MTG Salvation

Since modern masters has a selesnya token subtheme a lot of cards were reprinted. Intangible Virtue, Wayfaring Temple, Druid's Deliverance and many more. That makes me want to take advantage of the price drop.

Should I use Call of the Herd and Call of the Conclave as enablers or should I build a golem/splicer (Blade Splicer, Master Splicer, Sensor Splicer, Maul Splicer, Vital Splicer) deck?

The first option means I can play blowout stuff like Hour of Reckoning and also be super happy with my Intangible Virtue.
The second option means I get more value out of cards like Wayfaring Temple because I net more creatures, and I also get synergy between them (I also get to jam Inventor's Goggles for what it's worth). I could then also blink cards for value.

Or is there a better way, like Raise the Alarm/Triplicate Spirits, while feeling bad about populating a 1/1? or should I just get the idea with populating out of my head?

Maybe something close to this?

Quote from Atanar »

is there some ramp that fits really well?

The only cards that I ever run myself are Wild Growth and/or Utopia Sprawl but that's mostly because I hate losing mana dorks to mass removal.

Sample deck:


This is more optimised for european mkm, around 20euros

Edit: Why the hell does the templating not work? It doesn't display the same as the preview!

Revison (and test if the templating works now):

If you want to play mostly golems you might like Golem Artisan or some Colossi. (search Colossus on Gatherer)

Golem Artisan seems pretty bad, and all the other golems, too (except some of the super expensive ones). If I wanted more golems I could get them better with populate effects.

Currently I am tinkering with the mana curve. I might have problems actually doing something meaningful on the first few turns. I am thinking about including Selesnya Signet. I am also wondering if I should not include Beastmaster Ascension instead of Intangible Virtue or Collective Blessing.

Edit: The deck should probably contain Dread Statuary if I am going strongly for the splicers. I only noticed now that that's a golem.

Edit2: Maybe this deck isn't durdly enough already and want's Panharmonicon...

Are the Inventor's Goggles really necessary? Turning your 1/1 into a 2/3 isn't going to make the non-Golem creatures relevant in combat. I'd cut them for the aforementioned Selesnya Signet.

My favorite ramp in token decks is Cryptolith Rite. It works especially well with mana-sink token generators like Sylvan Offering or Jade Mage since each successive use generates more creatures and mana exponentially if left unchecked.

Quote from Prid3 »

Quote from Atanar »

is there some ramp that fits really well?

The only cards that I ever run myself are Wild Growth and/or Utopia Sprawl but that's mostly because I hate losing mana dorks to mass removal.

I'd almost be tempted here by Shaman of Forgotten Ways, but it's probably not the right choice with so many noncreature spells.

Quote from LukeFoley »

My favorite ramp in token decks is Cryptolith Rite. It works especially well with mana-sink token generators like Sylvan Offering or Jade Mage since each successive use generates more creatures and mana exponentially if left unchecked.

I wasn't going to suggest expensive cards like Cryptolith Rite and/or Earthcraft but it seems that the former isn't as expensive as I previously assumed. Good to know!

Updated list:

If you went the non-splicer route Advent of the Wurm is okay. If you would employ the blinking, Eerie Interlude might also be an option. Venser is sadly at the moment as expensive as the rest of the deck.

Quote from Atanar »

If you went the non-splicer route Advent of the Wurm is okay. If you would employ the blinking, Eerie Interlude might also be an option. Venser is sadly at the moment as expensive as the rest of the deck.

Eerie Interlude has the slight downside of wiping all your tokens permanently. Might be okay in the all-Splicer version but I'd be wary.

Quote from Xyx »

Don't forget about Séance! Seriously, card's a lot better than it looks.

Please explain. My reptile brain has been trying for a very long time to like this card, and it seems especially bad in this shell. What's the best case scenario? Séance up a Maul Splicer and Populate? That's a pretty extreme corner case, and I'm not really convinced that's better than just running Secure the Wastes + any anthem effect.

