{"ops":[{"insert":"\tThis commander is so exceedingly simple, and in my opinion that allows it to be built in very interesting ways. My very first thought when I saw "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Torens, Fist of the Angels"}},{"insert":" was that if every single creature makes a token (that can potentially become a threat through Training) then perhaps the creatures you cast don't really matter--they could be anything. My playgroup sees a lot of removal, particularly board clears, which are often spent because my board is getting too wide. So I salivated at the idea of a creature-based go-wide deck where every single creature was a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Selfless Spirit"}},{"insert":". Getting free tokens for playing creatures is awesome, so if all of those creatures can protect our board that would make for a very defensive deck. Now obviously this is not possible, but it lead to where the deck is today. Instead, we have a deck that runs mostly toolboxy creatures and cool synergy pieces. It is worth noting that Archidekt has rated this deck a power level 2, but the deck is definitely somewhere in the upper half of the 3 range. While it may not be running any game changers or infinite combos, the deck is much more optimized than a precon. \n\n\tlast I've checked, Torens is at ~#1200 on EDHREC and that confounds me. Is it simply because he is so straightforward? There are plenty of other \"oops all creature\" options? Does he not provide any value in terms of draw or ramp? Is it his colors? Did he just fly under the radar and he's fallen into obscurity? I've found this deck to be incredibly fun to pilot, remarkably resilient, and with a myriad of ways to make your creatures deadly it can certainly hold it's own. And, on top of that, it can be made quite strong on a budget if you choose to go that route. I tend to lean hard into creature based decks, and tokens in particular, and this deck can fill the board as quickly as any other deck I've made--outside of maybe a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scute Swarm"}},{"insert":"-centric landfall strategy. \n\n\tThe deck can be built as Human tribal, but I think that this hurts more than it helps. While Human tribal synergy is decent, it takes away some of the key cards in the deck. And, without access to red and black, we're missing some of the better humans anyway. I have made some choices that benefit from the fact that Torens makes Human tokens ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Heronblade Elite"}},{"insert":", for example, is an absurd mana dork here that also easily continues to trigger our Training abilities with its ever-increasing power) but that is more because of the synergy these specific cards have and not because I wanted to lean into Human tribal. \n\n\tIt's also worth noting that we want to be able to trigger the Training ability on our tokens. This is important, so some of our creatures are able to do this as a side action to their main purpose in the deck. I will point this out as we go. \n\n\tOk, let's break down the categories in the deck.\n\nRamp: \n\tI can't emphasize enough how much we want creatures to do everything in this deck. Each one nets us an extra token, and that's the whole point of the deck. So here we have dorks and creatures that tutor lands to battlefield. We love our 1 drop "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Llanowar Elves"}},{"insert":" and friends because they can get Torens down a turn sooner, and that is huge for the deck; we run 7 in total. \n\n\tWe also have plenty creatures that put basic lands onto the battlefield like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Farhaven Elf"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wood Elves"}},{"insert":". The all-star in this category is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Karametra, God of Harvests"}},{"insert":"; she ramps us a land on every creature cast, and on top of that is hard to remove while being n easy way to trigger our Training multiple times with her high power. \n\n\tOther notable ramp cards are "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Circle of Dreams Druid"}},{"insert":" (for obvious reasons) and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Katilda, Dawnhart Prime"}},{"insert":" for turning our commander and all of our Human tokens into mana dorks. As I mentioned above, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Heronblade Elite"}},{"insert":" is an incredible ramp piece while also allowing easy Training triggers by attacking with high power and Vigilance and subsequently tapping for a lot of mana in the post-combat main phase. I also love the MDFC land cards, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tangled Florahedron // Tangled Vale"}},{"insert":" is excellent here as a land in a pinch but also a creature to trigger Torens and a dork as well. \n\n\tRamp is the biggest section in the deck, and therefore it has the most to offer in turns of gleaning a few extra slots in the deck. I did this mostly to make the deck explosive and because creatures that ramp are easy to come by, but this section will shrink a bit over time as I add better Synergy options or other toolbox creatures. \n\n\nDraw: \n\tAs with any deck, draw is king so we need plenty of it; and, since we are creature heavy and we need to be able to rebuild as our pieces are removed, this deck is certainly no exception. The nice thing here is that each creature makes a second body, so while spot removal may take out key pieces our board presence can remain solid outside of a board wipe. We have the creatures that draw cards on cast like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Beast Whisperer"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Primordial Sage"}},{"insert":". Then we have combat based draw in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ohran Frostfang"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Toski, Bearer of Secrets"}},{"insert":"; also, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar"}},{"insert":" is an excellent new addition because her draw condition is easily fulfilled by the Training on our tokens and she also has the excellent stapled on ability of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grand Abolisher"}},{"insert":" (just a slightly worse version). "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skullclamp"}},{"insert":" is an easy pick because of our plentiful tokens. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Inspiring Call"}},{"insert":" is also board wipe protection, so it's doing double duty here. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Huatli, Radiant Champion"}},{"insert":" is a great pick here because her +1 should easily get her into Ultimate range on the turn she comes down, and we have plenty of blockers to protect her for a round until she can ultimate and give us a source of draw for the rest of the game that can't be removed. Finally, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Esper Sentinel"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mangara, the Diplomat"}},{"insert":" require our opponents to be doing things but both are excellent sources of draw in most games. \n\n\nRemoval: \n\tWhile our deck is mostly creatures, we are in Selesnya colors so it would be a crime not to include "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Swords to Plowshares"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Path to Exile"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Beast Within"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Generous Gift"}},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aura Mutation"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sundering Growth"}},{"insert":" are nice synergy removal pieces here as well. The single board clear in the deck is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hour of Reckoning"}},{"insert":" because for the most part we don't want to board clear and this one saves our tokens. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bane of Progress"}},{"insert":" is excellent since most of our value pieces are creatures and it will get big in order to consistently trigger our Training. Our remaining removal options are variations of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reclamation Sage"}},{"insert":", some with upside. \n\nProtection: \n\tThis is an important category here, since we will be board wiped often, and also the inspiration for this particular deck; it's also pretty self-explanatory. The best in the category is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"King Darien XLVIII"}},{"insert":" while the worst is probably "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Saffi Eriksdotter"}},{"insert":"; however, Saffi is still excellent here for saving our best piece. The other three are all variations of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Selfless Spirit"}},{"insert":". As I find other options--or more options are released--this category may expand. \n\nSynergy: \n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Parallel Lives"}},{"insert":" just doubles the Torens trigger, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Queen Allenal of Ruadach"}},{"insert":" does something similar but for 35 cents. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prava of the Steel Legion"}},{"insert":" lets us swing our tokens without thinking twice, which is what we want to do. The recent "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun"}},{"insert":" reprint gives us a very cheap way to imitate "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gaea's Cradle"}},{"insert":", and the ETB effect is nice too. We love the flash effect we get from "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vivien, Champion of the Wilds"}},{"insert":", and the -2 ability is nice to dig into our deck as well. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Whitemane Lion"}},{"insert":" is just silly in this deck since we can bounce it repeatedly to our hand at instant speed to make tokens, or even use it to save a key piece from spot removal. In a recent game I played, I had already cast my "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Moonshaker Cavalry"}},{"insert":" to remove a scary player early so when I drew a tutor I used it to find Whitemane Lion in order to bounce the Moonshaker back to my hand and cast it again to win the game. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eternal Witness"}},{"insert":" is our recursion piece on a body, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary"}},{"insert":" is here as well. \n\nWin Conditions: \n\tAs I tend to do, I've included the tutors in the win condition category. This does not mean that they should be used solely to find a win con; there are plenty of times where an early tutor into a value piece (such as draw or ramp) to get ahead is a winning move. And, of course, using them effectively comes with familiarity with the deck. \n\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Moonshaker Cavalry"}},{"insert":" is the best win condition in the deck as it is essentially a Craterhoof Behemoth; it can easily close out a game, unless an opponent has many flying blockers. The next best option is most likely "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Champion of Lambholt"}},{"insert":"; with so many creatures entering the battlefield she will get big fast and make the rest of our board unblockable while growing larger with Training triggers each combat. If not answered immediately she will become a problem, and even the turn she comes down she can win the game if she can amass some counters that same turn. My favorite win condition in the deck is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sigarda's Summons"}},{"insert":", mostly because the flavor is on point with Torens, but also because it works so perfectly with our Training triggers. We can swing with all of our tokens (even those without any counters) and then when the Training triggers resolve they will automatically become 4/4 flying angels that are at least 5/5s in practice due to the newly acquired +1/+1 counters. This can close out a game if you have a solid number of tokens to swing with. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sovereign Okinec Ahau"}},{"insert":" is an excellent new addition to this deck since he grows our tokens Training +1/+1 counters exponentially; it can be a win condition if it's allowed to stick for a few turns, and works quite well with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Akroma's Will"}},{"insert":" when he can double our counters while our tokens are (likely) unblockable and hitting with doublestrike. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Akroma's Will"}},{"insert":" is an excellent way to close a game if we have a wide enough board, and we always want to cast it with our commander out. In a pinch it can be used to protect us from a board wipe, but it can certainly close a game out since our tokens will be Trained on top of the double strike so they will each hit for at least 4 damage in the air. Even if it doesn't outright end a game, the lifelink can really put us ahead as a massive swing while potentially taking down the opponent we are most afraid of (hint: the one with the most board wipes or control, usually). "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite"}},{"insert":" is here for fun; she can clear small blockers from the board, and makes it easy to swing our tokens without fear of blockers. If you've already exhausted your Moonshaker she can help to close out games as well. \n\n\tThis deck is one of my absolute favorites to play. Most early turns are simple, and the concept is quite straightforward. But the best part is that it can be explosive and absurdly powerful, while ramping, drawing cards and packing a fair amount of removal to boot. I highly recommend this under-played and clearly underrated commander if you enjoy creature or token strategies, and I hope my list can give some inspiration as a solid starting point.\n\n\nEdit 01: \n\tHour of Reckoning out for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Everything Comes to Dust"}},{"insert":". This is a strict upgrade, particularly in my meta where there are quite a few enchantment decks. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bennie Bracks, Zoologist"}},{"insert":" is giving us some nice draw on an easily convoked body. I'm pulling a Forest for him since I think with the ramp we have and our MDFC lands I can cut another land and still be solid at 36 (and that is not counting Itlimoc).\n\nEdit 02: \n\tMyrel, Shield of Argive out for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Roaming Throne"}},{"insert":". Myrel needs a whole turn rotation to start making tokens, while Roaming Throne acts like a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Parallel Lives"}},{"insert":" with Torens, and also doubles the training triggers of our tokens so we get double the benefit. Also pulling Topiary Stomper out for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Delney, Streetwise Lookout"}},{"insert":"; explanation is essentially identical as Roaming Throne. Both of these should be powerful upgrades. \n\nEdit 03: 04/15/24\n\tTaking out "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite"}},{"insert":" for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Doubling Season"}},{"insert":". I finally own a Doubling Season (!!), after receiving it as a birthday gift, and I need to move my Elesh to another deck. \n\nEdit 04: 05/15/24\n\tTook out "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Queen Allenal of Ruadach"}},{"insert":" for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Oltec Matterweaver"}},{"insert":". Queen Allenal requires a token maker out, such as Torens, in order to function which makes her a dead draw occasionally; the Matterweaver, on the other hand, is another redundant piece that independently functions like Torens and can replace him if he's been killed too many times. Also removed "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Parallel Lives"}},{"insert":" in favor of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Selvala, Eager Trailblazer"}},{"insert":" for the same reasoning. While this cut is hard since Parallel Lives is so strong, we want as many of our pieces to be creatures as possible and it can find a home in another deck. \n\nEdit 05: 06/23/24\n\tAdding in some cards from MH3. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Metastatic Evangel"}},{"insert":" is an insane card, and maybe one of the coolest proliferate cards ever printed (and at uncommon??), so it should do work here. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Envoy of the Ancestors"}},{"insert":" is really nice tech here. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Guardian of the Forgotten"}},{"insert":" is a really interesting card, and in this deck that has a lot of creatures it is likely the manifested card will be flippable; I could see it being an issue if I manifest a win condition, but I'll be testing it anyway. The new MDFC creature/land "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Witch Enchanter // Witch-Blessed Meadow"}},{"insert":" is great for this deck, so it's going in as well. I also bought a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Delighted Halfling"}},{"insert":" to fill out the 1cmc dork list,. The Envoy of the Ancestors made me realize I don't have an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Abzan Falconer"}},{"insert":" in the deck, and that is an excellent include so it's going in as well. \n\nI'm cutting "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prava of the Steel Legion"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Acidic Slime"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Primordial Sage"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"War Room"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Yavimaya Dryad"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aura Mutation"}},{"insert":". The deck has plenty of removal, so removing two pieces to replace with one feels ok. Prava is less good than either Metastatic Evangel, Envoy of the Ancestors, or Abzan Falconer. I don't feel too bad cutting a land since the Witch is an MDFC land. Guardian of the Forgotten is kinda like draw, so removing