MTG Salvation

I had this deck build way back in the inastrad block. Even when I switched to mainly edh this remains my favorite deck but its time to update it. Obviously, the objective was to make spirits, buff them, and win quickly. I know ponder in banned in modern I need to replace them. I dont have alot of the dual color lands but I intend to put in the guildgates. Finally, I dont want to drop a ton of money updating this deck. Honestly, my budget is ten dollars maybe a little more. Thanks for the help!!!

Here's a link to a spirity deck I was working on for a bit. http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/597459-tallowisp-spirits-auras-profit
Many options will be way out of your budget, but you might find some of the cards discussed interesting. Devouring Greed, in particular (as suggested by Balefire), could work well if you keep a heavy emphasis on creating large numbers of spirit tokens.

-3 geist honored monk, -1 temporal mastery, -1 triplicate spirits, -1 increasing devotion, +4 spectral procession (1.42 for 4 of these, average price tcgplayer), + 2 honor of the pure ($3.00 more).

Ponder is usually replaced by serum visions. However, they are one very pricey common. The next best after that is sleight of hand OR you could add another mana leak and either more counterspells or some black removal (path to exile is best, of course, but not going to fit your budget..same with go for the throat) (doom blade or smother is the next best bet at around 0.25 each).

If you're going to run an enters tapped land, then I don't recommend guildgates, though they are cheap. I also don't recommend terramorphic expanse as you gain nothing from the shuffle. You could run arcane sanctum. It would take care of all of your colored mana needs maybe with one additional swamp for the new removal option (if you opt for it and there is nothing to suggest you shouldn't). On the other hand, they are quite apparently more expensive than I expected at 1.60 each.

Other than that, the very best spirits I could suggest would include geist of saint traft. However, it's way out of your budget range, even though it hits like a mack truck. I do like some of the soft removal you have, even though won't necessarily be particularly helpful in a tokens match. I will be quite thoroughly entertained if you ever manage to copy an emrakul or similar with your cryptoplasm and spectral rider is actually quite good.

accidental double post.

So while waiting for a response I started adding and removing some cards shifting the focus almost entirely to wining fast and to just buffing spirit tokens. I ended up with this:
Land


Based of your suggestions Im going to do this so far:
-8 guild gates -2 terramorphic expanse -1 Geist-honored Monk +1 Cryptoplasm +4 Arcane Sanctum +2 Plains +2 Island +2 Swamp

I had geist honored monk as more of a win con than anything. If I got her out I pretty much won the game provided I had my enchantment etc. If I run 4 Brainstorm (over ponder btw) I could set up a miracle temporal mastery with easy no?
Also thought devouring greed could win me the game after a big attack.
Why spectral procession? Isnt 6 mana too slow for what Im trying to do?
I agree on the removal I have some doom blades lying around for now. Not sure what to swap though yet.

Im not saying anything you told me was wrong Im just looking for a bit of explanation on a few cards. Thanks!!!

Made the above changes:

Brainstorm is not modern legal
If you can not afford good lands you may need to cut a color to keep consistency
Path to exile is a must but it is out of your budget. If your just playing casually I don't think brainstorm and other cqntrips matter much

You're not reading spectral procession correctly. It's W OR 2, meaning WWW for 3 1/1 fliers. For single casting cost, it's the most efficient flier producer you can get.

The reason I don't like geist honored monk is that it is very vulnerable to pyroclasm and company. How good is it if you have a bunch of 1/1 or 2/2 tokens (assuming one anthem) (could even be a 20/20 monk), your opponent casts a pyroclasm. Your opponent now costs you your entire board, so essentially you got 5 power for 5 mana...not the greatest trade off ever.


Promise of bunrei can be great...IF you have controlled sacrifice outlets. A black/white aristocats build could run it all day and have one heck of a payoff for it: Your only sacrifice outlet is devouring greed, and presumably you're going to win for casting that one in the first place.

Brainstorm is surely a great card. Problem: It's not modern legal. It was last printed in Mercadian Masques, meaning it is only legacy and vintage legal. Modern is 8th edition forward.

Similarly, hallowed spirit keeper is in a modern card border, but it was only printed in commander, meaning it is legal in that format, vintage, and legacy, not modern! I'm sorry! Spectral procession takes all of those slots quite nicely, however.

