What are everyone's thoughts on thing in the ice? The new innistrad spoiler is generating lots of grixis hype, but I think it's better suited in jeskai as a wall of omens like card that can also be a threat. It seems to be a cross between geist and wall of omens but is a terrible top deck when hell bent.
The card seems great, but I don't think I'd run it as a 4-of. 2-3 seem good though.
I think the main issue is keeping your opponent in check before casting geist by using cheap efficient removal. I've been thinking about trying out some Forked Bolts
I also want to point out that Archangel Avacyn at eot does not make your creatures indestructible the next turn.
I've been putting a lot of time into a deck I am excited about for the upcoming no eldrazi meta.
This deck differs from many Kiki Control lists by seeking to maximize the potential value made possible by having Restoration Angel and Kiki-Jiki in the list. The combo element of the deck is certainly present, however this deck has the capability to really grind out games. Many of the cards are two for ones all by themselves, but generate incredible value when combined with Resto/Kiki. Against aggressive strategies, you have the best removal modern has to offer, while simultaneously being able to clog up the board, making it impossible for any fair decks to punch through while you fly over the battlefield with your Angels and Colonnades. Versus attrition decks like Jund, all of their one for one removal pairs up poorly against creatures with ETB value abilities that make multiple creatures, draw cards, or copy creatures. Combo isn't the best, but you have the option of going infinite yourself while being able to disrupt their plans with efficient counter spells.
The list isn't finalized, I still have to see what the new meta looks like.
Things of note:
The deck can win games behind an ensnaring bridge by copying Thopter tokens, Snapcaster Mage to flashback burn, or even copying Resto to blink Pia and Kiran to make more tokens for burning an opponent out.
Blade Splicer has been surprisingly good. Often times copying it one time, means you have at worst 6 power in play, at best 6 first strike power, and opponents are unable to attack with Rhinos, Goyfs, Reality Smashers etc..
While not as amazing as copying a Resto, copying a Blade Splicer once or twice with Kiki-Jiki means you're likely going to win.
The Finks/Splicer debate has given me a lot of thought, and for a while I settled on the 2/2 split. However Blade splicer in multiples is really good. It can be hard for an opponent to get rid all of the creatures when they have to kill the Splicer to stop the value, Kill the resto cause it's big and flies. Often times in a grindy game, you may end up with a lone Golem token in play. A top decked Blade Splicer means the existing Golemn gets First Strike, you get two more bodies, and have what is essentially a 6/6 First Strike dude that you're opponent will struggle to answer because he just killed two of your creatures.
A Golemn chump + Bolt kills just about everything.
Currently the spots in flux are:
2 x Finks/2 x Splicer or 4 x Splicer
1 x Reveillark in the SB for grindy matchups, or a 3rd Kiki Jiki for speed/combo
1 x Clique main, or the 3rd Electrolyze
The main deck condemns are a concession to the fact that I'm playing in Eldrazi infested waters, in the future I plans these to be 2 x Lightning Bolt.
Overall the deck has been awesome play, and I've had a lot of fun putting my own spin on a Resto Kiki deck.
I have some video content here if you want to see the deck in action.
You should absolutely be playing 4 Paths, and why play Disenchant instead of Wear // Tear?
Well i dont want them to get mana fixed so i did not put in the last copy of Path to Exile. The reason why disenchant is there and not wear//tear is because disenchant is the card available in my card pool. Though ill be getting 2 copies. I wanna know if my creatures are fine though the deck ive built is leaning towards tempo and not midrange. 4 snaps 4 resto 2 finks 2 gost i think is the midrange build hmm kinda torn the two builds
You should absolutely be playing 4 Paths, and why play Disenchant instead of Wear // Tear?
Well i dont want them to get mana fixed so i did not put in the last copy of Path to Exile. The reason why disenchant is there and not wear//tear is because disenchant is the card available in my card pool. Though ill be getting 2 copies. I wanna know if my creatures are fine though the deck ive built is leaning towards tempo and not midrange. 4 snaps 4 resto 2 finks 2 gost i think is the midrange build hmm kinda torn the two builds
You seem to be thinking that tempo and midrange can't live together. By design, Geist Midrange decks are tempo decks, they're just a midrange build of them, just like Delver decks are aggressive tempo decks. You gain your tempo by playing efficient removal spells like Path and Bolt as well as tempoing them with Remand to protect your Geists. And no matter the build, 4 Paths is really required honestly. You need that hard removal spell because your Bolts are only going to do so much against Goyfs.
You should absolutely be playing 4 Paths, and why play Disenchant instead of Wear // Tear?
