Jokin', Smokin', Midnight Token (Matchups Added!)

Modern Competitive Midrange Tokens WB (Orzhov)

AndWelcomeToTheJam

Land (23)

• 3x Concealed Courtyard
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 4x Flooded Strand
• 3x Godless Shrine
• 4x Marsh Flats
• 3x Plains
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Shambling Vent
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Vault of the Archangel
• 1x Windbrisk Heights

Sorcery (16)

• 1x Call the Gatewatch
• 4x Inquisition of Kozilek
• 4x Lingering Souls
• 4x Spectral Procession
• 3x Thoughtseize

Planeswalker (6)

• 2x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 2x Gideon of the Trials
• 2x Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Instant (9)

• 1x Murderous Cut
• 4x Path to Exile
• 2x Raise the Alarm
• 2x Zealous Persecution

Creature (2)

• 2x Auriok Champion

Enchantment (4)

• 4x Intangible Virtue

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Sideboard

Instant (5)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 2x Disenchant
• 2x Surgical Extraction

Sorcery (2)

• 2x Crumble to Dust

Enchantment (5)

• 3x Leyline of Sanctity
• 2x Worship

Artifact (3)

• 1x Engineered Explosives
• 2x Relic of Progenitus

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Some call Sorin, Solemn Visitor the Gangster of Love. I swear.

Hey, it's Orzhov Tokens! The central idea is simple; get out as many 1/1 tokens per turn as possible, buff them up, and overwhelm the board. Flying and vigilance are huge factors in this deck winning games. It makes it possible for less creatures needing to be in play to do significant damage, letting you start into your buffing spells. Anthems like Intangible Virtue, Zealous Persecution, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, and Sorin, Solemn Visitor, help to hit harder and survive damage easier.

Tokens is slow in its nature. It is highly unlikely to win as quickly as the common Tier 1 aggro decks. To stay relevant, we need to control the board early on, so that both players can be on a similar playing field when the tokens start to come out. Hand disruption is the most prominent form of "removal" that this deck has to offer. More direct creature removal is in Path to Exile, Murderous Cut, and Dismember.

Thoughts on SOI block: Show

Anguished Unmaking: Show

Now THIS is a spell. As close to a Standard Vindicate as we are going to see, probably. But is it useful here? Exile matters, but so does life loss. I'm already putting myself at 15 on Turn 1, is it worth the 3 life later on? Plus, it sits on the 3-drop slot with Lingering Souls and Spectral Procession. Leaving up mana to use Unmaking while also being productive with tokens seems unlikely. However, I fold to crippling noncreature permanents like Ensnaring Bridge, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, and Illness in the Ranks. Taking another hit to my fragile life total is worth having the chance to win in these scenarios. I'll give it a shot as a one-of.

Westvale Abbey: Show

This seems like an auto-include for Tokens shells. I may not want to stall out until I can drop Ormendahl, but having the option is nice. Being able to respond effectively to Wrath of God effects is also huge. I can also produce a token in a pinch. However, Ormendahl is very vulnerable to Path to Exile, and should only be used as a last resort to push huge damage and gain life.

Other good stuff: Show

Some other cards from SoI can be considered relevant and discussed here.

Hanweir Militia Captain  : Flavorful, but slow and vulnerable. Not what I want from a 2-drop.

Asylum Visitor: The only reason why I look at this card is because I don't want to run Dark Confidant; the lifeloss is too great, especially with Spectral Procession. Hands get played out so quickly in Modern that this card seems viable, but the number of times that I actually might be able to draw from it makes it situational at best. Not a good Turn 2 play, when I want to be playing Intangible Virtue. I don't think this would be worth what I would give up for some late card draw, but its power can't be ignored.

To the Slaughter: I shouldn't ever get to have Delirium online, at least not naturally. I want to Delve for Murderous Cut anyway, so most often it just ends up as a Fleshbag Marauder without the stick. BUT THAT ART THO

Not Forgotten: Produces a token, and doubles as a versatile spell that can provide recursion, fix an opponent's topdeck, or deny graveyard mechanics. But none of these things are necessary enough to warrant the inclusion. Nihil Spellbomb does the job better.

Sorin, Grim Nemesis: Powerful abilities, but I hope to not need him by Turn 6. I already should have a Sorin, Solemn Visitor in play by then, and the latter Sorin helps tokens more. Grim Nemesis fits more as a control walker.

Thoughts on Planeswalkers: Show

Gideon: Show

Gideon is a replacement for my previous 4-drop creature slot in Archangel of Tithes. He does not have as much of a sway on the opponent's board state, but with the banning of Splinter Twin, I don't believe I need to take this precaution, at least not in the mainboard. I will be keeping the Archangel around in case Kiki Exarch is still relevant, because it performs very well against infinite creatures or mirror matches. (EDIT: Kiki is totally still relevant, as is Thopter Combo. I don't play against these matchups regularly though; whether the Archangel is necessary to put back in remains to be seen.) In the meantime, Gideon is a great beatstick for , spawns tokens more frequently than the Gangster of Love, and provides an untargetable anthem if I need him to. He's a fairly efficient way of closing out games and putting pressure on the opponent. So far, he's staying in.

