Topic: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

MODERN BANT
I have a deck that I've been tweaking for many years now. Ive gone to 2 tournaments lately and took 6-36, and 6-32.
I know this thing is good...takes folks by surprise...but I am missing something. Gimme some pointers...

Creatures: (19)
4x Geist of saint traft
4x Noble Hierarch
4x Birds of Paradise
2x Jenara, asura of war
3x Sublime Archangel
2x Scavenging Ooze

Spells/Enchantments (20)
4x Steel of the Godhead
4x Serum Visions
3x Gitaxian Probe
4x Path to Exile
3x Remand
2x Mana Leak

Lands (21)
4x Hallowed Fountain
4x Breeding Pool
4x Temple Garden
4x Plains
3x Forest
2x Island

Sideboard (15)
4x Leyline of sanctity
3x Revoke Existence
4x Spellskite
4x Celestial Purge

The heart and soul is Geist with the Steel on turn 3 swinging for 5 unblockable lifelink (+1 exalted from turn 1 Noble), and also the 4/4 angel hitting with no blocks too. After that, they are on the defensive...I hold and either Path a creature quick or Remand something to gain a turn. If Geist dies, or isnt able to be drawn, I hope for Jenara to also give the steel too.

...First tournament I lost my top 8 game to a Goblin burn deck that smoked me with Goblin Guides and Goblin Grenades (off all dam things).
...second tourny I lost to Affinity, big time. Smoked with an Inkmoth Nexus wearing a Cranial Plating with 12 other artifacts...

Thoughts:
Quasili Pridemage?
Stony Silence?
Hurkyls Recall?
spirit mantle?


THANK!!

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

Looks like a pretty fun deck, I might try it out myself.

First thing I am seeing it I dont know if you need Birds of Paradise AND Noble Hierarch. You top out at 2x Sublime Archangel so I am unsure both ramp spells are necessary honestly. I would stick to just the Hierarchs (for the awesome Exalted triggers. In its place I would add 2 Quasili Pridemage (for the always useful sac effect as well as the Exalted triggers) another Ooze and either a 4th Remand or 3rd Mana Leak.

As for the SB, I dont think I like 4 Spellskite only 2 or 3 is the right number. Depending on your meta you might even be able to do one in the Main and 2 in the SB. I am a huge fan of Stony Silence because it also shuts down a lot of Tron as well as Affinity.

Are the lack of Fetches just due to money restrictions?

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

Thanks for the tips...

I decided to run 4 Birds and 4 Nobles to 99% guarantee a turn 1 Birds or Noble. Turn 2, Geist. Turn 3 steel on the geist and thwack for 4-5 unblockable lifelink, + thats 4/4 angel...
Will probably drop 2x Birds and replace with the pridemages.

As for the Spellskites...yes, can probably drop to 2-3...I keep the 4 due to trying to get one in my opening hand every game. Really only use them for burn, but kinda helped a bit with the affinity deck i lost to.

And as for fetches...haha, I hate the things. Truthfully $$ is no issue...I have such a surplus of staples I can Ebay and get what I need quick.
My very first tournament loss with this deck went something like: Im at 4 life, needed to fetch for a land...fetched, lost 1 life ...only to be lightning bolted for the loss. Super salty Flooded Strand :-)
I can see the usefulness, but alas I throw in BoP and Nobles...

...Now what about bigger creature auras? What about invisible stalker instead of the oozes for more hexproof and unblockable?

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

Balian_Baron_of_Ibelan wrote:

Thanks for the tips...

I decided to run 4 Birds and 4 Nobles to 99% guarantee a turn 1 Birds or Noble. Turn 2, Geist. Turn 3 steel on the geist and thwack for 4-5 unblockable lifelink, + thats 4/4 angel...
Will probably drop 2x Birds and replace with the pridemages.

That makes sense. I can agree with cutting 2 Birds for the Pridemages. That sounds pretty good.

