Hey all – welcome back to the ‘Zenith! It’s been a while, and that’s on me.
Last weekend we had the 2024 Eternal Weekend. The NA Legacy Champs was taken down by what I would call deck of the tournament in Mystic Forge Combo (3 copies in the Top 8!).
6 Mavericks took on the challenge of Eternal Weekend – 4 on straight Green-White, 1 on Abzan and 1 on Punishing Maverick. Kevin L (Lorac) had the highest finish in 83rd place (8-3 record) with a very unique (and very cool) take on GW Maverick.
I want to take this time to look over the lists, understand some of the reasoning behind the high count of straight GW and look forward to what I’d recommend for Eternal Weekend Europe.
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Thanks to the data from the Legacy Data Collection Project we can see that over the weekend Maverick had just over a 51% win percentage (25W/24L) – actually not too bad!
Naya Depths
For those interested in Naya Depths, the archetype had a 48.48% win percentage (16/17) and was piloted by 5 players. I’ll dive into some of the unique features of the lists in a future article.
Let’s dive right into the Maverick lists that saw play at Eternal Weekend
83rd Place | Kevin L | Green-White Maverick
You can tell straight away that Kevin’s put a huge amount of time into the list when you look at not just the numbers behind each individual card, but the cards included such as 3 Spirit of the Labyrinth and 3 Hushbringer (creatures not always associated with Maverick).
This list is honestly a breathe of fresh air, and the results proved it’s not just good looking on paper. But don’t take my word for it, here’s Lorkac’s thoughts on their build of ‘GW Delver’
Maindeck
The focus of my list was a lower curve to try to apply fast pressure. Less 3-drops and 4-drops and more 1-drops such as Elvish Reclaimer.
 
Sylvan Safekeeper is a meta call—Kozilek’s Command from Eldrazi and Mystic Forge was the main reason I lost to those decks as they killed my lock pieces (Hushbringer turns off the drain effects of Glaring Fleshraker allowing my flyers to win the game).
Safekeeper allows me to have a way to protect my lock pieces when Mother of Runes doesn’t. I also use it primarily against Cradle Control—double Talon Gate gets past my Hushbringer / Gaddock Teeg locks, so Sylvan Safekeeper allows me to stop their one out against my lock.
Spirit of the Labyrinth is primarily an answer to Frog + Tamiyo + Beans. Spirit enables me to ignore the card draw of Frog, prevent Tamiyo from flipping, and prevent Beans from gaining value. The downtick in Orcish Bowmasters really allowed this card to be as impactful as it was. I won many games because of this beauty.
Thalia overperformed all day. From first strike to her taxing effect, the downtick in Bowmasters made her wreck so many people’s days.
Sideboard
Phyrexian Revoker is primarily for Nadu decks. Karakas (for Nadu) + Revoker allows me to stop the combo side of Nadu decks, leaving the fight to be for our fair strategies of Knights and other beaters. Hushbringer turning off the Cephalid breakfast versions means even the fast versions of Nadu has answers.
Sadly I never faced a Nadu deck so this ended up being a very low impact sideboard card in hindsight, mainly just turning off Karn, Goblin Welder, and Vials. Revoker is also to turn off Broadside Bombardier—but I still lost to 2 Broadside Bombardier decks despite that.
Ramunap was primarily for grindy matchups. But was not really impactful during the main event. The Maze + Sejirri are normally 2 Dismember (mainly for Magus), but I found that 2 basics + Reclaimer really got me out of most Moon locks pretty easily.
For about a week I replaced them with Run Afoul as an answer to Nadu that didn’t trigger the bird, while being a 1-CMC answer to Frogs, Murktides, and Volvaloth. However I made a last minute audible the night prior to replace 2 Run Afoul with “board control cards I could easily search for”. This was a mistake—both Dismember AND Run Afoul would have been better than either.
Matchups
1-2 Red-White Death and Taxes
2-0 Mono-Red Storm
0-2 Jeskai Tempo
0-2 UB Tempo
2-0 Jeskai Control
2-0 Reanimator
2-1 Bug Beans
2-1 Painter
2-0 Mystic Forge
2-1 Stiflenaught
2-0 UB Reanimator
Two of my losses was because of Bombardier + Formalwear. RW Taxes continually throwing Stoneforges and recurring them with Formalwear / Flickerwhisp all while slowly getting a Kaldra was too much versus both DnT and the Jeskai Tempo deck.
