I have been fumbling around with abzan everything lately (any list that doesn't run goyf bc that card is dumb). I love the idea of card advantage through tokens. They are cheap and expendable, while also very powerful and tricky for opponents to deal with. I started out tinkering with just BW lists, but I really don't enjoy the reactive hand disruption route. Honestly Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek do not give me much joy whether I am casting it or dealing with it. My play style has always been that of the aggressor. I want to be faster, and more powerful than my opponent so they have no time to establish a game plan. Against this deck, the game plan is just to survive. The awesome thing about tokens is the fact that almost all of you opponents removal are dead draws in the sense that they may find a target, but at the end of the day, they just pathed your token... Make more!
In traditional BW lists, the only anthem effect is through Intangible Virtue, possibly Sorin, Solemn Visitor,
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
, and if youi have the $$$, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar. These are all awesome choices and I encourage you to use one or all of them in your list. There are other walkers with sweet tech but they are further up the mana curve than I care to venture.
So what does green have to offer that would make the transition worth while? The inclusion of green allows you to run Nissa, Voice of Zendikar and Gavony Township, but perhaps most importantly, Birds of Paradise and Noble Hierarch. These additional anthems and mana dorks provide awesome results so far. The T1 play has shifted from a discard spell to a mana dork which allows some insane plays. Turn 2 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, Lingering Souls or Spectral Procession follwed by turn 3 ANYTHING! is just so powerful. My question to you is why main board hand disruption when you may not need it if you can just win on turn 4 or 5 anyway. Besides, you can always side the hate in post board. My game plan has been all in tokens and it has been really surprising.
The late game is really a blast because you can hold your token generators in hand and ride 3-4 tokens and a Gavony Township all the way to victory with no reservations about board wipes since you have a full grip. Test it out and let me know what you think.
