Maelstrom Wanderer a.k.a. The Kool-Aid Man

[ZenN]

I've been playing Wanderer for almost 5 years now. In that time, the list has gone through several iterations of various power levels. With my play group being primarily focused on a "75%" environment, it has been a continuous balancing act to try to keep the deck from being too powerful while still being a solid contender at our tables. This current iteration represents the happiest I've been with the list, and it is not only currently my favourite deck, but has been for some time now. So, with me finally getting around to posting some things on here after all the drama with the old site, I figured I might as well start with this one!

I've intentionally avoided any infinite combos or mass land destruction, as well as having intentionally excluded certain powerhouse cards, like Food Chain or too many extra turn spells. I've purposely built out the deck to be resilient rather than overly explosive. Every ramp card in the deck is capable of netting 2+ mana, in addition to being divided between land fetching, mana rocks, mana dorks, and mana producing enchantments and planeswalkers. This helps reduce the vulnerability of the mana base, so recasting Wanderer is rarely an issue after someone inevitably wipes the board.

He (it?) became known as the Kool-Aid Man in my play group because he's always breaking through people's boards, and I may have a tendency of saying, "OH YEAH!", in an obnoxiously deep voice every time I cast him... In any case, here's the list! There's an obvious focus on playing sweet fatties, with a bit of a sub-theme of taking opponents' things, with cards like Etali, Primal Storm, Agent of Treachery, Archmage's Charm, Bribery, and Blatant Thievery.

Maelstrom Wanderer

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander (1)

1 Maelstrom Wanderer

Lands (36)

1 Command Tower

1 City of Brass

1 Mana Confluence

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Ketria Triome

1 Prismatic Vista

1 Scalding Tarn

1 Misty Rainforest

1 Wooded Foothills

1 Flooded Strand

1 Polluted Delta

1 Verdant Catacombs

1 Windswept Heath

1 Volcanic Island

1 Tropical Island

1 Taiga

1 Steam Vents

1 Breeding Pool

1 Stomping Ground

1 Cinder Glade

1 Fiery Islet

1 Waterlogged Grove

1 Castle Garenbrig

1 Gaea's Cradle

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Temple of the False God

1 Kessig Wolf Run

1 Field of the Dead

2 Island

1 Mountain

2 Forest

1 Snow-Covered Island

1 Snow-Covered Mountain

1 Snow-Covered Forest

Creatures (28)

1 Joraga Treespeaker

1 Bloom Tender

1 Dockside Extortionist

1 Kiora's Follower

1 Trinket Mage

1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds

1 Clever Impersonator

1 Glen Elendra Archmage

1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma

1 Phyrexian Metamorph

1 Temur Sabertooth

1 Cavalier of Gales

1 Elder Gargaroth

1 Goldspan Dragon

1 Terror of the Peaks

1 Consecrated Sphinx

1 Etali, Primal Storm

1 Greenwarden of Murasa

1 Inferno Titan

1 Kogla, the Titan Ape

1 Pathbreaker Ibex

1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

1 Thunderfoot Baloth

1 Wurmcoil Engine

1 Avenger of Zendikar

1 Dragonlord Atarka

1 Drakuseth, Maw of Flames

1 World Breaker

Artifacts (10)

1 Mana Crypt

1 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Shadowspear

1 Sol Ring

1 Scroll Rack

1 Coalition Relic

1 Crystal Shard

1 Worn Powerstone

1 Thran Dynamo

1 Gilded Lotus

Enchantments (3)

1 Carpet of Flowers

1 Sylvan Library

1 Song of the Dryads

Planeswalkers (3)

1 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Tezzeret the Seeker

Instants (8)

1 Mystical Tutor

1 Worldly Tutor

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Archmage's Charm

1 Beast Within

1 Cryptic Command

1 Mystic Confluence

1 Nexus of Fate

Sorceries (11)

1 Cultivate

1 Kodama's Reach

1 Hunting Wilds

1 Pir's Whim

1 Skyshroud Claim

1 Bribery

1 Selvala's Stampede

1 Time Spiral

1 Blatant Thievery

1 Genesis Ultimatum

1 Temporal Mastery

Approximate Total Cost:

Current shortlist of cards being considered includes:

• The Great Henge
• Temur Charm
• Tempt with Discovery
• Quakebringer
• Battle Mammoth
• Koma, Cosmos Serpent

[ZenN]

Since it was spoiled, I've been thinking about putting in Genesis Ultimatum.

Obviously it would make sense to cut an existing non-permanent from the list for it. The first thought I had was Tooth and Nail.

T&N is undeniably a strong card in this deck, but it essentially has two outcomes when I cascade into it:

1. I'm tapped out and can't pay for the Entwine, and more often than not it just thins two dorks out of the deck so I don't cascade into them later.
2. I have the mana for Entwine, and probably just win by getting Pathbreaker Ibex and Avenger of Zendikar.

Neither of those is ideal, since the first feels meh for me, and the second borders on "too strong", given the goal of maintaining a certain power level. Plus it just decreases the chaotic aspect of the deck, which is half the fun.

