BW Tokens
Quote fromBW Tokens is a difficult deck to classify; it has aspects of control, aggro, and combo. It wins with creatures, but there's no need to be discouraged if the opponent is still at twenty by turn 5. In fact, the longer the game goes, the more confident I feel about winning. For this reason, I tend to treat BW Tokens as a control deck that puts its efforts into creature advantage rather than mana, cards in hand, or defensive planeswalkers (as more traditional control decks do).
Table of Contents:
1) History
2) The Deck
2.1) The Core
2.2) Additions and Alternatives
3) Sideboard
4) Articles
5) Decklists
6) I got the Event Deck... Now what? Tips for playing the deck
7) Match Analysis
1) History:
BW Tokens is a old Standard deck from the times of Lorwyn/Shards of Alara. During that cycle it gravitated between being one of the best decks to being totally dominant.
It burst onto the modern scene when Jyun'ichi Miyajima won a GP with it in July 2012.
During 2013, it has been somewhat championed by Melissa DeTora during some GPs and to some extent by Craig Wescoe who chose to play it at the 2013 Magic World Championship. In 2014, it was printed as the Modern Event deck, making many of the core cards easy to acquire.
It burst onto the modern scene when Jyun'ichi Miyajima won a GP with it in July 2012.
During 2013, it has been somewhat championed by Melissa DeTora during some GPs and to some extent by Craig Wescoe who chose to play it at the 2013 Magic World Championship. In 2014, it was printed as the Modern Event deck, making many of the core cards easy to acquire.
2) The Deck:
The core of the deck is Token Generators, Anthems, Creatures, Hand Disruption, and Removal. The cards below are the most common choices. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run them, but all successful decks start with these core cards. The list is divided by what role the card plays in the deck. The number of slots in the deck is variable, and based on historically successful decks.
Raise the Alarm Two 1/1s for 2cmc isn’t exactly amazing. Being at instant speed does help though, helps a lot actually.
As with all the tokens generators, it only starts getting broken when you get your anthems online.
Lingering Souls Always run 4. It is usually considered to be amongst the best spells in the Modern format, some decks splash white just so they can have it.
Spectral Procession Always run 4. More often than not, in this deck, it’s about the same quality as Lingering Souls. Having to have triple white mana if you want to cast it for 3cmc is kind of a bummer though.
It actually counts as 6cmc, so it single-handedly ruins the prospect of running Dark Confidant.
But when you are getting three flying 2/2s for one card, you can’t really complain.
As with all the tokens generators, it only starts getting broken when you get your anthems online.
Lingering Souls Always run 4. It is usually considered to be amongst the best spells in the Modern format, some decks splash white just so they can have it.
Spectral Procession Always run 4. More often than not, in this deck, it’s about the same quality as Lingering Souls. Having to have triple white mana if you want to cast it for 3cmc is kind of a bummer though.
It actually counts as 6cmc, so it single-handedly ruins the prospect of running Dark Confidant.
But when you are getting three flying 2/2s for one card, you can’t really complain.
Thoughtseize 1cmc and 2 life to see your opponents whole hand and then taking whatever nonland card you want from it. Mkay. It's usually called the second best spell in modern after Lightning Bolt.
Inquisition of Kozilek It is to Thoughtseize what Riftbolt is to Lightning Bolt. While it's not as good, it still does a ton of work
Inquisition of Kozilek It is to Thoughtseize what Riftbolt is to Lightning Bolt. While it's not as good, it still does a ton of work
Honor of the Pure The best anthem if you run a deck with many vanilla (and white) creatures.
Intangible Virtue The better one if your running less non-token creatures or if you somehow produce tokens that are not white. The vigilance can often prove decisive versus other creature decks, as you can start to race them with impunity.
Zealous Persecution Not really a classic anthem, seeing as how it is a instant and the effect only lasts until end of turn.
However it also doubles as a actual removal or conditional sweeper vs. Snapcaster Mage, Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Dark Confidant, Vendilion Clique, Pestermite, Grim Lavamancer, Affinity, Soul Sisters, to name a few. It's not an auto-include in the deck, but cast it during combat to truly tip the scales over.
Intangible Virtue The better one if your running less non-token creatures or if you somehow produce tokens that are not white. The vigilance can often prove decisive versus other creature decks, as you can start to race them with impunity.
Zealous Persecution Not really a classic anthem, seeing as how it is a instant and the effect only lasts until end of turn.
However it also doubles as a actual removal or conditional sweeper vs. Snapcaster Mage, Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Dark Confidant, Vendilion Clique, Pestermite, Grim Lavamancer, Affinity, Soul Sisters, to name a few. It's not an auto-include in the deck, but cast it during combat to truly tip the scales over.
Path to Exile Always run 4. It’s usually considered among the premier removal spells in modern.
Doom Blade It's simple and effective. Sometimes, you just need to kill something.
Doom Blade It's simple and effective. Sometimes, you just need to kill something.
Elspeth Tirel The best planeswalker for this deck. Every ability is relevant to our game-plan. Running out of life? Done. Need some creatures? Easy. Want to just say "!@#$ you" to your opponent and clear the field? Gladly. It is important to note that we are not aiming to curve into her. This deck has loads of 3cmc drops. Keep playing creatures, tokens, and removal as needed, then slam down Tirel For The Win.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant One of the best walkers in Modern, she can provide a chump blocker each turn for that goyf, give you card advantage vs. control or provide you with a faster clock.
Starting on 4 loyalty and having two +1’s means she is very resilient.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad In this deck he proves to be very much like the Knight-Errant. His -2 for a permanent anthem is great in this deck and the lifelink on the token should not be underestimated.
I’d say it’s as easy as this, Elspeth is better in a deck with non-token creatures and therefore more Honor of the Pure while Sorin is better in the more token focused deck with more Intangible Virtue.
