Introduction
Are you hungry for victory in Magic: The Gathering? Forget the relentless aggression of burn decks or the meticulous control of Azorius strategies. There’s a unique and surprisingly powerful archetype simmering just beneath the surface: MTG Food Tokens. These seemingly simple artifacts, born from the whimsical world of Eldraine, have evolved far beyond mere lifegain, becoming integral components of competitive and casual strategies alike.
Food Tokens, at their core, are artifact tokens that possess the ability: “{Two}, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain three life.” This seemingly innocuous ability has proven to be deceptively versatile, fueling graveyard synergies, enabling powerful sacrifice effects, and even providing a crucial edge in long, drawn-out matches. This article will explore the journey of MTG Food Tokens, examine the key cards and strategies that define this delicious archetype, and assess its place in the broader Magic: The Gathering landscape, from kitchen table casual to the fierce battlegrounds of Modern.
The Edible Engine: How MTG Food Tokens Work
Let’s break down the fundamental mechanics of Food Tokens. As mentioned, the core ability is simple: pay two mana and sacrifice the token to gain three life. This seemingly small amount of life can be crucial in racing aggressive decks, stabilizing after a board wipe, or simply extending the game long enough to deploy your late-game threats.
However, the true power of Food Tokens lies in their identity as artifacts. This simple designation opens up a world of possibilities, allowing them to synergize with cards that care about artifacts entering or leaving the battlefield. They’re vulnerable to artifact removal, a weakness that opponents will exploit, but also benefit from artifact-centric spells. Furthermore, the act of sacrificing a Food Token is a powerful trigger, activating abilities that reward you for letting go of your delicious delicacies.
It’s crucial to remember the implicit mana cost associated with using Food Tokens. While generating them can be free, using them always requires an investment of two mana. This means careful planning and resource management are essential for maximizing their effectiveness. A common question revolves around paying costs: yes, you can sacrifice a Food Token to pay a cost even if you have less than three life. The game checks your life total *after* the cost has been paid.
A Delicious Arsenal: Key Cards and Synergies in the Food Token Strategy
The MTG Food Token strategy wouldn’t be possible without the cards that create them and benefit from their existence. Let’s dive into some of the most impactful contributors:
The genesis of MTG Food Tokens can be traced back to the Throne of Eldraine set. Oko, Thief of Crowns, a planeswalker that dominated Standard, created Food Tokens to turn opposing threats into harmless Elks. Golden Goose provided early ramp and a steady stream of Food. Trail of Crumbs rewarded players for creating and sacrificing Food Tokens, offering valuable card advantage. Giant Opportunity created a large threat and a snack on the side.
Modern Horizons Two breathed new life into the archetype, introducing several cards that propelled it into the Modern format. Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, a legendary creature with a comically long name, is the centerpiece of many Food Token decks. The Underworld Cookbook provides a repeatable source of Food Tokens and enables graveyard shenanigans. Ovalchase Daredevil offered a recursive threat that can be repeatedly brought back from the graveyard by sacrificing Food Tokens.
Other sets have added valuable pieces to the puzzle. Gala Greeters from Streets of New Capenna provides incremental value every time a permanent enters the battlefield under your control, which happens often in a Food Token deck. Riveteers Ascendancy further rewards the creation of tokens, boosting the power and toughness of your creatures. More recently, Wilds of Eldraine gave us Gingerbread Hunter to help create tokens and clear away small creatures.
But simply making Food Tokens isn’t enough. You need cards that can leverage their existence. Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, a powerful dragon, grows larger with each permanent sacrificed, including Food Tokens. Mayhem Devil deals direct damage whenever a permanent is sacrificed, providing a consistent source of reach. Disciple of the Vault punishes opponents for playing artifacts and provides a small damage boost for each token that is sacrificed. Aetherflux Reservoir turns lifegain into a deadly laser beam, allowing you to blast opponents out of the game with a massive life total. Finally, Urza, Lord High Artificer and Emry, Lurker of the Loch are potent artifact-based threats that can be easily cast and synergize with the artifact tokens.
