My buddy runs the deck with Primal Surge as his only instant/sorcery. How I see it, the instants/sorceries draw away from more fatties. Before yo say that Prime Surge is bad in EDH, ask yourself. What would it be like to be on the receiving end of a primal surge in edh?

I don't disagree with you, it could boot Genesis Wave if I had one. Primal Surge could be devastating. But the instants and sorceries help me pick out what creatures I want when I'm ready for them, and I like to have a controlled number of fatties.

Thanks for the thought and the comment!

I have a Mayael EDH deck too, and I think your list is a little light on land searchers. You have a few great ones included, but, personally, I think you need more (especially for a Genesis Wave ), like: card:Kodama's Reach, Skyshroud Claim , Explosive Vegetation , and maybe even Growth Spasm and Collective Voyage . Of all those, I'd say go with Skyshroud Claim first because it can fetch your shock lands that can tap for green (because they are also Forests). I like Thran Dynamo for mana ramp too. They're kinda pricey, but I would suggest Mana Reflection and/or card:Mirari's Wake too - both of which you can tutor for. I think in Mayael EDH you want to A)Be able to play your fatties the old-fashioned way and do so before you take a beating from opponents' cheaper creatures, and B)Cheat the fatties into play. Mana ramp will help with part A, and as for part B...

I see your Elvish Piper , Defense of the Heart , and Wild Pair "cheaters" (cheating fatties into play), but it looks like you're relying heavily on Mayael, herself. If Mayael gets killed a lot and becomes too expensive to play (goes back to the needing a ton of mana and therefore ramp) or gets locked down, I think there are a few more cheaters that should go in. The one I can't speak highly enough of is Lurking Predators . That card is ridiculously good. Every friggin' time an opponent plays ANY spell, you reveal topdeck and have a chance at a free fatty. Amazing. If you disgaree with all of my other suggestions, just please try a Lurking Predators. Quicksilver Amulet is stupid-good too. Really cheap, and I've been very surprised how long it sits on the table without getting destroyed in my meta. I'm testing Guild Feud currently and it looks to be a promising cheater.

I use a lot of enchantment tutors and go find either something to cheat creatures into play (usually Lurking Predators is my first pick) or, if I have some cheaters in play already, I want to go get Privileged Position . Asceticism is awesome and I wouldn't cut it, but because you've already included the 2 best (IMO) enchantment tutors in the game (Enlightened Tutor and Academy Rector ), I think you should look at another way of protecting Mayael and ALL your other permanents (not just creatures). If you end up adding a few more various enchantments, I would find room for an Idyllic Tutor too.

Another great card draw piece for Mayael is Triumph of Ferocity , which you could also tutor for.

Temple of the False God is really good too. With some added mana ramp, you shouldn't have to worry about having at least 4 other lands before Temple does anything.

Cool deck! Thanks for posting!

I have to second Lurking Predators . I run it in Rollover Minutes and its absolutely degenerate.

If you like the "more land fetchers" idea, I would look at your mana dorks (like Birds of Paradise first. I'd rather have my 2 extra lands from, say, a card:Kodama's Reach than a more vulnerable mana source creature. Also, thinning your library of more lands gives you a higher probability of not blanking when you activate Mayael.

And Cream of the Crop might as well be card draw (I know it's not) because when you drop a 6/6, you get to dig and choose what you're drawing next or set up for Mayael. Awesome, and yet another enchantment you can tutor for.

Sorry for all the posts.

@BerserkWin

Have you play tested my deck at all? It often plays out smoothly. That being said;

I totally agree with you, on most of what you said. I am never upset to see Cultivate in my hand. Skyshroud Claim is probably a good choice, and will probably find a place. I do like having the mana dorks though because Craterhoof Behemoth is one of my win-cons. That monster often finishes the game off, and the mana guys just as often help me punch through for lethal on a couple of players at the same time. But you're right, killing them slows me up a bit.