Creatures are an important part of the deck. Having an all token game plan can be risky, especially playing in a small meta. Cards like Ratchet Bomb and Engineered Explosives can just ruin us. Large creatures can also act as finishers that have to be answered, or risk turning the game heavily in our favor. For the core of the deck, generally run up to 3 of one the following, and any additional creatures from the "alternatives" list as needed:
Hero of Bladehold Some use her as a alternative to the Planeswalkers. She does put a ton pressure on the opponent if she is active, but not doing anything for the first turn when costing 4cmc is pretty steep.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos Run no more than 3. Hail to the King! At first glance, Brimaz is a weaker Hero, that competes with our 3cmc slot token generators. In reality, the 3cmc is a benefit (see explanation below), and he puts serious pressure on your opponent. He also decreases your reliance on Intangible Virtue, as he produces Vigilance creatures.
Marsh Flats Our fetchland. Can get our Plains, Swamps and Godless Shrines
Arid Mesa The other fetchland that get get us plains. Not strictly needed, but it does help a bit.
Godless Shrine Always run 4. Our shock land.
Isolated Chapel We run Plains and Swamps and need white and black mana.
Fetid Heath Filter that mana! So we can drop a Auriok Champion on turn 2 from our turn 1 Swamp or turn 3 that Spectral Procession. As it only provides a colorless mana on it’s own and doesn’t synergies with Isolated Chapel, running more than two is not recommended.
Windbrisk Heights Cheat in a Planeswalker for 2cmc, or an anthem during combat. Keep in mind that activating it allows you to ignore standard timing. As long as you attacked with 3 creatures that turn, you can play what ever is under it at instant speed. It’s (un?)surprisingly good in this deck.
Arid Mesa The other fetchland that get get us plains. Not strictly needed, but it does help a bit.
Godless Shrine Always run 4. Our shock land.
Isolated Chapel We run Plains and Swamps and need white and black mana.
Fetid Heath Filter that mana! So we can drop a Auriok Champion on turn 2 from our turn 1 Swamp or turn 3 that Spectral Procession. As it only provides a colorless mana on it’s own and doesn’t synergies with Isolated Chapel, running more than two is not recommended.
Windbrisk Heights Cheat in a Planeswalker for 2cmc, or an anthem during combat. Keep in mind that activating it allows you to ignore standard timing. As long as you attacked with 3 creatures that turn, you can play what ever is under it at instant speed. It’s (un?)surprisingly good in this deck.
While the core cards above usually make up the full 60. There is definitely opportunity to change some things depending on your local meta, or personal preferences.
More to come!
3) Sideboard:Midnight Haunting A Lingering Souls without the flashback but at instant speed.
Gather the Townsfolk Not exactly optimal but 2cmc and a token generator isn’t too bad.
Timely Reinforcements Situational best describes this card. The six life can be huge against RDW and Zoo decks and three creatures isn’t anything so sneeze at. It has great synergy with Windbrisk Heights. It can be totally dead in top deck scenarios.
BitterBlossom Recently unbanned and ready for action, BB produces constant pressure at the cost of your life total. A deck with shocks, fetch's, and thoughseizes can make BB a fast clock for both you an your opponent. As such, no pro player has yet to endorse it, but MTGsalvation community members have posted results with BB decks. Keep in mind that Honor of the Pure is a no go with this strategy. Life gain is also recommended
Gather the Townsfolk Not exactly optimal but 2cmc and a token generator isn’t too bad.
Timely Reinforcements Situational best describes this card. The six life can be huge against RDW and Zoo decks and three creatures isn’t anything so sneeze at. It has great synergy with Windbrisk Heights. It can be totally dead in top deck scenarios.
BitterBlossom Recently unbanned and ready for action, BB produces constant pressure at the cost of your life total. A deck with shocks, fetch's, and thoughseizes can make BB a fast clock for both you an your opponent. As such, no pro player has yet to endorse it, but MTGsalvation community members have posted results with BB decks. Keep in mind that Honor of the Pure is a no go with this strategy. Life gain is also recommended
Sword of War and Peace Not really an anthem, but it falls into the same category as it provides a buff. Making a creature (like Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Squadron Hawk, or Mirran Crusader) Lightning Bolt and Path to Exile proof is a huge bonus. Gaining life when it hits is the icing on the cake.
Sword of Fire and Ice Also provides relevant protections, deals extra damage to players, and lets you draw. All around solid card.
Sword of Feast and Famine Again, the colors of protection are relevant, and being able to untap all land going into your second main phase can set up a dominate board state quickly.
Sword of Fire and Ice Also provides relevant protections, deals extra damage to players, and lets you draw. All around solid card.
Sword of Feast and Famine Again, the colors of protection are relevant, and being able to untap all land going into your second main phase can set up a dominate board state quickly.
Duress Shouldn’t be in the main 60 unless your meta is combo and control heavy. Generally, you want thoughtseize of inquisition.
Dismember A great card that sees a lot of play both mainboard and sideboard in others decks.
Disfigure 1cmc instant speed removal that works against the majority of modern staples is never a bad thing.
Engineered Explosives It can shut down bogles, robots, and merfolk easily. Definitely an option over doom blade, depending on your meta.
Hour of Reckoning Conditional and expensive. It can, however, totally save your bacon in an agro heavy meta.
Slaughter Pact More expensive and conditional than Doom Blade, but being able to play it the turn before you pay for it allows you to tap out playing our numerous sorcery speed cards, and be ready for whatever craziness your opponent will cast on his turn.
Disfigure 1cmc instant speed removal that works against the majority of modern staples is never a bad thing.
Engineered Explosives It can shut down bogles, robots, and merfolk easily. Definitely an option over doom blade, depending on your meta.
Hour of Reckoning Conditional and expensive. It can, however, totally save your bacon in an agro heavy meta.
Slaughter Pact More expensive and conditional than Doom Blade, but being able to play it the turn before you pay for it allows you to tap out playing our numerous sorcery speed cards, and be ready for whatever craziness your opponent will cast on his turn.
