[Deck] GW/x Maverick

[xfxf]

I'm not experienced with Maverick but I'm getting more fond of the Punishing Fire version the more I see it played. I actually started to think about Maverick as a control deck, or an aggro-control deck at least, because of all the answers it has, its capability for tutoring those answers and creature removal+board control. That's why I'm leaning towards the Punishing Fire version because I feel it gives you reach and more options.

But as I said I'm not really experienced with the deck so why do people think that it makes the deck worse? From the lists I've seen the maindeck differences seem to be -1 Thrun/Terravore/Tarmo, -1 Eternal Witness, -1 Sylvan Library, +3 Punishing Fire. Aside from the instability of the mana base it seems like an advantageous replacement for 3 cards..

[MiniLuv]

I'm not experienced with Maverick but I'm getting more fond of the Punishing Fire version the more I see it played. I actually started to think about Maverick as a control deck, or an aggro-control deck at least, because of all the answers it has, its capability for tutoring those answers and creature removal+board control. That's why I'm leaning towards the Punishing Fire version because I feel it gives you reach and more options.

But as I said I'm not really experienced with the deck so why do people think that it makes the deck worse? From the lists I've seen the maindeck differences seem to be -1 Thrun/Terravore/Tarmo, -1 Eternal Witness, -1 Sylvan Library, +3 Punishing Fire. Aside from the instability of the mana base it seems like an advantageous replacement for 3 cards..

Punishing lists usually neglect to run the 3rd equipment too.

I think the land instability + potential color screw really needs to be emphasized. There is usually -1 Wasteland, -1 Gaea's Cradle, -1 Basic Forest, -1 Basic Plains, -1 Horizon Canopy -> +2 Taiga, + 3 Grove, +1 Fetchland. The increase in red land count coupled with the decrease in white land count sometimes makes it difficult to cast any of your white spells. Punishing Fire may sometimes be dead in hand too if you have no BoP or Red mana producing lands.

[Fade]

So I took G/W Maverick to SCG Cinci. Here is the list I played:

Lands (20):
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wasteland
3x Savannah
2x Wooded Foothills
2x Forest
1x Plains
1x Maze of Ith
1x Karakas
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Horizon Canopy

Creatures (27):
4x Knight of the Reliquary
4x Mother of Runes
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Noble Hierarch
3x Qasali Pridemage
2x Scryb Ranger
2x Scavenging Ooze
1x Gaddock Teeg
1x Terravore
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Silhana Ledgewalker

Spells (13):
4x Green Sun’s Zenith
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Sylvan Library
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1x Batterskull
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Umezawa’s Jitte

Sideboard (15):
2x Enlightened Tutor
2x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Choke
2x Path to Exile
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Thorn of Amethyst
1x Serenity
1x Circle of Protection: Red
1x Worship

I showed up on Saturday around 4:30pm to get ready for the Legacy Challenge and try and pick up my fourth Noble Hierarch before it started. Sadly, I couldn’t find one and I wasn’t spending real money on one so I had to shove my lonely Bird back into its sleeve.

First round of the challenge I was paired up with the U/G Show and Tell, Eureka deck and I managed to win in game three due to him having some bad draws.

Second round started and I sit down next to a local I have played before and he was also on G/W Maverick. I took the match in 2 games and we sat there talking about the deck and sideboards. We agree that Silhana can be a house in certain situations.

Round three I got dream crushed by the guy playing Belcher. Game one he was on the draw and went off with 16 goblins. Game two I mulled into a five card hand with forest, noble, thorns, and 2 irrelevant cards. I drop the noble and pass and proceed to get belched on for 90 points……

Last round was u/w and he got crush in 2 games.

I ended up getting 6 packs of Dark Ascension and opened a foil Geralf’s Messenger, Thalia, and a Cage. Still needing the Noble for the next day I found someone to trade me a noble for the stack of cards I had just opened and I had everything I needed for Sunday

First round of Sunday was u/w and he was crushed 2-0.

Second was the burn match up which I won 2-1 with game one being controlled with a jitte and game 3 with both COP: Red and Worship out.

