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Main » Articles » In the Winner's Circle with Bant Spirits

In the Winner's Circle with Bant Spirits

Kyle Boggemes
Posted on December 7, 2018
 Reddit

Hey everyone!

Long time no see. It's good to write an article after a bit of a hiatus. I managed to take down the Chicago RPTQ at Pastimes Comics & Games on Sunday with Bant Spirits. It was my first time playing the deck so I'm thrilled to have such a great result. Today I'm going to talk about the tournament itself as well as how to approach Bant Spirits for your next Modern event.

Let's go!

The Tournament

I came into this event with a chip on my shoulder. Grand Prix Milwaukee left much to be desired with a 12-3 record a few weeks ago. It was a great finish, but a single win from the Pro Tour is a big difference to me.

A few months back I was also in the top 8 of the RPTQ at Pastimes and was a single win away from qualifying, but failed to convert. I've been so close, but so far away twice this quarter. I wanted this.

My carmates were great company and also some very skilled magicians: Brian Demars, Stu Parnes, and Tyler Hill.

There was some confusion about Brian's pro status. It turned out his silver had rotated and was not qualified for the event. Not a great way to start the day.

There were 69 players which meant seven rounds followed by a cut to top 8 to determine the winners of the four invites. For the rest of the day our car was very fortunate. Tyler (Hardened Scales) began 5-0 and was able to double draw into top 8. Stu (bg) lost the first round, but won five in a row to draw into top 8. I began 5-1 while dodging Stu all day and was able to draw into top 8 as well.

Our entire car that played the event managed to make it into the top 8 of a very competitive RPTQ. That's pretty lucky, but it gets better: we all managed to dodge each other in our top 8 match. then we all won our match! I have been playing PTQs since 2003 and never have I had a more equitable result for my car.

Since each Top 8 round is essentially the finals of the tournament I'm allowed to negotiate for the invite. My first question is if my opponent wants all of my Top 8 prizes in exchange for the PT invite. This has only worked a single time in my life and I was again denied. This is only legal because it doesn't affect the outcome of future matches in the event. It is not bribery because I am only offering prizes I can win within the tournament. These offers can be tricky so it's best to check with a judge beforehand.

The next question I ask is if my opponent is all right with a prize redistribution: the winner gets the invite and the loser gets all of the monetary awards. In this case I won an invite to Pro Tour Cleveland and my opponent won $250 store credit and 42 packs.

I played the following list:

Bant Spirits | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

The list was very stock. Kevin Chang talked me down from some unorthodox changes as I had little experience with the deck. That was helpful because I got to see why the stock list was built the way it was. I would have done worse in the event if I blindly copied the most stock 75.

The hive mind is uncertain if Remorseful Cleric is the 60th card. It can also be Rattlechains or a third Selfless Spirit. I was happy with the Cleric as the threat of activation can cause headaches for the opponent.

Most Bant Spirits lists play three Phantasmal Image, but I would be happy with two. I wanted a single Rattlechains against spot removal as Aether Vial decks can have trouble against control and midrange. The rest of the deck was perfect for me so I would only make that small change.

-1 Phantasmal Image +1 Rattlechains

The sideboard was the reason to play the deck in the first place. Rest in Peace helps immensely versus Dredge. There were only three Dredge decks out of 69 players, but I want to be prepared. Stony Silence is also devastating against another pillar of the format- Ancient Stirrings.

Many lists play 1-2 Dromoka's Command, but I wasn't impressed. Three Path to Exile and three Reflector Mage is already a lot of creature interaction and it's a miss on Collected Company. Moving forward I would add another counter- Negate. I want a counter that is good against both combo and control.

-1 Dromoka's Command +1 Negate

Tournament Preparation

Even though I only watched matches and played games against myself before the event I felt prepared.

I scoured the internet for videos of great players piloting the deck. Spirits had a surge in popularity in September and adding Reflector Mage technology came after so it wasn't exactly the list I would pilot, but close enough. I got a feel for how the deck operated and pros were willing to share every niche trick they knew was possible. This was nice because each pilot had unique insights.

