Mayael, the Master of Monsters
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 13 | 15 COMMENTS | 3824 VIEWS | IN 14 FOLDERS
Changing Design Philosophy (No more Snowballing) —Nov. 13, 2019
So, My last gathering of Commander games made this deck leave a bad taste in my mouth. We were in a 6 man pod, and The Deck was doing its thing. Solid Board State, Warstorm Surge and Privileged Position in play, Mayael at the ready. Even had Illusionist's Bracers on deck before it was removed and you know Sensei's Divining Top was spinning.
Now, I had managed to get myself some great draws, ramped up to 6, and started Mayaeling. The Snowball was ready to roll and once the Snowball starts rolling, it becomes increasingly difficult to stop it. But Mayael whiffed. It happens, but then she whiffed again, then board wipes happened... and pretty soon I was pretty much durdling around and then kept Mayael on the sidelines, and couldn't interact with the board in any impactful way
That changes.
I am cutting out most of the Enchantments and cards I would normally use to Snowball out of control and Throwing in Creatures and tools that will let me both Better access my deck, but also utilize my cards and become more aggressive. A lot of these Changes were led by one thought.
To quote Overlord: "I don't have the MP to waste on Spells that might not get me results."
Without Futher ado:
Hull Breach ---------------------------> Cleansing Nova:
I do enjoy cheap, targeted removal, and had originally thought of throwing Vandalblast into the mix, but decided that for 5 mana, I should be wiping more then just Artifacts. Now, I can both get rid of Troublesome Artifacts and Enchantments, but I can also Boardwipe and benefit from my Indestructible Creatures.
Boros Charm ---------------------> Naya Charm:
Don't get me wrong, Boros Charm has its uses as an Indestructible shield. but I think that between all the Indestructible I am adding into the mix, as well as several changes you'll see in a few, The card is no longer worh Justifying. Double Strike is tough to lose, and with the Sole Exception of 1 memey, Hilarious game, the Damage dealt by Boros Charm is no good... but Naya Charm is a whole new Swiss Army Knife. While typically, I have used it for Recursion, being able to tap someones creatures and then unleash my Monsters has been particularly satisfying. Even having some Spot removal for Creatures is nice.
Ranger's Path -------------------------> Wilderness Reclamation:
While I do slightly loathe losing what I consider to be decent ramp, I am a firm believer of boosting Mayael's already great ability. With this swap, I will be able to not only Do what i need to do during my turn, but at least get one Mayael trigger during my opponents turns, acting as a soft Seedborn Muse. I am enjoying this swap, as it allows for more play flexibility.
Wild Pair ------------------------------> Rishkar's Expertise:
I freely admit: The Deck has a weakness when it comes to Card draw. It always has, and I have leaned away from Card draw, accepting that the deck is not perfect. I had thrown in Wild Pair in as a way to Play the deck when using Mayael no longer was a viable option, as many of the creatures in the deck matched up fairly well. This is no longer viable. Spending 6 mana on a Spell that individually produces no results is no good. This is why I have swapped in for the Expertise; With this, not only can I draw a LOT of cards for 6 mana, but I can also cheat out anything with CMC 5 or below: Which is basically most of the Utility cards in this deck. This change won out over Protean Hulk.
Quicksilver Amulet -------------------------------------> Ilharg, the Raze-Boar:
Remember when I said that I needed cards that produced results? the Boar god can be hit with Mayael, AND costs only 5 Mana! This is versus the Amulet, which costs 8 total to use in one turn, and then 4 for every turn after. Especially with how Resilient the Boar god is, I am very happy with this swap.
Warstorm Surge -----------------------------------> Gruul Ragebeast:
It's funny what they say about old Friends. A long, long, LONG time ago, back in the original iterations of this deck, the Ragebeast fought for Mayael and did work.. I had removed it, on the grounds that my utility creatures were also being destroyed. It slept...But with the Removal of Warstorm Surge, the Ragebeast once again angrily removes creatures and assists my huge creatures in making sure none stand before the Master of Monsters.
True Conviction ---------------------------------> Iroas, God of Victory:
I always considered True Conviction to be my one and only "Win More" card. Giving already massive creatures double strike, AND lifelink?? It was great. However, it IS a clunky, 6 mana enchantment that cant be hit with Mayael. With its Indestructibility, affordable mana cost, and Excellence in amplifying our creatures offensively and defensively, it makes a great swap. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight will no longer be the only Boros creature in this deck, and Vorthos/Flavor wise, that makes me happy.
Hoard-Smelter Dragon ------------------------> Sephara, Sky's Blade:
Sometimes, you gotta just bite the bullet for the sake of cuts. It took away from my Dragon sub-theme, and removed a source of artifact removal... but I think that overall, Sephara is the better card in this scenario. I have plenty of Flying creatures thanks to all the Angels in this deck as well as the troop of Dragons. It provides a shield of Indestructibility to those fliers, AND it has Lifelink. Which is a welcome ability in this deck after these changes. Worst case scenario, it even has an alternate casting cost that can be used, so its not even a total dead draw.
Vigor ------------------------------------> Combustible Gearhulk:
This was also a difficult swap to make, and not exactly finite: I am still testing this out, and have been swapping Gearhulk with Regal Force and Soul of the Harvest. I prefer Gearhulk in the sense that it is immediate card draw, and that even if I cant draw cards, Gearhulk can usually deal between 6-12 damage on his own. This is the Card I stated that "I cannot afford to waste MP on spells that might not get me results."
Artisan of Kozilek -------------------------------------> Angel of Serenity:
I... I mean, Annihilator is dope, but I also kinda oops with Artisan of Kozilek. Its on Cast, not ETB. and while losing Annihilator does hurt, Angel allows me to Recur my stuff from the yard, remove threats, AND can combo nicely with Greenwarden of Murasa. It shall stay.
Fires of Yavimaya -----------------------------> Farseek:
Look, having Haste on all my creatures is dope, and even powering them up on the spot is nice, but.... but basically, I need mana to play them, and this is how thats going to happen. With a cheap ramp spell that can target the more niche Lands in hand, rather then a basic, I can advance the deck even further. Hopefully, the Fires will rise....
Haven of the Spirit Dragon ----------------> Slayers' Stronghold:
I only have 4 dragons in the deck. While recurring them and having any color mana is cool, giving my Creatures haste is way better and is desperately needed after taking Fires out. Thus, Changed.
Rogue's Passage -----------------------------> Kessig Wolf Run:
A Friend of Mine said it best: "Unblockable is good, but for as big as your creatures are and as much as youre putting in, you might as well let your huge creatures just smash through any defenses." Thus, this change. Another friend once told me: "The Secret to Mayael is balancing costs." and 3 is lowering then 4. and Who knows?? I could even up that number to deal more damage.