Quicksilver Amulet is a nice alternative way to cheat creatures in, and I've been looking at Pandemonium as a possible cut. It's pretty good with Asceticism out though. Lurking Predators is interesting, card advantage is always good. Especially with Worldly Tutor . I will look into it, what would you guys take out?

One thing, you say it seems like my goal is to activate Mayael. In reality I almost never have to cast her. Unless I happen to get a crazy draw where she's active turn 4, or I have Rings of Brighthearth out. The goal is mostly to hard cast the fatties. It works fairly well.

As far as card draw, I seem to have a hand of at least four or five most of the time, and when my engines are online I have even had to discard occasionally.

If your budget really is unlimited, you ought to start with the optimal land base:

Savannah

Plateau

Taiga

Temple Garden

Sacred Foundry

Stomping Ground

Windswept Heath

Flooded Strand

Bloodstained Mire

Wooded Foothills

Marsh Flats

Arid Mesa

Scalding Tarn

Misty Rainforest

Verdant Catacombs

Command Tower

Reflecting Pool

City of Brass

That list gives you stability and consistency, which are important when you're looking to increase the deck's speed.

After that, look at ramp cards:

Mana Crypt

Gilded Lotus

Thran Dynamo

Skyshroud Claim

card:Nature's Lore

Keeper of Progenitus (this one is a bit risky)

Exploration

Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Burgeoning

Oracle of Mul Daya

I'm not a fan of some of your card choices:

card:Avacyn's Pilgrim

Baneslayer Angel

Birds of Paradise

Druid of the Anima

Godsire

Krosan Tusker

Novablast Wurm

Somberwald Sage

You don't have many removal spells. You're missing Swords to Plowshares , Path to Exile , Beast Within , Krosan Grip , card:Nature's Claim, etc.

How does this deck hold up against mine?

The lands are a good point, cut the vivids and some of the other etb tapped lands, sub a few basics too.

A few of those artifacts should fit in nicely, I like producing colored mana, which is the reasoning behind BoP and Druid of the Anima , but I have been taking a long look at my mana dorks lately.

Why not Krosan Tusker ? I realize Divination is not a premier EDH spell, but the way I look at it the worst I do is drawing two lands when I need them. Also, it increases my chances of hitting with Mayael, albeit hitting a vanilla 6/5...Is there a reason for not liking Novablast Wurm ? The plan is usually to drop Avacyn first, and if my Defense of the Heart sticks thats often my one-two punch. But Im willing to hear your reasoning...

The first game I tested against your deck didn't go well, I got mana stuck early after you countered my mana dork, and then JTMS hit on turn three and I couldn't make any progress after that. Between his top-deck control, your removal package and his unsummon...it wasn't good. The second game Lim Dul's Vault found the package right away and I was done for. I'm too slow and like you say, don't have much for interaction.

Between Kaalia and Scion of the Ur-Dragon my meta requires a nice blocker for Dragons and Demons, so I have to politely disagree with you on BSA

Krosan Tusker just feels kind of average. The cycle+Rampant Growth is nice, but it doesn't seem great when you consider it's on an otherwise vanilla 6/5 that costs 7 if you ever need to cast it.

Novablast Wurm only works if your field is indestructible. Otherwise, it just wipes everything you built up.

Baneslayer Angel is an example of a card that's good as a beatstick but not much else. It doesn't have any support abilities. If you need it to survive, I suppose you shouldn't cut it just yet. I would try to find alternatives, though.

Mana dorks aren't ideal in EDH because of the numerous sweepers they have to face. It's better to invest in mana rocks, which are slightly more expensive as a whole, but offer better ramp in a form more resistant to removal. You're better off using Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Oracle of Mul Daya as your ramp creatures.

Actually, Krosan Tusker doesn't even Rampant Growth . That fact makes it even less viable.

Fair, I'd cut Krosan Tusker once to make room for a different creature but everytime I draw it I just cycle it anyway so it's never really a creature. Unless I need to pick something up with Paleoloth .

BSA is mostly a beater, and I've been pretty good about avoiding simple beaters. But between her and Akroma I've got a solid defense against the two stronger decks in my meta. I'm sure with some tweaking we won't need her but for now she stays.

