Mayael - Big guys are coming your way

knight_seb
Posts: 47
Joined: 3 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by knight_seb » 3 years ago

Hello fellow players !

As for my other threads, I will present all my current decks using the primer's presentation skeleton, one deck at a time.
So, here we go for Mayael, my Timmiest naya deck.
As usual, feel free to comment. I'm waiting for your feedback, ideas, comments ...

Table of contents

Part 1 : About me
Part 2 : Deck philosphy
Part 3 : Decklist
Part 4 : Cards Explanation

Part 1 : About me

My name is Sebastien, nearly 38 years old French player. I started Magic in 1994 but stopped in 1996 because of the lack of players in my area. I started again in 2002 and never stopped since. I discovered Commander at its beginnings when it was still called EDH and before Wizards started to make commander decks. I am a long time follower of Sheldon Menery (and the RC) way of defining Commander.
I play also Pauper and Peasant (no rares, only 5 uncos allowed, using the French banlist) for more than 15 years now ...

Part 2 : Deck philosophy

This is one of my oldest deck, its first iteration was assembled in early 2011 ! A lot of were made since its birth.
As you can guess, you will find a lot of creatures with power of 5 or more here. Putting big guys into play is always scary for my opponents. However, here is the catch : I won't rely exclusively on Mayael to bring them to battle. Mayael itself being quite weak, I had to find ways to play them. So I built my deck with two things in mind :
1- I need to ramp
2- How can I "cheat" my big guys on the battlefield ?

Part one was quite easy to solve as I play green.
Part two was a little more tricky. Lurking predators, Genesis Wave came in early, followed by Wild Pair, Quicksilver Amulet and more recently Sunbird's invocation and Selvala's stampede.

However, this deck lacks some reactivity. I added wrath-like protection and recursion but I usually have difficulties to interact with non creatures permanents or spells.

Part 3 : Decklist

Decklist

Commander

Creatures Pump

Useful tools

Approximate Total Cost:

Part 4 : Card choice explanation

Wraths :
Starstorm : Damage based instant wraths, it combines well with Vigor
Day of Judgment : It allows me to regenerate my creatures
Balefire Dragon : Quite devastating when it connects
Blasphemous Act : I never played it for more than 1R, combo with Vigor

Removal :
Aura Shards : One of my few ways to deal with enchantments and artifact
Terastodon : Allow me to deal with non creature permanents, and usually my guys are bigger than the elephant tokens
Gruul Ragebeast : Each of my creatures is quite a removal
Woodfall Primus : Allow me to deal with non creature permanents, persist
Bogardan Hellkite : Flexible damage base removal
Warstorm Surge : ETB triggered damage, can be devastating with Genesis Wave

Draw :
Soul of the Harvest : triggered by my other creatures
Guardian Project : One of the best drawing cards as all creatures have different name.
Greater Good : When I'm already losing my creatures, it is a way to make its death useful
Lifecrafter's Bestiary : Scrying might be useful, as well as drawing a car when I cast a creature
Garruk's Packleader : triggered by my other creatures. It might be replaced by Garruk's Uprising in a near future

Tutor :
Academy Rector : I have a lot of impactful enchantments in my deck
Worldly Tutor : putting a creature on top is great in response to an activation of Mayael or when Lurking predator is in play
Congregation at Dawn : same here
Chord of Calling : instantly putting a creature from my deck into play surprise every time my opponents

Mana/ramp :
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds : part draw as my creatures are usually bigger than my opponents and a big boost of mana to play them
Mana Reflection : doubling mana abilities (my bounceland now produce 4 manas for exemple)
Mirari's Wake : Do I need to comment it ?
Oracle of Mul Daya :
Kodama's Reach : Fetching lands allows better mayael activations
Cultivate : same
Farhaven Elf : same
Wood Elves : same
Skyshroud Elf : Convert excessive green mana into white or red mana.
Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma : I consider cost reducing as a way to ramp.

Recursion :
Eternal Witness : No need to comment
Paleoloth : Most of my creatures trigger it
Elixir of Immortality : In case of my graveyard is targeted, but I might remove it soon
Greenwarden of Murasa : Big brother of Eternal Witness
Angel of Serenity : Part removal, part recursion. I use mostly the second.

Cheating creatures in play :
Genesis Wave : Do I need to comment it ?
Lurking Predators : 34 creatures to put in play, I don't often whiff.
Selvala's Stampede : Little sister of Genesis Wave, as powerful as it.
Wild Pair : I have a lot of 5/5 or 6/6 creatures so getting two by playing one is great
Sunbird's Invocation : My creatures now have a sort of cascade
Quicksilver Amulet : 4 mana to put into play creatures from my hand is never bad.

Protection :
Vagrant Plowbeasts : it can regenerate most of my creatures
Spearbreaker Behemoth : it can make indestructible most of my creatures
Avacyn, Angel of Hope : No need to comment here
Asceticism : Hexproof and regeneration
Archetype of Endurance : Hexproof
Privileged Position : Hexproof
Vigor : convert damage into +1/+1 counters, allows some tricks with Blasphemous act, starstorm ...

Others creatures :
Avenger of Zendikar : A lot of tokens are coming your way
Stalking Vengeance : If my creatures die, it will hurt you
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed : Punish non creature based decks
Verdant Sun's Avatar : Some lifegain never hurt
Meglonoth : good blocker
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight : Doubling the damage I make and halfreducing yours is always good for me
Etali, Primal Storm : I love this card, sometimes it juste enough to win
Blazing Archon : No, you won't attack me
Akroma, Angel of Wrath : A solid beater
Vengeful Archon : Its capacity is often forgotten by my opponents

Creatures Pump
True Conviction : Double strike and lifegain on my big guys is a way to win
Akroma's Memorial : My creatures are some Akromas now

Useful tools
Penance : An hidden gem recently added. It can protect me and make Mayael activation less surprising
Seedborn Muse : I love activating mayael every turn

Lands :
I won't talk about dual lands except if something seems off. I will focus on the purpose of specific lands
Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree : Sometimes, making a token to block saved my life
Kessig Wolf Run : Mana sink
Contested Cliffs : I have some beasts, so it acts like a removal
Gavony Township : putting +1/+1 counters on my guys is a way to win
Mosswort Bridge : I nearly never have issues to activate it.

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