This is my first post on this website, after reading so much on it I figured to give it a shot, so here's my favorite EDH deck to play: Teysa, Orzhov Scion.
Q&A
Q:Why choose Teysa over other Token generals?
A:Access to black gives better removal, and it also gives access to black. I like Black.
Q:WHY NOT ADD GREEN FOR DOUBLING SEASON/PARALLEL LIVES?
A:Simple, because Teysa could not be the General. We like Teysa being the general.
Q:Okay then, what's so great about Teysa anyway?
A:While there are many amazing things about the Orzhovian Adviser, the main reasons you use her as opposed to other token generals is:
1. She's aggressively costed, she can come out early and start turning black things white and exiling problems, and if she's dealt with, she won't cost too much to bring back.
B. She makes the token deck a lot more resilient to Wraths, cause when your black tokens become white ones and when you're the only one who still has creatures after a Wrath, it makes you smile.
3. She's Unmake on a stick. Avacyn, Angel of Hope giving you trouble? Not anymore.
D. She combos very nicely and efficiently.
Okay, now that I am more informed I see why you made this intelligent choice in general, now let's look at the deck!
Let's start with the elephant in the room. Teysa is part of an infamous combo with the card Darkest Hour (Which makes even those white tokens that Teysa produces, black [Note: this is not black "in addition" just mono-black]) thus letting you have a stream of infinite tokens.
Now you may ask yourself, "self, what do I do with all these 1/1 tokens?" That's when yourself smacks you in the head and reminds you that you run cards like Phyrexian Altar which turns those tokens into infinite colored mana (or Ashnod's Altar which produces colorless)
There are many different things you can do with those tokens. A couple combo cards are listed here: Blood Artist Falkenrath Noble Combined with a Sac Outlet, ends the game.
Now you may ask, "What if I don't have one of those in my hand?" Well there are ways around that too, in the form of Skullclamp which will just let you draw your deck, and Demonic Tutor.
There is also a weird combo that I noticed in a 2 A.M. game with a friend that involves the most perfect of conditions with Teysa, Orzhov Scion + Grave Titan + Phyrexian Altar + Corpse Dance which leads to infinite tokens, mana, etc. this combo is a lot harder to pull off and if I ever get it, well good for me, but it has only happened once in the hundred or so games I played the deck.
Card Choices Etc.
There is a lot of reasons I chose to put certain cards in here and why I left others out. I'm not gonna go through all of them because if you are asking why I'm running Vindicate then... get yourself checked out. The less obvious cards are the ones I'm explaining here, so if you were wondering why Conjurer's Closet is good in a token deck, look elsewhere.
Necrotic Sliver: Why am I running one sliver? Is one sliver really that good to make a one of in a deck? In short, yes. For one this sliver has a CMC of 3 and a power of 2, making it a target for both Sun Titan and Reveillark, ergo Vindicate on a stick lets me pop off permanents two to three times a game, or even more depending on how I get it back. Now there is the case that there are some Sliver decks out there, (one being in my play group) and I'll admit one game was really awkward sitting with it in hand, but it's still worth it to run, trust me.
Fallen Ideal/Fallen Angel:
Okay you got me on this one, this one is pure, one of my favorite cards lead to choice. I mean, Angel isn't that incredible, but she is a great sac outlet, and if I have a Grave Pact on the field and a handful of tokens I can usually sac everything to her and swing game. Fallen Ideal is the exact same thing but it's resilient and I can make Teysa into a Fallen Angel and at the end of the day, isn't that what America labels "Success"?
The last card that could lead to question marks would probably be Mortician Beetle : The beetle is one of my favorite cards to drop turn one. Inexperienced players will look at me with puzzled faces, the grizzled EDH vets however (Namely ones who have played against me before) immediately kill it. Why you ask? What's so scary about that tiny 1/1 that isn't even a sac outlet that gets bigger only when a very specific set of events occurs? Well, my deck does a lot of sacrificing. Obviously. Mortician Beetle averages, the games where he sticks, to be a 7/7 or higher. And all it takes is one time for him to be enchanted with Fallen Ideal for someone to learn: "Kill the Beetle" So yeah, people hate bugs for a reason. This is that reason.
