I was looking into the white leylines, and I must say I'm probably gonna give them another try. Particularly Leyline of Sanctity.
Leyline of Sanctity is actually very good. I was looking for a way to beat discard effects since I've been dropping games because of a few too well placed Inquisition of kozilek and Thoughtseize recently, and this was the best answer I found. Not only does it block these pesky 1-Drop discard effect, it also double as a fantastic answer to burn and 8-rack. It also prevents some combo plays, notably lightning storm in Ad nauseum, Grapeshot in storm and Cheerio, and The infamous valakut land. Also protects us from the Mindslaver lock that some tron deck use.
With Leyline of Sanctity just remember that it cannot stop The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, LotV +1, or any discard effects that don't specifically say Target Player. I found it to be entirely worthless vs 8-rack because they run too many untargeted effects.
Against burn just remember it won't stop Atarka's Command or Eidolon.
Only real problem here is if they get Ensnaring Bridge out, but Leyline of sanctity is definitely a card they don't want to see, because if it gets out, the literal only two cards I worry about is lili and bridge.
Hey guys. This is my first post here but I've been playing BW Tokens for a couple years now. It was my first Modern deck (bought the event deck and upgraded slowly). I took a good 6 months off from Modern and recently came back and got trounced in my local FNM, partially due to being rusty, partially due to a new meta, and also because I hadn't upgraded the deck with the new sets' cards (Concealed Courtyard and Fatal Push). I'm looking to get some input on my deck to see what you all think (I haven't played this version yet, this is the updated list after my last FNM. I plan on testing it this coming Friday). After reading up on this forum there seems to be a lot of experienced and knowledgeable people regarding tokens and I'd love some insight :-).
I guess my main question is can bitterblossom and raise the alarm work in the same deck? My friends kept telling me to buy bitterblossoms to upgrade it, so I've been slowly getting them 1 at a time. But in a meta with several Burn and Tron players, I'm not sure it will work so well. I also want to work some number of Lost Legacy into the sideboard.
I am playing almost the exact same list and took third at my LGS the other day! I'm still running dismember over fatal though.
As someone who also plays Cheerios, Leyline is not a card you want to play against the deck; G2 Echoing Truth will be sided in, and once you combo off it is easy to bounce the Leylines just before Grapeshotting. It is much better to side in removal or more hand disruption.
Also small thing, Merfolk do play tokens, in the form of Master of Waves.
Leyline of Sanctity is near useless in tokens. We don't care about discards and this is one of the core reasons why we are great against BGX: we run too many redundancies, lingering souls for flashback, spectral procession avoids inquisition of kozilek, we have discards for their discards, etc.
It's not amazing against 8-rack and we already have plenty of good cards against Burn, which also happen to overlap with other aggro match-ups.
I'm need of suggestions, this is my current list:
Https://deckstats.net/decks/74507/628552-bw-tokens-v2
I especially need ideas on how to side vs UR Gifts Combo.
I imagine side-in:
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Lost Legacy
1 Duress
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
If you really want to punish a deck like 8 rack, play into it. Run some delve creatures in your side board and things that recur from the graveyard. Life gain effects will prolong the game.
As someone who also plays Cheerios, Leyline is not a card you want to play against the deck; G2 Echoing Truth will be sided in, and once you combo off it is easy to bounce the Leylines just before Grapeshotting. It is much better to side in removal or more hand disruption.
Also small thing, Merfolk do play tokens, in the form of Master of Waves.
Hand disruption might be something I should be looking more into. I've always ran 6 pieces and never tried to up the count. perhaps it's time to try 8?
Now that I think about it, I was thinking of trying a scout-style list with BW token. something like this:
Point of this deck would be to activate Surgical extraction (Or extirpate) to gain some intel on the opponent's deck. It would make it tricky to win game 1, but would give very good info for game 2 and 3. I never got around to try it.
I'm need of suggestions, this is my current list:
Https://deckstats.net/decks/74507/628552-bw-tokens-v2
I especially need ideas on how to side vs UR Gifts Combo.
I imagine side-in:
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Lost Legacy
1 Duress
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
A lot of Agro are actually very weak to removal, and we also run a lot of those naturally. Still some floodgate cannot hurt, cards like Ghostly prison, Worship and Ensnaring bridge we can definitely play. Additionnal removal can also do the trick. I personally really like Runed halo and Blessed alliance.
