For the next week, we’ll be covering the vast format that is Legacy. We’ll be covering 10 decks a day to help you get familiar with the variety that Legacy has to offer, significant finishes, a small “How the Decks Work” section, some variations, and finally, some sideboard cards that help combat that particular strategy. If we missed anything, feel free to comment and let us know!
Halfway there! Forty decks aren’t nearly enough to show how diverse Legacy can be, but we can only do so much. Hopefully the remaining half can also help you prepare for StarCityGames: Phoenix.
Imperial Painter
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (20) 1 Solemn Simulacrum 1 Wurmcoil Engine 3 Goblin Welder 3 Magus of the Moon 4 Imperial Recruiter 4 Painter’s Servant 4 Simian Spirit Guide Spells (24) 4 Pyroblast 4 Red Elemental Blast 4 Faithless Looting 4 Blood Moon 4 Chrome Mox 4 Grindstone Lands (16) 4 Ancient Tomb 4 City of Traitors 8 Mountain | Sideboard (15) 2 Faerie Macabre 1 Vexing Shusher 2 Viashino Heretic 4 Leyline of Sanctity 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Shattering Spree |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Michael Dye, 11th of 174: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7865&iddeck=57267
Bill Yowell, 14th of 174: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7865&iddeck=57270
Lasse V Hansen, 7th of 234: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7875&iddeck=57351
How this Deck Works
Painter’s Servant creates the synergy of the deck. The maindeck, yes maindeck, Pyroblasts and Red Elemental Blasts can attest to that. With a Painter’s Servant in play, these Blast effects are Vindicates or Counterspells for only one mana! Imperial Recruiter help fetch the Painter’s Servant out or grab a variety of toolbox creatures. The 8 sol lands (Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors) help power out disruption spells in the form of Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon to stall your opponent while Grindstone and Painter’s Servant end the game.
Sideboard cards to Consider: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (prevent yourself from being decked), Shattering Spree
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Low
Lands!
AKA: 43 Lands!, 37 Lands
Sample Decklist
Significant Finishes in 2012
Marco Lazzazzara, 7th of 51: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7790&iddeck=56705
How this Deck Works
Aaaand this is what Legacy is all about – crazy concoctions that actually work! Apparently, a deck that consists of mainly lands can actually win – barely. Lands is a grindy control deck that abuses the various Life from the Loam synergies. When we mean a grindy control deck, we really mean it. It is common for Lands to win 1-0 in its matches, simply because its games take very long.
Lands has tools to answer many different strategies:
- To deal with creatures: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale and Maze of Ith
- To deal with lands: Wasteland and Rishadan Port are the main cards, but Ghost Quarter recurring with Life from the Loam or Crucible can leave an opponent with no lands at all.
- To deal with permanents: Engineered Explosives + Academy Ruins can rid a board completely.
Tolaria West serves as a Demonic Tutor for lands as well as Engineered Explosives. The win condition varies: Barbarian Ring, Creeping Tar Pit, Mishra’s Factories, and Mindslaver + Academy Ruin all can win the game for Lands.
Sideboard Cards to Consider: Surgical Extraction, Back to Basics, Extirpate, Tormod’s Crypt, Tsabo’s Web, Blood Moon
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Moderate
Maverick
AKA: GW Aggro, GW Stoneblade, GW Zenith
Sample Decklist
Significant Finishes in 2012
Jacob Kory, 8th of 116: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7915&iddeck=57651
Adam Cai, 1st of 264: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7989&iddeck=58192
Max Tietze, 1st of 143: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7992&iddeck=58232
Zach Krizan, 12th of 174: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7865&iddeck=57268
Pat Cox, 5th of 264: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7989&iddeck=58196
How this Deck Works
The poster blue killer nowadays, Maverick attacks the metagame from many different angles – Stoneforge Mystic, Knight of the Reliquary, Green Sun’s Zenith, and more recently, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Its high impact cards make up for the lack of library manipulation (except for the Sylvan Library in some lists). Knight of the Reliquary allows Maverick to run a toolbox of lands as well, ranging from Karakas, Maze of Ith, Bojuka Bog, Wasteland, and Horizon Canopy. Scryb Ranger does a lot of work in Maverick as well, allowing players to reuse Knight of the Reliquary, Mother of Runes, give creatures vigilance, and lastly, provide an infinite blocker in Dryad Arbor.
The inocuous creature in the deck is Mother of Runes – its ability can simply turn the game around since it can protect your creatures from removal and make your guys unblockable.
