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Introduction
B/W tokens started out as a standard deck that saw great success, becoming one of the most played decks in the format at the time. Since then, it has moved on to become an established archetype in the Modern format. Jyun'ichi Miyajima won a GP with this archetype in July of 2012. Since then, Craig Wescoe and Melissa DeTora have championed the deck, participating in several GPs with this archetype. B/W tokens came back into the spotlight with the introduction of the 2014 Modern Event Deck. Stanislav Cifka also piloted B/W tokens in the 2015 Modern Pro Tour. B/W tokens performs best against creature based decks such as Abzan. This deck suffers from a lack of reliable card draw and can suffer from slow draws as well. B/W tokens has access to some of the best sideboard cards in modern, which can help in some of its worst matchups such as tron. This primer is primarily intended for those who are just getting into playing b/w tokens, and therefore some of the advice regarding deckbuilding will be relatively black and white, so to speak. B/w tokens has one of the most variable decklists in all of modern, and it would be very difficult to discuss all of these variations without confusing newer players. This is an updated version of the article that was published on 04/19/2015.
The Primer
Overview
Reading this Primer
Reading this Primer
You can choose to open or close various sections of this primer depending on what you want to look at at any given point by using the show / hide toggle buttons.
Deck colors
Deck colors
: The color black opens us up to various forms of hand disruption such as Thoughtseize , Inquisition of Kozilek, Duress, and Tidehollow Sculler, as well Bitterblossom. These are absolutely vital to this deck's success. B/W tokens is not fast enough to beat combo decks like Splinter Twin without hand disruption. Hand disruption also helps in taking out troublesome cards like Abrupt Decay or Pyroclasm. It also allows us to use the utility land Vault of the Archangel and flashback Lingering Souls. In addition, it is used for several forms of removal, such as Murderous Cut, Dismember, and Slaughter Pact.
: White is the color that gives us the core of the deck through its many token producers and anthems. White also gives us access to many of the best sideboard cards in Modern as well.
Deck strengths
Deck strengths
B/W tokens performs best against creature based decks; this is especially good considering the current dominance of Jund. The reason that this deck does well against creature decks is that B/W tokens can chump block and get back whatever was lost incredibly easy. In a game of creature based attrition, B/W tokens is second to none. B/W tokens runs a plethora of hand disruption that helps against combo decks, taking out their key cards such as Splinter Twin. Running Auriok Champion in the mainboard can strengthen matchups like burn , which would otherwise be a very bad matchup.
Deck weaknesses
Deck weaknesses
B/W tokens is often referred to as too "fair" of a deck to compete in modern, and there is a fair amount of truth to this. B/W tokens is not fast enough to race against combo decks such as Splinter Twin without sufficient hand disruption. It also relies heavily on its anthems such as Intangible Virtue, and it can be crippled should you not draw into them, or should it get destroyed. B/W tokens also suffers against of mass removal such as Pyroclasm or Maelstrom Pulse. Tokens also suffers from having weaker topdecks than tier 1 decks like Splinter Twin or Melira Company, which can pull a win out of seemingly nowhere.
The Strategy
General strategy
General strategy
The general strategy of B/W tokens is to start out with a form of hand disruption such as Inquisition of Kozilek. The next step should be to get out tokens and power them up through the various anthems such as Intangible Virtue. B/W tokens can also chump block better than any other deck in Modern, and this is one of its greatest strengths. A resolved Spectral Procession will often times cause havoc as you deal a steady stream of 6 damage to your opponent. Something to keep in mind while playing B/W tokens is that life is a resource like any other. Rather than chump blocking immediately, it's ok to go down to ~ten to twelve life before chump blocking in earnest. This will allow you to develop a much more steady board presence that will serve you better as the duel progresses. It is generally better to play your token producers before your anthems in order to maximize damage. Instances where you would avoid doing this would be if you saw your opponent had something akin to Zealous Persecution in his or her hand. In cases like this you should prioritize playing an anthem first. Also attack with your tokens before playing any new token producers, as this may trick your opponent. Your opponent might also play Cryptic Command or something similar, tapping your tokens before they attack, so if you play your token producers during the main phase two, you will avoid being completely tapped out. Your playstyle will also depend on what kind of deck you are facing.
Against a control deck you will want to make best use of your instant speed cards such as Raise the Alarm by playing them at the end of your opponent's turn. This will force your opponent to either counter your spell or allow you free reign to cast something like Spectral Procession the next turn. It is important to get an anthem out, so try to lure your opponents counters on less important token producers before you play something like Intangible Virtue. A key card to look out for is Spell Snare. A single untapped blue land could mean this is lying in wait. Another thing to note is that should an opponent Remand a flashbacked Lingering Souls, then the Lingering Souls is still exiled, and does not go back to your hand.
Against aggro decks in general you will want to have a decent board presence before blocking. It is ok to go down to ~ten to twelve life before blocking, as this will generally allow you to develop a stable board presence and trade more effectively. Always keep in mind that your life is a resource, and sometimes tokens are more important than your life.B/W tokens is weak to many aggro decks. Zoo, Elves, and Merfolk are all decks that B/W tokens is weak to. Fortunately, the most popular aggro deck, Affinity, is a great matchup. Zealous Persecution can be very helpful in stalling against these decks, as they will often times have X/1s that can be killed by Zealous Persecution. This is best against Affinity and Elves, as Merfolk will typically have the ability to bring in a lord to stop you from killing their Silvergill Adept and Cursecatchers. It is still a very valuable card in these matchups though. Zealous Persecution is not good against Zoo, however, as many of their creatures will come into play starting with more than one toughness.
Against midrange decks you also want to keep your tokens alive until they can be boosted by an anthem. Much like with aggro, going down to 10-12 life is perfectly fine, as you can then stabilize and turn the game to your favor. B/W tokens does best against midrange decks like Jund or Abzan, as they give tokens enough time to stabilize without taking too much damage. It is also important not to overextend in case of a board wipe. If possible, always keep a solid token producer like Spectral Procession or Lingering Souls in your hand if you already have a steady board presence so you can recover quickly.
