As everytime a rotation and new block shake up Standard my head swims with new decks. The Card I keep coming back to is Parallel Lives. Double anything in magic and you'll find a build around concept. With so many cards that either come into play with tokens, make tokens on attack or leave behind tokens when they hit the grave is there a deck hidden in all that? Blade Splicer gives 7 power for the low cost of 3. Hero of Bladehold now swings for 12. Our new guest of Honor Geist-Honored Munk is a 5/5 with 4 flyers at the helm, and noiw a classic Wurmcoil Engine leaves behind 12 power. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite tops it all off. It was no Mistake that the cards ride a wave up of casting cost. Birthing Pod Could be designed to fit such a token deck, hmm maybe.
Now lets see possible support cars, Timely Reinforcements lets you be a little slower and get back in the game with 6 life and 6 1/1's. Beast Within can toss up a surprise 6 power to block. Elspeth Tirel puts even more tokens or just plus her to threaten a wrath of epic per portion.
Green even has tricks up it's sleeve with Garruk, Primal Hunter,Kessig Cagebreakers. All the ramp you need to hit some of these spells also lies in green. Going 3 colors for more control or gross things like Grave Titan just makes my head hurt. Add a minic vat for really funny shenanigans. Overrun hits so hard with just a handful of tokens. Imagin going turn 1 Birds, turn 2 Blade Splicer, turn 3 Parellel Lives, turn 4 after tadeing and them killing things to keep up Timely Reinforcements turn 5 Overrun.
I do have a Question of the functionality of Parallel Lives. My understanding is the Effect is a replacement effect for the token generation cards. So Hero of Bladehold bings in 4 1/1's tapped and attacking( I think that is how this works). Dose the Effect Stack? The wording on the card reads "If an effect would put one or more tokens onto the battlefield under your control, it puts twice that many tokens onto the battlefield instead." it's the instead part that gets me. so if I have 2 Parallel Lives in play would the first trigger getting 4 then the second trigger getting 8? If that is the case, that is a swing for lethal. A WurmCoil Engine with 2 Parallel Lives out say to you opponent "don't even think of killing this thing" as you would get 8 3/3's.
garruk 3.0 (the transfomer) would give the deck another solid walker while providing more bodies. Seems Sword of BM, would also fit nicely. WHat about Mimic Vat?
It needs blue for the Cackling Counterpart and white for Blade Splicers and the two Geists. I wouldn't splash black in this. My version also has Elspeth, Garruk, and Venser, since all 3 can create tokens (Venser via bouncing Blade Splicer, Precusor Golem, and Geist-Honored Monk). Precursor Golemn is also a potential good car for this deck. I originally built around Hero of Bladehold, but Geist-Honoted Monk is better in every way since it creates tokens upon entering the battlefield, which can be exploited via Venser. I also have some control and Snapcaster Mage. Snapcaster can recast Parallel Lives if it gets destroyed, Cackling Counterpart just for kicks, and any control spells (Mana Leak, Ponder, Dismember).
This will be competitive at an FNM level, at least. With Nevermore, O-Ring, and Timely Reinforcements as sideboard material, it could go beyond that. Time will tell, and I'm sure people will think it's too slow, but it'll be a fun experiment. Having 10 3/3 Golem tokens and 16 1/1 Spirit Tokens on the board will be fun. The fact that its main threats are slow (Parallel Lives, Geist-Honored Monk, etc.) goes fine with a multicolored deck. There will be plenty of time to get the right lands on the board before you need to start your clock.
Parallel Lives feels to me like the epitome of the "Win More" card. It doesn't help you win by itself; It only helps you turn an advantageous situation even more so.
Now, in Multiplayer, or screw-around-fun decks, sure. I just feel that when you finish building this deck, you'll realize the last improvement will be to cut the Parallel lives themselves.
Parallel Lives feels to me like the epitome of the "Win More" card. It doesn't help you win by itself; It only helps you turn an advantageous situation even more so.
