Over the last couple of weeks, Green-White tokens has been a positively dominating presence in Standard. The color combination has access to so many powerful cards that it can flex with the format, shifting around effects like Hangarback Walker, Evolutionary Leap, and even Nissa, Voice of Zendikar from week to week as the format cycles. But Green-White isn’t the only take on tokens. After all, we’ve seen the Black-White Control deck that is a pseudo-tokens shell featuring more Planeswalkers and removal. CharlieTheBananaKing has a different take on the tokens core, featuring a number of exciting Blue cards. Let’s take a look:

Blue-White Tokens ? Shadows over Innistrad Standard | CharlieTheBananaKing, 5-0 Standard League

• creatures (20)
• 4 Archangel Avacyn
• 4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
• 4 Hangarback Walker
• 4 Reflector Mage
• 4 Whirler Rogue

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

• Spells (11)
• 3 Secure the Wastes
• 4 Clash of Wills
• 4 Declaration in Stone

• Lands (25)
• 6 Island
• 7 Plains
• 4 Port Town
• 4 Prairie Stream
• 4 Westvale Abbey

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Secure the Wastes
• 1 Quarantine Field
• 1 Void Shatter
• 2 Felidar Cub
• 2 Stasis Snare
• 3 Negate
• 4 Tragic Arrogance

Buy This Deck

This deck does a number of interesting things. You trade some of the powerful early game cards from Green for the likes of Eldrazi Skyspawner, Whirler Rogue, and Reflector Mage. The important question then is this: what does that do for your matchups? Your game against aggro is going to be worse. The lack of cards like Dromoka's Command, Sylvan Advocate, and Nissa, Vastwood Seer is going to hurt in those matchups. You’re going to gain a couple of points against more controlling and spell-based decks, since you have access to Clash of Wills. The addition of Clash of Wills is also important because it helps you disguise Archangel Avacyn and Secure the Wastes.

It’s also worth noting that Whirler Rogue and Eldrazi Skyspawner generate multiple bodies immediately, which means it’s slightly easier to set up flipping Westvale Abbey against decks that have trouble against Ormendahl, Profane Prince. Also important to note is that Whirler Rogue can make Ormendahl, Profane Prince unblockable, which is kind of a big deal against decks that are interested in chumping while they try to attack back. It’s also worth noting that Reflector Mage is an all-star in midrange mirrors. The tempo gained from Reflector Mage, particularly combined with the density of evasive bodies in this deck, means that you get in a ton of damage. Once your opponent is low enough, the tag-team threat of Secure the Wastes and Archangel Avacyn should be more than capable of closing things out.

Another powerful interaction that this deck has access to is Eldrazi Skyspawner plus Archangel Avacyn. Eldrazi Skyspawner allows you to flip Archangel Avacyn almost at will, which gives the deck a pseudo sweeper. The Green-White variants have alternative mechanisms of forcing an Archangel Avacyn flip, like Hangarback Walker for zero or using Evolutionary Leap, but Eldrazi Skyspawner is certainly more elegant.

This deck lacks some of the raw power and flexibility of the Green-White deck, but certainly has its advantages. If you’re looking for something that’s a little more geared towards attacking in the air and being able to out tempo opposing midrange decks, this may be the deck that you’re looking for in the last few weeks of Shadows over Innistrad Standard.