The other option I thought about for a cut was Mana Drain. Obviously the card is insane, and I put it in basically all my blue decks. It's amazing for ramping into Wanderer early while slowing down an opponent, but it feels so, so bad to cascade into.

[pokken]

re: mana drain - I play remand and it's always been sick to cascade into.

[ZenN]

re: mana drain - I play remand and it's always been sick to cascade into.

Remand is cute. Put Wanderer into your hand and draw a card. Makes for a much less impactful turn if you don't have the mana to recast right away, though. But definitely keeps the resources coming.

I was thinking about replacing Mana Drain with Cryptic Command. It's useful both in hand and to cascade into. At worst on a cascade it draws a card and bounces something, right? And if you have it in hand, you can use it to bounce Wanderer to hand for a recast when you counter something or draw, or I guess tap opposing creatures in a pinch.

... Yeah, I think I just talked myself into Cryptic.

[pokken]

cryptic command and mystic confluence have both been very very good for me. The tap all mode is often relevant.

[ZenN]

cryptic command and mystic confluence have both been very very good for me. The tap all mode is often relevant.

Yeah, tapping down blockers seems very relevant on a cascade. I've been super happy with Mystic Confluence, I assume I'll be happy with Cryptic Command, too.

Out

• Mana Drain

In

• Cryptic Command

[ZenN]

Archmage's Charm is another counterspell that could be played that is still sweet to cascade into. Divination or steal a Sol Ring seems good, right? Something else to put on the short list, I guess.

Also, while I'm at it, the new Ketria Triome is a straight upgrade and putting a little more blue in the mana base wouldn't hurt, so...

Out

• Frontier Bivouac
• Forest

In

• Ketria Triome
• Island

[Mjmirobelli]

I'll have to keep an eye on this thread. I've been struggling a bit with how to upgrade my Maelstrom Wanderer deck. I never thought of Cryptic Command As an inclusion. The trick with Remand Is nice too.

I notice that you're not running Mind's Desire. Have you tried it and cut it out? I run it but I've never had it work out for me and it's on the chopping block.

[ZenN]

I notice that you're not running Mind's Desire. Have you tried it and cut it out? I run it but I've never had it work out for me and it's on the chopping block.

I used to run both Mind's Desire and Magus of the Mind. The Magus was often underwhelming, but Desire was almost always great. I honestly only cut it because every time I cast it the rest of the table would groan, and it would take a while to resolve because of the shuffle+flip over and over.

[Mjmirobelli]

I took Magus of the Mind out a while ago for the same reason. Have you thought about Cream of the Crop, that has been an all-star for me. I'm going to try out a few of your suggestions such as Blatant Thievery and Inferno Titan.

[ZenN]

I took Magus of the Mind out a while ago for the same reason. Have you thought about Cream of the Crop, that has been an all-star for me. I'm going to try out a few of your suggestions such as Blatant Thievery and Inferno Titan.

Cream of the Crop seems super cute. I'm not entirely sure I need more top deck manip. I feel like I'd play it over Scroll Rack, if I had budget concerns. As is, though, I think it would be one of the less impactful means of top deck manipulation, and very underwhelming on a cascade. I've put a fair amount of effort into reducing the number of bad cascades as much as possible.

Blatant Thievery is fantastic. I only put it in maybe a month ago, but I've been super happy every time I've cast it. At its worst it just takes the land I need to recast a Wanderer, which I'm absolutely fine with.

Inferno Titan is mostly in there because there are a few different decks in my group that either run a lot of planeswalkers or a lot of weenies, so being able to spread out 6 direct damage on the turn I cascade into him is sweet.

[ZenN]

@pokken
How has Nezahal, Primal Tide been for you? I hadn't really considered that one before.

[pokken]

pokken
How has Nezahal, Primal Tide been for you? I hadn't really considered that one before.

Hit or miss. With loam it's pretty easy to have cards to protect it. Generally speaking it draws all of the removal. I've actually considered swapping that slot to consecrated sphinx but I like that they need multiple removal spells to stop Nez -- i've had the stack 3 high of people trying to remove it before (I lost that time, but I still wound up winning the game since they had no answers for Wanderer after that).

Overall probably worse than Csphinx but a bit less overwhelming. It's kind of calculated to be really strong but not oppressive in mid-powered games.

The nice thing about nez is you can hide it from clones tho.

[ZenN]

Hit or miss. With loam it's pretty easy to have cards to protect it. Generally speaking it draws all of the removal. I've actually considered swapping that slot to consecrated sphinx but I like that they need multiple removal spells to stop Nez -- i've had the stack 3 high of people trying to remove it before (I lost that time, but I still wound up winning the game since they had no answers for Wanderer after that).

Overall probably worse than Csphinx but a bit less overwhelming. It's kind of calculated to be really strong but not oppressive in mid-powered games.

The nice thing about nez is you can hide it from clones tho.

That all sounds like about what I expected. I definitely wouldn't replace Consecrated Sphinx with it, but I could see running it in addition, which is more what I had in mind. Might be worth considering.