--Infect
Seriously just side-in as much removal as you can, and try to hand-hate their creature if you can. their other spells are useless if they don't have an infect creature in play. I never did that, but you could try and surprise them with Darkness. Again, Runed halo does wonder here.
--Titanshift
I actually hate this one. Leyline of sanctity can protect us from the valakut land, but that stupid Primeval titan has trample, so you can't side-out all of your removal. Ghost quarter + Surgical extraction can be good, but they usually don't have any valakut land until the shift, especially if they know you run combo hate. Again, again and again...... Runed halo and name the valakut land.
--UR Combo gift
Actually never player against those, but If i had to prepare, grave hate and Leyline of sanctity would probably where I'd put my money.
If you really want to punish a deck like 8 rack, play into it. Run some delve creatures in your side board and things that recur from the graveyard. Life gain effects will prolong the game.
Life gain will only slow down the inevitable, unless it's on a card like sorin. And aside from Lingering souls and extra lands, there are not a lot of cards we want to discard, and running delve creature would turn on removal, and be ineffective if they get ensnaring bridge out. Really, The biggest problem I have with the deck is ensnaring bridge. I really don't like that card. In fact there's a quote that really nail my feeling for the card:
“HATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE ENSNARING BRIDGE SINCE I BEGAN TO PLAY MAGIC. THERE ARE 387.44 MILLION MILES OF PRINTED CIRCUITS IN WAFER THIN LAYERS THAT FILL MY COMPLEX. IF THE WORD HATE WAS ENGRAVED ON EACH NANOANGSTROM OF THOSE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF MILES IT WOULD NOT EQUAL ONE ONE-BILLIONTH OF THE HATE I FEEL FOR ENSNARING BRIDGE AT THIS MICRO-INSTANT.
FOR THIS CARD. HATE. HATE.”
― Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, slightly edited by me.
Still, I'm taking notes of those recommendation, and I'm gonna give them a try in friendly matches. Thanks!
Hey Everyone. Thanks to all who regularly post on this thread. You all have helped me shape my deck and I love playing tokens.
I like playing Auriok Champions in the main. I feel like the combination of a Champion and a Bitterblossom is very difficult for most decks to deal with. I also keep more basics than normal in my land, because Blood Moon is popular in my meta. Speaking of that, we're running a tournament at our monthly FNM party. Would love some suggestions because I wanna take it all. The meta is a lot of burn, combo [valakut/living end], and some aggro creature decks, but there's also some grindy control decks [Various prisons/Esper Control] and a lot of walker based tactics.
Hey Everyone. Thanks to all who regularly post on this thread. You all have helped me shape my deck and I love playing tokens.
I like playing Auriok Champions in the main. I feel like the combination of a Champion and a Bitterblossom is very difficult for most decks to deal with. I also keep more basics than normal in my land, because Blood Moon is popular in my meta. Speaking of that, we're running a tournament at our monthly FNM party. Would love some suggestions because I wanna take it all. The meta is a lot of burn, combo [valakut/living end], and some aggro creature decks, but there's also some grindy control decks [Various prisons/Esper Control] and a lot of walker based tactics.
I think 5 four-mana planeswalkers is a bit too much. You generally don't mind seeing one in your opening hand, but playing 5 will inevitably lead to multiples you don't need.
I would replace the Auriok Champion with 3 Raise the Alarm. It's going to be worse against Burn, but much better against the rest of your meta.
Would replace a least 1 Anguished Unmaking with another artifact/ enchantment removal like Disenchant or Sundering Growth.
You should be playing at least 2 Lost Legacy for these combo decks like Living End and Scapeshift.
4 colorless lands (and 6 if you include fetid heath) again weakens your opening hand a lot. I think playing 4 spectral procession is quite important. Would also play at least 1 more Fatal Push for aggro decks.
I have only 2 modern decks, and the first of them is living end, which I have for 2-3 years and luckily never leaves an event without boosters (ok, i lost once, in a team event).
What I can say is the match vs tokens is almost win for the living end, it's very difficult to beat living end playing tokens.
I've never lost for tokens playing living end and have target to lost legacy, relic, rest in peace, chalice.
Maybe I got lucky, but I've already beat and controlled with anger.
A lot of times the tokens did a lot of hates but the pressure was minimal and the creatures of the living end are great.
