Any reason why no one runs Valorous Stance or Anticipate? I'm running 2 of both and 1 Ojutai instead of 2 Cliques and they were a huge blowup last night at my Modern weekly. I dropped a game to Ad Nauseam in the swiss because I threw the sideboard together hastily and wasn't prepared, but I got paired up in top 8 and got revenge. The Valorous Stance won me at least 1 game each round by saving an Ojutai, Angel, or Geist so I could kill on the swing back and Anticipates were also all stars. I played the deck last year and decided to pick it back up for something different and checked out GreatNate's list and changed it up a little bit with Ojutai. I tried checking through some of the pages in this thread and didn't see any rationalizations for not running Valorous Stance or Anticipate so I'm just curious if it's a general taboo or previously underperformed. Here's the list:
That's fair. I don't think he's high enough power level for modern. Though, if he was, the aforementioned comment about not playing well with counters is a problem for this style of deck. Maybe Jund would want to try him? But he'd have to be better than Dark Confidant to justify the spot.
Why does he have to be better than bob when you can run both
Where does he fit? If your cutting stuff other than Bob? Not really asking, since that discussion belongs in the Jund thread, but the point being is that he isn't that powerful. Put him next to Bob and Tiago and it becomes fairly obvious. It's the usual fad burst that flows over from Standard hits.
I like Anticipate. I've been running a couple main. Seems like a lot have gravitated towards Serum, but I find that I really need to be using my mana every turn. This necessity is made even more severe by the fact that we have Colonnades that come into play tapped T1 often enough. Anticipate actually gets better the longer you wait to cast it, and it allows you to keep all of your options open.
That's fair. I don't think he's high enough power level for modern. Though, if he was, the aforementioned comment about not playing well with counters is a problem for this style of deck. Maybe Jund would want to try him? But he'd have to be better than Dark Confidant to justify the spot.
Why does he have to be better than bob when you can run both
Where does he fit? If your cutting stuff other than Bob? Not really asking, since that discussion belongs in the Jund thread, but the point being is that he isn't that powerful. Put him next to Bob and Tiago and it becomes fairly obvious. It's the usual fad burst that flows over from Standard hits.
While this isn't the right thread for this, jund players have already been trying him in the way that I suggested (think bloodbraid elf role).
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On mtgsalvation people don't want to discuss ideas, so I give people something else to discuss: my controversial opinions.
A 3 mana sweeper than can exist in the mainboard at the same time as Geist of Saint Traft without causing troubles. Easily does 3 damage but, in a pinch, does one damage and leaves your Geist alive.
I don't think it's maindeckable as it is very matchup dependent and can be a dead card vs many decks. For the sideboard, it's a safer option than Anger of the Gods in terms of manabase but I think Anger is by far the better card. For the matchups you want this type of effect, we generally dont drop a Geist early (maybe even side them out) and instead take the control route of the deck.
Another topic of discussion would be the new Gideon and the new fetchable duals. I'll be testing both of them out before writing them off. The duals have potential but I'm not sure they slot into a deck that at minimum will run 4 Celestial Colonnades. But we'll see!
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I just brought UWR Geist to the WMCQ Channelfireball was running this weekend and managed to go 7-2 (17th). The deck did ok and I felt like I didn't have any particularly bad matchup. Grixis control and Jund are a little tough, and Abzan is probably the toughest commonly played matchup. I did manage to avoid Amulet and Tron, which are two of the hardest matchups.
Round-by-round:
(Boarding plans where I have them written down)
R1 Infect 2-0. Matchup is incredibly favorable, pretty hard to mess up.
(1-0)
R2 RUG Twin 2-0. I also like the Twin matchup. Spell Snares were amazing in this matchup. The 2nd game came down to the wire, with me untapping at 3 life with Cryptic Command in hand and a V-Clique in play, and my opponent at 1. Opponent tried to bolt me, but that didn't work out for him.
(2-0)
R3 Jund 0-2. Opponent cast multiple Lilianas each game, and I could only counter so many. Had to fight hard to deal with the others, and they got entirely out of control. Discard and Lilianas are impossible for UWR Geist to beat. One Boros Charm may even be an ok solution here to deal with Liliana once she ticks up to 4. It can also contribute to the burn plan, and indestructible clause has uses as well. It could maybe replace a Lightning Helix. (I'm not impressed by Helix these days--it is still great against burn, but otherwise, there aren't quite as many targets. Burn can also now run Atarka's command + Skullcrack for even more anti-lifegain, so sequencing when to cast it can sometimes get a little tricky.)
