Spirit
| Spirit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creature Type | |
| (Subtype for creature/kindred cards) | |
| Introduced |
Alpha (updated) Legends (printed) |
| Last used | Avatar: The Last Airbender |
| Beeble Scale | 3[1] |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Spirit is a creature type used for ghosts, kami, and certain other ethereal entities. Spirits appear throughout the Multiverse in various forms.[2] The creature type first appeared in Legends and has since seen regular use.[3]
Description
Spirits exist in all five colors, though they are most prominent in white.[3] Most spirits are ghosts, the restless souls of the dead,[2] which are typically appear as floating, translucent humanoids;[4] some are violent, such as Tragic Banshee, while others are benign or even helpful, such as Blessed Spirits. The Spirit subtype has also been stretched to incorporate some non-ghosts; most notable are the kami of Kamigawa,[2] otherworldly manifestations inspired by Shinto kami.[5]
Mechanics and typal support
Almost half of non-Kamigawa Spirits have flying.[4] The soulshift mechanic from the Kamigawa block can only target Spirits, and disturb from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow appears only on Spirit cards.[6]
Cards in the Kamigawa block with spiritcraft have triggered effects whenever a Spirit or Arcane spell is played. In the Innistrad block blue and white Spirits is a supported subtype.[7][8][9] They were again supported in Shadows over Innistrad block and since then precedent put Spirit lords in blue. Strixhaven: School of Mages gave 
a shift in strategy by giving it Spirit-typal effects.
History
The first creatures printed with the type were Radjan Spirit and Thunder Spirit in Legends. After the Grand Creature Type Update, Spirit became a commonly supported type which incorporated several earlier creature types. Retroactively, Dancing Scimitar from Arabian Nights became the first Spirit in the game.
Lore
Alara
The elves of Naya utilized spirits as protectors of their settlements.[10]
In the Cesspools of Esper, various species of undead developed.[11] Brinewraiths—vicious, incorporeal undead—are said to be the revenant spirits of those who died in the water. Hauntcreeps, shadowy ghosts that drift around the Cesspools, make no sound other than a hissing white noise.
With the Conflux, it was possible for the first time to contact the Sovereigns of Lost Alara.[citation needed]
Arcavios
The Lorehold mages of Strixhaven on Arcavios supplement their study of history by calling on the spirits of the ancient dead. While dustspeakers and pastraisers conjure spirits and interview them for knowledge of the past, battle mediums, and other Lorehold mages sometimes draw on the magical power of those spirits or turn them into hardy soldiers by housing the spirits in statues depicting their living selves.[12]
Dominaria
Spirits found on Dominaria are often associated either with the restless ghosts of the dead or nature spirits. Several of these spirits were less ethereal than those found on other planes, instead resembling physical creatures. On Urborg, spirits of many different shapes and sizes have even built their own towns.[13] During the Ice Age, animal spirits known as fylgjur (singular fylgja) accompanied people in connection to their fate or fortune.
Duskmourn
Originally, the plane's spirits resided in a different realm from the one humans lived.[14] After Valgavoth's Ascension and the transformation of Duskmourn into an infinitely large house, that realm was pushed to the edges of the plane. The ghosts of those who died outside the House before Valgavoth's Ascension can only enter by squeezing through weak spots, entering through reflections or cracks in the walls.[15][16] The effort of doing this corrupts the ghosts, producing a warped appearance that has earned them the name "glitch ghosts".
Glitch ghosts are trapped in the moment of emotion they experienced when they died.[14][16] Blue-aligned glitch ghosts died in confusion or uncertainty, potentially not knowing they had died; red-aligned glitch ghosts died in pain and anger; while black-aligned glitch ghosts died full of hatred and wanting revenge. Sometimes a ghost will haunt a particular person or location they have an affinity for. Many glitch ghosts appear in the Floodpits due to the prevalence of reflections in the region's water.[17]
It's almost impossible to defeat glitch ghosts with force.[14] The only way to successfully fight one is with specially designed tools known as "ghost-catchers", typically cobbled together from salvaged remnants of pre-Ascension technology.[15] Ghosts captured this way are neutralized long enough that they eventually lose their connection to the House and dematerialize back to the outside until they find another way in.