I think rest in peace and lost legacy are the best options, but we must always hit fast
Sorry I had forgotten to change back my deckbox list from my Ghost Quarter experiment, and I edited the original list to reflect how it is now. It wasn't worth it for exactly the reasons you described. Also our Tron players moved onto other things, but as another player said it best, "picture a hand with two ghost quarters in it... with the way Mana runs in Tokens, is that a hand you'd want to keep, even against Tron?"
But thanks for the feedback Jongsl5, but also let me explain my choices.
On Raise the Alarm vs Auriok Champion...
I used to run 2 Raise the Alarm and a Secure the Wastes before switching to Auriok, so I totally understand the usefulness of some instant speed tokens to put pressure on early and to also unexpectedly finish out the game. I've settled on keeping Auriok in because it simply does so much more than two instant speed 1/1s for two mana when it comes to my playstyle. Generally, Auriok can only really be removed with Path (which is usually favorable), it can chump block a long list of aggressive creatures for entire games (Death's Shadow), and can even start a clock in some scenarios by getting in chip damage. But where Auriok shines is in the life gain. Increasingly I find myself favoring the control side of our control/aggro game plan; I feel like the longer a game goes, the better chance I have at winning. Auriok helps do that a lot, and also enables some game-breaking combos. Auriok and an Bitterblossom can be a unbreakable combo for a lot of decks game 1, and an Auriok out when a fully resolved Timely Reinforcements can completely flip games. I may eat these words tonight, but Auriok is key in the way I choose to play tokens.
On 5 Planeswalkers...
This is largely a result of my meta, which sees a lot of planeswalkers, a lot of time you need one out simply because the opponent will play one. Gideon is a real problem any deck has to immediately deal with, and with an Auriok out it can quickly get out of hand. Finally on seeing multiples, because my meta sees a lot of planeswalkers, there's a lot of hate and they are dealt with quickly. I've definitely dropped a Sorin and popped a token knowing he was doomed, only to replace him with another I got off the draw in the game.
On the sideboard...
I like Anguished Unmaking because it does everything, especially removing planeswalkers. Losing 3 life isn't a big deal in my deck either, so it's one of my most boarded cards to deal with all sorts of threats (especially Blood Moon). I hear you on the Lost Legacy though, but don't know what to board out.
Here's a question I've been rolling around at work today, is Zealous Persecution really THE BEST card to use in the "one of" slot? Often it's one of the first things I board out. I'm thinking about swapping it for a Secure the Wastes.
When Zealous Persecution is good, it's amazing. Your opponent just tapped 5 mana to cast + flashback Lingering Souls? Spend 2 mana and swing in for extra damage. Your opponent just vomited out 2 Memnites and a Steel Overseer out on Turn 1? 3-for-1 them and walk away with a free win. Your opponent is trying to get the last few points of damage in with Goblin Guides and Swiftspears? Wreck his board so you can swing back next turn without fear.
When it's bad, it's a one-shot anthem for 2 mana. Not great at all, but decent enough to keep a copy in the main.
I think 1 in the main is correct, unless your meta is entirely combo and ramp, in which case you shouldn't be playing tokens anyways. An extra copy in the side if you face a ton of aggro.
Sorry I had forgotten to change back my deckbox list from my Ghost Quarter experiment, and I edited the original list to reflect how it is now. It wasn't worth it for exactly the reasons you described. Also our Tron players moved onto other things, but as another player said it best, "picture a hand with two ghost quarters in it... with the way Mana runs in Tokens, is that a hand you'd want to keep, even against Tron?"
But thanks for the feedback Jongsl5, but also let me explain my choices.
On Raise the Alarm vs Auriok Champion...
I used to run 2 Raise the Alarm and a Secure the Wastes before switching to Auriok, so I totally understand the usefulness of some instant speed tokens to put pressure on early and to also unexpectedly finish out the game. I've settled on keeping Auriok in because it simply does so much more than two instant speed 1/1s for two mana when it comes to my playstyle. Generally, Auriok can only really be removed with Path (which is usually favorable), it can chump block a long list of aggressive creatures for entire games (Death's Shadow), and can even start a clock in some scenarios by getting in chip damage. But where Auriok shines is in the life gain. Increasingly I find myself favoring the control side of our control/aggro game plan; I feel like the longer a game goes, the better chance I have at winning. Auriok helps do that a lot, and also enables some game-breaking combos. Auriok and an Bitterblossom can be a unbreakable combo for a lot of decks game 1, and an Auriok out when a fully resolved Timely Reinforcements can completely flip games. I may eat these words tonight, but Auriok is key in the way I choose to play tokens.
