Emmara’s Token Casino is a fast-paced, aggressive deck that has become my absolute favorite. After redesigning it from Selesnya to Naya, with the addition of my favorite card, Resourceful Collector, it’s a force to be reckoned with. This deck excels at applying intense pressure early, overwhelming opponents with massive armies while relying on high-speed synergies to keep them on their toes. It’s a perfect balance of strategic planning and rapid decision-making, which is what makes it so exciting and effective. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, this deck provides valuable lessons in managing your cards, maximizing synergies, and approaching different matchups in today’s competitive meta.
In this article, I’ll dive into the mechanics, strategies, and considerations that make this deck one of the top contenders. From how to leverage its unique synergies to how it fares against current meta decks, you’ll get a full breakdown of what makes this deck tick. The decklist, essential for getting started, is available for download at the bottom of the guide.

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The core strategy behind Emmara’s Token Casino is all about flooding the battlefield with creatures as quickly as possible while leveraging convoke synergies to accelerate gameplay and overwhelm opponents. At the heart of this deck is Emmara, Voice of the Conclave, an invaluable card generator that not only produces card advantage but also enables you to cast spells at a reduced cost through convoke, tailoring your spell choices to counter your opponent’s strategy. This ability to adapt and generate constant pressure creates a snowball effect, giving you a consistent advantage as the game progresses. Whether you're on the play or the draw, the speed and relentless nature of this deck make it incredibly difficult for most opponents to keep up.
One of the most potent synergies in the deck is the combination of Emmara and Buxton, Decorated Host. Buxton’s ability to pull a random card from your deck at the end of your turn can catch opponents off guard, leaving them with little time to adjust before your board is flooded with more creatures. This synergy pairs perfectly with ramp cards like Ruby Collector, which accelerates your mana production, and power-buffing spells like Case of the Gateway Express, which not only boosts your creatures but doubles as efficient removal when it enters the battlefield. The result is a deck that can quickly assemble a formidable army, outscaling your opponent’s defenses and maintaining consistent pressure throughout the match.
Before we dive into the details of our high-speed deck, let’s take a moment to poke fun at a few of the “intense” archetypes that think they’re the true stars of the show. First, we have the heist deck, where you spend more time plotting heists than actually playing the game—good luck trying to out-scheme your opponent, because, spoiler alert, you’ll probably get caught before you even get to play those stolen cards. Next up, the prowess-aggro decks, where the plan seems to be attacking before you even realize what's happening. One minute, you’re blocking with a 1/1, and the next, your opponent’s turning a mini-mouse or tiny-otter army into a swarm of nightmares—but don’t worry, Emmara’s spellbook always seems to have the perfect answers. Then, there are the chorus intensity decks, which follow the bold strategy of "just keep intensifying those chorus cards until they literally draw themselves to death." Finally, the underdog: the Selesnya Rabbits Convoke deck. Those poor little rabbits are just trying to bring their friends to the party, but end up getting stomped by real threats with power that’s ten times bigger than their toughness. Sure, they’re cute, though—perfect for a good laugh when you're looking for some extra fluff in your day.

Each card in Emmara's Token Casino serves a crucial role, either advancing your game plan or defending against potential threats that could slow down your token engine. Below is an in-depth look at each key card and how it contributes to the deck’s strategy.

• Cenote Scout: This card is vital for maintaining a smooth mana curve, especially when you find yourself with a 2-lander hand. By essentially replacing four lands, Cenote Scout ensures that you can play your key spells without worrying about mana screw. It helps keep the deck running smoothly in the early stages, setting you up for success in the long run.
• Llanowar Elves: These classic ramp creatures are essential for accelerating your game plan. They help to cast key creatures like Fountainport Charmer and Sanguine Evangelist, as well as enabling convoke synergies for cards like Knight-Errant of Eos and Ancient Imperiosaur. They’re simple but effective in pushing the deck’s tempo and accelerating your game plan.
  
• Ruby Collector: This ramp creature does more than just help accelerate your mana—it has a powerful synergy with your attacking strategy. When you attack with three creatures, Ruby Collector can trigger a power boost for your entire team, often catching your opponent off guard. The synergy with other token generators makes this card one of the more deceptively potent elements in your deck.
  
• Mistbreath Elder: Mistbreath Elder is an excellent bounce tool, helping you return key creatures like Emmara or Ruby Collector to your hand when necessary. It triggers additional synergies with recursion cards and offers the ability to reuse key pieces. This card’s flexibility makes it an important piece in maintaining momentum and generating card advantage.
  
• Pewpatch Recruit: This card becomes more powerful when targeted by burn or removal spells, making it particularly useful in matchups with high-removal decks like Chorus. The ability to grow stronger in response to your opponent's removal attempts means that this card can be a huge thorn in the side of aggressive or control-focused decks.
  
• Hinterland Sanctifier: This versatile card helps provide much-needed life gain against aggressive burn decks. Additionally, it can deal with problematic threats like Bloodthirsty Conqueror, making it a crucial inclusion for defensive strategies.
  
• Insidious Fungus: A cheap and effective removal tool, Insidious Fungus is perfect for dealing with early-game artifacts or enchantments that could otherwise disrupt your strategy. The bonus synergy of recursion allows you to bring it back from the graveyard, making it a useful tool throughout the game as a low-cost answer to your opponent's threats.
  
• District Mascot: A versatile utility creature that plays a dual role as both an enabler for convoke and a potential tool for artifact removal. As a crucial addition to the deck, District Mascot helps quickly build a critical mass of creatures in the early game, setting up for larger convoke spells and enabling explosive starts. It also provides a valuable option for artifact removal later in the game, particularly against powerful artifacts like vehicles. While not a strong attacker or blocker on its own, District Mascot can pump itself up and can be used for graveyard recursion, offering future value if needed. It replaces the fourth copy of Buxton to ensure a faster, more consistent early game, which can help establish board presence and support your bigger plays later. But the best part of the good boy is, you can saddle, and thus tap, as many creatures as you want to trigger the Buxton Casino for the value you want.
  
• Case of the Gateway Express: This card is your primary win condition, turning your small token creatures into massive threats. By granting a massive power boost to your creatures, Case of the Gateway Express can quickly overwhelm your opponent, often catching them off guard and closing out games in a matter of turns.
  
• Resolute Reinforcements: A token generator that shines in post-board wipe situations or when playing against counterspell-heavy decks. Generating tokens at the end of your opponent's turn allows you to maintain pressure even after a board wipe, ensuring you don’t lose momentum.
  
• Jet Collector: A ramp and recursion tool, Jet Collector is critical for bringing back powerful creatures from your graveyard. It helps you access critical spells, such as Porcelain Gallery, and accelerates your game plan by ensuring that key creatures, like Emmara or Buxton, are never out of reach for long.
  
• Fountainport Charmer: This card is essential for reducing the cost of your spells, allowing you to cast key creatures and ramp up quickly. It also generates tokens, adding more bodies to the board for convoke and other synergies. Its recursion abilities ensure that you can keep the pressure on your opponent by efficiently casting Emmara or Buxton as needed.
  
• Sanguine Evangelist: One of the primary support cards for your token army, Sanguine Evangelist generates tokens and buffs your board presence. It works especially well in combination with other token generators, ensuring that you continue to push the advantage with a growing army of creatures.
  
• Resourceful Collector: This card provides graveyard recursion, allowing you to bring back key creatures like Emmara and Buxton to maintain relentless pressure. Its haste ability is crucial after a board wipe, enabling you to immediately reestablish dominance and win games that seemed lost when your opponent thought you were hopelessly behind.
  
• Emmara, Voice of the Conclave: The centerpiece of your deck, Emmara is key to generating token advantage and ramping your gameplay. With access to Emmara’s Spellbook, you can generate card advantage and disrupt your opponent’s strategy by casting powerful spells for free through convoke. Whether generating tokens, removing threats, or ramping, Emmara enables the core functions of your deck.
  