Against combo decks you will want to play as many token producers as possible turns one to three. This allows the most tokens to actually be able to attack when you play an anthem or an effect like Sorin, Solemn Visitor's +1/0. It is important to race as fast as you can against these decks before they can assemble their pieces to their combo. Prioritize hand disruption turn one. Post board it helps having multiple copies of hand disruption, as you can open your turn with hand disruption, and use it to protect a key hate card. For example, if you have an Auriok Champion in hand against twin, and they have open blue Mana turn two, I advise playing something like Raise the Alarm at the end of their turn. If they counter it, great, as this leaves you room to play your more important Auriok Champion . Then, start your third turn with a hand disruption to see what they have. Ideally you can take something like Pestermite, or take out a counter spell like Spell Snare, leaving you free to have your Auriok Champion or Torpor Orb. This strategy works similarly with Nevermore , but only if you are on the play. Otherwise they can combo out before you have a time to play Nevermore and a hand disruption spell.This is an excellent article to read on how to combat many of the popular combo decks in the format.
Early game
Early game
Turns one to two are some of the most important turns while playing B/W tokens, and they can shape the course of the entire duel. You always want to start out with a form of hand disruption turn one. It is often good to start with Inquisition of Kozilek as opposed to Thoughtseize . Turn two opens up a wide variety of choices that can vary upon your hand composition. Against burn or creature based decks, Auriok Champion will often be your best turn two play. Should you be playing against combo and noticed two Deceiver Exarchs then it would be a good idea to play a second Inquisition of Kozilek or Thoughtseize and play Windbrisk Heights. This negates the flaw of it coming into play tapped. If you play Tidehollow Sculler, this is an excellent turn two play as well. If you run it, this is the ideal turn to play Bitterblossom as well. Lacking either of these, Raise the Alarm or Intangible Virtue make good turn two plays.
Mid game
Mid game
Turns three to four are the turns that B/W tokens stabilizes. Turn three is the most important turn for stabilizing, and it is for this reason that the three cmc cards that B/W tokens plays are rather limited. Typically it is best to play either Lingering Souls or Spectral Procession turn three. Spectral Procession offers more immediate board presence, while Lingering Souls opens up the potential option of flashbacking and playing an anthem should you not have played one by this time. Turn four is when you want to either further stabilize as described previously, or play a finisher such as Hero of Bladehold or Elspeth, Knight-Errant. Hero of Bladehold will oftentimes get removed immediately, so I would recommend playing Elspeth, Knight-Errant or Sorin, Solemn Visitor should you be running Bitterblossom.
Late game
Late game
Turns five onwards are what I would consider the late game for tokens. Ideally, B/W tokens will have a steady board presence by this point and can swing without worry of tapping due to the vigilance granted by Intangible Virtue. Windbrisk Heights and Vault of the Archangel are both excellent during the later stages of the game. Windbrisk Heights can search for whatever card you might need depending on the situation, whether it be Path to Exile, Zealous Persecution, Intangible Virtue, or Spectral Procession. Vault of the Archangel turns each of your tokens into creatures with both lifelink and deathtouch, allowing you to trade a mere soldier with a mighty Tarmogoyf. Flying is very important in the late game, as flying creatures tend to be much rarer in Modern. For this reason, Spectral Procession and Lingering Souls make excellent topdecks. Late game hand disruption such as Thoughtseize tends to be your worst topdeck, unless facing a deck such as Splinter Twin or Scapeshift.
Contingency plan
Contingency plan
Should an anthem be destroyed by something like Disenchant then you will often times be forced into the defensive. Something to consider when playing B/W tokens is that your life is a resource just like any other, and occasionally it is more useful to keep your tokens alive rather than chump blocking. This can allow you to build up the time to use Windbrisk Heights' ability to find a new anthem or similar card to help even the board state.
Mulligans
Mulligans
Hand disruption is vital to B/W token's success. If you have no forms of hand disruption, that is one reason to mulligan. If you have a very good hand with an anthem and several different token producers, it might be worth keeping however, especially against creature-based aggro decks.
Matchups and sideboarding
Matchups and sideboarding
Abzan - Good matchup: Abzan is a good matchup due to the creature focus of Abzan. Things like Tarmogoyf are less of a concern to a B/W token deck, as tokens can chump block very effectively. Things to look out for are Abrupt Decay and Maelstrom Pulse game one and possible siding in of Zealous Persecution games two and three. Sideboard options include Mirran Crusader, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and Fulminator Mage for this matchup. Something to note is that things like Abrupt Decay can take out anthems such as Intangible Virtue. This matchup is about a 60/40 chance of winning game one.
Melira Company - Bad Matchup: While tokens is entirely capable of dealing with the midrange beatdown element of this deck, the combo is often able to be assembled before tokens can kill the Melira Company player. After sideboarding this matchup gets easier, as we have access to Rest in Peace and Grafdigger's Cage to help stop the combo. Here is an extended write up on this matchup.
Affinity - Good Matchup: This matchup is very easy, as B/W tokens can chump block until we have a steady stream of tokens assaulting our opponent. Side in Stony Silence and Disenchant or Sundering Growth . Fulminator Mage can also be used to take out their lands like Inkmoth Nexus or Blinkmoth Nexus . Chalice of the Void set to 0 can also take out many of their options by making it impossible for them to play their Ornithopters or Mox Opal. The most dangerous card against us is Etched Champion, as it can be boosted by Arcbound Ravager or Steel Overseer, and made unblockable and we cannot use our removal spellls on it.
Bloom Titan - Bad Matchup*: It is imperative that you start with hand disruption against this deck. With hand disruption though, this can become an easy matchup, as you can take out their key cards such as Amulet of Vigor. Side in additional hand disruption. Chalice of the Void set to 0 can also take out Pact of Negation and Summoner's Pact. Unfortunately this does not stop the Hive Mind copy, as the second copy of the spell is not cast, so you will still lose to Hive Mind. Torpor Orb also stops the ETB trigger from Primeval Titan. Runed Halo can name Primeval Titan as well, preventing all damange that it would do to you.