Well i dont want them to get mana fixed so i did not put in the last copy of Path to Exile. The reason why disenchant is there and not wear//tear is because disenchant is the card available in my card pool. Though ill be getting 2 copies. I wanna know if my creatures are fine though the deck ive built is leaning towards tempo and not midrange. 4 snaps 4 resto 2 finks 2 gost i think is the midrange build hmm kinda torn the two builds
You seem to be thinking that tempo and midrange can't live together. By design, Geist Midrange decks are tempo decks, they're just a midrange build of them, just like Delver decks are aggressive tempo decks. You gain your tempo by playing efficient removal spells like Path and Bolt as well as tempoing them with Remand to protect your Geists. And no matter the build, 4 Paths is really required honestly. You need that hard removal spell because your Bolts are only going to do so much against Goyfs.
He has 2 maindeck Supreme Verdict, so he has more ways to kill Goyf than most UWR midrange lists.
Invocation is a relatively bad card but it has potential in odd circumstances due to actually putting tokens onto the battlefield. Parallel Lives for example, populate effects. Even in Standard it has to compete with Battle Mastery and Mirror Mockery for the same role. Maybe it will be a deck with stuff like Graceblade Artisan but I doubt it will be format changing. Inni / RTR had an Enchant deck like that with Fencing Ace.
Just went 5-1-1 with this list at a local GPT event. Won againts UW Control 2x, Abzan Coco 1x, Abzan Midrange 1x Jeskai Ascendancy 1x drew for top 8 and lost to Jeskai Kiki combo at playoffs. Luckily no Eldrazi.
I'll be replacing the Slayer's Stronghold (Janky) with a UR manland its much more flexible in overall match-ups.
@great Nate - I may be very late to the party but with AV being unbanned does it now get find a place in the deck?
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BW Midrange | G Legacy Elves | X MUD Weilder |X Affinity | R RDW | UWB Esper Stoneblade | W Death and Taxes | W Mono White Control (Modern) | UWRGeist Midrange (Modern) | UW Heroic | UWGrand Arbiter Augustin IV EDH
AV is too slow for midrange/aggro type decks generally because if you don't play it turn one it has no impact on the game at all, it's a dead top-draw. Even in Legacy a lot of decks don't run it for that reason and they have Force of Will to use it for as well. AV will be a fantastic addition to decks that want to generate raw card advantage and play the long game like Control decks. I think Control decks will get a lot better. I don't think it will have a huge impact on Tempo/Midrange.
A lot of people are going to try run grindier AV decks but honestly the meta minus Eldrazi isn't going to be kind to it. It's still Affinity, it's still Infect, Naya Burn will definitely come back with Eldrazi gone. The other powerhouse decks are going to be the CoCo decks like Little Kid Abzan and Melira Chord who have very strong matches against Aggro.
BUG Midrange will likely be a thing again. That deck is really good against aggro and only fell out of favour because of Twin. Ancestral Vision gives it a reason not to just be Jund or Abzan.
I can see AV being good for Esper Control as well.
Aggro is definitely going to be huge in the meta however, Affinity is still the deck to beat.
I'm not actually that pumped for ancestral visions in midrange. I'm also not pumped for sword of the meek jeskai. I think both those cards benefit true control decks more than jeskai midrange. For the sword, I think it's better in esper with tezzeret.
What I do think is the right direction for jeskai midrange is the classic geist game plan. Lightning helix will be a beast in the early meta. Geist will win out versus the new slow decks that will arise from swords and av.
I do like great nate's approach as well. This is a value deck that turns the corner quickly with geist, burn, and colonnade swings. I don't see how a wait 4 turns spell will help a deck thats typical first turn is colonnade tapped...
i suspect Ancestral Vision will be broken on the level that every blue control and midrange deck in modern will soon want to play 3-4 main. 3 cards for one mana is just too efficient to turn down. Question now is how do we build for it? What do we cut?
The card seems great, but I don't think I'd run it as a 4-of. 2-3 seem good though.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
I also want to point out that Archangel Avacyn at eot does not make your creatures indestructible the next turn.
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
2 Sulfur Falls
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Restoration Angel
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Remand
3 Electrolyze
3 Path to Exile
2 Cryptic Command
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Mana Leak
1 Sphinx Revelation
2 Spell Snare
2 Disenchant
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Ghostly Prison
2 Stony Silence
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Crumble to Dust
1 Negate
You should absolutely be playing 4 Paths, and why play Disenchant instead of Wear // Tear?
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
This deck differs from many Kiki Control lists by seeking to maximize the potential value made possible by having Restoration Angel and Kiki-Jiki in the list. The combo element of the deck is certainly present, however this deck has the capability to really grind out games. Many of the cards are two for ones all by themselves, but generate incredible value when combined with Resto/Kiki. Against aggressive strategies, you have the best removal modern has to offer, while simultaneously being able to clog up the board, making it impossible for any fair decks to punch through while you fly over the battlefield with your Angels and Colonnades. Versus attrition decks like Jund, all of their one for one removal pairs up poorly against creatures with ETB value abilities that make multiple creatures, draw cards, or copy creatures. Combo isn't the best, but you have the option of going infinite yourself while being able to disrupt their plans with efficient counter spells.
