Sheltered by Ghosts

Enchantment — Aura

Enchant creature you control

When this enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this leaves the battlefield.

Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 and has lifelink and ward {2}. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Standard Brawl	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (11)

Evolvereaver on New to Pioneer. *HELP*

1 month ago

I've played a lot of UB spirits even back in the day of Rakdos MDR and KarnDevotion. I believe that we've received a few quality of life support in the most recent sets.

Enduring Curiosity yes it is a four drop but you're a tempo-agro deck and this card even if it dies comes back as an enchantment. I'd recommend just running two in the main. Refills your hand and allows you to press the advantage that you worked so hard to gain.

No More Lies is better than Lofty Denial in my experience. It doesn't require you spending all your resources protecting your early drops just so you can send a card they wanted into the graveyard anyway. Sure it might seem better on game two, but adding in three RIPs against decks in the format that can consistently get graveyard use in the early game. 4 No More Lies in game 1 and adding in the RIPS afterward give you a better chance.

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel helps a lot is a 2/1 flash flying and has helped me draw many cards after enduring curiosity is down. I atmost recommend one of (it is not a spirit but it sure does come in clutch)

Sheltered by Ghosts gives +1/+0 ward 2 and lifelink also exiles a nonland permanent with no CMC restrictions.

I also have been experimenting with Seam Rip it's nice to be able to at least lock up the following

Cori-Steel Cutter Fear of Missing Out Artist's Talent Blade of the Oni Emberheart Challenger Heartfire Hero Manifold Mouse

to name a few that it has helped me out against.

Cards that I think that can be cut out or eventually phased out

Lofty Denial we just lack worthwhile early game spirits with enough protection to have the flying clause to be fulfilled. Sure it can stop a turn 2 play, but they could just pass and wait to kill your next creature.

Curious Obsession I used to love this card but at most I might leave it as a 1-2 of split with enduring curiosity. It provides no protection and the +1/+1 and forcing you to attack just makes some awkward situations. I got curious obsession I need to attack with at least a creature

razelfark on The Blight That Blinds *Updated*

1 month ago

I think if you might want at least 3 copies of Squall as the card is what alot of your cards are synergized around.

Personally I would swap out Suture Priest for Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. The tax on on noncreature spells can disrupt oponents removal and it fits in the 2 drop slot well as an agressive creature for the first strike. Another option I would sugget would be the Voice of Victory as a way to stop opponents from casting during your turn (disabling coutner spells). Tokens Voice make are sadly warriors and not human, so there is some lost synergy, but a solid option non the less.

Maybe swap Blind Obedience for Authority of the Consuls if you want the tap effect. The Authority is nice as a 1 drop meaning you can play it turn 1 and the lifegain does come in handy over needing to spend extra mana for the extort ability which you may not have mana to use if you are tempoing well.

Since you mentioned cutting swords as a possiblity then maybe try Flowering of the White Tree as it pumps all your creatures and adds ward to your legends.

Some 1 cost removal spell options to consider Fatal Push and Seam Rip. The Rip is more sideboard option then main, but they are both solid option to answer early threats while still being able to have a chance to cast other spells in the turn.

Anotehr option to consider for removal would be Sheltered by Ghosts as it provides a little protection for the creature you place it on and provides lifelink to help against other aggro decks.

Personally would cut the Profane Tutor as the card is very slow to use for a creature aggro deck. This card is typically used more in combo control style decks.

Sorry for late response as life got busy. Hope the deck has been working well for you.

Icbrgr on Ye Ol Standard Rottness

4 months ago

Venerated Rotpriest always scares me whenever I see it! I know Sheltered by Ghosts is just an overall great card but putting it on the priest just seems mean lol +1 I hope your games went/go well!

