Ayli, Eternal Life and Control

Commander / EDH* ArchFline

SCORE: 9 | 14 COMMENTS | 942 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS


Over Haul —Nov. 22, 2019

25 cards have changed, and the deck has become substaially better and more consistent.

hellhole3927 says... #1

If you are playing control and you already have Elesh Norn and Urborg in the deck you almost definitely should add Kormus Bell as well, it's a great combo few people know of and is literally next to impossible to shut down once it hits field and locks everyone else out (no exaggerations).

December 25, 2018 1 p.m.

hellhole3927 says... #2

Darksteel Mutation is great "removal" against overpowered commanders that should never be allowed to hit the field a second time.

December 25, 2018 1:02 p.m.

hellhole3927 says... #3

With all the life gain Felidar Sovereign would be a great wincon.

December 25, 2018 1:03 p.m.

ArchFline says... #4

@hellhole3927 Felidar Sovereign is already in the deck. I am also aware of Darksteel Mutation however I do not run it as 3 of my field wipes can remove either the enchantment or creature. As for Kormus Bell I like the Elesh combo, but it seems mostly like a win-more condition that ultimately (while useful) would result in a detriment to myself.

December 27, 2018 7:01 p.m.

hellhole3927 says... #5

My bad for restating Felidar Sovereign and I here you for your reasoning on not playing Darksteel Mutation, but say someone was playing Zur, Animar, etc and you turned it into a 0/1 indestructible insect rather than killing it. Now it will probably take a very long time for them to get it back on the battlefield because they can't recast it. If they can't have it on the battlefield and their deck needs it well they're kinda done for then.

December 27, 2018 8:02 p.m.

ArchFline says... #6

I’m not supremely concenrned about repeated removal as Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim can manage such a thing cheaply. Yes they can kill her but she is cheap to recast and the deck possess a few ways to reanimate her from the grave (should I wish to let her go there). Luckily the deck can sustain its token production and therefore allows us consistently remove targets. We do require 50hp to use Ayli in the mentioned way but that’s not incredibly unlikely.

December 27, 2018 10:22 p.m.

hellhole3927 says... #7

I wasn't even thinking about Ayli at first, my bad. Forgot she could do that.

December 28, 2018 7:05 a.m.

hellhole3927 says... #8

Just realized that you are using snow-covered lands, in that case you should almost definitely add Extraplanar Lens for mana ramp. Another good land to add to this deck would be Volrath's Stronghold (just more reanimation for Ayli when they realize she needs to go).

December 28, 2018 7:08 a.m.

hellhole3927 says... #9

Another possible wincon to maybe throw in the deck would be Helm of Obedience + Rest in Peace / Leyline of the Void. Both Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void are good by themselves in most decks. Also I would always recommend having a wincon that is easy to pull off and doesn't relate to the main game plan to the deck, just in case somebody keeps countering Ayli or has something like Erebos on the battlefield. Just a simple alternative they won't see coming.

December 28, 2018 7:14 a.m.

ArchFline says... #10

So I don’t run Extraplanar Lens in multi-colored decks because they lack consistency in the mana base. That is to say it’s often hard for me to gain significant value from the card given my limited basic land number. I primarily run snow-covered lands because they are hilarious with Sunstone. Beyond that Volrath's Stronghold is pretty good, however I have not added it to this list yet because I don’t own one. However it will eventually make its way into the deck.

December 28, 2018 9:25 a.m.

ArchFline says... #11

As for the Helm combo I don’t run it because I would only be able to add Leyline of the Void to the deck as Rest in Peace disrupts my own graveyard (which is a non-positive move). It’s a fun combo though, and I do have the search mechanics to make it happen. Ultimately I feel that it is often easier for my to just tutor Aetherflux Reservoir.

December 28, 2018 9:30 a.m.

hellhole3927 says... #12

I agree with you on that I usually play green so I forget how hard it can be to get value from Extraplanar Lens in non green decks. I guess you do make a fair point about not using the additional wincon, I would agree with you on that now that you explained your reasoning for that.

December 28, 2018 9:47 a.m.