Most of my tournament preparation consists of playing a deck against myself. I think of potential scenarios each matchup is able to present and see if it's manageable. During this time I get to work through some of the dexterity requirements as well as see how damaging mulligans can be to my game plan. If the deck flows well in my solitaires I will be happy with the choice.

I made an Excel file with sideboard plans to make sure my numbers lined up. Magic Online Daily Events are a great metagame representation. Modern is a very powerful format so most decks are able to string together a 5-0 finish twice a week when lists are posted. This resource helped me see the up to date lists for each archetype to make sure I'm not preparing for outdated technology.

Magic Online Daily Events were also helpful resource to think about how each deck sideboards against me. Since most decks are so streamlined they can only afford 3-4 cards in each matchup making this exercise simpler than it sounds. The high level finding is that sweepers, spot removal, and Nature's Claim are the most popular cards to be boarded against Spirits. Not too surprising as most opponents know the sideboard is filled with hateful enchantments.

Why Play This Deck Over Humans?

The simple answer is it's easier to play. I don't have to think about what card to name with Meddling Mage or write down their hand with Kitesail Freebooter. I also appreciate the creatures dealing the most damage all have flying. This makes the odds of needing to think about combat math decline. Humans also had this awkward problem where some hands were very good at disrupting and others were good at attacking for a lot of damage; if you kept the wrong hand it would be disastrous. Bant Spirits doesn't suffer the same fate as it has more of a one-track mind. That's a very helpful attribute for a deck against a wave of unknown opponents.

Overall Deck Guidance

Spirits are tricky; are they Faeries or Merfolk? On one hand they have flash, but the abundance of lords makes it appealing to just jam everything before combat. Spell Queller can be the nail in the coffin or it can be a 2/3 flash that might be able to eat a spell.

Almost all of my Game 1s were decided quickly because I played it as a Merfolk deck. I could play Collected Company with a spell on the stack or I can roll the dice and try to hit some lords and Noble Hierarchs before combat. In most cases I would try to hit some lords because there are eight lords and Phantasmal Images. Bant Spirits is surprisingly good at coming up with two turns clocks from nowhere.

Things get interesting after sideboard because you gain access to a good amount of interaction regardless of the matchup. I can hold up a counter for their payoff, but if they pass I can cast Collected Company.

Tricky Interactions

Despite my claims of Spirits being deceptively simple it can still be a nightmare to fight and you get rewarded for knowing how your cards interact.

  • If Spell Queller leaves the battlefield with the spell-exiling trigger on the stack the will disappear forever. This means you can use your own Path to Exile on a Spell Queller to prevent a dangerous spell, such as Scapeshift, from ever returning. Queller's exiling effect is also immune to uncounterability from Cavern of Souls and Supreme Verdict.

  • When a Mausoleum Wanderer is in play and you flash in a Spell Queller both triggers will occur and you choose how they stack. It is almost always better to put Queller's trigger on followed by Wanderer so the +1+1 will resolve first. This is because the opponent doesn't want to kill Queller until it already ate the spell otherwise it stays in exile forever. They have to pay an extra mana to save a potential removal spell from being countered by the Wanderer.

  • Exalted triggers don't need to be announced until they become relevant, but you must tell your opponent the creature sizing if they ask ahead of time. In the case of Noble Hierarch exalted becomes relevant when your creature deals combat damage. This way your opponent can potentially forget and make a bad decision.

  • When a lord enters the battlefield Mausoleum Wanderer gets +2+2 on that turn. If you Collected Company into two lords the Wanderer is at least a 5/5. I now view Mausoleum Wanderer like Delver of Secrets or Wild Nacatl. It kills faster than expected.

  • Rattlechains can give any spirit hexproof until end of turn. The default is to target itself because it may prompt the opponent to act. A trick is to target your opponent's Phantasmal Image that is copying a spirit to make them sacrifice it.

