What do you have that I cannot obtain?

Commander / EDH Attrition Blink Combo Counters Haste Tap/Untap Theft UBR (Grixis) Value Engine Wheels

WorldEater_42

Land (39)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Arena of Glory
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Cascade Bluffs
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Fell the Profane  ^Flip
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Island
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 1x Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Morphic Pool
• 1x Mountain
• 1x Pinnacle Monk  ^Flip
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Raucous Theater
• 1x Rush of Inspiration  ^Flip
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Sulfur Falls
• 1x Sunken Ruins
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Thundering Falls
• 1x Training Center
• 1x Undercity Sewers
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Urza's Saga
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Waterlogged Teachings  ^Flip
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Cage (20)

• 1x AEtherling
• 1x Arcanis the Omnipotent
• 1x Asmodeus the Archfiend
• 1x Avatar of Woe
• 1x Chainer, Dementia Master
• 1x Cinderhaze Wretch
• 1x Eater of the Dead
• 1x Empress Galina
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Hateflayer
• 1x Mirage Mirror
• 1x Morphling
• 1x Pack Rat
• 1x Phyrexian Devourer
• 1x Prismatic Geoscope
• 1x Shauku, Endbringer
• 1x The One Ring
• 1x Torchling
• 1x Tree of Perdition
• 1x Ulamog's Dreadsire

Haste (7)

• 1x Anger
• 1x Ashling's Prerogative
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Rising of the Day
• 1x Sting, the Glinting Dagger
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Thousand-Year Elixir

Protection (5)

• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Essence Flux
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Slip Out the Back
• 1x Spellskite

Utility (5)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Orcish Bowmasters
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Soul Shatter
• 1x Toxic Deluge

Commander (1)

CardAdvantage (11)

• 1x Anvil of Bogardan
• 1x Currency Converter
• 1x Dack Fayden
• 1x Demand Answers
• 1x Faithless Looting
• 1x Jace's Archivist
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Tainted Indulgence
• 1x Thirst for Knowledge
• 1x Windfall

ClonesAndBlink (5)

• 1x Auton Soldier
• 1x Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
• 1x Sakashima the Impostor
• 1x Spark Double
• 1x Thassa, Deep-Dwelling

Ramp (5)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Pendant of Prosperity
• 1x Sol Ring

Backups (2)

• 1x Agatha's Soul Cauldron
• 1x Necrotic Ooze

---

Maybeboard

Cage (104)