Bogles - Bad Matchup: Bogles has a very explosive start, which tokens can have a hard time competing with. It also runs cards like Rancor, which takes away tokens' ability to chump block effectively. Removal is also useless against bogle decks. Side in Engineered Explosives, Chalice of the Void, Spellskite, and Celestial Flare. Celestial Flare is better than Geth's Verdict for this matchup because bogles will often run fetches that can fetch Dryad Arbor or have another creature that they can sacrifice to prevent their main attacker from being destroyed. Mass enchantment removal can also be extremely useful against this matchup. Examples would be cards like Patrician's Scorn, Leave No Trace, and Paraselene.
Burn - 50/50 matchup: Thoughtseize turns into one of our worst cards in this matchup, and should only be played turn one if you have no other plays. The reason for this is that you are at least preventing one damage, and can potentially take something like Eidolon of the Great Revel out. After turn one however, Thoughtseize should not be used, especially if your opponent has open mana to respond with an instant such as Lightning Bolt. Auriok Champion is tremendously helpful in this matchup. Sideboard in Leyline of Sanctity, Kor Firewalker, Timely Reinforcements, and Duress should you have the extra room. This matchup gets much better post sideboard. Do not rely entirely on a card like Leyline of Sanctity as burn has access to many cards like Disenchant or Destructive Revelry. This matchup will often come to who draws their sideboard cards. If you can land an Auriok Champion or Kor Firewalker turn 2, then the game will be much easier to win, but you will be at a disadvantage without these cards. Here is a write up on the Naya Burn matchup.
Elves - Bad Matchup: Elves can put out a high amount of creatures by turn three, and pump them up through either a lord like Elvish Archdruid or through a pump effect like Ezuri, Renegade Leader. Tokens has a very hard time racing elves for this reason. Zealous Persecution is very useful early game, and can be used to stall their momentum enough to win the game. Be wary of them using Chord of Calling to bring in Elvish Archdruid or a similar lord to save their creatures though. Flying spirits are incredibly useful in this matchup, as they are essentially unblockable. Do not worry about holding a token producer in hand in this matchup, as elves do not run any form of field wipe. Side in Grafdigger's Cage for Collected Company, Genesis Wave, and Chord of Calling as well as Zealous Persecution and Engineered Explosives set to one.
G/W Hatebears - Good Matchup: This can be a bad matchup due to cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Qasali Pridemage. Should you develop a solid board presence before these cards are played, then B/W tokens has a very good chance of winning, however. Side in additional removal should you have it. Engineered Explosives can also be good due to many of their cards being 2 cmc.
Infect - Good Matchup: This is a good matchup due to the combination of hand disruption and chump blockers. Side in Chalice of the Void set to one and any additional removal and hand disruption games two and three. Spellskite can also be used to redirect their pump spells. Something to note is that this will do nothing against Apostle's Blessing, as it specifies creatures that you control. Be careful about when to use spells like Dismember or Zealous Persecution however. Many of their pump spells can be used as defensively as they can be used offensively. If an opponent attacks with a Inkmoth Nexus, do not immediately use your removal on it. If they do not pump it, all you took was a very small amount of damage, and you can kill it afterwards if you want to. If they *do* pump it, you can respond to their spell and kill the creature before their pump resolves, netting you not only their creature, but also a wasted pump spell that they can no longer use on another creature. Be wary of Noble Hierarch trigggers and Pendelhaven ; these can help push an infect player's damage through.
Jund - Good Matchup: Jund is a good matchup due to the creature focus of Jund. Things like Tarmogoyf are less of a concern to a B/W token deck, as tokens can chump block very effectively. Things to look out for are Abrupt Decay and Maelstrom Pulse game one. Sideboard options include Mirran Crusader, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and Fulminator Mage for this matchup. Something to note is that things like Abrupt Decay can take out anthems such as Intangible Virtue. Watch out for Olivia Voldaren, as she can ping our tokens successively, making it hard to hold a stable field presence. Auriok Champion can be very good in this matchup, as you can block creatures like Dark Confidant, and gain life throughout the matchup.
Living End - Bad Matchup: Living End decks can repeatedly wipe the board, making it very hard for token decks to maintain enough field presence in order to win. Our tokens cannot be brought back from the grave, unlike other decks that run things like Tarmogoyf, which will be brought back after multiple Living Ends. Often times Living End decks will be able to stall like this for so long that they will be able to hardcast their creatures as well. In addition, hand disruption can potentially help them if you have no targets like their Demonic Dread or Violent Outbursts. Fortunately, there are several ways to combat Living End decks games two and three. Rest in Peace can make it impossible for them to get any creatures in the grave, forcing them to either get rid of it through Beast Within. Ethersworn Canonist and Rule of Law also make it impossible for a cascaded Living End to be played. Chalice of the Void set to 0 counters all Living Ends as well. If possible, prioritize enchantment hate above artifact hate, because Living End decks run Ingot Chewer in the side in order to deal with cards like these. Other options are cards like Stain the Mind , Cranial Extraction , Memoricide , Surgical Extraction, and Extirpate. DO NOT side in Grafdigger's Cage. This card does nothing against Living End, as the cards are coming in from exile, and not the graveyard.
Merfolk - Bad Matchup: Despite being a creature based deck, islandwalk takes away the main benefit of being able to chump block. Merfolk can also more effectively race than B/W tokens can in an aggro style. Side in Engineered Explosives set to two. Ghostly Prison can also be used to stall the game to give you enough time to win. Zealous Persecution can be used to take out some of their creatures like Silvergill Adept and Cursecatcher, but only when they aren't boosted by a lord. Cursecatcher can also counter it as well, so keep that in mind as well. One thing to note is that you can save your tokens from Echoing Truth by using a Path to Exile on the targeted token. This will save the other tokens, and net you a land as well. Another trick is to blow up your Spreading Seas'd land with Ghost Quarter, getting rid of merfolk's islandwalk ability, allowing you to chump block.
