MTG Salvation

After years of lurking, I finally posted a thread!

CREATURES x26
x4 Knight Exemplar
x4 Wilt-Leaf Liege
x3 Hero of Bladehold
x3 Knight of the White Orchid
x2 Mirran Crusader
x2 Paladin en-Vec
x2 Baneslayer Angel
x1 Tolsimir Wolfblood
x1 Kinsbaile Cavalier
x1 Kitchen Finks
x1 Student of Warfare
x1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
x1 Stoneforge Mystic

LAND x22
x3 Sunpetal Grove
x1 Stirring Wildwood
x1 Terramorphic Expanse
x1 Evolving Wilds
x1 Graypelt Refuge
x1 Cathedral of War
x8 Plains
x6 Forest

ARTIFACTS x5
x1 Glaring Spotlight
x1 Loxodon Warhammer
x1 Sword of Feast and Famine
x1 Sword of Mind and Body
x1 Sword of War and Peace

INSTANT/SORCERY x5
x1 Brave the Elements
x1 Swords to Plowshares
x1 Resurrection
x1 Day of Judgment
x1 Terminus

ENCHANTMENT
x2 Oblivion Ring


TOTAL: 60


I'm trying to make a fast and effective GW deck while using a Knight base. I have 3 Student of Warfare incoming, not really sure what else to add to make it better. I'm on a budget, so I can't afford awesome expensive cards such as Sword of Fire and Ice or classic dual lands. I'm open to all suggestions though, so fire away!

Welcome to your first post! I'll see what I can do to help.

There is only one hexproof creature that sees enough play in legacy to even be mentioned, and he is not really played at all (Thrun) so Glaring Spotlight can come out. You will never need it.

Also, what are you getting out of playing green? Wilt-Leaf Liege can easily be replaced by a different pump, and cards like Tolsimir Wolfblood just are not needed. I would try to stick to mono white, as it makes your mana base much more stable and overall improves the consistency of the deck.

If I were to play a knight deck in legacy, it would look something very close to this list, which has had tournament success in the past.


The Flagstones are not needed so they can be replaced with more plains to bring the price down. Also, Jitte could be replaced by the other swords that you already own, though it is a very good card and you should probably try to get some eventually.

Mirran Crusader is maxed out because he works miracles when there is a sword on him. Knight of the White Orchid could possibly find his way in, as he is a pretty good card, but Knight of Meadowgrain is better in my opinion, and should certainly be considered for one of the 2-drop slots.

If you really want to stick to w/g I can help you with that, I just think that mono white probably the better route when you don't have fetches, dual lands etc.

Glaring Spotlight is in there so I can get in a push without worrying about defenders. What would you suggest as a W/G deck if I want to stick with that?

Quote from shriez

Glaring Spotlight is in there so I can get in a push without worrying about defenders. What would you suggest as a W/G deck if I want to stick with that?

Oh that's easy. New Alara Aggro is probably the best G/W deck you could build on a strict budget.



I wrote about it in my Super budget 4 article, which you can find in my signature. The list has changed a bit since then, but this is what I would run now.

Spooky, why no ulvenwald tracker in the gw list? Seems like a beating.

Quote from policehq

Spooky, why no ulvenwald tracker in the gw list? Seems like a beating.

He's certainly an option as something to green sun for. I guess I just never tested it.

Quote from -spooky-

Oh that's easy. New Alara Aggro is probably the best G/W deck you could build on a strict budget.

Skye629's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures [27] 3 Avacyn's Pilgrim 4 Bant Sureblade 3 Dryad Militant 1 Gaddock Teeg 4 Knight of New Alara 3 Llanowar Elves 3 Marisi's Twinclaws 3 Naya Hushblade 2 Qasali Pridemage 1 Sylvan Safekeeper	Spells [12] 4 Civic Saber 4 Green Sun's Zenith 4 Swords to Plowshares Lands [21] 4 Brushland 1 Dryad Arbor 6 Forest 4 Plains 4 Razorverge Thicket 2 Temple Garden

I wrote about it in my Super budget 4 article, which you can find in my signature. The list has changed a bit since then, but this is what I would run now.

What would a good all around sideboard be for this deck? The deck really caught my attention as Im looking to get into Legacy, and my favorite color pair is G/W

And what non-budget stuff could I add in if I wanted to take it to further heights?

Quote from Skye629

What would a good all around sideboard be for this deck? The deck really caught my attention as Im looking to get into Legacy, and my favorite color pair is G/W

And what non-budget stuff could I add in if I wanted to take it to further heights?

Sideboard is largely contingent upon a deck's weaknesses and the decks played in your area.