(2-1)
R4 Abzan 2-0. Anytime you can Bolt or Helix a Goyf, it feels like the opponent did something terribly wrong. That should never happen, but when it does, it usually contributes to easy wins. Spell Snares were great also. I think I finished the game off with a Geist + Thundermaw. He made me sac one of the two with a Liliana, which wasn't enough.
(3-1)
R4 BW Tokens 2-1. Opponents lingering souls/spectra processions/bitterblossoms got out of control game 1. Game 2 was tough, but I kept him down to 2 attackers per turn with Bolts/Helixes/Electrolyze because he had 3 Windbrisk Heights in play. Opponent told me after the game that he had a Bitterblossom, Spectral Procession, and Intangible Virtue below those, which would have been rough. I bought enough time till I threw down an EE and then a Geist and killed him off with Geist + burn + Colonnade + Resto. Game 3 was a little easier with multiple EE's.
Sideboard: -4 Path, -2 Clique, -1 Helix, +2 EE, +2 Wear//Tear, +1 Negate, +1 Anger, +1 Celestial Purge
(4-1)
R6 Grixis control 0-2. I had a really tough time in this matchup. Game 1 was a mull to 6 with 1 land (Sulfur Falls), which I should have ditched. Opponent landed a turn 2 Gurmag Angler, and that was it. Game 2 was a little bit more interactive. Opponent cast dispel a couple times to counter my more expensive spells, which set me back a lot on tempo, and that was mostly enough. After the games, my opponent told me that he actually takes out Cryptics against other blue control decks because it gets trumped so easily by the 1-mana answer of Dispel. This makes a lot of sense, but I don't think I've seen anyone else do it. Pretty clever.
(4-2)
R7 Burn 2-1. Lost game 1 pretty handily. Game 2 was a lot better with all of the sideboard options coming in (2 Kor Firewalker, 2 Dispel, 1 Negate, 1 Purge) for some of the clunkier spells (3 Remand, 2 Electrolyze, 1 Thundermaw). I think V-Clique is fine in this matchup. It either eats a burn spell or a guy, unless they have Searing Blaze, which gets turned on at some point anyway. In this matchup, I targeted myself with V-Clique multiple times rather than my opponent. If you have any extra lands or any of the clunkier spells, it really helps to dig toward a Helix or Kor Firewalker. An interesting interaction I haven't seen before: Skullcrack (resolves) + Volcanic Fallout against a board of Kor Firewalker and Geist. Ouch. Game 3 wasn't fair since my opponent mulled to 5.
(5-2)
R8 Abzan 2-0. Each of these super grindy games came down to the wire. I stabilized at 2 life in game 1 and won with some combination of Colonnade/Geist/burn/Resto (can't remember). Game 2, I won with Keranos cast when both me and my opponent were at 9. He's pretty tough to beat at a healthy life total. I managed to keep the Lilianas in check (the key to this matchup) with a combination of counters, Celestial Purge, and Snapcasters.
Sideboard: -2 Geist, -2 V-Clique, -1 Helix, -1 Mana Leak; +1 Negate, +2 EE, +1 Purge, +1 Keranos, +1 Gideon
(6-2)
R9 Grixis Delver 2-1. Actually played Caleb Durward here, who is an amazing player and a really nice guy. Big fan of his CFB videos. Neither of us were in contention for top 8 at that point. I definitely had fun this match. Game 1, I mulled to 5, but I put up a little bit of a fight. He landed a Gurmag Angler, which was really bad for me. I cast a Clique to see his hand, which just looked unbeatable. It had a Tasigur, Dispel, 2 Bolts, and a Terminate. The Tasigur went to the bottom of his library. Clique got killed off immediately. My hand was garbage, just Snap & Bolt and some clunky stuff that wasn't going to help much while I was on however few lands I was on. My best route to victory was for him to mess up (which wasn't gonna happen). I'm at 11, so I can't really afford hits from Gurmag Angler. (Also relevant--no Paths in the yard.) I cast Bolt on the Angler (resolves), Snap (resolves), and flashback Bolt on Angler. Since he was awake, that didn't work. He Dispels the Bolt and Terminates the Snap. I'm dead the next turn. Game 2 was very interactive. Game 3, he mulled to 5, but it was still a real game due to Kolaghan's Command. (This card is amazing with Snaps.) It was either in game 2 or 3 where there was a fun counter war involving Snapcaster. On 4 mana, I spell snared Snap, which gets Dispeled, then Remanded the Spell Snare and recast it. Resolved Snaps are bad news. Geist + burn + Gideon + Colonnade finished the job in these games. (Gideon didn't do much, but he was good that game.) Electrolyze was great against Snap + Young Pyro. I didn't see Delvers, but I know he was playing those.