Mirran Crusader Strong against Goyf and bogles. A few successful decks have ran it, and it's also recommended by Craig Wescoe.
Squadron Hawk A solid way to keep creatures on the field and apply pressure. It's best used with a Sword of X and X.
Auriok Champion Being protection from black and red means she won’t be getting removed too easily. Giving 1 life for each creature entering the battlefield means you’ll be gaining pretty much life from all your tokens.
If you have two in play she acts as a hard counter for the combos of Splinter Twin and Murderous Redcap.
Still, in some match-ups she is close to a dead card and usually the first one to be side-boarded out.
Tidehollow Sculler Is the subject of much debate. In a perfect world, it’s a Thoughtseize with a 2/2 body for 2cmc. Sadly the world we live in (modern) is pretty far from perfect. The biggest problem is that he always eats removal, thus returning whatever card you chose. As such, an easy conclusion to draw is that Sculler should always take the removal spell. This is not entirely true, as Sculler really shines as a tempo choice. You get an opportunity to see your opponent's hand (always good), and then choose the card they most need. They can then waste a turn killing the sculler (a psuedo time walk), or try playing without a (hopefully) key piece of their deck. This can create a 1:1 trade. We both spend a card from our hand, and we both spend a turn of our time. Since BW Tokens is a fair deck, forcing our opponen's to play fair, too, is powerful. Still, skuller always risks being situational, which is why I list him as an alternative to Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek
Squadron Hawk A solid way to keep creatures on the field and apply pressure. It's best used with a Sword of X and X.
Auriok Champion Being protection from black and red means she won’t be getting removed too easily. Giving 1 life for each creature entering the battlefield means you’ll be gaining pretty much life from all your tokens.
If you have two in play she acts as a hard counter for the combos of Splinter Twin and Murderous Redcap.
Still, in some match-ups she is close to a dead card and usually the first one to be side-boarded out.
Tidehollow Sculler Is the subject of much debate. In a perfect world, it’s a Thoughtseize with a 2/2 body for 2cmc. Sadly the world we live in (modern) is pretty far from perfect. The biggest problem is that he always eats removal, thus returning whatever card you chose. As such, an easy conclusion to draw is that Sculler should always take the removal spell. This is not entirely true, as Sculler really shines as a tempo choice. You get an opportunity to see your opponent's hand (always good), and then choose the card they most need. They can then waste a turn killing the sculler (a psuedo time walk), or try playing without a (hopefully) key piece of their deck. This can create a 1:1 trade. We both spend a card from our hand, and we both spend a turn of our time. Since BW Tokens is a fair deck, forcing our opponen's to play fair, too, is powerful. Still, skuller always risks being situational, which is why I list him as an alternative to Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek
Caves of Koilos A cheap alternative if you don’t have enough fetches.
Vault of the Archangel Sometimes seen as a singelton. It turns your tokens into a death squad, in addition to gaining you life.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge Having a way to remove pesky land is great. Generally the goal is to remove land with powerful effects, like man lands, or to stop Tron/Scapeshift. Keeping your opponent off a color of mana is a secondary goal.
Vault of the Archangel Sometimes seen as a singelton. It turns your tokens into a death squad, in addition to gaining you life.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge Having a way to remove pesky land is great. Generally the goal is to remove land with powerful effects, like man lands, or to stop Tron/Scapeshift. Keeping your opponent off a color of mana is a secondary goal.
More to come!
We could talk about sideboard for days. Ultimately, run what works in your meta. If you don't know what that is, there are a few solid options for "unknown" metas, but the ideal option is to go to events, and learn the meta.
In general, it is best to run the Hatiest Hate Possible. You don't want to inconvenience your opponent, you want to ruin their day. Keep that in mind when making sideboard selections.
Rest in Peace A ‘hard’ alternative to Relic of Progenitus, as it has a continuous effect. Does tamper with your own Lingering Souls, so don't bring it in against Snapcaster Mage. It's not worth locking out one of your best cards, too.
Grafdigger's Cage The cage DOES NOT STOP LIVING END. It does, however, stop Storm and Pod (and our own Lingering Souls). It is a powerful solution to 2 very specific decks. Rest in Peace also hurts those decks, and has broader applications, so generally, the cage is not recommended.
Stony Silence Artifact hate. Shuts down the most troublesome cards that Affinity has, as well as significantly slowing down Tron (and stopping Birthing Pod). Seeing as those two decks are amongst the most popular, the consensus is that anything between 1-3 of this particular card is common sense.
Burrenton Forge-Tender Anti-hate. Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods is the bane of BW Tokens, as it can single handedly wipe our board presence. This is our 1cmc answer to it. More often than not, it occupies 3 slots in the sideboard.
Aven Mindcensor Flashing this guy in can severely hamper decks that like to search their library, such Pod, Amulet of Vigor, and Scapeshift. It can slow down Tron as well. Being a 2/1 flyer means he’ll be pulling some extra weight as a damage dealer, especially with Honor of the Pure.
Runed Halo A very popular "unknown meta" catch all, Runed Halo can shut down anything trying to hit you. A slippery bogle, goyf, or even Deceiver Exarch.
Leyline of Sanctity Another "unknow meta" catch all. It can stop opposing thoughtseizes, lightning bolts to the face (Burn in general), Liliana of the Veil and random mill decks.
Liliana of the Veil Probably the best walker in Modern. She helps against Bogles and any kind of control matchups (including Merfolk).
Rule of Law Shuts down living end and Storm. Can be substituted for Ethersworn Canonist or Eidolon of Rhetoric. Eidolon also has the benefit of being a lightning bolt proof creature for the same cost.
Celestial Flare Totally anti-Bogle tech.
Torpor Orb Stops ETB effects, most notably souls sisters, combo elves, and amulet of vigor (namely Primeval Titan). I good choice against local metas with budget players, as those are lower tier, but cheap decks.
