Illusion based tribal deck for a modern format.
The deck revolves around the hyper efficient creatures that happen to be illusions.
The Creatures:
Jace's Phantasm may hit the field as a 1/1 flyer, but with Lord of the Unreal and Phantasmal Image, he's a 3/3 or even 4/4 flyer for one.
Phantasmal Bear is a 2/2 for one in BLUE of all places. He hits the field running, and will trade with some of the most efficient creatures in modern, like Goblin Guide or Wild Nacatl (if you have a Lord of the Unreal).
Krovikan Mist is the best reason to play Illusions. This guy is frighteningly efficient. He will almost always come into play at the very least as a 2/2 flyer for 2. And you don't have to do anything with him. Simply by playing the game, he'll get even stronger. This guy, when built around, is a Tarmogoyf with wings. Which means that it was probably a smart choice for us to build around him.
Lord of the Unreal is the only non-illusion creature in this deck, but he pumps everyone else, and grants them much needed protection from bounce and kill spells
Phantasmal Image should, whenever possible, copy a Lord of the Unreal. Permanent (at least until a board wipe) +1/+1 and hexproof for all illusions is almost OP. And the Image itself will enter as a 4/4 hexproof for UU, which is very efficient. If you can't copy a LotU, a Krovikan Mist can be incredibly powerful. Or, if you get really lucky, you might be able to copy your opponent's Phyrexian Obliterator, or any similar kinds of creatures. It should be noted though, that you need to be careful copying opposing creatures. While all the creatures in this deck fit well here, many of the most powerful creatures in modern do not. Just be careful with the things you copy.
The Draw Spells:
Gitaxian Probe is essentially a free draw. Running a play set allows us to run 18 lands, and when tempo is the name of the game, the fewer lands you run the better
Slight of Hand is a way to draw from two deep in your library for a single mana, and also has the flavor of an illusion
Telling Time is a vital form of instant dig. It will get an extra land out of the way, replace itself in your hand, and let you know (and decide) what your next draw will be. Often you will be leaving two islands open with a Remand and a Telling Time when you pass the turn, and will then react to your opponent. Instant speed library search is so important for us because it allows us to maintain tempo while still leaving mana open for counterspells.
The Tempo/Counter Spells:
Hinder is an all star here. It can lock down an opponent's draw for a turn, and ensure that you can get that extra swing in, or it can counter a spell and put it in a place where it will not be coming back for a long time. Also incredibly helpful against Lingering Souls decks.
Remand is a beautiful counterspell, essentially being a free turn. We don't lose a card, we dig deeper into our deck, and we buy ourselves some time. There is nothing more you could ask out of a tempo card.
Spell Pierce is the least consistent counter in the deck. Some games will see it used often, whereas in others it will be a dead draw. Every single deck has a glaring weakness. We get screwed over by board wipes and draw cards. Spell Pierce is our defense against them.
Vapor Snag is a great way to clear creatures and hit for an extra life point. And in a deck as timed as this one, that single damage is often highly relevant.
The Lands:
Island is love, Island is life
The Sideboard
The sideboard is NOT geared toward the top decks in the format. This deck is made for casual play, and for that reason the sideboard exists to counter a wide variety of possible threats.
This sideboard was designed to be as easy to use as possible. Rather than being tuned to a certain meta, it is designed to allow the deck more flexibility in a variety of situations. The deck was constructed to have the following core:
4 Krovikan Mist
4 Lord of the Unreal
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Remand
18 Island
These cards will ALWAYS be in the deck. The other 19 cards are divided up into situational 4-ofs, 3-ofs, and 2-ofs.
The sideboard is built to work with these situational slots and provide more relevant cards.
For example, if I am facing a very strong token deck, I'll take my 4 Telling Time and make them 4 Echoing Truth. Or, if there is a fast burn deck making life difficult, the 3 Hinder will be swapped out for 3 Flashfreeze, a cheaper counterspell. Additionally, the utility slots can change. Though Gigadrowse is a 3-of in the sideboard, I can take 2 Gigadrowse and swap them in for my 2 Spell Pierce.
It's all about deciding what cards you need in what quantities, and acting accordingly.
Without further ado, here is a rundown of the sideboard.
Jace's Phantasm is here if you run into a graveyard deck. Any deck that quickly fills its own graveyard (tempo, permission, reanimator, dredge, etc.) will make the Phantasm a 4-of for games 2 and 3. He'll be a better one drop than the bear, so simply swap them.
Spell Pierce will become a great benefit in matchups against counter decks, as well as creatureless ones.
Gigadrowse is a utility card designed to either clear the way of blockers for a large strike, or to shut down an opponent's lands for a turn, giving you the time you need to finish him or her off.
Swan Song is for when 3 Spell Pierce aren't enough, or when a hard counter is absolutely essential.
Flashfreeze is essential for combating aggressive red and green decks. It is the only counter in these 75 cards that does not gain tempo, and is only here because creature based red and green decks very quickly overpower us, and sometimes we need a cheap and permanent counter.
Echoing Truth is our other defense against hyper aggressive strategies. Chump blockers make our life miserable, so the ability to get rid of tokens is essential. In addition, any number of enchantments, artifacts, or 'walkers that net cards will quickly undo the tempo we gain, so we need a way of making those disappear.
Pithing Needle is our last piece of tech, and our most versatile. If there is a deck that revolves around a specific strategy (Splinter Twin, e.g.) that we cannot get around, the needle is our safeguard. It is worth noting that fetchlands can also be named.
Again, I hope you guys have enjoyed this, and I'd love some feedback on it. Thanks!
