Mayael EDH Primer

Commander / EDH KindredDiscovery

SCORE: 384 | 503 COMMENTS | 137250 VIEWS | IN 240 FOLDERS


@MindAblaze! Wrathing correctly is all about timing. In this deck, your ideal scenario is to pop one off turn 4 or 5, then drop a fatty into play and swing in through a clear field. Other times, it's not so cut and dry. You have to know when it's okay to lose some creatures to your own wrath because you still come out ahead. Maybe your opponent has a million tokens. Maybe there's a hexproof flier that you just can't deal with any other way. Sometimes losing half your board is better than losing the game. That said, there is a reason many of my guys are indestructible.

As for Mirari's Wake , it's a card I have always wanted to try but just never have. If I ever get my hands on one I'll certainly give it a whirl.

September 6, 2014 7:40 p.m.

MindAblaze says... #2

I understand that timing is vital with regards to a wrath, and sometimes a million elves need an answer.

From my experience with Mayael, wraths tend to be dead cards as I'm usually the one forcing people to sweep the board. No token players in my meta though, not at this point at least.

September 6, 2014 9:47 p.m.

@MindAblaze! I play this deck really conservatively. It really hurts to overextend into a boardwipe because we're investing so much in each creature. This deck has fabulous inevitabilty, and if you play long enough you almost certainly will win-but only if you "ration" your big creatures. There's rarely a need to have more than 3 or 4 creatures out. I guess what I'm trying to is that I never really put myself in a position to lose big to a board wipe, especially since I know I'll be casting one at some point. Hope that answers your question!

September 7, 2014 12:42 a.m.

@MindAblaze! Also keep in mind the draw filtering I run. I usually only draw a board wipe if I want to!

September 7, 2014 12:45 a.m.

Ryotenchi says... #5

BEAST! o.o I dont play commander, but I would think your opponent must keep it in your commander zone or lose once you have mana for its ability? +1

September 12, 2014 8:06 p.m.
September 16, 2014 8:51 p.m.

Hallowed_Titan says... #7

Dude, this is awesome!! I'm definitely going to use it to help with my Marath EDH-The Wilds. Thanks for this ; )

September 18, 2014 9:06 p.m.

Czernobog says... #8

Just playtested your deck against my Animar deck. Mine won 2-1 (probably due in part to my lack of knowledge of your deck) but it was a pretty close game every time and I was pretty impressed with this deck overall. I especially like the synergy with cards like Captain Sisay and Seedborn Muse. Some suggestions:

  • I would find a place for Gyre Sage , whom I think would be phenomenal mana ramp in a big creature heavy deck build like this one. Maybe replace Veteran Explorer ? Comparable CMC, and sure, Veteran's a cheap color fixer which is where Gyre Sage falls short, but it also helps your opponents which incentivizes them to attack you or kill it early game on their turn. That card's probably best abused with something like Skullclamp .

  • I've never understood why the Ravnica Guild signets are so popular in EDH. Is it just that Gruul Charm is a relatively more wallet-friendly alternative to something lower CMC like Mossfire Valley ? Even still, I feel there are better artifacts like the cantrips that replace themselves: Prophetic Prism , even the 1-time use Chromatic Star . Armillary Sphere at least filters the deck, but hell, you've got green mana to do that for you!

  • Your general could benefit from some cheap creature tutoring and graveyard recovery that is common in green: Sylvan Tutor and Noxious Revival (the latter especially, b/c it can be used against opponents). One thing I noticed your deck lacks is hexproof, but some graveyard recovery amend that to some extent.

  • I could definitely see a place for Kamahl, Pit Fighter in this deck. He's legendary, so Sisay can tutor him; his power > 5, so good candidate for your general; he's versatile, either swing with a hasty hitter or ping off a nasty weenie; and he taps to trigger his activated ability, which means he synergizes with Seedborn Muse.

Hope you found at least some of those tips helpful. Happy gaming!

September 30, 2014 7:29 p.m.

@Hallowed_Titan: Thanks! I'm glad you found it useful.

@Czernobog-I'm not a big fan of mana dorks in EDH unless they have synergy beyond just making mana. Gyre Sage would be great with Vorel or Anafenza, but doesn't wow me enough to make the cut here.

-The signets are popular because they're so reliable. They cost colorless mana, generate 2 colors, and ramp. That said, they are budget fixers and now that I have access to shock lands and fetches I find that I rely on them much less. You've convinced me to replace them, but I'm choosing to replace them with more land (oh, and a Gift of Estates ). 38 has been a shade low some games, we'll see how 40 lands work out.

-I avoid playing most tutors because I don't find them fun. I won't dispute their power, but I'd rather be surprised by what Mayael turns up :) Noxious Revival is solid though, I've been thinking of adding some graveyard recursion.

-Kamahl, Pit Fighter is a total boss. He's been at the back of my mind since I added Sisay.

Thanks for the input!

