mayael fo' sho'
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 2 | 4 COMMENTS | 1636 VIEWS
mana base rant —Sept. 21, 2013
I've put a ton of thought into the mana base for this deck. I can't afford the best fetches/duals, but aside from those 6 cards (roughly $350, see my "maybeboard" to the right), I think I'm pretty close to optimum. I include 3 "fetch" lands to thin my deck as fast as possible and give me opportunities to sneak in Panglacial Wurm in the later game (turns 5 through 8 typically). These usually target Stomping grounds, etc. before I worry about Mistveil Plains. My ramp/fixing spells target forests specifically (fixing green mana is the #1 priority) and otherwise tutor for any land. Realms Uncharted thins the deck very aggressively and forces the chosen opponent to think critically about how I'm sculpting my hand similar to Fact or Fiction. Thinning the deck is universally good, but becomes more critical with continued Mayael the Anima activations. Mana flood is possible but it's easy to utilize via creature activated abilities and spells like Hellkite Charger, Flameblast Dragon, and Comet Storm.
I might be able to drop a land, and if I'm able to trade for it a sol ring would change the math too. Play testing will continue to tighten the deck up. I feel like The meta keeps changing too. Overall the deck has no trouble consistently ramping into the bombs in your hand while leaving you the option to utilize Mayael the Anima for efficiency and an answer to control decks at instant speed.
I think I'd like to do this:
(-10): -3 pain land, -1 jungle shrine, -1 plains, -1 mountain, -2 forest, -1 Elvish Piper, -1 creature (maybe the ragebeast or inferno titan).
(+10): +3 fetch, +3 duals, +1 Sol Ring, +1 Enlightened Tutor, +1 Sneak Attack, +1 Wurmcoil Engine.