  • If you put Reflector Mage into play at end of opponent's turn with Aether Vial or Collected Company the creature can be recast when it goes to your turn. This is because it can't be cast "until your next turn." If you bounce Inkmoth Nexus or Dryad Arbor at any time they can come back on the next turn because they are playing a land and not casting a creature.

  • Phantasmal Image doesn't work well with Geist of Saint Traft because copying a legend doesn't end well most times. It is beneficial to copy the angel because the actual token doesn't have the "sacrifice at end of combat" clause.

  • If I can help it I want to leave Aether Vial on 2 so I can do more Phantasmal Image copying tricks.

  • Decks with Path to Exile, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin, or Assassin's Trophy encourage you to find you three shock lands ahead of basics with fetch lands. There are only six fetchable lands in the deck so make sure you have a target before paying a life.

  • I like to cast Collected Company before I attack if possible in case I flip Reflector Mage or Noble Hierarch. There are 30 creatures in the deck so the odds are high you hit two creatures.

  • If you hit a Phantasmal Image off of Collected Company it cannot copy the second creature you flip. This is because Image needs to decide a copy at the same time the other creature enters the battlefield. For this reason it is good to have Drogskol Captain on the battlefield ahead of time as that's the scariest creature to copy.

  • It might be right to not break fetch lands in the mid game after a Collected Company if you put a bunch of garbage on the bottom. Even though you think a single land the bottom four cards are shuffled back which may make your draws worse.

  • Aether Vial is very scary in this deck. If you don't have a creature you may get the opponent to respond an empty activation. They may be encouraged to do this because once the ability resolves the creature comes into play immediately.

Sideboard

Stony Silence - I bring this in against Tron, KCI, Hardened Scales,and other obvious fringe decks. The common swap is Aether Vial because it can't be activated. It's a win-win because I want as many hits with Collected Company as possible.

Rest in Peace - I don't board this card in often. Three copies come in against Dredge. If Dredge wasn't a deck I would play less copies. I may board in a couple copies elsewhere, but it's a Collected Company miss.

Disdainful Stroke, Unified Will, and Negate - These all come in against combo and big mana decks. I like that all three of these counter Terminus as that sweeper can give you headaches. Walking Ballista and Primeval Titans are scary which is why Stroke takes the place of a second Negate. They are Collected Company misses, but high impact in your disruptive flash game plan.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - She's great against just about every combo deck as well as control and bgx. It's a clean swap against fair decks for Phantasmal Image as there will be too much removal post board. This way your Collected Company count stays the same.

Knight of Autumn - Gains 4 life against Burn, destroys Hardened Scales and Hollow One.

Geist of Saint Traft - This creature is bad against blockers so I like it against control and combo. The third 3-drop when I'm cutting the Reflector Mages.

Cards I Never Sideboard Out

I was treating the following cards as the core of the deck and would require a corner-case to sideboard them out:

It doesn't matter to me that Thalia makes Collected Company more expensive or the counters reduce my creature count. The card is very good and as little as 26 hits is still a good amount.

Additional Sideboard Guidance

Spell Queller can be cut down to three copies as can Drogskol Captain, but I left in four most of the time.

Phantasmal Image is bad against sweepers because copying your own creature implies you are adding an additional threat to the battlefield and potentially overextending. When I become a disruptive deck against combo and control I add counters which is reducing the creature count.

Matchups

Tron:

Mirror:

U/W Control:

Burn:

Dredge:

B/R Hollow One:

Infect:

KCI:

Hardened Scales:

Jund:

Bant Spirits is a great choice because Modern is wide open and the only matchups that felt scary are the decks with piles of removal. It's fun to play and mulligans well because Collected Company can kill from nowhere.

It feels great to be back on the tour. Cleveland is a couple hours from my apartment so it will be as close to a backyard Pro Tour as I get.

Thanks for reading and I hope to have a good tournament report for you after the Pro Tour!

-Kyle

TAGS articles, constructed, modern, decklist, kyle boggemes, rptq, bant spirits, 12072018

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