Since 2012, I’ve attended 27 Grand Prix, eight of which were Modern, and I played BW Tokens in six of them. BW Tokens is my favorite deck to play and the deck I’ve played the most in any format. I decided to play BW Tokens once again for GP Toronto for the following reasons:
- I expected Izzet Phoenix, Burn, Dredge, and Death’s Shadow, in that order, to be the most represented decks at this GP. This was pretty consistent with the top decks according to MTGGoldfish. Tokens is favored in all four matchups. With the addition of Skewer the Critics, most Burn lists are eschewing Skullcrack from the maindeck, improving our matchup greatly.
- While I went 12-3 with Burn at GP Toronto last year and I won a PPTQ with Burn soon after, I was sick of Burn. It just wasn’t as fun for me and too many games ended with a top deck. Perhaps more importantly, I generally play Burn when Tokens is bad and I play Tokens when Burn is bad, and at this GP I expected lots of Shadow and Dredge. The meta just doesn’t seem great for Burn right now. Tokens actually seems pretty decent in the current meta.
- BW Tokens is fun. At least, I think so. There’s something satisfying about playing fair Magic and having interactive games.
- With all the changes to Magic and the possibility of impending doom to the cardboard version, I figured this may be my last Modern GP and if so, I wanted to go out with my favorite deck. Also, I figured if I was going to go 4-3 drop or 5-3 with a deck that was ostensibly better but not as fun, I’d rather have fun if I’m going to x-3 drop regardless.
- My Grand Prix win percentage at the five GPs where I played BW Tokens was higher than my overall GP win percentage. Maybe there’s something to be said about playing a deck you know well versus the hotness.
Round 3 – Dredge – Win 2-1
After two byes, I sat down across from a name I recognized as someone definitively better than I am at Magic. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when he cast Faithless Looting discarding a Bloodghast. Dredge is an excellent matchup for Tokens. I thanked my lucky stars I didn’t register Burn – Burn would have been an auto lose for me. At least I had the matchup advantage against an excellent player. Unfortunately, Game 1 didn’t go as planned as even with an Auriok Champion out, my opponent simply overwhelmed me. Being on the draw hurt and his Creeping Chills did a lot of work that game. Games 2 & 3 went according to plan. My opponent mulled to 6 in both of those games and in one of them, I dropped a RIP. Runed Halo naming Prized Amalgam did a lot of work for me game 3, and both games 2 & 3 Auriok Champion plus a million spirits closed the door.
Dredge is an excellent matchup thanks to Auriok Champion. Sure, RIP out of the board is lights-out, but an early Champion should be enough to get the job done. Gain enough life and you’re out of Conflagrate range and you’re able to reload with more spirits if your board gets wiped with Conflagrate (which can’t kill Auriok).
Sideboarding:
In – Runed Halo (naming Conflagrate, Creeping Chill, Bloodghast, or Prized Amalgam), 2 RIP, Burrenton (for Conflagrate), Lost Legacy (again naming one of the four cards that can kill you).
Out – 3 Thoughtseize, 2 IOK. Discard spells aren’t great in many of your good matchups and are terrible, HORRIBLE top decks. In this matchup you never want to see one period. Not ever.
Round 4 – Dredge – Win 2-1
My meta-game call seems spot-on as I’m paired against Dredge yet again. I lose game 2, but gain infinity life in a slow, grindy game 3 that nearly goes to time.
Round 5 – Burn – Win 2-1
My meta-game call is rewarded again when my opponent plays a turn one mountain into Swiftspear. I mull to 6 on the draw, but manage to win with an Auriok. I don’t see Skullcrack the entire match, skewering Burn’s chances to stop my lifegain. Game 2 comes down to what I hate most about playing Burn – the dreaded top deck. My opponent, knowing he’s dead next turn, peals it, rubs it, then flips it and it’s a Skewer the Critics – and he’s got the three mana. On to game 3. I mull to 6 again, and I draw all four, yes all four, of my virtues. I begin wondering if I’ll have enough time to grab some food after I lose this game. The silver lining here, however, is that he’s got 2 Searing Blazes stuck in hand and my souls are x/4 with all those virtues. Thankfully I find an Auriok after not keeping an opener with one, and alpha attack on the turn before he can kill me, casting Zealous so Auriok does the last point of damage after he tries to lightning helix to stay alive – all of a sudden he goes from 17 life to -1, leaving me in disbelief I somehow won this game.
Sideboarding:
In – Burrenton, Runed Halo (usually naming Eidolon), 2 Duress, 1 Push
Out – 3 Thoughtseize, 2 Bitterblossom (Zealous Persecution is usually bad here, but hey, it did win me game 3 when casting my 4th virtue wouldn’t have).