Balian_Baron_of_Ibelan wrote:

As for the Spellskites...yes, can probably drop to 2-3...I keep the 4 due to trying to get one in my opening hand every game. Really only use them for burn, but kinda helped a bit with the affinity deck i lost to.

Ok, I can see that though since you have the Lifelink, Leylines and Spellskites, I think you are set against Burn really so cutting a few Skite shouldnt be a problem

Balian_Baron_of_Ibelan wrote:

And as for fetches...haha, I hate the things. Truthfully $$ is no issue...I have such a surplus of staples I can Ebay and get what I need quick.
My very first tournament loss with this deck went something like: Im at 4 life, needed to fetch for a land...fetched, lost 1 life ...only to be lightning bolted for the loss. Super salty Flooded Strand :-)
I can see the usefulness, but alas I throw in BoP and Nobles...

I feel you. I have been in situations like that before but what happens when you need one more mana and you only have shocks in hand? Now you take two damage instead of the one damage for the fetching a basic. Though you for sure are in a great position against Blood Moon which is an upside smile

Balian_Baron_of_Ibelan wrote:

...Now what about bigger creature auras? What about invisible stalker instead of the oozes for more hexproof and unblockable?

I think you might want to be careful with this. Go too far in the aura and Hexproof route and you might as well play Bogles. I know it is not exactly the same, but Bogles will just be better if you want to use lots of Auras

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

this really seems like a slower  version of boggles. 

What is the meta like where you're playing this?

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

elpablo wrote:

this really seems like a slower  version of boggles.

It is nothing Like Bogles as it sits right now. Just because he would like to stick an aura onto a creature that is not the point of the deck. Even with out Steel of the Godhead, this deck is still a Geist deck pretty much with another way to make Geist more resilient in combat.

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

...I can see MAYBE one turn slower than boggles...but this thing is quick. Turn 2 geist? or or or turn 2 Jenara followed by a turn 3 steel on it. Boggles seam cool and all, but doesn't do it for me. You get stuck with 1-3 maybe, creatures in an opening hand and pray to pull good enough auras to get around your opponent, who, mind you is playing goblins/tokens/affinity/pretty much anything creature based and just stacking up the blockers....no point IMO. I find daybreak coronet to be a huge joke. big_smile

Id like to make the geist a sure-win on turn 4...but also have backup in case an opponents turn 3 Volcanic fallout or whatever does its damage globally and kills the Geist.

Debating on switching out Oozes or Archangels for Invisible Stalkers. Also take out Probes and slap in Unflinching Courages. Courages can be attached to dam near anything in the deck, especially on invisible stalkers, but also help if late game only pulls BoP or Noble...easily attach the aura to swing.

Taking out 2 spellskites from the SB...what should replace it? Possible board wipe? Hurkyls?

Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

This deck absolutely needs kitchen finks x4. In the current meta he is one of the best creatures. He also just wrecks burn.

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Re: Modern Bant...first time competitive Magic

With Flooded Strand and Windswept now in Modern you really should swap to a fetch based Manabase, I'd do something like...

Lands (21)
4x Windswept Heath
4x Flooded Strand
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Breeding Pool
2x Temple Garden
3x Plains
3x Forest
2x Island
1x Dryad Arbor

With this manabase you're facing LESS damage from Shocks/Fetches. Since fetching for Basics is quite viable. You may need just 1-2 Shocks and then you can switch over and every fetch saves you 1 life over the Shock.  Dryad Arbor also plays nice with Archangel.


Have you looked at including cards other than Sublime Archangel/Jenara? While I see the value of exalt and geist you wont get geist every game (Unless you want to run some kind of Time of Need/Glittering Wish package?) Archangel of Tithes, Linvala both seem to fill similar roles while being quite useful. I cant say Im a huge fan of the Steel of the Godhead game plan but whatever works right? I certainly havent played the deck.