[ZenN]

Spelljack is equates to basically a free extra cascade any time I hit it with Wanderer, but aside from cascading into it I just never want to see it. Never want it in my hand, and if it does end up in my hand I don't think I've ever once hard cast it. Part of the idea was to have a counterspell that I didn't mind cascading into, but realistically speaking I'm just never holding up 3UUU to use it as an actual counterspell.

So, I'm going to try swapping it for a counterspell I don't mind cascading into that I might actually use as a counterspell when I've got it in hand.

Out

• Spelljack

In

• Archmage's Charm

[Mjmirobelli]

I'm not sure if one of you can help me with this question. I'm asking this here because of the sources that tap for 2+ mana and the untap effects.

Can The Great Henge Cascade off of Maelstrom Wanderer if I have a creature already on the battlefield with power 2+?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[ZenN]

I'm not sure if one of you can help me with this question. I'm asking this here because of the sources that tap for 2+ mana and the untap effects.

Can The Great Henge Cascade off of Maelstrom Wanderer if I have a creature already on the battlefield with power 2+?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Nope. Cascade only cares about the converted mana cost of the cards, so any cost reductions or additional costs are never taken into account.

That said, I've considered running it here and actually kind of like that it cant be cascaded into, because I'd much rather be cascading into a threat most of the time.

[Mjmirobelli]

Thanks for the quick response and the info! I did add The Great Henge to my deck anyways. I'm playing tonight with some friends and plan to try it out. I'll write a brief update about how it goes. My list is similar but not identical to yours.

[ZenN]

Thanks for the quick response and the info! I did add The Great Henge to my deck anyways. I'm playing tonight with some friends and plan to try it out. I'll write a brief update about how it goes. My list is similar but not identical to yours.

Sweet! Have fun, and I look forward to hearing about how the card works out for you.

[Mjmirobelli]

I played one game with Maelstrom Wanderer tonight. My opponents were running Phenax, God of Deception, The Mimeoplasm, and Reaper King.

I only hard cast Maelstrom Wanderer twice during the game and my Cascades were laughable for the most part. The first time that I cast Maelstrom Wanderer the Phenax, God of Deception player used Mana Drain on it, which was not ideal for me. My Cascades were (in order): Cultivate, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, Spelljack, Kodama's Reach, Kiora's Follower, and Worn Powerstone.

On my last turn I cast Magus of the Mind (which I only included as a place holder until I can get Cavalier of Gales from my FLGS) and was able to turn it into: Xenagos, God of Revels, Pathbreaker Ibex, and Vizier of Tumbling Sands. That play allowed me to kill the Reaper King player with Commander damage and get the Phenax, God of Deception player down to 2 life. The Phenax, God of Deception player then cast Torment of Hailfire which ensured that The Mimeoplasm player would win on his turn, as he had Vulturous Zombie and Lord of Extinction on the battlefield.

Mediocre Cascades aside, it was a fun and good game. I was able to play The Great Henge after my second hard cast of Maelstrom Wanderer and used it like 5 times with Kiora's Follower and Vizier of Tumbling Sands, in fact the extra life from it almost kept me alive at the end. The Great Henge was an all star from my one play through that included it.

[ZenN]

I was able to play The Great Henge after my second hard cast of Maelstrom Wanderer and used it like 5 times with Kiora's Follower and Vizier of Tumbling Sands, in fact the extra life from it almost kept me alive at the end. The Great Henge was an all star from my one play through that included it.

Sounds fairly promising. I'm going to have to figure out a spot to try it out at some point in the near future. It certainly seems sweet on paper.

[pokken]

Henge being GG with wanderer out is pretty nice for sure.

[ZenN]

It's a bit of a shame that it will rarely contribute to the first Wanderer cast, but it's probably good enough regardless.

[pokken]

yeah I dunno, it is definitely good in longer games. I'm not sure it's really *that* good in wanderer. I do like the synergy but it does create some awkward sequencing where you wanderer, then they sweep the board before you untap and you're just slamming wanderer again.

I think I'd give it a try if I had one but it'd be really hard to find a slot. Maybe better in dudes like Goreclaw where it's more of a next-thing-on-the-curve.

[ZenN]

yeah I dunno, it is definitely good in longer games. I'm not sure it's really *that* good in wanderer. I do like the synergy but it does create some awkward sequencing where you wanderer, then they sweep the board before you untap and you're just slamming wanderer again.

I think I'd give it a try if I had one but it'd be really hard to find a slot. Maybe better in dudes like Goreclaw where it's more of a next-thing-on-the-curve.

Well, when you do get it on the table, it will help with subsequent Wanderer casts, and it does help keep your hand full for if you ever get locked out of Wanderer (or to make sure you can keep hitting the mana to recast), and in some metas the life gain can be at least a little relevant.

At the very least, the card does enough relevant things to be worth consideration, and I'm willing to make a temporary haphazard cut for the sake of getting to try it, before spending the time to figure out a more permanent cut for it.