Mayael the Anima

Commander / EDH RGW (Naya)

moonpies27

Creature (36)

• 1x Blightsteel Colossus
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Wurmcoil Engine
• 1x Angel of Serenity
• 1x Archon of Valor's Reach
• 1x Balefire Dragon
• 1x Blazing Archon
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Drumhunter
• 1x Elvish Piper
• 1x Faeburrow Elder
• 1x Greenwarden of Murasa
• 1x Gruul Ragebeast
• 1x Ilysian Caryatid
• 1x Moldgraf Monstrosity
• 1x Paleoloth
• 1x Quartzwood Crasher
• 1x Regal Behemoth
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Stonehoof Chieftain
• 1x Sun Titan *f-pre*
• 1x Terastodon
• 1x Utvara Hellkite
• 1x Vigor
• 1x Woodfall Primus
• 1x Archetype of Endurance
• 1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
• 1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• 1x Dragonlord Dromoka
• 1x Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
• 1x Etali, Primal Storm
• 1x Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• 1x Ilharg, the Raze-Boar
• 1x Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• 1x Vorinclex, Voice of HungerGC
• 1x Xenagos, God of Revels

Land (33)

• 5x Forest
• 2x Mountain
• 2x Plains
• 1x Ancient TombGC
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bountiful Promenade
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Clifftop Retreat
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Kessig Wolf Run
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Mosswort Bridge
• 1x Plateau
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Rootbound Crag
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Spire Garden
• 1x Stomping Ground
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Taiga
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Winding Canyons
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Farseek
• 1x Nature's Lore
• 1x See the Unwritten
• 1x Selvala's Stampede
• 1x Skyshroud Claim
• 1x Tooth and Nail

Commander (1)

Artifact (12)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Gruul Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Quicksilver Amulet
• 1x Scroll Rack
• 1x Selesnya Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Talisman of Impulse
• 1x Talisman of Unity
• 1x Vivien's Arkbow

Instant (7)

• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Nature's Claim
• 1x Noxious Revival
• 1x Summoning Trap
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Wear / Tear
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Asceticism
• 1x Colossal Majesty
• 1x Lurking Predators
• 1x Quest for Renewal
• 1x Warstorm Surge

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Maybeboard

Creature (1)

• 1x Champion of Rhonas

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Sneak Attack

Instant (1)

• 1x Return of the Wildspeaker

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The way I chose to build Mayael was to maximize the effectiveness of her activated ability. Note that this isn't the only way to play her, but is the avenue I chose to pursue. As a result, I have chosen to limit the amount of non-creature spells (as well as creatures that have less than 5 power) in the deck to avoid the dreaded "whiff", though it still does happen on occasion. This process of balancing creatures and non-creatures has been honed by me through years of playing, but I haven't done any formal mathematical proof that my chosen number is the correct one. Feel free to modify these ratios, but understand that if you want to maximize the chance of Mayael's ability "hitting", then you must keep this balance in mind.

With all that said, I have built this deck without much regard for budget. Some of the cards in this deck are very expensive for a new player or one with a limited budget, but don't let that dissuade you from trying Mayael out. She can be built on a relatively low budget and upgraded over time very easily. Most of the creatures in this deck are chosen because I feel that they are the best creatures at the given CMC within the colors I am allowed to play. Some of them fill very specific roles and allow for powerful synergies between cards, however, they are not necessary for the deck to win a game. Remember that part of the fun of EDH is using the cards you have available to you to build your deck. If you find a creature that's out of your price range, think about what that card does and if there exists a substitute for that role.

Let's break down some of the key strategies within the deck:

Ramp

Ramping is a very important part of your gameplan. If you are unable to protect Mayeal in the early turns, ramping can help you begin to play some of the expensive cards in your deck without leaving you totally reliant on your commander. I think you should evaluate your opening hands based on your colors and quantities of mana. By this I mean you should try and have all three colors by turn three. I've crafted the mana base in this deck to try and accomplish that goal more often than not. Ramp spells for two or three mana help you to fix your colors and set yourself up for later turns.