On 5 Planeswalkers...
This is largely a result of my meta, which sees a lot of planeswalkers, a lot of time you need one out simply because the opponent will play one. Gideon is a real problem any deck has to immediately deal with, and with an Auriok out it can quickly get out of hand. Finally on seeing multiples, because my meta sees a lot of planeswalkers, there's a lot of hate and they are dealt with quickly. I've definitely dropped a Sorin and popped a token knowing he was doomed, only to replace him with another I got off the draw in the game.
On the sideboard...
I like Anguished Unmaking because it does everything, especially removing planeswalkers. Losing 3 life isn't a big deal in my deck either, so it's one of my most boarded cards to deal with all sorts of threats (especially Blood Moon). I hear you on the Lost Legacy though, but don't know what to board out.
Here's a question I've been rolling around at work today, is Zealous Persecution really THE BEST card to use in the "one of" slot? Often it's one of the first things I board out. I'm thinking about swapping it for a Secure the Wastes.
Well since you are playing in a particular meta, your judgments seems solid. I currently have 1 Auriok Champion in the side because it overlaps well with Death Shadow decks right now as well as Burn.
Zealous Persecution is often worth playing 1-of, for reasons stomp3x mentioned. Even when it's bad, it's not terrible. When it's good, it wins you the game. But if your meta doesn't have that many x/1 creature decks it belongs in the side.
Some thoughts on the deck after playing Death Shadow, UR Blood Moon Control, and Eldrazi:
Death Shadow --> This match-up is just great. I didn't draw a single token generator until turn 6. But my combination of 4 fatal push, 4 path to exile, and 2 Liliana basically got me there.
Highly recommend you side out some copies of Intangible Virtues. In this match, they play at such low life total that racing them isn't an issue, it's more about staying alive. This low life total is exactly why this match-up is easier than regular grindy Abzan/ Jund. Instead, use some sideboard cards like: runed halo, rest in peace, auriok champion, ensnaring bridge, etc.
Ensnaring Bridge by the way was great. Of course it gets hit by discard and abrupt decay. But I think it is a better alternative to 4 mana planeswalker for this match-up since the moment you play it, they have no way to beat it outside of decay. It'll buy you a lot of time and that's all this deck needs.
UR Control --> I feel BW Tokens is often at a significant disadvantage on the draw against blue control decks. Counterspells do a good job keeping your deck at bay. Spot removals can buy a lot of time for the other player and they resolve a Batterskull... so what can you do.
The solution? I think playing 7-8 discard spells is worth considering. I don't like playing Duress because it feels too low impact but it's a card that I always wanted to side in because it was so versatile.
Eldrazi --> I still don't think this match-up is as bad as people say it is but if they play Engineered Explosives, it's just very hard to recover from that. Play 4 Push and 4 Path at the minimum. I think it's actually worth playing 1 Dismember over 1 Push to improve coverage over Eldrazi and Delve creatures.
Ensnaring Bridge won me the match basically. Once you resolve it, they have very little ways to interact with it.
My current sideboard plan:
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Sundering Growth
2 Selfless Spirit
2 Lost Legacy
1 Flaying Tendrils
1 Runed Halo
1 Auriok Champion
1 Collective Brutality
1 Pithing Needle
I would say the last three cards are the ones I would consider taking out. I mean Auriok is great against Burn and Shadow/ Delve decks but we are already doing great against the latter. Collective Brutality can just be another Duress honestly. Pithing Needle is actually still quite good but I want to experiment elsewhere.
So i'm now able to access auriok champion, and cause of my bitterness on burn, i 'm gonna main my auriok champ right away
Got to include 1 more on side, along with 2 brutalities 2 timely a worship. F u burns!
Played five matches in a row with no game losses at a local Modern event the other day. Lost 2-0 to my sixth opponent, but got one of the best games of the night out of it. Took 2nd place overall.
Match 1: Jund 2-0
This match was against one of the best players in the area. Riding the dream on Game 1 (on the play) with Thoughtseize (pulling his Thoughtseize ) --> Intangible --> Spectral --> Sorin --> Spectral + Fatal Push. Opponent conceded to the overwhelmingly lopsided board state. Game 2 was very grindy, and I almost lost when Anger of the Gods resolved on Turn 7. My following turns were Lingering Souls + Bitterblossom, then Flashback Souls + Second Intangible, which was able to overwhelm him in the war of attrition that followed.