Naya Zoo - Bad Matchup: Be careful of Qasali Pridemage and Ghor-Clan Rampager, as it grants trample, which negates a key strength of tokens in their ability to chump block effectively. Engineered Explosives is useful due to the high amount of low mana cards such as Wild Nacatl Side in extra removal as well. Zoo can pump out creatures that are capable of dealing a lot of damage in a very short amount of time, which means that a token player doesn't have as much time to set up his or her field. If you do get a steady field presence by turn four, Sorin, Solemn Visitor can turn the tides to your favor by gaining upwards of 6 life each turn if you played a Spectral Procession turn 3.
Scapeshift - Bad* Matchup: This is a very resilient combo deck, and can go off with only a single card. Hand disruption is very useful in this matchup, as you will not be able to race them without it. Side in Spellskite, Fulminator Mage, Tectonic Edge/Ghost Quarter, Leyline of Sanctity, Nevermore naming Scapeshift, and Runed Halo Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle games two and three. Be cautious of Cryptic Command, as it can bounce things like Runed Halo so they can still win. There are several versions of scapeshift currently, with the most popular ones being Bring to Light scapeshift, which can use Bring to Light to either tutor a specific card, or act as additional copies of Scapeshift. The other variant can win via Primeval Titan fetching the necessary lands, or just going the beatdown route, and is commonly referred to as titanshift. This is an in depth analysis of Bring to Light Scapeshift.
Soul Sisters - Bad Matchup: This is a bad matchup due to your own tokens providing additional sources of life through their Soul's Attendants. Side in additional Zealous Persecution games two and three as well as Torpor Orb.
Splinter Twin - Good* Matchup: While listed as a good matchup, this depends significantly on the hand disruption that you draw throughout the game, as well as the build type. If you are using a build that mainboards Auriok Champion , then this matchup can be considered a good matchup, but if you do not, then this matchup is considerably worse than if you did. This matchup is better than the Scapeshift matchup as you have more ways to interact with your opponent's combo. Side in Torpor Orb, Spellskite,Batwing Brume, Nevermore , Ghostly Prison, and additional removal. Slaughter Pact can be very useful here, as they will often attempt to go off with their combo if they see you are tapped out turn four. Auriok Champion mainboarded is an incredible asset, as it makes it impossible to combo off with their Deceiver Exarch. If you are not running Auriok Champion , this matchup will be very difficult. Post sideboard twin gets a lot better against tokens however, as it has access to many cards that are good against tokens. One plan that Splinter Twin will do in order to diversify their threats is to side in something like Keranos, God of Storms or Batterskull games two and three. Due to Kolaghan's Command however, Batterskull sees much less play. Revoke Existence can deal with Batterskull and Keranos, God of Storms, and Erase can both deal with Splinter Twin and Keranos, God of Storms. Be very careful of your timing if you want to stop the combo by destroying Splinter Twin however. You have to wait to play Erase or a similar card until the activation of the copy ability. Your opponent will still get one copy, but the enchantment will be destroyed. If you try to destroy Splinter Twin before this, however, they will simply respond and create infinite tokens before Splinter Twin is destroyed, which will still result in your loss. The / variant of Splinter Twin is a harder matchup than the Grixis Twin matchup.
G/R Tron - Bad Matchup: This is perhaps one of B/W tokens worst matchups in all of Modern. Pyroclasm makes it so that it is very ineffective to race against, and it allows them to bide time for a resolved Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Side in Fulminator Mage and Stony Silence as well as Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge. Here is an extended write up on this matchup.
U Tron - Bad Matchup - This is a bad matchup due to cards such as Cyclonic Rift, which can completely set B/W tokens back. In addition Ugin, the Spirit Dragon can consistently board wipe the tokens for no downside whatsoever. Side in Fulminator Mage and Stony Silence as well as Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge as well.
Grixis Delver - Good Matchup. Grixis Delver uses a mix of cards like Delver of Secrets , Young Pyromancer and Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Gurmag Angler. Auriok Champion can chump block Tasigur and Angler, and cards like Zealous Persecution can take out Young Pyromancer and Delver of Secrets pre flip. Side in Zealous Persecution and extra removal.
8Rack - Bad Matchup: B/W tokens can take out things like Ensnaring Bridge with its hand disruption, and can beat its clock if bridge does not see play. Ensnaring Bridge will cause major difficulties however, so it is important to side in Sundering Growth or Disenchant as well as Leyline of Sanctity if you have it games two and three. Runed Halo can also name cards like The Rack as well. Unlike many decks in this meta that can run mainboard artifact removal through Kolaghan's Command, there is very little that tokens can do against a resolved Ensnaring Bridge game one.
One possible choice for sideboarding is to side in Hero of Bladehold after your opponent sides out all of their spot removal.
The asteriks (*)s following a deck list means that this matchup will depend on the amount of hand disruption that you draw.
Combos and synergies
Combos and synergies
While not having any true "Combos", B/W tokens possesses a wide range of cards with fantastic synergy.
Fetid Heath: This card allows you to play a turn one Swamp while still being able to play a turn three Spectral Procession, with minimal loss to life.
Spectral Procession: This allows you to activate Windbrisk Heights the very next turn.
Auriok Champion : A single Spectral Procession played after this will completely negate the effects of a Lightning Bolt
Zealous Persecution: This card is fantastic for not only providing a one turn anthem effect, but also weakening your opponents creatures. This is especially good against decks like Affinity.
Auriok Champion makes it impossible to lose to a Splinter Twined Deceiver Exarch.
Combat Tricks
Scavenging Ooze/Relic of Progenitus Effects
If you have 5 mana open, you can resolve the flashback of Lingering Souls, even with your opponent having these cards out. For this to work, you have to play Lingering Souls, wait for it to resolve, and hold priority. If you hold priority you can then play the card with them being unable to respond to it, since Lingering Souls is already on the stack.
