This is all very preliminary, so be kind, por favor. This idea started out with me wanting to abuse the known quality combination of Aether Vial, Dark Confidant, and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, as well as curiosity to see if something serviceable with Champion of the Parish, Mayor of Avabruck, and all the powerful Humans on offer could be made.
So, I made a deck of good GWb Humans with Knight of the Reliquary, Noble Hierarch, and the like, and obviously, ended up with a shitty Dark Maverick list, with shitty conditional beaters in place of Green Sun's Zenith and utility creatures. As I like grasping at straws, I pondered on Maverick's weaknesses and why someone might play Humans, even if it ends up being worse, if Humans has something else to offer. Which led me to Terminus, which led me to this beaut: Planar Guide. I know it's horrible, but bear with me.
In testing, it's actually done a decent job, with Dark Confidant, of minimizing the impact of sweepers. But that's not all he (as slow and suspect as he is) does. One of the worst parts of Champion of the Parish is the fact that it's a horrible top deck. If you have have a handful of creatures out, and flicker them with the Guide, he'll get those counters. You can do tricks with Fiend Hunter, Orzhov Pontiff, even unflip Mayor if that side's better, and of course Flickerwisp-like tricks to stall opponent's creatures, unflip Delvers, and all that stuff.
I still felt like something was missing, though, and then I remembered Imperial Recruiter's first subtype. Another human, tutor for almost the whole deck, another reason to flicker (am I using the correct word? The difference between Flickerwisp and Flicker is making me unsure. I think I know it's not "blink") creatures, great with Vial and Champion. That guy gets huge, for 1 mana. This is what I have right now:
// Artifacts
4 Aether Vial
// Creatures
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Dark Confidant
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Imperial Recruiter
3 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Mother of Runes
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Orzhov Pontiff
3 Planar Guide
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
// Lands
I'm not the best at mana bases but something like
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bayou
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Karakas
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plateau
3 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Taiga
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
60 Cards
// Rough Sideboard
SB: 4 Council's Judgment
SB: 4 Leyline of Sanctity
SB: 1 Phyrexian Revoker
SB: 4 Rest in Peace
SB: 2 Zealous Persecution
// Cards that I don't think are good enough, some main, some side
Aegis of the Gods/True Believer
Ethersworn Canonist
Mangara of Corondor
Mirran Crusader
Ranger of Eos
Maybe there should be basics? I guess it's soft to combo, with just Thalia, Fiend Hunter, and Karakas pre-board, although there are tutors, which are possibly slow against combo. I need to put some thought into the mana curve. Or am I just banging my head against the wall building around bad cards.
Put it together and lemme know what you think. It's actually played pretty well for me.
Perhaps a few Glowrider could be an alternative in fighting combo decks, adding to the pressure from Thalia, being tutorable by Imperial Recruiter, being a human and being castable with Aether Vial?
I actually hadn't thought of Glowrider. I don't hate the idea of getting around Thalia's legendary supertype and tutoring for another pseudo-Thalia if the need arises, especially if I go harder in the mana denial route. Thanks for the thought.
Since you're playing black anyway, I see no reason not to skew the manabase to support discard in the sideboard to fight combo as well if that's your main concern.
Yeah, I could see that being the correct thing to do; I'll test it. How have people who put discard into D&T and Maverick shells liked it?
Shame Sin Collector isn't better, eh.
Fiend Hunter seems like a great out to Show and Tell.
Keeping 4 mana open all the time against Miracles seems hard.
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