@Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor Pir's Whim is great and deserves a slot in most green decks. I've had a ton of fun with it. Archon of Valor's Reach is definitely worth trying out, but your mileage will vary depending on your meta. I most often find myself naming enchantments because 1) there are lots of enchantments that can completely ruin my strategy of turning dudes sideways and 2) doing so doesn't slow the game down the same way naming instants or sorceries does. Sometimes you have the opportunity to totally hose artifact decks, but the way I play that usually just means leverage for politicking.

I'm sure you've considered it before, but what are your thoughts on Dragon Throne of Tarkir. I run it in my Mayael deck and it's won me at least 3 games on its own.

@Flash1995 Seems decent, but probably a little slow. That said, this deck's 4-drop slot isn't all that demanding so there's room to experiment.

Honestly there are a handful of cards that I also use in my deck and our decks seem to go the same route so ill link my list for you to reference and see if anything stands out for you. I also like the lower curve Mayael the Anima but I prefer to split the ramp into nonland forms like signets and creatures.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/01-10-16-mayael/

Have you considered adding Ghalta, Primal Hunger, the ability to hard cast for cheap could be nice if your commander is getting shut out.

Also Zetalpa, Primal Dawn is just big, fat, and amazing.

@Edgarislife They're both just beef. I would almost always rather have an ETB ability than a couple extra points of power. I'll admit Zetalpa would be tons of silly, impractical fun if only it had 5 power...sadly Mayael cannot grab it!

Good points, either way this deck looks super fun and I may have to build it. I could easily convert my mono green stompy to Mayael. You have my upvote.

Hi! First of all, great deck, it's nice seeing Mayael get some love :) I used to play her back when I was a beginner in EDH. I ended up changing for a Xenagos deck, feeling like it wasn't very reliable. But maybe it was just because I wasn't very experienced with deckbuilding.

I have a question though: would you consider Mayael playable on a tighter budget? I'm always wondering about going back to her but I don't really know if she'll be better than Xenagos at the helm.

@Padbras Great questions. First off, let me say this: Xenagos, God of Revels is more consistent than Mayael the Anima. The deck wins faster and more reliably. Mayael is more for the kind of player who values the experience of playing as much as (or more than) they value winning. Some of the best Magic memories I have are flipping those top five cards, one at a time, just hoping to turn over that clutch blocker. That degree of randomness isn't for everybody, but it's how I most enjoy the game.

As to your follow up question, yes, I would definitely recommend running Mayael on a budget. Most of the money cards I run are for 1) mana base consistency and 2) topdeck filtering. Those make the deck more reliable, but they're not necessary for it to be functional. Also, the fatties you choose to run are easily tuned to any budget. There are plenty of sub-optimal inclusions that can fill the role of expensive cards and still make a splash on the board. Here's some easy changes you can make to slash hundreds of dollars off the price tag:

Alpha duals ==> Battlebond duals. This is a no brainer. Battlebond duals are almost as good, especially if you cut fetch lands.

Fetch lands ==> Pain lands, Larwyn filter lands, and Odyssey filter lands. Filters are just a notch below fetches for mana consistency. Pain lands are a notch below that.

Ancient Tomb, Strip Mine, Wasteland ==> Basic lands. You'll need to run a few more basics without top-tier lands at your disposal. Trim the pricey colorless mana.

Mirri's Guile, Sylvan Library, Sensei's Divining Top, Scroll Rack ==> Crystal Ball, Darksteel Pendant, Lifecrafter's Bestiary, Seer's Lantern. It's still really important to have some topdeck filtering. These will get the job done.

Rings of Brighthearth ==> Illusionist's Bracers

Tooth and Nail ==> Another 5+ power creature

Crucible of Worlds, Mana Crypt ==> Any other mana rock. Basically the same effect, just slower and more fragile.

Avacyn, Angel of Hope ==> Spearbreaker Behemoth

Balefire Dragon ==> Steel Hellkite

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre ==> Artisan of Kozilek, It That Betrays

Hope that helps!

MaelstromHobo Thank you for the tips :) I'll reconsider that, maybe just spend a bit and try to get Mayael back out there from my Xenagos deck and see how it feels.

Cool deck/primer...have you thought of Conch Horn for additional Scroll Rack effects to cheat creature out with Mayael? +1

@Enral I didn't even know that card existed. I'll have to do some playtesting. Thanks!

OMG upvoted... this is just straight beautiful!!! I may pick away at this list... :D

How do you feel about the new Cleansing Nova card from 2019?

@TheMaggotPrince It's a great card that often functions as a second copy of Austere Command, but doesn't quite outclass it. I could see using it in favor of Rout for certain metas.

it's funny in my collection I have no Mana Crypt... but like 6-7 Rings of brighthearth! I was thinking on Putting in Palladia-Mors cause she fits the colour set and size. any thoughts... I'm gonna attempt to put this together but that may take time LOL

no Seedborn Muse?

no Seedborn Muse?

@Rav3nhawk She's in there! Definitely an MVP if you can get some boots on her. And a cheap pick up now with her reprinting.

so I am slowly assembling this now because it is fantastic!!! are there any PlanesWalkers that might be good, until I can get some of the more expensive cards like the Eldrazi Titans? like perhaps Domri? or do you find that they are simply not needed???

@fearfactor19 There are some decent options, but it's important to view them as utility cards that support your game plan - NOT replacements for creatures. Gotta keep that quotient high for Mayael to be reliable!

Anyway, my top picks are Sarkhan Vol and Arlinn Kord  ^Flip. Haste, probably more than any other keyword, wins games. Garruk Wildspeaker is also really good for the ramp and early blockers.

Then there's the trio of Domri Rade, Nahiri, the Harbinger, and Vivien Reid: plus ability for card quality/card advantage, minus ability for removal, ultimate that pushes your creatures into the red zone. These are all playable, but you'll find better options as you continue to upgrade.

Oh, and I've also done some playtesting with Elspeth, Sun's Champion. Given that this is a primer I wanted to focus on synergistic card selections, but Elspeth is powerful enough in a vacuum that you'll never be sad to have her hit the table.

I did it... I put it together, I still have to grab the Eldrazi Titans (using the Pathrazer and artisan for now) and the expensive enchantment. I did put in thousand year elixir, and Vorinclex among some others that i thought had some good synergy. cant wait to play with some friends and see how she handles. gonna keep putting away some money so I can grab some of the more expensive cards that I don't already have.

Been playtesting Penance it saved me from a Malignus which was kind of funny. Let me put Gisela on top of my library and then use Mayael to get her out. How do you feel about this and what kind of budget versions would you recommend to replace Guile and Rack?

@TheMaggotPrince Seems like an ok card depending on your meta. Being a primer, I've opted not to include narrow answers.

Budget replacements for Guile and Rack include Crystal Ball, Darksteel Pendant, Lifecrafter's Bestiary, and Seer's Lantern. Bestiary is honestly almost good enough to make the cut in my build. The rest are at about the same power level, and you'll have to play around with them to figure out which suits your deck best.

I love your deck, I've used it as a reference for my choices in my Mayael deck. I've been playing magic for years but I still find cards I didn't know existed, I was going through my brothers old cards and I found Thran Turbine What are your thoughts on this card as a budget option for something like mana crypt?