I have to track down a Mana Crypt , but in the meantime my Worn Powerstone will have to do. I have all the Zendikar fetches about a 12 hour drive away, so I'll add those when I get them...What do you think of Garruk, Primal Hunter ?

It's playable, considering how good his -3 is in this deck.

Mmm, this deck reads of just like a list of my favorites and want-to-haves. Just based on the decks I've seen from you so far it seems we have a similar aesthetic. If you actually own all the cards from all the decks you have posted (39!?!), I'm insanely jealous. I only recently returned to playing, so right now my card pool is just painfully small.

Mayael is another example of a really fun/pretty elf card, and I like how you took the time to describe your strategies and combos. With EDH it can be hard to take it all in since there's just so much to consider. And I think Novablast Wurm is a fun way to board wipe, even if other people don't! :P

Did you ever consider using Vigor in this deck?

Well, PriestessKikyo1 I have to be honest, I own the cards that repeat a lot in my deck lists (tezz, Havengul lich, snapcaster, wrexial and the stoneforges for example) but a lot of my builds are plans and dreams :). I just enjoy building decks and putting them out in space for people to Ponder .

My true love is the Vorthos side of the game, this deck is my brainchild and thus I'm tentative to gut it too much, despite my efforts to make it more competetive. I have about 400 words hashed out telling the story of this deck, Mayael gets a little "subcountercanon." Maybe one day when it's finished squire1 will let me post it, maybe turn it into a challenge article...The Vorthos Cave... :)

I've always been a Vorthos myself. I've gotten better about it, but it's difficult for me to pass up a card if I love the art- even if the card is pretty much worthless otherwise. And right now my deckbuilding has come to a screeching halt due to financial issues. ><, Well, if you ever get to air Mayael's 'subcountercanon' (I still haven't decided exactly what that is yet...) I'd love to read it!

One of my favorites as far as art is card:Mayael's Aria. You really can't appreciate it fully by just looking at the card though.

card:Mayael's Aria was the background for my phone for almost a year! Steve Argyle does some amazing work.

I know what you mean as far as Flavor over Function sometimes. I'd rather enjoy my cards than win all the time, although winning with the cards you like is fun too. :)

When I have time to finish it, I will post a link to it as the description for my deck, like I say, the plan is to write a Vorthos column based on people's decks...but it takes sooo much time to write a good version about an EDH deck. I posted one on gatherer about Sarkhan's Angry Birds once, typed it all into the message box...and then hit the word limit....then when I was cutting and pasting I accidentally deleted it all. Not impressed. :)

Haha I noticed you changed the name again! How are you liking Angel of Serenity ? I remember you asked about her.

Also how are you liking Aurelia, the Warleader and Linvala, Keeper of Silence ? They can't be flipped by Mayael, but I guess with Wild Pair driving your deck it's different.

Haha, I've been having a hard time settling on a good name for this, but I have a view of the flavor I want for it so I'm slowly getting closer.

The few times I've seen Angel of Serenity she's been great. She's a bit of a removal magnet, but then again so are most of my big creatures...the only downside is she's a Wild Pair singleton. Not really the end of the world.

I love Aurelia, the Warleader . There have been times when I wanted something else first, but that's to be expected. She definitely finishes games off if played at the right time, and in combination with say...Craterhoof Behemoth ? Just silly.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence I have been less thrilled about, but she's a third four drop to pod my Eternal Witness into. She shuts down mana dorks and cards like Elvish Piper , so she does have utility. I know when I go out in the world, into a meta of Heartless Hidetsugu , Jenara, Asura of War and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord she will serve her purpose.

Hmmmm, I may have to add Aurelia as a utility creature haha.

I pulled a shiny one out of a booster one day and I couldn't not find a home for it. Unfortunately it meant Kamahl, Fist of Krosa had to get cut, but the "mythic angel" flavor of the deck was worth more to me than the board-wipe deterrent.

The more I play this deck the more I like it. It's like Mayael's Toolbox...