• 1x Arcane Artisan
• 1x Argent Sphinx
• 1x Azami, Lady of Scrolls
• 1x Balthor the Defiled
• 1x Beguiler of Wills
• 1x Blighted Bat
• 1x Boompile
• 1x Captivating Crew
• 1x Cauldron of Souls
• 1x Cavern Harpy
• 1x Chaos Wand
• 1x Coveted Jewel
• 1x Crimson Mage
• 1x Crypt Rats
• 1x Cybernetica Datasmith
• 1x Dark Impostor
• 1x Dimir Doppelganger
• 1x Disciple of the Ring
• 1x Djinn of Infinite Deceits
• 1x Dralnu, Lich Lord
• 1x Endling
• 1x Faerie Formation
• 1x False Floor
• 1x Farmstead Gleaner
• 1x Firemind Vessel
• 1x Galecaster Colossus
• 1x Geth, Lord of the Vault
• 1x Goblin Welder
• 1x Grinning Ignus
• 1x Grinning Totem
• 1x Hammer Mage
• 1x Hammerfist Giant
• 1x Havengul Lich
• 1x Heartless Hidetsugu
• 1x Hex Parasite
• 1x Hoard-Smelter Dragon
• 1x Horror of the Dim
• 1x Horseshoe Crab
• 1x Illusionist's Bracers
• 1x Infernal Denizen
• 1x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy  ^Flip
• 1x Jalira, Master Polymorphist
• 1x Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
• 1x Kamahl, Pit Fighter
• 1x Knacksaw Clique
• 1x Leyline Dowser
• 1x Living Inferno
• 1x Maddening Imp
• 1x Maeve, Insidious Singer
• 1x Magus of the Mind
• 1x Magus of the Wheel
• 1x Marshland Bloodcaster
• 1x Memnarch
• 1x Mercurial Chemister
• 1x Mindslaver
• 1x Mindwrack Liege
• 1x Minion of Leshrac
• 1x Mischievous Poltergeist
• 1x Mundungu
• 1x Myr Propagator
• 1x Mystic Archaeologist
• 1x Nephalia Smuggler
• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Nezahal, Primal Tide
• 1x Nightscape Master
• 1x Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
• 1x Oblivion Stone
• 1x Obsidian Fireheart
• 1x Oona, Queen of the Fae
• 1x Ormos, Archive Keeper
• 1x Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
• 1x Ovinomancer
• 1x Perilous Vault
• 1x Phyrexian Colossus
• 1x Phyrexian Infiltrator
• 1x Pili-Pala
• 1x Planar Bridge
• 1x Pyre of Heroes
• 1x Quicksilver Dragon
• 1x Quicksilver Elemental
• 1x Rainbow Efreet
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Shifty Doppelganger
• 1x Skeleton Scavengers
• 1x Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
• 1x Skyship Stalker
• 1x Solarion
• 1x Soliton
• 1x Soul of New Phyrexia
• 1x Sphinx of Magosi
• 1x Spikeshot Elder
• 1x Spikeshot Goblin
• 1x Staff of Domination
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Summoning Station
• 1x The Scarab God
• 1x Viashino Heretic
• 1x Vodalian Illusionist
• 1x Whip of Erebos
• 1x Will-o'-the-Wisp
• 1x Witch-king of Angmar
• 1x Xanthic Statue
• 1x Zirilan of the Claw
• 1x Zygon Infiltrator

Mana (33)

• 1x Ash Barrens
• 1x Basalt Monolith
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Darkwater Catacombs
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Fiery Islet
• 1x Flamekin Village
• 1x Haunted Ridge
• 1x Heartstone
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 1x Patriar's Seal
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Riptide Laboratory
• 1x Sanctum of Eternity
• 1x Shipwreck Marsh
• 1x Snow-Covered Island
• 1x Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1x Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1x Stormcarved Coast
• 1x Temple of Deceit
• 1x Temple of Epiphany
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Training Grounds
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble
• 1x Xander's Lounge

Tutors (13)

• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Citanul Flute
• 1x Corpse Connoisseur
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Diabolic Tutor
• 1x Entomb
• 1x Fabricate
• 1x Final Parting
• 1x Gamble
• 1x Intuition
• 1x Oriq Loremage
• 1x Scheming Symmetry
• 1x Tainted Pact

Removed (8)

• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Olivia Voldaren
• 1x Search for Azcanta  ^Flip
• 1x Shadowblood Ridge
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Sulfurous Springs
• 1x Teferi, Master of Time

Out (6)

• 1x Civilized Scholar  ^Flip
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Hammer of Purphoros
• 1x Intruder Alarm
• 1x Wand of Wonder
• 1x Wizard's Spellbook

Clones (5)

• 1x Cursed Mirror
• 1x Endless Evil
• 1x Jaxis, the Troublemaker
• 1x Mirage Phalanx
• 1x Rionya, Fire Dancer

NowThereAreTwoOfThem (4)

• 1x Helm of the Host
• 1x Irenicus's Vile Duplication
• 1x Quantum Misalignment
• 1x Shaun, Father of Synths

Ramp (3)

• 1x Talisman of Creativity
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence

Tricky (2)

• 1x Bloodline Necromancer
• 1x Riptide Shapeshifter

Filter (1)

• 1x Search for Azcanta  ^Flip

CantripsLooting (22)

