Spirits are one of the less popular green tribal decks, but I've never understood why. Sure, many of these cards are not great in and of themselves, and the Soulshift mechanic might seem a little underwhelming at first glance. But with card draw not always being green's strong suit, Soulshift can lend itself to late-game staying power that mono-green tribal doesn't always do so well.
In contrast to explosive elf tribal decks, this deck plays like a slowly building crescendo that doesn't emerge as a major threat until you've already set yourself up for a devastating late-game board presence.
Perhaps most appealing to a player like me, it is loaded with flavor, primarily making use of beautiful cards from the Kamigawa block.
"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwords." - Lewis Carroll
Deck Mechanics
If you're going spirit tribal,
Kodama of the South Tree
is the way to go. A 4/4 body for 4 mana is nice on its own. One that beefs up your creatures and gives them all trample is even better. Think Baru, Fist of Krosa, but rather than exploding in one turn with Boundless Realms, you're employing some patience and restraint, making it a slower grind with more lasting board presence and card advantage.
A typical winning game with this deck involves keeping creatures on the board to defend while bouncing back from boardwipes--often digging for
Iname, Life Aspect
with Greater Good or
Lifespinner
to leave you with a huge hand full of creatures for the coup de grace.
The essence of the Soulshift mechanic is having plenty of creatures in your hand for the late game. Take a look at
Burr Grafter
. When he dies, I can return a spirit creature with converted mana cost 3 or less from my graveyard to my hand. Say I had
Burr Grafter
and
Harbinger of Spring
on the battlefield, and they both died at the same time.
Harbinger of Spring
stays in the graveyard, and
Burr Grafter
can go back to my hand, along with a smaller creature he soulshifted back, so I can cast him later to trigger
Kodama of the South Tree
's ability. This also means that the right combination of soulshift cards can help you bounce back from a board wipe very quickly.
Birthing Pod and Soulshift go together like peas in a... well, you know. Sacrifice a creature and tutor for a bigger one. The creature you sacrificed bounces a smaller one in your graveyard back to your hand. Rinse and repeat.
Primordial Sage
and Seedborn Muse are great inclusions in just about any green deck. How cool is it that they also happen to be spirits?
Primordial Sage
is especially fun with
Loam Dweller
and Elder Pine of Jukai.
Genesis Wave and Primal Surge are some of green's most epic sorceries, easily capable of securing you a win (especially when you've got your Boseiju, Who Shelters All on board.) Because I am running these cards, I have kept instants and sorceries to a minimum, relying instead on permanents for draws and ramp.
Descendants' Path is great in any tribal deck, and even better with Kamigawa's spirit cards. Since creatures that enter via Descendants' Path are cast, they trigger every permanent that reads "whenever you play a spirit or arcane spell", including our commander,
Kodama of the South Tree
. Paired with Sensei's Divining Top, you've got yourself a fabulous way of cheating creatures onto the battlefield that takes full advantage of the deck's synergies.
Since graveyard recursion is the name of the game here, the downsides to power players like Greater Good and Slate of Ancestry can all be mitigated, or flipped into card advantage in the long run.
Skullclamp is amazing on its own. Paired with synergistic cards like
Promised Kannushi
, Burnished Hart, and
Dawntreader Elk
, it gets even better.
Oftentimes with this deck, I find myself with a huge hand in the late game, and plenty of mana to spend. This is where cards like
Loam Dweller
and Myojin of Life's Web become real rockstars. Several times, people have asked me if running Myojin of Life's Web is really a good idea, or even viable in this build. The answer to both questions is absolutely yes. She can survive most board wipes, while your soulshifters help to ensure that your hands are good and fat with creatures for her to barf out--at instant speed--in the endgame.
Key Combos and Synergies
Descendants' Path + Sensei's Divining Top
, Elder Pine of Jukai
+
Loam Dweller
, Loam Dweller
+
Primordial Sage
, Elder Pine of Jukai
+
Primordial Sage
, Loam Dweller
+
Soul of the Harvest
, Elder Pine of Jukai
+
Soul of the Harvest
, Dawntreader Elk
+
Skullclamp
, Burnished Hart
+
Skullclamp
, Bow of Nylea
+
Kodama of the South Tree
, Descendants' Path
+
Kodama of the South Tree
, Promised Kannushi
+
Skullclamp
Any thoughts or constructive criticism are welcome, and I always appreciate a +1 if you found any inspiration from this deck.