Suppression Field Stops twin, and slows down pod. Good option if you play against both decks in your meta.
Disenchant Simple and effective. It's a good way to take out artifacts and enchantments (big surprise, right?). Bring it in against Bogles, Robots, and lower tier strategies like Heartless Summoning and combo elve's Cloudstone Curio.
Sundering Growth Probably the "better" disenchant, as the ability is the same, but will almost always net you another token. The only draw back is the casting cost.
Pithing Needle A great way to stop pesky planeswalkers, namely Karn Liberated.
Oblivion Ring Oring needs no introduction. It's fantastic, broad hate against anything that needs to go away. It is sometimes played over Disenchant or Sundering Growth as it has further applications in other matches.
Fulminator Mage Another card with very clear uses. He brings the added bonus of letting us tap out on our turn to play token producing sorceries, while still having an answer to Urza Lands and Scapeshift.
4) Articles:
Here are some in depth articles about BW Tokens, taking a look at the decks strengths, weaknesses, specific matchups and so on.
I highly recommend that you read them.
Melissa DeTora on BW Tokens after getting 11th at the San Diego Grand Prix, 3/22/2013
Craig Wescoe on his 5th place run at the MTG World Championships (8/9/2013). He discusses BW Tokens part way down.
Melissa DeTora again, this time for the Detroit Grand Prix, 8/28/2013
What You Should Play in Modern and Why by Craig Wescoe - May 30, 2014
5) Decklists:
Quote fromModern is such a large format with so many viable decks [...] Fortunately WB Tokens is the sort of deck that has game against pretty much everything.
Historically successful decklists:
| Melissa DeTora 2013 Grand Prix Detroit - 9/15Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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Main Deck: 3 Auriok Champion 3 Deathrite Shaman 3 Tidehollow Sculler 3 Honor of the Pure 2 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 3 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize 2 Zealous Persecution | 1 Elspeth Tirel 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 4 Arid Mesa 1 Fetid Heath 2 Godless Shrine 2 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 5 Plains 1 Swamp 1 Temple Garden 3 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard: 3 Burrenton Forge-Tender 2 Duress 3 Relic of Progenitus 2 Shrine of Loyal Legions 2 Sin Collector 3 Stony Silence |
| Craig Wescoe 2013 World Championship Amsterdam - 8/1Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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Main Deck: 2 Aven Mindcensor 2 Hero of Bladehold 4 Tidehollow Sculler 4 Honor of the Pure 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 3 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize 3 Zealous Persecution | 4 Arid Mesa 2 Fetid Heath 4 Godless Shrine 2 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 3 Plains 1 Vault of the Archangel 3 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard: 3 Auriok Champion 1 Aven Mindcensor 2 Burrenton Forge-Tender 1 Duress 1 Path to Exile 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Rest in Peace 2 Rule of Law 3 Stony Silence |
| Melissa DeTora 2013 Grand Prix Kansas City - 7/6Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Main Deck: 4 Auriok Champion 1 Sin Collector 3 Tidehollow Sculler 3 Honor of the Pure 2 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 3 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize 3 Zealous Persecution | 1 Elspeth Tirel 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 2 Arid Mesa 2 Fetid Heath 4 Godless Shrine 2 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 5 Plains 1 Swamp 3 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard: 3 Burrenton Forge-Tender 2 Dismember 1 Path to Exile 3 Relic of Progenitus 2 Shrine of Loyal Legions 2 Sin Collector 2 Sundering Growth |
| Melissa DeTora 2013 Grand Prix San Diego - 3/16Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Main Deck: 4 Auriok Champion 4 Tidehollow Sculler 4 Honor of the Pure 1 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 3 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize 3 Zealous Persecution | 2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 2 Arid Mesa 2 Fetid Heath 4 Godless Shrine 2 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 5 Plains 1 Swamp 3 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard: 3 Burrenton Forge-Tender 2 Disenchant 2 Duress 2 Memoricide 1 Path to Exile 1 Relic of Progenitus 2 Shrine of Loyal Legions 2 Stony Silence |
| Melissa DeTora 2012 Grand Prix Toronto - 12/8Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Main Deck: 4 Auriok Champion 3 Hero of Bladehold 3 Tidehollow Sculler 2 Honor of the Pure 2 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 4 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize 3 Zealous Persecution | 2 Fetid Heath 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 4 Plains 1 Swamp 4 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard: 2 Dismember 2 Ethersworn Canonist 4 Fulminator Mage 3 Mirran Crusader 1 Rule of Law 3 Stony Silence |
| Jyun'ichi Miyajima 2012 Grand Yokohama - 24/6Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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Main Deck: 2 Auriok Champion 2 Cloudgoat Ranger 2 Hero of Bladehold 4 Tidehollow Sculler 2 Honor of the Pure 2 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 4 Path to Exile 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Spectral Procession 3 Thoughtseize 3 Zealous Persecution | 2 Fetid Heath 2 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 1 Mutavault 6 Plains 1 Swamp 4 Windbrisk Heights | Sideboard 2 Auriok Champion 2 Aven Mindcensor 2 Dismember 2 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Kataki, War's Wage 1 Nevermore 2 Stony Silence 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Zealous Persecution |
):My deck is great example of how you can tweak the deck. In this case, I've pushed it toward fighting an agro heavy meta.
| MasterFlex's BW TokensMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos Spells 2 Hour of Reckoning 2 Engineered Explosives 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Thoughtseize 4 Path to Exile 4 Spectral Procession 2 Timely Reinforcements 4 Lingering Souls Buffs 3 Honor of the Pure 3 Intangible Virtue | Walker 2 Elspeth Tirel Lands 3 Windbrisk Heights 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 3 Marsh Flats (all I own) 3 Plains 2 Swamp 2 Ghost Quarter 1 Tectonic Edge 2 Vault of the Archangel | Sideboard 1 Rule of Law 1 ethersworn canonist 3 Liliana of the Veil 3 Rest in Peace 3 Stony Silence 2 Aven Mindcensor 2 Torpor Orb |
6)I got the Event Deck... Now what? Tips for playing the deck:
BW Tokens may never be a tier one deck. At the end of the day, it is a fair deck, that means no instant win combos, no ramping, and virtually no way to draw (besides Windbrisk Heights). That being said, the combination of hand disruption, spot removal, super efficient token producers, and the best hate/sideboard cards in the game can spell VICTORY in any meta.