• 1x Ancient Excavation *list*
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Careful Study
• 1x Cathartic Reunion
• 1x Faithless Looting
• 1x Forbidden Alchemy
• 1x Frantic Search
• 1x Monastery Siege
• 1x Notion Thief
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Ransack the Lab
• 1x Serum Visions
• 1x Sleight of Hand
• 1x Steam Augury
• 1x Thirst for Meaning
• 1x Thrill of Possibility
• 1x Tormenting Voice
• 1x Treasure Cruise
• 1x Wheel of Fate
• 1x Wheel of Misfortune
• 1x Whispering Madness

Blink (13)

• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Crystal Shard
• 1x Danse Macabre
• 1x Deadeye Navigator
• 1x Displacer Kitten
• 1x Ghostly Flicker
• 1x Identity Thief
• 1x Illusionist's Stratagem
• 1x Release to the Wind
• 1x Siren's Ruse
• 1x Teferi's Time Twist
• 1x Voyager Staff

InteractionProtection (11)

• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Fire Covenant
• 1x Narset's Reversal
• 1x Pyroblast
• 1x Siren Stormtamer
• 1x Spellskite
• 1x Stubborn Denial
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Vandalblast

Control (7)

• 1x Arcane Laboratory
• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Fade Away
• 1x Last One Standing
• 1x Leyline of Singularity
• 1x Smoke
• 1x Standstill

Haste (7)

• 1x Battlemage's Bracers
• 1x Bloodsworn Steward
• 1x Chainer, Nightmare Adept
• 1x Fervor
• 1x Lightning Mauler
• 1x Mass Hysteria
• 1x Urabrask the Hidden

Draw (4)

• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Expressive Iteration
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Sauron's Ransom

Mill (4)

• 1x Deranged Assistant
• 1x Mesmeric Orb
• 1x Stitcher's Supplier
• 1x Traumatize

Untap (4)

• 1x Aphetto Alchemist
• 1x Magewright's Stone
• 1x Mind Over Matter
• 1x Tidal Force

Banned (1)

• 1x Dockside Extortionist

WinCons (1)

• 1x Torment of Hailfire

---

My take on Mairsil, the Pretender. My interest in Mairsil stemmed from the resiliency surrounding cage counters: once an ability has been 'unlocked', it is effectively impossible to be taken away (bar Imprisoned in the Moon etc.). As the game evolves, Mairsil grows ever more powerful and inevitable. Mairsil's complexity and variety of victory lines make this my facourite deck to pilot. Victories are immensely rewarding when they come together.

I desire each game to be different and memorable. Hence, simple AB combos have been largely neglected, including milling one's entire library with Mirror-Mad Phantasm or taking infinite turns with Sage of Hours. As a result, this is a grindy, interactive, controlling build. Most tutors (i.e. Demonic Tutor) have also been deliberately neglected to facilitate a varied and enjoyable gameplay experience.

Win Conditions

Wins can arise from:

Tree of Perdition

Hateflayer plus Gilded Lotus, Coveted Jewel or Prismatic Geoscope (upwards of 16 damage per turn cycle)

Phyrexian Devourer pumping for commander damage

Eldrazi overrun via Ulamog's Dreadsire (Shadowspear notably provides trample and lifelink).

Theft via Empress Galina, Chainer, Dementia Master or Auton Soldier.

Orcish Bowmasters plus a wheel effect (Windfall or Jace's Archivist).

Gameplan

Mairsil, the Pretender wants four different effects in the 99: haste, protection, cage targets and cage facilitators.

Haste

Haste is great for Mairsil, enabling activated abilities without delay. Equipment sources of haste are somewhat awkward with Mairsil, as Mairsil will often be blinking in and out with effects such as AEtherling's activated ability. For this reason, enchantments such as Rising of the Day are preferable. Ashling's Prerogative is a favourite of mine, as it can randomly disrupt (or aid!) our opponents while benefitting Mairsil.

Protection

Mairsil is a removal magnet and the lynchpin of the deck. For this reason, deploying Mairsil under instant-speed protection where possible (Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting Swat and Slip Out the Back) is preferred.

Cage targets

Everything under the 'Cage' section. There is a tap/untap 'economy' at play also: Eater of the Dead plus any tap ability is usually much much stronger than multiple tap abilities. Chart a varied path to victory!