Different color combinations offer unique advantages to Food Token decks. Golgari (Black/Green) excels at sacrifice value, using cards like Korvold and Witch’s Oven to generate overwhelming card advantage. Azorius (White/Blue) combines lifegain with control elements, using cards like Oko and Aetherflux Reservoir to grind out opponents. Rakdos (Black/Red) focuses on aggressive sacrifice strategies, using Mayhem Devil and Disciple of the Vault to quickly burn opponents down. Gruul (Green/Red) combines Food Token generation with large creatures and sacrifice fodder, creating a powerful and resilient board presence.
Building a Better Feast: Deckbuilding with MTG Food Tokens
MTG Food Token decks can be built in various ways, ranging from midrange value engines to all-in combo strategies. The key is to identify the specific archetype you want to build and choose cards that support that strategy.
Many Food Token decks function as Midrange decks, aiming to grind out opponents with incremental value and card advantage. Other decks are more control based, using Food Tokens to stabilize and buy time before deploying late-game threats. Some decks utilize Food Tokens as part of a combo strategy, using cards like Aetherflux Reservoir to turn lifegain into a game-winning burst of damage.
When building a Food Token deck, it’s important to consider the mana base. Many Food Token strategies require multiple colors, so it’s crucial to have a consistent and reliable mana base that can support those colors. Including dual lands and fetch lands can help ensure that you have access to the colors you need when you need them.
Food Token decks in Modern are often built around the Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar and The Underworld Cookbook duo. These decks grind out opponents with recurring threats and sacrifice effects.
Sideboarding is also an important aspect of playing Food Token decks. Against aggressive decks, it’s important to bring in cards that can help you stabilize and gain life. Against control decks, it’s important to bring in cards that can disrupt their game plan and provide card advantage. Graveyard hate is also very important, which makes cards like Damping Sphere valuable.
It’s possible to build a relatively competitive Food Token deck on a budget. Focusing on cheaper cards that generate Food Tokens and provide sacrifice synergies can be a great way to get started. Cards like Golden Goose and Witch’s Oven can be acquired for a small price. As you acquire more resources, you can gradually upgrade your deck with more expensive cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns and Korvold, Fae-Cursed King.
A World of Possibilities: Food Tokens Across Formats
The viability of MTG Food Tokens varies across different formats. In Modern, Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar decks have proven to be a competitive force, grinding out opponents with recurring threats and sacrifice effects. In Commander, Food Token decks can be built around commanders like Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, allowing you to build a powerful and synergistic strategy.
The presence of Food Tokens in other formats is more limited. However, the underlying principles of the strategy can still be applied to create unique and interesting decks.
A Delicate Balance: Strengths and Weaknesses of the MTG Food Token Strategy
The MTG Food Token strategy has several strengths. The lifegain can be crucial in racing aggressive decks and stabilizing after board wipes. The ability to sacrifice Food Tokens provides fuel for powerful sacrifice-based synergies. Their identity as artifacts opens up opportunities with artifact-centric cards, and the ability to generate tokens repeatedly can make them resilient to certain removal strategies.
However, the strategy also has weaknesses. Food Tokens are vulnerable to artifact removal, which can disrupt your plans. Activating Food Tokens costs mana and a card, which can lead to a slow tempo. Graveyard hate can shut down graveyard synergies, slowing the deck down considerably. In some situations, the lifegain provided by Food Tokens may be irrelevant.
A Culinary Crystal Ball: The Future of Food Tokens
The future of MTG Food Tokens is uncertain, but the potential for new synergies and strategies is vast. Will we see more Food Token support in future sets? What new directions could Food Token strategies take? How might future cards impact the viability of Food Token decks? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: MTG Food Tokens have carved out a unique and delicious niche in the world of Magic: The Gathering.
The Last Bite: Final Thoughts on MTG Food Tokens
In conclusion, MTG Food Tokens have evolved from a simple lifegain mechanic into a complex and versatile archetype. They offer a unique blend of lifegain, sacrifice synergies, and artifact interactions, making them a compelling choice for players of all levels. Whether you’re a casual player looking for a fun and flavorful deck or a competitive player seeking a unique edge, MTG Food Tokens are worth exploring. So, grab your virtual fork and knife, and prepare to feast on victory! Try building a deck with Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar or Oko, and prepare to catch your opponents off guard. These can be a powerful and unexpected addition to your MTG arsenal.