• Buxton, Decorated Host: Buxton adds a layer of unpredictability to the deck by generating random threats at the end of your turn. This makes it difficult for your opponent to predict and respond to your moves, as even seemingly useless cards can turn into valuable threats. This randomness, when combined with your board state, forces your opponent to react to multiple threats at once.
  
• Dollmaker’s Shop // Porcelain Gallery: A versatile room card, Porcelain Gallery synergizes with your token strategy, allowing you to generate creatures and boost their power. It can turn the tide in what seems like a losing game, making all your creatures monstrous threats capable of finishing the game.
  
• Solitary Study // Endless Corridor: A useful mana sink that can enhance your creatures’ power or grant first strike, Solitary Study is particularly useful for dealing with aggressive creatures that could otherwise overwhelm you. It helps you manage your defenses while continuing to pump up your board.
  
• Dual-Colored Lands: The backbone of your mana base, these lands ensure that you have access to green, white, and red mana consistently, allowing you to cast your spells and buff your creatures when needed. The deck's versatility is reliant on having the right colors available, making these lands crucial to your success.

Emmara's Token Casino is built for speed, often wrapping up games in mere minutes. The dream start involves an untapped green mana source and a ramp spell like Cenote Scout or Llanowar Elves, setting you up to drop Emmara, Voice of the Conclave on turn 2. Of course Emmara played after a white mana source and a creature like Resolute Reinforcements or Sanguine Evangelist that brings a token with it, and you’re off to the races.



By turn 3 or 4, you could already have a full battlefield, making your opponent wish they’d brought more than just a tapped land to the fight. Your knowledge of the meta game is crucial here—based on what your opponent might be playing, it’s time to draft the right card from Emmara’s Spellbook. Expecting your hand to run dry or facing heavy removal? Knight-Errant of Eos is your friend. Facing combos or reanimator bombs? Grab March of the Multitudes. Got opponents relying on damage-based removal or blockers to slow you down? Ancient Imperiosaur has your back.

This deck's blistering speed is one of its greatest strengths, allowing you to outpace slower decks that need more setup. By turn 3 or 4, your board will likely be packed, leaving your opponent scrambling for answers. And if board wipes come your way? No problem—thanks to your recursion engine, you’ll bounce back and keep the pressure on. The only thing faster than this deck? Your opponent’s regret for not packing more mass removal.

• Fast Decks: One of the deck's greatest strengths is its blistering speed. Every turn, you’re creating creatures to block and buffing your attacking forces while exiling terminal threats like Heartfire Hero. With the ability to ramp up quickly, this deck can close games in as little as 2-3 minutes, especially when you're on the play. Even when you're on the draw, your deck’s speed allows you to prevent red-based decks from executing their attacks, gaining card advantage later in the game—provided their life total hasn't already been depleted by your relentless aggression.
  
• Go-Wide, Go-Tall Decks: Against decks that go bigger but not as wide, such as those focused on swarming and growing their biggest threats, this matchup can be tricky. While your creatures may not be individually as powerful, your key to victory is overwhelming them with sheer quantity. Early aggression with cards like Case of the Gateway Express for removal and Sanguine Evangelist to power up your board will make it hard for your opponent to keep pace. Maximizing creature production and board presence is critical to staying ahead.
  
• Reanimator Decks: Reanimator decks, especially those focusing on powerful creatures like Valgavoth, Terror Eater, can be formidable. However, your aggressive strategy often gets ahead of their setup, preventing them from stabilizing in the late game. The key here is maintaining early pressure, swarming the battlefield with tokens, and keeping them from getting their big reanimation plays online. The longer the game drags on, the more danger they pose, so pushing them out of the game before that happens is crucial.
  
• Heist Mechanic Decks: Heist decks tend to be slower due to their reliance on manipulating or stealing cards from your library. Unless you’re on the draw with a poor hand, your deck’s speed will typically outpace them. The main strategy here is applying relentless pressure before they can assemble their heist plan. Force them to deal with your overwhelming board presence and deny them the time they need to carry out their tricks.
  
• Chorus Decks: These decks can be difficult if they manage to establish an early board presence and start building up their chorus synergies. However, your ability to flood the board with tokens and ramp up quickly gives you the edge. The key to success here is to prevent them from finding their rhythm early on. Keep the pressure high and disrupt their ability to set up their game plan. If you can keep them from gaining momentum, you’ll be able to outpace them and secure the win.
  
• Board Wipes: With board wipes becoming increasingly common in the meta, your deck can be vulnerable to a reset. However, your ability to recover is what sets you apart. Cards like Resourceful Collector and Jet Collector provide recursion, allowing you to rebuild your board and reapply pressure quickly. The ability to bounce back after a wipe can often be the difference between losing and securing a win—especially if you’re prepared with the right cards to continue overwhelming your opponent after the reset.

This deck’s journey began when I stumbled upon a Selesnya Convoke[mtga.untapped.gg] deck on Untapped.gg after someone reached Mythic rank on Day 3 of the season using a list that wasn’t even an archetype. I saw the red lands in the deck and immediately thought, "Resourceful Collector has to be part of my version!" Resourceful Collector behaves much like Lurrus of the Dream-Den, consistently bringing back key cards from the graveyard, including lands—a highly underappreciated card in Alchemy.
As long as discard decks are more prevalent than graveyard-hate decks, Resourceful Collector and Jet Collector are essential additions to any green-red deck.

By Day 5, I reached Mythic Rank #192 and knew the deck was busted. I even hit Mythic with the exact same build on an alternative account. With over 300 ranked games played against meta decks, I worked on refining the deck and ranked up the following two seasons with ease.
Though the meta has shifted, and the winrate has dropped a little after the Aetherdrift set release, the deck still overperforms and should easily be Tier B. In the past three seasons, I’ve faced a Selesnya Convoke deck only once and a Boros Convoke deck just today. It’s truly a hidden gem.

However, as long as I’m the only one piloting this deck and tracking it on Untapped.gg, the platform hasn’t recognized it as an archetype or listed it under decks, despite over 200 games with this same version.
Now, it’s up to you. You can either spend your wildcards, have tons of fun, and help improve this archetype, or simply read this guide to learn the strategies and how you can upgrade your deck once this one gains popularity. Or, you could wait until September when Emmara, Voice of the Conclave rotates out of Alchemy.

If you're curious about the players who reached Mythic rank in your favorite format, adapt their strategies to your play style, as I did. Untapped.gg is free to download, though you’ll need a paid subscription for Alchemy performance insights. The most important thing is to have fun and, when you get bored or frustrated with your old favorites, try out a new deck. Even better, brew a completely fresh deck using your knowledge and imagination!

One of the most exciting aspects of Emmara's Token Casino is the access to Emmara's Spellbook, a selection of powerful cards that elevate your strategy and provide answers to various threats. Each card in the Spellbook is chosen to complement your aggressive, go-wide strategy, offering everything from ramp and token generation to versatile removal and game-clinching threats. When piloting this deck, you'll most often be searching for the big dinosaur to outmuscle your opponents, the knight to refill your hand, or the tribunal to exile your opponent's key permanent.

• Ancient Imperiosaur: A massive creature that can dramatically shift the course of the game. When paired with Fountainport Charmer, its cost can be reduced, making it an even more formidable presence on the battlefield. The Imperiosaur not only provides raw power but can become a game-ending threat when your opponent has little defense left.
  
• Conclave Tribunal: This versatile removal spell is one of your best answers to troublesome permanents. Whether it’s pesky creatures, enchantments, or artifacts, Conclave Tribunal is a key tool in your arsenal. It’s especially useful in matchups against reanimator strategies, where you can exile threats before they hit the board or in response to a big reanimation play. The flexibility it provides is invaluable in a fast-paced game where you need to make quick decisions.
  