The next three rounds started the downward spiral when I was matched up against zoo (the guy ended up going 6-0 and then 0-3 the last three rounds of the tourney missing top 8), burn, and combo elves. I ended up playing one more round after those and was matched against u/b dreadnaught which I won 2-0.

The weekend was fun even though Sunday was short lived. I knew 4 people who top 8’d and I was happy for all them that made it.

Conclusions: The main board cards are very solid and if I had another tourney this weekend I would register the same 60. I didn’t find Worship to be that great in the sideboard. I ended up boarding it in a lot on Sunday and never found a situation where it was absolutely needed. However, it can catch an opponent off guard and win matches out of nowhere. One problem that I found was the lack of grave hate in my 75. I think I would like an extra crypt in the side to help me feel safer against dredge and reanimator. One other card that was suggested to me and I thought about was Leyline of Sanctity as it makes Burn, Storm, and Belcher decks pretty cold to the threats we are playing. What do you guys think about Leyline maybe as a 2 of?

[majikal]

So I took G/W Maverick to SCG Cinci. Here is the list I played:

Lands (20):
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wasteland
3x Savannah
2x Wooded Foothills
2x Forest
1x Plains
1x Maze of Ith
1x Karakas
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Horizon Canopy

Creatures (27):
4x Knight of the Reliquary
4x Mother of Runes
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Noble Hierarch
3x Qasali Pridemage
2x Scryb Ranger
2x Scavenging Ooze
1x Gaddock Teeg
1x Terravore
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Silhana Ledgewalker

Spells (13):
4x Green Sun’s Zenith
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Sylvan Library
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1x Batterskull
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Umezawa’s Jitte

Sideboard (15):
2x Enlightened Tutor
2x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Choke
2x Path to Exile
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Thorn of Amethyst
1x Serenity
1x Circle of Protection: Red
1x Worship

I showed up on Saturday around 4:30pm to get ready for the Legacy Challenge and try and pick up my fourth Noble Hierarch before it started. Sadly, I couldn’t find one and I wasn’t spending real money on one so I had to shove my lonely Bird back into its sleeve.

First round of the challenge I was paired up with the U/G Show and Tell, Eureka deck and I managed to win in game three due to him having some bad draws.

Second round started and I sit down next to a local I have played before and he was also on G/W Maverick. I took the match in 2 games and we sat there talking about the deck and sideboards. We agree that Silhana can be a house in certain situations.

Round three I got dream crushed by the guy playing Belcher. Game one he was on the draw and went off with 16 goblins. Game two I mulled into a five card hand with forest, noble, thorns, and 2 irrelevant cards. I drop the noble and pass and proceed to get belched on for 90 points……

Last round was u/w and he got crush in 2 games.

I ended up getting 6 packs of Dark Ascension and opened a foil Geralf’s Messenger, Thalia, and a Cage. Still needing the Noble for the next day I found someone to trade me a noble for the stack of cards I had just opened and I had everything I needed for Sunday

First round of Sunday was u/w and he was crushed 2-0.

Second was the burn match up which I won 2-1 with game one being controlled with a jitte and game 3 with both COP: Red and Worship out.

The next three rounds started the downward spiral when I was matched up against zoo (the guy ended up going 6-0 and then 0-3 the last three rounds of the tourney missing top 8), burn, and combo elves. I ended up playing one more round after those and was matched against u/b dreadnaught which I won 2-0.

The weekend was fun even though Sunday was short lived. I knew 4 people who top 8’d and I was happy for all them that made it.

Conclusions: The main board cards are very solid and if I had another tourney this weekend I would register the same 60. I didn’t find Worship to be that great in the sideboard. I ended up boarding it in a lot on Sunday and never found a situation where it was absolutely needed. However, it can catch an opponent off guard and win matches out of nowhere. One problem that I found was the lack of grave hate in my 75. I think I would like an extra crypt in the side to help me feel safer against dredge and reanimator. One other card that was suggested to me and I thought about was Leyline of Sanctity as it makes Burn, Storm, and Belcher decks pretty cold to the threats we are playing. What do you guys think about Leyline maybe as a 2 of?