Fiora
On Fiora, the Custodi can keep a person's soul anchored to the physical world, creating a spirit. Additionally, spirits can return from a person with unfinished business.[18] Few persons end up purposefully as a spirit. Even in their spectral existence, many retain habits of their former lives, akin to muscle memory.[19]
Innistrad
Spirits on Innistrad, often called geists, come in all colors but are centered in white and blue. White features the "helpful ghost" trope while blue features the "mischievous ghost" trope.[20] A person's soul can rise as a geist if they die unfulfilled or violently.[21] While Avacyn stood as guardian over Innistrad, she and the angels of Flight Alabaster ushered the spirits of the departed into the aether, where they rejoined the essence of the plane. In her absence—and later her madness—many spirits cling to the world of the living, unable or unwilling to find their way to the Blessed Sleep.[22] The moon appears to govern the interaction between spirits and the world of flesh.[23]
Geists take a form similar to that which they had in life, though often chains manifest on spirits to symbolize past regrets that keep them anchored to the world.[24] They are often not visible to the naked eye.[25][26][27] While most spirits are those of humans, animal spirits like the Moon Heron and the Pack Guardian also exist.
Some humans of Innistrad use geists to power machinery.[28][29][30]
Varieties and factions
Banshees are the spirits of those who died with grudges in their heart.[31] Marei are the spirits of the drowned, in most cases sailors or shipwreck victims; they are most prominent along the coastlines of Nephalia.[23] Niblis are spirits of frost; they often manifest as rags filled with an unholy light that drains the environment of warmth.[23]
Whisperers are the souls of villagers of the Approaches, commanded by the Bog Entity. They are terrible, twisted creatures only vaguely shaped like people, sickly green in appearance with distorted, inhuman faces and dropped jaws.[32] They give off a noise that sounds like a thousand whispers overlapping.
The Skathul are those spirits who are consumed by revenge. The cause can be something as simple as cremating their body to something so grave as the desecration of their grave by necromancers. The ghosts of the unavenged are some of the most dangerous geists on Innistrad, sometimes appearing as living fire or as "blood mist" entities that engulf a hapless victim and inflict cuts and welts that are slow to heal.[citation needed]
The Drogskol are a group of spirits patrolling the moors; they were once a large militia, that fell to a horde of the unhallowed.[22] When Emrakul was summoned to Innistrad, several benevolent geists bonded with cathars to protect them from the corruption and madness spread by the titan; the Order of Saint Traft was formed from this union.
Ixalan
The vampiric Legion of Dusk of Ixalan are able to create revenants, and some of Ixalan's seas are haunted by the ghosts of fallen pirates who attach themselves to passing ships.
Echoes
Spirits known as Echoes are found throughout the caverns and Core of Ixalan.[33] They range from human in appearance to more animalistic or half-formed wisps of teal fog.[34] Each Echo has a focus, an item that was important to them in life, that their spirit is bound to and manifested from.[35][36] Many of these focus objects resemble Mesoamerican death masks, commonly made from jade. Souls of the Lost, in particular, appears to depict the mask of the Moche deity Ai apaec.[37]
Echoes can be human or nonhuman, sentient or lost, autonomous or trapped in ghostly routine—it all depends on how they were created and how they are remembered.[33] They are generally the benevolent spirit of a single being, though malevolent Echoes also exist: those of murderers or beasts, cruel people or victims of great loss, and others who have experienced or committed worldly terror without reconciliation or healing. Echoes are able to possess mycoids, causing them to dissolve into blue smoke.[38]
Kaldheim
Spirits in Kaldheim belong to the realm of Istfell, the afterlife of the ignoble dead not worthy of Starnheim. This includes people who died of natural causes or accidents or who showed cowardice in combat, as well as all dead animals and monsters. Istfell's spirits are wispy, transparent, and tinged blue or gray. They retain their memories and appearance, but have lost all passion and spend their time aimlessly drifting; the longer they stay in Istfell, the more they resemble the realm's perpetual mist and fog. It is possible to anger them or convince them to fight, but only with powerful magic.[39]
Kamigawa
Mercadia
Nether Spirits haunted Mercadia and its underworld, but were unable to find rest in either.