• Knight-Errant of Eos: This card serves as a utility searcher, helping you find small creatures that can keep the pressure on your opponent when your hand is running low. The Knight-Errant can fetch essential creatures like Resourceful Collector or other token generators, making it a great tool for maintaining momentum and providing extra bodies to flood the board.
  
• March of the Multitudes: This card is an absolute powerhouse in the deck. It floods the board with tokens, perfectly synergizing with Emmara and allowing you to rapidly amass an army of creatures. What’s even better is that all of the tokens created have lifelink, allowing you to gain back some of the life you may lose during the game, which makes it a fantastic card for stabilizing and overwhelming your opponent simultaneously.
  
• Nissa’s Expedition: A ramp tool that accelerates your mana base, Nissa’s Expedition is invaluable when you need to close out the game quickly. It not only helps you ramp into powerful creatures like Ancient Imperiosaur faster, but it can also unlock key lands like Porcelain Gallery, ensuring that you have the resources to maintain your aggressive pace. This card is essential for pushing the game towards your favor in the mid-to-late game.
  
• Overwhelm: When you're staring down a wall of blockers, Overwhelm provides trample to your army, allowing you to push through damage even when your opponent has creatures that would normally stop your tokens dead in their tracks. This card is key in making sure your go-wide strategy isn’t easily thwarted by a single big creature or defense-heavy deck.
  
• Triplicate Spirits: A potent token generator that creates a flying army of creatures, Triplicate Spirits is invaluable in matchups where your opponent’s defense is based on non-flying creatures. During board stalls, when your opponent is lacking flyers or creatures with reach, this card allows you to push for lethal damage. It's also great for keeping up the pressure when your opponent is trying to establish control.
• Loxodon Restorer: This card serves as a utility creature that fits perfectly into the deck's theme of ramping up quickly and flooding the board with creatures. Not only does it help to stabilize your life total with its lifelink, but it also contributes to convoke, allowing you to tap it to help cast bigger spells like Venerated Loxodon. When paired with other creatures generated by Emmara or Resourceful Collector, Loxodon Restorer makes sure that you always have creatures to convoke, ensuring you can maintain board presence while ramping up your game.
  
• Venerated Loxodon: This card is a powerhouse addition to the deck. Its ability to convoke with any number of creatures—including tokens—lets you cast it much sooner than you might expect, making it a game-changer when played. As you flood the board with tokens, Venerated Loxodon becomes the payoff for all that convoke synergy, as it boosts your creatures' power, giving you a massive board presence. The sheer size of the creatures after casting Venerated Loxodon can often overwhelm your opponent’s defenses, setting you up for a game-ending push.

1. Ancient Imperiosaur:

• Best Against: Aggro decks (like Izzet Tempo, Boros Aggro) and other big creature decks (e.g., Stalwart Realmwarden, Gruul Stompy).
  
• Why: Ancient Imperiosaur is a big creature with a potential trampling ability that can absorb a lot of damage while threatening to crush smaller creatures. It's especially useful against aggro decks looking to swarm the board with small, quick creatures or ramp strategies that go big fast. Against big creature decks, it offers a solid blocker and eventual attacker.
  
• Key Considerations: Watch out for any direct removal spells like Deathmark or Bitter Triumph as well as decks with the ability to apply pressure early. If you have the time, an Imperiosaur can stabilize the board.

2. Conclave Tribunal:

• Best Against: Creature-heavy decks (e.g., Mono-Green Devotion, Golgari Midrange) or decks with problematic enchantments (like Auras or enchantment-based control).
  
• Why: Conclave Tribunal serves as a versatile removal tool, able to exile creatures and enchantments. It’s particularly effective against decks that rely on mass creatures and can’t easily answer enchantment-based removal. Against creature-heavy decks, you can use it to remove a key threat, potentially disrupting their strategy.
  
• Key Considerations: Tribunal is vulnerable to counterspells or decks that can interact with your enchantments, so timing is key. Also, it may not be the best pick against instant-speed removal decks like Izzet Prowess, so you may need to evaluate when to play it carefully.

3. Knight-Errant of Eos:

• Best Against: Graveyard hate decks (e.g., Rakdos Midrange, Dimir Control) or decks with heavy removal (e.g., Mono-Black Midrange, Orzhov Control).
  
• Why: Knight-Errant offers an excellent way to recover after a board wipe or removal-heavy turns, fetching valuable creatures from the graveyard or hand. It's especially useful when your creatures are getting picked off by removal spells or when your deck relies on graveyard synergies.
  
• Key Considerations: If you’re facing graveyard hate (like Rest in Peace or Soulguide-Lantern), make sure you have enough backup ways to interact with the graveyard or delay those effects. Knight-Errant shines when the board is clear and you can safely bring back your key threats.

4. March of the Multitudes:

• Best Against: Aggressive or go-wide decks (e.g., Goblins, Mono-Red Burn, Mice).
  
• Why: March of the Multitudes is fantastic for generating a wide array of tokens, especially when your opponent is trying to flood the board with numerous small creatures. It also benefits from being able to overload your opponent with blockers or create a solid army of tokens to trade off in combat. Plus, the ability to add extra tokens if you have more mana makes it a scalable, flexible option.
  
• Key Considerations: Be wary of sweepers like Day of Judgment or Fumigate that can wipe your creatures. Also, decks that excel at controlling the battlefield early may keep your tokens from reaching critical mass, so time your plays strategically.

5. Nissa's Expedition:

• Best Against: Ramp decks or decks with mana-based advantages (e.g., Jund Ramp, Selesnya Ramp, Dollmaker’s Shop).
  
• Why: Nissa’s Expedition is a fantastic mana ramp spell, especially if you have cards like Dollmaker's Shop // Porcelain Gallery to provide additional benefits. It can be particularly useful when you’re trying to ramp into your heavy hitters or prepare for late-game value.
  
• Key Considerations: Be mindful of your mana base and ensure you can support this spell, particularly if you're playing against fast aggro or combo decks that will punish slower plays. Nissa’s Expedition is best when you can stabilize early and gain a long-term advantage through ramping.

6. Overwhelm:

• Best Against: Decks with a mass of blockers or boards with fewer but more impactful creatures (e.g., creature-heavy control decks, Ramp decks).
  
• Why: Overwhelm is perfect for pushing through massive damage when you’ve already established a wide board presence. It allows your smaller creatures to do a lot of damage to opponents who try to set up defenses. The more tokens or creatures you have on board, the more effective this can be.
  
• Key Considerations: Make sure your opponent hasn’t developed board wipes or direct removal, as this spell doesn’t protect your board. Overwhelm also shines in decks that already have synergy with producing tokens, so use it when you’re prepared to flood the battlefield.

7. Triplicate Spirits:

• Best Against: Decks with flying creatures (e.g., Esper Control, Dimir Flyers) or decks without mass removal (e.g., Mono-Green Stompy, Gruul Aggro).
  
• Why: Triplicate Spirits provides a powerful defensive tool by creating three flying tokens, which are useful against opponents with flyers, making it harder for them to get through in combat. It's also a solid choice when you’re playing against decks that don’t often use mass removal, as they may struggle to deal with multiple flyers without dedicated answers.
  
• Key Considerations: This spell is less effective if your opponent runs a lot of removal or countermeasures for flying creatures. Be wary of early pressure from decks that can get around your flying defense before it can fully set up.

8. Loxodon Restorer:

• Best Against: Aggressive decks (e.g., Mono-Red Burn, Izzet Tempo) and decks with heavy removal (e.g., Rakdos Midrange, Orzhov Control).
  