Potential Cuts
Somethings I hope to change in the future/want to replace with something better: Sheoldred, Whispering One, Now I know what you're thinking, why Sheoldred? Isn't she like a staple or something? Well of course she is... she's freaking amazing. My only problem with her, is 7 mana is a lot. I like things to be low costing in this deck to keep the curve down, plus she doesn't really add much to the deck. I mean yeah, she's a problem and needs an answer but I think Oversold Cemetery does almost the same thing for 2 mana rather than 7. And yes it doesn't just put them on the battlefield, but all my stuff is so cheap I can just play them again anyway.
World Queller is another card I'm thinking about cutting. Yes it is amazing to be able to name "Planeswalker" and be able to just kill em all in one card, but it's just not really doing it for me. I'm not sure what to add in its place however. Looking at the new set, I definitely want to put the new Elspeth in here (Got that Affinity for Elspeth... ah Magic puns) So this is a potential cut to make room for her.
Finally, Moonsilver Spear I love me a card that features Avacyn, and I love me a card that makes Angels. But this card is a. very expensive, and b. doesn't really do much. Most of my creatures don't really attack until late game when I have an Anthem or True Conviction or something like that, so until that point I'm mostly defensive, something this card is not. This is another card I'm not sure what I want to replace it. I want something EDH playable that produces black tokens that is aggresively costed. I'm thinking of either Marsh Flitter or the new Devotion Demon that's coming out in Theros, Pros and cons being the Faerie is cheaper, but a 1/1 flier for 4 isn't especially great, on the other hand the demon produces fluctuating numbers of harpies(!) that can range from a lot to a little (If only tokens had mana symbols) and costs 7, but is a solid body and a sac outlet in one. I'm gonna do some playtesting with both as soon as Theros comes out and see which works better. Until then I'm stuck with the Spear.
Any suggestions as to things that produce copious amounts of black tokens that I am unaware of, would be appreciated.
Current EDH Decks BWBTeysa's Orzhov TokensBWB RWBTariel's Undead ReckoningRWB WUSygg's Thingamabobs WU URUTibor and Lumia's DAY OF FUN!URU WWWAvacyn, Angel of Permanent DestructionWWW RBUNicol Bolas's Where Did My Life Total Go?RBU
Comparably, the new Teysa (Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts) is, in my opinion, significantly worse than Teysa, Orzhov Scion, she's costs so much more, and, don't get me wrong she is a good card, but she just doesn't do as well in EDH.
I could see her being a good Pillowfort commander, or a "Good Things" commander, but I like to build around a theme/subtheme, so "Good Things" isn't really my style, and Pillowfort should be done with either Zedruu, the Great-Hearted or Isperia, Supreme Judge, in my opinion.
This Teysa, is much cheaper to drop, easier to build around, and she is much more functional. She is also more offensive/proactive, rather than defensive/reactive. I like being the aggressor most of the time. It makes the games more fun!
Thanks for checking out my deck. Teysa is a fun general that's really fun to get into (she can also be done on a budget too which is the best part about her)
Current EDH Decks BWB Teysa's Orzhov Tokens BWB RWBTariel's Undead ReckoningRWB WU Sygg's Thingamabobs WU URUTibor and Lumia's DAY OF FUN!URU WWWAvacyn, Angel of Permanent DestructionWWW RBUNicol Bolas's Where Did My Life Total Go?RBU
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This is my first post on this website, after reading so much on it I figured to give it a shot, so here's my favorite EDH deck to play: Teysa, Orzhov Scion.
Q&A
Q:Why choose Teysa over other Token generals?
A:Access to black gives better removal, and it also gives access to black. I like Black.
Q:WHY NOT ADD GREEN FOR DOUBLING SEASON/PARALLEL LIVES?
A:Simple, because Teysa could not be the General. We like Teysa being the general.
Q:Okay then, what's so great about Teysa anyway?
A:While there are many amazing things about the Orzhovian Adviser, the main reasons you use her as opposed to other token generals is:
1. She's aggressively costed, she can come out early and start turning black things white and exiling problems, and if she's dealt with, she won't cost too much to bring back.
B. She makes the token deck a lot more resilient to Wraths, cause when your black tokens become white ones and when you're the only one who still has creatures after a Wrath, it makes you smile.
3. She's Unmake on a stick. Avacyn, Angel of Hope giving you trouble? Not anymore.
D. She combos very nicely and efficiently.
Okay, now that I am more informed I see why you made this intelligent choice in general, now let's look at the deck!