Dungeon geists isn't bad: keeping a really big threat tapped down is pretty good.

However, I would almost recommend honor of the pure over intangible virtue. Virtue is really good, but only hits your tokens. However, all of your stuff except for like two things does fly. You might instead consider favorable winds.

With the brainstorm gone, then you sadly need to remove the temporal mastery. I think you should like the results (I would likewise remove the devouring greed...you don't have enough of the advanced mana fixing to run it safely on a budget manabase). I still think removal is a good option. What removal, of course, will depend on your meta.

I literally cant find anything saying Brainstorm is banned...
http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Timeline_of_DCI_bans_and_restrictions
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/banned-and-restricted-announcement-2015-01-19
http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/modern
http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Modern

The most recent one I saw was the March 23,2015 announcement banning skullclamp and treasure cruise

If you see something I dont please let me know.
The idea of cutting a color has crossed my mind. I may invest a few bucks later to add some better dual lands but until then Ill probably just cut black and max out card limits on other stuff.

Btw i didnt notice you can play spectral procession for 3 white.. My bad. Great card now that i see that.

Look at the last set it was printed in. You'll see that it was printed in Mercadian Masques, outside of something like a dual deck, (where those cards are legal *IF* they were printed in another modern legal set, but are ALWAYS legal in vintage/legacy, even if they are new cards. Hence, the cards I told you about like spiritkeeper being allowed in legacy, but not modern).

I still say doom blade as a 3 of would be a great idea. You need to be able to axe creatures once in a while, and it only costs 1B. Lingering souls is too good not to run. The card is run in non budget lists for a reason, and it's just as good here. 4 creatures for 1 card is awesome, and it's really good against both countermagic and discard. I do think you have too many swamps, though, and might run only 2 or 3, depending on your choice of removal. I say doom blade over others because while it is non black limited, it is instant speed and kills without damage. If you do run more counters in the extra slots (again, not a bad idea), then you could cut down to one swamp and the arcane lighthouse. 5 sources of black for only a flashback cost would be more than acceptable.

Alright here is another deck update to where we are now. Any other changes that you would suggest??
ps: Im going to keep brainstrom in until I can find some serums or sleight of hands. Also I had a go for the throat laying around

While its not as good telling time or anticipate can replace brainstorm, Also you can check the gatherer on legality for hallowed spiritkeeper and brainstorm.

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Printings.aspx?multiverseid=389544http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Printings.aspx?multiverseid=389544
Notice it does not list modern, that means that it is not legal due to it not being in the sets that are legal.

I suggest zealous persecution in the sideboard or main and favorable winds is the better anthem for you as you are more spirit then token themed.

Midnight Haunting also generates spirit tokens, if you desire.

I would also strongly consider Honor of the Pure, as only 3 total creatures in your deck are not white.

Im probably going to use a proxy for serums until i get them but if anyone finds issue with that a set of telling time could work well enough for the time being.

Zealous is interesting i may run one as a replacement for the Hallowed spiritkeeper if he isnt legal either.


I could probably sideboard some midnight hauntings but they are the weakest of the three cost spirit generators so i left it out.

Wouldnt the vigilance of intangible virtue make it better than the honor of the pure. I have a set of both so I can swap them out. I cant tell which would be better in the long run since Im just trying to flood with tokens.

Yes, it is true that vigilance is good. However, all of your tokens are white as well as a number of your non-token creatures. In that sense, you're getting more card advantage from pumping the actual creatures as well as the tokens. It is the same as using the favorable winds (only like 3 creatures don't fly, as an example, whereas all the tokens do as well). In this case, what is smarter is attacking for as much damage as possible and honor of the pure will help that more than the vigilance enabler. If you're chumping, you're likely losing.

Between anticipate and telling time, most likely I would run anticipate. It's a current common that is cheap and easy to get. There will be times that you'll not want to get rid of one of the two cards you end up burying, but more times you would rather keep just one, and putting it straight into your hand and then seeing fresh cards next turn is usually the stronger approach, all the same. It's the same reason ponder or serum visions is good, but at instant speed and for two mana.