Mirrodin/New Phyrexia
On Mirrodin, a breed of spirits called Emissaries existed that embodied certain virtues like hope or despair.
Since the Vanishing, no spirits have been observed. They were likely sent back to whatever plane they originated from.[citation needed]
Rath
Entropic Specters were active on Rath, resembling the hooded forms of wraiths but lacking the mount. Rath's cloudscape was inhabited by nature spirits that were revered by the Kor, along with the spirits of their ancestors. Spirits also inhabited the Furnace of Rath.
Ravnica
Ravnican spirits come in several variants, some mirroring the species they were in life, others twisted into near animalistic forms. Since the spirits of the departed usually stay active on the plane, the denizens have learned to cope with their existence, usually by leaving them small offerings to avoid their wrath. Others find themselves harassed by goblins. Ways to ensure a spirit does not rise is to pay the exorbitant fee for a Proper Burial conducted by the guilds. Agyrem acted as the quarter for the ghosts of the departed; even after the Guildpact broke, its laws still held sway there.
Among the guilds, the Azorius, Orzhov, and Dimir dealt with spirits. The Azorius utilize spirits as untiring bureaucrats and protectors of the laws of the Guildpact. The Orzhov are ruled by an aristocracy of undead ghosts that form the highest council of the guild, the Deathless. Being raised as a spirit is a high honor for guild members, while it is an unfortunate fate for those unable to pay their debts in life to the lesser ranks. The Dimir use them as spies and infiltrators, often turning to those spirits that are so ancient that their names are all but forgotten.[citation needed]
Varieties
Caryatids are the last remnants of the original forests on Ravnica; most survive in the form of carved woodwork under the protection of powerful individuals. Ephemerae are spirits bound to continued existence by an oath or similar vow that prohibits them from rest. Taj are ghostly Orzhov agents who can take possession of someone's body. Rusalkas are spirits of those who died a violent or otherwise wrongful death; their motivation to remain behind determines their color affiliation, with some staying behind to ensure that no other die the death they died, while others reenact their deaths on unwitting passengers to understand why they died.[citation needed]
Shadowmoor
While spirits are dormant in daylit Lorwyn, they emerge with a vengeance during the dark Shadowmoor phase. Few locations in Shadowmoor aren't haunted by some tormented presence. Light and warmth ward off these restless spirits, but those conditions can be hard to come by.[40][41] These spirits range from the ghosts of the deceased, like Bloodied Ghost, to entities more akin to Lorwyn's Elementals. Some, like the Suture Spirit, are benevolent, while others are explicitly malevolent and take great pleasure in tormenting others.
Shandalar
Ogre spirits infest the ancient ruins on Shandalar.
Tarkir
In the original timeline of Tarkir, spirits were utilized by the Abzan Houses. Each family Kin-Tree was a hub for its ancestors' spirits. Some among the Abzan learned to communicate with these spirits, and even call them forth to either protect their descendants or harm their enemies. The Abzan discovered that amber, tree resin, and sap aid in spirit magic. Amber wards were found in Abzan homes and Abzan soldiers carried amber with them to war. Spirit speakers consumed distilled tree resin to help them connect to spirits. Weapons made from the wood of fallen kin-trees were said to be blessed. When disowned Abzan died, their spirits had no place to go. Some Abzan mages sought out these lost spirits. This was a taxing feat because the spirits were vengeful and malicious. However, in times of war, the malevolent spirits were channeled by Abzan mages to be unleashed against the enemy.[42]
In the new timeline, trafficking with spirits was outlawed as necromancy by the Dromoka, and anyone who acted against this edict was destroyed as a heretic.[43] The practice continued in secret and in rebellion, and when Dromoka was overthrown, it was officially restored. Calling on ancestral spirits is now seen as a component of family obligation which transcends death. Likewise, fulfilling the requests of ancestral spirits can improve the social status of living Abzan.