Thalia and Thorn of Amethyst come to mind.

Quote from Treeshrew

Sideboard is largely contingent upon a deck's weaknesses and the decks played in your area.

Thalia and Thorn of Amethyst come to mind.

Well Im just getting into Legacy so Im not too familiar with what sort of decks are popular and the amounts of turns to kill/speed. The main things I know is that they more expensive and extremely consistent in terms of builds due to the card pool. As such Im not familiar with what my LGS runs

So including the two cards you mentioned, what else could I run? Lets try to make the sideboard specifically with the weaknesses which I am perceiving from my limited knowledge, board wipes/strong removal and evasion around the creatures (flying comes to mind)

I included thalia and thorn of amythest as protection against combo. Gaddock teeg is already on the list and he is great as a tutorable answer to boardwipes.

Quote from Treeshrew

I included thalia and thorn of amythest as protection against combo. Gaddock teeg is already on the list and he is great as a tutorable answer to boardwipes.

Maybe should I run 1-2 more Gaddock? I know hes Legendary so 4 is a no-no but if there is only 1 of him hes prone to removal right? (Like lightning bolt)

And which is better, thalia or thorn?

I was also looking at other higher budget options, should I add in 2 more temple gardens and maybe 4 sunpetal groves? And would birds of paradise be a good replacement for one of the one drop mana accelerators?

Also could someone clarify the purpose of Dryad Arbor? This type of card is foreign to me in use since I just came from Standard

Dryad Arbor is strictly in the list to act as mana acceleration. On turn one you can cast green sun's zenith for x=0 and grab the arbor, which will usually result in you having 3 lands on turn 2. It's kind of like playing a llanowar elves turn one. If you run fetch lands like Windswept heath you can also fetch for him to use as a blocker during combat, or as a way to find a creature for your next turn if you really need one for some reason.

This deck is most similar (at least in play style) to a deck called Maverick. If you do a quick google search for something like "mtg legacy maverick deck" you will find a ton of lists and information that can be used. Specifically, you can look at what cards they run in their sideboards as ideas for yourself. I like thalia as an option. Maybe one more teeg, but no more. Krosan Grip is a favorite of mine, Choke, Tormods Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Rule of Law, and Path to Exile are all fine options.

If you want to further the deck with non-budget options the first thing you do is handle the land base. 6-8 green fetches, 4 of them being windswept heath, and 2-3 Savannah. Wasteland would probably be a strong option, but I'm not entirely sure. From here you change your mana dorks to Noble Hierarch, and start tweaking the creature base until eventually you would end up with something very similar to Maverick, which is an established tier 1 (maybe tier 1.5 now) legacy deck.

Quote from -spooky-

Dryad Arbor is strictly in the list to act as mana acceleration. On turn one you can cast green sun's zenith for x=0 and grab the arbor, which will usually result in you having 3 lands on turn 2. It's kind of like playing a llanowar elves turn one. If you run fetch lands like Windswept heath you can also fetch for him to use as a blocker during combat, or as a way to find a creature for your next turn if you really need one for some reason.

This deck is most similar (at least in play style) to a deck called Maverick. If you do a quick google search for something like "mtg legacy maverick deck" you will find a ton of lists and information that can be used. Specifically, you can look at what cards they run in their sideboards as ideas for yourself. I like thalia as an option. Maybe one more teeg, but no more. Krosan Grip is a favorite of mine, Choke, Tormods Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Rule of Law, and Path to Exile are all fine options.

If you want to further the deck with non-budget options the first thing you do is handle the land base. 6-8 green fetches, 4 of them being windswept heath, and 2-3 Savannah. Wasteland would probably be a strong option, but I'm not entirely sure. From here you change your mana dorks to Noble Hierarch, and start tweaking the creature base until eventually you would end up with something very similar to Maverick, which is an established tier 1 (maybe tier 1.5 now) legacy deck.

Why only 1 Arbor then if it helps the deck that much?

Ok, Ill check out those Maverick decks

Thanks for the sideboard options!

Ok those cards are too expensive lol, so lets say, what can I add if I put a restriction being $20 MAX per card? What could I add/swap then?

Thanks for all the helpful feedback guys! I really dont wanna rush out there and buy stuff only to find there are other options I can afford

You only want one arbor because he is still a creature, which means he has summoning sickness. You dont want him clogging your hand etc. Just being able to do the things i mentioned is enough.

With a $20 restriction on card prices there really is not much you could add to the deck that would make it better, which could be considered good or bad. Temple garden could be a potential inclusion. I would have to try and think more for other things. Dont want to disrupt/clog the deck too much with things it doesnt need.