Card Choices Explained
Lands
Lands
Twenty-three to twenty-six lands is ideal for a B/W token deck, with twenty-four lands being the most common. This number depends on the amount of utility lands that you are using. This is because it is imperative that you have access to three white mana producing lands in case you need to play a turn three Spectral Procession. The more fetch lands you have, the more resilience you will have against Blood Moon, as it increases the chance of searching for a basic land by turn three. Another thing to note is that despite being only two colors, b/w tokens has a very painful manabase. The reason for this is that it is often necessary to have three mana available turn three to play Spectral Procession. This often means that a turn one Marsh Flats into Godless Shrine untapped into Thoughtseize will be necessary. If you have a Lingering Souls in hand, this will not be necessary though.
Plains: Basic lands are very important in Modern. They allow you to get something from a Path to Exile and make it so you don't completely fold to Blood Moon.
Swamp: Basic lands are very important in Modern. They allow you to get something from a Path to Exile and make it so you don't completely fold to Blood Moon. Unlike Plains, however, you only want to run one of Swamp, as it makes it impossible to play a turn three Spectral Procession without Fetid Heath.
Godless Shrine: Automatic four of; this is a very useful card for both black and white mana.
Isolated Chapel: One to four of, this card is an easy source of both black and white mana, and doesn't require the life loss like Godless Shrine. While this card can be an easy four of in more budgeted lists, it is better to run more fetch lands instead. By using more fetch lands as opposed to Isolated Chapel you run less of a risk of running into a situation like drawing a hand with two Isolated Chapels. When used alongside fetches, it is best to use 1-2 Isolated Chapel.
Marsh Flats: Very good for a variety of reasons. Not only can this fetch a Godless Shrine, but can also be used to fetch a basic Plains or Swamp should you anticipate a Blood Moon. This is easily another four of.
Windswept Heath/Arid Mesa/Flooded Strand: These are additional fetch lands that can be added to fetch either Godless Shrine or a basic Plains.
Caves of Koilos: This card is only good to run one to three of. It can provide colored mana should the situation require, or can be used simply for colorless mana. This card should only be used in budget lists; it is better to run fetches if you can afford them.
Fetid Heath: Only good of as one to two. This is a fantastic filter land, allowing a turn one Swamp to still be able to resolve a turn three Spectral Procession. Due to the fact that this needs a land that can produce color mana to work, you cannot run any more than two at most though.
Windbrisk Heights: Windbrisk Heights allows you to search for a useful card both in the early and late game. This makes this an invaluable card, as it even makes a good potential topdeck. An important thing to note about Windbrisk Heights is that whatever card you've hidden away can be activated at instant speed, meaning an Intangible Virtue or Honor of the Pure can sneak past your opponent for lethal damage. If you activate Intangible Virtue through windbrisk, your tokens will still be tapped though, as you had declare them as attackers by tapping. (Unless you already had an Intangible Virtue out of course). Also, Hero of Bladehold will not trigger Windbrisk Heights by herself. The tokens that come into play are already attacking, and were not declared as attackers.
Vault of the Archangel: Vault of the Archangel provides invaluable support through lifelink and deathtouch, allowing you to win the race against burn or trade a soldier for a Tarmogoyf.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge: These can be a very useful addition if your meta has lots of tron or decks that use lots of manlands like Celestial Colonnade.
Shambling Vent: An alternative to Windbrisk Heights, this land also produces mana. While not the best manland by any means, it does help with the late game, and can make up for the lifeloss from repeated Bitterblossom triggers. This should be split among Windbrisk Heights; do not run more than a combined 3-4 of lands that have to come into play tapped.
Westvale Abbey : During the early game this card can only be used to produce colorless mana, making it harder to cast Spectral Procession turn 3, and to cast a turn one hand disruption spell. In addition, the token creating ability isn't the best. In order to activate the ability, you essentially need a total of 6 mana: 5 for the activation, and the land itself to tap. Tokens usually runs a low mana curve, and cannot expect to be able to have 6 mana at any given point. In order to activate this ability, you need a massive field presence of 5 tokens and 6 mana in order to activate this. In addition to this, several decks are capable of dealing with the flipped creature. Abzan colors, or any deck with white runs Path to Exile. Blue can run Vapor Snag/Cryptic Command esque cards that can bounce the creature. Any deck with red in it runs field wipes in its side like Anger of the Gods, Pyroclasm, etc. Overextending into 5 tokens means a heavy risk of a field wipe, often leaving you with no gas due to the lack of card advantage in b/w tokens.
Creatures
Creatures
B/W tokens tends not to run many creatures, focusing instead on cards that produce several smaller token creatures. This plays to this deck's natural strengths in that spot removal such as Path to Exile becomes nigh useless. That being said, there are a few creatures that are very useful in a B/W token deck.
Auriok Champion : Auriok Champion is fantastic in a meta full of creature based decks or burn. If you are facing a deck that is not running red or black, then you might consider taking out Auriok Champion though. For example, you should always side out Auriok Champion against Affinity.
Tidehollow Sculler: This card is an excellent card should your meta be very combo heavy. There is an inherent risk of your opponent getting their card back, but despite this it is used to be better to run this over something like Castigate . The body makes this a very useful card, especially if you have Honor of the Pure out. In addition, this card is not as bad of a topdeck as many other forms of hand disruption because it still provides a decent body, even if it can't target anything the opponent has. With the printing of Kolaghan's Command, this card has lost much of its former usefulness, however.
Hero of Bladehold: This card is extremely powerful, but will often times be removed before it has a chance to attack, as people will save their spot removal for cards such as this.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos is advised against as the turn three cards should be reserved for Spectral Procession and Lingering Souls to best stabilize the board presence.
Cards not to add
Dark Confidant: One of the major flaws to a b/w tokens deck is that it suffers from a lack of reliable card draw. Many people look to Dark Confidant in order to solve this problem, but it is unfortunately unusable in b/w tokens. Despite the fact that a tokens player will cast it for only three mana most of the time, Spectral Procession has a converted mana cost of six, and it is one of the most important token producer spells that b/w tokens runs. Unfortunately due to this, Dark Confidant is too lethal to ourselves, and is inaccessible to b/w tokens.
