Token decks in Standard (GW Township Tokens/ UW Tokens/ BW Tokens etc)

**vger** · 10-19-2011

Summary

Early in this season, several token decks have already proven to be competitive and successful in major tournaments.

Creature token decks have always been a favourite among players worldwide. The most recent successful creature token decks before Innistrad, were the BW Tokens decks during Lorwyn-Alara Standard. What actually made BW Tokens that successful were simply an assortment of good cards that have synergy with one another (mainly Bitterblossom, Spectral Procession, Cloudgoat Ranger, Windbrisk Heights and arguably Ajani Goldmane etc) while being resilient to hate.

Now years have passed and both SOM block and Innistrad have provided us with tons of new tools to relive such an archtype. Coincidentally, some of the current standard-legal cards share certain similarities with its predecessors (Midnight Haunting to Spectral Procession, Geist-Honored Monk to Cloudgoat Ranger, Gavony Township to Ajani Goldmane, Intangible Virtue to Glorious Anthem).

Now to some of the lists.

Tokens Top decklists

We will begin with GW Tokens, the most popular version of creature token decks. The strategy is relatively simple - Generate tons of tokens, pump and smash face.

GW Tokens:

Tim Fondum, 2nd Place Grand Prix Brisbane 16/10/2011

Note that Tim Fondum's version does not run the commonly run Intangible Virtue, Shrine of Loyal Legions and Midnight Haunting among other cards. He has chosen to run a more creature-heavy approach with Overrun as his pump spell.

Now a sample list for the more commonly played version of GW Tokens.

David Newman, 1st Place States - West Virginia 16/10/2011

Yet creature token decks aren't pertained to only the colour combination of GW, but UW as well. Cedric Phillips showed us how it's done by winning States -Washington, abandoning the explosive route of GW for a more conservative approach with control elements.

UW Tokens:

Cedric Phillips 1st Place States Washington 16/10/2011

Just a reminder: These lists are merely for references.

Decklists:
GW Tokens

Discuss!

**Dragons_Quest** · 10-19-2011

Thx Vger. Can I ask why can't we have a control token deck! We don't have to be standard I noticed that countering everything you opponent does can help you win. I also notice once hero is dropped it usually GG.

Also what would be a good side deck for UW Tokens. Currently I have this for a side. In my area there is WRR, RDW, BG, Inkmoth ran decks.

3 Spellskite
2 Marrow Shards
2 Mental Misstep
2 Witchbane Orb
2 Mirran Crusader
2 Celestial Purge
2 Nevermore

Here's version 3 of my Geist Token Control

Creatures-8
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Blade Splicer
2 Geist of Saint Traft

Planeswalker-4
4 Elspeth Tirel

Spells-27
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Mana Leak
3 Timely Reinforcements
2 Midnight Haunting
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Day of Judgment
2 Feeling of Dread

Land-25
11 Plains
4 Islands
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Moorland Haunt

Enjoy!

**agracru** · 10-20-2011

After some thought and barebones testing I've come to prefer the

version of the deck to the

version. GW's best recommendation is Gavony Township, which opens up 3-4 spots in the main as you can easily cut Honor of the Pure without really hampering your ability to pump your team. That's a pretty big deal, in my opinion, but Blue just gives the strategy far greater depth against a field defined by UB Control and Wolf's Run Ramp without hampering its ability to dig into the board to deal with second-tier decks like RDW or other token strategies or Solar Flare or, well, whatever. Beast Within and Garruk Relentless are both good additions for the deck, but they're shallow, and Beast Within only answers one thing at a time, which is not what you want to be doing against a resolved Primeval Titan. (Against which you have a choice: kill the Titan, kill the tutored Wolf's Run, or kill the Tutored Nexus. Have fun!)

In a situation where you would Beast Within the Titan or one of the Titan's tutored lands, Mana Leak basically acts as a virtual 3-for-1 by countering the Titan and preventing the Wolf's Run player from ever cheating both their threat lands into play. Because of the popularity of Wolf's Run and the fact that it's pretty much the best deck in the format, this is a huge deal and probably the best reason to be splashing Blue over Green; being able to call on counters to grind their strategy to a halt gives the deck game that it otherwise lacks with a Green splash. This is important, and speaks nothing to what the counters add to the UB control match-up, either. (They're probably pretty valuable there, too.)

In any event I'm trying to tune my

build to stand up to Wolf's Run Ramp and UB-- here it is at present:

4 Blade Splicer
3 Hero of Bladehold

4 Elspeth Tirel

3 Dismember
3 Honor of the Pure
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Mana Leak
4 Midnight Haunting
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Shrine of Loyal Legions

4 Glacial Fortress
3 Island
2 Moorland Haunt
11 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast

Sideboard:
2 Divine Offering
4 Flashfreeze
1 Hero of Bladehold
2 Negate
2 Surgical Extraction
4 Timely Reinforcements

**Dragons_Quest** · 10-20-2011

Reasons your running timely side haunting main? Also with shrine why not run cards that proliferate to give you more counters Gambit is and option draw 2 add a counter just and idea. Also cru question for you every UW token I have seen posted don't run geist is geist really that bad of a card I don't get it, I really like it? I think bladehold is more important then splicer I would switch the values of the two!

**agracru** · 10-20-2011

Splicer is one of the best creatures in the format as it provides value as soon as it resolves. The Hero needs a turn to do anything, but the Splicer gives you two bodies immediately and leaves you with pressure online even if the opponent kills either the token or the Splicer itself. It's amazing against Liliana, whose stock is admittedly slipping in Standard for the time being, and really just outstanding all-around. There's a reason every winning Tokens list-- GW or UW or otherwise-- runs 4 Splicer main, no questions asked.

Proliferate is cute but not strong enough to warrant slotting over other, better cards. Again, it's something that does nothing if you don't have a Shrine or an Elspeth out. Besides, why would I cast Gambit and Proliferate when I could cast an O-Ring for the same effect? It makes no sense.

Timely side, Haunting main because Haunting is solid against everything and Timely shines against aggressive decks. With RDW hitting its decline, I don't see much reason to run them main, though against a mixed meta I'd probably cut a Haunting and a Dismember for 2 main Reinforcements.

As for the Geist, it's good but Splicer and Hero are both just more powerful in practice, I think.

**zhule** · 10-20-2011

i dont see your logic in the Gambit VS. O-ring situation. your comment makes it sound like your expecting to get the same kind of effect out of both.

**Dragons_Quest** · 10-20-2011

In this list what would you fix keep in mind I love geist it's main focus is geist-control over straight token beatdown.

Creatures-8
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Blade Splicer
2 Geist of Saint Traft

Planeswalker-4
4 Elspeth Tirel

Spells-27
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Mana Leak
3 Timely Reinforcements
2 Midnight Haunting
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Day of Judgment
2 Feeling of Dread

Land-25
11 Plains
4 Islands
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Moorland Haunt

Enjoy!

**zhule** · 10-20-2011

i'd say Dissipate over feeling of dread

**Kyronami** · 10-20-2011

Or even 2 swords over it

**Dragons_Quest** · 10-20-2011

Problem I have is I don't have any swords. I originally had Dissipate in it but I took them out for Virtue and Honor. Any other suggestions? Is Day of Judgment really needed in token decks?

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