I think my main point was that it gives incremental advantage. I see it more as pseudo-card advantage than anything else.
An extra mana here, an extra Deathrite activation there, the opponent having to play around two activations of Mother.
It enhances everything that the deck wants to do. It all adds up to your general card quality being better.
It does not do much on its own, that is given. And it doesn't help a whole lot against linear strategies either.
But in a game where your choices matter, it is golden. Usually since you get to make a whole lot more of them.
I agree that it does mess with combat quite well in our favor. I also agree that most people misplay against it. Unless you play Maverick or have intimate knowledge of the MU (which I don't think many people do ATM. I think Maverick goes under the radar) most don't seem to quite know all of its tricks when playing against it etc..Against opposing jittes/batterskull/gurmag anglers etc.. I have had games where you flash in scryb, fetch dryad arbor and bounce back. Or you flash in scryb ranger and untap your Knight to block/kill their creature. I think it's surprise factor and ability to mess up combat for the opponent is quite good.Originally Posted by Seraphix
Heck it allows Knight to apply pressure through attacking and wastelanding them.
I get that all these scenarios people have brought up are narrow but that's part of why Scryb is so good. It's not just one narrow situation Scryb is good in. It's a myriad of them.
I also feel like Scryb is important in fundamentally how I play/view Maverick. That is that Maverick is a (disruptive) creature based deck that uses GSZ as a toolbox to be able to adapt to any situation or game state. For me Scryb is part of that adaptability.
I'll just throw my hat into the "I love Scryb Ranger" ring. It has won me a good amount of games. I've bricked opposing wastelands, gotten extra Knight activations, and even against something merfolk he just blocks everything forever as well as being a Moat for delver. Will never forget when I had a Knight on a batterskull and I was 2 power short of killing my death and taxes opponent who had me dead next turn. top deck scryb, attack with knight, before blocks activate getting a fetch to pump knight again,flash in and use scryb to untap knight, activate again and get my Rogues passage for the win. Couldn't have done it without scryb. He's such a great little man.
https://mtgmaverick.wordpress.com/ca...ament-reports/
I uploaded my Tournament report from this past weekend. I also included a link to the feature match that I played against Sea Stompy. I'm also looking for another writer for the Blog to expand the site. just PM me if you are interested.
I agree with most comments, mostly I think Seraphix. The main advantage of Scryb Ranger in my opinion is that it's extremely resource efficient. It will effectively add two Mothers, two Deathrites, and/or a knight activation to your board. Whatever is important for your current matchup you'll triple up on (two extra activations during your and your oppenent's turns). And an extra land. Besides this, it has a lot of other relevant advantages, that you have already mentioned. Giving vigilance to a creature carrying equipment is one I think wasn't mentioned. Giving extra clues with Tracker is another one.
@Thunderknight: sweet, will enjoy reading and watching.
I also want to add this discussion a Feature match that I was on camera for in order to support @Megadeus arugement.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/135432781 (Time Skip to 2:01 to see how Scryb Ranger massively beats up Death and Taxes).
On the miracles and storm matchup--unless you've played those matchups extensively you won't understand the importance of Scryb Ranger in those matchups. The main outs to dryad Arbor for miracles is blocking and swords to Plowshares being that Terminus does nothing against the Arbor + Wasteland Combo. Being able to protect Arbor from those cards is not irrelevant and is not "magic Christmas land." You run 8-10 lands that searches dryad Arbor and when you tax your opponent with real creatures dryad Arbor often becomes your late game win condition.
Against storm massacre is the primary answer that they bring against hatebear decks. Running a card that for all intents and purposes hard counters that strategy is not "cute" or "magical Christmas land" but is actually a line of play you can employ.
Last, but not least, Maverick does not have much evasion. Without cards like Scryb Ranger then you get bricked by mom+Revoker. It's not like maverick just can randomly block griselbrand, without cards like Scryb you don't even have that option. I have zenithed for 2 many times vs griselbrand strategies between Show and Tell and Reanimator, just to survive long enough to untap with my Knight.
It definitely is not "the best card" in the deck, but the flexibility and options it provides as both a hatebear, a 5th mom, evasion, and acceleration of damage or mana makes it more akin to Ponder to me than anything else.