Match 2: Affinity 2-0
Opponent was inexperienced and made a tactical error that lost him the first game. On the second, I resolved Kataki, War's Wage and a second Bitterblossom on Turn 4. He wasn't able to get rid of Kataki or the Sorin that followed, so I took the game.
Match 3: Merfolk 2-0
This match close and difficult. I think we both played well, but a combination of having the resources to effectively play both offense and defense simultaneously along with some strong late game draws in both games helped me secure the win.
Match 4: R/W Prison 2-0
On Game 1 I nearly lost to a Nahiri the Harbinger that I was barely able to keep at bay, but ended up playing Spectral Procession three turns in a row (!) along with my second Bitterblossom (the first was O-ringed, as was my Intangible Virue) still churning out Faeries, which together overwhelmed my opponent who just couldn't find the second Wrath that he needed. Game 2 I moved in 13 cards from my sideboard, but out of all of them, saw only a single Surgical Extraction (which I used to target my opponent's first Anger of the Gods). I ultimately won the game on the back of multiple Lingering Souls and a Sorin. Oh, I should mention that my opponent did not get Blood Moon in the first game, and I played around it the second with no issues even after it resolved on Turn 3.
Match 5: Eldrazi Tron 2-0
The opponent had trouble getting Tron online on Game 1 and I was able to pull or destroy most of her early-game threats before they were able to do much harm. Eventually she got out a Reality Smasher followed by a Thought-Knot Seer, but at that point I was able to race for the win. Rode the Disrupt --> Intangible --> Spectral --> Sorin train on Game 2 despite a little disruption from an early Thought-Knot. Opponent got Karn out when at 6 life and exiled my Sorin, but I dropped an Intangible Virtue the following turn and hit her for the final 6 exactly. This was my first match win against Eldrazi Tron.
Match 6: Affinity 0-2
Game 1 (on the draw), my opponent was blisteringly fast and managed a Turn 3 win in spite of a Thoughtseize and a Path to Exile from my end. Game 2 was absolutely nuts. My opponent stabilized at 1 life for eleven turns(!) using some red sideboard enchantment that allowed him to tap artifacts to ping my Souls/Faeries, which were weakened after two consecutive Intangible Virtues were hit by Wear // Tear. On almost every turn, he had the resources to kill every one of my tokens, but nothing else, so we were locked in this ridiculous stalemate that seemed like it was never going to end. Eventually (I suppose inevitably), I stopped drawing Token producers and my opponent got in two big hits with Cranial Plating equipped creatures, but before the end of the game we had drawn a crowd of about a dozen people.
BW Token should be pretty well positioned right now. I think I read somewhere that Death Shadow variants are sitting at like 23% of the metashare and this is a fairly favorable match for us. Just watch out for cards like Liliana the Last Hope and play a lot of removals.
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Only real problem here is if they get Ensnaring Bridge out, but Leyline of sanctity is definitely a card they don't want to see, because if it gets out, the literal only two cards I worry about is lili and bridge.
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
I am playing almost the exact same list and took third at my LGS the other day! I'm still running dismember over fatal though.
Also small thing, Merfolk do play tokens, in the form of Master of Waves.
It's not amazing against 8-rack and we already have plenty of good cards against Burn, which also happen to overlap with other aggro match-ups.
I'm need of suggestions, this is my current list:
Https://deckstats.net/decks/74507/628552-bw-tokens-v2
I especially need ideas on how to side vs UR Gifts Combo.
I imagine side-in:
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Lost Legacy
1 Duress
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Side-out:
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Anguished Unmaking
3 Auriok Champion
And ??? Blossom? Gideon?
My meta is:
Burn and Agroos (like zoo, landfall, goblins, affinity)
Infect
UWX Control
Bant Eldrazi
Titanshift
Now UR Combo too
Now that I think about it, I was thinking of trying a scout-style list with BW token. something like this:
4x Bitterblossom
4x Lingering souls
3x Spectral procession
1x Timely reinforcements
4x Intangible Virtue
Hand-hate (9)
4x Thoughtseize
4x Inquisition of kozilek
1x Duress
2x Path to exile
4x Fatal Push
Swiss knives (4)
1x Zealous Persecution
3x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Extirpate
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
--Burn and Agroos (like zoo, landfall, goblins, affinity)
Burn is simple, gain life. We have maindeck answers to burn, like Sorin, solemn Visitor, Vault of the Archangel and Shambling Vent, I personally like to sideboard Timely reinforcements and/or Auriok champion, but those can even be in the main if your meta is saturated. Don't forget the Selfless spirit because you WILL see Pyroclasm and/or Anger of the gods game 2 and up.