Jeskai Tempo was essentially Stoneblade + Daze + Broadside Bombardiers + 6-8 plow effects
My loss versus UB Tempo was simply tempo being tempo. T1 threat, I don’t resolve a spell, needed 1 more turn to stabilize but just enough bounce/Daze/etc… allowed him to close things out before I could.
After starting the day 1-3, I then proceed never to lose a game. I did get lucky not facing Nadu or more Broadsides, my hatebears really lined up with the rest of the meta easily beating UB Reanimator, Reanimator, Mystic Forge, Painter, BUG, etc…
The one sad point is that I don’t often lose to UB Tempo, so losing a favoured match was the main difference between going x-2 and going x-3, still happy I was able to win out as this is my 2nd best Eternal Weekend placement as opposed to my 26th place ranking in 2019 during the W6 era.
A huge thank you to Kevin for getting back to me so quickly with their reasoning and insights.
Some added thoughts from me (Douges)
4 Elvish Reclaimer
- This choice makes maindeck Bojuka Bog much more appealing. Bog is typically just too slow for Legacy if your only access to it is through Knight of the Reliquary (as most GY decks are going off before your best case of T3).
- Talon’s is also great to have access to as early as T2. It isn’t just a way to interact with your opponents threats but also keep your own alive through removal / sweeper effect.
- Reclaimer might also give your opponent headaches on worrying about the Depths combo or protection through Sejerri Steppe. Typically it’s removed on sight.
Gaddock Teeg in the MD
- Typically this year we’ve seen Collector Ouphe and Teeg fight for this slot in the maindeck. It really comes down to your understanding of the metagame you’re playing in to know which is best in the 60 and which slots back into the sideboard (or when both are required in the MD).
- I think Teeg was a fantastic read on the format. Forge decks have to rely on Flesh wins in G1 as removal in Kozilek’s Command and getting Karn onto the board are switched off. The One Ring is also hit my Teeg, however Ouphe being an ‘out’ if a Ring is on the field is worth noting.
The other Mavericks
3 other GW builds, a Naya and an Abzan build fought throughout the event to give Maverick a fighting chance.
EthM6 | GW Maverick | 6-5-0 for a 267th finish
Notable picks:
Qasali is a true blast from the past, but makes a lot of sense in a Stoneforge Mystic build. If you don’t think you’re going to be in a metagame where the value of Outland Liberator is going to relevant, exalted is the next best thing. Stacked exalted isn’t something to take lightly and can quickly cause your opponents to leave creatures back on defence.
Safekeeper as GSZ-able protection for your bears in Teeg + Ouphe and pressure in SFM / Knight is also a trend we’re seeing more of. I really like it, as it’s also a way to sometimes get a win out of nowhere with a large Knight attack.
No Jitte isn’t a surprise given it’s position in the format (or lack there of) so it’s fantastic to see not 1, but TWO swords alongside Batterskull. Both SOLAS and SOFAI can offer card advantage and protection from some of the most played removal / threats in the format right now.
Talon Gates I think has found its way into the ‘stock’ Maverick manabase no matter your build as it offers so much on both attack and defence. For every unique and powerful land in the deck, it also only makes Knight that much more powerful.
This list is a little higher in curve compared to Loracs, with the equipment package alongside Questing Beast & Ramunap (typically something I’m casting on turn 4 so I can get instant value). That’s why it’s great to see both Ouphe and Teeg / 2 Endurance to make sure you’re respecting the fast decks of the format.
Devin W | GW Maverick | 5-4-1 for a 295th finish
Without the protection of Safekeeper I do like that Devin’s moved away from Batterskull and towards Jitte. It’s much easier to cast if the SFM is removed and although not currently positioned that well, Jitte can have its moments.
It’s worth noting the drop in Mother of Runes to a 2-of across the board. It does make sense:
1) as green creatures get better you want to have more in your Zenith deck
2) As other creature-based decks run must answer threats there’s a need for more MD removal.
It’s also a pretty reasonable reflection of the current metagame where Mother isn’t the house she used to be when it came to protection and card advantage through protection.
Safekeeper coming in a Mother #3 is most builds is a fantastic move as it protects you against more of the current field (Kozilek’s Command, Karakas, Talons etc) and can be found off ‘Zenith.
One trick with Green Sun’s Zenith is that you can always over spend on [X]. This might make your opponent think you’re getting one creature when you’re actually getting another, cheaper bullet.
If I cast Zenith with X=3 against you, would you be thinking about Safekeeper?