Deck Variants: The toolbox effects of Stoneforge Mystic, Knight of the Reliquary, and Green Sun’s Zenith make the deck very customizable. Furthermore, color splashes are common. Red adds Punishing Fire and Grove of the Burnwillows. Blue adds Flusterstorm and Spell Pierce to the sideboard, as well as Rhox War Monk, Edric, Spymaster of Trest, and Geist of Saint Traft. Black adds the possibility of Dark Confidant and possibly Lingering Souls.
Sideboard cards to Consider: Sulfur Elemental, Submerge, Dread of Night, Wrath of God, Perish, Virtue’s Ruin
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Very High
Merfolk
AKA: Fish
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (22) 3 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner 3 Merrow Reejerey 4 Coralhelm Commander 4 Cursecatcher 4 Lord of Atlantis 4 Silvergill Adept Spells (17) 2 Dismember 3 Daze 4 Force of Will 4 Standstill 4 Aether Vial Lands (21) 4 Mutavault 4 Wasteland 13 Island | Sideboard (15) 1 Dismember 3 Umezawa’s Jitte 2 Submerge 2 Tower of the Magistrate 2 Hibernation 2 Flusterstorm 3 Surgical Extraction |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Maxim Krisevich, 7th of 113: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7741&iddeck=56332
How this Deck Works
Merfolk is a tribal deck that packs cheap disruption and small creatures that eventualy overwhelm your opponent. A turn one Cursecatcher gives combo decks headaches, and control decks fear Lord of Atlantis. AEther Vial provides a way to pump these fish out onto the battlefield while you keep mana open for counterspells and disruption.
Traditionally, Merfolk preyed on metagames that primarily consisted of blue decks since the Islandwalk bonus gave it a significant advantage, but recently Maverick as supplanted Merfolk as the blue killer. However, don’t count the blue men out. Merfolk has recently received tools like Phantasmal Image and Dismember to combat other decks.
Deck Variants: Since Merfolk really depends on its Lord bonuses to win games, It can be difficult to create variants. The main variation in Merfolk lists is the inclusion of Standstill. Most players have dropped it from their lists, but it is still an option.
Sideboard cards to consider: Llawan, Cephalid Empress, Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast, Moat
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Moderate
Mono Blue Control
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (6) 2 Vendilion Clique 4 Trinket Mage Spells (32) 1 Counterspell 2 Echoing Truth 4 Brainstorm 4 Force of Will 4 Spell Snare 2 Back to Basics 4 Counterbalance 4 Energy Field 1 Chimeric Mass 1 Pithing Needle 2 Vedalken Shackles 3 Sensei’s Divining Top Lands (22) 1 Flooded Strand 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Polluted Delta 1 Scalding Tarn 18 Island |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Eric Rill, 14th of 297: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7662&iddeck=55668
How this Deck Works
A traditional control deck, MUC eschews the off-color offerings of Tarmogoyf, Swords to Plowshares, or Punishing Fire in favor of one underrated card in Legacy – Back to Basics. Back to Basics and Energy Field stall your opponent, and Counterbalance seals the deal – countering your opponent’s spells while not losing Energy Field.
Deck Variants: Some MUC decks skip out on the CounterTop package as well as Energy Field to add Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Propaganda, and other cards. Sphinx of Jwar Isle (replacing Morphling) is a possible win condition too.
Sideboard cards to Consider: Pyroblast, Krosan Grip
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Low
MUD
AKA: Metalworker
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (21) 1 Blightsteel Colossus 1 Sundering Titan 3 Lodestone Golem 4 Goblin Welder 4 Kuldotha Forgemaster 4 Metalworker 4 Wurmcoil Engine Spells (21) 2 Gamble 2 Blood Moon 1 Batterskull 1 Mindslaver 1 Sensei’s Divining Top 1 Spine of Ish Sah 1 Staff of Domination 2 Lightning Greaves 2 Lotus Petal 2 Mox Opal 2 Voltaic Key 4 Grim Monolith Lands (18) 1 Buried Ruin 2 Mountain 3 Darksteel Citadel 4 Ancient Tomb 4 City of Traitors 4 Great Furnace | Sideboard (15) 2 Pithing Needle 1 Powder Keg 2 Tormod’s Crypt 3 Trinisphere 1 Witchbane Orb 2 Spellskite 2 Steel Hellkite 1 Blood Moon 1 Chaos Warp |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Philip Fortner, 11th of 143: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7992&iddeck=58242
Jason Raflowitz, 12th of 141: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7807&iddeck=56834
Zac Hicks, 1st of 94: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7757&iddeck=56440
Carson Long, 3rd of 174: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7865&iddeck=57259
How this Deck Works
Brought back to life in 2011 with the Scars of Mirrodin block & the unbanning of Metalworker in 2009, this deck packs a huge wallop. Metalworker provides a buttload of mana while Scars block cards like Wurmcoil Engine, Blightsteel Colossus, and Kuldotha Forgemaster clean up shop. Metalworker in a deck that has a high density of artifacts is just unfair, and being able to generate 6 or 7 mana by turn 2 lends to some nasty things. Even Karn Liberated shows up in some lists!