Let's start with a stock decklist, derived from simple modifications to the event deck. The cards either come in the deck, are common/uncommon and easy to find, or in the case of Brimaz/Thoughtseize, are in standard and can be traded:
| Sample DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos (or Hero of Bladehold) Spells 2 Doom Blade 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Thoughtseize 4 Path to Exile 4 Spectral Procession 4 Raise the Alarm 4 Lingering Souls Buffs 3 Honor of the Pure 2 Intangible Virtue 3 Zealous Persecution | Walker 2 Elspeth Tirel (probably my first change) Lands 3 Windbrisk Heights 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats (or Caves of Koilos) 3 Plains 2 Swamp 2 Ghost Quarter 1 Vault of the Archangel | Sideboard (Not universal, but a good place to start) 2 Rule of Law 3 Burrenton Forge-Tender 3 Rest in Peace 3 Stony Silence 2 Celestial Flare 2 Torpor Orb |
The primary way to answer this is to either know what your opponent is doing, or to consider your third turn.
Since we have powerful black control cards, and fantastic White hate, if you have previous knowledge of your opponent's deck, mulligan to a card that helps. For example, anthems and lingering souls won't help against storm. You probably want to start with a thoughtseize, or your sideboard cards (in games 2/3). Again, the deck doesn't draw. Don't expect to hit Rest in Peace off the top before Living End wipes the field.
If there is no advanced knowledge to draw on, focus on having a playable hand. First off, you need a token generator. That should be pretty obvious, as this is a token deck. That's not all though, you should also consider your turn 3 options. This deck has a handful of turn 3 possibilities: Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Spectral Procession, Lingering Souls, and Tidehallow Sculler or Raise the Alarm + Windbrisk Heights. All can be played on turn 3, and (especially in game 1) it's nearly mandatory that one of them is played. Since we're a fair deck, it's important to establish board presence early. The beauty of the deck is that we have options with what mana cost we must fulfill (,, or). If your opening hand can not reasonably support its turn 3 drop, or you don't have a turn 3 drop, Mulligan.
Card rulings and interactions that you should remember:Since we have powerful black control cards, and fantastic White hate, if you have previous knowledge of your opponent's deck, mulligan to a card that helps. For example, anthems and lingering souls won't help against storm. You probably want to start with a thoughtseize, or your sideboard cards (in games 2/3). Again, the deck doesn't draw. Don't expect to hit Rest in Peace off the top before Living End wipes the field.
If there is no advanced knowledge to draw on, focus on having a playable hand. First off, you need a token generator. That should be pretty obvious, as this is a token deck. That's not all though, you should also consider your turn 3 options. This deck has a handful of turn 3 possibilities: Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Spectral Procession, Lingering Souls, and Tidehallow Sculler or Raise the Alarm + Windbrisk Heights. All can be played on turn 3, and (especially in game 1) it's nearly mandatory that one of them is played. Since we're a fair deck, it's important to establish board presence early. The beauty of the deck is that we have options with what mana cost we must fulfill (,, or). If your opening hand can not reasonably support its turn 3 drop, or you don't have a turn 3 drop, Mulligan.
As with every deck, it's important to remember what your cards can do, and what they can't.
Windbrisk Heights - As long as you've met the clause of "3 of your creatures attacked this turn", you can pay the 1 mana, tap heights, and play the exiled card. This ignores standard timings. Don't forget to pop out an anthem during the declare attackers phase! Also, remember that the Brimaz and Hero of Bladehold tokens do not count as being "Declared as attacking", so they DO NOT count toward your windbrisk total.
Lingering Souls - It's a Sorcery.
Raise the Alarm - It (on the other hand) is an instant.
Spectral Procession - You can play it for or in a pinch (or even colorless instead of black).
Next, maximizing the use of thoughtseize:Windbrisk Heights - As long as you've met the clause of "3 of your creatures attacked this turn", you can pay the 1 mana, tap heights, and play the exiled card. This ignores standard timings. Don't forget to pop out an anthem during the declare attackers phase! Also, remember that the Brimaz and Hero of Bladehold tokens do not count as being "Declared as attacking", so they DO NOT count toward your windbrisk total.
Lingering Souls - It's a Sorcery.
Raise the Alarm - It (on the other hand) is an instant.
Spectral Procession - You can play it for or in a pinch (or even colorless instead of black).
I'm going to let the pro's speak on this one. Here are two great articles:
The first from Reid Duke: http://www.starcitygames.com/article/26855_Thoughtseize-You.html
And the second from Conley Woods: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11723
The first from Reid Duke: http://www.starcitygames.com/article/26855_Thoughtseize-You.html
And the second from Conley Woods: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11723
Finally, don't over extend. A common mistake is to flood the field with tokens (despite having enough in play to push for lethal), only to get blown out by a sweeper. Sometimes, you have to agro with everything you've got, but do not do that unless it is mandatory.
7)Match Analysis:
There is plenty of room for variation in BW Tokens. For the matchups section, I've listed the major competing decks, and all none-core cards that help against that match. Your sideboard will not fit all these cards. Generally, you need to pad your mainboard a bit with what you think you're going to fight.
In general, BW Token decks have 4 or 5 flex spots. These slots get filled with meta choices such as Auriok Champion, Mirran Crusader, and Engineered Explosives. These will be the first cards to remove when sideboarding, as they are not core to the deck. After that, I recommend removing/trying alternatives to Raise the Alarm, as it's our weakest token generator. Walkers are a good 3rd option to drop, as Elspeth's main power is against midrange decks, which have gone out of favor since the banning of Deathrite Shaman.