When 8-Cast was in the format, GSZ for 3 to get Ouphe was a classic move. Most of the time my opponent would think ‘Knight of Autumn’ and not respond to the Zenith, only for it to be too late once Ouphe touched grass.
You don’t often see the double up in draw lands like Horizon Canopy, but they still a viable way to have some control over flooding / pair nicely with Ramunap vs. the more grindy matchups. I’ve found in the past the awkward hands with both copies against decks like Delver or Stompy have kept me from playing more than a single copy.
The Aven Mindcensor in the board was a nice surprise, a card that originally got me into Modern (and from there, into Legacy). With Nadu looking to run Zenith, Chord AND Natural Order, the ability to interact with search gets much more appealing.
Devin even if I don’t play them myself, I appreciate your Future Sight choices.
Mike F | Abzan Maverick | 5-4-0 for a 388th finish
Abzan Maverick! I think the worst kept secret is that this is my favourite build of Maverick.
Mike wasn’t messing around when it came to the black splash with 3 copies of Abrupt Decay in the maindeck, alongside 2 Orcish Bowmasters and a Grist. Grist is probably the first card you add in Abzan, with Orcish still being relevant (but far from the beginning of a full playset). Decay is a strong meta-call as a way to deal with Frog, alongside other options like creatures out of Nadu (and the bird itself), Chalice, Moon.. most of Painter…the list goes on.
I want to point out the subtle 1 copy of Fiend Artisan. This means your non-green creatures are only 2 turn away from casting a Zenith for 2. That ability to search up your Bowmaster, Agent, or Doorkeeper Thrull is EXACTLY what you should be looking at in 2024/2025 and beyond. Look for ways to make sure in a deck that doesn’t play cantrips, you’re going to find the bullets and cards you need on a consistent basis.
This build might look a little off given the amount of 1-ofs, but the more you play Maverick, the more you play with Fiend, the less off it looks and the more tuned it feels. Mike also opted for BOTH Teeg & Ouphe to have the advantages of both in the maindeck / ability to shut decks down without access to sideboard removal. Without the SFM package, Ouphe has no downside in the maindeck either.
I do love to see Renegade Rallier in the list. It’s a fantastic way to get an advantage, especially returning creatures from the graveyard when removal such as Fatal Push is at an all time high. It’s very good value when paired with Fiend, often getting back the creature you’ve just sacrificed. It’s super flexible and is nice to know you can get back creatures that are in the yard, a very unique effect in Maverick outside of SOLAS.
Notably the only sideboard graveyard hate piece is the 1 copy of Surgical. No Faerie Macabre, no artifact-based interaction – just Surgical to assist the MD copies of Endurance (2) and copy of Keen-Eyed Curator. I would tend to play between 2-3 pieces, but I am also what I would call a safe player (and sometimes too safe).
I really appreciate the choices for sideboard removal in a copy of Path to Exile and Snuff Out. Both of these have their own advantages, Snuff Out from a tempo perspective and Path being so flexible. I haven’t had the guts to try out Snuff, but I’d find it more appealing if I played vs less UB decks right now.
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Mike B | GW-Maverick | 1-4-0 for a 970th finish
At first glance this list looked it it was from Maverick’s heyday in 2013/2014. The very clean 4 Knight / Noble / Mother / Thalia and then a mixture of GSZ targets such as 2 Qasali Pridemage.
3 Keen-Eyed Curator means you’re going to have full control over the yard IF your opponent doesn’t ‘go off’ before one gets online. Skyclave is also a cool piece of tech that typically sees play in Death & Taxes and Esper Vial. 2 more copies in the board makes me think this player has tested them out and enjoyed their impact enough to have 3 copies in the 75.
I do admire the 3 Forest and 1 Plains manabase, but could be an issue if you’re wanting to get Skyclave online / double spell with Mother and Thalia early on. I think the closest build I’ve seen with 3 Forest was a Tom Herzog list a few years back with a 3/2 split (and yes, of course Tom 5-0ed with that list).
Alex W | Naya Maverick | 0-4-0 for a 1114th finish
I’m really happy Punishing Maverick made its way to Eternal Weekend, but I am sure I can say on behalf of all fans we wish it did better on the day. A quick shout out to Mark Strassman and all the work he’s done for the Maverick community.
Punishing Fire is one of those Legacy ‘staples’ that moves in and out of the format depending on how it matches up to the threats seeing play. I think it’s a great way to clear early Nadu or Cradle Control boards, but sadly doesn’t line up too well vs UB (even their 1 drops in Tamiyo / Goyf) and of course is easily stifled by Frog.