1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
Lands
1 Barren Moor
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Evolving Wilds (Foil)
1 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Orzhov Guildgate (Foil)
12 Plains
1 Secluded Steppe
12 Swamp
1 Tainted Field
1 Terramorphic Expanse (Foil)
1 Vault of the Archangel
Mana Rocks!
1 Ashnod's Altar (and sac)
1 Phyrexian Altar (and sac)
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Sol Ring
Token Producers
1 Belfry Spirit (Foil)
1 Captain of the Watch
1 Cloudgoat Ranger (Foil)
1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
1 Geist-Honored Monk (Foil)
1 Grave Titan
1 Knight-Captain of Eos (Foil)
1 Hero of Bladehold (Promo Foil)
1 Skeletal Vampire (Foil)
1 Skirsdag High Priest (Foil)
1 Twilight Drover
1 Luminarch Ascension (Foil)
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad (Foil)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Moonsilver Spear (Promo Foil)
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Fallen Angel
1 Fleshbag Marauder (Foil)
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 World Queller (Foil)
1 Fallen Ideal (Foil)
1 Fanatical Devotion (Foil)
Card Draw/Fixing
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Skullclamp
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Demonic Tutor
Wrath Effects
1 Austere Command
1 Day of Judgment (Textless Foil)
1 Decree of Pain (& draw)
1 Hour of Reckoning
1 Martial Coup (& tokens)
1 Merciless Eviction
Blink Effects (Get more tokens!)
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Galepowder Mage
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (Not necesarily "blink" but more ETB triggers = :))
Recur
1 Corpse Dance
1 Malevolent Awakening (Foil) (&sac outlet)
1 Nim Deathmantle (Foil)
1 Reveillark
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One (Promo Foil)
1 Sun Titan (Promo Foil)
1 Blood Artist (Combo)
1 Falkenrath Noble (Foil) (Combo)
1 Butcher of Malakir (Foil)
1 Grave Pact
1 Intangible Virtue (Foil)
1 Glorious Anthem
1 True Conviction
1 Mortician Beetle (Foil)
1 Smokestack
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Darkest Hour (Combo)
Spot Removal
1 Necrotic Sliver (Foil)
1 Vindicate
1 Mortify (Textless)
1 Archon of Justice (Foil)
Short Stats
Lands -37
Creature - 28
Artifact -11
Enchantment - 10
Sorcery - 8
Planeswalker -3
Instant -2
About the deck:
Now you may ask yourself, "self, what do I do with all these 1/1 tokens?" That's when yourself smacks you in the head and reminds you that you run cards like Phyrexian Altar which turns those tokens into infinite colored mana (or Ashnod's Altar which produces colorless)
There are many different things you can do with those tokens. A couple combo cards are listed here:
Blood Artist Falkenrath Noble Combined with a Sac Outlet, ends the game.
Now you may ask, "What if I don't have one of those in my hand?" Well there are ways around that too, in the form of Skullclamp which will just let you draw your deck, and Demonic Tutor.
There is also a weird combo that I noticed in a 2 A.M. game with a friend that involves the most perfect of conditions with Teysa, Orzhov Scion + Grave Titan + Phyrexian Altar + Corpse Dance which leads to infinite tokens, mana, etc. this combo is a lot harder to pull off and if I ever get it, well good for me, but it has only happened once in the hundred or so games I played the deck.
Card Choices Etc.
There is a lot of reasons I chose to put certain cards in here and why I left others out. I'm not gonna go through all of them because if you are asking why I'm running Vindicate then... get yourself checked out. The less obvious cards are the ones I'm explaining here, so if you were wondering why Conjurer's Closet is good in a token deck, look elsewhere.
Necrotic Sliver: Why am I running one sliver? Is one sliver really that good to make a one of in a deck? In short, yes. For one this sliver has a CMC of 3 and a power of 2, making it a target for both Sun Titan and Reveillark, ergo Vindicate on a stick lets me pop off permanents two to three times a game, or even more depending on how I get it back. Now there is the case that there are some Sliver decks out there, (one being in my play group) and I'll admit one game was really awkward sitting with it in hand, but it's still worth it to run, trust me.
