[Deck] GW/x Maverick

[Koby]

Nope, with Mom out and that Bog played out, my Knight was bigger than his. Someone asked me why I didn't attack with Knight when I equipped it to the Scryb Ranger. I couldn't give the knight pro:green against his Hierarchs and I only had 2 mana to move the sword around. Evasion ftw!

Report is up.

[Esper3k]

So at our local Legacy tournament yesterday, I wanted to give Rukcus's 1-of Gaea's Cradle a spin and man... I loved it!

There were so many times when I caught my opponents with "surprise - buttsex!" when I'd fetch up an Ooze and decimate their yard or use it to immediately drop equipment and equip it after playing a SFM that turn, it was insane.

Here's the list I ran:

// Lands
1 [LG] Karakas
1 [IA] Plains (3)
2 [CHK] Forest (1)
2 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
1 [FUT] Horizon Canopy
4 [A] Savannah
4 [TE] Wasteland
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
1 [FUT] Dryad Arbor
1 [WWK] Bojuka Bog
1 [JGC] Gaea's Cradle

// Creatures
1 [LRW] Gaddock Teeg
2 [ARB] Qasali Pridemage
4 [CFX] Noble Hierarch
3 [WWK] Stoneforge Mystic
4 [CFX] Knight of the Reliquary
1 [COM] Scavenging Ooze
2 [FUT] Aven Mindcensor
4 [COM] Mother of Runes
1 [MBS] Thrun, the Last Troll
3 [ALA] Ethersworn Canonist

// Spells
4 [BRB] Swords to Plowshares
1 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte
4 [MBS] Green Sun's Zenith
2 [4E] Sylvan Library
1 [DS] Sword of Fire and Ice
1 [MBS] Sword of Feast and Famine

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [M10] Leyline of Sanctity
SB: 3 [CFX] Path to Exile
SB: 3 [NPH] Phyrexian Metamorph
SB: 3 [ZEN] Mindbreak Trap
SB: 2 [NPH] Surgical Extraction

Some explanation on my maindeck Canonists and sideboard - there's a guy who plays High Tide in our meta (you know who you are!) and I typically run into him at some point at the top tables, so I wanted to actually have a chance against him. I haven't been finding that I've been usually having much problems with the other decks in our meta, so that's why I have so much storm combo hate. The Metamorphs are because we also tend to have Progenitii and Emrakuls running around, so I wanted to have 3 instead of the normal 1 + 2 tutors.

Of course, this weekend, he wasn't playing High Tide at all...

Canonists have been interesting. Sometimes they have been great against Snapcasters, but other times, they've been mediocre. If you have an active Mother, they are nuts, but otherwise, I think they just get Lightning Bolted, then the tempo deck just moves on.

[Morte]

I’m preparing for a big tournament and I’d like a review of my sideboard matrix.

This is my updated list:

4 Windswepth Heat
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Savannah
1 Taiga
1 Plateau
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Wasteland
1 Maze of Ith
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Driad Arbor
1 Karakas
1 Forest
1 Plains
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Mother of Runes
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Aven Mindcensor
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Sylvan Library
4 Green Sun's Zenith
3 Noble Hierarch
1 Scryb Ranger
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Birds of Paradise
3 Punishing Fire
1 Life from the Loam
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Light and Shadow

Sideboard:
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Stony Silence
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Choke
1 Path to Exile
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Red Elemental Blast


Now, a brainstorming of how I would side against the meta:

Reanimator (frequency: high)

+1 Path to Exile
+1 Tormod's Crypt
+1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Phyrexian Metamorph

-2 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Umezawa's Jitte
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow
-1 Life from the Loam
-1 Gaddock Teeg

Thorn of Amethyst can be useful here?


Canadian (frequency: high)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke
+1 Path to Exile

-2 Aven Mindcensor
-2 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow

Thorn of Amethyst can be useful here?


Dredge (frequency: high)

+2 Enlightened Tutor
+1 Tormod's Crypt
+1 Wheel of Sun and Moon

-1 Life from the Loam
-2 Aven Mindcensor
-1 Mother of Runes


Maverick (frequency: high)

+1 Path to Exile
-1 Gaddock Teeg


Blade Control (frequency: high)

+2 Choke
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Qasali Pridemage
+1 Stony Silence

-2 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow
-1 Umezawa's Jitte
-1 Gaddock Teeg
-1 Aven Mindcensor


Merfolk (frequency: high)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Path to Exile

-2 Aven Mindcensor
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow


ANT/TES (frequency: med)

+2 Enlightened Tutor
+2 Ethersworn Canonist
+1 Thorn of Amethyst
+2 Choke
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Stony Silence

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-3 Punishing Fire
-1 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Umezawa's Jitte
-1 Maze of Ith


Spiral Tide (frequency: med)

+2 Ethersworn Canonist
+1 Thorn of Amethyst
+2 Choke
+2 Red Elemental Blast

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-1 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Umezawa's Jitte
-1 Maze of Ith


NO RUG/Bant (frequency: med)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Phyrexian Metamorph
+2 Choke
+1 Path to Exile

-1 Life from the Loam
-1 Qasali Pridemage
-1 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow
-2 Scavenging Ooze


Bant Aggro (frequency: med)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke
+1 Path to Exile

-2 Scavenging Ooze
-1 Qasali Pridemage
-1 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow


Hive Mind (frequency: med)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke
+1 Qasali Pridemage
+1 Phyrexian Metamorph
+1 Stony Silence
+1 Thorn of Amethyst

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-3 Punishing Fire
-1 Maze of Ith

Ethersworn Canonist can be useful here?