The problem I'm seeing with your sideboard is that there is too much redundant hate. Worship is a catch-all so you don't have to run CoP:Red for Burn and Serenity for Affinity. Those two slots would be better off as Surgical Extraction, I think, or at least something less narrow so you have more options against other decks.

Here's what I've got atm:
2x Enlightened Tutor
2x Choke/Armageddon (varies from week to week)
1x Stony Silence (because I fear Storm combo will rise up again, and it's also useful against PainterStone, Affinity, and Lands* and has performed better than Thorn in my experience)
1x Worship
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Grafdigger's Cage (because fuck Dredge)
2x Path to Exile
1x Sword of Fire and Ice/Life from the Loam/Terravore/Maze of Ith/Garruk/Faerie Macabre/whatever

*as it turns out, keeping lands off of Engineered Explosives while simultaneously shutting off Mox Diamond is actually really good.

[arcannys]

Who are you talking to?

I'm talking to you.
I dont mean to offend you, but you're missing the point on this deck. You have a lot of do-nothing creatures that dont fit at all on this deck's gameplan.
If you chose to run aether vial (GW maverick), you need to run weathered wayfarer, to capitalize on land disruption. Also, not playing scryb ranger is wrong (not that wrong if you play avenger and tarmogoyf, but this is wrong in the first place so...). If you chose to run the zenith version (GW zenit), you need to cut gaddock down to 0-1, and run 4 zenit.
Not playing thalia is plain wrong, period.
This deck is not looking for a fast clock (tarmogoyf, avenger), this deck is looking for a powerful endgame. If you run creatures like goyf or avenger, you're missing a lot of the deck's potencial (on board tricks, better land denial, etc...).

Maybe if you wanna run cards liek those, you'd like to take a look at death and taxes.

[Asthereal]

Personally, I cannot see why people do NOT see the point in the Punishing Fire combo. Slow? Yes, very, but since this deck wants to win mid/lategame anyway, why should that matter?

The Punishing Fire combo does the following: it kills Moms, Mana guys, Lavamancers, Delvers, SFMs. If you expect RUG Delver and Stoneblade a lot, the combo is very strong. In the mirror it's not that great, but definitely still useable. If you expect a lot of Zoo and Storm, don't play it.

[arcannys]

Personally, I cannot see why people do NOT see the point in the Punishing Fire combo. Slow? Yes, very, but since this deck wants to win mid/lategame anyway, why should that matter?

The Punishing Fire combo does the following: it kills Moms, Mana guys, Lavamancers, Delvers, SFMs. If you expect RUG Delver and Stoneblade a lot, the combo is very strong. In the mirror it's not that great, but definitely still useable. If you expect a lot of Zoo and Storm, don't play it.

I def, agree that it gives an edge over this particular decks.
But what psses me off is the fact that ppl think it's the only viable version of the deck because it won the last SCG/w.e.

anyway, i think the weakness it provides to the mana base, and the cuts you have to do in order to fit in the PF package, just to improve our already good MU is not worth it.

[Neuad]

I'm talking to you.
I dont mean to offend you, but you're missing the point on this deck. You have a lot of do-nothing creatures that dont fit at all on this deck's gameplan.
If you chose to run aether vial (GW maverick), you need to run weathered wayfarer, to capitalize on land disruption. Also, not playing scryb ranger is wrong (not that wrong if you play avenger and tarmogoyf, but this is wrong in the first place so...). If you chose to run the zenith version (GW zenit), you need to cut gaddock down to 0-1, and run 4 zenit.
Not playing thalia is plain wrong, period.
This deck is not looking for a fast clock (tarmogoyf, avenger), this deck is looking for a powerful endgame. If you run creatures like goyf or avenger, you're missing a lot of the deck's potencial (on board tricks, better land denial, etc...).

Maybe if you wanna run cards liek those, you'd like to take a look at death and taxes.

Well I happen to think playing things like Thalia, Gaea's Cradle, Scryb Ranger, Sword of Body and Mind, and Maze of Ith are all awful, but hey to each their own. It's my take on the deck and I do quite well with it.

[Fade]

The problem I'm seeing with your sideboard is that there is too much redundant hate. Worship is a catch-all so you don't have to run CoP:Red for Burn and Serenity for Affinity. Those two slots would be better off as Surgical Extraction, I think, or at least something less narrow so you have more options against other decks.