It's no surprise that a green deck wants to play ramp spells in the early game, but it shouldn't go without saying that setting up your colors early in the game is vital for allowing you to transition to casting huge bombs in the mid game without worrying about their double or often triple colors of required mana. In my build, hitting triple white and double red are incredibly important. Game-altering cards like Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Blazing Archon, or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight are best played off of activating your commander, but many times need to be hard-cast from your hand. To do this consistently takes a good mana base and careful planning when playing your early game ramp spells. Another consequence of this color-hungry deck construction is the reliance on signets and talismans in place of traditional colorless mana rocks. Sol Ring is too good to pass up, but think carefully before you start including mana artifacts that can't generate one of your colors. When playing my list, the following should be your priorities in the early game:

1. Get all three of my colors as early as possible (preferably by turn two or three using signets or ramp spells).

2. Play Mayael on turn three or four if I think she won't be immediately killed, otherwise keep ramping.

3. Make sure that my early ramp spells or mana rocks have given me access to at least or by turn 5 to start powering out my bomb creatures ASAP.

Individual card discussion:

• Signets and Talismans: I run all of the playable Signets and Talismans in this deck as a way to help fix my colors as consistently as possible.

• Skyshroud Claim, Farseek and Nature's Lore: These cards allow us to fetch out non-basic lands with basic land types (e.g. duals, shocks, etc.). There's a reason I chose these over Rampant Growth and similar cards. These spells aren't expensive and I recommend running all of them.

• Cultivate and Kodama's Reach: I will almost always play these cards on turn three instead of Mayael because they allow me to both fix my colors and guarantee a land drop on the next turn, setting me up to play Mayael and possibly Lightning Greaves, Scroll Rack, or a Signet on the next turn.

• Bloom Tender: I feel this card deserves a special mention. I played this deck for years without this card in it and I was able to function just fine. Bloom Tender offers a powerful effect that's hard to replicate, but it ultimately unnecessary for the deck to function. Being able to play this on turn two, play Mayael on turn three, then tap the Tender to cast a Cultivate or Kodama's Reach is one heck of a way to start a game though.

Interaction

In Magic, you are either asking questions (playing threats) or giving answers (removal, counterspells, board wipes, etc). This deck focuses many of its resources in asking questions. We play powerful creatures and effectively give them haste by activating Mayael on the end step of the opponent before our turn, giving our opponents a narrow window to have an answer to our question before we are able to have some destructive fun at their expense. With that said, every commander deck has to run at least a nominal amount of answers of their own so that they can interact with the other decks at the table on some level. Here's a look at some of the cards we run and why:

• Oblivion Ring: A powerful catch-all enchantment that can hit many different problem permanents and can be recurred by attacking with Sun Titan. Definitely worth the slot, though I wouldn't load up on these effects since only being able to play them at Sorcery speed is a real downside.

• Swords to Plowshares: The best removal spell in the game. It can and will save your hide from indestructible commanders to creature-based combos. I used to run Path to Exile as well, but I found that I have a bit of redunancy of these effects through creatures like Angel of Serenity and Angel of the Dire Hour. If you don't run both of those creatures, I think it's worth it to find a slot for Path to Exile as well as Swords.

• Krosan Grip and Hull Breach: Both of these cards hate on problem permanents (i.e. artifacts and enchantments). There are many cards you could run in this slot (Deglamer, Nature's Claim, Naturalize, Disenchant, etc.) so it's really up to personal preference. I've settled on these simply because of the power of Split Second and the ability to hose early game plays when I have extra mana through Hull Breach. I can't count the number of Sol Ring and Sylvan Library that I have killed with this card on turns two to four. Sometimes that setback will get you enought time to build momentum that's hard for your crippled opponents to stop.

Utility Spells

Some of the most powerful cards in this deck aren't creatures, but are instead ways to cheat creatures into play or give you a benefit to playing them.

Warstorm Surge: This card has won me games on turn six off of an early Mayael activation into a Blightsteel Colossus. Notice that the wording of the cards says that the creature deals the damage, so things like Infect, Deathtouch, and Lifelink can be insanely good. Wurmcoil Engine becomes a murder machine when it enters the battefield, especially if it fights a bigger creature, then breaks into two tokens, each of which also fights a creature. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight can turn this card unfair in a hurry and Vigor can let you pump up a Trampler with a few extra counters if you want to eke some value out over a few turns.