Deck Variants: There are two main versions of MUD – Welder MUD and Welderless MUD. Goblin Welder forces the deck to be red, and it gains an advantage through Moon effects, and it can use tools like Gamble to get the cards it needs. Welderless MUD uses Sphere effects like Trinisphere and Chalice of the Void to lock out its opponents.
Since the deck generates a ton of mana with Metalworker or Voltaic Key + Grim Monolith, many of the threats themselves can be varied. Steel Hellkite, Sundering Titan, and Platinum Emperion can all make appearances, as can Lodestone Golem.
Sideboard cards to consider: Stony Silence/Null Rod, Energy Flux, Ancient Grudge, Price of Progress
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Moderate
Nic Fit
AKA: Veteran Explorer Rock
Sample Decklist
Significant Finishes in 2012
Lippmann Robert, 6th of 48: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7754&iddeck=56426
Nils Gutierrez, 3rd of 45: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7800&iddeck=56772
Borja Ceberio, 3rd of 33: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7859&iddeck=57216
How this Deck Works
Just like Maverick months ago, this deck is making waves in Europe but in the US, it has not made any sort of impact whatsoever. This deck is based on the neat little synergy between Veteran Explorer and Cabal Therapy. Since many Legacy decks do not run many basics – 3 or 4 at the most, and commonly, none at all – Veteran Explorer is many times one sided. Combined with Cabal Therapy, you can get as much as 3 untapped mana on turn 2 plus disrupting your opponent. This boost of mana allows the deck to abuses cards like Pernicious Deed, Green Sun’s Zenith, and Recurring Nightmare. And yes, this deck can cast Karn Liberated. With the printing of Grafdigger’s Cage, this deck is a lot weaker now, but its future remains to be seen.
Deck Variants: Nic Fit variants are all over the place. Recurring Nightmare fuels one type of Nic Fit deck while Birthing Pod fuels another. You don’t have to run either of these cards either. Another variation involves splashing white for Swords to Plowshares, Sun Titan, and Gideon Jura. Nic Fit, like MUD, has a simple core of mana ramp, and the win conditions can be whatever you like.
Sideboard cards to consider: Surgical Extraction, Tormod’s Crypy, Grafdigger’s Cage, Basic land (okay, that is a joke)
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Low
Painted Stone
AKA: Painter’s Servant/Grindstone, Blue Painter, Painter
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (8) 4 Goblin Welder 4 Painter’s Servant Spells (31) 1 Echoing Truth 1 Misdirection 1 Red Elemental Blast 2 Pyroblast 4 Brainstorm 4 Force of Will 4 Intuition 3 Lion’s Eye Diamond 3 Mox Opal 4 Grindstone 4 Sensei’s Divining Top Lands (21) 1 Island 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Polluted Delta 1 Scalding Tarn 2 City of Traitors 2 Flooded Strand 3 Ancient Tomb 3 Great Furnace 3 Volcanic Island 4 Seat of the Synod | Sideboard (15) 4 Tormod’s Crypt 3 Spellskite 1 Pyroblast 1 Red Elemental Blast 3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 3 Show and Tell |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Dale McKinney, 8th of 153: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7707&iddeck=56065
Nicolo Valentini, 2nd of 32: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7871&iddeck=57317
Joe Tanner, 27th of 118: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7634&iddeck=55443
How this Deck Works
This deck operates similarly to Imperial Painter, except instead of packing disruption like Blood Moon, it packs Force of Will. Adding blue makes the deck so much more consistent – Intuition with a Goblin Welder feels like not just one Demonic Tutor, but 3 Demonic Tutors. Furthermore, Painting the world blue allows you to not only Vindicate and counter spells with Pyroblast or Red Elemental Blast, but also pitch anything to Force of Will. The Show and Tell sideboard plan helps versus mass artifact hate, allowing the player to dodge Krosan Grip, Ancient Grudge, or Pithing Needle just by dropping Emrakul.
