I have done my best to both keep the Magic the Gathering jargon to a minimum as well as properly use the correct jargon so readers just getting into the format can follow along. But, if all else fails and you have no idea what’s happening, I made some funny memes encapsulating my individual games.
First off, I want to thank Douges for putting together the website https://greensunszenith.com/. If it weren’t for stumbling onto his webpage and watching his Twitch/YouTube gameplay, I more than likely would have not landed on Maverick or subsequently found the Maverick discord and the wealth of other Maverick players in the world. Check his website, sub to his YT and Twitch; he is doing more than his fair share (pun intended) of making the Legacy Format more accessible/understandable.
Ps. It also helps that I am/was a big Brittonian player in WHFB, and the fact that the Knight of the Reliquary was such a pivotal piece to this build spoke to me (plus the art on the card is fire).
Before this article, I played in 2 other MTGO Leagues and several “tournament practice games.” Each time, I only won because of boarding in Leyline of the Void against a Bridge or Dredge Player. I tried this build with and without Stoneforge, I like running black in general, so while a GW Maverick might have been recommended, I jumped right into GWB.
My takeaways from this League as a Beginner
- Mulligan to get the right cards in your hand
- Quickly identify what you are playing against
- Keep getting reps, not getting discouraged
- When you are a nOOb expect to get pOwnd
GWB Maverick with no Stoneforge Mystic package
Again, this a straight-up copy and paste from the Green Suns Zenith website, no need to build a plane while learning how to fly…
Main (60)
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Hexdrinker
3 Noble Hierarch
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Plague Engineer
1 Ramunap Excavator
3 Skyclave Apparition
1 Questing Beast
2 Kaya, Orzhov Usurper
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
2 Sylvan Library
1 Bayou
1 Dryad Arbor
2 Forest
1 Gaea’s Cradle
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Karakas
1 Plains
2 Savannah
1 Scrubland
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
Sideboard (15)
1 Knight of Autumn
2 Opposition Agent
1 Plague Engineer
1 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Path to Exile
2 Thoughtseize
2 Choke
4 Leyline of the Void
Round 1 vs. Dark Depths
Game 1 went pretty fast, despite having tried to pilot Rainbow Depths before I swore my allegiance to Maverick, I did not truly identify what deck I was playing against until Dark Depths and Lotus Pedals fell from the sky and it was too late. I think I was jaded by all my previous games and leagues where I was just run down by blue decks, that I just assumed I was up against one and over prioritized getting Mana Dorks on the board.
Game 2 and 3, I was able to mulligan both times to six cards and put one and even two wastelands into my hand. I don’t know why; taking a mulligan after the board to answer in your hand is a concept that I have been struggling with learning in this format. Card Advantage vs. Having the right cards in Legacy seems to be a lot one-sided than I initially thought. Nonetheless, VICTORY 2-1 League 1-0. Ps. This was a big moment for me, this was the first league game that I played where I didn’t get the win because Leyline of the Void bailed me out after the board! MULLIGAN TO GET THE RIGHT CARDS IN YOUR HAND AFTER THE BOARD.
Round 2 vs. Mono Red Burn
Again, my failure to identify what I was playing against quickly was my undoing. When an essential mountain drops Turn 1, I should probably start thinking of what I need to beat burn. However, I was waiting for another land type to drop, and it never happened. This one went 1-2. No matter the format or decade, it seems that the first game vs. Mono-Red is critical in protecting yourself from getting top decked out of a win. LOSS 1-2 League 1-1. What did we learn? QUICKLY IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ARE PLAYING AGAINST!
Round 3 vs. BANT Control
This round was rough, I guess I have never played against BANT before, and in both games, I couldn’t seal the deal before Jace, Uro, and Teferi just controlled me out of the game. Loss 0-2 League 1-2. What did we learn? GET MORE REPS IN FOOL!
Round 4 vs. Bridge From Bellow Zombie!!!!!!
As proud as I was for getting a win without Leyline, this was one of those matchups where you board, mulligan, and hope you get Leyline in your starting hand and grind the game out. Win 2-1 League 2-2. This one was a combination of what I learned in game one and my reps of running into this many…many times while playtesting the deck. My strategy for surviving the Zombie apocalypse is as follows:
Round 5 vs. Eldrazi Post
I have only ever seen the decklist for Eldrazi Post, I have never played against it, and it showed. My only goal was to grind as much as I could, so my opponent had to play his deck so I can see all the crazy stuff that Eldrazi Post can do. Game 1 I lost to Eldrazi, Game 2 I lost to Karn resetting the game and stealing my creatures, which I have to admit was cool to see happen. What did I learn? When you are a noob, expect to get pOwned…
League record 2-3
Overall, I was happy with how the deck played and how I can feel that I am somewhat on the cusps of “leveling up” in Legacy. I’ll more than likely try some Punishing Maverick builds and come back with another article after maybe 3-5 leagues. I rather write less blogs that have more lessons learned than force myself to put pen to paper every tune I play in a league. I gotta say playing Legacy makes me appreciate the resource structure of Flesh and Blood a lot more 😝 but I still love both 😂
Thanks for reading and feel free to hit me up on MTGO my handle is DivaDan
