Boros Token Value Deck Guide: MTG Arena and Magic Online Standard

Bloomburrow cards have now been available on MTG Arena and Magic Online for almost two weeks, and we're starting to see these new cards have a big impact on Standard.

Bloomburrow cards have now been available on MTG Arena and Magic Online for almost two weeks, and we’re starting to see these new cards have a big impact on Standard. Early on, a lot of the top well-established archetypes from before rotation have remained heavily played. Decks like Boros Convoke and Domain ramp are still quite popular. However, as time passes, more and more unique strategies are coming out of the woodworks.

In Friday’s Magic Online Standard Challenge, a new deck heavily influenced by some underrated Bloomburrow powerhouses managed to win the event. This Boros shell focuses on token production, but not in the way you might expect. Rather than trying to go wide in an aggressive fashion, this archetype is designed to play the long game.

The token subtheme both allows you to generate value over time and gives you an avenue to close the game when necessary. To better understand why this deck has been picking up steam, we need to examine the role of the new Bloomburrow cards and how they fit in the current metagame.

Bloomburrow Value Engines

The deck’s main objective is to pull ahead on resources and out-grind the opponent. The main appeal to the token-style gameplan revolves around the presence of two specific value engines: Caretaker’s Talent and Fountainport. Both of these cards allow you to accrue a massive amount of card advantage over the course of the game.

Obviously, having access to a land that can repeatedly create Fish tokens to trigger Caretaker’s Class gives this archetype a lot of inevitability. However, to best make use of Caretaker’s Class and Fountainport’s ability to sacrifice tokens to draw cards, you need ways to keep making tokens turn after turn. Fortunately, Urabrask’s Forge delivers.

Every time you enter combat on your turn, you get to make a token to attack with. Even though it doesn’t stick around permanently, it does its job by simply triggering Caretaker’s Talent. If the token lives through combat, you can level up Caretaker’s Talent during your second main phase to make a copy of the token. Additionally, you can always sacrifice the Phyrexian token to Fountainport to draw a card before the token disappears.

Buying Time

Of course, in order to maximize this deck’s elite synergies, you do need ways to stem the bleeding against aggressive decks. Beza, the ultimate stabilizer, fills this role nicely. If you fall behind on board, Beza will likely provide both a life cushion and produce some tokens in the process. Not to mention, the 4/5 body isn’t the easiest to attack into itself.

While it may seem like a mediocre common, Carrot Cake does everything this deck wants, too. It puts multiple blockers into play over time, gains you life, digs for your best cards, and more.

Beyond the token makers, almost the entirety of the rest of the deck is made up of removal spells to keep the opponent’s threats at bay. At one mana, Torch the Tower is a great inclusion. The card can easily trade up on mana by killing more expensive threats, such as Zoraline, Cosmos Caller. At two mana, Lightning Helix takes care of similarly sized creatures while, once again, keeping your life total high.

This deck also utilizes a handful of board wipes. Temporary Lockdown shines brightest against Convoke, Rakdos Lizards, and Gruul Prowess, though it’s still solid in midrange matchups. Getting rid of problematic enchantments such as Innkeeper’s Talent is a huge boon.

Past that, Sunfall is a great tool that can singlehandedly send midrange decks back to the stone ages. From Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal, even the biggest haymakers get swept away by the elite Wrath.

Attacking From a Unique Angle

Part of what makes this deck so strong in the current field is that it lines up exceptionally well against both midrange and aggro decks. There is an abundance of cheap removal present to stave off early pressure. At the same time, as the game goes long, Caretaker’s Talent and Fountainport will slowly dominate on the resource front.

Once you get Urabrask’s Forge going, the world is truly your oyster. Urabrask’s Forge can win the game on its own if left unchecked. While in play, you can focus on investing your mana to keep the board clear, since Urabrask’s Forge will continue to apply pressure turn after turn. Artifact removal isn’t overly abundant at the moment, either, making Urabrask’s Forge a more reliable win condition.

The problem is that, when you don’t draw Urabrask’s Forge or when it gets answered, your ability to pressure the opponent’s life total goes out the window. This makes the Domain