Now, in Multiplayer, or screw-around-fun decks, sure. I just feel that when you finish building this deck, you'll realize the last improvement will be to cut the Parallel lives themselves.
Cackling Counter part, IMO, is what could turn it from a "win-more" card to a potential competitive staple. All of a sudden, ANY creature can enter the battlefield as a token, and if that creature is a creature that already creates tokens... Fun math. 1 Geist-Honored Monk with 4 tokens turns into 3 Geist-Honored Monks with 12 tokens. Same with Precursor Golem. 12 3/3 Golems? Yes, please.
Running narrow hosers to combat broad hosers, however, doesn't look like a good idea.
~Sylv
If the deck is extremely powerful but dead to ratchet bomb, it could be worth it. If the deck is very borderline anyway, and then ratchet bomb is just a big middle finger to a middle-of-the-pack (albeit very cool) deck, then yeah, you're in trouble.
Random aside - if you double up Mimic Vat tokens, do you keep the double or do they both get sacrificed? Either way that's an awesome play with the doubling out, and with the splicers you'll be keeping SOME tokens...
I know this comes close to "dies to removal", but until Ratchet Bomb is gone, I can't get very excited by dedicated token decks.
~Sylv
Ok the sweeper problem, Day of Judgement, Blacksun Zenith, Ratchet Bomb, and all the other board wipes can really mean game over for you Opponent. ( wait what!) Yeah noone will see Freash Meat coming to double the number of Guys you have. All those 1/1 soliders tokens form Elspeth and Timely just became 3/3's instead. So if you simply ramp with Birtds to Parallel Lives and Timely Reinforcements you'll have 6 power on the field and 7 creatures, if they sweep your titan worth of power Fresh Meat you'll then Have 14 3/3 Beast and 42 power and the just got rid of thier blockers. This is what Sideboards are hate for the hate!
Running narrow hosers to combat broad hosers, however, doesn't look like a good idea.
~Sylv
It will not be as narrow as you think. It protects DFCs and tokens from Ratcht Bomb, shuts down Swords (and all equipment) and can hobble Birthing Pod. It will be SB in a lot of decks running white.
Also, Ratchet Bomb is not very big coming into rotation, it will get plaid again because of DFCs and tokens but it is no less narrow than Silence of Stone. Both will be in the last 15.
Random aside - if you double up Mimic Vat tokens, do you keep the double or do they both get sacrificed? Either way that's an awesome play with the doubling out, and with the splicers you'll be keeping SOME tokens...
It will not be as narrow as you think. It protects DFCs and tokens from Ratcht Bomb, shuts down Swords (and all equipment) and can hobble Birthing Pod. It will be SB in a lot of decks running white.
Also, Ratchet Bomb is not very big coming into rotation, it will get plaid again because of DFCs and tokens but it is no less narrow than Silence of Stone. Both will be in the last 15.
I agree Silence of Stone will make a bigger splash then people think as a good SB card.
Now lets see possible support cars, Timely Reinforcements lets you be a little slower and get back in the game with 6 life and 6 1/1's. Beast Within can toss up a surprise 6 power to block. Elspeth Tirel puts even more tokens or just plus her to threaten a wrath of epic per portion.
Green even has tricks up it's sleeve with Garruk, Primal Hunter,Kessig Cagebreakers. All the ramp you need to hit some of these spells also lies in green. Going 3 colors for more control or gross things like Grave Titan just makes my head hurt. Add a minic vat for really funny shenanigans. Overrun hits so hard with just a handful of tokens. Imagin going turn 1 Birds, turn 2 Blade Splicer, turn 3 Parellel Lives, turn 4 after tadeing and them killing things to keep up Timely Reinforcements turn 5 Overrun.
I was thinking adding blue for crackling counterpart, then add a little Venser in there for bouncing!
Can't wait to figure this out!