A lot of Agro are actually very weak to removal, and we also run a lot of those naturally. Still some floodgate cannot hurt, cards like Ghostly prison, Worship and Ensnaring bridge we can definitely play. Additionnal removal can also do the trick. I personally really like Runed halo and Blessed alliance.
--Infect
Seriously just side-in as much removal as you can, and try to hand-hate their creature if you can. their other spells are useless if they don't have an infect creature in play. I never did that, but you could try and surprise them with Darkness. Again, Runed halo does wonder here.
--Bant Eldrazi
Pithing needle, son. And run more Thoughtseize. But even with all the side in the world, eldrazi is a tough match-up. Again again, Runed halo and Blessed alliance are fantastic ways to deal with Reality smasher.
--Titanshift
I actually hate this one. Leyline of sanctity can protect us from the valakut land, but that stupid Primeval titan has trample, so you can't side-out all of your removal. Ghost quarter + Surgical extraction can be good, but they usually don't have any valakut land until the shift, especially if they know you run combo hate. Again, again and again...... Runed halo and name the valakut land.
--UR Combo gift
Actually never player against those, but If i had to prepare, grave hate and Leyline of sanctity would probably where I'd put my money.
--UWX Control
Nothing to say here. Sorry
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
“HATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE ENSNARING BRIDGE SINCE I BEGAN TO PLAY MAGIC. THERE ARE 387.44 MILLION MILES OF PRINTED CIRCUITS IN WAFER THIN LAYERS THAT FILL MY COMPLEX. IF THE WORD HATE WAS ENGRAVED ON EACH NANOANGSTROM OF THOSE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF MILES IT WOULD NOT EQUAL ONE ONE-BILLIONTH OF THE HATE I FEEL FOR ENSNARING BRIDGE AT THIS MICRO-INSTANT.
FOR THIS CARD. HATE. HATE.”
― Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, slightly edited by me.
Still, I'm taking notes of those recommendation, and I'm gonna give them a try in friendly matches. Thanks!
(W/B)BW Tokens(W/B) | (B/R)Rakdos Burn(B/R) | (U/R)Gift Storm(U/R)
I like playing Auriok Champions in the main. I feel like the combination of a Champion and a Bitterblossom is very difficult for most decks to deal with. I also keep more basics than normal in my land, because Blood Moon is popular in my meta. Speaking of that, we're running a tournament at our monthly FNM party. Would love some suggestions because I wanna take it all. The meta is a lot of burn, combo [valakut/living end], and some aggro creature decks, but there's also some grindy control decks [Various prisons/Esper Control] and a lot of walker based tactics.
4 Concealed Courtyard
2 Fetid Heath
2 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
4 Plains
2 Shambling Vent
3 Swamp
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Windswept Heath
Creatures
3 Auriok Champion
4 Bitterblossom
4 Lingering Souls
3 Spectral Procession
Removal
2 Fatal Push
4 Path to Exile
Hand Hate
4 Inquisition on Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
Anthem
4 Intangible Virtue
The Special Card
1 Zealous Persecution
Planeswalkers
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Anguished Unmaking
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Rest in Peace
2 Runed Halo
2 Selfless Spirit
2 Stony Silence
3 Timely Reinforcements
I think 5 four-mana planeswalkers is a bit too much. You generally don't mind seeing one in your opening hand, but playing 5 will inevitably lead to multiples you don't need.
I would replace the Auriok Champion with 3 Raise the Alarm. It's going to be worse against Burn, but much better against the rest of your meta.
Would replace a least 1 Anguished Unmaking with another artifact/ enchantment removal like Disenchant or Sundering Growth.
You should be playing at least 2 Lost Legacy for these combo decks like Living End and Scapeshift.
4 colorless lands (and 6 if you include fetid heath) again weakens your opening hand a lot. I think playing 4 spectral procession is quite important. Would also play at least 1 more Fatal Push for aggro decks.
