Overview
Evasive Maneuvers is a Bant tempo deck that uses tap and untap effects. Derevi, Empyrial Tactician has flying, and when it enters and whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may tap or untap target permanent. For {1}{G}{W}{U} you can also put it onto the battlefield from the command zone, so it can dodge sorcery-speed removal. Each hit can tap a blocker or untap a land.
The 99 cards are 29 creatures, 13 artifacts, 8 enchantments, 6 instants, 5 sorceries and 38 lands. The deck has evasive creatures such as Hada Spy Patrol, Lu Xun, Scholar General, Winged Coatl, Dungeon Geists and Thornwind Faeries, blink creatures such as Roon of the Hidden Realm, Flickerwisp, Fiend Hunter and Mistmeadow Witch, and theft effects such as Control Magic, Rubinia Soulsinger and Djinn of Infinite Deceits.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about mana and cheap creatures. Sol Ring, Selesnya Signet, Simic Signet, Darksteel Ingot, Farhaven Elf and Surveyor's Scope ramp you, and Deceiver Exarch, Thornwind Faeries and Hada Spy Patrol start the evasive attack. Derevi, Empyrial Tactician comes down early.
The middle of the game is about tapping and stealing. Derevi, Empyrial Tactician taps blockers, Dungeon Geists and Fiend Hunter deal with creatures, Control Magic and Djinn of Infinite Deceits steal, Murkfiend Liege untaps your creatures on other players' turns, and Thousand-Year Elixir untaps and gives haste to creature abilities. Conjurer's Closet blinks a creature each turn.
The late game is about huge tricks and resets. Skyward Eye Prophets and Kazandu Tuskcaller make value, Tempt with Glory gives your creatures counters, Wash Out bounces an entire colour, and Kirtar's Wrath resets the board. Aethermage's Touch and Blue Sun's Zenith provide late-game flexibility.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The deck has a high number of evasive creatures and tap effects, so it can attack through almost any defence. It also has plenty of interaction, including Arcane Denial, Krosan Grip, Selesnya Charm, Unexpectedly Absent, Darksteel Mutation and Acidic Slime.
Weaknesses: Many of the creatures are small, so a sweeper hurts, and the deck relies on tap tricks that need specific permanents on the table. It is three colours with several gold cards, and Bane of Progress destroys all of your own artifacts and enchantments.
Want to improve it? See the Evasive Maneuvers upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.
Want to see what a fully optimised Derevi, Empyrial Tactician build looks like? Try the Oracle.
✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Evasive Maneuvers decklist?
The Evasive Maneuvers precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. The full Evasive Maneuvers decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was Evasive Maneuvers released?
Evasive Maneuvers was released on November 1, 2013 as part of Commander 2013.
Who is the commander of Evasive Maneuvers?
Evasive Maneuvers is led by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, a Bant (W/U/G) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in Evasive Maneuvers?
The 99 cards besides Derevi, Empyrial Tactician include 29 creatures.
How many lands does Evasive Maneuvers have?
Evasive Maneuvers has 38 lands in the 99 cards besides Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Evasive Maneuvers precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.