Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde
Modern Competitive Control Counterspell Exile Midrange Spirits Tempo WU (Azorius)
Creature (28)
Land (20)
- 2x Cavern of Souls
-
4x
Flooded Strand
- 4x Hallowed Fountain
- 5x Snow-Covered Island
-
5x
Snow-Covered Plains
Artifact (4)
Sideboard
Creature (3)
Enchantment (2)
Maybeboard
Creature (6)
Sorcery (1)
I’d very much like to tune this to be as competitive as possible. I’m aware Azorious Spirits will never be a Tier 1 deck, but I’d still like to make this as efficient as I can. I’m looking for skilled critique from anyone with a critical eye; give an appraisal of what looks good, what shouldn’t be here and what I’ve overlooked. I built this from the ground up without peeking at other player’s individual variations, so I really can’t say if this is half decent or in desperate need of a tune up. I’ll be most grateful for any feedback, thanks.
Our split is approximately 50/50, so we run an even amount of and producing lands.
•Our islands and plains are blanketed in snow, owing to a particular prison spell. They’ll provide most of the and we’ll require.
•Flooded Strand will let us sift through our library to acquire one of the aforementioned lands, or better yet it’ll let us grab the next one.
•Hallowed Fountain pulls its weight, tapping for either color. I prefer the artwork in the Dissenion card, but that’s me.
•Cavern of Souls (another card with hauntingly beautiful artwork) is extremely useful. It’ll cover every single one of our creatures, including the Shapeshifter, and can also pay into the generic mana portions of a handful of other cards.
•Counterspell is as direct as it gets, and we ought not have any trouble paying the double requirement.
•Force of Negation can be just as effective, particularly early on when mana is scarce. The majority of cards in the deck qualify as so paying the alternate casting cost shouldn’t pose any problem. Special thanks to zapyourtumor for reminding me this card exists.
•Cast Path to Exile and say goodbye to a bothersome creature.
•On Thin Ice plays a bit slower at Sorcery speed, but its utility is second to none. Take that reanimated Archon of Cruelty or Ashen Rider and banish them to an ice floe faster than a leper with a one-way ticket to Moloka’i Island.
It’s in a plethora of spooky novels and video games too. You know what it is: Some this-or-that, a toy/trinket/antique whatever that supposedly is the catalyst for the spooky spirits to make themselves manifest in our corporeal realm. The Conjuring had that music box, The Exorcist had that stupid little pazuzu idol, even Raiders of the Lost Ark had...the Ark. Well, we aim to shoehorn that tired old trope right into our deck and make it work in our favor.
•Aether Vial performs beautifully here. More than half our creatures ring in at 3 mana apiece, so that’s the number of counters we’ll be placing on our vials. The remaining creatures are cheap enough that we can simply hardcast them for 2 mana a pop. A full playset of vials ensures we can drop at least 1 or 2 spirits per turn, limited only by our hand size. This bauble opens the floodgates of the spirit realm, allowing them to pour forth unhindered.
Our ghosties
•Mausoleum Wanderer makes for a fine one drop and retains value over time, receiving potential buffs from both anthem effects as well as a built in temporary ETB bolster. At best it’s a Miscast hiding in plain sight; at worst a Disrupt minus the card draw.
•Unsettled Mariner is our first line of defense. Play him early to hinder most decks that rely on a healthy amount of interaction, creating a perpetual thorn in the side of the opponent. White Weenie and Aggro decks are worth keeping an eye on, but any variety of Spellslinger deck is in for a slow trudge through the mud to gain any sort of ground against us.
Of great benefit is that this Shapeshifter counts as a Spirit, thereby able to take advantage of the various buffs our other creatures will generate.
•Selfless Spirit is great at preserving our side of the table in the event of a boardwipe; as for the dubious proposition of ‘What happens to a spirit when it dies, considering it’s supposedly already in some sort of afterlife to begin with?’, well...it seems some things just weren’t thought out far enough ahead. File that next to ’If the doors were meant to keep King Kong out, why did they make them so big?’.
•Supreme Phantom is here to give that great locker room pep talk and get everyone pumped. A decent Flyer that buffs everyone else for +1/+1 is always welcome.
•Drogskol Captain offers enchantments of a different sort; for an extra we get an arguably more effective iteration of the previous card—this time, with the bonus of granting Hexproof to the rest of our spectral menagerie.
Let’s Get Serious Show
•Spell Queller requires more situational awareness to use effectively, so be mindful what your opponent is likely to attempt to cast and try to catch it on the stack. Your reward is the expulsion of their spell, replaced with a 2/3 Flyer boasting some exceptional artwork.
•Geist of Saint Traft is here to amplify our board presence and produce 4/4 tokens to administer the beat down. These 4/4’s won’t receive any buffs, although they’re tuff enuff to endure a Virulent Plague or even a bolt.
•Strategically cast spirit spells to capitalize on their unique capabilities, further controlling the boardstate and dictating the tempo of the game.
•Turn the tide of battle utilizing Geist of Saint Traft’s ability to crank out 4/4’s, with damage output maximized through buffs from Supreme Phantom and Drogskol Captain. These anthem effects won’t buff our 4/4 token, as it’s an Angel creature token and not a Spirit creature token (which is both unfortunate and strange...considering an Angel is, by definition, a spirit creature...), but the rest of our incorporeal army will benefit.
•Pithing Needle to shut down anything specific that poses a looming threat.
•Remand as additional countermagic (from a glutton who believes one can never have enough).
•Norn's Annex to mitigate incoming battle damage.
•The ability of Kira, Great Glass-Spinner seemed intriguing, but might be redundant when paired alongside Drogskol Captain.
•Crystallization to nullify a particular creature.
”What thing is this?...for with authority commandeth he even the...spirits, and they do obey him.”
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Casual
95% Competitive
Revision 4 See all
(2 years ago)
| -2 | Counterspell | main |
| +1 | Force of Negation | main |
| -2 | Mana Leak | main |
| +3 | Mausoleum Wanderer | main |
| -2 | On Thin Ice | main |
| -2 | Path to Exile | main |
| +2 | Supreme Phantom | main |
| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 3 years |
| Last updated | 2 years |
| Legality | This deck is Modern legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 8 - 0 Mythic Rares 36 - 10 Rares 4 - 3 Uncommons 2 - 2 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.10 |
| Tokens | Angel 4/4 W, Illusion */* U |
| Folders | Other Decks, Deck Wishlist, Modern, Modern, Deck Ideas, budget_modern_ideas |
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