The new Kin-Trees, descended from the small number that survived Dromoka, are now infused with spiritual energy. Bonding with a Kin-Tree is a requirement to be considered Abzan. In the bonding ceremony, one's blood is fed to the roots of the tree to be accepted by the spirits. A bonded individual may summon the spirits connected that Kin-Tree even if they are not a blood descendant. In rare cases, an individual may be disowned and their spiritual connection to the Kin-Tree ceremonially severed. Deceased Abzan are buried near one of their house Kin-Trees and absorbed into its roots, which establishes a spiritual connection and continues the cycle of obligation.
Some Abzan spirits became malevolent after being abandoned during Dromoka's reign. When they collide, they form a swirling, dangerous storm known as an ancestral maelstrom. Maelstroms are typically found near abandoned Kin-Trees and can eased be by nourishing that tree.[44]
Persons killed by the breath of a dragon did not leave a spirit behind.[43]
Theros
Theran spirits are called eidolons. When a dead person escapes the Underworld, they lose their identity and become one of the faceless Returned. But in this process of severing the physical body from the "soul", an eidolon is also created. An eidolon is the spectral embodiment of the lost identity, but without its body it has no agency. Unlike the Returned, it has no sense of what it lost. The Returned and its severed eidolons are never reunited, nor are they aware of one another's existence.
While some eidolons forever wander, others linger in a certain place. This "haunt" isn't chosen because of a connection to its former life. More often, it's near a place where a nymph lives. It's believed that eidolons are instinctively drawn to nymphs' magic like a cub is drawn to the warmth of its mother. The nymphs are usually sympathetic to these creatures.[45]
Zendikar
On Zendikar, the flow of mana can trap the soul of a deceased in the physical world.[46]
Elves and kor are known to practice ancestor worship, and in return, these spirits remain in the world to protect their descendants. Sometimes, such a spirit is separated from its community and transformed into a Forsaken One. Vampires can call on spirits to become possessed by them, transforming into a Bloodghast.[citation needed]
Notable Spirits
- Moira
- Ramirez DePietro
- Reezug
- Spirit of the Night
- Ugin (possibly spirit)
- Yargle
- Dennick Betzold
- Dorothea
- Elsi Rimheit
- Katilda (temporarily)
- Millicent
- Timin
- Traft
- The Demigods
- Kaya (in Ghostform)
- Unknown Plane
Creature Update
Creature types changed into Spirit include:
- Banshee (Banshee)[47]
- Blinking Spirit (Blinking Spirit)
- Essence (tokens in Afterlife and Field of Souls)
- Ghost (for example Anaba Ancestor, Ghosts of the Damned, Skulking Ghost and Mischievous Poltergeist).
- Lemure (Hyalopterous Lemure)[48][49]
- Lost Soul (Lost Soul)
- Poltergeist (Xenic Poltergeist)
- Shadow (Nether Shadow)
- Ship (Ghost Ship)
- Will-O'-The-Wisp (Will-O'-The-Wisp)
Gallery
-
-
Geist concepts by Richard Whitters. -
Geist concepts by Daarken. -
Geist concepts by Steve Prescott.
Tokens
| Token name | Color | Type line | P/T | Text box | Source | Printings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit | 
|
Creature — Spirit | 0/0 | Flying | ||
|
|
Creature — Spirit | 1/1 | Lifelink, haste | |||
|
Creature — Spirit | 3/2 |
Spirit manlands and artifacts
Spirits are also created by:
- Genju
- Genju of the Cedars (4/4 green Spirit)
- Genju of the Falls (3/2 blue Spirit with Flying)
- Genju of the Fens (2/2 black Spirit with "{B}: This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.")