Doomed Traveler : The vast majority of the time you want to play a hand disruption spell turn one. Doomed Traveler messes with this place in the curve, and it does not synergize with the deck until it dies.
Monastery Mentor: Do not add this card. I added this purely to explain why it has no place in a B/W token deck. The third turn is the turn where B/W tokens needs to stabilize by playing something like Spectral Procession. This offers no immediate board presence, as you cannot block with it. Furthermore it is very easy to remove, as even a Shock can kill it. This wastes our third turn play, and sets us far behind where we should be. Even if it does survive, if you play a planeswalker the next turn you will only get a single token that is only capable of attacking on turn five. This is not a good board state to be in. For these reasons, I highly recommended against playing Monastery Mentor in B/W tokens.
Kytheon, Hero of Akros : Many people have asked whether or not this would have a place in a b/w tokens deck due to the fact that tokens tends to attack with multiple creatures. Unfortunately, however, that's about all the synergy Kytheon has with this deck. The vast majority of the time, your turn one spell should be a hand disruption spell like Inquisition of Kozilek. Turn two gives you better options like Bitterblossom or Raise the Alarm. Kytheon is also not boosted by anthem effects like Intangible Virtue. When Kytheon becomes a planeswalker, none of his abilities are truly relative to the general strategy of b/w tokens as well. For these reasons, you should not add Kytheon, Hero of Akros in a b/w tokens deck.
Pack Rat: This card is very easily removed, taking away a key strength of token in it being resistant to to spot removal. In addition, it requires a somewhat heavy mana investment in order to activate its ability. Lingering Souls and Spectral Procession are better cards to play on the curve.
Soul's Attendant/Soul Warden: While this card may seem tempting to add to a B/W token deck, this should not be added. The turn one spot should always be reserved for hand disruption. Auriok Champion should always be used instead if you want to have a source of lifegain in this deck. This card cannot protect itself like Auriok Champion can, and interferes with a turn one hand disruption spell.
Token Producers
Token Producers
Bitterblossom:If you want to add Bitterblossom, then I recommend running a full playset. This maximizes your chances of playing it turn two, which is the best turn to play blossom. Decks can run less copies in order to maximize their chances against attrition based decks like jund or abzan however. Bitterblossom is very good against creature based decks such as Abzan, but it is worse against decks like Scapeahift in that it doesn't provide immediate board presence. Having multiple Bitterblossom on the field can be fatal as well.
Spectral Procession: This card is incredibly powerful. Flying creatures are rare in Modern, and having three flyers doing six damage with Intangible Virtue each turn is a welcomed sight for any token player. Due to the fact that this card's cmc is 6, Inquisition of Kozilek will be unable to target it as well.
Lingering Souls: This is our best token producer. While it doesn't produce as many tokens initially as Spectral Procession, it is much easier to cast, and can produce a total of four tokens through its flashback cost.
Raise the Alarm: As the most dependable instant speed token producer, this can be used to surprise your opponent should they attack with something that you can then block and kill, such as Dark Confidant. It is also useful to play this at the end of a control player's turn, as they are forced to either counter it or allow you free reign to play whatever you want during your turn, if played during the early stages of the game.
Gather the Townsfolk : This should only be added as a one of in a token list. Raise the Alarm is the superior two mana token producer due to instant speed. I still recommend against using this card though, even with fateful hour, as there are only so many token producers that you can run to be optimal.
Secure the Wastes: A highly situational card, this card should only be in as a one of, if you are to use it at all. This card is inferior to Raise the Alarm, Spectral Procession, and Lingering Souls in the early stages of the game, but it can potentially be a very powerful topdeck if drawn in the late stages of the game. This can also be used to evade a field wipe, or trick your opponent into thinking you have less board presence so as to lure them into attacking. Do not add this card in Bitterblossom lists.
Timely Reinforcements: Another highly situational card, this card is commonly paired with Bitterblossom to both counteract the lifeloss and potentially gain three Soldier tokens. This card is not as reliable as Lingering Souls or Spectral Procession though, and should only be added as a two of at most. Be careful when to use this card as well. If your opponent is at higher life than you, make sure to play this before you attack, as your opponent could end up with lower life after the attack, taking away some of the card's usefulness. In addition, some people will purposely crack a fetchland into a shockland untapped to try and prevent you from gaining life.
Shrine of Loyal Legions : Despite coming in the 2014 Modern Event Deck, this should not be included in a B/W tokens deck. It makes a terrible topdeck, and it can easily be destroyed by Abrupt Decay. This is good against control decks however, as it allows you to recover effectively against a board wipe.
Launch the Fleet : This is another card that should not be included. This needs a steady board presence to be of any use, as well as needing to attack, limiting your options of how you could play. This also takes up a token producer spot that a much better card could fill.
Hand Disruption
Hand Disruption
Thoughtseize : This is the best form of hand disruption that B/W tokens has against combo decks like Scapeshift. This card can pick out key cards such as Splinter Twin that Inquisition of Kozilek cannot, but at the cost of two life.
Inquisition of Kozilek: This is a fantastic card in Modern, where the vast majority of cards are three cmc or under. That being said, it misses several key cards, which is why it is important to have both Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek both in your deck.
Duress: An excellent sideboard card, or a budget alternative to either Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek.
Despise: This is the worst of the forms of hand disruption listed here. This should only be used for extreme budget lists that cannot afford Inquisition of Kozilek and Thoughtseize .
Tidehollow Sculler: The only creature form of hand disruption, this card suffers from the flaw that should it be removed, your opponent gets their card back. Despite this flaw, it is well worth running over Castigate , as the body can be very useful in many situations, as well as not being as bad of a topdeck as the other forms of hand disruption later in the game.