Sideboard cards to consider: Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast, Krosan Grip, Ancient Grudge, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (to prevent milling AND a target for Show and Tell)
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Low
Pox
Sample Decklist
| Creatures (2) 2 Nether Spirit Spells (33) 1 Spinning Darkness 4 Dark Ritual 1 Pox 3 Innocent Blood 4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Sinkhole 4 Smallpox 1 Nether Void 4 Liliana of the Veil 3 Cursed Scroll Lands (25) 4 Mishra’s Factory 4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 4 Wasteland 13 Swamp | Sideboard (15) 1 Crucible of Worlds 2 Pithing Needle 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Spinning Darkness 3 Perish 1 Nether Void 2 The Abyss |
Significant Finishes in 2012
Paul Telkamp, 10th of 118: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7634&iddeck=55426
How this Deck Works
Just like many recent decks, Pox was given new life (or undeath, whatever you prefer) with the printing of Liliana of the Veil. Reid Duke popularized the new version of the deck with his Top 8 finish at a 2011 SCG Invitational with Pox. The deck aims to power out a Smallpox or a similar effect to disrupt your opponent’s board, and any discard effects deal with any answers your opponent may be holding. Liliana provides the deck a consistent way to control either the board or the hand. Nether Spirit is an infinite chump blocker, stalling until the win condition of Mishra’s Factory or Cursed Scroll take the game.
Deck Variants: Pox is a Legacy budget deck, so there may be different variants because of budget choices. Ensnaring Bridge, Crucible of Worlds, and Bloodghast all make appearnces in some decklists. Some decks may also splash a color: Green is the most popular because of Life from the Loam, White is possible because of Vindicate and Elspeth, and finally, blue is a possibility because of Jace.
Sideboard cards to Consider: Surgical Extraction, Krosan Grip, Pithing Needle (on Liliana, Cursed Scroll, or Mishra’s Factory)
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Moderate
Reanimator
Sample Decklists
| Creatures (8) 1 Angel of Despair 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Inkwell Leviathan 1 Platinum Emperion 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind 3 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur Spells (34) 3 Daze 4 Brainstorm 4 Entomb 4 Force of Will 2 Ponder 3 Exhume 3 Thoughtseize 4 Careful Study 4 Reanimate 3 Animate Dead Lands (18) 1 Marsh Flats 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Verdant Catacombs 3 Island 3 Swamp 4 Polluted Delta 4 Underground Sea | Sideboard (15) 1 Blazing Archon 1 Coffin Purge 2 Dispel 2 Echoing Truth 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 1 Deep Analysis 2 Duress 4 Show and Tell 1 Thoughtseize |
Significant Finishes in 2012:
Milton Figueroa, 15th of 141: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7807&iddeck=56837
Matt Becker, 1st of 32: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7873&iddeck=57335
Jeremy Hollar, 16th of 174: http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.php?id=7865&iddeck=57272
How this Deck Works
Fatties have always been a part of Magic since its inception – Reanimator just gives a way for Timmies to actually play them competitively. Entomb was unbanned in 2009 and consequently helped Mystical Tutor get banned in its stead. Combined with cheap reanimate spells like, well, Reanimate, Exhume, and Animate Dead, the deck quickly became tier one. Wizard’s emphasis on creatures have lead to some pretty big dumb ones, which was great for Reanimator. Iona, Shield of Emeria was the default target when Entomb was first unbanned and forced every deck to have removal in two different colors and Sphinx of the Steel Wind helps versus aggro decks like Zoo. New Phyrexia gave the deck more cards like the Praetors – Jin Gitaxias is the new answer-all for unknown decks, and Elesh Norn shows up to rid the world of Goblin, Merfolk, and other tribal weenie decks. Sheoldred, the Whispering One even shows up in the sideboard in some lists.
To combat graveyard hate, this deck very commonly boards in Show and Tell.
Deck Variants: Since the cost of these fatties are paid through a different card, there are variations galore with Reanimator. Blazing Archon, Terasaton, Angel of Despair, Platinum Angel, and It that Betrays have all seen play in Reanimator before. Just like other decks where the core is simply just ramp, Reanimator targets will vary depending on the pilot.
Sideboard cards to Consider: Grafdigger’s Cage, Faerie Macabre, Tormod’s Crypt, Karakas
Likelihood you’ll see this deck: Moderate-High