Quote from -spooky-

You only want one arbor because he is still a creature, which means he has summoning sickness. You dont want him clogging your hand etc. Just being able to do the things i mentioned is enough.

With a $20 restriction on card prices there really is not much you could add to the deck that would make it better, which could be considered good or bad. Temple garden could be a potential inclusion. I would have to try and think more for other things. Dont want to disrupt/clog the deck too much with things it doesnt need.

Ok thanks!

How do you feel about Birds of Paradise and Sunpetal Grove? Or are those redundant?

I definitely want to throw in my Temple Garden's since I have a playset for standard atm

My current build of New Alara Aggro. It has a bunch of 4-5 drops which is why I put the bloom tenders in there. Transguild courier is a new card that is paying dividends for me as well. There are many different ways to take this build or the one's that spooky suggested, it comes down to your meta and your play style. Phytohydra can shut down Blightsteel with a KoNA out.... The deck is nice and cheap 118.36 mid price for the whole thing and its great to duel or play MP games.

Oh and if you are going to play Knights, go Mono white, far better than splashing for a color

Quote from Skye629

Ok thanks!

How do you feel about Birds of Paradise and Sunpetal Grove? Or are those redundant?

I definitely want to throw in my Temple Garden's since I have a playset for standard atm

Both are fine. Birds can't attack for anything, but that's a pretty small flaw. He mana fixes for you better than either of your other mana dorks, so I don;t see why not.

Quote from -spooky-

Both are fine. Birds can't attack for anything, but that's a pretty small flaw. He mana fixes for you better than either of your other mana dorks, so I don;t see why not.

Ok thanks!

Now for the mana base how should I juggle between Brushland, Razorverge Thicket, Sunpetal Grove, and Temple Garden?

As a Standard player I am not familiar with the first 2, what are the pros and cons vs the 2 standard legal ones that I am familiar with?

And looking at H2O4Sho's list how well would Gavony Township work in this deck? Im not familiar with Legacy so would a typical game go on long enough for me to even start sinking mana into it?

Also another thing I noticed is that there is hardly any (none?) 3-drops, why is this? Am I missing something here? I was under the impression that a deck needed to be curved right

Well grove doesnt really work well with thicket or brushland, so if you use it, be sure to at least use the full play set of temple gardens. From here, I think thicket is your best bet. Brushland is more or less there because it works with or without a specific kind of land. Also, Sunpetal Grove will sometimes prevent turn one plays, or force mulligans, which is never good.

Gavony Township seems a little cute to me. Could it work? Sure, I wouldn't run more than 1-2 of them though, and I can't see it being extremely good. Of course, I've never played it so I can't speak from experience.

You have no 3 drops for 2 reasons. 1- You run enough mana dorks to allow a slight distortion in the curve of the deck. 2- Green sun's zenith searching for a 2 cost creature counts as a 3 drop.

So based on everything you guys have said and the advice given, here is the deck I have currently arrived to:




I suck with sideboard creation, even in Standard, so if you guys could provide feedback that would be great!

As an additional question how well would these cards work?

• Fleetfoot Panther
  
• Ancient Ziggurat
  
• Pillar of the Paruns

I really don't like Shield of the Oversoul. It costs too much mana and doesn't do enough. I would much rather you play Civic Saber or even Blessing of the Nephilim in that slot.

as far as the other cards you mentioned, I can't see any of them being better than what you are already running.

Check out the thread in this section titled shock lands. You shouldn't run Temple Gardens in legacy. Get a hold of some Razorforge Thickets.

Quote from SpecialK47150

Check out the thread in this section titled shock lands. You shouldn't run Temple Gardens in legacy. Get a hold of some Razorforge Thickets.

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=496760&highlight=shock+lands

Is this what you were referring to?

My list is already running Razorverge Thicket

@Spooky: Ah ok, I was drawn to the card because is gave my guys protection and it gave me something to block fliers. So if I was to replace it with Civic Saber of Blessing of the Nephilim, which should I go with? Civic seems easier to cast based on its cost while Blessing requires I have a white. But I also like Blessing providing toughness

Civic Saber is what I would go with, because you can re-use it if the original holder dies. Your knights have first strike and your marisi's have double strike, so not getting toughness is not THAT bug of an issue. The colorless cost is also a draw in a 2 color deck with no fetches.

Quote from -spooky-

Civic Saber is what I would go with, because you can re-use it if the original holder dies. Your knights have first strike and your marisi's have double strike, so not getting toughness is not THAT bug of an issue. The colorless cost is also a draw in a 2 color deck with no fetches.

Ah ok thanks!

I started getting the cards and putting the deck together

Lastly, how should I deal with removal spells (in particular boardwipes)?