Call the Spirits Decklist & Guide: Daxos the Returned Precon

Overview

Call the Spirits is an enchantress deck with a commander that turns enchantments into big Spirits. Daxos the Returned gives you an experience counter whenever you cast an enchantment spell, and for {1}{W}{B} it creates a white and black Spirit enchantment creature token whose power and toughness are each equal to the number of experience counters you have. Every enchantment you cast makes every Spirit bigger.

The 99 cards are 25 creatures, 7 artifacts, 21 enchantments, 7 sorceries and 39 lands, with no instants. The creatures include enchantress payoffs such as Mesa Enchantress, Celestial Ancient, Ajani's Chosen, Doomwake Giant, Underworld Coinsmith and Dreadbringer Lampads, and the enchantments include Sigil of the Empty Throne, Dictate of Heliod, Marshal's Anthem, Banishing Light, Grasp of Fate and Phyrexian Arena. Recursion such as Monk Idealist, Silent Sentinel, Crystal Chimes, Dawn to Dusk and Open the Vaults brings enchantments back.

Key Cards

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Sigil of the Empty Throne

Token Maker · Payoff

An enchantment for {3}{W}{W}. Whenever you cast an enchantment spell, you create a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying. It combines with Daxos's counters to make an Angel on each enchantment.

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Celestial Ancient

Counters · Flying

A 3/3 for {3}{W}{W}. It has flying, and whenever you cast an enchantment spell it puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Every enchantment grows the whole team.

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Doomwake Giant

Constellation · Sweeper

A 4/6 for {4}{B}. Whenever it or another enchantment you control enters, creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 until end of turn. Each enchantment you add shrinks their board again, which kills small creatures.

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Marshal's Anthem

Anthem · Recursion

An enchantment for {2}{W}{W}. It gives your creatures +1/+1, and with multikicker it returns that many creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield when it enters. It is a team pump and a mass reanimation spell.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and cheap enchantments. Sol Ring, Orzhov Signet, Orzhov Cluestone, Thought Vessel, Wayfarer's Bauble and Burnished Hart ramp you, Mesa Enchantress and Phyrexian Arena draw cards, and Seal of Doom, Seal of Cleansing, Grave Peril and Cage of Hands handle early threats. Daxos the Returned starts collecting experience counters.

The middle of the game is about stacking enchantments. Ajani's Chosen, Celestial Ancient and Sigil of the Empty Throne create value for each one, Doomwake Giant, Underworld Coinsmith and Fate Unraveler punish opponents, Dictate of Heliod and Marshal's Anthem pump the team, and Shielded by Faith protects a creature. Vow of Duty and Vow of Malice make attackers hard to stop.

The late game is about a huge army or a reset. Daxos's Torment becomes a 5/5 flying Demon on each enchantment, Open the Vaults returns every artifact and enchantment from all graveyards and Necromancer's Covenant turns a graveyard into Zombies, Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and Treasury Thrull grind out games, and Death Grasp and Righteous Confluence finish. Deadly Tempest resets the board.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a high density of enchantments and strong constellation payoffs, and it recovers well from removal. It also has plenty of interaction, including Banishing Light, Grasp of Fate, Gild, Kor Sanctifiers, Karmic Justice and Aura of Silence.

Weaknesses: The deck has no instants, so it can only react with enchantments and abilities, and it is weak to enchantment removal, which is common in some playgroups. Many of the creatures are small, and the strongest cards need other enchantments in play to shine.

Want to improve it? See the Call the Spirits upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict

Call the Spirits is an elegant, straightforward enchantress deck with a clear plan and plenty of recursion. It is a good choice for players who like enchantments and want to build a big board over several turns.

Want to see what a fully optimised Daxos the Returned build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Call the Spirits decklist?
The Call the Spirits precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Daxos the Returned. The full Call the Spirits decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Call the Spirits released?
Call the Spirits was released on November 13, 2015 as part of Commander 2015.

Who is the commander of Call the Spirits?
Call the Spirits is led by Daxos the Returned, a Orzhov (W/B) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Call the Spirits?
The 99 cards besides Daxos the Returned include 25 creatures.

How many lands does Call the Spirits have?
Call the Spirits has 39 lands in the 99 cards besides Daxos the Returned, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Call the Spirits precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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Daxos the Returned (commander), Ancient Craving, Dawn to Dusk, Deadly Tempest, Death Grasp, Gild, Open the Vaults, Righteous Confluence, Barren Moor, Command Tower, Evolving Wilds, Ghost Quarter, New Benalia, Orzhov Basilica, Orzhov Guildgate, 11 Plains, Rogue's Passage, Scoured Barrens, Secluded Steppe, 13 Swamp, Tainted Field, Temple of the False God, Terramorphic Expanse, Vivid Marsh, Vivid Meadow, Crystal Chimes, Lightning Greaves, Orzhov Cluestone, Orzhov Signet, Sol Ring, Thought Vessel, Wayfarer's Bauble, Aura of Silence, Banishing Light, Black Market, Cage of Hands, Daxos's Torment, Dictate of Heliod, Fallen Ideal, Grasp of Fate, Grave Peril, Karmic Justice, Marshal's Anthem, Necromancer's Covenant, Phyrexian Arena, Phyrexian Reclamation, Seal of Cleansing, Seal of Doom, Shielded by Faith, Sigil of the Empty Throne, Underworld Connections, Vow of Duty, Vow of Malice, Ajani's Chosen, Banshee of the Dread Choir, Bastion Protector, Burnished Hart, Celestial Ancient, Celestial Archon, Corpse Augur, Dawnglare Invoker, Doomwake Giant, Dreadbringer Lampads, Fate Unraveler, Ghostblade Eidolon, Herald of the Host, Karlov of the Ghost Council, Kor Sanctifiers, Mesa Enchantress, Monk Idealist, Nighthowler, Oreskos Explorer, Sandstone Oracle, Silent Sentinel, Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, Thief of Blood, Treasury Thrull, Underworld Coinsmith.