Born of the Gods hasn't even been released yet, and there are already several decks I'm eager to try out. The latest card I've been ogling is Fated Intervention. Although each member of the Fated cycle can be quite useful in the right circumstances, Fated Intervention seems to be the one with the most Constructed potential. I wasn't entirely sure there was a deck out there for it until I remembered that our Selesnya friends, who were major players in the format what seems like ages ago, are still legal in Standard.

G/W Tokens - Standard | Mike Cannon

• Creatures (17)
• 2 Armada Wurm
• 4 Elvish Mystic
• 4 Loxodon Smiter
• 4 Sylvan Caryatid
• 3 Trostani, Selesnya's Voice

• Spells (18)
• 2 Rootborn Defenses
• 4 Advent of the Wurm
• 4 Fated Intervention
• 4 Selesnya Charm
• 4 Call of the Conclave

• Lands (25)
• 10 Plains
• 11 Forest
• 4 Selesnya Guildgate

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The Threats

Loxodon Smiter isn't a token, but it is an enormous creature for its cost. On top of that, it can't be taken away with Thoughtseize. Although your opponent will just take something else instead, you can be sure that you'll be starting the beatdown on schedule. If also dodges counterspells, making it a veritable nightmare for control decks.

Advent of the Wurm has been off the radar for some time, and as such, some opponents will forget to play around the instant-speed 5/5, even after seeing what colors you're playing. This massive token laughs in the face of Blood Baron of Vizkopa and tramples right over smaller creatures to keep the damage flowing.

Fated Intervention continues the trend of creating 1 more power than the mana you spend, this time split between two creatures. Like Advent of the Wurm, the Intervention can be cast at instant speed. However, it provides you with a nice incentive if you choose to cast it on your turn.

Rounding out the curve is a pair of Armada Wurms. Unlike the other threats, Armada Wurm doesn't give you 1 more power than the mana it requires.

It gives you 4 more.

By spreading that power across two creatures, it becomes much harder to deal with by ordinary means. A Hero's Downfall will only take out half of this guy, and that's if you haven't populated the battlefield with more Wurms yet. Putting 10 power in trampling creature onto the battlefield is a great way to end the game quickly, no matter what deck you're playing against.

The Support

If you're lucky, you can occasionally take advantage of multiple copies of these creatures to power out a turn-three Fated Intervention, or even Armada Wurm. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, the game usually ends shortly afterward.

Trostani, Selesnya's Voice requires a bit of set up, but if you can get her running, she can take over the game very quickly. Her 5 toughness and ability to gain massive amounts of life can put victory far out of reach for aggressive decks, while midrange and control decks can have trouble dealing with the card advantage provided by her populate ability, especially when you have a 5/5 Wurm token to make copies of.

Selesnya Charm also has two other modes that can come in handy on occasion. The ability to make a 2/2 can be important, especially when facing down an aggro deck's swarm of creatures. It can also give you something to populate with Trostani if you're desperate. The +2/+2 ability can save a smaller creature from damage-based removal or get those last few points of damage in by trampling over a blocker.

Rootborn Defenses is an amazing tool for foiling Supreme Verdict, but it also happens to work quite well against Hero's Downfall. When your opponent tries to kill your 5/5 Wurm token, you can not only effectively counter his spell, you can make a second Wurm in the process. In a split second, he goes from relieved to panic mode as you threaten a whopping 10 damage next turn.

Playtesting

W/U Control – Game 1

My opponent played an Island and cast Last Breath, exiling my Elvish Mystic before passing back. I drew Armada Wurm and cast my second Mystic, ending my turn afterward.

My opponent missed his land drop and passed the turn. I drew Loxodon Smiter, cast Advent of the Wurm, and ended my turn.

My opponent played Temple of Silence and passed back. I drew a Forest and attacked with my Wurm. My opponent killed it with Azorius Charm, and I cast Fated Intervention, putting two cards on the bottom of my library. I ended my turn.

My opponent played another Temple and then cast Detention Sphere, exiling my tokens. He passed the turn. I drew another Elvish Mystic and attacked for 1. I cast the Mystic along with Loxodon Smiter and passed the turn.

My opponent cast Supreme Verdict to clear the board, and he then played another Temple and ended his turn. I drew Sylvan Caryatid, cast my second Smiter, and ended my turn.

My opponent cast Elspeth, Sun's Champion and used her +1, making three Soldier tokens. He passed the turn. I drew Selesnya Charm and cast Trostani before passing back.

My opponent made another trio of Soldiers with Elspeth and ended his turn. I drew another Trostani and passed.

My opponent made three more Soldier with Elspeth and ended his turn. I cast Selesnya Charm at end of turn to make a 2/2, and I then populated it with Trostani. I drew a Plains, played it, and cast Armada Wurm. My opponent countered it with Syncopate, and I attacked with Trostani and the two Knights. My opponent blocked each with a token, and I passed the turn.

My opponent used Elspeth's -7 to make an emblem, giving all his creatures +2/+2. He dropped me to 10 with his Soldiers, and he then exiled Trostani with Last Breath. I conceded.

Game 2

I drew Sylvan Caryatid and cast it before ending my turn. My opponent played Temple of Deceit and passed. I drew a Plains, played it, and cast Advent of the Wurm, making a 5/5. I ended my turn. My opponent cast Detention Sphere on the Wurm token and then passed the turn.

I drew Selesnya Charm, cast Call of the Conclave, and ended my turn. My opponent played a Mutavault and passed. During his end step, I cast Selesnya Charm to make a 2/2 Knight token.

I drew a Forest, played it, and attacked for 5. My opponent exiled the Knight token with Last Breath, taking 3. I cast Armada Wurm, but my opponent countered it with Syncopate. I passed the turn. My opponent played a tapped Hallowed Fountain and passed back.

I drew Fated Intervention and attacked for 3. My opponent dropped to 12, and I ended my turn. My opponent cast Sphinx's Revelation for during my end step. On his turn, he exiled my Centaur with Detention Sphere and passed back. During his end step, I cast Fated Intervention, putting a pair of 3/3s onto the battlefield.

I drew Trostani, Selesnya's Voice. I cast her and passed. My opponent played another Mutavault and exiled Trostani with Last Breath before passing back.

I drew another Plains and ended my turn. My opponent cast Elspeth, Sun's Champion, making three Soldier tokens before passing the turn. I drew a Forest and passed back. My opponent attacked with his Soldiers. I blocked one with my Caryatid and dropped to 26. He made three more tokens and ended his turn.

I drew Call of the Conclave, cast it, and passed the turn. During my end step, my opponent cast Sphinx's Revelation for 4. On his turn, my opponent made another three tokens and passed.

I drew Advent of the Wurm and attacked Elspeth with my Centaur. My opponent blocked with a Soldier, and I ended my turn. During my end step, my opponent cast another Sphinx's Revelation for 4, going up to 16. I cast Advent of the Wurm while he was tapped out. On his turn, my opponent used Elspeth's -7 ability, giving his creatures +2/+2 and flying. He activated his two Mutavaults and attacked for lethal damage in the air.

Wrap-Up

Well, Detention Sphere is not fun times for a token deck, and running into five of them in two games certainly didn't help matters. Although this deck's matchup against control may not be the best, I'm fairly confident the deck can do quite well against aggressive and midrange decks due to its ability to play large threats early in the game and make removal spells less effective later on. If you miss playing tokens in Standard, or if you just want to try something different for a while, give this deck a shot.