Quote from thomeyis »

Eerie Interlude has the slight downside of wiping all your tokens permanently. Might be okay in the all-Splicer version but I'd be wary.

No it doesn't. "Exile any number of target creatures" not "exile all."

Quote from thomeyis »

Please explain. My reptile brain has been trying for a very long time to like this card, and it seems especially bad in this shell. What's the best case scenario? Séance up a Maul Splicer and Populate? That's a pretty extreme corner case, and I'm not really convinced that's better than just running Secure the Wastes + any anthem effect.

Because it's a Panharmonicon that works off of all resources that you've already used this game as opposed to being one that only works off of the cards in your hand and/or that you'll draw. It's not a card that you'd ever want 3-4 of because it's worthless early on and heinous in multiples but the first is decent in protracted value games assuming that your deck has a ton of sweet ETB triggers. Lategame it ostensibly reads "put a 3/3 Golem into play every upkeep" (for like ~6 Upkeeps) and that's a reasonable Magic card all things being equal.

Beyond that it's a good card against removal-heavy strategies and since token decks are almost ubiquitously "critical mass" decks it's the kind of card that legitimately helps you win your worst matchups. There's no worse feeling that losing your armies to removal while being stranded with worthless Anthems and that's where a card like Seance can shine.

Why are you trying to push Seance on me

Yeah, I am surely including at least one.

Any thoughts on Anointed Procession as a affordable version of Parallel Lives?

Current iteration:


I think now is the ideal time for me to buy it. Any last thoughts? Is Mouth a viable alternative to Shamanic Revelation?

Quote from Atanar »

I think now is the ideal time for me to buy it. Any last thoughts? Is Mouth a viable alternative to Shamanic Revelation?

Mouth is garbage. Ignore it.

Seance is significantly weaker than Anointed Procession in your build.

Cut something for the 4th Cryptolith Rite, even if it's a land.

After a bit of testing (in case anyone ever digs up that thread again), I have some revisions:

Cryptolith Rite should indeed be a 4-of. Maybe even include ways to find them.
Shamanic Revelation is an absolute powerhouse. Never felt bad about casting one.
Sundering Growth is really good if there are targets.

Sylvan Offering often is utterly useless in the hand. If you can cast it for x=5 or less it's not good enough, if you can cast it for more it's just a win-more card.
Sensor Splicer isn't good. Compared to other splicers it's the most expensive one for a golem, and vigilance really doesn't help you. Golems aren't good single attackers.

I'm thinking about including something like Rancor or Behemoth Sledge since a lot of creatures are just huge but lack evasion. Beastmaster Ascension probably isn't the greatest overrun-effect for this deck.

Quote from Atanar »

Sylvan Offering often is utterly useless in the hand. If you can cast it for x=5 or less it's not good enough, if you can cast it for more it's just a win-more card.

Huh? At X=3 it's putting 12 power across 8 bodies into play for 4 mana and 1 card. How is that "utterly useless"?

Quote from Prid3 »

Quote from Atanar »

Sylvan Offering often is utterly useless in the hand. If you can cast it for x=5 or less it's not good enough, if you can cast it for more it's just a win-more card.

Huh? At X=3 it's putting 12 power across 8 bodies into play for 4 mana and 1 card. How is that "utterly useless"?

The bad part is the symmetry. I don't actually profit from it all that much more than the guy(s) who receive the tokens, it gives them chumpblockers. Sitting back is not how the deck wins, I don't want to give them more turns to come up with something evasive that kills me.

If you're going the Populate route, Mimic Vat.
If someone kills off your... let's say Avenger of Zendikar as an example? It winds up under the Vat.
You use it, and then you populate. You keep the populated copy.

I find it even stunts your opponents' plans at times. I had a guy silly enough to evoke a Shriekmaw once while I was running this setup... under the Vat it went, and I was getting two Shriekmaws every turn.