• Why: Loxodon Restorer is a valuable tool in aggressive matchups due to its lifelink, providing much-needed life stabilization while ramping up the number of creatures you can use for convoke. It can serve as a buffer against early damage and can quickly be tapped for convoke to cast powerful spells like Venerated Loxodon or Ancient Imperiosaur, enhancing both your defenses and offense. It helps you recover faster in the mid-game, ensuring you stay on track with your token generation strategy.
  
• Key Considerations: The lifelink is crucial in aggro-heavy matchups where every point of life matters, but you should be cautious against decks with mass removal or removal targeting creatures, as this can disrupt your plans. Ensure you have enough bodies on board to utilize Loxodon Restorer for its convoke ability.

9. Venerated Loxodon:

• Best Against: Midrange and control decks (e.g., Golgari Midrange, Dimir Control) or decks with heavy removal (e.g., Mono-Black Control, Orzhov Control).
  
• Why: Venerated Loxodon shines when you have a strong token base, turning all your creatures into powerful threats with a big +1/+1 boost. With its convoke ability, it allows you to cast it quickly by tapping tokens and other creatures, making it an ideal play when you need to ramp up your army for a lethal attack. Venerated Loxodon can overwhelm slower decks and provide a strong finish when you're ready to push for the win, especially with its ability to turn the tide in one powerful turn.
  
• Key Considerations: Be mindful of counterspells and removal that can interrupt your convoke strategy, which can prevent Venerated Loxodon from hitting the board or clearing blockers. Timing this card for maximum effect is key—wait until you've enough creatures to make the convoke cost worth it.

When playing Emmara's Token Casino, one of the most crucial skills you can develop is the ability to quickly assess and adapt to the strategy of your opponent — ideally within the first one or two turns of the game. Whether you're facing off against a Tier 1 deck or a newer, emerging strategy, the success of your game plan depends heavily on your ability to identify your opponent's tactics early and adjust accordingly. This is especially true when it comes to how you draft from Emmara's Spellbook during the game.

• Quick Assessment: After the first few turns, determine whether your opponent is running a fast, aggressive strategy (like aggro or ramp) or a more controlling, midrange approach. Knowing this will help you decide how to manage your tokens, when to commit creatures to the board, and whether you need to focus on protection or offensive aggression.
  
• Draft Smart: Emmara's Spellbook provides a variety of useful spells to draft throughout the game. Make sure to plan your spellbook picks based on your opponent's strategy. If you're facing a ramp-heavy deck, consider drafting spells that can apply pressure, like additional token generation or powerful buffs. Against control decks, it might be wise to draft cards that offer recursion or ways to protect your board.
  
• Know the Meta: Meta decks, particularly Tier 1 and newer decks, come with their own set of strategies and threats. Being able to recognize these and adjust your tactics on the fly is vital. Emmara’s deck thrives on a fast, aggressive game, but knowing when to slow down and develop a more thoughtful plan is essential in handling a wider range of matchups.

By preparing in the early turns and adapting your game plan around the opponent’s strategy, you’ll significantly increase your chances of success. With quick thinking and careful draft choices from the Spellbook, Emmara's Token Casino can outplay just about any opponent in the meta!

• Mono-Red / Boros Burn: Life gain is key to beating Mono-Red Burn. Use cards like Hinterland Sanctifier to stabilize against their burn spells. Once stabilized, push back with your token army. When they are out of cards they often scoop while you have powerful top-decks.
  
• Selesnya Rabbits: Go wide and tall by generating a larger board with token creation. Utilize Case of the Gateway Express to overpower their bigger creatures. Surprise them with Ruby Collector for ramp and outpace their threats. Take advantage of Buxton, Decorated Host for chaos and board disruption.
  
• Izzet Otters: Otters can disrupt your plays with burn spells. Generate as many creatures as possible and trade them when necessary. Apply fast pressure to prevent them from controlling the game.
  
• Azorius Artifacts: Apply relentless pressure to overwhelm them before they can assemble their artifact synergies. Keep an eye on their key artifacts like Simulacrum Synthesizer and remove it with Conclave Tribunal or just overrun them with creatures.

• Grixis Heist: Grixis Heist decks are generally slower, but if they start heisting your deck early, they may play it better than you. Use Conclave Tribunal to reclaim key threats, or bring back your fallen creatures with Resourceful Collector to maintain pressure. With a strong start, you can outpace them.
  
• Orzhov Bats: Golden Sidekick is the biggest threat—deal with it quickly. Target Zoraline, Cosmos Caller early, as your deck lacks graveyard hate. Overrun them, forcing their bats to block and disrupting their strategy.
  
• Azorius Auras: Attack early and force them to trade inefficiently. Use Conclave Tribunal to handle problematic auras or buffed creatures, leave mana open to pay the ward cost for auras like Sheltered by Ghosts by tapping your creatures for convoke.
  
• Boros Mice: Use your token-generating abilities to flood the board early. Combine this with Case of the Gateway Express to close games quickly. Keep up the pressure and don’t let them set up their synergies.

• Orzhov Midrange: Go fast and flood the board early, try to cast Emmara fast if there is no removal in your hand to find more. Fear of Ridicule and Golden Sidekick must be handled before they deal damage. Push through Amalia Benavides Aguirre forcing a trade. They have plenty of good removal, so better trade than lose. Late game they will wipe the board, bring everything back with Raise the Past possibly including a Bloodthirsty Conqueror combo that insta-kill you.
  
• Mono-White Cats: Cats go wide, but you tend to make better trades. Use Sanguine Evangelist’s bats to fly over their creatures and keep the pressure on. Pay attention to the math and leave blockers back as needed.
  
• Orzhov Tokens: Ketramose, the New Dawn is a powerful new card, they will exile all your creatures, your enchantments and your graveyard, they also use boardwipes, so better be fast here and get a Conclave Tribunal to remove their god Ketramose.
  
• Gruul Dinosaurs: Gruul can be powerful but slower in setting up. If you get a fast start, you can outpace their larger creatures and close the game before they deploy their big threats. Stalwart Sparetail will wipes almost your entire board when attacking, so better remove him before you pass the turn back.

• Mono-White Lifegain: Use your token flood to apply aggressive pressure and outpace their lifegain. Keep your board full of creatures to avoid their lifegain triggers.
  
• Rakdos Midrange: Flood the board and use Case of the Gateway Express to keep their creatures like Imperious Lootmonger or Fear of Ridicule at bay. Outpace their aggression with your ramp and token generation.
  
• Simic Deserts: This deck should be able to easily outpace their deck, before they have accumulated enough lands to have and cast big creatures, focus on keeping some removals in hand for their very big threats like Bonny Pal, Clearcutter or Colossal Rattlewurm, just deal with Bristly Bill, Spine Sower early.

• Abzan Control: Perforator Crocodile acts as a board wipe, so don’t over-commit. Focus on non-creature permanents and maintain board presence through token generation.
  
• Abzan Deserts: This deck tries to flood the top of your library with lands. You might replace Captivating Crossroads with Fable Passage to manage your draws and play convoke spells that aren’t reliant on card draws. Alternatively, use extra lands to activate Porcelain Gallery.
  
• Azorius Enchantments: Be prepared for their enchantment-based control. Use Conclave Tribunal to deal with troublesome enchantments and apply pressure with fast token generation before they can set up their lockdown.
  
• Bloodthirsty Conqueror Combo: Acquire as many Conclave Tribunal cards as possible to disrupt their combo. Take out pieces that don’t return with Case of the Gateway Express and stop them from assembling their combo.
  
• Boros Rabbits: Go wide and tall. Use Ruby Collector to ramp and Case of the Gateway Express to close the game quickly before they can establish defense.
  
