In this article you will find a lot of information regarding the token Druid archetype, I am here not just to point a build you should follow, but also to give you directions where to look in order for you to obtain success creating your own original Druid Token build.
In case you don’t know, a “token” is a minion that is generated by some ability or card, a token is not a card, but the outcome of a cards mechanics or effect as well as some hero powers that can generate tokens (paladin and shaman).
Now, for a little of background, token druid is a list initially developed by Noxious, from team managrind, to take advantage of cards that generate tokens, buffing those small tokens with a druid card named Power of the Wild and sometimes with Savage Roar, transforming these little guys into real threats that can rush you down and finish the game really quickly.
Deck Base
These are the cards that you must have in your token druid deck. There is no Token Druid deck without these cards:
innervate: A strong card that helps you accelerate your game, in this specific decks case, you can combo this up with violet teacher, generating a 1/1 token, and then follow it up, using the 2 manas, to cast power-of-the-wild for its +1/+1 global buff effect, generating yet another 1/1 token and buffing both tokens as well as the teacher, leaving you with a strong 4/6 teacher on the board as well as 2 very good students 2/2s. This can also be used to accelerate your game, making it so you drop your guys faster into the board.
Wrath: A very versatile druid card, it should always be used in druid decks, no matter what deck. It kills off early game threats as well as pings for 1 damage cycling itself, also works as a cycle card in case you just need another card while still doing damage.
power-of-the-wild: The main reason this deck is possible, you will most likely have a lot of minions on the board to justify always using this for the +1/+1 buff. sometimes this can also be used for the 3/2 panther, in case you need board presence.
violet-teacher: a very strong token generating card, this card is a powerhouse in this deck and a win condition, if the opponent do not deal with this immediately, expect a snowball effect. Try to combo this with spells, generating tokens before you buff them with power of the wild. This is also a very hot teacher, god damn it!
“Pay attention class”
keeper-of-the-grove: While priests main word is “situational”, which is just horrible, druids main word is “versatile”, meaning many of druid cards are not only multi-use, they also fit in almost every situation, meaning they are always good. Keeper of the grove is one of these cards, it can silence off threats, as well as ping for 2 damage small minions while still giving you board presence in the form of a 2/4 body.
swipe: One of druids strongest cards. can be powered up by spell power for massive value, but is good by itself to justify also being in every druids base deck.
druid-of-the-claw: Arguably the strongest druid card, its versatility is one of the many reasons druid is such a strong class, it can either go super aggressive in charge mode, while still keeping a good 4/4 body, as well as can be a strong defence card, in the form of a feared 4/6 taunt bear.
ancient-of-lore: another extremely versatile card, can do 2 very good things, for 2 very different situations, this card is never bad.
So, I just listed 8 cards that are obligated 2-of in the deck, which means 16 out of the 30 slots for the deck are automatically taken. You now have to fill out the remaining slots, but fear not! I will help you making that decision!
Alternative Cards
argent-squire: The strongest neutral 1-drop in the game, the reason this shines here is because it is another card to be buffed by power of the wild, as well as a strong generic turn 1 play.
bloodmage-thalnos: Used just to make your spells stronger, cycles itself so its always good.
loot-hoarder: Even the most aggressive of the druid versions, the token one, lacks earlier turn drops, this can fill in some gaps in the deck, as well as this guy cycles himself, which means it is a good option. People tend to avoid him because of his 1 health, but I like him.
faerie-dragon: A stronger 2-drop than Loot-Hoarder that is harder to be killed but doesn’t cycles itself. Its a good option in case you want a 2-drop and don’t like ninja looters.
Harvest Golem: The strongest neutral 3-drop in the game, again: even aggressive druids lacks early turns. This guy fills in the gap just fine.
imp-master: A token generating card! Can possibly replace Harvest Golem as the 3-drop slot of this deck, as well as can be used in combination with the golem. The choices are yours!
leeroy-jenkins: A very strong card by itself, a finisher as well as it can bring a lot of pain to the opponent when combined with Savage Roar and other cards.
chillwind-yeti: A stronger vanilla big body, if you feel like you have remaining slots in your deck, just put these guys in. There is never enough Yetis!
azure-drake: card advantage + spellpower, this guy is commonly used amongst different druid builds.
force-of-nature + savage-roar combo: this combo becomes even stronger here, because of the higher number of minions you will have when compared to any other druid build. The big number of minions here make it so you usually want to have 2 savage roars in your deck.
Other midrange legends, such as cairne-bloodhoof, the-black-knight, illidan-stormrage and sylvanas-windrunner: try to avoid huge cards, if you want to go for legendary cards on a token deck go for the mid game ones like the ones I just said, because your main goal here is to keep the opponent from getting to late game, exhausting his resources, a big weighted card is usually bad for you. There is an exception here, which is cenarius, because he generates tokens and can also buff up your minions, including your tokens, working as a finisher as well as a big board presence.
Other neutral tech cards: Once again, techs are very encouraged, you could try amani-bersekers, as well as some other nice 2 drop guys as well as mid range cards, such as argent-commander and faceless-manipulator[/card] and so on, as I said before on my other articles: when building a deck, the sky is the limit! But remember, always try to figure out the outcome of that card in all kinds of matches, and how it would help you out in a variety of different situations.
Conclusion
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this guide, my main goal is to help everybody that reads my articles to become good and experienced hearthstone players, as well as to pass most of my experiences on to you guys! Keep tokening!
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