Posts like the ones made recently have already gotten me in trouble once for flaming, so I am going to state that I am not trying to be rude or disrespectful before I start to post.
Literally almost every arguement you guys are making is Scryb Ranger vs a fair deck. Death and Taxes, Sea Stompy, Merfolk, Delver, decks where you need incremental advantage... all of these are fair situations in fair matchups.
It has been universally accepted that Scryb Ranger is good in these situations. We don't need to keep bringing up situations against fair decks that Scryb Ranger is good in.
If anyone remembers back when Maverick was a tier 1 deck, Scryb Ranger was often the first card cut from every list when a new piece of tech came in.
Back to topic:
To catch everyone up, I am squeezing in 3 Sanctum Prelates into my mainboard to improve the Miracles, Storm, Show matchups(as well as random matchups like BGx, Aluren, Food Chain, Bomberman, Lands) and testing her use as a removal blocker to help protect knights from danger i.e. Mom plus prelate on 3 usually means the opponent has no sweepers to clear our board and needs multiple copies of a 4 of before we get a sword active.
Scryb Ranger does minimal in these 3 matchup I am testing with her best use being flashing in at the end of turn after a terminus against miracles where sanctum prelate can be game ending. I hope everyone can see the difference there, Scryb Ranger can help you try and grind against a deck that can kill creatures all day long, and Sanctum Prelate can outright win you the game.
Against show and tell, once again, turn 2 prelate on 3 stops their main combo enabler, a follow up teeg blanks their sneak attacks. A Scryb Ranger is situationally good when they have a griselbrand and whiffed on drawing 7-14 cards. A turn 2 Ranger does?
Finally, against storm, turn 2 Prelate or turn 2 Scryb Ranger? Granted you can die on turns 0 or 1, but a turn 2 Ranger does nothing.
I understand that Scryb Ranger is situationally good in many matchups, even these three, but Sanctum Prelate is actually good in these matchups and I am testing if she is worth the slots in other match ups as well.
Maverick has been relatively untouched since the printing of DRS, brew a little.
"eggs... why'd it have to be eggs"
@Lavafrog: Sanctum Prelate is a great card and it's great that you're brewing with it, I don't think anyone actually disagrees with that. There are some comments on which cards should be cut, whichever you cut I'm sure you'll see Prelates advantages in the meta and let us know how your tests proceed.
<3
I get so caught up in the merits of a Scryb Ranger...
"eggs... why'd it have to be eggs"
I guess in the Scryb ranger argument I don't quite view it as Scryb vs Prelate. I understand for your own list putting in Prelate meant cutting things like the Faerie. For my own list I would probably cut 1-2 abrupt decay or move sword of light and shadow/play with SFM numbers before cutting Scryb Ranger.
I believe in a list that plays both Ranger and Prelate.
This makes sense. My issue is that I cut Decay a while ago for Library/Planeswalker and I really want to keep Teeg/Scooze/Pridemage as the big bullet targets for GSZ.
I cut Scryb for her lack of direct use, my second Qasali and my 4th SFM. I have been nothing but overly impressed with Prelate and hopefully I can get in the next big tournament in the Southwest to get a good run in.
Other things I am testing:
Noble Heirarch over Deathrite Shaman, for the guaranteed 3 mana on turn 2 and less reliance on the graveyard. Also, bigger knights... bonus.
Completely cutting black for Cavern of Souls, if most of our creatures are uncounterable, why do we need main board counterbalance hate? This is made stronger by the removal of DRS.
Things I can currently see cutting: The last Qasali Prdemage, The Third Equipment... go to Jitte and Fire and Ice only.
testing will tell!
"eggs... why'd it have to be eggs"
@lavafrog: if you are so concerned with those matchups I would advocate for the following adjustments:
-1 Gideon
-1 SFM
-1 sword of feast/famine
-1 sylvan library
+2 revoked or canonist main
+1 teeg
+1 sword of light/shadow
The sword helps considerably with miracles and anything with griseldaddy. You need teeg #2 to not roll over and die to all 3 main archetypes listed. I find Gideon woefully out of place. He's a waste of space against combo. Same for sylvan library vs combo. You're better off running revokers or canonists main. Deck can function with 2 SFM 3 equip just fine.
The Gideon can come out, I think he is the best planeswalker option we have. Library is bonkers.
