I saw. Looks like I have yet another deck to test out more :)

Eerie Interlude and Encircling Fissure would be good sideboard cards

Congratulations on your FNM win :D

Noctem, Thanks! The last match against CoCo was intense as the guy beat me game 1 and almost got me game 2 while game 3 was a little easier.

Hey there, I have a more budget spirit deck here, could you take a look and give some suggestions. I am on a budget, so that's why there are no Spell Quellers or Archangel Avacyn  ^Flips in there, thanks!

could you give us a basic run-down of what you sided in for each match at the last FNM? It would be useful info :)

Noctem, Good idea, I'll edit the update and put it in.

Cheers!

Considering you're siding in Avacyn in every match from the last FNM, why not just put her in the main?

Noctem, I would have to raise the mana-base to make it more consistent so I could actually play Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip on turn 5, also I am nervous about cutting cards because I like the flexibility the deck has on game one.

On another note, In preparation for Game day I'm thinking about taking out 1 Essence Flux and 1 Negate from the sideboard in place of 2 Summary Dismissals to counter Emrakul. What do you think about that?

i think you should

IsThisWolfe,
Congrats on your FNM win!

It's a local meta call of course, but I like Learn from the Past on sideboard more than Summary Dismissal. I've found it plenty effective vs. Emrakul, but it's also solid vs. graveyard recursion and pure Delirium decks. Superb against the occasional Mill deck too.

I played my version of this deck last night for standard. Went 4-0. Played against Temurge twice, BW control with Kalitas mainboard and W/R humans.

Here are the changes I made to the deck:

-3 Unsubstantiate <- moved to sideboard

-4 Declaration in Stone <- flat removed

-1 Ojutai's Command <- I find 2 is enough.

-3 Blessed Alliance <- Moved to sideboard

-2 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit <- flat removed

+2 Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip <- moved to main

+2 Elder Deep-Fiend <- More mid - end game added to the deck

+3 Clash of Wills <- Counters in the main are huge for tempo gains and to punish players for playing on curve.

+2 Reflector Mage <- Bounce problem creatures and prevent them from being cast for a while

+1 Essence Flux <- Prevention of removal is very important, it can also be used to beef up attackers to speed up the clock.

The opponents were simply unable to have any board presence. Removal and hand hate was simply countered or fizzled. Usually won by turn 6 or so. Sometimes faster, sometimes a little longer. Nebelgast Herald did win me a game vs W/R Humans almost single handed. I did some other changes to the side. I'll post a deck and link it if you want. GG

clayperce, Thanks! One thing I do like about Summary Dismissal more then Learn from the Past is that it allows me to not just counter Emrakul, but also anything else including planeswalker abilities, but I will definitely try it out.

Noctem, Congrats on the win! Also it'd be great if you post your deck, I love looking at other people's take on the spirit deck.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/uw-spirits-4-0-standard/

Here you go :) I also added in feedback about the 4-0 win last night.

Noctem, Well you convinced me. From seeing how your deck performed for you and mine from my last FNM, I have moved Avacyn mainboard in place of Anafenza (though she will be missed) and dropped an Unsubstantiate for another plains.

I think 23 lands is the way to go. It helps to make the deck more consistent.

Hi, I am a returning player, only really started playing again a few months ago. I am just curious as to how Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip Doesn't completely wipe your board, are you able to sacrifice a Selfless Spirit before she flips?

In the current round of testing, have you found that the spirits lack toughness? I have recently had great success with an Odric, Lunarch Marshal deck, though find when against aggro decks, I do not have the toughness to stop the damage. Have you considered including the Drogskol Shieldmate?

Love the work so far and cannot wait to test a version of this deck.

BaronBrademon, So the main interaction between Selfless Spirit and Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip is this:

Have Avacyn and Selfless spirit on the battlefield. At the end of my untap step or in response to Avacyn's trigger I will sac my spirit, giving my creatures indestructibility for the rest of my turn and cause Avacyn to flip.

Now about toughness. In FNM and other times I've played I'm never swinging into creatures as the opponent will not have any with flying (unless I allow it) so in combat toughness is never an issue, the only times where it is a liability is when I play against a resolved Liliana, the Last Hope, but even then I can go wide and kill it. Because of this I would not want to put in Drogskol Shieldmate and Always Watching is better.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. It is sometimes hard to find explanations regarding interactions between cards.

I suppose it is the same regarding things like Languish? Doesn't bother this deck due to the Spell Queller's and Unsubstantiate's?

BaronBrademon, unfortunately -x/-x Effects do get around indestructible (Languish, Grasp of darkness for example) but yes, like you said, this is where Spell queller, the other counterspells and other means of protection come in handy.

Noctem, After some playtesting I have switched Bygone Bishop out for Thunderclap Wyvern as it does a lot more for me in a shorter time period and also protects my spirits from Liliana while putting the opponents on a faster clock and have switched an Ojutai's Command with another plains.Wanted to let you know to see what you thought.

Well right now I'm kind of confused. You see on thursday I went to standard and got 4-0. Almost 2-0 every opponent. On friday FNM I also went 4-0, went super well. I went to gameday with confidence.

On saturday I went 1-4. The only match I managed to win was against another spirit deck that was more control oriented. I felt good after that win only to then lose the next 3 matches. Either the deck stumbled, bricked on 2-3 lands or flooded.. or the opponent was able to deal with everything I played, or something else. It was a really frustrating experience.

Not deterred, I went in Sunday with a slightly modified 75 based on what I had seen and played against. I went 0-3 and dropped. The same things that plagued me on Saturday happened again. I did lose 1 match due to a mistake against a B/W control deck I think, however I'm not even 100% sure it would have made the difference between losing and winning the match.

So right now, I'm not sure what to make of my experience. Next week my LGS is hosting an open championship which I have free entry to because of previous events I attended. I honestly don't know if I'm going to try my hand at this deck again or if I'm going to go with something else. I just don't get what happened.

Noctem, My gameday experience was somewhat similar.

My first match I played was against B/G delirium, I ended up winning the first round pretty easy but the second match I got some bad draws and made a huge misplay witch almost cost me the game fortunely I was able to pull out a win and get 2-0.

My second match was angainst B/G delirium again, I got stuck on 3 and made a misplay of not holding mana open for spell queller witch allowed him to resolve a Liliana after that I was able to get him to 3 life but still lost (would have won if I spell quelled Liliana). Second round I got mana flooded and he resolved a Emrakul so I lost. 0-2 though I feel if I won the first match and went to the third match I could have gone 2-1.

My third game was another B/G delirium deck witch I went 2-0 against (pretty much the same list as the one I lost to except I had a good amount of control and no misplays).

The last game would allow to make top 8 and continue if I won BUT it was a mirror match.The first round I steamrolled him and won at turn 6, but on the second match he brought in always watching and Tamiyo and won, the third match I got him to 3 life but he played 3 always watching and a Rattlechains while I only had a selfless spirit on the board and drew into land so I lost 1-2

Overall 2-2

And yeah I misspelled all of the "Which"s in that post but tappedout won't let me edit