You could say Mawloc is in the same position, but I do like its flexibility as a GSZ target and it’s ability to get bigger / remove bigger threats / potentially replace itself too.
I do feel right now blast effects and Minsc are great reasons to pick up the red splash. Just like the uptick in Mother / Thalia / Spirit we’ve seen from these lists, Minsc also gets better with the decline of Bowmaster.
Minsc just gives you outs to hurdles like Ensnaring Bridge, card advantage through making a threat every turn and also provides a win con of throwing a large creature.
5 Blasts in the board shows you how much Alex respects their position in the format. Being able to hit Nadu on the stack and Frogs at all angles is very appealing.
I do think Bog in this version is a little slow with only the single copy of Reclaimer. Reclaimer being able to find Grove is pretty cool, and also make use of a Saga on chapter 3.
This build is really looking for that mid-late game with 2 Libraries and 3 Sagas. To do this, you need to have some control over the early game whether that’s through removal in Punishing Fire or getting Knight or KEC into play to control the board.
Ouphe does impact some of the power of Saga, but no Teeg in the MD means you’re a little weak to non-graveyard combo decks outside of your Vexing Bauble.
I do like the interaction of Rampaging Yao Guai in the board which, because it targets, doesn’t interact with your Saga plan if you don’t want it to. Off GSZ this is a great way to fight against Saga decks like Painter or Lands, and obviously if cast can do some real damage on Mystic Forge (if you have the time for setup).
Conclusions
Legacy right now is quick, potentially the quickest it’s been since I started playing in 2013. Maverick’s don’t have the luxury of casting 3 and 4 mana spells if you don’t have a plan for turns 0, 1 and 2. If you’re playing fair, you need a plan vs the unfair.
If you’re wanting to play Questing Beast, or a SFM package, or get the Ramunap & Wasteland lock online – HOW are you getting there? HOW are you going to interact and stay alive in the turns prior to your desired outcome?
The additional tech of Safekeeper and Gaddock Teeg in the maindeck are exactly what I think Maverick’s need to think about. If you’re not playing Thalia, how are you replacing her in a meaningful way?
One thing to think about is what hurts Maverick that hits the top decks? After Eternal Weekend, a card like Grafdigger’s Cage seems well positioned as it hits Nadu decks, Forge, Painter and UB Reanimator. But what else does it hit? Maverick.
So what can Maverick’s do to fight this type of meta choice? Flexible removal options. Sure I’m probably not keeping in Outland Liberator vs the decks that might bring in Cage, but Prismatic Ending? Sure, I’d be more than happy to have that post-board for Delver-style decks.
I think Prismatic Ending is a great option in the maindeck right now for all versions of Maverick as Swords #5 that also hits vs Forge or other A&E archetypes.
Celestial Purge is another card I’ve been trying out online in the board with great results. It’s a versatile card against both UB and Painter / Mono-Red. Being able to deal with Moon effects off a Plains after you’ve Swords their first threat is a great feeling, as typically it’s basic Forest that’s your only out.
I do think every player should think deeply about the cards they are choosing to play and where they don’t line up well. In the case of Snuff Out vs Path to Exile, you obviously want Path vs UB threats but Snuff Out is considerable better at answering early mana acceleration, Mother of Runes and like-minded, low-cost creatures.
Scryb Ranger also gets a call out. I think Scryb makes it awkward for Frog decks to get through, especially when paired with Mother of Runes. Having the ability to somewhat play around Wasteland is also nice, and can be a great ‘out’ to Daze giving you that additional mana off mana dorks.
For now I think both Ouphe AND Teeg have their benefits, and wouldn’t be too surprised to see more decks run both in the MD. Adding onto that, I see the advantages of splashing either black or red, but don’t underestimate straight GW – there’s a reason why the majority of players took GW into Eternal Weekend.
If you’re looking for some tech that covers The One Ring, Nadu creatures and Cradle Control… 
For those looking to play Maverick at Eternal Weekend in Prague or into 2025, have a plan. Know your limits when it comes to how ‘fair’ you can actually play and where you need to make concessions to give yourself a chance against the speed of the format.
A huge thank you to all of you for the support during this year, I haven’t been any where near the level of output on writing and updating the site but I hope with the rest I’m currently taking from playing, will inspire more (just like it did for this article).
Play fair & take care,
Douges