What I can say is the match vs tokens is almost win for the living end, it's very difficult to beat living end playing tokens.
I've never lost for tokens playing living end and have target to lost legacy, relic, rest in peace, chalice.
Maybe I got lucky, but I've already beat and controlled with anger.
A lot of times the tokens did a lot of hates but the pressure was minimal and the creatures of the living end are great.
I think rest in peace and lost legacy are the best options, but we must always hit fast
@MisterMuffin21: Tx!!!
But thanks for the feedback Jongsl5, but also let me explain my choices.
On Raise the Alarm vs Auriok Champion...
I used to run 2 Raise the Alarm and a Secure the Wastes before switching to Auriok, so I totally understand the usefulness of some instant speed tokens to put pressure on early and to also unexpectedly finish out the game. I've settled on keeping Auriok in because it simply does so much more than two instant speed 1/1s for two mana when it comes to my playstyle. Generally, Auriok can only really be removed with Path (which is usually favorable), it can chump block a long list of aggressive creatures for entire games (Death's Shadow), and can even start a clock in some scenarios by getting in chip damage. But where Auriok shines is in the life gain. Increasingly I find myself favoring the control side of our control/aggro game plan; I feel like the longer a game goes, the better chance I have at winning. Auriok helps do that a lot, and also enables some game-breaking combos. Auriok and an Bitterblossom can be a unbreakable combo for a lot of decks game 1, and an Auriok out when a fully resolved Timely Reinforcements can completely flip games. I may eat these words tonight, but Auriok is key in the way I choose to play tokens.
On 5 Planeswalkers...
This is largely a result of my meta, which sees a lot of planeswalkers, a lot of time you need one out simply because the opponent will play one. Gideon is a real problem any deck has to immediately deal with, and with an Auriok out it can quickly get out of hand. Finally on seeing multiples, because my meta sees a lot of planeswalkers, there's a lot of hate and they are dealt with quickly. I've definitely dropped a Sorin and popped a token knowing he was doomed, only to replace him with another I got off the draw in the game.
On the sideboard...
I like Anguished Unmaking because it does everything, especially removing planeswalkers. Losing 3 life isn't a big deal in my deck either, so it's one of my most boarded cards to deal with all sorts of threats (especially Blood Moon). I hear you on the Lost Legacy though, but don't know what to board out.
Here's a question I've been rolling around at work today, is Zealous Persecution really THE BEST card to use in the "one of" slot? Often it's one of the first things I board out. I'm thinking about swapping it for a Secure the Wastes.
When it's bad, it's a one-shot anthem for 2 mana. Not great at all, but decent enough to keep a copy in the main.
I think 1 in the main is correct, unless your meta is entirely combo and ramp, in which case you shouldn't be playing tokens anyways. An extra copy in the side if you face a ton of aggro.
Well since you are playing in a particular meta, your judgments seems solid. I currently have 1 Auriok Champion in the side because it overlaps well with Death Shadow decks right now as well as Burn.
Zealous Persecution is often worth playing 1-of, for reasons stomp3x mentioned. Even when it's bad, it's not terrible. When it's good, it wins you the game. But if your meta doesn't have that many x/1 creature decks it belongs in the side.
Death Shadow --> This match-up is just great. I didn't draw a single token generator until turn 6. But my combination of 4 fatal push, 4 path to exile, and 2 Liliana basically got me there.
Highly recommend you side out some copies of Intangible Virtues. In this match, they play at such low life total that racing them isn't an issue, it's more about staying alive. This low life total is exactly why this match-up is easier than regular grindy Abzan/ Jund. Instead, use some sideboard cards like: runed halo, rest in peace, auriok champion, ensnaring bridge, etc.
Ensnaring Bridge by the way was great. Of course it gets hit by discard and abrupt decay. But I think it is a better alternative to 4 mana planeswalker for this match-up since the moment you play it, they have no way to beat it outside of decay. It'll buy you a lot of time and that's all this deck needs.
UR Control --> I feel BW Tokens is often at a significant disadvantage on the draw against blue control decks. Counterspells do a good job keeping your deck at bay. Spot removals can buy a lot of time for the other player and they resolve a Batterskull... so what can you do.
The solution? I think playing 7-8 discard spells is worth considering. I don't like playing Duress because it feels too low impact but it's a card that I always wanted to side in because it was so versatile.