(7-2)
Felt pretty good about the tournament, but wish it went even better.
Tldr, general thoughts:
Favorable matchups: Infect is an amazing matchup, and Burn is pretty good. I also like the matchup vs Twin. Dodged Affinity, but I think that one's pretty decent also. BW tokens is a great matchup post-board with EE, Anger, and Wear // Tear coming in, but makes some of our cards look silly pre-board.
BGx--a pretty bad matchup, but it seemed ok today (2-1). I think the better pilots of those decks are still favored. I think Abzan's worse since the Path to Exiles are spread so much thinner. I hate Liliana.
Grixis control--matchup's a little hard, but do-able. It might be worth siding out Cryptics like my opponent did. I also don't know if it's right or wrong to keep in Geists. They only have 4-5 creatures that can block it and can't otherwise interact with it. Turn 2 Tasigur/Angler is just bad news if you're not holding a Path/Remand/Leak. (Even then, they could hold up a Dispel if they wait until turn 3 to play those threats.)
Grixis Delver--plays out similarly to Grixis control, but some of the threats can be dealt with a little more easily.
Bad matchups: Tron (dodged a bullet), Amulet Bloom (very few copies in the tournament), Grishoalbrand (haven't decided whether this is good or bad yet, but I think it's hard post-board with their control-hate)
Cards:
Spell Snare--this card is great. 2 is the right number for the meta. Counters so many relevant threats/counters/Snaps in the tier 1 decks.
Serum Visions--still don't think it's necessary, but I think it's a judgment call.
Lightning Helix--pretty bad outside of the Burn matchup.
Mana Leak--what a nonbo with the Path in the BGx matchups. It's at least good early, so still uncertain. Otherwise it's mediocre.
Tectonic Edge--I like this over Ghost Quarters. Keeps Leaks live later (see above).
Electrolyze--I like 3-of against the top tier decks. It helps the deck's consistency and burn plan as well.
Thundermaw--actually a solid mainboard threat even against decks not running tokens/Lingering Souls. It can be sided out for better lategame cards afterward, but it is fine in almost all matchups pre-board.
Vendilion Clique--love having 2 of these. Very few Lingering Souls around these days.
Restoration Angel--great to have 2, would feel a little clunkier to have have more. Did manage to pull ahead late game by Resto blinking Cliques, Snap + Dispel/Bolt/Snare (1-mana spells), or a creature targeted by removal (once in a while).
Remand--I find it's not just a Time Walk, but it just helps to hit early land drops and add to consistency. Having 3-of has been great.
Cryptic Command--2-of is great. I think others have decided this is the right number as well.
Eiganjo Castle--wow, Castle + Geist = gg in so many games.
Spellskite--this may be controversial, but I don't think we need it. It helps matchups we don't need much help in, though it has its uses in the Burn and Affinity matchups. It's unnecessary in Twin or Infect. Bogles is uncommon, and EE is fine there.
Engineered Explosives/Anger--these are the sweepers I want. Fantastic.
Dispel--amazing
Negate--solid
Targeted hate cards (Kor Firewalker, Stony Silence)--like having these since those matchups have pretty bad game 1's otherwise. Need to boost those win %'s post-board.
Late game wincons (Thundermaw, Keranos, Gideon Jura)--Thundermaw is great to have in the main. Keranos was fine to have. Gideon Jura was decent, but I'm not sold. I may go back to Batterskull there for the decks that don't run Kolaghan's Command since Geist + BSkull is OP. I have tried Sphinx's Rev, and it hardly ever felt great. It usually only gets cast for X=4, which isn't always quite enough when you're under pressure. Gideon is great for those situations when you're behind and also great when you're ahead.