Castigate : Despite your opponent getting their card back if Tidehollow Sculler is removed, this is inferior to it, as unlike Sculler, this can be a completely dead draw late game, without even the possibility of becoming extra board presence.
This is an excellent article on hand disruption, and can help you decide what to pick when using a hand disruption spell.
Planeswalkers
Planeswalkers
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: This is one of the best planeswalker in a non-Bitterblossom token list. Many new players do not understand the full value of Elspeth, and mistake Sorin, Lord of Innistrad for being better. Elspeth, Knight-Errant is the most difficult to remove planeswalker out of all of the viable planeswalkers for B/W tokens. In addition to this, every single ability she possesses is relevant to B/W tokens. She is capable of increasing your board presence or sending an Auriok Champion or Tidehollow Sculler into the air to complement your token swarm. She is better than Sorin, Solemn Visitor if you lack a board presence, but is weaker than Solemn Visitor if you already have a board presence.
Elspeth Tirel: This card has several flaws to it, and I considered that Elspeth, Knight-Errant is a better choice of planeswalker. Elspeth Tirel's first ability is only useful should you have a steady board presence, although it should be noted that this ability is very useful against decks like burn or aggro strategies if you have a stable board presence. While Elspeth Tirel can create three tokens upon entering the field, this puts her immediately into Lightning Bolt range. In addition to this, her ultimate also gets rid of any anthems on the field such as Intangible Virtue. Elspeth Tirel can still be very powerful though, if you do choose to use her, as she can provide an instant board presence far better than Elspeth, Knight-Errant. In addition, Tirel also helps against burn better than Knight-Errant if you have a solid board presence through her life gain ability.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion: This card should not be added in a b/w token deck. While very powerful, the cmc is simply too high for this archetype.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad: This card is inferior to Elspeth, Knight-Errant and Sorin, Solemn Visitor in several ways. Firstly, he is easier to kill than Elspeth, and should you create an emblem, he will most likely die the very next turn. This effectively means you have the chance of playing a four mana anthem, which is not ideal. He does produce lifelink tokens though, which can be helpful in several matchups.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor: This card is fantastic if you have a steady board presence, but is very lacking if you do not have this. This card works best with Bitterblossom as it both offsets the lifeloss and you will always be guaranteed some form of board presence through blossom's token. This is also a very good card to have against burn, making it a good choice of planeswalker if your meta is full of RDW and burn. I recommend using this or Elspeth, Knight-Errant as your planeswalkers of choice.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar : Be careful using Gideon's +1 ability against a deck with , as they can Path to Exile Gideon. Gideon's 0 ability can help produce a steady stream of tokens to help recover your board state after a field wipe, and is much better than Sorin, Solemn Visitor in an empty field state. Gideon's +1 can add a tremendous amount of aggro to this deck, and is extremely good when combined with Sorin, Solemn Visitor's +1 ability. Make sure that Gideon has been activated before Sorin's ability in order to receive this benefit for Gideon though. Gideon's -4 ability can be used to replace an Intangible Virtue, or just to push through the last remaining damage if necessary. Emblems cannot be destroyed like Intangible Virtue can, so this is a very useful option as well.
Liliana of the Veil: I recommend against using this planeswalker in a Raise the Alarm shell. B/W tokens needs to be developing a board presence by this turn, so something akin to Spectral Procession would be the better play. Later in the game Elspeth and Sorin both provide better ways of pushing through to deal lethal damage to your opponent as well. Liliana of the Veil is fantastic against control decks, however. This card fits well in a Bitterblossom shell, as blossom can have flying tokens out on the field when Lili hits, and can defend liliana as well. Blossom token shells are much more grindy than Raise the Alarm shells, and liliana fits better in these shells accordingly. In addition, tokens can discard Lingering Souls in order to still get value out of the discarded spell. Consider this planeswalker if your meta is full of bogles, as this will make the matchup much easier.
Removal
Removal
Path to Exile: This is one of the best forms of removal in Modern. This card can target every creature threat in Modern, and can even be used to target your own token, should you need a basic land in the event of Blood Moon or to assure a land for next turn.
Dismember: This is one of the most versatile cards in that you can offer your own life instead of paying its natural cost of three mana. This targets the vast majority of threats in Modern such as Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
Murderous Cut: This can be added as a potential one of. Any more than that though, and you risk of having to use its full mana cost after the first one. The graveyard doesn't fill up fast enough for this to be used in multiple copies. In addition, this card can only be cast after several turns, while Dismember can be used as early as turn one, making Dismember much more reliable.
Slaughter Pact: This card allows you to surprise your opponent by playing it while tapped out. This is particularly useful against combo decks. The three mana that must be paid the next turn makes this less desirable than Dismember however. This also cannot target black creatures such as Siege Rhino and Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
Doom Blade: It is recommended against using this card. This card cannot target several key players in the modern meta such as Siege Rhino and Tasigur, the Golden Fang. This is also less useful than Slaughter Pact against combo decks, as you have to have 2 mana open to play this. This is very good against eldrazi, as their devoid ability makes them all colorless.
Go for the Throat: This card can be good if you have a meta that has no tron or affinity, but I heavily advise against using this card if you have either of these decks in your meta. This notably cannot be redirected by Spellskite, however, making it a valuable addition against decks like infect.
Anguished Unmaking: This gives tokens the ability with things like artifacts, planeswalkers, and enchantments in the mainboard. It's lifeloss makes it difficult to have more than 1-2 copies, and make sure to have several lifegain sources to make up for the lifeloss of this card.
Anthems
Anthems
4-5 anthems is usually considered the best for B/W tokens, but you can go up to 6 if you want. I heavily advise against any more than that though. A common practice for beginner B/W token players is to play lots of anthems, but that is usually only overkill. B/W tokens only needs to draw a single anthem to win.
Intangible Virtue: This is the best anthem in B/W tokens. Granting all of your tokens vigilance means that you can continuously attack your opponent while always having access to chump blockers.
Honor of the Pure: While not as good as Intangible Virtue, this does offer certain benefits such as boosting creatures such as Auriok Champion , Tidehollow Sculler, and Hero of Bladehold. I recommend against using this anthem if you decide to use a Bitterblossom build.