• Chorus Control: Whether they play Izzet, Grixis or even Jeskai, apply aggressive pressure to counter their setup. Attack early and don’t give them time to remove all of your creatures and later draw more cards than you can conjure. Resolute Reinforcements or even a bat from the Sanguine Evangelist combined with enchantments that buff your creatures power or a Ruby Collector from the top deck may help you deal the last points of damage even if they wipe the board every turn, so early damage is key and don't fear to trade of with their otters, your creature will die anyway on the long run.
  
• Dimir Faeries: Keep the pressure on by generating tokens quickly to stop them from executing their combos. They rely on surprise plays, so be relentless.
• Golgari Midrange with Railway Brawler: Railway Brawler is a big threat, especially in multiples, but your faster deck can generate a wider board. Apply early pressure and look for synergies like Ruby Collector or Case of the Gateway Express to stay ahead.
  
• Gruul Aggro: Gruul Aggro is fast but doesn’t typically go as wide as your deck. Your creature synergies will help you outsize their creatures and keep the tempo. Keep at least one blocker back to force them to use their resources for applying double-strike and trample every turn.
  
• Hare Apparent Tokens: Be cautious of board wipes if they play Caretaker’s Talent. Eliminate the first Hare Apparent.
  
• Izzet Double Spells: Ramp your token generation fast to overwhelm them before they can wipe the board. If you can generate tokens quickly with Knight-Errant of Eos, you can swarm them. Be aware of their Ill-Timed Explosion and try to keep key threats on the board.
  
• Mono-Black and Rakdos Heist: Flood the board with tokens and overwhelm their slower, reactive setups. Don’t be afraid of Unstoppable Slasher—generate enough blockers and buff your creatures to kill it, forcing them to recover while you keep applying pressure.
  
• Mono-Black Discard: Keep your hand full with Knight-Errant of Eos and fill the board with your creatures quickly. Their hand disruption can be troublesome, but at the time when you have an empty hand they will still have their silly discard cards in hand and draw even more of them. You will always be able to play your topdeck, hopefully cast spells from the graveyard and use your mana to pump up your team to maintain pressure.
• Mono-White Angels: Your wide board of tokens can overwhelm Angels. Keep applying pressure without overcommitting to avoid board wipes. Sanguine Evangelist's bats are particularly useful to block their flying creatures.
  
• Orzhov Lifegain: Similar to Mono-White Lifegain, keep attacking relentlessly and overwhelm them before they can gain significant life.
  
• Pixie Bounce: This deck bounces your creatures and permanents to disrupt your hand and to destroy one creature. Focus on keeping key cards like Knight-Errant of Eos and Resourceful Collector to rebuild quickly after bounces and eliminations.
  
• Orzhov Enchantments: Be cautious of their enchantments like Authority of Consuls, Fear of Ridicule, and Optimistic Scavenger, as they can lock down your convoke and ramp strategies. Use Conclave Tribunal to remove key threats and push hard, as every move must be calculated. Even with their setup, your team can still break through with careful play.
  
• Orzhov Reanimator: Apply pressure early with your tokens and use Conclave Tribunal to exile key threats before they can be reanimated from the graveyard.
  
• Simic Fear of Change: Deal with Fear of Change quickly using Conclave Tribunal. Maintain pressure to prevent them from setting up their big threats and combos.
  
• Simic Frogs: Their creature synergies can be tricky, but your wide board can help you gain an advantage. Build up a strong early lead before they can activate their Frog synergies. Use Conclave Tribunal for any key creatures causing problems.
• Simic Landfall: This deck relies on land synergies, but you can overwhelm them with creature generation. Apply constant pressure and prevent them from setting up their synergies. Mossborn Hydra usually takes 5 turns to set up, with enough pressure you might force it to trade with one of your creatures while it is tiny.
  
• Sultai Beanstalk: This deck ramps and plans to board wipe while copying powerful creatures with Doppelgang. Act quickly and aggressively to deal as much damage as possible before they can wipe the board. Focus on pushing hard in the first 3–4 turns to prevent them from stabilizing.
  
• Temur Ramp: Apply early pressure to prevent them from ramping up. Try to overwhelm them with an army before they can deploy their bigger creatures.
  
• Mono-Green Stompy: Mono-Green focuses on big creatures, but struggles against a wide token swarm. Use Ancient Imperiosaur with convoke to outsize their creatures and apply overwhelming pressure.

When piloting Emmara’s Token Casino, timing and resource management are key to mastering its strategic aggression. One of the most important tips is to be mindful of your early turns: First step is what lands to play first and when to mulligan: I usually will mulligan a hand without a green mana source and a green 1 drop. Followed by a white mana source, if there is a crossroads in hand, I always consider to play it on red for the Ruby Collector activation. Second step: knowing when to ramp up quickly with creatures like Ruby Collector or Jet Collector can make a huge difference in setting up for your explosive convoke plays. Keep an eye on your spellbook draft from Emmara, as it offers essential tools for adapting to your opponent’s strategy; drafting the right spells at the right time can be the difference between a quick win and a drawn-out struggle. Don't be afraid to commit to aggressive attacks early, especially with Emmara, Voice of the Conclave on the board—her synergy with convoke can quickly outpace an unprepared opponent.

A common challenge you’ll face is opponents trying to destroy or exile Emmara with an Oblivion Ring effect or similar enchantment removal, well it is often the most powerful creature on the board when regarding only the base stats, I usually consider Ruby Collector as the most powerful creature. However, don’t panic—this actually works in your favor! When Emmara is eliminated in this way, she can be recast from the graveyard, and Emmara's re-entry lets you access her sideboard again, allowing for a fresh draft of the most helpful spells for the situation. Additionally, if your opponent’s enchantment is destroyed, you can once again utilize Emmara's powerful synergy with convoke and token generation.

When it comes to attacking, be careful about sending Ruby Collector and Resourceful Collector into battle too early. These two creatures are key to your ramp and recursion strategy, so it’s best to keep them alive to generate their full potential. Instead, feel free to send your smaller, expendable creatures on a "kamikaze mission." Even if they don’t trade effectively, sending them in to attack unlocks the benefits from Gateway Express and lets you trigger the effects of Ruby Collector when you’ve attacked with three or more creatures that turn. Using these expendable creatures for such missions can help you maximize the value of your deck’s synergies without sacrificing your long-term game plan.

At the same time, be prepared to hold back and bluff a bit when needed: a well-timed Resourceful Collector or Jet Collector can give you the graveyard recursion you need to outlast your opponent. Lastly, never underestimate the importance of reading the board state early and adapting your approach—whether you’re trying to out-aggro an opponent or weather their oncoming storm, your ability to plan ahead will be key to keeping your opponents guessing while you take full advantage of your deck’s synergies.

The versatility of Emmara's Token Casino and its ability to adapt to a wide range of matchups make it a consistent performer in the competitive scene.
1. Scavenging Ooze

• Purpose: A solid choice against graveyard-based strategies, especially for decks like Orzhov Reanimator, Grixis Heist, and Orzhov Bats (to prevent recursion).
  
• Replacement Option: Soul-Guide Lantern – This card isn't a creature, but it can exile the entire graveyard at once or, if the graveyard isn't a major concern, it can provide you with card draw.

2. Grand Abolisher

• Purpose: Stops opponents from activating abilities during your turn, useful against combo-heavy decks like Azorius Auras, Azorius Artifacts, and Sultai Beanstalk (to disrupt spell-based synergies).
  
• Replacement Option: Doorkeeper Thrull – Although Emmara relies on enter-the-battlefield mechanics, this creature can be helpful if enter-the-battlefield triggers from creatures or vehicles become too abundant.

3. Dryad Militant

• Purpose: A great hate card against graveyard strategies and decks that rely on spells or recursion, such as Grixis Heist or Mono-Black Discard.
  
• Replacement Option: Sorcerous Spyglass – If cards like The Aetherspark (or other key vehicle/artifact pieces) become prominent, this card can shut them down and slow down opponents effectively.