The namesake (Geist)--I didn't want to go down to 3, but I think it's the right move. It sucks against BGx decks (Liliana + giant dudes) and gets bricked by Anglers/Tasigurs/Rhinos/Goyfs. It's not amazing vs. decks that gum up the ground. I think 3 is pretty decent to maintain the deck's aggressive elements.
Anyway, that was long. Hope it was somewhat informative. I think the deck's reasonable, though it's definitely not tier 1 or anything. With tight play, I think it can still be competitive, depending on your goals. (If you want to top 8 a GP, this thing isn't for you. But then you're unlikely to be on this site because you're busy playtesting with your team anyway. If you are happy with something that keeps you in most games and can put up solid results with tight play, then it's fantastic. Maybe it'll randomly top 8 a GP again someday.)
Blood Moon--great against the super bad Amulet Bloom matchup and also against Tron. Yes, we're running a 3-color deck, but we can still win with the Blood Moon anyway. BGx decks also get greedy with their manabases, so it's great there as well.
Fulminator Mage
Sowing Salt--could be good, but it may also come down a little late
Aven Mindcensor--kind of a mediocre card, but it has been solid for me in the past vs Amulet Bloom, Tron, and randomly Stone Raining fetchlands
Costs just 4 vs. Gideon Jura (5), makes chump blockers vs BGx/Grixis (or attackers), and gets indestructible instead of "prevent all damage." Only Path takes him out. Looks like an solid wincon.
Hey Nate, have you been able to play lately? Any new updates, videos, or articles you plan on sharing anytime soon?
Also, enemy manlands confirmed! Depending on how good they are, they may definitely find a home in our deck alongside Colonnade. Looking forward to testing them out.
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Xxhellfirexx3 I think the problem right now is that bgx is a tough matchup and is something you'll have to face at the higher levels of a big tournament. Tron is very difficult as well, as is Bloom Titan. Those decks have been back on the rise. We have great match ups against the decks you mention, but they're a bit less prevalent right now.
Still, a great deck that could maybe make top 8 of a big tournament depending on the luck of match ups you face and your draws. Also, it has the added benefit of being a semi-rogue deck. many people board poorly.
GreatNate, thanks for the feedback. I will be boarding out Cryptics in the future. I would imagine the Grixis matchup improves a lot after that?
(Bgx is still winnable, but Tron and Amulet Bloom are extremely tough. They're tough for bgx as well, so maybe we will see more burn soon? That'd be sweet for UWR.)
TheAller, I agree. Seems like grixis is basically a better Aggro- control style deck with access to the same blue and red cards. Turn two tasigur/angler feels like turn 3 Geist, except that it stands up better to golf/rhino. Only great cards missing from that deck are the colonnades and paths (exile can be relevant). Helix is good against burn, but I guess those quick tasigur/anglers can brick their creatures? Not sure, would love to build that deck and test it against burn. Still, I love Geist for fun haha.. The deck is just missing one piece somewhere...
Hey Nate, have you been able to play lately? Any new updates, videos, or articles you plan on sharing anytime soon?
Also, enemy manlands confirmed! Depending on how good they are, they may definitely find a home in our deck alongside Colonnade. Looking forward to testing them out.
I've been getting back into play testing on MTGO. I still don't have the equipment in Europe to produce videos.
I did run a list to a 3-0 in an 8-Man, that't not saying a whole lot, but I continue to have reasonable success with the deck.
I plan to keep jamming Geist as always.
I am going to be working with Jason Clark to update our list/sideboard guide. I'll post it here when we do.
Anyway the reason in my opinion is simple: the Grixis combination of colors is better than the Jeskai combination right now. Black gives you stronger cards than white. Why even run Geist when you can have Tasigur and Angler? I've come to realize, even though I love Geist, the place of this deck has been taken by Grixis Control and Grixis Delver. They do what Geist does, but better.
Why run Geist when you have Angler/Tasigur? Because they are not Hexproof! Things are not nearly as lopsided as you are making it sound. Sure they have a 4/5 and a 5/5, but you have 4 ways to kill them post board, and 6-7 post. How do they kill Geist? Blocking!? Our deck is DESIGNED to beat that plan.