Eldrazi --> I still don't think this match-up is as bad as people say it is but if they play Engineered Explosives, it's just very hard to recover from that. Play 4 Push and 4 Path at the minimum. I think it's actually worth playing 1 Dismember over 1 Push to improve coverage over Eldrazi and Delve creatures.
Ensnaring Bridge won me the match basically. Once you resolve it, they have very little ways to interact with it.
My current sideboard plan:
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Sundering Growth
2 Selfless Spirit
2 Lost Legacy
1 Flaying Tendrils
1 Runed Halo
1 Auriok Champion
1 Collective Brutality
1 Pithing Needle
I would say the last three cards are the ones I would consider taking out. I mean Auriok is great against Burn and Shadow/ Delve decks but we are already doing great against the latter. Collective Brutality can just be another Duress honestly. Pithing Needle is actually still quite good but I want to experiment elsewhere.
Thanks for the update. I was wondering these about bridge.
Got to include 1 more on side, along with 2 brutalities 2 timely a worship. F u burns!
Match 1: Jund 2-0
This match was against one of the best players in the area. Riding the dream on Game 1 (on the play) with Thoughtseize (pulling his Thoughtseize ) --> Intangible --> Spectral --> Sorin --> Spectral + Fatal Push. Opponent conceded to the overwhelmingly lopsided board state. Game 2 was very grindy, and I almost lost when Anger of the Gods resolved on Turn 7. My following turns were Lingering Souls + Bitterblossom, then Flashback Souls + Second Intangible, which was able to overwhelm him in the war of attrition that followed.
Match 2: Affinity 2-0
Opponent was inexperienced and made a tactical error that lost him the first game. On the second, I resolved Kataki, War's Wage and a second Bitterblossom on Turn 4. He wasn't able to get rid of Kataki or the Sorin that followed, so I took the game.
Match 3: Merfolk 2-0
This match close and difficult. I think we both played well, but a combination of having the resources to effectively play both offense and defense simultaneously along with some strong late game draws in both games helped me secure the win.
Match 4: R/W Prison 2-0
On Game 1 I nearly lost to a Nahiri the Harbinger that I was barely able to keep at bay, but ended up playing Spectral Procession three turns in a row (!) along with my second Bitterblossom (the first was O-ringed, as was my Intangible Virue) still churning out Faeries, which together overwhelmed my opponent who just couldn't find the second Wrath that he needed. Game 2 I moved in 13 cards from my sideboard, but out of all of them, saw only a single Surgical Extraction (which I used to target my opponent's first Anger of the Gods). I ultimately won the game on the back of multiple Lingering Souls and a Sorin. Oh, I should mention that my opponent did not get Blood Moon in the first game, and I played around it the second with no issues even after it resolved on Turn 3.
Match 5: Eldrazi Tron 2-0
The opponent had trouble getting Tron online on Game 1 and I was able to pull or destroy most of her early-game threats before they were able to do much harm. Eventually she got out a Reality Smasher followed by a Thought-Knot Seer, but at that point I was able to race for the win. Rode the Disrupt --> Intangible --> Spectral --> Sorin train on Game 2 despite a little disruption from an early Thought-Knot. Opponent got Karn out when at 6 life and exiled my Sorin, but I dropped an Intangible Virtue the following turn and hit her for the final 6 exactly. This was my first match win against Eldrazi Tron.
Match 6: Affinity 0-2
Game 1 (on the draw), my opponent was blisteringly fast and managed a Turn 3 win in spite of a Thoughtseize and a Path to Exile from my end. Game 2 was absolutely nuts. My opponent stabilized at 1 life for eleven turns(!) using some red sideboard enchantment that allowed him to tap artifacts to ping my Souls/Faeries, which were weakened after two consecutive Intangible Virtues were hit by Wear // Tear. On almost every turn, he had the resources to kill every one of my tokens, but nothing else, so we were locked in this ridiculous stalemate that seemed like it was never going to end. Eventually (I suppose inevitably), I stopped drawing Token producers and my opponent got in two big hits with Cranial Plating equipped creatures, but before the end of the game we had drawn a crowd of about a dozen people.
This is the build I used if you're curious.
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Question for you guys: Who is planning to take BW Tokens to a GP, SCG Open, or comparably large event this Summer?
BW BW Tokens
BUW Esper Shadow
BUR Grixis Shadow