Tokens in Ixalan Standard? Ideas, Suggestions, and More.
Standard Deck Help forum
Posted on Sept. 16, 2017, 3:58 a.m. by Ragon_Wolfbane
So as of late I've been wanting to build token decks. Ever since the printing of Anointed Procession I've always humored myself with the possibility of using one spell to dump a ton of creatures onto the battlefield. Kaladesh provided plenty of good token generators with cards like Hidden Stockpile and Sram's Expertise to push the archetype pretty well. With rotation on the way I realized that the majority of the deck doesn't really rotate out. We do lose a heavy hitter like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, but I'm curious now where that leaves this strategy in the wake of Ixalan Standard?
So I'm here to ask for thoughts on anyone who enjoys playing Tokens, has ideas, or suggestions for the archetype.
To start off with my own suggestion I'm really interested in the card Ruthless Knave in a token deck. At first it might seem like a moderate limited card or standard in an Aristocrat's type strategy, but when you combine the power that this card could bring with something like Anointed Procession then you're generating large amounts of mana and potentially card draw. Consider that you could, in theory, sacrifice your whole board in response to a board wipe. Perhaps it's not good enough, but it makes me excited to consider what could be done with it.
And of course Legion's Landing just seems very powerful in the deck. I can't really explain this any better if I tried.
I'd like to get people's opinion on are if it would be worth to splash or commit to any set of colors other than just such as adding for some new Mardu tokens in Ixalan or adding to make it Abzan
For example:
Red does have the new Ixalan cards Makeshift Munitions that could give you a way to hit your opponent if you're not able to break through. In addition they also have Huatli, Warrior Poet that can poop out some really good 3/3's and gain you some life in the process or pinging your enemies blockers to squeeze in those last hits of damage. Maybe not good enough, but again that's the question.
Green's reasoning for it's addition would be the adding of Vraska, Relic Seeker as a way to make more evasive 2/2's, kill creatures, or just try to ultimate and win off that. Another card is Growing Rites of Itlimoc which is 'really' easy to trigger in a token deck, but the thing is that I don't exactly know what you do with all that mana once you have it. Sure you can cast some big expensive things or multiple cards in a turn, but I'm not sure just 'how' good it can be. Thoughts?
Black isn't really a huge token color post rotation. What made it good in the token decks I saw wasn't Hidden Stockpile, but rather Catacomb Sifter and Zulaport Cutthroat, as well as the bonkers removal that black just lost most of. meanwhile half of the token making planeswalkers rotate out as well, maybe more? And all of the eldrazi scion pieces. I just don't see tokens being that great anymore. There are a few spells that go ham with anointed procession, but overall it lost a lot of its power
If I'm wrong someone let me know. I'm just going by what I've seen at my own meta
September 16, 2017 7:28 a.m.
The biggest thing the deck is losing is Ormendahl. Cards like Vraska and Huatli are replacing Gideon but are slightly more expensive in casting cost. From the deck Sam Black played in the protour you're also losing cryptolith Rite as a way to produce mana, fortunately Growing Rites of Itlimoc seems like a decentish replacement. There are other things cycling out but most can be decently replaced which leaves the problem of how to replace Ormendahl. Unfortunately, I'm just not sure such a replacement exists in Standard post rotation
September 16, 2017 9:16 a.m.
I think a Vampire go wide deck that curves into Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle, Sanctum Seeker, Bishop of the Bloodstained could be pretty good. Add in Queen's Commission ( Sorcery that creates 2 1/1 Vampire tokens), Call to the Feast ( Sorcery that creates 3 1/1 Vampires), and Legion's Landing, and you may have something.
September 16, 2017 2:14 p.m.
Angel of Invention for sure! and i like Alley Evasion as a way to either save a guy from damage or bounce back to your hand so you can recast.
Acrobatic Maneuver also flickers and draws a card.
Regal Caracal just poops out so many tokens its definately worth maybe 1 or 2 slots for it.
September 17, 2017 7:38 a.m.
There's definitely some potiential foe b/w Zombie token spam B/W Zombies Help Needed but it will not be nearly as good as mono black zombies however I do see potiential in the card Time to Reflect
September 17, 2017 7:50 a.m.
The scarab god doesn't work with tokens strategy at all really, with zombies yes, but I don't think he's going for zombies
September 17, 2017 7:59 a.m.
Is there a card in standard that gives everything haste after rotation because with anointed procession and ruthless knave you potientiallay have an infinite mana combo 3 mana to create 4
September 17, 2017 2:50 p.m.
But then you would need a 1-0 mana token creation and maybe something that activiates on enter the battlefield or when a token or creature leaves. I know this is probabaly the worst infinite ever but I'm just curious if there is one there
September 17, 2017 2:52 p.m.
Or at least at the very minimum you can convert at least one creature token into a treasure token
September 17, 2017 2:53 p.m.
Ragon_Wolfbane says... #13
Leon9358 there are ways to make a crazy amount of treasures with Knave with an Processions out, but outside of card draw there aren't that many uses for it. I have been considering adding one Torment of Hailfire to the main deck as a way to utilize that massive amount of mana you could produce. I've also considered playing a Mardu deck splashing red for Cut / Ribbons as a way to also put all that treasure into a x 20 drain life from an enemy. It's neat.
Zeikoth says... #2
you can do cats
September 16, 2017 4:50 a.m.