Fallen Ideal/Fallen Angel:
Okay you got me on this one, this one is pure, one of my favorite cards lead to choice. I mean, Angel isn't that incredible, but she is a great sac outlet, and if I have a Grave Pact on the field and a handful of tokens I can usually sac everything to her and swing game. Fallen Ideal is the exact same thing but it's resilient and I can make Teysa into a Fallen Angel and at the end of the day, isn't that what America labels "Success"?
The last card that could lead to question marks would probably be Mortician Beetle : The beetle is one of my favorite cards to drop turn one. Inexperienced players will look at me with puzzled faces, the grizzled EDH vets however (Namely ones who have played against me before) immediately kill it. Why you ask? What's so scary about that tiny 1/1 that isn't even a sac outlet that gets bigger only when a very specific set of events occurs? Well, my deck does a lot of sacrificing. Obviously. Mortician Beetle averages, the games where he sticks, to be a 7/7 or higher. And all it takes is one time for him to be enchanted with Fallen Ideal for someone to learn: "Kill the Beetle" So yeah, people hate bugs for a reason. This is that reason.
Potential Cuts
Somethings I hope to change in the future/want to replace with something better:
Sheoldred, Whispering One, Now I know what you're thinking, why Sheoldred? Isn't she like a staple or something? Well of course she is... she's freaking amazing. My only problem with her, is 7 mana is a lot. I like things to be low costing in this deck to keep the curve down, plus she doesn't really add much to the deck. I mean yeah, she's a problem and needs an answer but I think Oversold Cemetery does almost the same thing for 2 mana rather than 7. And yes it doesn't just put them on the battlefield, but all my stuff is so cheap I can just play them again anyway.
World Queller is another card I'm thinking about cutting. Yes it is amazing to be able to name "Planeswalker" and be able to just kill em all in one card, but it's just not really doing it for me. I'm not sure what to add in its place however. Looking at the new set, I definitely want to put the new Elspeth in here (Got that Affinity for Elspeth... ah Magic puns) So this is a potential cut to make room for her.
Finally, Moonsilver Spear I love me a card that features Avacyn, and I love me a card that makes Angels. But this card is a. very expensive, and b. doesn't really do much. Most of my creatures don't really attack until late game when I have an Anthem or True Conviction or something like that, so until that point I'm mostly defensive, something this card is not. This is another card I'm not sure what I want to replace it. I want something EDH playable that produces black tokens that is aggresively costed. I'm thinking of either Marsh Flitter or the new Devotion Demon that's coming out in Theros, Pros and cons being the Faerie is cheaper, but a 1/1 flier for 4 isn't especially great, on the other hand the demon produces fluctuating numbers of harpies(!) that can range from a lot to a little (If only tokens had mana symbols) and costs 7, but is a solid body and a sac outlet in one. I'm gonna do some playtesting with both as soon as Theros comes out and see which works better. Until then I'm stuck with the Spear.
Any suggestions as to things that produce copious amounts of black tokens that I am unaware of, would be appreciated.
_________________________________________________________________
BWBTeysa's Orzhov TokensBWB
RWBTariel's Undead ReckoningRWB
WU Sygg's Thingamabobs WU
URUTibor and Lumia's DAY OF FUN!URU
WWWAvacyn, Angel of Permanent DestructionWWW
RBUNicol Bolas's Where Did My Life Total Go?RBU
Standard
UR Control
Modern
Merfolk
Burn
Avacyn did nothing wrong!
Purify Innistrad!
#Purge
I could see her being a good Pillowfort commander, or a "Good Things" commander, but I like to build around a theme/subtheme, so "Good Things" isn't really my style, and Pillowfort should be done with either Zedruu, the Great-Hearted or Isperia, Supreme Judge, in my opinion.
This Teysa, is much cheaper to drop, easier to build around, and she is much more functional. She is also more offensive/proactive, rather than defensive/reactive. I like being the aggressor most of the time. It makes the games more fun!
Thanks for checking out my deck. Teysa is a fun general that's really fun to get into (she can also be done on a budget too which is the best part about her)
Current EDH Decks
BWB Teysa's Orzhov Tokens BWB
RWBTariel's Undead ReckoningRWB
WU Sygg's Thingamabobs WU
URUTibor and Lumia's DAY OF FUN!URU
WWWAvacyn, Angel of Permanent DestructionWWW
RBUNicol Bolas's Where Did My Life Total Go?RBU