Team America (frequency: med)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke
+1 Path to Exile

-2 Aven Mindcensor
-2 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow

Thorn of Amethyst can be useful here?


Sneak & Tell (frequency: med)

+2 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke
+1 Qasali Pridemage
+1 Stony Silence
+1 Thorn of Amethyst

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-3 Punishing Fire


Landeed (frequency: med)

+3 Red Elemental Blast
+2 Choke

-4 Swords to Plowshares
-1 Aven Mindcensor


Comments & suggestions are highly appreciated

[Julian23]

In case you haven't tried it, bring in Ethersworn Canonist against Dredge. It really slows them down more than you'd expect. And definitely bring them in against Hive Mind. It allows you to Krosan Grip or QPM their Hive Mind during your turn. If you Krosan Grip it during your Upkeep they won't even be able to fire off a Pact during your turn.x

[Fatal]

Boarding out SoLaS in Blade Control, Bants, RUG's is mistake..

[Esper3k]

I think against Reanimator you want the tutors in as well since its one of those decks where you have to have a fast answer even though you may be card disadvantaging yourself.

[Koby]

Boarding out Thrun against any storm combo is also appropriate. The card does nothing to help the matchup, and it better utilized by hate bears for a quicker clock.

Sideboard:
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Stony Silence
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Choke
1 Path to Exile
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Red Elemental Blast


Now, a brainstorming of how I would side against the meta:

Reanimator (frequency: high)

+1 Path to Exile
+1 Tormod's Crypt
+1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Phyrexian Metamorph

-2 Stoneforge Mystic
-1 Umezawa's Jitte
-1 Sword of Light and Shadow
-1 Life from the Loam
-1 Gaddock Teeg

I normally do this:
+2 E-tutor
+1 Path to Exile
+1 Metamorph
+1 Bojuka Bog
+1 Maze of Ith
+1 Thorns of Amethyst
+1 Tormod's Crypt

-1 Thrun
-(1 or 2) SFM
-1 SoFI
-1 Jitte
-(1 or 2) QPM (leaving 1 main)
-(1 or 2) Sylvan Library
-1 Gaddock Teeg

With your deck, I would consider taking out Punishing Fire too, since it doesn't deal with any of the relevant reanimation targets that you would otherwise have to worry about.

vs Team America you want to keep SFM package in, as they have few ways to deal with artifacts. Playing around Deed also helps.

[RogueMTG]

I split a top-4 at a local event on Saturday. (Winning $150+ store credit :D)

I beat Bant Aggro, BUG Control, Metal Worker MUD, and Junk. Lost to mono-red burn on a savage punt in game three.

This was my list:
Main:

4 Windswept Heath
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Savannah
2 Horizon Canopy
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Karakas
1 Maze of Ith
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Wasteland

3 Noble Hierarch
1 Bird of Paradise
4 Mother of Runes
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Qasali Pridmage
1 Scavaging Ooze
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Terravore
1 Thrun, the Last Troll

1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Swords to Plowshares

2 Sylvan Library
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Sideboard:

3 Faerie Macabre
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Path to Exile
3 Choke
1 Life from the Loam
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Sword of Light and Shadow


In this case I made an (incorrect) meta call to not care about combo at all.

Luckily I managed to dodge all of the Storm/Belcher players that did actually show up, and I believe most of them were knocked out of this winners bracket early on.

Don't remember enough for a full report, but some general comments:

Elspeth has been amazing for me, I think 1x is probably correct. She's won probably 8 games over 2 tournaments for me on her own. A few of which she was my only hope.

Maze of Ith has been very "meh" against everything that wasn't Reanimator. I'm going to be trying out Rukcus's Gaea's Cradle set-up in the next event I think.

[Esper3k]

Against Bant decks, do any of you guys have any particular cards or strategies you like to use against them?

[privatevendetta]

Maze of Ith has been very "meh" against everything that wasn't Reanimator. I'm going to be trying out Rukcus's Gaea's Cradle set-up in the next event I think.

Have you used it to give a creature pseudo vigilance? Attacking with a Knight and pumping it is usually a biggy.

[RogueMTG]

Have you used it to give a creature pseudo vigilance? Attacking with a Knight and pumping it is usually a biggy.

Yes, but it hasn't really come about often enough to be relevant. More often than not my Knights have been better spent knocking out duals, generating mana, drawing cards, or swinging for the win. Fetching a maze has never really come up as my optimal line of play on any given turn.