BW Tokens has game against everything, if you prepare properly. We are generally favored against midrange strategies. Midrange decks push for small, incremental gains, and our "3+ creatures for the price of 1 spells" hurts that plan. Most decks in Modern fall back on a midrange strategy when they run out of agro beats, or can't hit their combo. As mentioned before, longer games can lean in our favor.
Liliana of the Veil slows control. Thoughtseize to remove their sweepers. Watch out for Anger of the Gods in game 2/3. In general, we clog the field, and they can't always keep up with us. A single un-countered lingering souls can win. Still, this deck is one of the most winning decks period, so it can be rough.
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Ghost Quarter
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Ghost Quarter
As with other midrange strategies, we have a small advantage right out of the gate. Their spot removal (lightning bolt/helix) doesn't do much against our spells that produce multiple flyers. Hitting an anthem is a must, as a 2/2 creature can trade with Geist of St Traft, forcing them to use resources (or the loose Geist) trying to get through. Elspeth Tirel also shines in this match, as the life gain, creatures produced, and field wipe potential are all huge swings in our favor. Watch out for Restoration Angel and Thundermaw Hellkite. The Hellkite is not super common, but can really wreck us, while Resto is just an all around good card that hurts our air superiority.
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Sword of War and Peace
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Sword of War and Peace
Don't let them search their library, and keep up removal for Primeval Titan. They also use Firespout to clear the skies.
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
Pod is very popular right now, and always a deck to beat. The key is to stop them from using their toolbox effectively. Stony Silence their pod, and use Aven Mindcensor to limit their search ability. Make them play like a midrange deck, and they'll go down. Mirran Crusader is a powerful creature in this match.
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Rest In Peace (maybe. It was great against the melira win con, but doesn't stop Archangel of Thune + Spike Feeder)
+ Stony Silence
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Rest In Peace (maybe. It was great against the melira win con, but doesn't stop Archangel of Thune + Spike Feeder)
Super tough to beat. Celestial Flare, Liliana of the Veil, Runed Halo, and Engineered Explosives are your only prayer. Make sure you start with one in your opening hand, as the games go FAST.
+ Celestial Flare
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Ghost Quarter (stops dryad arbors)
+ Celestial Flare
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Ghost Quarter (stops dryad arbors)
The key against burn is to gain life or stop any of their spells. They run out of gas fast, and rely on players hurting themselves to get faster wins. Try to only Thoughtseize if you know it can take a spell that would hurt you more than the 2 to cast. Don't shock lands in or fetch unless necessary. Watch out for sweepers in game 2/3.
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Auriok Champion
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender
+ Auriok Champion
Probably a favored matchup, as they have a tough time fighting Lingering Souls. Elspeth Tirel is amazing in this match (and in any midrange match), as she requires an immediate answer, which they won't always have ready. Again, watch for Anger of the Gods.
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender(if needed)
+ Ghost Quarter (for the man lands)
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Sword of Feast and Famine
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender(if needed)
+ Ghost Quarter (for the man lands)
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Sword of Feast and Famine
Difficult game one. Nothing we do stops them, and when living end goes off, their board is crazy, full of big monsters, some with reach. In game 2, mulligan for RiP and Rule of Law. Use your inq/seize to grab Anger of the Gods and Beast Within.
+ Rest in Peace
+ Rule of Law
+ Rest in Peace
+ Rule of Law
Don't be scared of Aether Vial. They're really trying to control you, while vialing in creatures. Keep their creature count low. Engineered Explosives does a great job of this (I play it in my main 60 for this reason). Ghost Quarter also stops island walk (when used on yourself) of their mutavaults.
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter
Very popular deck as well, and the match up is probably 50/50 (despite some claims to be favorable toward us). Keep kill spells open for their threats (Steel Overseer, Archbound Ravager, and Master of Etherium). Obviously Stony Silence. Runed Halo is solid, too, as it stops Etched Champion. Because of this match, I mainboard Engineered Explosives (destroys Cranial Plating).
+ Stony Silence
+ Runed Halo
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter
+ Stony Silence
+ Runed Halo
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ghost Quarter
Like all combo decks, the goal is to hold the combo at bay, or ruin it entirely with Leyline of Sanctity. Remember that when scapeshift goes off and all the mountains enter play, Valakut puts a number of triggers, equal to the number of mountains that came into play, on the stack. TecEdge can destroy a mountain in response to the first valakut trigger resolving. The remaining triggers will still be on the stack, but if they no longer have the 6 mountains necessary, none of the remaining damage will be dealt. Same trick can be done with Fulminator Mage. In this match, Ghost Quarter doesn't help.
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (naming Valakut, the molten pinnacle)
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (naming Valakut, the molten pinnacle)
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Liliana of the Veil
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge
Keep the sister's dead, and our tokens will clog the board for the win. Engineered Explosives, Zealous Persecution, and Torpor Orb all hurt their deck.
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Torpor Orb
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Torpor Orb
Pretty simple goal in this game: Don't let them combo. We have a few ways to prevent that, namely Rule of Law to stop the combo directly, and Rest In Peace to remove their combo pieces. If possible, Thoughtseize before playing a combo stopper to make sure they can't counter/remove it. Leyline of Sanctity and Runed Halo can also just stop the damage. Don't forget to hold Zealous Persecution if they change gears and go for the goblin swarm.
+ Rule of Law or Ethersworn Canonist
+ Rest in Peace
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (name Grapeshot)
+ Rule of Law or Ethersworn Canonist
+ Rest in Peace
+ Leyline of Sanctity
+ Runed Halo (name Grapeshot)
To win this match, go full agro. Get enough damage on the board for Karn to just not matter. Always watch out for red sweepers (Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods, etc), and keep them from assembling the Urza Land if possible. For the first point, bring in an anti-sweeper card like Burrenton. To stop the land, prevent them from using their artifacts to search (Stony Silence, also good against Oblivion Stone), prevent them from searching their library with Aven Mindcensor, or just destroy the land with Fulminator Mage, Techtonic Edge, or Ghost Quarter.