Zealous Persecution: While not a "true" anthem, this card is very effective in certain situations. I recommend against using a full playset of this card, but this is a fantastic card for certain matchups like Affinity, and can be included in the side as well.This card is also fantastic for the mirror match or for taking out Abzan's tokens from Lingering Souls.
Other Information
Building this deck
Building this deck
B/W token decks can be generally classified by whether or not they play Bitterblossom or Raise the Alarm, as this makes the biggest difference on the choice of cards throughout the rest of the deck. Raise the Alarm shells are better in an aggro meta full of things like zoo, as you can provide early blockers to help stabilize. Bitterblossom shells focus on grindy, midrange strategies, and are much more resilient than Raise the Alarm shells, at the cost of being slightly slower, and dealing more damage to yourself.
The Core - Lands:
Twenty-three to twenty-six lands is ideal for a B/W token deck, with 24 lands being most common. This number varies on the number of utility lands you are running such as Vault of the Archangel. Some decks will run specialized land bases like Joshua Cho's list in order to deal with matchups like tron, which otherwise tokens would have no answer for.
The Core - Token Producers:
Spectral Procession: Automatic four of
Lingering Souls: Automatic four of
Raise the Alarm: 3-4 of in a non-Bitterblossom list. If you use Bitterblossom, this card does not need to be used. This can be a 3 of if you want to add a Secure the Wastes
Gather the Townsfolk : Include only as a one of should you have an extra slot. Raise the Alarm is better due to instant speed.
Secure the Wastes: This should only be added as a one of should you have an extra slot. This is not as good as the other token producers in the early stages of the game, but can make a great topdeck in the late stages of the game.
Bitterblossom: 3-4 of. Most lists run 4, as you want to be able to play it as early as possible. It makes a poor late game draw though, as multiple blossoms can be devastating to your life. For this reason, some people opt to only use 3 Bitterblossom.
The Core - Removal
Path to Exile: Automatic four of
The Core - Hand Disruption: B/W tokens usually runs from six to nine forms of hand disruption depending on your meta.
Thoughtseize : two to four, depending on meta. In the current meta I would not run four of, because the lifeloss can be very relevant.
Inquisition of Kozilek: three to four, depending on meta.
The Core - Anthems: B/W tokens runs between four to five anthems optimally.
Intangible Virtue: three to four of depending on how many creatures you choose to use. Should you choose to use more tokens, then Intangible Virtue should be a four of.
Honor of the Pure: One to two of depending on how many creatures you choose to use. Should you choose to use more creatures then two Honor of the Pure can be a good choice.
Flex Spots: These cards can be added or taken out depending on one's local meta.
Auriok Champion : If your meta is full of burn and creature based aggro then this card is an excellent addition.
Tidehollow Sculler: If you have a combo heavy meta then this is an excellent addition. If you have a heavy burn meta, then it is advised against using this. In the current meta, it is advised against playing this due to the prevalence of Kolaghan's Command.
Murderous Cut: A good one of, this card can be very good in the mid to late game, as you can delve for a single removal spell. I would advise against using more than one copy, as you cannot consistently fuel your graveyard. Be aware that using this alongside Rest in Peace makes it much more unwieldy.
Dismember: This card is very useful for taking out like Siege Rhino or Tasigur, the Golden Fang. If your meta is full of creature based decks or Splinter Twin then this makes an excellent main board addition. The flexibiliy of this card is what makes this good. If desired, you can take out a mana dork turn 1 to slow down the opponent, at the cost of 4 life.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: This is one of the best planeswalker in a Raise the Alarm list, but lately Gideon, Ally of Zendikar has taken over as the supplementary planeswalker.
Elspeth Tirel: Recommended against, as I have found Elspeth, Knight-Errant to be better in most cases. If you do choose to include it, only have one to two copies.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad: This card is inferior to Elspeth, Knight-Errant in a Raise the Alarm list, and inferior to Sorin, Solemn Visitor in a Bitterblossom list. I recommend against using this.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar : This card presents an incredible aggro based strategy for tokens, and is used in token decks that seek to add more of an aggro feel to their deck.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor: This card is very dependent on a steady board presence. This card works very well with a Bitterblossom list though, as you are guaranteed to have at least some board presence at all times. Best as a two to three of in a Bitterblossom list, but is also included in Raise the Alarm lists that seek to improve matchups like burn or zoo. This card is amazing at turning a matchup around, as it is very useful against bad matchups like burn and merfolk.
Hero of Bladehold: I recommend against running this in your mainboard. Many players will save their removal for cards like this, and you will often times waste your turn four play. This can make a good sideboard card to bring in to surprise opponents though.
Zealous Persecution: This card used to belong in the Core spots, but it has lost much of its usefulness in the current Modern meta. I recommend having at least one in your maindeck though. This is fantastic against the mirror match as well as Affinity, so if your meta is filled with these decks then you can use up to a full playset.
Sample Decklists
Event record
Event record
MTGTop8.com is a good source for looking at recent decks that have done well. There is a token section that you can look under to see the latest token decks that have won recent events. Stanislav Cifka also piloted a b/w token deck at the 2015 Modern Pro Tour.
Modern Meta
Modern Meta
ModernNexus.com is a good site to find the latest information regarding the current state of the meta.
Change log
Change log
Will Krueger (Will_Krueger), Bradley Niemczyk (Nerfley), and Brandon Walther (SFRG) each have assisted me in keeping this primer up to date.
Feedback
I welcome any and all criticisms you might have regarding this primer. Should you feel I have made a mistake at any point, or disagree with anything I have said in this primer, I shall address your concern as quickly as possible.
The coding for this primer was developed by Epochalyptik here.
Suggestions
Updates Add
Just clearing the comment section. I also believe this to be the best BW tokens primer out there.
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| Date added | 10 years |
| Last updated | 8 years |
| Legality | This deck is not Modern legal. |
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