Although I do admit I've only been jamming Maverick for two or three events. So my sample size may be off.

[Koby]

There were so many times when I caught my opponents with "surprise - buttsex!" when I'd fetch up an Ooze and decimate their yard or use it to immediately drop equipment and equip it after playing a SFM that turn, it was insane.

That's exactly why I love it! It enables a huge acceleration for GSZ, Equipment, or Scavenging Ooze.

Shifting gears--
Has anyone tried Surgical Extraction recently? How has it performed? Is it worth board in against Tempo decks?

[KobeBryan]

That's exactly why I love it! It enables a huge acceleration for GSZ, Equipment, or Scavenging Ooze.

Shifting gears--
Has anyone tried Surgical Extraction recently? How has it performed? Is it worth board in against Tempo decks?

surgical works wonders when it resolves a goyf in the grave.

They will literally have no threats against you.

[Esper3k]

That's exactly why I love it! It enables a huge acceleration for GSZ, Equipment, or Scavenging Ooze.

Shifting gears--
Has anyone tried Surgical Extraction recently? How has it performed? Is it worth board in against Tempo decks?

I've been experimenting with a ETutorless sideboard (focusing it more on specific matchups).

I've liked Extraction and like Extraction / Extirpate effects in general against Tempo Thresh decks. They run so few threats, if you can catch a Delver or ideally a Goyf with it, you can really do a number on them.

However, in Maverick it's a little tougher to do since most of our removal (even post board when we bring in Paths) tends to Exile, so you oftentimes won't actually have a target in the yard to get. Still, I could see it being useful against the Snapcaster builds.

I like Extraction more against graveyard decks like Dredge or Reanimator, where we don't always have a chance to get an Ooze or Knight online before they go off / get out of control.

[Koby]

Those are good points regarding Maverick's removal. It might make more sense in Fire/Maves, but I doubt that build even needs the extra help against Tempo.

[Esper3k]

Those are good points regarding Maverick's removal. It might make more sense in Fire/Maves, but I doubt that build even needs the extra help against Tempo.

Yeah, my experience against Tempo is that they really have to have a pretty nutty hand on the play to beat us, especially post board.

Paths (which are hilarious because all their lists are so greedy and don't run any basics) and Choke especially have been pretty awesome against them for me.

[testing32]

People are wondering what this deck can do to increase the win % against Canadian Thresh so I thought I would add my two cents.

I think SoF&I over batterskull is the right call. It wreck this deck and the chances of playing a SFM, it resolving, the search not getting stifled, it living until your next turn then you being able to use it with the germ not getting stifled are slim to none. You aren't going to hard cast it b/c of waste and stifle either. Since merfolks popularity has taken a beating i think it's safe to drop batterskull.

Lower the curve. Eternal witness, Thrun and Elspeth need to be cut or moved to sb. I think 2x ooze is also the right call.

More basics. I plan on cutting karakas for a plains to increase my basic count to 5. Karakas getting wasted comes up a lot more often than living the dream of bouncing a S&T emrakuul. When hivemind was popular it was required but no longer.

SBs needs to change. 4x path is a good first step. The latest iterations are running 0 basics so you can get full value off this. The way thresh wins most of their games is by playing a delver and keeping you off balance long enough to kill you. With 8 removal post board and playing around daze that should be difficult to do. I'm going to bring my choke count up to 3 as well.

I think that punishing fires it the wrong direction. I have not tested it but between waste, spell snare and stifle I would expect it to have limited impact early game. We already win late game with Knights. I could be completely off base though.

[Esper3k]

I've actually liked Thrun the couple times I've gotten him against Canadian Thresh. He's bigger than most of their things and with any Exalted or Equipment boosting him, he's going to fight through any Goyf as well.

I'm still a fan of Karakas main, not because of Emrakul decks, but because of Reanimator.

Jitte is still my favorite equipment against them. Once you get it active, you really cause a lot of problems for that deck.

[_erbs_]

@vs UGR Thresh
Running Red mav has its benefits against them as you can control there lavamancer and delver but the problem is getting there or being able to survive all the tempo cards like stifle, snare, daze, wasteland etc. in general mav's cruve is at 3 and a STF being stifled is pretty bad as without equips your are creatures are whimpy or can't do decent damage expect for maybe ooze and kotr. i really feel that the MU against ugr thresh is a game of luck of some sort. If your mother goes online and they have no early creature you might get to mid game and stabilize and win the game.

This is one of the reason why i posted a list that runs vial and based on my playtesting running both vial and gsz at the same time is not such a good thing but running vials has its benefit over gsz. right now im leaning towards vial build over gsz and not relying too much on equips. It would seem a step backwards but analyze the meta and do more playtesting on vial builds and im sure you'll see its benefits.

[Koby]

Suppose we do end up cutting the equipment and SFM for 5 other cards (leaving Jitte in ofc). We could board into:

2 Choke
2 Path to Exile
1 Maze of Ith

Thoughts?

This could next-level their SB plans for Krosan Grip or Ancient Grudge. This matchup is where I might also want Sylvan Safekeeper.