Sorin: Show

I firmly believe that Sorin, Solemn Visitor is better than Sorin, Lord of Innistrad for B/W Tokens, plain and simple. The deciding factor for this statement comes down to the fact that I put so much strain on my life total getting the mana fixing I need by Turn 3, that I could easily put myself near 10 life by then, without the opponent ever touching me. The life bomb that SV provides is huge for stabilizing; this is usually the only ability I use. His -2 is okay for re-filling my boardstate (or in rare scenarios, dealing with intimidate/protection from white; Lifebane Zombie or Sword of War and Peace as examples), and his ultimate is crippling in many matchups, even though I only use it when I don't need to bolster my life total anymore. LoI is not without its pros: the untargetable anthem is obviously a game-changer, and I really like the ultimate as well. But LoI's +1 is rather lackluster; the token doesn't have flying like the majority of my team. Stacking the emblems is deadly but requires a 3-turn investment, and he can be killed by a measly Gut Shot in the meantime. He would likely get Bolted in response to the emblem drop, leaving me with not much more than half of an Intangible Virtue for 4 CMC. I can get a better emblem for the same cost from Gideon if I need it. SV gives me more utility in the long run.

Elspeth: Show

Elspeth, Knight-Errant is widely considered the best Elspeth walker, and the same goes for this archetype in particular. With two relevant +1 abilities and a Avacyn-esque ultimate at her disposal, there's a lot of value in this package. But I am still hesitant to throw her right in. She competes with Gideon, and I think Gideon provides more value up-front. While Elspeth can make a 1/1 Soldier token, or allow one to fly over with an extra 3 damage, Gideon can make a 2/2 token and swing for 5 all on his own. Between the two and their non-ultimate abilities, it comes down to evasion vs. force, and I think force wins out here. After two turns in play, Elspeth can buff a token twice for 6 damage, or Gideon can make a token and swing the next turn with it for 7. Numbers don't lie. Then one may argue, "But Elspeth's damage is harder to block, and Gideon is vulnerable to Path, a very common removal spell in the format." This is valid, but then compare the ultimates. Do I need Elspeth's -8? The answer is no, not really. Indestructibility is sweet and all, but I can use it four whole turns after she comes out, provided she doesn't suffer any loss of loyalty. Gideon's ultimate, however, is amazing for me. It provides additional power on top of my already-evasive token line; effectively Intangible Virtue #5-6. Drawing multiple Gideons is no longer a problem, because I can sacrifice one for a permanent benefit, then drop the other for 6/6 beats exclusively. Plus, the extra toughness it gives over Sorin, LoI's emblem is valuable in surviving things like Pyroclasm. Gideon has 3 relevant abilities as opposed to Elspeth's 2.

Liliana: Show

Liliana of the Veil is a tough one for me to justify in this list. Her abilities are backbreaking, to be sure, especially in combo matchups. But there are a few reasons that hold me back. First, I will never cast her on curve. The 3-drop slot is tight as it is, with Spectral Procession and Lingering Souls taking top priority. Next, there isn't as much synergy with the rest of the deck as I would like from my walkers. The +1 is useful with Lingering Souls and maybe Murderous Cut, but that's about it in this list. I don't have any card draw available to replace the discard effect, nor do I play anything like Tarmogoyf to benefit from a full graveyard. Finally, and the most obvious one, is that she's worth so much money for a card I'm so unsure about. She would be much better in a naturally grindier Bitterblossom tokens deck, which this is not.

Common matchups I play against (WIP): Show

I consider these deck archetypes to be part of my local meta:

Burn: Show

UNFAVORABLE

Burn is not fun to play against. With all the damage that I put on myself through fetching a Turn 1 Godless Shrine so I can Thoughtseize like normal, I could die pretty easily by Turn 3 before I can even get tokens on the board. My self-damage makes their job easier, and I don't have any way to fight the Bolts to the face. If I expect the burn matchup I try to get an Auriok Champion in the opening hand, as the lifegain and consistent chumpblocking makes winning a lot more feasible. The first game is almost always a loss; in a single game scenario it's no contest. But after sideboard I can usually pull off the next two wins; Leyline of Sanctity and Worship are really good here and Burn doesn't have the tools to remove all of these hosers. Burn is too redundant to need hand hate for; these spells get removed.

SIDEBOARD: -3 Thoughtseize, -3 Inquisition of Kozilek, +3 Leyline of Sanctity, +3 Worship

Bogles: Show

UNFAVORABLE

A game against Bogles depends entirely on if I can get the hexproof creature out of the opponent's hand before they can play it. If this happens, I usually win. But if the opponent keeps 2 creatures, or if I don't get the hand hate, I can't do a whole lot. The spot removal becomes worthless. My only chance is to attempt to bait an early attack with a Raise the Alarm /Secure the Wastes in hand, and throw all my blockers at the Bogle at once. A Turn 2 Zealous Persecution, or Sorin's emblem if I somehow obtain it, can also work. Usually what happens, though, is the Bogle gets chumped until the player can find a Spirit Mantle or an Unflinching Courage, then I'm done for. I have quite a few options in the side for this matchup. Worship is again an all-star here, as my Tokens shouldn't ever get removed, so I can just stall until I can eventually win through flying damage and anthems, or they draw themselves out before I do with Kor Spiritdancer/ Keen Sense . Engineered Explosives is also great to take out the creature and all its Totem Armor enchantments at the same time, Disenchant deals with the troublesome auras that I mentioned previously, and Surgical Extraction takes out a Bogle threat completely on Turn 1.

