Guilds of Ravnica Selesnya Tokens Deck Tech
Guilds of Ravnica Standard, as we have stated numerous times before, is one of the, if not the best standard rotation that we have seen in Magic the Gatherings long history.
The hype is real and players are enthusiastic about the sheer number of decks that are viable in this format, proving that the creators of the game made an amazingly diverse and fun format.
Like we stated, there are a massive amount of decks in this rotation that have a shot of winning, with no one deck emerging as the dominating force, as was seen in the most recent prior standard format.
Today, we are going to delve into one of the decks that has been a competing force in the format, since day one.
Selesnya Tokens Decklist
Guilds of Ravnica pre-release started off with a bang, with one deck above all others looking like it was the top contender.
Although things have shifted in the format, and a large variety of decks have now proven themselves as viable contenders, Selesnya tokens remains a top tier deck.
Being from the guild house of Selesnya, this deck focuses on the colors green and white, using a combination of both bulky and weaker token creature, that work together in a marvelous combination.
The deck list for Selesnya tokens varies depending on preference, however the list that we are going to explore today, looks as follows;
Planeswalkers (2):
2 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants (M19) 3
Creatures (14):
4 Adanto Vanguard (XLN) 1
3 Emmara, Soul of the Accord (GRN) 168
3 Trostani Discordant (GRN) 208
4 Venerated Loxodon (GRN) 30
Spells (12):
4 Flower // Flourish (GRN) 226
4 Saproling Migration (DAR) 178
4 March of the Multitudes (GRN) 188
4 Conclave Tribunal (GRN) 6
4 History of Benalia (DAR) 21
3 Legion’s Landing (XLN) 22
Lands (21):
1 Arch of Orazca (RIX) 185
4 Forest (XLN) 277
8 Plains (XLN) 261
4 Sunpetal Grove (XLN) 257
4 Temple Garden (GRN) 258
Sideboard (15):
3 Baffling End (RIX) 1
1 Citywide Bust (GRN) 4
1 Ixalan’s Binding (XLN) 17
3 Knight of Autumn (GRN) 183
4 Nullhide Ferox (GRN) 138
1 Settle the Wreckage (XLN) 34
1 Sorcerous Spyglass (XLN) 248
1 Vivien Reid (M19) 208
The deck consists of a 60 card main deck, featuring a 15 card sideboard, that when put into motion, features a dazzling combination of rapid growth and power.
Selesnya Tokens Mana Base
The first thing that you may notice, is that this deck runs light on lands, featuring only 21.
This allows you add in a large amount of spells, many of which will add to your already impressive creature list.
The reason why we are able to run light on lands, is thanks to two of the cards in our spell list, which are Flower // Flourish and Legion’s Landing, the former which has four copies in our deck and the latter three.
Flower // Flourish is a dual card, that has the option of either searching out a much needed land in the early game, or in the later game, beefing up your swarm of creatures, smashing your opponents for lethal damage.
Legion’s Landing, is a flip card, that transforms once you attack with three creatures in one turn, turning it into a powerful legendary land, that can creature token vampires.
With these two card, our mana problems are solved, and we can move onto laying down some fast acting, efficient creatures, that will soon overrun our opponents, leaving them stunned and shocked.
A Swarm of Selesnya Tokens
The plan is fairly simply. Throw done a massive amount of creatures that can either generate tokens, or spells that create a swarm of tokens.
These cards are the bread and butter of your army, that constitute the fighting force of your deck;
In the early game you are able to cast Saproling Migration, creating two 1/1 Saproling tokens, or if you are lucky enough to draw this card later on in the match, you can “kick” the spell for an additional mana cost, placing a whopping four 1/1 Saprolings.
Next, you have Emmara, Soul of the Accord, a legendary creature, meaning that you can only have one copy of her on the board at any given time, and for good reason.
Emmara is a power card for the measly two mana that she cost.
This power does not come in a traditional form of power or toughness, but rather her unique ability to create a 1/1 white soldier token each time that she is “tapped”.
This brings us to Venerated Loxodon, an impressive 4/4 Elephant Cleric that can be cast using “convoke”.
This means that you can tap your lowly 1/1 tokens that are on the board to help pay his mana cost, bringing him onto the board early in the gameplay.
As an added bonus, Venerated Loxodon will add one power and one toughness to each and every creature that helped “convoke” him. Adding some much needed strength to your token creatures.
Finally, this brings us to Trosani Discordant, a mythic 1/4 legendary creature that creates an additional two 1/1/ white soldier tokens with lifelink, while at the same time adds another one power and one toughness to all of your other creatures in play.
As you are beginning to see, your army of lowly 1/1 token creatures, which have flooded the board are now a formidable, powerful force that is able to overwhelm your opponents.
But wait, the flood doesn’t stop here.
The Big Grand Token Finale
At this point in the game, your opponent will be struggling to contain your overwhelming numbers that are rapidly beginning to flood the board, going wide of his defenders.
Meanwhile, if the cards align in your favor, you will have one last spectacular show of strength to put on display, while you cast your winning card, March of the Multitudes.
Once again, this card can be convoked, which is amazing, as the more mana that is added when casting this card, the more 1/1 white soldier creatures are created.
With a full line of lands and untapped creatures, this means that you can put into play an absolutely stunning amount of token creatures, which will all come into play as 2/2’s rather than 1/1’s if you have a Trostani in play.
At this point. Unless your opponent has a board wipe card in hand, this is it, they are finished as you rush in, going wide of their defenses and crushing them in the process.
In Conclusion
Selesnya Tokens has been a force to reckon with since the beginning of this standard season and depending on what the next set brings, will continue to be a top contender moving forward.
It is a fast paced deck, that can quickly run out of your opponents control if they are not quick to answer the numerous tokens that begin to come into play, turn after turn.
In the end, it is an amazingly fun deck, with many of the most powerful cards coming from Magic the Gatherings latest set, Guilds of Ravnica.
Yet, this is just one of many decks that you are able to pilot in this standard season and we would love to hear what deck is currently your favorite? Which one are you currently chartering to victory?