand" instead of "Counter") means we can bounce spells such as Supreme Verdict or Abrupt Decay. The only downside I can see in this over Remand is its lack of cantrip, but I think its versatility can make up for that defecit.
Other Spells: Counters
Mana Leak: (Run in both Variants, generally in the more controlling variants):
It's one of the best "hard" counters Geist has access to in the early game. However, it gets worse the more mana the opponent has access to, so keep that in mind, but it's still a powerful tempo spell if timed right.
Logic Knot:: Essentially a Mana Leak with Delve that scales better the longer the game progresses. If you have a lot of Delve fuel that can help keep Knot relevant into the later game, and you plan on playing a more controlling gameplan, Knot might be a good choice.
Cryptic Command: Not "just" a Counter spell, since it can also act as a cantrip, bounce effect, and tap-down, but since that mode is used pretty often, I figured I'd mention it here. Cryptic can be an incredibly powerful spell that synergizes with our gameplan (since a T3 Geist followed by a turn 4 Cryptic to counter a potential board state or tap down a field of blockers is pretty effective), but its 1UUU mana can be prohibitive and difficult to run depending on your land base. If your mana can support it, I might consider trying out Cryptic Command as a versatile turn 4 catch-all, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Dispel, Negate, Spell Pierce,Spell Snare,,Dovin's Veto: All of these counter spells are cheap utility options as well. Dispel is best for dealing with lists with a lot of instants, Pierce and Snare counter a lot of cheap spells in the format, and Negate and Veto provide powerful catch-alls for most noncreature spells, with Veto being better in counter-spell heavy formats. Whichever you prefer for your build and your meta will work.
Other Spells: Burn spells:
Forked Bolt: A cheaper, sorcery speed Electrolyze that doesn't cantrip. If you absolutely need two X/1's dead on turn 1, this is an option, but with Affinity basically out of the format that need isn't as high as it was in the 2015-2016 era of Geist.
Burst Lightning: Another cheap burn spell option. Burst is unique since it can be kicked later in the game, meaning it can be used as a shock to pick off an early threat, then Snapped back as a finisher, or vice versa. It's versatile, cheap, and relatively effective for its cost,if you need that sort of effect.
Boros Charm: While commonly seen as "Dome 4" (hence its inclusion in the Burn spells section,) all three modes of Boros Charm can be relevant for Team Geist. Double Strike can make a single threat lethal. Four damage can provide the reach we need to finish the game or kill a pesky planeswalker like Liliana of the Veil. Finally, the indestructible clause helps us protect our threats from sweepers and removal. A great utility spell for the deck, particularly if you want to play more aggressively.
Other Spells: Utility:
Valorous Stance: Popular in the days of Old School Geist, Stance offers two pieces of utility that are good for us: protection for Geist and removal for higher toughness creatures in the format. Nowadays, it's best in a format full of GBx, Death's Shadow, or other larger threats, but when it's relevant, it can be quite good.
Abrade: Another flexible utility option. Great against small creature aggro and artifact based decks alike, Abrade is a powerful option in the right meta. It's great against Vial decks, as it can either kill a smaller creature or destroy the Aether Vial itself.
Izzet Charm: Izzet charm is another perfect utility spell for the deck. It offers a looting option to smooth out our draws while also providing an additional semi-counter spell and possible removal for a smaller creature.
I can' wait to get back into jeskai flash. Unfortunately it won't have my favorite creature Geist of Saint Traft, but that will have to do.
Love the primer Goyftomcat! Great start to the primer.
Not necessarily as great for the Prowess variants, but Geist and Flash players such as myself are at least intrigued.
Also, welcome back prowess!!! Looks like prowess is back as an evergreen mechanic so that is always nice to see.
with a lot of our draw packages in Jeskai, could Teferi's tutelage be something to build around? I am excited to see many reprints of cards I would like to own.
robber of the rich and Phoenix of Ash has been very good in standard
Every time I get pulled back to jeskai they do something like this that really fits best in a UR deck.
@CurdBros: Nice card! Snapcaster, Mission Briefing, Light Up The Stage, Chandra... It's just hard to find the right balance between card advantage and power to actually win the game, while not losing too much tempo...
I actually love this dude for my white deck:
They'll be so annoying. Either they come back flying or leave behind a Knight or both. Muahaha!
3UU
Elemental
This spell costs 2U less to cast if you have cast instant or sorcery this turn.
Flying
Prowess
ETB scry 2
3/3
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Sprite Dragon
Artifacts (4)
4x Mishra's Bauble
Instants/Sorceries (25)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
4x Opt
4x Serum Visions
2x Lightning Helix
3x Mana Leak
4x Force of Negation
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Flooded Strand
2x Steam Vents
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Spirebluff Canal
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
Companion (1)
1x Lurrus of the Dream-Den
3x Alpine Moon
1x Dispel
2x Soul-Guide Lantern
2x Spell Snare
2x Abrade
1x Wear // Tear
3x Mystical Dispute
This deck has been proving to be my favorite version of Jeskai Delver so far because of how well Sprite Dragon works with Mishra's Bauble and Force of Negation. While these interactions are good it's Lurrus of the Dream-Den that really allows this deck to compete against other grindy decks in the format. Delver and the Sprite make for a fast clock against unfair decks like Tron and Storm, but Snapcaster Mage and Lurrus allows the deck to fight into the late game and still pull out wins on occasion.
In any case I hope everyone is doing okay out there and all is going well!
i thought about you guys after visiting mtggoldfish and saw that jeskai delver is actually part of the overall meta now with quite a few 5-0 finishes
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-delver-of-secrets#paper
that 4 stoneforge mystic tech is spicy!
not sure if you guys know about this latest development with the deck so take a look if you don't.
cheers!
School Student
U
Human
Tap: Put the top card of your library into the graveyard. If you have 2 or more instants/sorceries in your graveyard transform Student.
1/2
Flipped Side
School Graduate
Human Wizard
Flying
3/3
This design gives a great view of a student "learning" and becoming a wizard. It also works great in a tempo deck and isn't crazy in aggro like prowess is. It fits more in aggro-control or tempo. Now that I have read that DFC's will be in the Stryxhaven school for mages set I honestly think they may use the design I sent them. Full disclosure I told them in the email I wanted to payment or acknowledgement if they used the design so I am very hopeful they used it. I gave them several other examples as well. I am very hopeful they utilize it because that would be AWESOME for our deck.
Today I saw Squa Chief playing a pretty good Delver deck, but it's not Jeskai.
Just a few minutes ago someone played it on MTGO and run into my Mono White deck. You can check game 1 here if you're interested. It shows the power of the Broodmoth
Today I saw a game with GreatNate and he's still playing Jeskai Geist.
You can watch his game here at 31:00 but it's pretty sad. He misplayes the new Apparition and scoops the whole match. Not that great.