4. Agatha's Soul Cauldron

• Purpose: Useful for gaining synergy with graveyard-based decks, allowing you to copy abilities from the graveyard. It’s particularly good in matchups where creatures are critical, like Orzhov Reanimator and Mono-White Angels.
  
• Replacement Option: Monument to Endurance – A testable card against slower discard decks. It can immediately replace discarded cards, though this isn’t ideal for decks without strong synergy in graveyard interaction.

5. Insidious Fungus

• Purpose: A general tool against enchantment-heavy strategies, such as Azorius Enchantments or Orzhov Enchantments. It also works well against token decks or anything dependent on board-wide buffs.
  
• Replacement Option: Porcine Portent – Offers a terminal solution to creature threats and, later on, provides removal for artifacts or enchantments by conjuring a First Little Pig on the battlefield. If the meta becomes grindier with longer games, this card would be ideal.

6. Ghost Vacuum

• Purpose: Deals with graveyard decks and recursion strategies like Orzhov Reanimator and Sultai Beanstalk.
  
• Replacement Option: Dauntless Dismantler – If graveyard hate is no longer necessary in abundance and vehicles are more prominent, artifact hate might be the better option.

7. Crystal Barricade

• Purpose: Offers an early defensive tool, especially useful against aggro decks like Rakdos Aggro, Mono-Red Burn, or Boros Mice. It’s a solid blocker against smaller creatures and helps protect you early in the game.
  
• Replacement Option: Tenth District Hero – If board wipes become more common in the meta, this card can help save your board and offer resilience.

8. Authority of the Consuls

• Purpose: Key against aggro decks with fast creature-based strategies (e.g., Mono-Red Burn and Rakdos Aggro), as it taps creatures when they enter the battlefield, buying you time.
  
• Replacement Option: Rest in Peace – Useful in artifact-based metas to shut down graveyard synergies that rely on recursion, such as Izzet Double Spells or artifact vehicle synergies.

9. Kutzil's Flanker

• Purpose: A counter to attacking creatures, especially against midrange or aggro strategies that rely on attacking, such as Mono-White Angels or Rakdos Aggro. Its first strike and deathtouch abilities can often turn the tide.
  
• Replacement Option: Sun-Blessed Healer – Could be useful against discard decks, helping you recover your graveyard if your hand gets emptied.

10. Jadelight Spelunker

• Purpose: Great for card advantage and digging for threats in slower games. Works well in decks that need to set up powerful plays or want more flexibility.
  
• Replacement Option: Zoraline, Cosmos Caller – Useful against discard decks without graveyard hate. It can also generate small amounts of life gain, which can be crucial in prolonged games.

11. High Noon

• Purpose: A card chosen to disrupt prowess or convoke decks, ensuring they don’t go off too easily. It’s also a strategic choice against decks that try to ramp up to five mana sources or go wide with token strategies.
  
• Replacement Option: Sunspine Lynx – If the meta becomes overrun with lifegain decks, this card may help win the late game with its lifegain interaction.

12. The Wandering Rescuer

• Purpose: A solid combat trick or defensive tool, especially against decks like Mono-White Lifegain or Sultai Beanstalk, where the opponent might try to stabilize.
  
• Replacement Option: Honest Rutstein – Provides extra graveyard recursion against discard or single-target removal decks, helping you recover lost cards.

13. Insidious Fungus (Duplicate)

• Purpose: Same as the first copy — doubles down on dealing with enchantment-heavy strategies and swarm decks.
  
• Replacement Option: Deconstruction Hammer – This card allows you to destroy artifacts and enchantments even after creatures have been wiped from the board. It’s useful when opponents try to rebuild with powerful artifacts like Omniscience.

14. Anthem of Champions (2x)

• Purpose: Boosts your token army, making it harder for opponents to out-size you, especially against decks that rely on creatures like Mono-White Cats or Rakdos Aggro.
  
• Replacement Option: Valiant Batrider – Useful against discard or burn decks, as it can help refill your hand and provide additional threats.

Building Emmara’s Token Casino can be an exciting challenge, but it’s important to be strategic with your wildcards, especially now that mythic wildcards have become much rarer due to the introduction of special guest cards and list cards. Here’s a guide to help you make the most of your wildcards and give you alternative options if you can’t craft the full set.

Buxton, Decorated Host
Buxton is a key card for generating random threats, keeping your opponent on their toes. The randomness of Buxton’s ability works in your favor, especially when you need to diversify your threats on the battlefield. You’ll want 2-3 copies of Buxton, depending on your availability of mythic wildcards.
Replacement: There’s no true replacement for Buxton, but more Sanguine Evangelist or Jet Collector could be used as more reliable, though less explosive, alternatives for maintaining battlefield pressure. Samut, the Driving Force from the new Aetherdrift set may replace the five drop if a faster ramp strategy is chosen.

Dollmaker's Shop / Porcelain Gallery
This is an essential card for closing games. Porcelain Gallery amplifies the power of your tokens, and Dollmaker's Shop is a vital card that enables token generation and eventual wins. Porcelain Gallery specifically should be considered a must-craft for this deck.
Replacement: There is no real replacement for Porcelain Gallery, but in case you can’t craft it, try leaning on other cards that buff your team stats including their toughness like Anthem of Champions or Warleader's Call.

Solitary Study / Endless Corridor
Solitary Study provides valuable utility, allowing your creatures to gain power or even first strike, but it isn’t crucial to your game plan. If you can’t get your hands on this card, you can play without it without major loss to your strategy.
Replacement: Try adding Collector's Cage or Burrowguard Mentor for added power, but don’t stress too much if you can’t craft Solitary Study right away.

Emmara, Voice of the Conclave
Emmara is the centerpiece of the deck, enabling state-dependent answer machines and synergy with the rest of the deck’s mechanics. You’ll need 3 copies of Emmara to ensure you can always access her when needed.
Replacement: There is no real replacement for Emmara, but if you need to build around something else for a while, you might try Verdant Dread, though that probably would drift you into another deck archetype.

Resourceful Collector
The Resourceful Collector offers graveyard recursion, bringing back key cards like Emmara or Buxton when needed. It’s a must-have at least once, though a second copy can be swapped out for another option.
Replacement: If you’re short on Resourceful Collector, consider adding another Jet Collector, which offers ramp and recursion, or any other utility creature that supports your graveyard synergy.

Sanguine Evangelist
Sanguine Evangelist is essential for creating tokens and bolstering your board presence. It helps fill the battlefield and power up the team when attacking.
Replacement: If you need to cut back, consider replacing one copy of Sanguine Evangelist with Resolute Reinforcements for generating tokens. However, Sanguine Evangelist is a great core piece, so I’d keep at least two copies.

Jet Collector
Jet Collector helps with ramp and recursion, making it very valuable for long-term games.
Replacement: If you can’t craft Jet Collector, Resourceful Collector serves as a functional replacement for recursion and utility.

Pawpatch Recruit
While Pawpatch Recruit can be effective, especially in games where burn or removal spells are prevalent, it’s not a must-have.
Replacement: Consider adding a green 1-drop (like Llanowar Elves) to help with ramp, or other small creatures that help with your early-game setup.

Mistbreath Elder
Mistbreath Elder is a utility card that’s nice to have, but it can be swapped out if needed.
Replacement: A green 1-drop creature, such as Cenote Scout, could fill in for Mistbreath Elder, especially if you’re looking for more consistent early-game plays.

District Mascot
District Mascot is an impactful creature, helping with convoke and artifact removal, as well as free tapping of your creatures for Buxton, but it can be replaced by other impactful creatures or even an additional copy of Buxton.
Replacement: Consider adding more copies of Buxton, Decorated Host, permanent removals like Insidious Fungus or Voracious Varmint, or other synergy-based cards like Resolute Reinforcements for more instant-speed creature generation.

Ruby Collector
Ruby Collector is essential for ramping up your strategy, and 3 copies are needed to ensure consistent acceleration and synergy with your convoke cards.
Replacement: If needed, replace the extra copy with a card that buffs the team or accelerates the game, like Anthem of Champions or Warleader's Call.

Rare Lands
Rare lands are important to ensure you can access the correct mana consistently. Tapped lands slow down your deck’s explosive start, so crafting the full set of rare lands is highly recommended.
Replacement: If you can’t get them all, prioritize Selesnya and Boros lands, but you may have to rely on basic lands or slower tapped lands in the short term.

Mythic Wildcards should be used on Buxton, Decorated Host (2-3 copies) and Dollmaker's Shop / Porcelain Gallery (crucial). These cards define the deck and its strategy.
Rare Wildcards should be spent on Emmara, Voice of the Conclave (at least 3 copies) and Sanguine Evangelist (2 copies). Cards like Solitary Study / Endless Corridor and Pawpatch Recruit are nice but can be replaced if necessary.

If you're low on common and uncommon wildcards, it’s better to reconsider playing Naya Convoke in Alchemy until you can gather more resources. These cards form the backbone of the deck and are crucial for a fast, aggressive strategy.

If you’re a player who enjoys the thrill of fast-paced, aggressive gameplay with a strategic layer of planning, this deck is for you! Here’s who would excel at the challenge of mastering this deck:

• Aggro Lovers: If you enjoy getting in your opponent's face early and often, then you’ll love this deck. The token generation and rapid creature deployment will appeal to anyone who enjoys an overwhelming offensive.
  
• Strategic Tacticians: While the deck’s speed is important, knowing when to craft your game plan and recover after a board wipe is crucial. If you love finding creative ways to turn the tide of battle, this deck will test your strategic prowess.
  
• Graveyard Enthusiasts: If you appreciate the art of graveyard recursion, bringing back key creatures like Emmara or Buxton as a food artifact from the grave is something you’ll master in no time. This deck is for players who understand the power of a well-timed graveyard comeback.
  
• Drafting Pros: If you’re into spellbook drafting, Emmara’s Token Casino rewards those who can choose the right cards for the right situation. Drafting wisely for the deck’s synergy can lead to explosive plays and game-winning combos.

Many players, especially those who started with paper MTG cards, dislike the Alchemy format. If you're already feeling negative about it, it's best not to invest in the format. If you think Alchemy players have no skill or that the digital cards are worthless, it might not be for you. Personally, after holding Standard cards for over three years in the format and seeing cards without fixed rotation dates introduced, it felt like it ruined the format I once loved. The release of Modern Horizons III cards made my Historic experience worse than Alchemy cards did. Since I don't plan on playing the same decks on Arena and in paper, I'm fine with enjoying the fastest rotating format on the platform. I always play as many Alchemy drafts as I can in the short time they are available, I can pick up much more rare and mythic cards for Standard and Alchemy doing that, and I buy the 20 Alchemy packs plus 2 gold packs for 15000 gold, the best booster pack deal there is on Arena.



Who Might Struggle with Emmara's Token Casino?
While this deck is fun and rewarding, it’s not for everyone. Here’s who might have a harder time with it:

• Control Seekers: If you prefer a slow, methodical game where you control every aspect of the battlefield and make your opponent sweat every turn, this deck will probably frustrate you. Emmara’s Token Casino is all about speed and overwhelming your opponent with sheer numbers, not controlling the game through counterspells or big removals.
  
• Passive Players: If you’re not keen on jumping into the fray and prefer to play more defensively or reactively, this deck may not be your style. With its focus on aggression and maintaining pressure, it’s designed for players who don’t mind taking the initiative and dealing damage quickly.
  
• Non-Graveyard Fans: Players who dislike graveyard recursion mechanics or prefer to avoid the graveyard altogether might find this deck a bit too “reliant” on bringing back key pieces. If graveyard-based play isn’t your thing, you might be better off looking for something more straightforward.
  
• Puzzle-averse Players: Emmara’s Token Casino requires some tactical thinking and foresight, especially when it comes to drafting and making the right decisions during play. If you prefer a deck that’s more simple and less focused on strategy, this may not be the deck you’re looking for and you should keep playing your mono-red mouse deck.

In MTG Arena, the matchmaking system is designed to create fair and engaging games, though it's important to understand how the hand-smoothing and matchmaking processes work to dispel any myths about the game being "rigged." Every player, whether free-to-play or a paying customer, experiences the same core mechanics of deck building, card shuffling, and matchmaking.

The matchmaking system is built to pair players based on their rank and overall deck strength, which means that your opponent’s skill and deck quality are often similar to yours. This ensures that games are competitive, providing a better overall experience for both casual and ranked players. While it can sometimes feel like you’re on a streak of wins or losses, this is a natural consequence of the system's design and is influenced by the deck you’re playing, the meta, and your own game decisions.

Consider playing a stretch of matches in a row, as the matchmaker will try to not match you up against an opponent you already played recently, so you may get some lower ranked players, especially I have the feeling that between 10 PM CST and 1 AM CST is the best time to play ranked matches, so then I will play after a draft game or two ranked Alchemy matches.
To profit from the matchmaking system further, use a low-competitive Artisan deck to collect losses at the bottom of Platinum or Diamond ranks for the Admirably Artisan achievement. Build a deck with no rare or mythic cards, and play 30 games in Historic mode, probably losing more matches than you win. While you won’t drop from the bottom of these ranks, your matchmaking score will be lower, allowing you to face less challenging opponents. This helps you rank up more easily through Platinum and Diamond.
However, use this strategy responsibly to avoid negatively affecting others' experience. Keep in mind that this approach might prevent you from reaching 'numbered' ranks in Mythic, so if you aim for Championships qualifiers, focus on winning as much as possible. That’s why I prefer sticking with the deck I know best.

As for the "shuffler"—a term some players use when they feel that their draws are too consistent or inconsistent—it’s important to understand how MTG Arena handles card drawing. The system incorporates a "hand-smoothing" process that ensures you don’t get a completely unplayable hand, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always draw the cards you need. The design that was communicated is simple, the system draws three hands and the one with the land-to-spell ratio closest to the ratio in the deck is given to the players for the mulligan decision, of course that is only in best-of-one matches and not in best-of-thre. It’s a designed feature that ensures players experience challenging yet fair games. The randomness of your draws can still lead to a mix of results: you can have great runs of good draws, and then unfortunate streaks where things don’t align perfectly. However, this doesn’t imply that the game is "rigged"—it's just the natural variation of card games and deck construction.

A deck like Emmara's Token Casino profits from the hand-smoother by having less land than you would pack in for a paper-tournament, we try to balanced that out with four copies of Cenote Scout that can already draw an extra land on turn one. Playing with this deck can indeed lead to a series of wins and losses. This reflects the challenge of the deck—its success largely depends on how you leverage its synergies, adapt to the meta, and adjust to what your opponent is doing. MTG Arena is designed to give players a balanced experience, whether you're climbing the ladder or casually playing in the lower ranks.

For players looking to maximize rewards, a deck with a solid 60% win rate can easily earn gold and pack rewards in Alchemy events. By entering Best-of-One Alchemy events, you’ll be able to collect rewards like Alchemy booster packs and gold, which can help you keep building your collection. Additionally, when you've collected all the rares from a specific Alchemy set, you’ll automatically receive rares from the corresponding set instead of gems, which is different from how it works in standard sets where you get gems when all the rares are collected. This means that by focusing on completing specific sets, you can optimize your rewards and get the cards you need more efficiently.

The important takeaway is that your performance in MTG Arena isn’t determined by whether you pay to play or what rank you're at—it’s more about how you understand the game, your deck's strategy, and how well you adapt to what the game throws at you. Consistency, strategy, and the ability to adapt are what ultimately matter most. The matchmaker and hand-smoothing features work together to provide a fair and enjoyable experience, regardless of your position on the ladder or your investment in the game.

Playing Emmara’s Token Casino not only gives you the thrill of intense strategic gameplay, but it also helps you unlock various MTG Arena achievements. Here are some of the achievements you can earn while playing this deck:

• Taste of Power: Easily unlocked by casting either Mox Ruby or Mox Jet, conjured by Ruby Collector or Jet Collector. This is a great achievement to aim for while ramping up your mana for a bigger play.
  
• Fighting and Biting: This achievement can be unlocked when you use Case of Gateway Express on a full battlefield. Time to fill up your board and get those creatures biting!
  
• No, Bigger Than That: A fun achievement to unlock by attacking with an Ancient Imperiosaur that has its power boosted by other synergies in your deck. Let the big dinos hit hard!
  
• Battalion Tactics: Achieved by attacking with three or more creatures in a single turn. With all your creature generation, this one will come naturally during your games.
  
• Small Power, Big Heart: Earned by having small creatures entering the battlefield. With all the 1-drop creatures and token generation in your deck, this achievement will be unlocked in no time.
  
• Alchemical Mage I-III: Unlocked by playing in Alchemy format games. This is where your Naya Convoke deck truly shines in a format full of flexibility.
  
• Constructed Conqueror I-III: Reached by climbing the ranks in Constructed mode, from Platinum to Mythic rank. This deck is fast, aggressive, and powerful enough to help you claim victory in these high-stakes matches!

As you dive into the exciting world of Emmara's Token Casino, you’ll not only gain thrilling victories but also unlock a host of achievements. Keep an eye on your progress as you go — you might just surprise yourself with how many you can grab along the way!

Emmara's Token Casino stands out as one of my favorite decks for several reasons:

• High Winrate: The speed and consistency of this deck make it a reliable choice, especially at higher levels of play. With an average game duration of 4 minutes and a winrate of 64% it is better suited for a quick rank up than a grinding control deck with 75% winrate, that needs 30 minutes to finish the game.
  
  
• Versatility: The deck is adaptable, allowing you to recover quickly from board wipes or setbacks and applying pressure for the final blow of damage.
  
  
• Consistent Aggression: With its combination of creature generation, ramp, and recursion, the deck is always on the offensive, keeping opponents on the back foot. There is plenty of card advantage, mana-sinks to pump the whole team of creatures and finisher bombs to end the game in one turn with enough creatures on board.

If you enjoy fast-paced gameplay, strategic planning, and overwhelming your opponent with an army of creatures (because let’s face it, who doesn't love an army of adorable little battle-hungry critters?), Emmara's Token Casino is a deck that delivers on all fronts. Its aggressive strategy, synergy-driven engine, and flexibility make it a formidable contender in this format—and a deck that’s as fun to play as it is to watch your opponent frantically scramble.

Emmara’s Token Casino is one of the most exciting and rewarding decks in Alchemy, with unmatched speed, synergy, and unpredictability. By combining token generation with powerful synergies and recursion, this deck provides both a consistent win condition and the ability to come back from tough situations. Whether you're climbing the ladder or facing off against friends, this deck will keep you on your toes—and probably your opponent, too.


Hey everyone! If you're enjoying the content, be sure to follow and support me on my Twitch stream at https://www.twitch.tv/maraton42 ! I stream regularly, showcasing a variety of exciting games, including card games, strategy, and much more. Your support means the world to me and helps keep the channel growing. Whether you’re here to chat, learn some new strategies, or just enjoy the vibes, there’s a place for you in the community.
Also, if you're curious about how Emmara’s Token Casino performs in real-time, you can check out my deck’s performance on Untapped profile https://mtga.untapped.gg/profile/93847b09-1e35-4c72-8c8b-a35aaac8a349/ZOG4HCKY25BTPHKRR7N2OILBLM/deck/5dc4c8f4-d5e7-46e4-b1ad-4546768ad2a9. Feel free to dive into the stats, and see how it stacks up in the current meta.

About
Emmara's Token Casino

Deck
1 Solitary Study // Endless Corridor (Y25) 4
1 Dollmaker's Shop // Porcelain Gallery (DSK) 4
2 Resolute Reinforcements (FDN) 145
4 Case of the Gateway Express (MKM) 8
1 Pawpatch Recruit (BLB) 187
1 Mistbreath Elder (BLB) 184
3 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
1 Insidious Fungus (DSK) 186
4 Cenote Scout (LCI) 178
2 Resourceful Collector (Y25) 29
1 Jet Collector (Y24) 18
1 Fountainport Charmer (Y25) 17
4 Ruby Collector (Y24) 3
4 Llanowar Elves (FDN) 227
1 Hinterland Sanctifier (FDN) 730
3 Buxton, Decorated Host (Y25) 21
4 Emmara, Voice of the Conclave (Y24) 22
4 Forest (J25) 95
5 Plains (J25) 83
4 Hushwood Verge (DSK) 261
4 Captivating Crossroads (Y24) 29
3 Inspiring Vantage (OTJ) 269
1 District Mascot (DFT) 158
1 Sunbillow Verge (DFT) 264

Sideboard
1 Dryad Militant (FDN) 656
1 Insidious Fungus (DSK) 186
1 Crystal Barricade (FDN) 7
1 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
1 Scavenging Ooze (FDN) 232
1 Ghost Vacuum (DSK) 248
1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron (WOE) 242
1 The Wandering Rescuer (DSK) 41
1 Insidious Fungus (DSK) 186
1 Kutzil's Flanker (LCI) 20
1 Authority of the Consuls (KLR) 9
1 High Noon (OTJ) 15
2 Anthem of Champions (FDN) 116
1 Jadelight Spelunker (LCI) 196

The previous version of Emmara's Token Casino performed exceptionally well, establishing itself as a strong contender in many formats with its powerful synergy and fast, aggressive gameplay. However, as the meta continues to evolve and new deck strategies emerge, it became clear that some tweaks were necessary to stay competitive. This updated list reflects those adjustments, ensuring that Emmara's Token Casino remains a force to be reckoned with, adapting to the ever-changing landscape while maintaining its core strength.


Deck
1 Mistbreath Elder (BLB) 184
4 Cenote Scout (LCI) 178
1 Pawpatch Recruit (BLB) 187
4 Llanowar Elves (FDN) 227
4 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
4 Hushwood Verge (DSK) 261
3 Ruby Collector (Y24) 3
4 Inspiring Vantage (OTJ) 269
2 Resourceful Collector (Y25) 29
4 Captivating Crossroads (Y24) 29
1 Jet Collector (Y24) 18
1 Hinterland Sanctifier (FDN) 730
4 Resolute Reinforcements (DMU) 29
4 Case of the Gateway Express (MKM) 8
4 Emmara, Voice of the Conclave (Y24) 22
1 Dollmaker's Shop // Porcelain Gallery (DSK) 4
3 Buxton, Decorated Host (Y25) 21
4 Forest (DMU) 274
2 Novice Inspector (MKM) 29
5 Plains (DMU) 264

Sideboard
1 The Wandering Rescuer (DSK) 41
1 Cathar Commando (FDN) 139
1 Insidious Fungus (DSK) 186
1 Ghost Vacuum (DSK) 248
1 Aven Interrupter (OTJ) 4
1 Norin, Swift Survivalist (DSK) 145
1 Scavenging Ooze (M21) 204
1 Cathar Commando (FDN) 139
2 Insidious Fungus (DSK) 186
1 Ghost Vacuum (DSK) 248
1 Aven Interrupter (OTJ) 4
1 Kutzil's Flanker (LCI) 20
1 Scavenging Ooze (FDN) 232
1 Porcine Portent (Y24) 23