Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance - Spirits and Sacrifices

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/denmanrooke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Denman Rooke</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spirits have served a variety of roles throughout <em>Magic</em>’s narratives, ranging from ghosts to ancestors to living statues depending on the location. With some flying and some not, and some big and some little, there’s a lot of variation in the depictions of Spirits in <em>Magic</em>, but building a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck seems to be the best way to honor the varied depictions of the dearly departed.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Millicent, Restless Revenant"></div></div>
<h2>Spirits in <em>Magic</em></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Early Spirits were few and far between, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blinking Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Blinking Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> even serving as a control finisher during <em>Ice Age</em> Block Constructed. Then came Kamigawa, where Spirits became associated with Shinto-esque deities that could reincarnate via the soulshift ability. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Innistrad</em> made Spirits into ghosts, and added typal support and token synergies. More recently, <em>Strixhaven</em> on Arcavios featured larger non-flying Spirit tokens as a subtheme for the Lorehold college. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Millicent most closely resembles and synergizes with the Spirits of <em>Innistrad</em>, which pop in and out of existence without warning, using flash and instant-speed activated abilities to interact on the stack. These unique timing elements enable Spirits to function as a tempo deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a way, Spirits in <em>Magic</em> are the Azorius version of Dimir’s Faeries: cheap, evasive threats with distinct timing patterns and relevant abilities for enabling aggression and controlling the board. </span></p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Millicent is a 4/4 flying beatstick, whose cost is reduced for each Spirit we control, which also applies to commander tax, making her aggressive and affordable. She and other nontoken Spirits make a 1/1 flying Spirit token each time they connect or die, such that she’s never far from the battlefield. </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spectral Procession"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drogskol Captain"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She's placed solidly in Azorius colors, making powerful token producers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spectral Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Spectral Procession</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> easy to cast and able to pull double-duty as ramp spells reducing the cost of our commander. We also get to run lord and hexproof-granter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being cost-effective and rewarding aggression are two major check marks in Millicent’s favor, making her an ideal commander.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Millicent rides the narrow line between being a Spirit token commander and being a Spirit commander proper. The token creation ability and the cost reduction effect work with the go-wide strategy of Spirit tokens, while the trigger of the token creation ability works well with non-token Spirits that are cheap and evasive. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are better options for either build-around, but Millicent does both. </span></p>
<h3>Other Commander Options</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we wanted to lean stronger into the token aspect of Spirits, we’d be better served going into Esper, so we can have access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lingering Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Lingering Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of the best token producers of all time. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great Esper Spirits commander. We can build one, however, using partners. </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghost of Ramirez DePietro"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravos, Soultender"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kykar, Wind&#039;s Fury"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghost of Ramirez DePietro" href="#" target="_blank">Ghost of Ramirez DePietro</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the Spirit of <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-a-pirate-typal-deck-with-ramirez-depietro-pillager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pirate we built a few weeks back</a>, is a card advantage engine that loads up the grave. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravos, Soultender" href="#" target="_blank">Ravos, Soultender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a lord that returns creature cards from the grave to the hand. At this point, we’re building around tokens and the grave more than around Spirits, however. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kykar, Wind&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Kykar, Wind&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another token option, this time in Jeskai, but it cares more about non-creatures, throws off the balance of the deck, and loses <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lingering Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Lingering Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hofri Ghostforge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama of the Center Tree"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lorehold and Kamigawa Spirits provide interesting and relevant commanders, but they work better when they're the build-around, not the creature type. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hofri Ghostforge" href="#" target="_blank">Hofri Ghostforge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Spirit lord and turns nontoken creatures into token copies that are Spirits, but it’s better as a graveyard/reanimation commander. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Kirin cycle from <em>Saviors of Kamigawa</em> trigger when a Spirit or Arcane spell is cast, but they're all monocolored, so it’s tough to find enough creatures to fill out a build. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama of the Center Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama of the Center Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, from <em>Betrayers of Kamigawa</em>, is probably the best soulshift commander, as its power and toughness are equal to the number of Spirits and the soulshift is also equal to the number of Spirits. Being in green also gives the Kodama access to ramp, which could make it a fun and resilient take on the creature type.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spell Queller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mausoleum Wanderer"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the best uses of Spirits’ abilities is to interact with spells on the stack. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spell Queller" href="#" target="_blank">Spell Queller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mausoleum Wanderer" href="#" target="_blank">Mausoleum Wanderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do a decent impression of Faeries’ <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellstutter Sprite" href="#" target="_blank">Spellstutter Sprite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and Merfolk’s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursecatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Cursecatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, albeit larger and with flying. We supplement these with true-blue <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s like the titular card and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dovin&#039;s Veto" href="#" target="_blank">Dovin&#039;s Veto</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both typical control cards. These allow us to use instant speed to threaten answers, as well as to protect our board.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selfless Spirit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flawless Maneuver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flare of Fortitude"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of board protection, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great rattlesnake card that beats down until it’s needed, and then it pops itself to make our board indestructible. Being able to do that without paying any mana is a huge boon, especially with as many playable wraths as there are. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With our commander as cheap as it is via the cost reduction, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flawless Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Flawless Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flare of Fortitude" href="#" target="_blank">Flare of Fortitude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pull plenty of weight and do an excellent job of setting up traps for our opponents.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Distant Melody"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ribbons of the Reikai"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Distant Melody" href="#" target="_blank">Distant Melody</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a typical draw spell for blue typal decks, but Spirits get access to their own sneaky functional reprint. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ribbons of the Reikai" href="#" target="_blank">Ribbons of the Reikai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may cost one more mana, but it gives us a second copy of the potent effect, enabling us to jump out ahead of our opponents. After all, there are few things scarier at a Commander table than a blue player with a full hand and mana up!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Three Tree City"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our nonbasic lands provide bursts of mana, adding to the deck’s surprise potential. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Tree City" href="#" target="_blank">Three Tree City</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both do a decent impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Cradle" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Cradle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, except, instead of enabling explosive starts, we use that mana to bust down the door on an opponent’s turn, using our creatures to add to the board, interact with the stack, or even draw a barrage of cards. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then, we untap with our army of flying ghosts and steal the game!</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We aim to flood the board with cheap, evasive creatures, protect that board, and draw a lot of cards. We can easily oscillate roles from aggressive to defensive and back again. And that’s precisely what makes this deck so exciting.</span></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Millicent, Restless Revenant Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Millicent, Restless Revenant
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Bygone Bishop
*1 Clarion Spirit
*1 Drogskol Captain
*1 Drogskol Reinforcements
*1 Drumbellower
*1 Empyrean Eagle
*1 Ethereal Investigator
*1 Geist of Saint Traft
*1 Ghostly Pilferer
*1 Hanged Executioner
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
*1 Mausoleum Wanderer
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Moonshaker Cavalry
*1 Nebelgast Herald
*1 Patrician Geist
*1 Priest of the Blessed Graf
*1 Rattlechains
*1 Remorseful Cleric
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Shacklegeist
*1 Sire of the Storm
*1 Skyclave Apparition
*1 Spectral Arcanist
*1 Spectral Sailor
*1 Spectral Shepherd
*1 Spell Queller
*1 Supreme Phantom
*1 Twilight Drover
*1 Windborn Muse
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Breaking Wave
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Ribbons of the Reikai
*1 Spectral Procession
*1 Winged Words
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Absorb
*1 Aether Shockwave
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 And They Shall Know No Fear
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Cosmic Intervention
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dawn&#039;s Truce
*1 Dovin&#039;s Veto
*1 Flare of Fortitude
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Geistlight Snare
*1 Negate
*1 No More Lies
*1 Occult Epiphany
*1 Render Silent
*1 Swan Song
*1 Your Temple Is Under Attack
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Coastal Piracy
*1 Reconnaissance Mission
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Skullclamp
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Command Tower
*15 Island
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Moorland Haunt
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Path of Ancestry
*15 Plains
*1 Three Tree City
*1 War Room
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spirits represent the past, present, and future. While our Millicent deck is centered mostly on <em>Innistrad</em>, there are distinct nods to those from other planes, all enabling a strong control plan with solid aggression and board presence.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Spirits? And do you think we captured the <em>spirit</em> of the creature type?</span></p>
<h3>More Typal Builds:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="NUpcJ7W7yA"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-an-assassin-deck-with-lydia-frye/">Building an Assassin Deck with Lydia Frye</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building an Assassin Deck with Lydia Frye&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-an-assassin-deck-with-lydia-frye/embed/#?secret=GmxY6LCtcQ#?secret=NUpcJ7W7yA" data-secret="NUpcJ7W7yA" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="mmNDm71QT3"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-a-knight-deck-with-kwende-pride-of-femeref/">Building a Knight Deck with Kwende, Pride of Femeref</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building a Knight Deck with Kwende, Pride of Femeref&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-a-knight-deck-with-kwende-pride-of-femeref/embed/#?secret=iL5ahLJz4G#?secret=mmNDm71QT3" data-secret="mmNDm71QT3" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="y3N176Wpcw"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-an-ally-deck-with-katara-the-fearless/">Building an Ally Deck with Katara, the Fearless</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building an Ally Deck with Katara, the Fearless&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-an-ally-deck-with-katara-the-fearless/embed/#?secret=idO8fDZXMi#?secret=y3N176Wpcw" data-secret="y3N176Wpcw" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


spirit typal

Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance - Spirits and Sacrifices

Building Spirit Typal With Millicent, Restless Revenant