In the most recent 8-Man I played I faced Grixis in round three and crushed. I didn't record it, but I do have the replay. I will try and do some commentary over it and demonstrate how Geist is worse for them than their x/5's are for us.
TheAller, I agree. Seems like grixis is basically a better Aggro- control style deck with access to the same blue and red cards. Turn two tasigur/angler feels like turn 3 Geist, except that it stands up better to golf/rhino. Only great cards missing from that deck are the colonnades and paths (exile can be relevant). Helix is good against burn, but I guess those quick tasigur/anglers can brick their creatures? Not sure, would love to build that deck and test it against burn. Still, I love Geist for fun haha.. The deck is just missing one piece somewhere...
Guys, the deck is very capable.
My teammate Larry Swasey is probably the best player who consistently jams Geist, and is honestly an example of what the deck can do in the right hands.
In case you forgot, he recently got 2nd in a Magic Online PTQ. That is something like 10-12 back to back rounds in which he only had two losses due to misplays. Unfortunately one of those two was in the finals, but the important thing to note here is that played correctly the deck can go all of the way.
As an addition, don't forget. Three members of #TeamGest went to GP Boston 2014, and all three made day 2. Larry ended with a record of 12-3. He lost his top 8 win-and-in due to a misplay against infect. This was in a field of Jund & Pod, and everyone said the same thing they always do. Geist is bad in this meta.
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
2 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Restoration Angel
1 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Vendilion Clique
Spells (23)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Remand
2 Electrolyze
2 Anticipate
2 Valorous Stance
1 Spell Snare
2 Counterflux
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Dispel
2 Wear // Tear
1 Keranos, God of Storm
1 Spellskite
1 Celestial Purge
1 Negate
1 Deflecting Palm
1 Sudden Shock
1 Batterskull
UR UR Twin RUUR UR Breach RU
RG Titanshift GR
UWR Jeskai RWU
Where does he fit? If your cutting stuff other than Bob? Not really asking, since that discussion belongs in the Jund thread, but the point being is that he isn't that powerful. Put him next to Bob and Tiago and it becomes fairly obvious. It's the usual fad burst that flows over from Standard hits.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
While this isn't the right thread for this, jund players have already been trying him in the way that I suggested (think bloodbraid elf role).
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
3 Restoration Angel
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Dragonlord Ojutai
Planeswalkers
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
Lands
2 Island
2 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Flooded Strand
1 Sulfur Falls
3 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Path to Exile
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Remand
3 Electrolyze
2 Cryptic Command
1 Counterflux
1 Negate
3 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Combust
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Keranos, God of Storms
2 Wear// Tear
1 Supreme Verdict
Here's what Geist of Saint Chandra looks like after about 4 weeks of testing.
A 3 mana sweeper than can exist in the mainboard at the same time as Geist of Saint Traft without causing troubles. Easily does 3 damage but, in a pinch, does one damage and leaves your Geist alive.
Another topic of discussion would be the new Gideon and the new fetchable duals. I'll be testing both of them out before writing them off. The duals have potential but I'm not sure they slot into a deck that at minimum will run 4 Celestial Colonnades. But we'll see!
Here's the list, with round notes below
Lands (25)
3x Scalding Tarn
2x Arid Mesa
3x Flooded Strand
2x Steam Vents
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
4x Celestial Colonnade
2x Sulfur Falls
1x Eiganjo Castle
2x Tectonic Edge
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Mountain
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Vendilion Clique
2x Restoration Angel
1x Thundermaw Hellkite
Spells
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
3x Lightning Helix
3x Remand
2x Mana Leak
3x Electrolyze
2x Cryptic Command
2x Dispel
1x Negate
2x Wear // Tear
1x Celestial Purge
2x Stony Silence
2x Kor Firewalker
1x Anger of the Gods
2x Engineered Explosives
1x Keranos, God of Storms
1x Gideon Jura
Round-by-round:
(Boarding plans where I have them written down)
R1 Infect 2-0. Matchup is incredibly favorable, pretty hard to mess up.
(1-0)
R2 RUG Twin 2-0. I also like the Twin matchup. Spell Snares were amazing in this matchup. The 2nd game came down to the wire, with me untapping at 3 life with Cryptic Command in hand and a V-Clique in play, and my opponent at 1. Opponent tried to bolt me, but that didn't work out for him.