Round 6 – Kiki Vannifar Combo – Win 2-1
My opponent sits down in some type of animal costume and makes a comment about losing a Super Bowl bet. He also makes a comment about being surprised BW Tokens is at the 5-0 tables. Game 1 he’s not surprised when he demolishes me. Game 2 I have the path when he goes for his combo and we’re on to another final showdown. Game 3 is a demonstration of another good reason to play Tokens – not many people are actually prepared for it. To be fair, my opponent is a good player and I don’t think he would have played differently if he knew I had Zealous in my deck, but regardless, it was magical Christmas land for me. Game 3 I’m on the draw and IOK turn 1 to find a ton of dorks and Eldritch Evolution in his hand. I take the Evolution. I shake my head and tell him not to cast his dorks, but he does anyway – all additional three of them, for a grand total of four mana dorks on his battlefield turn two. For the only time all tournament, Zealous Persecution snipes a 4 for 1 and my opponent is left with zilch. He gets stuck on two lands and it’s easy pickings for me. BW Tokens is now on to the 6-0 tables!
Sideboarding:
In – 2 RIP, 1 Push, 1 Runed Halo (naming Restoration Angel or Deceive Exarch), 1 EE (for the dorks), 1 Lost Legacy (naming Kiki Jiki, though I named Chord of Calling game 2 because he couldn’t cast Kiki with his mana)
Out – 2 Hidden Stockpile, 2 Bitterblossom, 2 Intangible Virtue (Auriok Champion isn’t great, but she stops Deceiver Exarch’s combo and three of her stop Resto)
Round 7 – Affinity Frenzy – Loss 1-2
I’m on the draw against another stellar player and I’m happy to see him drop tiny little artifacts. Unfortunately, things get out of hand fast and I get run over. Game 2 I smash. Game 3 a little card named Ghirapur Aether Grid demolishes me. Sure, Experimental Frenzy is scary, but Aether Grid is Affinity’s best way to kill Tokens. I die pretty horribly.
All in all, Affinity, with or without Experimental Frenzy, is a good matchup. You still will lose games, and if Aether Grid is active, you’re probably dead. Both my Affinity opponents (see below) told me they had two Aethers in their board, and unfortunately, I had two Disenchants but never drew them. While this is a good matchup, Cranial Plating or an unchecked Overseer can steal games. Also, whiffing on drawing flying tokens is death.
Sideboarding:
In – 3 Stony Silence, 2 Disenchant, 1 Runed Halo (almost always on Etched Champion), 1EE, 1 Push, 1 Burrenton
Out – 4 Auriok, 3 Thoughtseize, 2 IOK
Secure the Wastes is also bad in this matchup, but it’s better than Auriok and discard spells that aren’t in your opener. I’m not opposed to leaving in IOK to try to nab an early Aether Grid.
Round 8 – Izzet Drakes – Win 2-1
In my opinion, matchups against Izzet and Mono-Red Drakes are perfect lenses through which to view BW Tokens’ gameplan. Game 1 goes according to that plan – Awoken Horror gets in one hit, but I have time to rebuild, chump block it for oblivion, path his flyers, and win eventually with a superior board presence of flying spirits. Game 2 he drops a Blood Moon and all of a sudden I can’t cast the Sorin I need to save me. Game 3 is a long, grindy affair, and my gameplan of rebuilding after a flipped Horror works again. Admittedly, I draw like a beast in game 3, a path on a drake when I need it and a souls off the top to pull ahead.
Round 9 – Amulet Titan – Win 2-1
I play another nice guy. Somehow I win game 1 (we both mull to 6) after pathing his Prime Time. Game 2 I mull to 6, he mulls to 5, yet he does his thing and smashes me. Game 3 is interesting. After chipping away at him a bit in the air I draw a Lost Legacy, name Prime Time, and he reveals two in his hand! His only remaining win condition is Hive Mind with a Pact, and he has two draw steps to assemble the combo, but he doesn’t, and I’m past a bad matchup!
This matchup is bad. It’s a little better than TitanShift, since they can kill you with 2 one-card combos – Scapeshift and Prime Time – but it’s still bad. Path can kill one Prime Time, but they usually just Pact of Negation it or get another Titan right away. Hive Mind is better for us because they need another card to combo with it. You have to get lucky to win this one.
Sideboarding:
In – 1 Runed Halo (Prime Time), 2 Disenchant, 2 Duress, 1 Lost Legacy, 3 Stony Silence (they have 3 EE)
Out – 4 Auriok, 2 Zealous, 2 BB, 1 Hidden Stockpile (Stockpile better b/c you can try to search for a hate card)
Round 10 – Mono-Green Tron – Win 2-1
Since Bant Eldrazi is no longer a thing, this, along with Living End, is Tokens’ worst matchup. Game 1 I feel embarrassed people behind me are actually watching this lopsided match. It’s not even close. I play some guys, he just sits there and does nothing, then casts Karn, Ugin, Wurmcoil, etc. to embarrass my puny little spirits. Game 2 I’m on the play and lead with Duress into Stony. He can’t get his lands and that’s that. Game 3 I get very lucky he doesn’t lead with turn 1 map, which on the draw, I can never race with Stony. He leads with turn 1 Ancient Stirrings, which is always what I want to see on turn 1 on the draw – NOT A MAP! I Duress him, nab his Nature’s Claim, and I can feel his heart sinking. Turn two his map comes down, but it’s too late because so does my Stony, and he whiffs on land draws while I sit in disbelief that I’ve defeated mighty Tron, on day 2 of a GP, no less. All the people that were watching must have left after the bloodbath that was game 1, because no one else is there to have witnesses this miracle on day 2.
