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Lingering Souls and crappy cards

Modern Competitive Midrange Tokens WB (Orzhov)

326


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Lingering souls is sweet, as is playing something even remotely consistent (as compared to my previous modern decks - Living End, Infect and Bogles). I wanted to play a fair deck that doesn't fold to itself every other game (and the acquisition of which doesn't involve selling my mother to afford Snapcasters, Cryptics, Tarmogoyfs or Lilianas...) so, well, here we are.

Suggestions and thoughts are very welcome, especially if you remember to include your reasoning for why you think I should/shouldn't play a card etc. Just asking about my reasons for playing card x is also very acceptable.

Some of my thoughts on the card choices for the deck:


Lingering Souls

The absolute linchpin of the deck. Four tokens out of one card is amazing, especially when you don't have to commit all of them onto the battlefield at once in case you're expecting a sweeper. An automatic 4-of.

Spectral Procession

Another "army in a can". Generates a very threatening boardstate with an anthem effect and single-handedly turns on Windbrisk Heights. The triple white forces us to make some compromises with the mana base but it's absolutely worth it. A crucial part of the deck's core.

Bitterblossom

A consistent source of tokens that can win games totally on its own against the slower decks. It's a bit painful (and slow) for some games, but the Sorins and Vaults help quite a bit with the life loss.

Raise the Alarm

Raise is a card that I'm really not happy about running, as it can be a blank in certain boardstates and generally doesn't do that much. The deck, however, is painfully slow without them and can't really put a serious clock on the opponent. Surprise blockers are sometimes amusingly good.

Hero of Bladehold

Deals stupendous amounts of damage with a single swing. Is weak against spot removal, but your opponent will generally have expended their removal spells on your tokens rather than let them sit in their hand and do nothing. Discard also helps to make sure Hero gets to swing. Can't really run more than one or maybe two as the mana cost is quite heavy for a deck with 24 lands and you really don't want to turn on your opponent's spot removal.
Intangible Virtue

The best anthem for the deck. +1/+1 to all of your creatures (except Hero of Bladehold) is amazing for only two mana and Vigilance really helps in race situations.

Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Though Sorin also functions as a token generator, his most important role in the deck is to pump your team and gain you stupendous amounts of life. Exactly the sort of high end that the deck needs - can win games on the turn it hits the battlefield, grinds really well and can absolutely steal games by itself - resolving Sorin on an empty board really puts pressure on your opponent to kill him, as the ultimate it generally lights out for any creature-based deck. He's too expensive to run more than two copies, though.

Zealous Persecution

Modern is full of creatures with a single point of toughness, and Zealous is quite adept at dealing with them. The one-turn anthem effect is very good and represents loads of damage. Can easily be a huge blowout in combat. Hilariously good in the mirror and shuts down the Twin combo. Is too situational to warrant running more than two copies, however.
Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek

Gives you something to do on turn 1 and helps against decks with gameplans that are otherwise hard to interact with. I currently run a full playset of both to maximise the chances of having one in my opening hand. In a relatively "fair" metagame I could see running fewer copies.

Path to Exile

The best removal spell in the colours. Efficient and asks no questions. Can't imagine running less than four and probably would run a couple more if it was legal.
Stony Silence

Can shut down Affinity and does some serious work against Tron, which is a nightmarishly difficult matchup.

Kataki, War's Wage

Wrecks affinity, does little enough elsewhere.

Burrenton Forge-Tender

Protects the board from cards such as Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods. Also decent anti-burn card.

Auriok Champion

Hate against burn and other hyper-aggressive decks. Pretty much shuts down both of Twin's gameplans. Some people run them in the main but I, for one, generally don't like running cards that are so often almost dead in the main deck.

Relic of Progenitus

Graveyard hate. Duh. Rest in Peace is generally better hate but also exiles our Lingering Souls, so you generally run Relics if you feel like you can get away with it - Relic is sideboardable in Snapcaster matchups, unlike RiP.

Dismember

Additional removal for when it's needed. Hits Twin and Infect quite well. Not much else to said.

Celestial Purge

Hits Twin, Angler/Tasigur, Pyromancer Ascension, all of Burn's creatures and other random stuff. A really good 1-of.

Sundering Growth

Hate for random artifacts and enchaments (duh). Good against Affinity, the mirror, Bogles, Twin. A good general answer.
Windbrisk Heights

Sweet value but comes into play tapped so running more than two is generally a bit too risky. Quite easily activated with either Lingering Souls + Flashback or Spectral Procession. It's too bad that you can't activate Sorin's +1 in combat.

Vault of the Archangel

Such value. Makes attacking into your tokens really awkward, puts the game out of reach for Burn etc., races quite well. Just a really cool utility land.

Godless Shrine

It hurts so right. Offers both colours of mana for a measly two life (or can just come into play tapped) and is fetchable with Flooded Strand and Windswept Heath

Fetid Heath

Not producing black mana on turn 1 for Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kolilek is terribly awkward, but getting double black on t2 for double discard is pretty damn good. Also comes into play untapped and demands no life payment.

Isolated Chapel

As I said on Fetid Heath - awkward at times, especially with t1 Windbrisk Heights, but good enough to warrant a single copy. It may well be that this really should be a Heat. Not sure.

Windswept Heath and Flooded Strand

Fetch Plains and Godless shrine. Duh.

Plains

Duh.

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Date added 9 years
Last updated 8 years
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

10 - 1 Mythic Rares

18 - 7 Rares

26 - 5 Uncommons

0 - 2 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.44
Tokens Emblem Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Faerie Rogue 1/1 B, Spirit 1/1 W, Vampire 2/2 B
Folders Modern, Modern
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