Fluggleshmuggits on Cube Eternal

5 months ago

IN IN IN
Guide of Souls
Sheltered by Ghosts
Voice of Victory
Staff of the Storyteller
Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Miscalculation
Hullbreacher
Silent Hallcreeper
Qarsi Revenant
Avenger of the Fallen
Concealing Curtains  ^Flip
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker  ^Flip
Razorkin Needlehead
Fear of Missing Out
Cori-Steel Cutter
Mine Collapse
Gut, True Soul Zealot
Sylvan Safekeeper
Keen-Eyed Curator
Birthing Ritual
Fanatic of Rhonas
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Ursine Monstrosity
Amalia Benavides Aguirre
Koma, World-Eater
Bloodbraid Challenger
Nexus of Becoming

OUT OUT OUT
Wall of Omens
Silverblade Paladin
Ranger of Eos
Glimmerpoint Stag
Baneslayer Angel
Thirst for Discovery
Vendilion Clique
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Murderous Rider
Kitesail Freebooter
Unearth
Bitter Reunion
Eidolon of the Great Revel
Thundermaw Hellkite
Flame Rift
Soul Sear
Greater Gargadon
Rancor
Scavenging Ooze
Wall of Blossoms
Strangleroot Geist
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Whisperwood Elemental
Zealous Persecution
Simic Charm
Radha, Heart of Keld
Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender

kamarupa on Martyr Life

5 months ago

I'm so glad/grateful you're not offended by my urge to have a back and forth!

Ephemerate would be another somewhat decent way to trigger to Tocasia's Welcome and it plays nicely with Soul Sisters. The fact that you lack any creatures with their own ETB triggers is why I didn't suggest it earlier.

Also, I had to look this up to remember the exact name of the spell and what it did, but maybe Assemble the Players would be more to your taste? It's 1 more MV to cast than Recruitment Officer but it's WAY cheaper to 'activate' and gets you every creature in your deck, albeit only once per turn. It's just a little sad there's no cheap way in mono-white to give your creatures flash! The best I could find was Emergence Zone (only works once - boooo!) and Vedalken Orrery (too much to cast!)

Another removal option to consider: Sheltered by Ghosts - I don't like that it's 2MV to cast, but lifelink and ward seem well aligned with your brew. (and it doesn't give opponents a land, so there's that upside, too)

kamarupa on Population Bomb

7 months ago

Nice work! I guess you really deserve some props, as I've seen plenty of people on here that aren't new list decks as certain formats but still include cards that aren't legal in that format. So that's why I asked.

In terms of advice, I probably have more than you want. For starters, I'm not sure a Populate/Tokens deck is going to be what I would consider "fast-paced." It may or may not keep up with a Goblin deck - it would really depend on the caliber of each deck and to a lesser degree, the player piloting that deck. When it comes to speed, I think of low MV infinite combos, burn, Elves, +1/+1 counter Humans... So if you're really looking for speed, then there may be better place to look.

That said, if it's not so much speed, but a tokens, and tokens that can maybe compete with a fast paced Goblin deck, I think that is probably possible. As it stands, it looks like you've got a fairly budget brew going, though I notice a few pricier spells in the sideboard. So I'll be mentioning both cheap and pricier spells and let you decide where you want to draw the line.

For starters, land is one of the best investments you can make. All decks need it and the better lands you have to choose from, the more solid your decks' foundations will be. In my opinion, there is no point in spending big bucks on spells when your land base can't consistently cast them. www.managathering.com is an awesome resource to find lands. It didn't exist when I first started brewing, but I go there all the time now, namely because I just can't remember all the card names like I used to, lol. Ideally, you want lands that don't enter tapped, especially if you're going for speed. If you can afford them, Temple Garden & Windswept Heath are the perennial favorites. But Razorverge Thicket, Overgrown Farmland, and Branchloft Pathway  ^Flip are all decent. I recommend 22 lands for a "fast deck" - IE a deck with an Average MV of 2 or less (2.05 is close enough). Much greater than 2 average and I'd recommend 23-24 lands. Which stinks, I know, because the more land you include, the less spells you get and more likely you are to get mana screwed. But I've found that if you ever want to reliably cast spells that are 3 or more, you're going to need those extra few lands. Even with mana ramp, 16 is not enough land.

Typically, Artifact/Enchantment removal spells go in the sideboard. And typically, people run 4x creature removal in the mainboard: Any of the following would be good: Winds of Abandon, Sheltered by Ghosts, Path to Exile should be in the mainboard.

Druid's Deliverance is fun, but even in decks where I include Fog, I rarely include more than 1 copy. At double the MV, Druid's Deliverance is either going to tie up your mana (slowing you down), and/or delay instead of remove, and/or get cast just for the populate, which you already have spells for. So I'd suggest cutting it 1 copy.

