@elpokitolama: Nothing against Bogardan Hellkite; I think it's an amazing, fabulous card. But destroying 3 noncreature permanents, even with a drawback, is a level of magnitude more useful than dealing 5 damage. If I had more 8-drop space available, the Hellkite would be one of the first creatures I'd consider.

Captain sissay is great, but i prefer fauna shaman, cos you can fetch eny creature there is and it costs only 2xG. I have Birds of Paradise and Utopia Tree in my deck so i can fetch some easy ramp with Fauna Shaman too, And i dont scare to discard all those big dudes. I just bring them back with Moldgraf Monstrosity or Grimoire of the Dead.

In the end, very nice deck and much similar to mine. You should check it out (forgot how to link it)

+1

Excellent primer. It looks really fun!

Have you considered Sneak Attack? would work well with Gift of Immortality. 4 mana for indestructible Blazing Archon with haste. Would not be bad.

Do any of the new dragons from FRF seem like something you'd include? Atarka, World Render is good enough on it's own, even if it's ability has a very limited application outside itself.

I didn't come here expecting much to be honest but this list actually seems quite solid. I'd put more small but good creatures in the deck though. Bloom Tender is an absolute must-have, Kiki-Jiki/Resto/Conscripts still feels relevant, Regal Force is great, Craterhoof Behemoth wins games out of nowhere, and Eladamri's Call is a fantastic card in a deck where your creatures are your answers.

I've thought about turning my own Marath into Mayael because raw combo isn't particularly fun for anyone.

Grimoire of the Dead was one great card that i used in mu mayael deck. Its great way to play creatures that you draw at ones with low mana. Pulled it out with Sarkhan Vol and got like 5 big creatures with haste without paying enything..

Honestly I'm not quite sure if this would be good, but more big eldrazi like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth would be fun things to cheat into play. +1 one for cheating big creatures into play. Also Eureka could be good here in case any of your big creatures get stuck in your hand.

@GoblinBushwacker Just so you know, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is banned in EDH. Also it's normally good for the deck to not have too many big beaters that can't be cast until the late late game, they are dead draws and are only really useful if you cheat them in.

Hmm i think that you dont have enough protection for your mayael. Besides you dont have other routes to cheat. Id add in Elvish Piper and Quicksilver Amulet. Privileged Position or Archetype of Endurance would add some more protection.

Wow, this thing looks brutal! I really dig the primer setup and how you show that Mayael isn't always a n00b Timmy general. Almost makes me wish I never took my Mayael build apart :)

@TXMetal and branflakes20: Thanks! This primer has kind of been my baby.

@Cravv: Gift of Immortality is not a bad idea. Underwhelmed by Grimoire of the Dead though, and cheating things into play with Elvish Piper (while undeniably potent) just isn't the game I'm trying to play with this build. As for protection for the leading lady, I'm trying to fit Mother of Runes in.

@HeroInMyOwnMind: None of the new dragons really popped for me. Atarka is just raw beef, and Dromoka is just flat out worse than Sigarda. Neither would really be bad, but I just didn't feel they did enough to acquire for the deck.

If we're talking purely about protecting Mayael, I've always preferred Shield of the Oversoul.

Neat. :P * Is totally head spun lost *

Pretty nice list/primer though.. :P EDH decks.. so much to take in..

i LOVE mayael, and i can't wait to add two new Dragonloards into my build! --

Dragonlord Dromoka, and Dragonlord Atarka as a bigger Bogardan Hellkite.

great to see someone else taking this commander seriously.

plus 1!

here's my build if anyone wants to check it out and get and or give any ideas.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/ages-5-and-up-mayael/

I was always a fan of See the Unwritten for this kind of deck. Used to play it in a Yisan deck, it was pretty fun. Plays nicely with library manipulation too.

Very amazing deck, my only comment is that I see that this isn't exactly legal in EDH... the two cards that can't be used are Dragonlord Atarka and Dragonlord Dromoka

Xx_HybridDemon_xX thats because Dragons of Tarkir hasen't been released yet.

I had a problem in my Maelstrom Wanderer EDH deck (which also plays many big creatures) that other people would always take my big creatures with Bribery, Insurrection, Rise of the Dark Realms and other cards like that. I don't know if you've had problems with that, but Homeward Path has done wonders for me to stop that. Just a thought, I like your take on Mayael!

Have you given Burgeoning any thought? Great in multiplayer games. Would Windbrisk Heights be a good land? A friend of mine runs it in his Mayael-build, and it's been good so far.

Wow this was a really interesting primer to read! I am new to these colors but have seen a Uril and now this awesomesauce.

What kind of meta do you play in? Any particular matchups troublesome?

+1

Followed an old tag on my Mayael to your profile, followed that up to this. +1'd. love the primer. lots of foot work people don't realize that goes into a good Mayael build formatted and expressed well.

@_SeriosSkies_ & Ryotenchi: Thanks for the kind words. If you have any suggestions for making the primer more clear/organized, let me know.

@Forceofnature1: I don't really have a meta right now, I've been moving around a lot. The deck has had problems with aggro in the past, as well as midrange decks that pack a lot of ramp. I've been adding tools here and there to make the matchups a little more favorable, but I don't really want to make the deck faster to compete with them. Grinding out advantage over time is much more my style. I had a friend tell me once that this is the most Naya deck he's ever seen :D

@Indigoindigo: A little while back I felt I had to make a choice between Burgeoning and Exploration. Exploration won out obviously, partly because of availability but also because it felt more relevant to my long-term goals with the deck. Once I've acquired a critical mass of fetch lands I'll be adding Crucible of Worlds, which has a more favorable interaction with Exploration.

@bensmith19: It can be an issue sometimes. I've got Miren, the Moaning Well to deal with that sort of thing, and it's also useful against spot removal. Homeward Path is more meta-dependent. As I mentioned above, I don't really have a meta right now. It could easily find its way back into the deck if Control Magic effects become a regular headache for me but at the moment I'm trying out Scorched Ruins in its place. (It's totally bonkers, btw. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger has a new favorite land.)

@Daedalus19876: I'm not a huge fan of those types of cards, although I do understand their value and appeal. To me, they always feel a bit like putting all your chips on black. Genesis Wave is the worst offender here. If it works, you win big, but all it takes is one boardwipe (which your opponents will assuredly be scrambling to resolve) to set you back for the rest of the game. I've just had too many feel-bad moments with those cards. I'm planning to add Commune with Lava for a similar effect. The instant speed here is important too because it means I can save my mana to cast the spell of activate Mayael, whichever is more useful.

I don't think the interaction between Scorched Ruins and Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger works how you think it does. Scorched Ruins would tap for just 5....Not a huge difference, just makes your mana base very fragile.

"I had a friend tell me once that this is the most Blue Naya deck he's ever seen" ( couldnt quote the symbol bit...or know how to make it...but w/e) I have friends who say the same about my deck... I went the cheat-in route over the ramp route though. As a blue mage its one of the best compliments I've received.