(2-0)
R3 Jund 0-2. Opponent cast multiple Lilianas each game, and I could only counter so many. Had to fight hard to deal with the others, and they got entirely out of control. Discard and Lilianas are impossible for UWR Geist to beat. One Boros Charm may even be an ok solution here to deal with Liliana once she ticks up to 4. It can also contribute to the burn plan, and indestructible clause has uses as well. It could maybe replace a Lightning Helix. (I'm not impressed by Helix these days--it is still great against burn, but otherwise, there aren't quite as many targets. Burn can also now run Atarka's command + Skullcrack for even more anti-lifegain, so sequencing when to cast it can sometimes get a little tricky.)
(2-1)
R4 Abzan 2-0. Anytime you can Bolt or Helix a Goyf, it feels like the opponent did something terribly wrong. That should never happen, but when it does, it usually contributes to easy wins. Spell Snares were great also. I think I finished the game off with a Geist + Thundermaw. He made me sac one of the two with a Liliana, which wasn't enough.
(3-1)
R4 BW Tokens 2-1. Opponents lingering souls/spectra processions/bitterblossoms got out of control game 1. Game 2 was tough, but I kept him down to 2 attackers per turn with Bolts/Helixes/Electrolyze because he had 3 Windbrisk Heights in play. Opponent told me after the game that he had a Bitterblossom, Spectral Procession, and Intangible Virtue below those, which would have been rough. I bought enough time till I threw down an EE and then a Geist and killed him off with Geist + burn + Colonnade + Resto. Game 3 was a little easier with multiple EE's.
Sideboard: -4 Path, -2 Clique, -1 Helix, +2 EE, +2 Wear//Tear, +1 Negate, +1 Anger, +1 Celestial Purge
(4-1)
R6 Grixis control 0-2. I had a really tough time in this matchup. Game 1 was a mull to 6 with 1 land (Sulfur Falls), which I should have ditched. Opponent landed a turn 2 Gurmag Angler, and that was it. Game 2 was a little bit more interactive. Opponent cast dispel a couple times to counter my more expensive spells, which set me back a lot on tempo, and that was mostly enough. After the games, my opponent told me that he actually takes out Cryptics against other blue control decks because it gets trumped so easily by the 1-mana answer of Dispel. This makes a lot of sense, but I don't think I've seen anyone else do it. Pretty clever.
(4-2)
R7 Burn 2-1. Lost game 1 pretty handily. Game 2 was a lot better with all of the sideboard options coming in (2 Kor Firewalker, 2 Dispel, 1 Negate, 1 Purge) for some of the clunkier spells (3 Remand, 2 Electrolyze, 1 Thundermaw). I think V-Clique is fine in this matchup. It either eats a burn spell or a guy, unless they have Searing Blaze, which gets turned on at some point anyway. In this matchup, I targeted myself with V-Clique multiple times rather than my opponent. If you have any extra lands or any of the clunkier spells, it really helps to dig toward a Helix or Kor Firewalker. An interesting interaction I haven't seen before: Skullcrack (resolves) + Volcanic Fallout against a board of Kor Firewalker and Geist. Ouch. Game 3 wasn't fair since my opponent mulled to 5.
(5-2)
R8 Abzan 2-0. Each of these super grindy games came down to the wire. I stabilized at 2 life in game 1 and won with some combination of Colonnade/Geist/burn/Resto (can't remember). Game 2, I won with Keranos cast when both me and my opponent were at 9. He's pretty tough to beat at a healthy life total. I managed to keep the Lilianas in check (the key to this matchup) with a combination of counters, Celestial Purge, and Snapcasters.