+ Stony Silence
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge or Ghost Quarter
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Pithing Needle or Oblivion Ring against Karn.
+ Stony Silence
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge or Ghost Quarter
+ Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
+ Pithing Needle or Oblivion Ring against Karn.
Same game plan as RG, but no more red sweepers to worry about. They favor the Academy Ruins package, which fuels the super fun Mindslaver lock. Fortunately, Stony Silence and standard land destruction makes that tough. If they do get the lock, you can request they play it out. It takes about 10 minutes to mill out a deck 1 turn at a time. They have to use Academy Ruins, draw the mindslaver, cast and activate the mindslaver, pass the turn, then draw your card, tap your land, and pass the turn back. You can get lucky, push the game to time, or catch them in an error. Be very cautious of mass return spells, like Cyclonic Rift and Aetherize.
+ Stony Silence
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge or Ghost Quarter
+ Stony Silence
+ Fulminator Mage
+ Aven Mindcensor
+ Tectonic Edge or Ghost Quarter
The key is to break their combo. They can't really fight our token army, so make it hard to combo off, and we can win. Keep Path to Exile mana untapped (even if just as a threat), and hold Zealous Persecution to either guarantee a win or to stop the combo for 1 turn.
+ Torpor Orb
+ Torpor Orb
Focus on applying pressure. Slow their ability to combo with Torpor Orb and Thoughtseize. Fight their green monsters with Mirran Crusader and Brimaz, King of Oreskos/Hero of Bladehold plus honor of the pure. Hold Zealous Persecution or Path to Exile to fight the combo. Keep in mind that if they don't combo, they're a midrange deck, and Elspeth + lingering souls is tough for them to fight.
+ Torpor Orb
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Rest in Peace (for this match, shutting out their goyf, scooze, and snap caster are enough to be okay with the loss of our Lingering Souls)
+ Torpor Orb
+ Mirran Crusader
+ Rest in Peace (for this match, shutting out their goyf, scooze, and snap caster are enough to be okay with the loss of our Lingering Souls)
Same as TarmoTwin, but now they don't have scooze or goyf. This deck plays with more of a midrange feel, which gives us an advantage.
+ Torpor Orb
+ Torpor Orb
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Posted Jun 19, 2014why does bitterblossom not have a place in a deck like this? i would think a t1 thoughtsieze t2 bitterblossom would be extremely strong.
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Posted Jun 19, 2014BB trades immediate board impact for gradual dominance. It takes 3 turns (and 3 life) to produce as much as a spectral procession. In the early game, that's great, but in the mid to late game, that's not good. Couple that with the loss of life, while keeping in mind we also play shocklands, fetch lands, and thoughtseize, and BB can do as much to kill ourselves as our opponents. That's why it's not a core card.
It has been played successfully. I think (he can correct me if I'm wrong) Jango555 plays a BB list.
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Posted Jun 19, 2014B/W tokens is a slower deck, you aren't really gathering gas until about turn 4 or 5, kind of like a midrange deck, and the game plan is more grindy. By turn 4, with the proposed worst case scenario, you are at 13 life. Pretty much any future combination of Thoughtseize, Shock, or Fetch puts you below 10 and that's just the damage you did to yourself. Unlike U/B Faeries which turns those little tokens into powerups for your other critters Bitterblossom, while still strong is just a liability 50% of the time even before the game starts by forcing you to change the way you build the deck to accomodate it. That doesn't even get into how awkward it is to drop a 1B and a WW in the first three or for turns without using fetches or shocks which exasperate your life total woes.
I've not played with it personally, that's just the cliff notes version of what's in the thread.
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Posted Jun 19, 2014Yes, the BB list is my main list and it is pretty consistent, but I do maindeck Auriok champion and Sorin...Sorin gets a ton better with 4 intangible virtues and I mostly dont notice the lifeloss too often unless I am playing a super aggressive deck (zoo) and I draw a BB late game...(I typically have to just keep it in my hand then) I ma trying out Wescoes list now just to compare though
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Posted Jun 19, 2014You did not mention Suppression Field. This has had some discussion and I believe one person in the thread runs a couple main deck. It stops Twin and slows down Pod.
I'm not sure its good enough but Sundering Growth for budget sideboard options against Affinity, Twin, and potentially even pod.
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Posted Jun 19, 2014-
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Posted Jun 19, 2014I'll update the matchups, and add Oring, fulminator mage, and pithing needle as sideboard options.
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Posted Jun 19, 2014Good sideboard cards against Scapeshift:
Leyline of Sanctity
Runed Halo (naming Valakut, the molten pinnacle)
Fulminator Mage
Liliana of the Veil
Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
Aven Mindcensor
Tectonic Edge
Good sideboard cards against GR Tron:
Stony Silence
Fulminator Mage
Aven Mindcensor
Tectonic Edge
Ghost Quarter
Burrenton Forge-Tender (Protection against red sweepers)
Pithing Needle or Oblivion Ring against Karn.
Good sideboard cards against Storm:
Rest in Peace
Leyline of Sanctity
Runed Halo (naming Grapeshot)
Liliana of the Veil (reducing their hand is important)
Zealous Persecution (killing goblin swarm)
Also Rule of Law, Ethersworn Canonist etc., but I don't think we need that narrow cards when we have so many other good answers.
Bogles:
Runed Halo (usually naming bogle or the hexporoof elf)
Liliana of the Veil (or other cards with an edict effect)
Mirran Crusader
Zealous Persecution (on the play you can sweep their 1/1 hexproof creature in response to an aura spell)
Enchantment removal like Disenchant or Oblivion Ring
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Posted Jun 19, 2014The MUs could be in spoilers to help navigate through it, or you would make each stand out by bolding/color change each MU title and then double space between it and the next MU paragraph. There's just a wall of text, and while there are paragraphs and some double spacing, it's not enough. Sorry for the bad advice.