This matchup is terrible. I don’t think it’s right to put in any number of Fulminator Mages. They find more lands after Fulminator dies. Also, Damping Sphere was a miss for me. Tron has time to get to 7 lands while you durdle and then they kill you anyway. If anything, Anguished Unmaking seems great because it kills all four of their win conditions – Ugin, Karn, Ulamog, Wurmcoil, but that’s hedging a lot when that card’s not great otherwise. I believe the best way to win is to hope to play this only once, if at all, and do what I did – draw a discard spell into stony both sideboard games and don’t let your opponent play a map on the play. Simple.
Sideboarding:
In – 3 Stony Silence, 2 Disenchant, 2 Duress
Out – 4 Auriok Champion, 2 Zealous Persecution, 1 BB (they just get blown up). On the play Zealous may be better because winning one turn earlier can be relevant. You’re trying to race before the apocalypse arrives.
Round 11 – Affinity Frenzy – Loss 1-2
I saw my opponent playing Affinity earlier, so I’m happy to play this matchup, and I’m excited to play a Pro Tour Champion. Game 1 my deck conks out on me really the only time all tournament – I desperately need more tokens in an anemic game 1 whose only threat is a cranial plating, and my last top deck is a virtue when the next card down, Lingering Souls, would have assuredly won me the game. Game 2, like the one vs. my other Affinity opponent, is a testament to the matchup – I just crush. And I do it through an Aether Grid, which came too late to the party. Game 3, unfortunately, does not go as well. Aether Grid comes down again – he says he only had two –and just rips me apart. I don’t find one of those elusive disenchants and that’s the end of my Magical 9-1 run!
Round 12 – Humans – Loss 1-2
Game 1 he does his thing, but I stick Auriok, gain tons of life, chump block and win easily. Zealous does a great job here. Game 2 he has a blazing fast start and it’s just too much. Game 3 I mull and keep a questionable hand – I forget what it was, it was ok, but I remember looking at it thinking uh oh. He drops 3 Kitesails on me, and a turn 3 Kambal. I’m too far behind and think the entire game, boy, why did I take out Wrath of God for Damping Sphere!
This matchup is solid. You should be favored here, but fast starts and good sideboard cards like Kambal or Izzet Staticaster can crush you.
Sideboarding:
In – EE, Push, Wrath of God
Out – 3 Thoughtseize (this seems good, but it’s a horrible top deck and the life matters)
Round 13 – Hardened Scales Affinity – Won 2-0
I space out this matchup and make more mistakes than in the rest of the tournament. I don’t add well in my head and could have won a turn earlier by not blocking a ravager. I also sack a guy unnecessarily when I forgot I already triggered revolt for hidden stockpile. Both games he drops two Walking Ballistas, but I overwhelm him with virtues game 1. Game 2 I drop Runed Halo on Walking Ballista, and he’s got two again, but because of the Halo I’m able to hold on and win.
This matchup is all about Walking Ballista. That card is superb against you. If they don’t have it, they’re just a worse version of Affinity. Your Zealous can clean up Hangarback remnants and generally create all kinds of chaos. Bluffing a Path is also a great way to buy time because they will always play around it unless they absolutely can’t afford to.
In – 3 Stony, 2 Disenchant, 1 Halo, 1 EE, 1 Push
Out – 4 Auriok, 3 Seize, 1 IOK
Round 14 – Infect – Loss 0-2
I somehow find a way to lose to this matchup all the time with both Tokens and Burn, great decks to fight Infect, so I’m nervous from the start. The way to lose this game is the way I end up losing both this round – Blighted Agent. I have blockers for days, but an unchecked Blighted Agent is disaster for me and I’m x-4.
Sideboarding:
In – 2 Disenchant (for Inkmoth and Spellskite), 1 Runed Halo (yes, draw this and win, please), 1 Push, 1 EE, 2 Duress, 1 Wrath of God
Out – 4 Auriok (lifegain doesn’t matter here at all), 2 Virtue, 2 Sorin (Sorin is good b/c one way infect wins is apostle’s blessing so black creatures matter, but it’s hard to cast because you don’t really want to tap out, which is why secure is good). Hidden Stockpile is colorless, but not flying so it can’t block a huge Inkmoth with the blessing.
Round 15 – Jeskai – ID
My opponent and I are locked for a minimum cash, possibly top 64, but probably 70ish, if we draw. If one of us losses, that player might finish 120ish out of the 110 that cash. He agrees to draw. Top 64 is only $50 more than top 110 so the decision is easy for me.