Sideboard: -2 Geist, -2 V-Clique, -1 Helix, -1 Mana Leak; +1 Negate, +2 EE, +1 Purge, +1 Keranos, +1 Gideon
(6-2)
R9 Grixis Delver 2-1. Actually played Caleb Durward here, who is an amazing player and a really nice guy. Big fan of his CFB videos. Neither of us were in contention for top 8 at that point. I definitely had fun this match. Game 1, I mulled to 5, but I put up a little bit of a fight. He landed a Gurmag Angler, which was really bad for me. I cast a Clique to see his hand, which just looked unbeatable. It had a Tasigur, Dispel, 2 Bolts, and a Terminate. The Tasigur went to the bottom of his library. Clique got killed off immediately. My hand was garbage, just Snap & Bolt and some clunky stuff that wasn't going to help much while I was on however few lands I was on. My best route to victory was for him to mess up (which wasn't gonna happen). I'm at 11, so I can't really afford hits from Gurmag Angler. (Also relevant--no Paths in the yard.) I cast Bolt on the Angler (resolves), Snap (resolves), and flashback Bolt on Angler. Since he was awake, that didn't work. He Dispels the Bolt and Terminates the Snap. I'm dead the next turn. Game 2 was very interactive. Game 3, he mulled to 5, but it was still a real game due to Kolaghan's Command. (This card is amazing with Snaps.) It was either in game 2 or 3 where there was a fun counter war involving Snapcaster. On 4 mana, I spell snared Snap, which gets Dispeled, then Remanded the Spell Snare and recast it. Resolved Snaps are bad news. Geist + burn + Gideon + Colonnade finished the job in these games. (Gideon didn't do much, but he was good that game.) Electrolyze was great against Snap + Young Pyro. I didn't see Delvers, but I know he was playing those.
(7-2)
Felt pretty good about the tournament, but wish it went even better.
Tldr, general thoughts:
Favorable matchups: Infect is an amazing matchup, and Burn is pretty good. I also like the matchup vs Twin. Dodged Affinity, but I think that one's pretty decent also. BW tokens is a great matchup post-board with EE, Anger, and Wear // Tear coming in, but makes some of our cards look silly pre-board.
BGx--a pretty bad matchup, but it seemed ok today (2-1). I think the better pilots of those decks are still favored. I think Abzan's worse since the Path to Exiles are spread so much thinner. I hate Liliana.
Grixis control--matchup's a little hard, but do-able. It might be worth siding out Cryptics like my opponent did. I also don't know if it's right or wrong to keep in Geists. They only have 4-5 creatures that can block it and can't otherwise interact with it. Turn 2 Tasigur/Angler is just bad news if you're not holding a Path/Remand/Leak. (Even then, they could hold up a Dispel if they wait until turn 3 to play those threats.)
Grixis Delver--plays out similarly to Grixis control, but some of the threats can be dealt with a little more easily.
Bad matchups: Tron (dodged a bullet), Amulet Bloom (very few copies in the tournament), Grishoalbrand (haven't decided whether this is good or bad yet, but I think it's hard post-board with their control-hate)
Cards:
Spell Snare--this card is great. 2 is the right number for the meta. Counters so many relevant threats/counters/Snaps in the tier 1 decks.
Serum Visions--still don't think it's necessary, but I think it's a judgment call.
Lightning Helix--pretty bad outside of the Burn matchup.
Mana Leak--what a nonbo with the Path in the BGx matchups. It's at least good early, so still uncertain. Otherwise it's mediocre.
Tectonic Edge--I like this over Ghost Quarters. Keeps Leaks live later (see above).
Electrolyze--I like 3-of against the top tier decks. It helps the deck's consistency and burn plan as well.
Thundermaw--actually a solid mainboard threat even against decks not running tokens/Lingering Souls. It can be sided out for better lategame cards afterward, but it is fine in almost all matchups pre-board.
Vendilion Clique--love having 2 of these. Very few Lingering Souls around these days.
Restoration Angel--great to have 2, would feel a little clunkier to have have more. Did manage to pull ahead late game by Resto blinking Cliques, Snap + Dispel/Bolt/Snare (1-mana spells), or a creature targeted by removal (once in a while).
Remand--I find it's not just a Time Walk, but it just helps to hit early land drops and add to consistency. Having 3-of has been great.
Cryptic Command--2-of is great. I think others have decided this is the right number as well.
Eiganjo Castle--wow, Castle + Geist = gg in so many games.
Spellskite--this may be controversial, but I don't think we need it. It helps matchups we don't need much help in, though it has its uses in the Burn and Affinity matchups. It's unnecessary in Twin or Infect. Bogles is uncommon, and EE is fine there.
Engineered Explosives/Anger--these are the sweepers I want. Fantastic.
Dispel--amazing
Negate--solid
Targeted hate cards (Kor Firewalker, Stony Silence)--like having these since those matchups have pretty bad game 1's otherwise. Need to boost those win %'s post-board.