The other cards have been the logic for the past few years to no real avail, I am basically testing Prelate for the same effect.
Thank you for the suggestions!
EDIT:
I took advice and also made some changes I was planning on making and went 4-0 in a small 13 man tourney today.
Current list:
Noble Prelate Maverick
Creatures(26)
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Mother of Runes
4 Noble Heirarch
3 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Sanctum Prelate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Scryb Ranger
Spells(8)
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Green Sun's Zenith
Things(3)
1 Sylvan Library
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull
Lands(23)
1 Forest
2 Plains
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Karakas
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Savannah
4 Wasteland
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Windswept Heath
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Dryad Arbor
Sideboard(15)
3 Faerie Macabre
3 Choke
3 Containment Priest
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Council's Judgement
2 Pithing Needle
Small tournament the 4-0 run was against Goblins, Lands, BUG Delver and Grixis Delver... so no real problem match-ups.
Goblins 2-0
They have no real answer for most of our deck, Thalia has first strike, jitte kills all the goblins and Knight is an unstoppable goblin killing machine.
no sideboarding changes
Lands 2-0
I did have to swords an early token, but Prelate at 2 kept them from doing much of anything, really a dream match-up for prelate.
Out: 2 swords; In: 2 pithing needle
BUG Delver 2-0
Game one had an early Knight go unanswered after they forced Mom and Pushed Thalia. Game two had a prelate on one stop their cantrips and an active Mother of Runes meant they needed to naturally draw multiple decays/dread of night/golgari charm which didn't happen in a relevant amount of time.
Out: Teeg, Pridemage; In: 2 Pithing Needle
Grixis Delver 2-1
He had zero way to kill a knight, but ran forked bolts in the side to kill my dorks and steal a game. Cavern of Souls was huge in this match as he was playing a relatively counter heavy build. Prelate on 1 also hurt him really bad.
Out: Teeg, Pridemage; In: 2 Pithing Needle
I never had a chance to miss black or deathrite shaman as I was able to just go over the top with Knight almost every game. Prelate was huge against delver and lands... chalice on legs is a thing.
Once again thanks for the advice, I liked cutting the Gideon and streamlining the equipment. The 4th Thalia was also needed and kind of a no brainer.
Pithing needles in the board should have most likely been Revokers, but needle is pretty good too.
Last edited by lavafrogg; 04-24-2017 at 02:29 AM.
"eggs... why'd it have to be eggs"
It's been interesting reading about people's thoughts about prelate.
Anyone running it just in the sideboard? In that annoying creature that's applicable to some matchups slot (e.g. canonist/containment priest)?
I'm weary of including more 3 drops in the main, but I could definitely see bringing it in when it's really good (so matchups where shutting down a number is backbreaking)
This was my creature base last time I played (4 vial):
1 Renegade Rallier
1 Sanctum Prelate
2 Mirran Crusader
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Qasali Pridemage
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Mother of Runes
4 Stoneforge Mystic
I had 2 prelate in the sb (3 in total for combo matchups). Where my meta is at, I'd love to cut the MD Prelate entirely as it's too vulnerable. I was also disappointed by Revokers not really hitting anything in my matchups. I don't want to base my whole gameplan around Prelate, as it's terrible against fair matchups or anything remotely aggressive. Mirran on the otherhand just over-performs.
I run 2-4 Prelates in my sideboard depending on my mood. Its currently at 2 for curve and ww reasons, but I am not against 4 in the 75.
In my experience it is not great maindeck, but I also find that running more than 5 three drops is not good if you only run DRS as your mana dork.
My older Maverick lists ran Heirarchs like Lavafrogg does and it allowed my curve to be much higher since I was not as restricted by the limitations of DRS as much. I can see why he can run 7 three drops simply by using Heirarchs instead.
The card is good, and will eventually be like Cabal Therapy for stoneforge decks. However good its been the past year or so--its going to triple in value once more people get a better feel of how to use the card.
I'm thinking 2 in the sideboard at the moment, and you're right WW is a very real cost, the deck is much better at making GG than WW (at least in my configuration).
9 dorks (4 DRS, 1 Hierarch, 4 GSZ + Arbor), and 4 of those only make green.
Well the miracles matchup just got better...top is banned
Punishing maverick is back on the menu!
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