SIDEBOARD: -1 Dismember, -1 Murderous Cut, -4 Path to Exile, -1 Hero of Bladehold, -1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, +2 Disenchant, +3 Worship, +1 Engineered Explosives, +2 Surgical Extraction

8-Rack: Show

UNFAVORABLE

8-Rack is just mean. Tokens has no source of draw, so I have no way to stabilize after getting my entire hand removed. Really it comes down to me finding Intangible Virtue and a token producer or two and swinging wild. But The Rack or Shrieking Affliction usually drops before I can get this, and I usually lose by a close margin. That is, unless Ensnaring Bridge comes out. Then it's all over. Good cards to have in this matchup are Auriok Champion, as I can offset the life I'm quickly losing, Lingering Souls, as it still gives me value after being discarded, and my planeswalkers (especially Sorin), as they can end games in a single swing of force. Post-Game 1, I board very similarly to Burn matchups. Worship and Leyline of Sanctity are staples to keep me alive. Disenchant and Oblivion Ring get rid of the opponent's major noncreature permanents, and Nevermore ensures they never hit the board.

SIDEBOARD: -4 Path to Exile, -1 Dismember, -1 Murderous Cut, -3 Thoughtseize, -1 Inquisition of Kozilek, +3 Leyline of Sanctity, +3 Worship, +2 Disenchant, +1 Oblivion Ring, +1 Nevermore

Dredge: Show

FAVORABLE

Dredge decks are completely focused on graveyard shenanigans. The variant I often see is Jund, with Vengevine as the main beater. Often, however, I can beat this deck Game 1, because I have copious amounts of chump blockers. Even if the opponent somehow gets all four Vengevines out in a turn, I should have enough Spirits to survive until I can get rid of them. Good cards in this matchup are Path to Exile to take a recurring creature out of the game, Auriok Champion to take advantage of the opponent recurring their creatures every turn, and Zealous Persecution to drop all Gravecrawlers, Bloodghasts, and Lotleth Trolls at once. Sideboarding is fairly simple; take anything that affects the graveyard. Nihil Spellbomb and Surgical Extraction are auto-includes. Oblivion Ring stops a particular creature from recurring. Also, since the majority of Vengevine's triggers come from successive casts of Gravecrawler, Nevermore can halt this and make the opponent find some other way of getting them out. Hand hate makes their job easier for them (but it's nice to take out a Lotleth Troll as it can't be recurred), so we can take most of it out.

SIDEBOARD: -3 Thoughtseize, -2 Inquisition of Kozilek, +1 Oblivion Ring, +1 Nevermore, +1 Nihil Spellbomb, +2 Surgical Extraction

Affinity: Show

FAVORABLE

Matches against Affinity are usually never one-sided, but Tokens tends to take the advantage. Affinity just doesn't have an answer to mass amounts of creatures; no boardwipes, no trample, no flying, and the only evasion lies in Etched Champion. Affinity can get its board state out quicker than Tokens, but once I land Intangible Virtue and Sorin, Solemn Visitor, the life swings result in the match going in my favor. I just need to make sure to shoot down Steel Overseer ASAP, before it can go wider than me. Sideboarding is straightforward enough. Keep in the spot removal and hand hate, but drop big ticket cards, as I can't afford to slow myself down. Disenchant and Oblivion Ring deal with the biggest artifact threats. Engineered Explosives is really versatile here. The Sacred Foundry in the main allows me to cast it for up to 3, in order to hit Etched Champion or Master of Etherium. Casting it for 2 is the most likely scenario because it will destroy the most things, but it will also hit my Intangible Virtue and Auriok Champion.

SIDEBOARD: -1 Secure the Wastes, -2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, -1 Zealous Persecution, +2 Disenchant, +1 Oblivion Ring, +1 Engineered Explosives

Soul Sisters: (COMING SOON) Show

U-Tron: (COMING SOON) Show

If anyone has any suggestions, especially with the release of SoI block, feel free to comment and have a chat!

I am working on foiling this deck out; this is my favorite archetype and I can see myself playing this in Modern for a long time. Also, I don't currently have exactly what it says on the list foiled; I just didn't feel like adding multiple copies of the same card foil and non-foil. It looks clunky.

Foiling progress (including sideboard): 45/75

Date added	9 years
Last updated	7 years
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 23 - 7 Rares 19 - 4 Uncommons 2 - 2 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.62
Tokens	Emblem Gideon of the Trials, Emblem Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, Emblem Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Knight Ally 2/2 W, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 W, Vampire 2/2 B
Folders	Competitive Modern Decks, maybe