A token deck that actually works
This deck seems like just the average "meh, whatever" deck, but it's actually very strong. As it stands right now this deck can take down some pretty good standard decks that are all the rage.
Gather the Townsfolk is a solid two drop that spit out deterrents to a lot of the aggro these days (
Spike Jester
, Legion Loyalist, etc.), and even if I'm not facing aggro, dropping an Intangible Virtue on turn 3 is pretty sweet with those two-drops.
Voice of Resurgence fits the theme of the deck very well. The unfortunate part is that it has to die for its ability to go off because most decks won't try and cast things on your turn while it's on the field. But the added fear of giving you more tokens just by casting spells is a nice touch. Also it's a big "Screw you" to control :)
Selesnya Charm is very versatile. It provides a decent two-drop 2/2 which can deter (or trade with) most aggro. Also it has usability in the later stages of the game with that exile effect. It can hit Obzedat, Ghost Council, Thundermaw Hellkite, Falkenrath Aristocrat (assuming they actually trigger its +1/+1 ability), and pretty much every big Simic/Gruul creature in the mid to late game. Definitely need 4 of those
Intangible Virtue is my win-con. Having a bunch of 2/2 fliers with vigilance can be really difficult to deal with especially if they come back the next turn after you kill them all.
Lingering Souls is a no-brainer. Possible 4 1/1 fliers for 5 mana that all get +1/+1 from intangible virtue. That's a very solid followup to a board wipe or a trade that can really throw off your opponent.
Midnight Haunting is nice because it's instant speed so you can hit them with the fliers right after you cast it at the end of their turn. Or you can pop up a couple of unexpected blockers and trade favorably. It's not as good as Lingering Souls, but it still deserves to have a couple of them in the deck.
Ready / Willing
is what inspired me to make this deck really. Instant speed protection from all destroy effects for 3 mana is already really good, but the ability to give everything lifelink and deathtouch just makes this the most solid card right now for token decks. You can use it to trade favorably with big stuff and gain life while you're doing it, and if you have enough mana you won't even lose anything in the process. And it fits the mana color distribution perfectly, so there is no reason not to run this card.
Increasing Devotion
is basically my bomb. Putting out 5 creatures for 5 mana that are probably 2/2 (if not more) is a way to just end the game. And with its flashback - if the game gets that far - it can be a huge pain to deal with if they don't have mass removal.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is another no-brainer. On turn 4 you get a lifelink chump blocker that's probably boosted by an Intangible Virtue by then. His ultimate makes him a prime target for removal because it hits after 3 turns of spitting out tokens (which is the point of the deck anyway) for free, and so I can use those turn(s) to solidify my card advantage.
Angel of Jubilation is one of the big guns. This baby hits the field and everything black is just shut down until they can remove it (screw you Cartel Aristocrat and Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Falkenrath Aristocrat and.... well you get the idea). And all my other creatures get +1/+1. Not too shabby
Finally, the other reason I decided to build this deck: Advent of the Wurm. Remember how good Armada Wurm was? This is better. Instant speed 5/5 trample is just incredible seeing as how you can drop it on their turn, block and kill something, and then attack with it right afterward. And it's only 4 mana. Yeah... There is nothing wrong with this card.
As it stands right now I'm really liking the build. I've playtested against the standard stuff here on tappedout, and its beaten those Golgari Junk decks pretty consistently (like Junk Control (not a reanimator) and Must Feed the Trolls), it's beaten back Rakdos and Boros Aggro (like Rakdos Deck Wins - 1st place FNM and boros-deck-wins-21-04-13-3), and it does pretty well against Simic Midrange (like against mutology-201).
And inb4 a dozen comments about how token decks aren't strong in standard (yadda yadda), I do realize there are plenty of cards that are basically made to get rid of mass amounts of creatures. The thing is, I'm playing the meta game hardcore. People are all focused on the really fast aggro, damage-dealing decks or the B/W control decks that they probably don't have sides prepared for just how many creatures are popping out. Sure cards like Illness in the Ranks would probably ruin this deck, but nobody is going to side those (or mainboard them either...). And as for the rest of the removal,
Ready / Willing
takes care of a lot of it with a couple of exceptions.
On that note, it would appear as though Esper Control would be the weakest matchup for this deck, and I'm not sure what to do about that. I think it's just a matter of getting lucky and hitting them hard with lots of tokens early. Either that or playing reeeallly patiently and just make them waste their control spells.
Comments and suggestions would be awesome, and of course if you like the ideas, +1