Fight as One is... a decent spell. Heroic Intervention would be better. Since all but 1 of your creatures is white, Brave the Elements would be more versatile and cheaper and Tamiyo's Safekeeping is just cheaper. In my experience, 1 is the MV that is best for protection spells because it doesn't need as much mana to be available - that is - they're just more versatile. And I usually only include 1-2 of such spells.

I'd just cut Selesnya Charm. It just doesn't do anything that well and it's single use doesn't make it valuable enough to include.

Call of the Conclave is similar to Selesnya Charm - tokens aren't much about how big so much as how many. Repeatable token generators are going to be bigger threats than single-use spells.

The thing with Populate is that it doesn't really give you much oomph unless you've got bigger tokens. So you're not wrong looking for tokens that are on the bigger size. But since tokens are easy to get rid of and impossible to bring back, most people ignore the Populate mechanic altogether in favor of making lots of tokens as quickly as possible and at instant speed if they can.

Thraben Doomsayer is pretty good, though I do hate the 3MV casting cost. But you can make tokens at instant speed, which is great, and you can do it every turn.

Lingering Souls is one of the best token spells because you get so many for not that much mana, though you don't have the black mana here to make it worthwhile.

Tocasia's Welcome is great card draw for tokens, namely if you can create a token on your turn and your opponent's turn.

Creatures that care about ETB triggers are really good with tokens, too. You really can't go wrong with Soul Warden and/or Soul's Attendant - with 6+ Soul Sisters, I'd imagine a Goblin deck would find it very difficult to hit you for more life than they cause you to gain. And if you can gain enough life, Speaker of the Heavens gives you tokens that are worth Populating.

Growing Ranks is pretty good, but at 4MV,it's on the slow side.

Overrun is a good spell here, and I think you've got the right number.

Wake the Reflections is ok, I guess, but again, only copying 1 token just isn't as good as it might seem. At least it only costs you 1 to cast. The question is whether its actually powerful enough to be worth including, verses using that space for more token spells.

Something like Ephemerate or Cloudshift would probably be good with Hare Apparent

I like Finneas, Ace Archer, but I don't like it enough to overlook its Legendary status to run 4 copies.

Broad-stroke advice: 4x creature removal, 2x protection spell, 1x fog spell, 22x lands, 2-3x card advantage spell, 12x token generators, 8x ETB trigger spells. That leaves you with about 10 spells to lean into a mechanic like populate or more removal, etc, etc.

Please don't think what I write is definitive or that I'm insisting. Ignore whatever you want. I'm just throwing out my thoughts, hoping something might be useful for you.

Balaam__ on New to Pioneer. *HELP*

8 months ago

Ah, many thanks BioProfDude, I’ll take all the help I can get.

I’m glad you suggested Cavern of Souls—I originally intended to include it, but (long story short) when I added it to the deck it got flagged as illegal so I took it out. Idk the cardpool yet and I was reading mixed things, but it’s good to have confirmation.

Thanks for the sideboard suggestions too—I’ll roll with them until I get a feel for what I’m up against, and what works/doesn’t.

I will say Curious Obsession has been holding up well. I was running out of steam too soon and a set of those more or less put an end to that problem. I feel like I want to continue running them until something better comes along.

Get Lost and Sheltered by Ghosts are both new to me; I can see value in both, but between all the countermagic and faux removal (Skyclave Apparition etc) do you think they’re still necessary?

BioProfDude on New to Pioneer. *HELP*

8 months ago

Well, I agree that additional dual lands are good, but Port Town is one of the worst. I'd suggest maybe 2x Cavern of Souls as you are heavy on spirits, and replace Port Town with 4x Seachrome Coast, and add 4x Adarkar Wastes. Probably 2x to 4x Hengegate Pathway  ^Flip would also be useful. I'd also add 2x Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, 1x Otawara, Soaring City, and 2x Mutavault as your Supreme Phantom anthem will apply to an activated Mutavault because it is "all creature types."

I don't see any removal and that's needed in Pioneer. Probably 3x or 4x Get Lost would help. Probably 2x Sheltered by Ghosts would also be useful and would be great protection for your Spell Queller.

Honestly, I'd lose the 3x Lunarch Veteran  ^Flip, max out on Spell Queller and add 2x Mockingbird.

Just some thoughts-- hope this helps! +1 from me!

I would add that Curious Obsession is a good card, but I don't know that it is great in this deck. Try it out, but I could see cutting it to make room for the removal.