Mairsil, the Pretender

Legendary Creature — Human Wizard

When Mairsil, the Pretender enters the battlefield, you may exile an artifact or creature card from your hand or graveyard and put a cage counter on it.

Mairsil, the Pretender has all activated abilities of all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them. You may activate each of those abilities only once each turn.

Combos

• Mairsil, the Pretender + Transmogrifying Licid + Vorpal Sword

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (51)

Rhadamanthus on Valgavoth, Terror Eater Rulings

1 month ago

It does work similar to cards like Jeleva. You won't be able to access cards exiled by a previous instance of Valgavoth. There's an issue with the details of your example but we'll get to that later.

When a card uses its own name in its rules text without also saying something like "a card named [name]", then it only means "this object, right here". If Valgavoth leaves the battlefield and returns later, it's a different game object from when it was on the battlefield earlier. Valgavoth would need to track the objects some other way, like Mairsil, the Pretender for example, in order to access any card exiled by previous instances.

In your specific example, Murder won't be exiled. A resolving spell isn't put into the graveyard until after it's completely finished, meaning Valgavoth has already been destroyed and is no longer on the battlefield at the time Murder would move from the stack to the graveyard. An example with a damage-based spell like Blaze, however, would work differently, because in that case Valgavoth would be destroyed by the State-Based Action that checks for lethal damage. That SBA doesn't get checked until after Blaze has completely finished resolving, meaning it will get diverted to exile by Valgavoth's effect.

DrukenReaps on What's your favorite mechanic, and …

1 year ago

I don't have a name for it because it exists on so few cards... Mairsil, the Pretender exiling and referring to those exiled cards is my favorite version of it. It allows me to screw around with things that aren't designed to interact with each other and protects those things in a nigh untouchable way.

It also exists on Zethi, Arcane Blademaster in a somewhat different but similar way. I'm not sure if any other card does quite the same thing as these two. Nor does Zethi have quite the mad scientist vibe Mairsil has.

DrukenReaps on Your Cheap Obscure Overperformers?

1 year ago

I only quickly perused EDHrec but pretty sure none of the following came up on the pages of the commanders I use them with. Each has done some impressive work at my table. I used sorting by Card Kingdom price on this website to find sub $2.

In Olivia, Crimson Bride I have Shifting Shadow. Since Olivia's attack reanimates Shifting Shadow ends up just giving me free creatures at effectively no cost to me. In a way it actually fuels the deck's plan.

In Ayara, First of Locthwain I have Aetherworks Marvel and Mimic Vat. This deck just loves getting more and more creatures into play. Both of the artifacts assist in doing that over and over again. Sometimes Aetherworks even drops in Plague of Vermin too, a finisher in that deck.

In Mairsil, the Pretender I have Captivating Crew, Chandra, Flamecaller, and Xathrid Gorgon. Seems to be a rare cheap commander to begin with... lol. Xathrid typically turns commanders off, highly effective card against the likes of Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Zacama, Primal Calamity. Chandra does an amazing job of filling up my graveyard. Every turn a new hand +1. Captivating Crew lets me "borrow" some pretty sweet attackers and other effects, there are instant versions of this effect but not on a stick to my knowledge. 1 or 2 activations often opens someone up to attacks too.

griffstick on Card creation challenge

1 year ago

philias, That card goes pretty nuts with Mairsil, the Pretender.

grennpowerhouse on Mairsil and quicksilver elemental

2 years ago

If Quicksilver Elemental is in exile with a cage counter can Mairsil, the Pretender Target herself with its ability and use all her abilities again. If so, does that include quicksilver elementals ability so I can repeat the process so Marsil is only limited by the amount of mana I have. Does she go infinite with abilities like Gilded Lotus’s abilities.

Thanks for the answers in advance

DrukenReaps on Is Commander Legends a New …

2 years ago

I play plenty of old cards. I think the issue is less of a power creep and more that folks just don't go looking for cards. Some things that use to have rather awful downsides to deal with like Shauku, Endbringer are really not anymore. And she provides a relevant powerful ability. Not for every deck but it works wonders in my Mairsil, the Pretender and Olivia, Crimson Bride. I always find something worthwhile when I go poking around long enough.

I don't play competitive however but even that seems to rely on particular older cards.

And there's plenty of newer cards that are overly restrictive. Keeping older cards plenty useful. I'm not as likely to include Welcoming Vampire as I am Mentor of the Meek for example.

Neotrup on did rules about counters change? …

2 years ago

Counters can work in a couple different ways depending on the card. As mentioned, both your examples will only work while the creature is around, but if a second copy of the creature is played it can use the counts. This method is used by a number of Legendary creatures like Grolnok, the Omnivore and Mairsil, the Pretender so that if you have them as your commander and they die, you can replay them and they'll still see the things they exiled, in contrast to things like Kaho, Minamo Historian or Rona, Disciple of Gix that forget about things they exiled since they're a new creature (even though they're the same card that exiled them).

Some other effects that use counters will grant an ability for as long as the counter is in play (as opposed to the source of the counter), or grant an ability in addition to the counter, where the counter doesn't actually do anything but is placed there as a physical reminder that the permanent gained the ability. Obsidian Fireheart is an example of the first, the blaze counter doesn't actually do anything, but if it is removed the land loses the upkeep trigger. The Book of Exalted Deeds is an example of the latter, even if the counter is removed the ability remains, but the counter serves as a reminder of which angel has the ability.

DrukenReaps on Rare commander build?

2 years ago

I guess Mairsil, the Pretender would be mine. There was some talk about him for awhile but he seems pretty much off everyone's radar and I've never seen him in the wild. Even when he was new. His effect is rather weird to build around too, with only 2 other commanders that'd I'd consider to be similar.