The list isn't finalized, I still have to see what the new meta looks like.
Things of note:
Currently the spots in flux are:
Overall the deck has been awesome play, and I've had a lot of fun putting my own spin on a Resto Kiki deck.
I have some video content here if you want to see the deck in action.
First video series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaUnM24uNg0A7TlCiT1ZzWrMaUsidaIn-
Versus video with Jason Clark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p3RQiLWJQI
Modern League (in-progress): Round 5 isn't out yet, but you're going to want to watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaUnM24uNg0Bu97oRSBh7JR58E96BXqRK
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Cascade Bluffs
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Condemn
2 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Mana Leak
2 Electrolyze
Creatures
4 Wall of Omens
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Blade Splicer
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Restoration Angel
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
2 Stony Silence
1 Wear//Tear
2 Negate
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Reveillark
2 Dispel
1 Izzet Staticaster
Well i dont want them to get mana fixed so i did not put in the last copy of Path to Exile. The reason why disenchant is there and not wear//tear is because disenchant is the card available in my card pool. Though ill be getting 2 copies. I wanna know if my creatures are fine though the deck ive built is leaning towards tempo and not midrange. 4 snaps 4 resto 2 finks 2 gost i think is the midrange build hmm kinda torn the two builds
You seem to be thinking that tempo and midrange can't live together. By design, Geist Midrange decks are tempo decks, they're just a midrange build of them, just like Delver decks are aggressive tempo decks. You gain your tempo by playing efficient removal spells like Path and Bolt as well as tempoing them with Remand to protect your Geists. And no matter the build, 4 Paths is really required honestly. You need that hard removal spell because your Bolts are only going to do so much against Goyfs.
UW Control
UWR Geist
UWR Control
He has 2 maindeck Supreme Verdict, so he has more ways to kill Goyf than most UWR midrange lists.
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW
UWRjeskai nahiri UWR
UBRgrixis titi UBR
UBRgrixis delverUBR
UR ur kikimite UR
EDH
RUG Riku of Two Reflections RUG
UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose UBR
UBRGYidris, Maelstrom Wielder UBRG
UBRJeleva, Nephalia's ScourgeUBR
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Restoration Angel
2x Vendilion Clique
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
Planeswalkers:
2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Spells:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Electrolyze
4 Remand
4 Path to Exile
Lands:
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Sulfur Falls
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Eiganjo Castle
2 Ghost Quarter
2x Dispel
2x Wear// Tear
2x Valorous Stance
2x Supreme Verdict
1x Keranos, God of Storms
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
3x Leyline of Sanctity
1x Negate
1x Reflector Mage
So does a Geist deck want more... Geists? I mean swinging for 10 a turn isn't bad.
Seams good on an Invisible Stalker on curve.
Geist still runs into the problem of running into anything larger than it, I would rather put a sword on Geist.
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
I'll be replacing the Slayer's Stronghold (Janky) with a UR manland its much more flexible in overall match-ups.
// Deck: Jeskai GST (60)
// Lands
2 Arid Mesa
3 Celestial Colonnade
1 Eiganjo Castle
3 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Slayers' Stronghold
2 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
// Creatures
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Restoration Angel
2 Dragonlord Ojutai
// Spells
4 Path to Exile
3 Serum Visions
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Remand
3 Electrolyze
// Sideboard
SB: 2 Wear // Tear (Tear)
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Kor Firewalker
SB: 3 Stony Silence
SB: 1 Vendilion Clique
SB: 2 Counterflux
SB: 3 Supreme Verdict
A lot of people are going to try run grindier AV decks but honestly the meta minus Eldrazi isn't going to be kind to it. It's still Affinity, it's still Infect, Naya Burn will definitely come back with Eldrazi gone. The other powerhouse decks are going to be the CoCo decks like Little Kid Abzan and Melira Chord who have very strong matches against Aggro.
I can see AV being good for Esper Control as well.
Aggro is definitely going to be huge in the meta however, Affinity is still the deck to beat.
What I do think is the right direction for jeskai midrange is the classic geist game plan. Lightning helix will be a beast in the early meta. Geist will win out versus the new slow decks that will arise from swords and av.
I do like great nate's approach as well. This is a value deck that turns the corner quickly with geist, burn, and colonnade swings. I don't see how a wait 4 turns spell will help a deck thats typical first turn is colonnade tapped...
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW