[Deck] GW/x Maverick

[DudeItsCorey]

Hello Maverick players,

I have not posted in a few months, however I am still actively playing Punishing Dark Maverick in 2015 and I'm still hooked. I have a million questions for the forum on the deck, however, I'll keep it small for now.

First, how have players felt about Scryb Ranger as of RECENTLY. This card hasn't caught my attention until I seen Delver, Stifle and Wasteland decks get more play since Treasure Cruise got banned.

Next I would like discuss the inclusion of SFM and Batterskull for decks. Personally on Punishing Maverick I've enjoyed 2x Jitte more than SFM, however, delver decks make SFM more appealing to me. Do you think 2x Jitte is underwhelming in a meta full of delver decks, elves and Miracles. SFM is clunky in my deck, however, using cards like Scryb Ranger may be even worse for me.

Now I would like to discuss Pyroblast in a maverick decks sideboard. This card seems attractive to me for a variety of reasons, however, it's not the kind of Haymaker sideboard card I'm used to like Choke. Currently my board has 1x choke (2x Etutors) and 2 pyroblast for general blue hate. Does Pyroblast seem like a good choice, or it's it's efficiency and power less desirable than a game-ending card.

Lastly I have an Abzan build in mind where I don't use DD/Stage or Maze of Ith and use Yavamaya Hallow and Cavern of Souls tech instead. It's been fun, but I haven't tested it like Pun Mav so I'm not 100% confident on build. Has anyone tested some cool lands as Tech and does anyone think stupid Siege Rhino could fit the aggressive build like my friend has been suggesting to me. The direct damage and life swing are how he makes his argument for a single Rhino, but it seems painfully average to me when you could probably get a knight and win.

Thanks for reading. I really appreciate feedback. Been playing Pun Dark Mav constantly since 2013 and only know so many ppl who can help me play this archetype.

I don't know anything about Punishing Maverick. However, I would include Red Elemental Blast (can't be redirected to non-blue permanents and thus fizzled) as you need some sort of answer to combo since you're not running Thalia.

Siege Rhino is too overcosted to only get swords to plowshare or sacked from Liliana. The six point life swing and that it has trample is nice, but I am a huge advocate for Sigarda for that finisher spot. As far as utility lands are concerned, I am also a huge fan of Maze of Ith. Maze synergizes very well with your knights, can give your creatures vigilance, and can also act as a quasi-removal. They have been very helpful at stalling fast paced tempo decks until I get either a Jitte or SoFi. A lot of people advocate for Cradle as well. Which is very good at helping cast equipment and equipping it on the same turn, gunning down graveyards with Scavenging Ooze, etc.

I am not a fan of Batterskull. I have run it in the past and it's great against Miracles, Burn (if it can stick) and provides many free wins. However, you will need to up your Stoneforge Mystic count if you really want it in your deck. I find that grabbing a Jitte or a Sofi and equipping it to a Knight has better results that getting a batterskull and it being stuck in my hand because the stoneforge mystic didn't stick.

[iamajellydonut]

However, I would include Red Elemental Blast (can't be redirected to non-blue permanents and thus fizzled)

You can redirect a Red Elemental Blast with Misdirection and have it target the Misdirection, which is basically the same thing as aborting a Pyroblast into the sea.

[Strassbaw]

Here is my 75 with Scryb and no SFM:


-- punishing maverick--

21 Creatures:

Mother of runes 4
Knight of the reliquary 4
Deathrite shaman 3
Gaddock teeg 2
Scavenging ooze 2
Qasali pridemage 2
Scryb ranger 1
Noble hiarch 1
Birds of paradise 1
Dryad arbor 1

15 Non-Creature spells:

Green Sun's Zenith 4
Swords to plowshares 4
Punishing fire 4
Umezawa's jitte 2
Life from the loam 1

Lands 24

Forest 1
Plateau 1
Savanna 2
Taiga 2
Bayou 1
Grove of the burnwillows 3
Horizon canopy 1
Wasteland 3
Karakas 1
Wooded foothills 3
Windswept Heath 4
Thespian stage 1
Dark depths 1


E-turor board:
Pyroblast 2
Enlightened tutor 2
Choke 1
Etherswon canonist 1
Pithing needle 1
Phyrexian revoker 1
Engineered plague 1
Null Rod 1
Engineered explosives 1
Grafdiggers cage 1
Oblivion ring 1
Reclamation sage 1
Bajaku bog 1

I don't know anything about Punishing Maverick. However, I would include Red Elemental Blast (can't be redirected to non-blue permanents and thus fizzled) as you need some sort of answer to combo since you're not running Thalia.

Siege Rhino is too overcosted to only get swords to plowshare or sacked from Liliana. The six point life swing and that it has trample is nice, but I am a huge advocate for Sigarda for that finisher spot. As far as utility lands are concerned, I am also a huge fan of Maze of Ith. Maze synergizes very well with your knights, can give your creatures vigilance, and can also act as a quasi-removal. They have been very helpful at stalling fast paced tempo decks until I get either a Jitte or SoFi. A lot of people advocate for Cradle as well. Which is very good at helping cast equipment and equipping it on the same turn, gunning down graveyards with Scavenging Ooze, etc.

I am not a fan of Batterskull. I have run it in the past and it's great against Miracles, Burn (if it can stick) and provides many free wins. However, you will need to up your Stoneforge Mystic count if you really want it in your deck. I find that grabbing a Jitte or a Sofi and equipping it to a Knight has better results that getting a batterskull and it being stuck in my hand because the stoneforge mystic didn't stick.

I run 3 DRS and 1 Bayou, so Pyroblast is the card I'll be playing Game 2. With that being said, do you recommend this card for Maverick as a sideboard option?


I don't like SFM in my maverick decks very much. In Punishing Dark Maverick I've preferred the 2x Jitte as I didn't much love Batterskull, and not running Batterskull with SFM always feels a bit funny.

[Koby]

You can redirect a Red Elemental Blast with Misdirection and have it target the Misdirection, which is basically the same thing as aborting a Pyroblast into the sea.

Hmm, nope. You cannot redirect REB with mode "destroy target blue permanent" to a spell.

[iamajellydonut]

Hmm, nope. You cannot redirect REB with mode "destroy target blue permanent" to a spell.

I was thinking in the narrow scope of counterspells. You are correct, sah.


Anyway, I've been grinding and bumping with Collected Company for the past few days now, and the results are in... It's impossible to run enough creatures to make hitting two guaranteed. I shaved away as much as possible (no more equipment or Decays and lowered the GSZ count), but you still can't get low enough in non-creature spell count to make Collected Company always hit.

Don't get me wrong, even hitting the two weakest creatures is still amazing, but when you hit only one creature (or no creatures), its value drops too sharply to make it worthwhile. I longingly await the day when Magus of the Plowshares finally gets printed. :(

[DudeItsCorey]

I was thinking in the narrow scope of counterspells. You are correct, sah.


Anyway, I've been grinding and bumping with Collected Company for the past few days now, and the results are in... It's impossible to run enough creatures to make hitting two guaranteed. I shaved away as much as possible (no more equipment or Decays and lowered the GSZ count), but you still can't get low enough in non-creature spell count to make Collected Company always hit.

Don't get me wrong, even hitting the two weakest creatures is still amazing, but when you hit only one creature (or no creatures), its value drops too sharply to make it worthwhile. I longingly await the day when Magus of the Plowshares finally gets printed. :(

That's why I'm thinking a Bant Blade list would be the best shell. Using Brainstorm or Jace the Mind Sculpture to set up Collected Company.

[iamajellydonut]

That's why I'm thinking a Bant Blade list would be the best shell. Using Brainstorm or Jace the Mind Sculpture to set up Collected Company.

If you get to the point where you're trying to use Jace to set up insignificant combos, you're probably just better off finding another idea.

[DudeItsCorey]

If you get to the point where you're trying to use Jace to set up insignificant combos, you're probably just better off finding another idea.

Well, what I'm saying is that brainstorming with Jace is common and if you have collected company and say a TNN/Knight with a Stoneforge mystic in your hand that you put back on top, that seems pretty synergistic to me. You're going to play all 4 of those cards in your list, so why not include Collected Company?

[ironclad8690]

MOST seems like a fun shell for collected company, perhaps if we take inspiration from those kinds of lists:


4 Noble Hierarch
4 Fauna Shaman
4 Mother of Runes
3 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Deathrite Shaman
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Skylasher
2 Scryb Ranger
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Sublime Archangel
1 Rafiq of the Many
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Peacekeeper
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Dryad Arbor

4 Green Sun's Zenith
3 Collected Company

2 Forest
1 Plains
3 Wasteland
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath

Sideboard:
4 Rest in Peace
4 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Null Rod
2 Pithing Needle
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Gaddock Teeg


Skylasher is Delver protection, the rest of the creatures are pretty typical except for Rafiq and Sublime Archangel which are cool to have as finishers in an otherwise underpowered list.

[Cambriel]

What are people's thoughts on Dromoka's Command? It's cheap and pretty flexible, but none of the modes are really a knockout. Still, being able to fight a Knight vs. pretty much anything in the format not named Emrakul or Marit Lage is pretty spiffy.

Does it measure up? Is there a slot that it can take without negatively impacting everything else?

[iamajellydonut]

What are people's thoughts on Dromoka's Command?

It's fucking awful.

"Being flexible" isn't worth a damn when all of the modes are useless. Including the fight option. Why bother comboing Knight of the Reliquary with Dromoka's Command into a 360 kickflip when you can just cast a Terror effect and get it done with?

[Cambriel]

It's fucking awful.

"Being flexible" isn't worth a damn when all of the modes are useless. Including the fight option. Why bother comboing Knight of the Reliquary with Dromoka's Command into a 360 kickflip when you can just cast a Terror effect and get it done with?

Because being flexible isn't actually useless, IMO. Sure, if you need a creature dead you just Swords it. But a STP rotting in your hand won't stop an Abyss, Moat, Counterbalance, or Blood Moon from ruining your day, and while it might let you survive a Price of Progress, it'll cost your Knight to do it.

I'm not sure I like it as a main deck card, but I also don't want to underestimate the various corner cases where it solves a problem for us that our normal 60 won't. I definitely think it provides more than Collected Company to the "standard" Maverick list we have right now.

[iamajellydonut]

Because being flexible isn't actually useless, IMO. Sure, if you need a creature dead you just Swords it. But a STP rotting in your hand won't stop an Abyss, Moat, Counterbalance, or Blood Moon from ruining your day, and while it might let you survive a Price of Progress, it'll cost your Knight to do it.

I'm not sure I like it as a main deck card, but I also don't want to underestimate the various corner cases where it solves a problem for us that our normal 60 won't. I definitely think it provides more than Collected Company to the "standard" Maverick list we have right now.

If you're truly worried about versatility regarding crap like Moat, just run Maelstrom Pulse.

[Cambriel]

If you're truly worried about versatility regarding crap like Moat, just run Maelstrom Pulse.

Fair point, even if I tend to favor Vindicate over Maelstrom Pulse for the corner scenario where hitting land can support our mana denial strategy.

I guess I see Dromoka's more as an anti-Burn card that has usefulness in other matches. I can easily see the following scenarios, all of them 2-for-1s:

1. Prevent damage from Price of Progress / sacrifice an enchantment (Eidolon).
2. Prevent damage / fight Goblin Guide.
3. +1 counter on Deathrite / fight Goblin Guide after trigger.
4. Pro color from Mom / block one threat, fight another.

[Benke]

I also saw some potential in Dromoka's Command when it first was revealed, but when you break it down you'll realize that it's too narrow for the sideboard.
The first obvious use would be against burn heavy decks. Since the banning of TC, they are not that prevalent anymore. I also don't believe we need any dedicated sideboard against the traditional mono red burn. We have deathrites, ooze, SFM and thalia mainboard which all are headaches for the burn player.
Problematic enchantments (all exept humility which doesn't see play anyways) are easily dealt with using Pridemage. I would advocate that anything less than 2 QP in GWb maverick is wrong.

Regarding Collected Company - I don't see it fitting in the current Maverick build(s). I think the card has great potential (in a BANT shell without Thalia and cheap counters for example), or a completely different GW/x build. We simply just can't afford to pay 4 mana (or 5 when thalia is taxing us) for an instant without any garantuees. GSZ finds us the specific tool we need for the current situation, which is worth more than (at most) 2 random pieces. Quality>Quantity in a silver bullet type of deck.

Played in my local store yesterday ending up 3-1 (about 25ppl playing).
Goblins (2-0)
Burn (2-0)
Miracles (1-2)
UB Omnitell (2-1)

Still have a hard time dealing with miracles. The game I won I established the Safekeeper-Teeg-mom-thalia-choke lock (feels so god damn good against a deck like Miracles that usually lock you out with CB/top ) and prayed he wouldn't find Councils Judgement, which he didn't.

How do you guys handle Miracles? Play conservative or try to overrun with creatures hoping he won't find terminus? I board in 2x Choke, 2x Pithing Needle, 1x Gaddok Teeg in that matchup.

[Cambriel]

How do you guys handle Miracles? Play conservative or try to overrun with creatures hoping he won't find terminus? I board in 2x Choke, 2x Pithing Needle, 1x Gaddok Teeg in that matchup.

Slam Teeg as fast as possible and try to press the advantage to get underneath them. I've also had some success with Bitterblossom since none of their removal matches up against it very well and they don't present much of a clock of their own. Watch out for angels, but that's what Teeg is for.

Choke is extremely high variance for me. I don't think it has ever won me a game that I wasn't already ahead.

[hartigan]

How do you guys handle Miracles?

My best games against Miracles have always involved Gaddock Teeg and Mother of Runes, seems obvious but it's really difficult for them to beat that.

Throw in a Thalia as well and you've got yourself a pretty hateful board state right there.

I'd say its only safe to start committing if you are 100% sure they won't be able to cast a Terminus and blow you out... eg Mother + Teeg in play, probably safe to commit say... a Knight to the board and start beating.

Sword or Fire and Ice is also really useful when you are working with just a Teeg as it helps you clock them as well as draw cards in case the worst happens you can recover with some speed.

I bring in a second Teeg because it's a sweet hoser, and my one Choke because even though it sometimes does nothing good god can that card punish. I also bring in 2x Oblivion Ring sometimes, Jace can be a pain... then again, Teeg rules.

[Cambriel]

Biggest issue with Choke vs Miracles is that it's so hard to tap them out. They do a lot at instant speed, and you're not going to catch them tapped out unless they're rushing out a Jace or a bunch of angels.

Teeg, Mom, Thalia is unquestionably the worst board state for them to beat. I think you can also shave a Wasteland in that match since they run so many basics.

[Warden]

As others are saying, Teeg is the main X-factor.

Other lesser-played-but-equally-important points (in no particular order):
1. Mom + Teeg is your go-to.
2. Don't blindly swing with Teeg if they have 2 or more lands untapped. Good lists/pilots will bring in Snapcaster/Clique/Venser to flash-block your man. #awkward. Even with Mom + Teeg on the table, you'll waste mother of runes going "pro-blue on Teeg" only to see Teeg die to a plowshare.
3. Choke doesn't win the game. I'd even argue "blue" isn't why Miracles wins. The deck needs white mana to crush us. In a perfect world, you actually disable Top/Terminus/access to Concil's Judgement and go pro-white with Light & Shadow
4. Don't make stupid errors like I have in the past where you can drop either pridemage or thalia...and don't catch their karakas sitting across from you.
5. Wasteland is best used against their Karakas. You have to make smart plays during the opening 3-5 turns about early wasteland-ing their duals, should they play any. It's great to live the Thalia-Wasteland dream, but don't shoot yourself in the foot being unable to cast stuff while they do their slow ramp.
6. Attack vs Combo with KotR: Sometimes assembling the DD/Stage package is better than attacking. This is especially true if for some lucky reason you have them on the back-foot and you're out of lethal-range. Might be a cady-corner scenario, but I feel this conflict comes up from time to time against Miracles. If you have 2 knight activations available (2x KotR or Scryb + KotR), take a moment to calculate what kills them faster/is more reliable. Again, see if Karakas is on the table. See how many Terminus and STP they've run through.
7. If you have Canonist, board her in. There are many instances where Miracles can't cast brainstorm and do something else. It also turns off Snapcaster's flashback. Worst case, you increase your threat density.
8. Perpetual threats like Planeswalkers, Equipment, or Gods make a huge difference in the attrition war. Not only do they provide constant pressure (tokens, perks, etc) that escapes almost all of Miracle's removal, they also give you the ability to sit back on threats -- avoiding you getting X-for-1'ed.
9. If you know Miracles is popular in your area, you can play a list with more Decays and Pridemages. Those 2 cards help immensely.

[Cambriel]

I also don't hate Surgical Extraction if you're looking for more to board out. It's not the best card by a long shot, but Miracles is more removal light than they appear to be. They just dig so hard they can find what they're after.

Surgical on Swords to Plowshares puts them at the absolute mercy of Teeg. It's fine vs. Terminus, but game 2 they may have a Verdict or Wrath and you really want to shut all of those down with the hobbit.