Cage Facilitators

Cards which facilitate further caging. These include blink effects such as Essence Flux and Thassa, Deep-Dwelling. Non-legendary clones such as Spark Double, Sakashima the Impostor and Sakashima of a Thousand Faces each add another ability when copying Mairsil. Reanimating four copies of one's commander thanks to a caged Chainer, Dementia Master is truly Magic as Garfield intended.

Mana

Fetches and surveil lands: over a quarter of this deck is beneficial in the graveyard, so the likes of Thundering Falls, Undercity Sewers and Raucous Theatre are all excellent. The fetches also ensure that many mountain-type lands are available for activating Anger.

Arena of Glory: a very handy haste source.

Minamo, School at Water's Edge: a great untapper.

Rush of Inspiration  : great for unclogging clunky hands filled with cage targets. Don't fear the randomness!

Geier Reach Sanitarium: fantastic for looting away cage targets. Also combos with Orcish Bowmasters.

Pinnacle Monk  : recursion is simply very powerful in commander. This can be blinked and renimated for considerable value.

Urza's Saga: ramping with Sol Ring is an obvious option but lifegain with Shadowspear and construct tokens is certainly viable.

Malakir Rebirth  : surviving a board wipe while getting another ability is living the dream.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth: Useful for meeting the activation costs of Chainer, Dementia Master and Asmodeus the Archfiend.

Fellwar Stone is a must for Mairsil's quote in the flavour text! This goes all the way back to the Dark.

Cheap looters and draw

Cheap loots such as Faithless Looting, Demand Answers and Anvil of Bogardan enable clunky hands to be 'unclogged', i.e. cage targets dumped in the graveyard and lands, interaction etc. successfully drawn. These effects really are the glue of the deck.

Some effects double as looters/wheels and cage targets, including Jace's Archivist. Dack Fayden is also a ramp card with moderate consistency (via stealing Sol Ring) when looting is not required.

Notable Exclusions

Quicksilver Elemental is somewhat of a win-more option outside of combo-oriented builds of Mairsil.

Spot removal stables (Terminate, Chaos Warp etc.). Mairsil often facilitates interaction with troublesome permanents and going 1-for-1 is very bad when a quarter or more of the deck is occupied via cage effects.

Reliquary Tower: Mairsil does really fear discarding a few cards as cage targets are quite good in the graveyard. Colourless land slots are really at a premium in contrast. Many activated abilities are colour-intensive which further isolates this card.

Riptide Laboratory. Three mana for an unsummon followed by another four to deploy is simply very costly. Lack of coloured mana production is also a major drawback.

Plan B Cards

Sometimes an Imprisoned in the Moon or similar will happen. Several cards can take the helm if Mairsil is compromised:

Agatha's Soul Cauldron: This card is simply a house! Graveyard hate, protection against opposing graveyard hate, a cage facilitator, activated ability mana fixer and more.

Necrotic Ooze: Still under testing but very promising.

Clones (Sakashima the Impostor, Auton Soldier). What you can't beat, join!

Relevant Rulings

Sakashima the Impostor functions as a non-legendary clone of Mairsil. It allows another cage-on-ETB and itself can use all of Mairsil's abilities as advised by Bennie Smith in http://www.starcitygames.com/article/35671_Commander-2017-Cage-Set-Match.html .

Good ruling on Shifty Doppelganger: https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-rulings/782066-mairsil-and-shifty-doppelganger

Hateflayer, Spikeshot Goblin and Kamahl, Pit Fighter can target players and planeswalkers as per: https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=152155 and https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=442141 https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106398

Feedback and suggestions are welcome, and if you liked the deck please consider an upvote :)

Date added	6 years
Last updated	3 weeks
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	9 - 0 Mythic Rares 64 - 0 Rares 17 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.50
Tokens	Construct 0/0 C, Copy Clone, Eldrazi 10/10 C, Emblem Dack Fayden, Energy Reserve, Orc Army, Rogue 2/2 B, Treasure
Folders	EDH, EDH/Commander ideas, untap decks to try