Here is my first custom duel deck set. Checkout my article on designing your own duel decks if you haven't already. I bought the Garruk vs Liliana duel deck a while ago, but this re-envisioned version of the their battle is very different. About the only cards which are in both are Garruk and Liliana. This wasn't because I didn't like the original matchup but because I've long since dismantled the original decks.
Garruk's deck is nearly mono green. In fact there are 23 lands and all 23 generate green mana. Another important feature of the mana base is 22 of 23 lands come into untapped virtually every time. This means turn two Garruk's Companion and turn three (or two) Leatherback Baloth's are the norm.
I had to splash white for removal. The first build was actually red and green but I was finding Lightning Bolt and Flame Slash couldn't stand up to Liliana's best threats. Swords to Plowshares was up to the task, however, which is expected since it's arguably the best removal spell ever printed. Thanks to a previous duel deck purchase I had two lying around. A pair of Oblivion Rings round out small but effective removal suite.
The white mana comes from seven dual lands, but also from three Birds and a Hierarch. The mana providing creatures are especially nice here since they can enable a turn two Leatherback but can also provide a single white mana needed to cast a removal spell. Birds of Paradise also tends to make really important blocks against a Steel Hellkite.
The full set of Companions and Leatherbacks along with the Legionnaire form the heart of the deck. Be sure to hook up the Leatherback or Legionnaire with a Rancor whenever possible. The result is usually terrifying. The beats start early and keep coming. This deck is very aggressive. It didn't start out so aggressive but it kept losing. I tried three or four variations of green based mid-range decks and nothing could finish the Liliana deck before expensive but higher quality spells put the game out of reach. I made it faster and faster until it started winning.
Rancor and Behemoth sledge turn your already impressive creatures into game winners, and overrun, like always, powers out victories even when your opponent thinks he's stabilized (do watch out for Mana Leak).
Vampire Nighthawk is the bane of your existence. Don't be afraid to take it out with removal. I've even Swords'd a Typhoid Rats before. The plan is to defeat your opponent before the six drops come online; don't be afraid to use removal to accomplish that.
Liliana plays control. There are only 24 lands which is a little low for a control deck, but the two ponders provide a virtual 25th (thanks to the Turbo Xerox Rule) and Sol Ring Provides a virtual 26th (and 27th?).
This deck is very close to the original deck I threw together. It ended up being rather hard to deal with. The Nighthawks are your bridge to the endgame. If left alone they can win the game (especially with a Bonesplitter), and they put the breaks on a lot of threats. They can block, gain life and trade with big attackers. Arena and Crystal Ball provide card advantage and card quality and your host of strong five and six drops is how you plan to win. Be careful with Arena though. You may need a Nighthawk to counteract the life loss.
As Garruk's deck got faster Liliana had to adjust accordingly. Mana Leak is vital here. You simply can't survive to turn six if you don't disrupt the opponent. Use the removal as you need it. You don't want to wait until it's too late. You can be a little more selective with Control Magic though. A Leatherback or whatever has Rancor are excellent choices. Inquisition may be the best card in deck since it's nearly guaranteed to get something important. Sanguine Guard is strong vs Garruk's Companion and Porcelain Legionnaire.
Usually your trying to nullify your opponent's every move to survive, but occasionally you can ramp directly to the end game with a Dark Ritual or Sol Ring.
The Trinket/Treasure mage package is pretty cool. There are one of each mage and two of each "targets". Trinket Mage can fetch up a Sol Ring or Bonesplitter. Both of which are awesome. The Treasure Mage almost always wants to go for the devastating Steel Hellkite. You'll probably only go for the Necropouncer if the Hellkite is already in your hand. It does go nice with a Nighthawk though. Also, I was too cheap to buy a Wurmcoil Engine.
Drana might be the most devastating finisher, but sometimes she's just a little too slow. If you need an immediate halt to your opponent's assault there's nothing quite like Razormane Manticore. Liliana can fetch up whatever you need at the moment. Common choices are Marsh Causalities, Nighthawk, Drana, or Masticore.
I had a lot of fun putting these together. I'm happy with how they turned out but I don't think I'm done tweaking. One update I've thought about is giving Liliana a Demonic Tutor and Garruk something equally broken... Fastbond maybe? I look forward to upgrading and battling these for years to come.
I've already started on Ajani vs Nicol Bolas too.
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