Dipping a toe into standard, research

It's always pretty easy to tell when I start getting a little bored with nerdy activities because I start thinking it would be a good idea to play some Standard. But I have a new idea! I'm just going to stick to the classic-Jed colors of blue/white. Screw the meta, my goal is to tune and maintain a blue/white deck of... well whatever comes the closest to working. Plus I've more-or-less finished all of my dual-lands pages (so pretty!) so I need a new reason to live--I mean trade.

The original inspiration was what looked like a pretty damn entertaining blue/white spirits deck found here. It used a bunch of cheap spirits, flash cards, and investigate to maximize mana usage and tempo plays.

      





It looks pretty damn hilarious, fun to play, and (most importantly) true to the blue/white ethos of maximum annoyance by killing your opponent with a single 2-power flyer. Since standard rotates in two months, I'm going to start thinking about living in the future standard block of BFZ/OTG/SOI/EMN (I think I got at least half of those acronyms correct)

So this will hopefully be a bit of a series of research, theorycraft, and maybe even some results. God save us all.

So... what's good?

We're going to cheat here and define "good" as "expensive" since supply & demand are a real thing. So what's preposterously expensive?

    

Here's what's at above $20. Let's see, a flat out universally applicable planeswalker, the single most pushed card in recorded history, and what looks to be a silly-powerful 4 drop that can optionally transform. Or, you know, just be a 4/3 flying/lifelinking/first-striking behemoth. Jesus. Now I reserve the right to change my mind, but using these looks like boring Spike-style deck building. I want to try and be a little more interesting than that.

Are spirits a thing?

       

Definitely an interesting spread. Rattlechains and Bygone Bishop are clearly elite enough to belong in standard. Topplegeist with Delirium does serious work, after that it starts to go downhill in a hurry. Also, Essence Flux is probably (okay fine, definitely) bad. BUT I WANT IT TO BE GOOD

What does Eldritch Moon bring?

NIBBLER HAS A BIG BROTHER. So this is pretty interesting, doubly rewarding casting lots of spells with both Prowess and a super-tap effect.



This is an interesting 2-drop with quasi-ramp that turns into a decent beater though not until turn 5-6 at the earliest.



I don't speak a lot of German, but that looks like a 2/3 Prowess creature that can +1/-1 for hilarious value.



Pretty serious value play. 3 for 3 points of first-strike damage will usually pencil. Imposing Sovereign with the chance of getting some lands tapped out is nice upside. Also apparently that was Thalia on Strength of Arms. Who knew?



Another two drop that looks to really clutter up the battlefield if they get some hits in. Skulk is often a super-relevant keyword, but it can be with 1 power.

Relevant Spells

  

That's not a lot of removal here kids. Yeesh.

Tempo

  

Nothing that doesn't see play in limited. Fine.

Counterspells

        

Not the greatest spread of counterspells out there, though Negate will still be around. Dispel might have a home in the sideboard as well. Though take a moment to appreciate the art on Turn Aside, freaking sweet.

Questions going forward:

1) Can Bygone Bishop remain an engine? Power out cheap creatures for lots of investigate.
2) Is there a source of card-draw (perhaps the above?) to get enough for tempo?
3) Go control, tempo, or general flier hilarity (ESSENCE FLUX!!1!)