Darien, King of Kjeldor

[FTW]

Monowhite tokens. I decided to build an EDH deck that wasn't centred around 40+ of the same card. It happens.

Suggestions?


//Commander: 1
Darien, King of Kjeldor

//Self-damage for free tokens: 9
Jade Monolith
Nomad Stadium
Ancient Tomb
Tarnished Citadel
City of Brass
Grand Coliseum
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Acorn Catapult

//Life Padding -- negate life loss from getting tokens: 5
Soul Warden
Soul's Attendant
Auriok Champion
Elspeth Tirel
True Conviction

//Buffs: 13
Honor of the Pure
Intangible Virtue
Glorious Anthem
Marshal's Anthem
Ajani Goldmane
Angel of Jubilation
Cathars' Crusade
Eldrazi Monument
Gauntlet of Power
Caged Sun
Captain of the Watch
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

//Token Engines: 6
Mobilization
Sacred Mesa
Twilight Drover
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Benalish Commander
Luminarch Ascension

//One-shot tokens: 9
Spectral Procession
Increasing Devotion
Conqueror's Pledge
Geist-Honored Monk
Cloudgoat Ranger
Storm Herd
Decree of Justice
Entreat the Angels
White Sun's Zenith

//Card advantage: 5
Land Tax
Scroll Rack
Scrying Sheets
Mind's Eye
Carnage Altar

//Protection: 5
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
Lightning Greaves
Swiftfoot Boots
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Brave the Elements

//Good Stuff: 16
Sensei's Divining Top
Enlightened Tutor
Idyllic Tutor
Sun Titan
Luminate Primordial
Mass Calcify
Hour of Reckoning
Retribution of the Meek
Austere Command
Return to Dust
Kor Sanctifiers
Oblation
Oblivion Ring
Condemn
Swords to Plowshares
Adarkar Valkyrie


//Other Mana Sources: 32
Sol Ring
Temple of the False God
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Buried Ruin
Homeward Path
Mouth of Ronom
Wasteland
Strip Mine
Mistveil Plains
Eiganjo Castle
Thespian's Stage
21 Snow-Covered Plains

[FTW]

The deck is pretty linear: make tokens + make them big + attack.

The main engine is mana sources that deal you damage + Darien to give you instant speed tokens at your whim. With a Soul Sister effect + Darien out, Ancient Tomb basically reads "T: Add 2 to your mana pool. Get 2 free tokens". Redundant buffs make the tokens big so your army is always a threat. Darien is also great diplomacy, discouraging people from attacking you so you don't swing back with an even bigger army (with even one anthem effect, you attack back for DOUBLE on your turn). This means that as long as your life is at a healthy total, people will be reluctant to make small dents in it and will only want to swing if they can kill you, so you get good mileage out of running a little lifegain!

It also means Darien has a huge target on his back. The deck has a few ways to protect Darien but monowhite can only do so much so Darien won't stick around long. The deck is designed to function without him, running plenty of alternate token producers and not running any self-damaging effects that are awful (land slots aren't exactly a waste and Jade Monolith protects stuff). On top of Darien, there are several "army-in-a-can" spells so you get virtual card advantage by being able to creature pressure out of nowhere without spending many cards. The anthems help a lot with that.

Finally, I tried to cram in as much card draw as a monowhite token deck could possibly have. Mentor of the Meek might deserve a spot too, but in testing I rarely wanted to spend mana on it instead of doing something else and often your tokens are just too big.

[kombatkiwi]

+ Crusade
+ Brave the Elements

-Whatever
(Acorn Catapult and some other expensive card probably)

[Offler]

Martyr's cause?

[Davran]

I don't see Grand Coliseum in your lands list - is this better than a basic plains?

How about Thespian's Stage as a second copy of Citadel/Tomb/City/Stadium/Coliseum/Emeria?

[FTW]

Changes:
-2 Snow-Covered Plains
-Slate of Ancestry (expensive, bad if you're sandbagging answers or avoiding overextending)
+1 Grand Coliseum
+1 Thespian's Stage
+1 Brave the Elements

Crusade is too symmetrical, even if I probably have more creatures than anyone else.

Acorn Catapult targeting yourself, paid for by a painland, makes THREE TOKENS for 1 mana. Too cute? I just love the synergy. It also kills random utility dorks like Mom, Revoker, Bob, Symbiote, Sylvan Safekeeper, Scryb Ranger, Izzet Staticaster, Sharpshooter, cost-reducing Familiars, etc. Too slow?

Hmm.. when would you use Martyr's Cause and for what role? If Darien is out, I want to take the damage and get the tokens (and then gain life after). If Darien is not out, I have fewer expendable tokens... but I guess staying alive is important. Do you think Martyr would keep me alive better than a lifegain spell like Congregate or Invincible Hymn?


EDIT: This general is busted with Strionic Resonator! Very excited about that card.

[kombatkiwi]

Izzet Staticaster

yea wot m8?

I guess you have a point though

[FTW]

yea wot m8?

I guess you have a point though

Yeep, how is that card not a x/1 like every other 3-mana Tim? Broken??

[Tog]

I still actively play with my Darien EDH deck and I would recommend Deserted Temple to your land list to be able to untap your Tarnished Citadel and the like to be able to tap for more tokens. The damage you inflict on yourself really does add up over time and as a result, I've gotten good mileage out of Pulse of the Fields.