Lurking Predators: This is secretly the best card in the deck. I will windmill slam this card every time I draw it and just wait to let the value accrue. Each time your opponent casts a spell, they have to ask themselves if they are prepared to deal with the craziness that might come out of your library. Scroll Rack interacts very well with this card allowing you to effectively stack your next few triggers with the fatties that are sitting in your hand. I've used this specific interaction before to save myself from a board wipe by activating Scroll Rack to put Avacyn, Angel of Hope on top of my library in response to the trigger, thereby ensuring that my permanents remained untouched while my opponent wept softly to himself. You can also use Worldly Tutor in the same way to turn the creatures in your deck into a kind of toolbox, improving the effectiveness of cards like Angel of the Dire Hour tremendously.

Sneak Attack: This is a recent addition to the deck and hasn't been extensively tested. Because I don't have a great deal of graveyard recursion, this can be a bit risky to use. However, I think the upside to being able to sneak out things like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre early in the game far outweighs the negatives. Overall, this isn't a key piece of the deck, but I think further testing will prove it earns its spot.

Selvala's Stampede, See the Unwritten, Rishkar's Expertise, Summoning Trap: These cards all serve as surrogates for Mayael as well as effective "draw" spells later in the game. They aren't ever a dead draw and can lead to some explosive turns, but don't be afraid to experiment with more removal or utility spells in their place if you don't like how they play. I will say that the power of these spells vastly improves when you keep the "hit-to-miss" ratio of 5 power or greater creatures in balance. Nothing feels worse than playing a 6 mana spell with nothing to show for it.

Tooth and Nail: Let me preface this by saying that I have other tier 1 combo decks (Doomtide Thrasios & Tymna and Chain Veil Teferi) that I regularly play in competitive commander events. Many people see a Tooth and Nail and think the game is immediately over. I don't run any game-winning combos in this deck because I choose not to. This objectively makes my deck less powerful, but I didn't fall in love with Mayael because she tutors out Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Zealous Conscripts every game. No, I fell in love with her because she scratches my gambling itch and gives me an excuse to play the meanest fatties I can get my hands on. Therefore, this simply exists as a powerful toolbox spell to play when I find myself with 9 mana.

Asceticism and Akroma's Memorial: I put these cards together because they both serve the purpose of protecting my creatures. Akroma's Memorial is definitely the more powerful of the two, but Asceticism definitely pulls its weight in a meta where single target removal runs rampant. If your meta favors board wipes, feel free to sub it out for something more suited to that such as Ghostway or Eerie Interlude to dodge a Wrath or even Dauntless Escort and Selfless Spirit to help with early plays and keeping your creatures alive.

Scroll Rack: I mentioned this in the section about Lurking Predators, but I don't think I can overstate how good this card can be in this deck. Not only does it give you a way to ensure that you hit a certain creature off of a Mayael activation, Summoning Trap, or Lurking Predators trigger, but it also lets you sculpt your hand in a way that is desperately needed in a deck like this. Often times you will find yourself with a hand full of fatties and not much else. If you cast a Nature's Lore, hold priority and activate Scroll Rack, you can dump some of those fatties and trade them for cards on top of your deck, then shuffle the fatties away when your ramp spell resolves. This alone would be enough reason to justify this card's inclusion in the deck.

Illusionist's Bracers and Seedborn Muse: These cards can quickly take a game that is going well and thrust you so far ahead that you can barely see your opponents in the dust behind you. If you make it one rotation around a table with an active Seedborn Muse, something terrible has to happen for you to lose that game. It's for this reason that I recommend even budget players include Seedborn Muse in their list as the first "expensive" card they acquire. It's absolutely worth every penny and just gets better the more you upgrade your deck.

Quicksilver Amulet and Elvish Piper: These exist as a poor-man's version of Mayael if you can't get your commander to stick to the board. There will be games where you can land an early Quicksilver Amulet and start dropping Eldrazi titans on the end step of the player before you. It's for this reason that these cards can also serve as bait for removal before you play the card you really care about. If either one ends up sticking around, then it's all upside from there!

Date added	7 years
Last updated	4 years
Exclude colors	UB
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	17 - 0 Mythic Rares 49 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 9 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.87
Tokens	Dinosaur Beast */* G, Dragon 6/6 R, Elephant 3-3 G, The Monarch, Wurm 3/3 C w/ Deathtouch, Wurm 3/3 C w/ Lifelink