Here's what I've got atm:
2x Enlightened Tutor
2x Choke/Armageddon (varies from week to week)
1x Stony Silence (because I fear Storm combo will rise up again, and it's also useful against PainterStone, Affinity, and Lands* and has performed better than Thorn in my experience)
1x Worship
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Grafdigger's Cage (because fuck Dredge)
2x Path to Exile
1x Sword of Fire and Ice/Life from the Loam/Terravore/Maze of Ith/Garruk/Faerie Macabre/whatever

*as it turns out, keeping lands off of Engineered Explosives while simultaneously shutting off Mox Diamond is actually really good.

To tell you the truth, I found that COP: Red was more useful than Worship. COP: Red is not dead in the early game or when you get stuck on lands which occasionally happens in a deck with only 21 lands. I think instead of surgical extractions the deck could use purify the grave. Yes, it's not free but you get to use it twice. I was thinking I should have cut the serenity for stony silence but I thought enchantress was going to be a factor in the meta because of all the burn. I think I could get away with cutting the thorn of amethyst for something else.

As for the Burn match-up I played it twice and went 1-1. The first went to game 3 and I was saved in the first match up due to having noble into stoneforge into turn 3 jitte swing. The second game I had mulled to five and couldn't find anything and the third game was locked up with Worship and COP: Red.

Next match went 0-2. Game 1 featured me getting jitte with counters on turn 3 but he had started off with 2 goblin guides and had exactly enough damage left in his hand for the win. One more swing with jitte and I would have been fine. Game 2 was close as he started off with goblin guide and I went turn 1 noble, turn 2 tutor for COP: Red, land that on turn 3. Even with all the swings from Goblin guide I never found a fourth land until late in the game. When he had exactly the right cards to burn me out. In respect to this game, if I had Worship only in the board I would have been screwed out of my mind where COP:Red at least gave me enough game to stall him down to 5 life with the win if he didn't kill me the turn that he did.

[UnsungHero]

Answers I would run for dealing with red/burn. All have converted cost of 1 or 2. And can be found via Enlightened Tutor

Circle Of Protection:Red Protects from direct burn spells, can let damage go through and just use mana to prevent damage. Even if they use some spells to kill creatures, you can stablilize your board.

Absolute Law Protects creatures from being burned, can block creatures like Goblin Guide and Grim Lavamancer with out having to lose anything. Direct Burn spells however can still go through, so you need to be aggressive.

Warmth Bolt now does 1 essentially. Doesn't help with being attacked a bunch however. Sulfuric Vortex just laughs anyways though.

Aegis of Honor Cute card, but I feel that Circle Of Protection:Red is better because while Aeigis does the damge back, it doesn't protect you from direct damage from creatures, and Lavamancer.

Worship isn't very good because it costs 4. You want to have something early and load up the board with threats fast. By the time worship can even do anything you could already taken quite a bit of damage. Burn is quick, they run out of gas, but by getting some protection on the board, it weakens them a lot.

[arcannys]

Well I happen to think playing things like Thalia, Gaea's Cradle, Scryb Ranger, Sword of Body and Mind, and Maze of Ith are all awful, but hey to each their own. It's my take on the deck and I do quite well with it.

Dude, no offence but if you think your list is great, why do you post it here in the first place. What's the point on posting something if you can't whitstand criticism?

Well, tha fact that you dont like any of those cards makes me ask you why are you running KotR? why only 3 tarmogoyf (it'll be better than KotR all the time in your list)?
I'm 95% sure that you havent played with thalia at all.

When replying to this post, can you give any argument besides, my list is great because i say so? Why are you running those cards, whats the thought behind your build?

Thanks.

[QQQ]

If you want to run a two-mana, tutorable target that beats both Burn, and the Red Delver decks, run Energy Storm.

[Koby]

If you want to run a two-mana, tutorable target that beats both Burn, and the Red Delver decks, run Energy Storm.

LOL nice find. Cumulative Upkeep is rough however...

[sdematt]

Run it out once you have a few creatures, then get your Cradle. But, your Mindcensors don't untap. How will you ever alpha-strike now?