- Genju of the Fields (2/5 white Spirit with "Whenever this creature deals damage, its controller gains that much life." )
- Genju of the Realm (legendary 8/12 colorless Spirit with trample)
- Genju of the Spires (6/1 red Spirit)
- Jade Idol (4/4 colorless Spirit)
- Thunder Totem (2/2 white Spirit with Flying and First Strike)
See also
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 14, 2018). "I would like to ask where walls and spirits rank on the Beeble Scale.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c Doug Beyer (December 12, 2007). "Goodies from the Mailbag". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11.
- ↑ a b Cards where the type is Spirit. Scryfall search. Scryfall (June 24, 2025).
- ↑ a b Cards where the type is Spirit and the art the illustration doesn't contain Kamigawa. Scryfall search. Scryfall (June 24, 2025).
- ↑ Jeremy Cranford (September 06, 2004). "Behind the Scenes: Creating the World of Kamigawa". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25.
- ↑ Cards with the keyword disturb. Scryfall search. Scryfall (June 24, 2025).
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 05, 2011). "C'mon Innistrad, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-03-11.
- ↑ Monty Ashley (April 05, 2012). "Look Out! A Ghost!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ↑ Magic Creative Team (October 19, 2011). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Nephalia and the Undead". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03.
- ↑ Flavor text of Wall of Reverence
- ↑ Doug Beyer & Jenna Helland (2008). A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0786951246
- ↑ Doug Beyer and Ari Zirulnik (April 01, 2021). "Planeswalker's Guide to Strixhaven". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Martha Wells (May 23, 2018). "Return to Dominaria: Episode 11". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Emily Teng (June 28, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Duskmourn". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mira Grant (August 26 2024). "Episode 4: Don't Give Up". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Building the Duskmourn House (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (October 29, 2024).
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering Arena tooltips
- ↑ Kelly Digges (August 3, 2016). "Laid to Rest". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Alison Luhrs (August 10, 2016). "Tyrants". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 16, 2022). "Theres a defined distinction between the...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
- ↑ a b James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".
- ↑ a b c Magic Creative Team (October 19, 2011). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Nephalia and the Undead". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03.
- ↑ Flavor text of Chapel Geist
- ↑ Flavor text of Consider
- ↑ Hauken's Insight
- ↑ Morning Apparition
- ↑ Galvanic Bombardment
- ↑ Geistblast
- ↑ Geist-Fueled Scarecrow
- ↑ Flavor text of Morkrut Banshee
- ↑ Brandon Sanderson (2018). "Children of the Nameless". Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Miguel Lopez (November 10, 2023). "Planeswalker's Guide to the Lost Caverns of Ixalan". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Valerie Valdes (October 20, 2023). "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan - Episode 4". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Adventure At The Core - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Debut (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (October 24, 2023).
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering Arena Tooltips
- ↑ Museo Larco. "Funerary mask ML100187". Google Arts & Culture.
- ↑ Valerie Valdes (October 20, 2023). "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan - Episode 6". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ari Zirulnik and Jenna Helland (January 14, 2021). "Planeswalker's Guide to Kaldheim, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (July 30, 2008). "Concepting Eventide, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12.
- ↑ (2008). Eventide Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Creative Team (September 3, 2014). "Planeswalker's Guide to Khans of Tarkir, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23.
- ↑ a b Ari Levitch (April 2, 2015). "The Guardian". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
- ↑ DK Billins and Lauren Bond (February 21, 2025). "Planeswalker's Guide to Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (September 04, 2013). "Planeswalker's Guide to Theros, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 27, 2016). "Plane Shift: Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (October 31, 2005). "Sketches: Keening Banshee". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 10, 2003). "Make No Mistake". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (May 06, 2003). "Hyalopterous Wha..?!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-08-23.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (July 21, 2005). "What's a Bunrei?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (December 01, 2005). "Ravnica Hunted Tokens 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (May 03, 2005). "Oyobi Spirit Token Art". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (June 14, 2005). "Urami token art". magicthegathering.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021.
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