[Deck] GW/x Maverick

[Tacosnape]

After a car ride discussing my GW Modern deck, I got inspired to play GW again in Legacy. Won Locals this week with the following list:

4 Windswept Heath
4 Savannah
4 Wasteland
3 Horizon Canopy
2 Dryad Arbor
2 Plains
1 Forest
1 Karakas
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Maze of Ith

4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Mental Misstep
1 Sylvan Library
1 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Batterskull

4 Noble Hierarch
3 Mother of Runes
3 Qasali Pridemage
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Gaddock Teeg

SB:
3 Angel's Grace
3 Null Rod
3 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Mindbreak Trap

Expected a lot of combo, hence the skewed sideboard, but most of the combo decks went 0-1 and I never saw them. Beat Merfolk 2-0, Elves 2-0, Hive Mind 2-1, A different Elves player 2-0, and Merfolk 2-1 in the finals. So, you know, not a whole lot of variety, but a good result nonetheless.

My quick hit thoughts:

1. Every time I start to think Mother of Runes is bad against combo, I'm quickly reminded otherwise when it saves me games from certain cards being removed (Ethersworn Canonist, in this tournament.) Also, Mother of Runes and Mental Misstep in the same deck makes you very resistant to removal.

2. I have absolutely no idea how people aren't running Dryad Arbors. Once in almost every match I led with a Zenith for Dryad Arbor just to mana ramp. It makes a huge difference getting that Knight down a turn earlier, get the Jitte active on turn three, etc. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that if you're running Green Sun's Zenith at all in Legacy and don't have at least one Dryad Arbor in your deck, you're making a mistake, regardless of all other factors. The ramping option is that stupidly good.

3. Angel's Grace and Surgical Extraction nicking Intuition are probably enough to get Hive Mind under control, although my maindeck is so bad I actually boarded in Null Rod and drew a Force by attempting to Null Rod on a Grim Monolith one game. And having Oblivion Ring doesn't hurt your otherwise already amazing chances to survive Emrakul, either. I'm pretty sure against a competent player you can't very often win game 1 against Hive Mind unless they don't know what you're playing or just can't draw Hive Mind and have to go for Emrakul. Or if they keep a cantrip-heavy hand and you're loaded up on Mental Missteps. So yeah, as long as this deck is a threat, and I believe it still is, Angel's Grace.

4. Mental Misstep is amazing in this deck. Maindeck four.

[Koby]

Thanks for your thought TacoSnape! I've been thinking about increasing the MM count to 4 to deal with all the Elves combo running around (which is the correct metagame call in a format without Firespout and very few Deeds). Having an absolute "NO!" to Glimpse is so vital in not losing to elves that it's worth it.

[CorpT]

3rd on Missteps. I've been running them in just about everything now. Until people start diversifying away from Swords, protecting creatures like Knight is worth it alone. Let alone the added benefits of hitting random Brainstorms when they're out of cards.

[Tacosnape]

I was also surprised how easy Elves was. Stopping Glimpse was nice. Stopping Heritage Druid saved me more, oddly.

Green Sun's Zenith into Dryad Arbor helped me a ton in this matchup, also. The one game I didn't have Mental Misstep I led with Savannah, GSZ into Arbor, turn two Canopy, STP a Fyndhorn, Stoneforge, turn three Wasteland Jitte Equip Swing. Being able to get that Jitte online one turn earlier is stupidly crucial. I used to do this with Mox Diamond, then I learned that most of the time I'd rather just have GSZ/Dryad Arbor, because at least neither of those are ever completely useless topdecks and they don't provide card disadvantage for their services.

Also, a second note on Mental Misstep? Two of my five games against Merfolk were literally won because and only because I stuck a Mother of Runes on turn one and had Mental Misstep waiting for Merfolk's other Mental Misstep. So hitting Misstep with Misstep saved me there.

[apprentice]

Is it really needed to run 4 wastelands? or is 3 enough?

[Julian23]

@Asthereal:
It's strange that you mention you hardly ever wanted Batterskull (implying you played no aggro) nor Library (implying nor Control, but also huge in the mirror). Also, Aven Mindcensor+Mother of Runes is close to being the single game winning combo in the mirror, that you have. I can hardly see people dropping Mindcensor, sorry.

[TossUsToLions]

@Asthereal: You sided out Library every time? Was there a reason for this?
Also, what do you not like about Ranger? She is just too good to not keep a single spot for her.
And I would definitely reconsider cutting E. Witness. I'm not even kidding, every single time that I side her out, I lost that game in a way which I would've won if she was in there. It's so weird, and I do not learn my lesson. I always think, "well, I think I can win this matchup without her, I'll be fine." Then g2 comes around and I get to a spot where I need her to win the game. I swear that this happens every time I side her out, so I'm warning everyone, do not side out the Witness!!!
But seriously, her ability to be a tutorable Regrowth to get back a Swords, SFM, or Equipment is just too good.

@apprentice: it depends how many lands you feel like running. I am only running 21 (Arbor included), but I only play 3 Wastes and no Mazes. If you wanna play 22 total land, then I would add the 4th Waste or a singleton Maze of Ith.

[apprentice]

@tossUsToLions: currently im running 22 lands(including arbor), 3 wastes and 1 maze.

[Asthereal]

@Witness: I had Elspeth winning me so many games that I never really cared for retrieving stuff. I was very surprised about the sheer power of this deck supported by that planeswalking miracle. :)
The Witness does add options, so I will reconsider it and test it in a Sylvan Library spot.