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Posted Jun 18, 20142) The Deck
Brimaz is definitely not an auto 3 of, it depends on the build...he is really good, but not an auto include by any stretch
Agree with most everything else though...
because I have OCD, make sure all the cards are separated by the same amount of spaces, some have one blank space, some have none
3) Sideboard
Add etherswarn with the rule of law, I run a mix cause I like to beat down, and the the cannonist comes back after a living end
Timely Reinforcements is also a good SB Card
6) Event Deck
Brimaz should not be a first include, Hero should be in there I would say from your list(Only my opinion!):
-3 Brimaz
+2 HoB
-2 Doom Blade
+3 Zealous
This would give the most bang for their Buck
Also Mulligans should be separated into another category and a note on windbrisk is that the flipped card does not have to be played during combat, it can be main phase or during damage (in the case of anthems) it is any time during that turn after three attackers have been declared.
Also maybe make another section on playing styles (or just ship it in with the mulligan stuff) but typically it is a good idea not to overextend the board, normally between 3-5 tokens and an anthem can win the game on their own...it is really disappointing to overextend the board and play out all your threats only to have a board wipe happen...one of the strengths of the deck is that it can recover after a board wipe very easily with only one token generator, but that can only happen if we still have cards in hand...
7) match analysis
Please please please make this readable, I cannot tell at all what decks you are talking about it is essentially unreadable...Ill take a look again when I can tell what is happening
All in all I really like the primer, I would maybe add a section with "Decks of the week" or something of that nature where you can update decks that 4-0/3-1 online, or if someone posted a really good report on the forum it could point them in that direction. Also please make sure from an aesthetics standpoint that everything is spaced the same and looks the same...I assume that there is going to be some spoiler tags around everything because it is pretty hard to read the huge wall of text
I apologize for my honesty, it is not personal at all, and if you have this in a word file I could really do a number on it tracking changes
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Posted Jun 19, 2014I'll re-write the core-creatures section to clarify that you don't need 3 Brimaz (or even 3 Hero). As I see it, you want to start with a hero/brimaz type of creature, and then grab a few from the "alternatives" section. Those provide a way to adapt to meta/personal play style.
I agree that Zealous Persecution should be added back to the event decklist (probably -2 doom blade, -1 anthem), and the 3 creatures should be an either/or. I leaned toward Brimaz because he's in Standard, but you are correct, Hero is better bang for the buck.
Good recommendation on not over extending, I'll add it to the advice section. Since we don't really draw, it is smart to only produce tokens as needed to win.
A featured deck list option is a good idea. It may get canned if there is not enough decks placing (or I can't keep up with it).
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Posted Jun 18, 2014GR Tron: Burrenton for anger/pyroclasm, stony silence for all their artifact mana filters and map...and if Ghost quarter is in your board then that too for obvious reasons
Goal with that match is to race them, we got to play the huge aggro game against them to make a Karn not matter, or strip it from there hand with TS or IoK.
Scapeshift: GO on the Beatdown plan...not really much sideboarding that can help, again aggro is key here as well as targeting Scapeshift with discards spells! I don't sideboard for this match unless it is taking out removal for Mirran Crusaders or something just to be more aggressive since they don't really run creatures...
Hope that helps! again Ill take a look tonight at the whole of the primer again.
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Posted Jun 18, 2014-
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Posted Jun 17, 2014I have played against Tron, but with my Burn deck, not with this one. I won't be able to help with this. I have only played with this deck once and it was only against a home brew, so it doesn't really count.
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Posted Jun 17, 2014I think the primer is really good, although a little skewed in your own opinion (which is totally fine as you wrote it!). I would add to the mulligan section that if you dont have a token producer in your hand then it is an automatic mull, I have played so many games, and the hands that never worked out were the ones that had no toke generators in them.
also I think that Tidehollow Sculler should be in the main deck section...maybe that is just personal opinion, but I think it is a key part of the deck even of you chose not to run him
Thanks for the work you put into this! We really needed to restart this thread...
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Posted Jun 17, 2014A few things I would change:
The second sentence in section 2 has "cards cards." Might want to fix that typo.
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Posted Jun 17, 2014Let me know if anything in particular sounds too bias. I want to be pretty neutral, but I'm not a pro-writer, so it's tough.
I'm keeping sculler in the alternatives for now. He's pretty controversial and we've spent a TON of time hammering his role down. As I put it, "skuller always risks being situational, which is why I list him as an alternative to Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek"
Thanks for the feedback! Ultimately, the deck has TONS of optional cards, and I aim to address as many as possible, as almost all questions are "can I use this/what works in ____ match?". Can you think of ANY cards I failed to mention? I could probably throw a bone to Worship.
I fixed the typo, and scrubbed every use of the word "budget" (which I did only twice, actually). I understand the budget rule, but have never liked it, especially for a lower tier deck that I personally built due to budget. Anyway, that's a different topic.
Back on the subject of the prier: Zealous Persecution stays in the "Core" list, but I will use a different picture up top (mainly because I'm not a fan of the art). It is consistently recommended by the pro's, and appears in successful decklists.
I'll update the matches.
Can you recommend cards against Tron? I've honestly never played them.
I'll try cutting a few spoilers. Part of what they do is put heading info in the raw text of the spoiler. This thing is damn long, so having clear subdivisions is needed to make maintaining easier.
I did start off writing the number of each card you should play in the deck, but found that I was basically just telling people to build my deck (which isn't really right). Next, I listed a range, but found myself almost always typing "0-4", so instead, I listed amounts by category. I have gone back and added notes next to cards that are a mandatory 4x (lingering souls, etc).
Please be critical now, it's better to make modifications with the watchful eyes of a core group, then with the view of the whole forum.