B/W Tokens is Saved! Thank you, Fatal Push!
Modern
SCORE: 11 | 8 COMMENTS | 2024 VIEWS | IN 8 FOLDERS
FNM —April 14, 2017
Finally got to play the updated version of this deck at an FNM. We had 10 people sign up for a 4 round night.
Round 1 I played Affinity. Game 1 I discarded his Cranial Plating for him just to draw another one but I had too much removal and efficient blockers and eventually built the board pressure up to win the game. Game 2 I started a little slow but had enough removal to stay in then had a strong mid game but had to make some poor blocks to stay safe and then ran out of gas in the late game after getting my Sorin, Solemn Visitor countered and lost. Game 3 I controlled fairly well throughout and had too much removal and inevitability. Games: 2-1, Matches: 1-0
Round 2 I played Burn and both games he had turn 1 Goblin Guide, but I had my own turn 1 Fatal Push (see my deck list title) to use on his next attack phase. He wasn't quite fast enough as both games he ran me low but didn't have gas fast enough as my incremental life gain put me out of reach as my tokens poked him down. The best part of this match was when he dropped a second Eidolon of the Great Revel and I only had a Spectral Procession and Sorin, Solemn Visitor in hand. Games: 2-0, Matches: 2-0
Round 3 I played a guy running B/W/R control with lots of targeted removal and things like Lingering Souls, Dark Confidant, and Abbot of Keral Keep, and Liliana of the Veil. He had too much single creature removal and I had enough to keep his threats off the board and out-valued him both games, dodging his sided in board wipes in game 2. Best part of this match was when he played Inquisition of Kozilek on my 3 card hand that was 1 Spectral Procession and 2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.
Games: 2-0, Matches 3-0
Last round I got the only other undefeated player who was running American (W/U/R) control. He had no main deck creatures other than Snapcaster Mages and generally finished off opponents with Celestial Colonnades. He mulliganed to 5 or 4 first game and both games I was able to hand control most of his board wipes and dance around his counters and removal, keeping on solid pressure and out-valuing him too quickly for him to keep up. I felt in control this whole match and at one point I played a Lingering Souls and he said "How am I even supposed to beat that card?", with a complete look of despair on his face (this guy can be a bit annoying, so it was a little sweeter than it usually would be). The best part of these matches was when he had to use 2 Lightning Bolts from hand to kill my Gideon after already having made a token. Games:2-0, Matches: 4-0
It was fun and exciting to play this deck after a long time and even better to see it do well. The Fatal Pushs definitely are a big part of the ability for success with this deck. It was nice as well that all of the opponents I played were solid veteran players, as I sometimes come up against new players with sub-par decks and the wins don't feel quite as earned. Excited to play it again.
Rootborn Defenses is probably the way to go for protecting your tokens unless you can somehow manage to splash red for Boros Charm.
February 2, 2017 10:28 p.m.
YoungQuakerBoy says... #3
Hey, Miniferg. Thanks for your comment and suggestions.
This list is slightly dated as I haven't updated it quite yet with my choices of the last few weeks and I will be updating fairly soon. I would love to get a couple Liliana of the Veil but, unfortunately, not at their current price and I don't have a few sideboard choices that I would like, like Runed Halo or more than 1 Selfless Spirit.
1: I believe that Timely Reinforcements in the mainboard is strongly a meta call as it does very little in some games. Lately my meta has been rather control heavy with some midrangey decks as well. For lot of them the life doesn't really matter even if I get it and for a number of them, I am very likely to even amounts or have more creatures out. I can see it being very useful at times but in my current meta it is not useful enough in the main.
2: Windbrisk Heights is kind of a flex land here. I have been kind of going back and forth on it. It can be very strong, of course, providing card advantage and potential tricks, but I am trying to measure if I prefer it, and the stipulations involved, over the other utility and fixing. Shambling Vent fits the exact same bill as heights in that it is a solid turn 1 play when having no turn 1 interaction.
3: Yeah, this version was missing it in the sideboard. I am hoping to run 2 Selfless Spirit Sideboard, I just need to pick up an extra one. I think that I like Spirit better than the other options as it also doubles as a beater and I don't need to hold up mana (although I am sacrificing that for the chance or it being spot removed but I will take that risk in those matchups).
4: From what I have seen I rather agree with you on Smuggler's Copter. It looked and sounded good at first but is not quite what we want.
Thanks!
Miniferg says... #1
Nice build.
Some advice:
1) Timely Reinforcements is an absolute must mainboard. I would recommend running a minimum of two, however, three mainboard is the most practical option for B/W Tokens; provided that one practices how to properly sequence the card. Good options to swap out for these could be your two janky one-of slots for Blessed Alliance & Zealous Persecution; both of which you should strongly consider retaining in your sideboard. An alternative choice for the switch would be the two Raise the Alarms - which although a good card, is a bit underpowered. Ideally, I'd recommend switching both Raise the Alarms and the one Blessed Alliance for three Timely Reinforcements.
2) Swap out one Shambling Vent for one Windbrisk Heights. This utility land is awesome in B/W Tokens and also provides you with an additional turn one move if you fail to find an Inquisition of Kozilek or a Thoughtseize in your opening hand. I suppose playing a fetch on your turn and then cracking it & casting Fatal Push on an opponents turn could count as a turn one play as well, but to an experienced magic player, it's a rather obvious play to pass the turn with an untapped fetch that can pull a black or white land. Basically an opponent should expect a Push or Path to come if they create a creature under those circumstances, and thus it's not always the ideal first turn play, as an opponent is more likely to play conservatively in such a situation.
Path to Exile and Shambling Vent are not practical starting plays because they're better used later game either when there are bigger threats in play that can't be hit by Fatal Push or when you have other things that you can also do on your turn such as disrupting your opponent, removing a threat, and/or flashbacking Lingering Souls.
3) Where is your board wipe protection? The worst nightmare of all for B/W Tokens (other than Virulent Plague and Illness in the Ranks of course) is a board wipe. What do you expect to do if you go up against Grixis Control, Valikut/Through the Breach, Sun & Moon / RW Prison, or even a Jund / Abzan deck that's running board wipes in its sideboard? You're almost always going to get hit by Anger of the Gods, Wrath of God, and/or Damnation in some of these match-ups, and thus it's quintessential that you're prepared for this eventuality. Here are some potentially viable options to give all of your creatures indestructible: Selfless Spirit, Rootborn Defenses, & Make a Stand. I'd say that in spite of it's 3 CMC mana cost, that Rootborn Defenses is probably the best option of these for B/W Tokens, because it can also create more tokens in the process. Short of going Mardu with a red splash for Boros Charm - which is impractical to say the least; given the land requirement - I'd say that's your best bet.
Last but not least, Smuggler's Copter has now been definitively proved to be counterproductive for B/W Tokens because it requires ditching too much of the essential parts of the deck, so I would strongly recommend disregarding it if I were you.
At any rate that's my advice, so good luck with your future alterations.
February 2, 2017 10:26 p.m.