OldSchool on Cockatrice
UW "Nancy" - U/w Tempo UW
BUG Damia Self-Mill Multiplayer BUG
BRW Kaalia 1v1 BRW
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=356375
It needs blue for the Cackling Counterpart and white for Blade Splicers and the two Geists. I wouldn't splash black in this. My version also has Elspeth, Garruk, and Venser, since all 3 can create tokens (Venser via bouncing Blade Splicer, Precusor Golem, and Geist-Honored Monk). Precursor Golemn is also a potential good car for this deck. I originally built around Hero of Bladehold, but Geist-Honoted Monk is better in every way since it creates tokens upon entering the battlefield, which can be exploited via Venser. I also have some control and Snapcaster Mage. Snapcaster can recast Parallel Lives if it gets destroyed, Cackling Counterpart just for kicks, and any control spells (Mana Leak, Ponder, Dismember).
This will be competitive at an FNM level, at least. With Nevermore, O-Ring, and Timely Reinforcements as sideboard material, it could go beyond that. Time will tell, and I'm sure people will think it's too slow, but it'll be a fun experiment. Having 10 3/3 Golem tokens and 16 1/1 Spirit Tokens on the board will be fun. The fact that its main threats are slow (Parallel Lives, Geist-Honored Monk, etc.) goes fine with a multicolored deck. There will be plenty of time to get the right lands on the board before you need to start your clock.
This is the deck I'll be building post rotation.
Now, in Multiplayer, or screw-around-fun decks, sure. I just feel that when you finish building this deck, you'll realize the last improvement will be to cut the Parallel lives themselves.
Snapcaster can't recast Parallel Lives.
You're right. My mistake.
Cackling Counter part, IMO, is what could turn it from a "win-more" card to a potential competitive staple. All of a sudden, ANY creature can enter the battlefield as a token, and if that creature is a creature that already creates tokens... Fun math. 1 Geist-Honored Monk with 4 tokens turns into 3 Geist-Honored Monks with 12 tokens. Same with Precursor Golem. 12 3/3 Golems? Yes, please.
Silence of stone looks like a good counter to Ratchet Bomb.
If the deck is extremely powerful but dead to ratchet bomb, it could be worth it. If the deck is very borderline anyway, and then ratchet bomb is just a big middle finger to a middle-of-the-pack (albeit very cool) deck, then yeah, you're in trouble.
Random aside - if you double up Mimic Vat tokens, do you keep the double or do they both get sacrificed? Either way that's an awesome play with the doubling out, and with the splicers you'll be keeping SOME tokens...
Ok the sweeper problem, Day of Judgement, Blacksun Zenith, Ratchet Bomb, and all the other board wipes can really mean game over for you Opponent. ( wait what!) Yeah noone will see Freash Meat coming to double the number of Guys you have. All those 1/1 soliders tokens form Elspeth and Timely just became 3/3's instead. So if you simply ramp with Birtds to Parallel Lives and Timely Reinforcements you'll have 6 power on the field and 7 creatures, if they sweep your titan worth of power Fresh Meat you'll then Have 14 3/3 Beast and 42 power and the just got rid of thier blockers. This is what Sideboards are hate for the hate!
It will not be as narrow as you think. It protects DFCs and tokens from Ratcht Bomb, shuts down Swords (and all equipment) and can hobble Birthing Pod. It will be SB in a lot of decks running white.
Also, Ratchet Bomb is not very big coming into rotation, it will get plaid again because of DFCs and tokens but it is no less narrow than Silence of Stone. Both will be in the last 15.
EDIT
EDIT EDIT: Now there seems to be conflicting opinions.
Link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=356851&page=3#post7317548
I agree Silence of Stone will make a bigger splash then people think as a good SB card.
I Stream MTGO on Twitch: broodwarjc
I also post recordings of those streams on Youtube: broodwarjcavidgamer
Standard Deck:
BUPirates
Modern Deck:
B8-Rack