-Matt

[Koby]

In my testing, the Tempo matchup is either a quick blowout due to unanswered Delver (we're not the only ones having this problem), or it goes into late game where Maverick excels. Trying to be cute and boarding into Etutor is not going to help in that regard; but putting in Path to Exile would.

<Aside> Green always has had problems with flyers, this isn't any different </aside>

[Fade]

Answers I would run for dealing with red/burn. All have converted cost of 1 or 2. And can be found via Enlightened Tutor

Circle Of Protection:Red Protects from direct burn spells, can let damage go through and just use mana to prevent damage. Even if they use some spells to kill creatures, you can stablilize your board.

Absolute Law Protects creatures from being burned, can block creatures like Goblin Guide and Grim Lavamancer with out having to lose anything. Direct Burn spells however can still go through, so you need to be aggressive.

Warmth Bolt now does 1 essentially. Doesn't help with being attacked a bunch however. Sulfuric Vortex just laughs anyways though.

Aegis of Honor Cute card, but I feel that Circle Of Protection:Red is better because while Aeigis does the damge back, it doesn't protect you from direct damage from creatures, and Lavamancer.

Worship isn't very good because it costs 4. You want to have something early and load up the board with threats fast. By the time worship can even do anything you could already taken quite a bit of damage. Burn is quick, they run out of gas, but by getting some protection on the board, it weakens them a lot.

If burn is playing a big role I would run a COP: Red and a Warmth with two tutors for the sideboard plan. I'm pretty sure we leave in stoneforge with jitte, batterskull, and SOLaS even though the smash to smithereens can be a blowout.

I looked at Absolute Law and decided against it since I had a game while playtesting go turn 1 Rift bolt, turn 2 chain and lava spike, turn 3 lava spike lightning bolt lightning bolt.... 18 damage on turn three where Absolute Law would not be able to help any.

[TheInfamousBearAssassin]

Run it out once you have a few creatures, then get your Cradle. But, your Mindcensors don't untap. How will you ever alpha-strike now?

-Matt

Don't run Mindcensor?

Birds: 2

Stone: 1

[majikal]

To tell you the truth, I found that COP: Red was more useful than Worship. COP: Red is not dead in the early game or when you get stuck on lands which occasionally happens in a deck with only 21 lands. I think instead of surgical extractions the deck could use purify the grave. Yes, it's not free but you get to use it twice. I was thinking I should have cut the serenity for stony silence but I thought enchantress was going to be a factor in the meta because of all the burn. I think I could get away with cutting the thorn of amethyst for something else.

As for the Burn match-up I played it twice and went 1-1. The first went to game 3 and I was saved in the first match up due to having noble into stoneforge into turn 3 jitte swing. The second game I had mulled to five and couldn't find anything and the third game was locked up with Worship and COP: Red.

Next match went 0-2. Game 1 featured me getting jitte with counters on turn 3 but he had started off with 2 goblin guides and had exactly enough damage left in his hand for the win. One more swing with jitte and I would have been fine. Game 2 was close as he started off with goblin guide and I went turn 1 noble, turn 2 tutor for COP: Red, land that on turn 3. Even with all the swings from Goblin guide I never found a fourth land until late in the game. When he had exactly the right cards to burn me out. In respect to this game, if I had Worship only in the board I would have been screwed out of my mind where COP:Red at least gave me enough game to stall him down to 5 life with the win if he didn't kill me the turn that he did.

I can see CoP being better in your list since you run so few lands. I personally wouldn't go below 22, but that's just me. Each their own I guess.

[Fade]

I can see CoP being better in your list since you run so few lands. I personally wouldn't go below 22, but that's just me. Each their own I guess.

I'm running 21 lands, I just put the Dryad Arbor in with the creatures, but I guess running the Maze of Ith main makes it 20 lands anyways.

[Koby]

I'm running 21 lands, I just put the Dryad Arbor in with the creatures, but I guess running the Maze of Ith main makes it 20 lands anyways.

majikal and I are both running 22 including Dryad Arbor, with no Maze of Ith. The important point is having a mana producing land on turn 1, which Maze and Dryad Arbor don't provide.