the 6cmc Sage feels like a fine trade. And Yavimaya Dryad is essentially being replaced by the Halfling. \n\nEdit 06: 08/08/24\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sungrass Prairie"}},{"insert":" out for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Three Tree City"}},{"insert":". We make a lot of Human tokens, and there's 18 others in the deck, so it should be very easy to get this land tapping for a lot of mana. \n\nEdit 07: 02/17/25\n\tI cut "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skullclamp"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Huatli, Radiant Champion"}},{"insert":" for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rite of Harmony"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Glimpse of Nature"}},{"insert":". While Skullclamp is busted, I think Rite of Harmony is also insane in this deck and Skullclamp has more use cases for other decks. As for Huatli, I've never gotten the ultimate off so she hasn't fulfilled her purpose as a draw engine even though it's easy to accomplish in theory. Cut "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Oketra's Monument"}},{"insert":" for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spinner of Souls"}},{"insert":"; this is a nice piece of insurance against board wipes, since that is the biggest threat to our game plan (similar to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Guardian of the Forgotten"}},{"insert":") while Oketra's Monument is non-creature and there is plenty of redundancy for what it does. I'm cutting "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vivien, Champion of the Wilds"}},{"insert":" for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Renewed Solidarity"}},{"insert":". This card is great for the deck, essentially like a small anthem built into a worse Doubling Season. I did bad math somehow and had 99 cards, so I'm adding in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mondrak, Glory Dominus"}},{"insert":" and don't need to cut anything. My copy was just moved out of my "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival"}},{"insert":" deck so it has a great home here. \n\nEdit 08: 06/04/25\n\tI needed to move the "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Akroma's Will"}},{"insert":" from this deck to another deck, and since "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Craterhoof Behemoth"}},{"insert":" has dropped considerably in price with the recent reprint it seemed like a good time to add a copy to this deck. \n\nEdit 09: 07/15/25\n\tOk, I finally got the cards together to make an upgrade centered around "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Brightglass Gearhulk"}},{"insert":"; I'm removing Saffi, Eriksdotter for the Gearhulk. I'm swapping out Sundering Growth and Knight of Autumn for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Caustic Caterpillar"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Haywire Mite"}},{"insert":" so I have some removal I can tutor with the gearhulk. The biggest upgrades will be adding in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Concordant Crossroads"}},{"insert":"; I imagine this will almost always be one of the tutor targets with the Gearhulk unless I really need something else. And, since I'm adding this in, I'm adding an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Enlightened Tutor"}},{"insert":" as well. Since I'm lowering the curve here, I'm cutting ramp in Springbloom Druid and Farhaven Elf. I think it merits adding back in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skullclamp"}},{"insert":" since I can tutor it with the Gearhulk and you can always have more draw. I'm cutting Katilda for it. Last part of the Gearhulk package is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nurturing Pixie"}},{"insert":" since it allows us to reuse the Gearhulk an additional time. It also has upside with our other ETB creatures. I'm cutting Renewed Solidarity for it. Guardian of the Forgotten is a pretty mid form of protection, so I'm cutting it for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick"}},{"insert":". I like the vigilance from "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Beregond of the Guard"}},{"insert":" and he serves a similar function as Champion of Lambholt so I'm cutting her. \n\nEdit 10: 03/26/26\n\tPulling Reclamation Sage for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Insidious Fungus"}},{"insert":" because it has more utility and more flexible removal timing. Also as a 1 cost it can be tutored with Brightglass. Similarly swapping Loran for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cankerbloom"}},{"insert":". Also swapping in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hakoda, Selfless Commander"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spectacular Spider-Man"}},{"insert":". Swapping out King Darien (the protection is token-specific) and Spinner of Souls (non-token pseudo protection). Also added in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Brigid, Clachan's Heart // Brigid, Doun's Mind"}},{"insert":" as another Gaea's Cradle effect, and cut Metastatic Evangel since it is sort of win-more. \n\nEdit 11: 03/28/26\n\tBulk change: \nOut: Abzan Falconer, Envoy of the Ancestors, Delney, Doubling Season, Soverign Okinec Ahau, Sigarda's Summons, Inpsiring Call, Beregond of the Guard, Plains. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"In: "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Silk, Web Weaver"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grand Crescendo"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Formidable Speaker"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Natural Order"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Collective Resistance"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Selfless Safewright"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Welcoming Vampire"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Guardian Project"}},{"insert":" "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise"}},{"insert":". "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"}]}