Tokens

Token decks make a lot of creature tokens and use anthems, mass pump, or sacrifice to convert that wide board into a win. One 1/1 token is meaningless. Thirty 1/1 tokens with a Craterhoof Behemoth is lethal for the table.

How it works

1. Generate tokens through spells, creatures, and enchantments
2. Double or multiply token production (Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives)
3. Buff the whole team with anthems or mass pump
4. Win through a massive alpha strike with Craterhoof, Triumph of the Hordes, or similar finishers

Key cards

Token generators:

• Bitterblossom — 1/1 flying Faerie every upkeep
• Mycoloth — devour creatures, make Saprolings each upkeep equal to counters
• Avenger of Zendikar — Plant tokens on ETB, grow on each landfall
• Tendershoot Dryad — 1/1 Saproling each upkeep, city's blessing makes them 3/3

Doublers:

• Anointed Procession — if you'd create one or more tokens, create twice that many (white)
• Parallel Lives — same thing in green
• Doubling Season — doubles both tokens and counters. Also enables planeswalker ultimates on entry.

Finishers:

• Craterhoof Behemoth — all creatures get +X/+X and trample where X is creature count
• Triumph of the Hordes — all creatures get +1/+1, trample, and infect. 10 infect kills.
• Overwhelming Stampede — all creatures get +X/+X and trample where X is highest power

Sacrifice value:

• Skullclamp — equip to a 1/1 token, it dies, draw 2 cards. Broken in token decks.
• Ashnod's Altar — sacrifice tokens for mana. Converts your board into a big spell.

Strengths

Resilience to spot removal. Removing one token doesn't matter. You have 20 more.

Explosive finishes. Craterhoof with 15 creatures is 15 damage per creature. That's 225 damage across the table.

Sacrifice synergy. Token decks overlap heavily with Aristocrats. Tokens are free sacrifice fodder.

Weaknesses

Board wipes. Your entire board is creatures. A single Wrath of God resets everything. Recovery depends on your token generators surviving or being recastable.

-1/-1 effects. Toxic Deluge for 1 wipes your token army. Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite makes all your tokens 0/0 (dead on arrival).

No individual card quality. Each token is weak on its own. Without anthems or a finisher, your board is a bunch of 1/1s that don't threaten much.

Popular commanders

Rhys the Redeemed (G/W) — makes Elf tokens, then doubles all tokens you control. Exponential.

Prossh Skyraider of Kher (B/R/G) — creates Kobold tokens on cast equal to mana spent. Built-in sacrifice synergy.

Adeline Resplendent Cathar (W) — creates 1/1 Human tokens when you attack, for each opponent. 3 tokens per combat.

Chatterfang Squirrel General (B/G) — whenever you create tokens, also create that many Squirrels. Built-in doubling.

Typical colors

White and green are core (Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives, most anthems). Black adds sacrifice synergy. Red adds Goblin token generators. Selesnya (G/W) and Abzan (W/B/G) are common.

Ratio adjustments