Late game wincons (Thundermaw, Keranos, Gideon Jura)--Thundermaw is great to have in the main. Keranos was fine to have. Gideon Jura was decent, but I'm not sold. I may go back to Batterskull there for the decks that don't run Kolaghan's Command since Geist + BSkull is OP. I have tried Sphinx's Rev, and it hardly ever felt great. It usually only gets cast for X=4, which isn't always quite enough when you're under pressure. Gideon is great for those situations when you're behind and also great when you're ahead.
The namesake (Geist)--I didn't want to go down to 3, but I think it's the right move. It sucks against BGx decks (Liliana + giant dudes) and gets bricked by Anglers/Tasigurs/Rhinos/Goyfs. It's not amazing vs. decks that gum up the ground. I think 3 is pretty decent to maintain the deck's aggressive elements.
Anyway, that was long. Hope it was somewhat informative. I think the deck's reasonable, though it's definitely not tier 1 or anything. With tight play, I think it can still be competitive, depending on your goals. (If you want to top 8 a GP, this thing isn't for you. But then you're unlikely to be on this site because you're busy playtesting with your team anyway. If you are happy with something that keeps you in most games and can put up solid results with tight play, then it's fantastic. Maybe it'll randomly top 8 a GP again someday.)
Blood Moon--great against the super bad Amulet Bloom matchup and also against Tron. Yes, we're running a 3-color deck, but we can still win with the Blood Moon anyway. BGx decks also get greedy with their manabases, so it's great there as well.
Fulminator Mage
Sowing Salt--could be good, but it may also come down a little late
Aven Mindcensor--kind of a mediocre card, but it has been solid for me in the past vs Amulet Bloom, Tron, and randomly Stone Raining fetchlands
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Costs just 4 vs. Gideon Jura (5), makes chump blockers vs BGx/Grixis (or attackers), and gets indestructible instead of "prevent all damage." Only Path takes him out. Looks like an solid wincon.
Also, enemy manlands confirmed! Depending on how good they are, they may definitely find a home in our deck alongside Colonnade. Looking forward to testing them out.
decks playing:
none
Still, a great deck that could maybe make top 8 of a big tournament depending on the luck of match ups you face and your draws. Also, it has the added benefit of being a semi-rogue deck. many people board poorly.
GreatNate, thanks for the feedback. I will be boarding out Cryptics in the future. I would imagine the Grixis matchup improves a lot after that?
I'm definitely going to continuing to run Geist
I've been getting back into play testing on MTGO. I still don't have the equipment in Europe to produce videos.
I did run a list to a 3-0 in an 8-Man, that't not saying a whole lot, but I continue to have reasonable success with the deck.
I plan to keep jamming Geist as always.
I am going to be working with Jason Clark to update our list/sideboard guide. I'll post it here when we do.
Why run Geist when you have Angler/Tasigur? Because they are not Hexproof! Things are not nearly as lopsided as you are making it sound. Sure they have a 4/5 and a 5/5, but you have 4 ways to kill them post board, and 6-7 post. How do they kill Geist? Blocking!? Our deck is DESIGNED to beat that plan.
In the most recent 8-Man I played I faced Grixis in round three and crushed. I didn't record it, but I do have the replay. I will try and do some commentary over it and demonstrate how Geist is worse for them than their x/5's are for us.
Guys, the deck is very capable.
My teammate Larry Swasey is probably the best player who consistently jams Geist, and is honestly an example of what the deck can do in the right hands.
In case you forgot, he recently got 2nd in a Magic Online PTQ. That is something like 10-12 back to back rounds in which he only had two losses due to misplays. Unfortunately one of those two was in the finals, but the important thing to note here is that played correctly the deck can go all of the way.
Tweet about losing in the finals:
https://twitter.com/krazykirby4/status/622557550786035712
Deck list:
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck_search_result.asp?Location=2015 Magic Online PTQ - 7/18
Deck list refernced in article:
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=12693&writer=Adam Yurchick
As an addition, don't forget. Three members of #TeamGest went to GP Boston 2014, and all three made day 2. Larry ended with a record of 12-3. He lost his top 8 win-and-in due to a misplay against infect. This was in a field of Jund & Pod, and everyone said the same thing they always do. Geist is bad in this meta.