October 1, 2014 11:35 p.m.

Starlantis says... #10

I love naya colors and this is a great general (Not my personal favorite) but deck looks good.

October 4, 2014 12:20 a.m.

markbeloit says... #11

Saw your deck and have some cards I think you should consider, though as I've only made a Mayael prototype I don't know how much use they will be. For enchantments, True Conviction , Druids' Repository , and Elemental Resonance . True conviction is strong (obviously), druid's repository is mana, as is elemental resonance. Resonance was a card I knew nothing of until it got thrown on a fattie in a Mayael deck. Doing that can generate you quite a bit of mana. For spells, Titanic Ultimatum and Momentous Fall . The ultimautum I imagine you've considered and left out, the fall maybe not. For creatures Bloodfire Colossus . Not a great creature, I know, but it's a semi-boardwipe you can Mayael into.

Finally, I would STRONGLY recommend Illusionist's Bracers . Unless I'm mistaken, they'll allow you to copy Mayael's ability, and unlike rings of brighthearth you don't have to pay mana to do so.

October 4, 2014 11:16 p.m.

@markbeloit: True Conviction is certainly strong, and I would likely try it out if the 6-drop space weren't so competitive. Druids' Repository and Elemental Resonance have both been in the deck as budget ramp, but I've moved on from them as the deck has been fine-tuned. Same goes for Titanic Ultimatum and Momentous Fall . Bloodfire Colossus was in the deck, but has since been replaced by Inferno Titan . Illusionist's Bracers was in the deck until about a week ago. It is certainly strong, and it may yet have a place in the deck, but for now I've been thinking that the mana investment is a bit much. Every time Mayael dies (which can be frequently) you've got to reequip it, and she's really the only creature that benefits from being equipped with it. Something like Rings of Brighthearth works better with a wider variety of cards in the deck.

October 8, 2014 3:40 p.m.

lemmingllama says... #13

How often is Basandra, Battle Seraph actually useful to you? I would consider switching her with another creature.

Also Gift of Estates could be swapped out for Land Tax or Weathered Wayfarer , both are quite nice to fix mana.

October 10, 2014 2:58 p.m.

lemmingllama says... #14

Oh, also maybe consider something like Quicksilver Amulet to help get out fatties in your hand, especially if Mayael was tucked or got hit by a Nevermore

October 10, 2014 3 p.m.

Kessig Wolf Run would be pretty decent.

October 10, 2014 5:30 p.m.

Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion would be another good option.

October 10, 2014 5:31 p.m.

hawk1113 says... #17

It's a little shocking how little Khans of Tarkir gave for this deck, with no relevant morphs or great multicolor spells in your colors. What do you think of replacing Day of Judgment with End Hostilities though? You only run one equipment but it is a great answer to the swords, bestowed creatures, jittes, boots, and clamps that run rampant in the format and +1 mana doesn't seem like a huge cost for your deck.

October 11, 2014 1:11 p.m.

@hawk1113: That's actually a really good idea. I've been looking to swap one of my 4-drops for a 5-drop, and that strikes me as the perfect substitution. And yea, Khans (while a really great set for commander in general!) has been sort of a flop for Mayael. I was really hoping for some good morph creatures that could help me have more playable opening hands.

@lemmingllama: Basandra is decent, but I've been looking to replace her with Urabrask the Hidden . This deck could certainly use some more haste. I like Gift of Estates over Land Tax for its ability to fetch nonbasics, but Weathered Wayfarer looks good too. Might have to replace Crop Rotation with it. Quicksilver Amulet is solid, but I've left it out of the deck because I usually don't need the redundancy. Not too many Nevermore or tuck effects in my playgroup.

@HeroInMyOwnMind: I've used Kessig Wolf Run before, but I've since replaced it with lands like Miren, the Moaning Well . I can't have too many lands in here that don't tap for colored mana, and sac outlets are an important safety valve this deck needs that don't often show up in Naya colors.

October 11, 2014 4:37 p.m.

Mirri's Guile as another Sylvan Library effect?

October 15, 2014 3:37 p.m.

celestite4 says... #20

Godsire seems perfect in here. I'm also a huge fan of It That Betrays .

October 29, 2014 6:35 p.m.

snotice says... #21

what a deck! strong build, +1 from me.

November 21, 2014 7:30 p.m.

Thanks snotice!

November 22, 2014 11:59 a.m.

ctrlaltelite says... #23

Nice! +!

December 9, 2014 9:08 p.m.

Honestly, this is super helpful!

December 10, 2014 6:46 p.m.

llamaglama01 says... #25

Ok so Sol Ring is really, really good. It is not the best in this deck, granted, but it stilll leys you cast Mayel one turn and then activate her the next. I honestly think that with 40 land, you can afford to cut one of them. Sol Ring is a staple in every EDH deck. Period. Also, Arid Mesa if u want to spend the money :)

December 11, 2014 9:59 p.m.

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