Are tokens viable in standard right now?
Standard forum
Posted on March 4, 2013, 4:59 p.m. by AkromaPhage6
I'm just curious as they seem ok, but due to the control and aggro decks I'm assuming no.
Also due to the fact that Illness in the Ranks is here.
March 4, 2013 5:12 p.m.
The Doctor says... #4
That too, but nobody really uses it.
It WOULD however, start to be sideboarded at your LGS once people notice that you're using a token deck.
March 4, 2013 5:14 p.m.
Intangible Virtue is good for the +1, and there are plenty of other anthems; i just appreciate the vigilance that i get from it. I still think Esper spirits is viable, but it would depend on your meta i suppose.
March 4, 2013 5:37 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #6
I would say that many decks with black DO use Illness in the Ranks.
March 4, 2013 5:37 p.m.
@abdulbaqr: If you're running Esper Spirits, Favorable Winds and Drogskol Captain work.
March 4, 2013 5:51 p.m.
They're fine in most Superfriends decks, as they are cheap and have some form of control to back them up.
March 4, 2013 6:56 p.m.
@acbooster Yeah man, tons of anthems. You can offset it pretty easily. I'm more concerned about a strong Mutilate than Illness in the Ranks.
March 4, 2013 7:38 p.m.
pumpkinsword says... #10
Yeah, I run it in my sideboard just in case that one guy brings his token deck to my FNM again. It's pretty much a huge screw you to Lingering Souls. Especially when you play it before their anthems are out and when they just played their first tokens.
March 4, 2013 8:18 p.m.
Sadly, tokens have no place in standard right now. It is a shame, because Lingering Souls is just so good. There may be something to come in dragons maze that makes bant tokens a thing (bant because Master Biomancer is a total badass with tokens, and selesnya offers populate) but as of right now it is to slow for aggro decks and to weak to Supreme Verdict for control decks to really worry about.
March 4, 2013 8:57 p.m.
...not to mention Terminus. Tokens were pretty strong and viable when RtR was released. With GTC, I don't think they hold much sway anymore. Tokens just gets outclassed by other aggro decks.
March 5, 2013 6:05 a.m.
I ran a token deck for awhile, and it was a joke. Even without board wipes I would get trucked by pretty much every deck I cam across. Once bloodrush got introduced and trample became common, the advantage of numerous chumps vaporized. I've seen some token tricks work, but never as a core to the deck. I mean, Ghor-Clan Rampager is a +4/+4 and trample. Chump that with your 1/1 token (or 5), and it's basically a boardwipe that does damage (since you either get trampled through, or the unblocked creatures get through because you're trying to eat up the suddenly-huge trampling creature).
As far as board wipes, go Blasphemous Act is the most annoying. Now that the combo for BA and Boros Reckoner has been revealed, Hell: pack up the tokens and go home.
March 5, 2013 5:16 p.m.
CrimsonKing says... #14
If you run a Red/White/Black token deck with Boros Charm I think it would work. Of course you would need other spells too. Blind Obedience and Intangible Virtue come to mind. Happy gaming!
The Doctor says... #2
Not really. Too many board wipes.
March 4, 2013 5:12 p.m.