@Ranger: I think it's a good card when you can cast it utilizing its flash to untap a Knight to block and kill, or to flash her in front of a Clique or so. But the flash surprise goes out the window if you have to Zenith for it. And let's face it: you can never count on drawing a one-off when you need it. That's hwy we tutor for one-offs in the first place. Scryb Ranger on sorcery speed takes away its biggest advantage and so I decided against it for the tournament, and I never missed it.

@Siding out Library, siding in Batterskull:
I had these matchups:
- Merfolk 2-0
- NOPRO UGr 2-0 (he didn't find Natural Order)
- Maverick (with Missteps, Mindcensor, no MoR) 0-2 (stupid me got myself mana-screwed twice)
- Landstill/Caw Blade 2-1
- Dredge Ichorid 2-0 (Misstep rules!)
- Bant Aggro (blue for Missteps, Brainstorm and Rhox War Monk) 2-0 (Go go Elspeth!)
- Tempo Threshold UGB ID
Top-8 splitted the prizes.

The tournament had 79 participants and I must admit that the other two Maverick decks in the top-8 had no Elspeth and did play Aven Mindcensors, Eternal Witness and Scryb Ranger.

In which of these matches do I desperately want a Batterskull over a Sword?
I think I didn't even side it in against Merfolk. Only against Caw Blade and Maverick/Bant I sided it in for the SoFire&Ice. It did feel good to side in Batterskull in favor of the less relevant Sword though.
I do feel that Batterskull doesn't fit the strategy of this deck well: you cannot properly defend your Mystic, so you often have to hardcast the thing. Next to this, the deck wants to attack for as much as possible with big dudes, and Swords just fit that idea better.

In none of my matches did I need a Witness at any point. Against Caw Blade it would have been okay, but I lost the game on Humility, which stops my Witness anyway. :-P

Has anyone else tried Elspeth already, either main or side?

[Koby]

I tried Elspeth 2x maindeck, then it became 1x main, then 1x side, then cut completely.

There are not enough games where I wanted to cast Elspeth. There are creatures that work way better than her which you can tutor with GSZ. I like Thrun alot for that reason.

[Julian23]

I have to backup ruckus on this, Thrun is just insane in this deck. In my experience, he just enters the game, grabs an equipment and just wins you the game. Having one in the maindeck improves your control matchup by such a s*-ton, it's not even funny. The only matchup you don't really wanna have him is against combo but same goes for Elspeth. Still, I got both 1 (additional) Thrun and 1 Elspeth in the sb, although Thrun's spot there is way more set in stone.

[Fatal]

I wrote a little list with comments about Modern version of Maverick, you can found it here:http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...313#post578313

[C Rayz Walz]

I played Hive Mind for a while and I ran 6 sol ring lands. The deck does get turn 2 win more than you would think. You can also go turn 1 Grim monolith and next turn blue source and cast Hive Mind and get a turn 2 win that way, so the deck has a couple of ways of pulling off a turn 2 win. I don't know if you have ever played this deck but like I said before it does get the turn 2 more often than would think.

[BantFTW]

What this deck does against control :O?

[Julian23]

Win.



/edit: ok, let me actually elaborate on at least which cards create a quite good control matchup: Aven Mindcensor, Thrun, SFM, Wastelands+Knight, Elspeth (after boarding, if you have her) and MVP Sylvan Library. Also, Mother of Runes is ok against board-control.

[Koby]

What this deck does against control :O?

It does rather win, as Julian has stated.
It does by it's obscene threat density, Wasteland plan, and powerful tutor engine (KotR, SFM, and GSZ - aka triple threat). Most control decks aren't capable of keeping up with this deck.

BUGstill and Stoneblade with Standstill can keep up, however - these are the hardest matchups outside of outright combo decks.

[bob2008]

I won a 53 player event this weekend.
Got a U-Sea for my efforts.
Played this List:

4 Savannah
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wasteland
1 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Karakas
1 Gaeas Cradle
1 Maze of Ith

4 Noble Hierarch
4 Mother of Runes
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Quasali Pridemage
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Thrun, the Last Troll

4 Green Suns Zenith
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Umezawas Jitte
2 Sylvan Library

SB.

2 Choke
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Krosan Grip
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Pithing Needle
1 Null Rod
1 Runed Halo
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormonds Crypt
1 Bojuka Bog



I played against
Reanimator 2:0
NO Rug 2:1
Hive Mind 2:0 (thanks to MD Gaddock)
CB Bant 2:0
UB Folk 2:0
UW Stoneblade - draw

It felt like the Cradle was not needed – will change it back to Wasteland No.4.
I highly recommend the creature toolbox in the MD. It saved my ass against Reanimator and Hive Mind.

UW-Stoneblade seems to be a difficult MU – I will try to squeeze one additional Thrun in the SB.
I am uncertain about the 3rd equipment slot – somehow I never need the sword of X/Y. Maybe It can be changed with a MD Elspeth to improve the Controll MU?

Best regards,

bob

[CorpT]

So why is this deck underperforming at SCG Open events? From what I can tell, it is a very powerful deck with decent MUs across the board. And yet you rarely see it in the Top16 at the SCG events? Is it just not being run enough?

[Artlee]

So why is this deck underperforming at SCG Open events? From what I can tell, it is a very powerful deck with decent MUs across the board. And yet you rarely see it in the Top16 at the SCG events? Is it just not being run enough?

Kyle Miller just finished 7th in SCG Richmond. They just wont accept it as Maverick, but call it G/W Aggro.

[CorpT]

Kyle Miller just finished 7th in SCG Richmond. They just wont accept it as Maverick, but call it G/W Aggro.

1 Total in the last 2 Top 16s, vs 6 for NO RUG in one event? 4 UW Stoneblade in Boston as well.