Mayael Deck Help.
Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 10, 2014, 9:29 a.m. by Equinox_Shift
Hello,
Please visit my deck page, and read the description. I really enjoy the Mayael card, and i am looking for advice as to how to play her to her strengths.
Please be kind and explain your reasoning. I am new to this format and explanations aid me in learning, rather than just simply receiving card swaps.
Thank you Kindly,
Equinox
January 10, 2014 10:11 a.m.
dat_nekosaka says... #4
choice of commander in commander i very important. Your choice of Mayael the Anima suggests you want to activate her ability and fish for a big creature. If you're spending six mana on this, you probs dont have much more mana left, so that guy better matter. This brings up two problems i see with your list.
One is that you are running so many things that are not creatures with power 5+. You want to hit something every time. Whiffing and getting squat for 6 sucks let me assure you.
Two is that your creatures often don't do very much the turn they come into play. many are just bigish dudes who sit there and may not even be the biggest thing on the board. Cards like your Avenger of Zendikar are sweet because you save mana, he puts out tokens and he can grow them with land drops. Crater Hellion Gahiji, Honored One Magus of the Arena Rampaging Baloths all do useful things besides attacking and blocking.
Valley Rannet Spitebellows Krosan Tusker Eternal Dragon are good inclusions as Mayael hits them and they give you something to do before turn 6. Including more like Jungle Weaver Cloudthresher is an option. Greater Gargadon lets you suspend him for 1 and sacrifice any creatures you control in response to it dying to a kill spell etc.
Spellbreaker Behemoth is good if you cant get Mayael's ability off that turn and is an efficient guy for 4 mana which helps lower your mana curve a wee bit. Cards like Naya Soulbeast Terra Ravager Grazing Gladehart Baloth Woodcrasher all whiff on Mayael's ability and aren't great to begin with. Cutting them makes space for dudes with cool abilities AND 5 power.
Angelic Arbiter is again fetchable but also locks down your oponents into chosing to play a creature/spell or attack. you get around this with activating Mayael after attacking. Ant Queen makes insects on the cheap to block what they are throwing at you. Arbor Colossus has the value of being a 6/6 or 5 with reach and the possibility killing a flyer for just one more mana down the road.
Moving onto non-creature spells, Cultivate Restore Sprouting Vines and Tempt with Discovery help ramp you to six or more, but more ramp Harrow may be required. You can always playtest the deck to find out if you are getting to six fast or not.From the Ashes is great in your deck as it pulls lands out of your deck so that Mayael will hit more stuff. It also runs double duty hosing your opponents non-basics and killer man-lands, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle etc.
Your artifact and enchantment destroying spells will no doubt be needed, but i think you will be better served by stapling them to creatures like Sylvan Primordial Terastodon & Steel Hellkite .
Your removal is nice, but cards like Wrath of God & Savage Twister can kill all your valuable creatures you need to swamp your enemies with. Fireball can cost a lot of mana, can require ramp to be useful and may make you spend your turn putting everything into just dealing with 1 threat. Naya Charm is flexible and just has three good modes. Boros Charm might just be good as i dont see 4 damage to an opponent starting at 40 doing much. Cards like Anger of the Gods Mizzium Mortars Aurelia's Fury Gruul Charm can kill multiple things but not your 5/5s. Targeted removal like Selesnya Charm might also serve you well.
Artifacts & Card draw:I dont think you need card draw. If you plan to ramp up and use Mayael's ability to find a useful creature, she will dig 5 cards deep every turn. Make your creatures into answers for your opponents threats AND a threat in their own right and you should be fine. As long as you can ramp up quickly OR play cheaper 5 power creatures like Woolly Thoctar or Rumbling Slum you will do things in the early game too. Swiftfoot Boots is cheap and useful to stop Mayael from death and being recast for 2 more every time, but Druidic Satchel is too random and ties up your valuable mana & Behemoth Sledge may not be needed if you just have more beef than eveyone else.
Overall, i think there's a delicate balance to be struck with Mayael where you want as many useful creatures as possible, but also some cards to ramp you up or keep you alive to get there before then. Too many, and Mayael wastes 6 of your mana per turn. Hope this was any use to you and good luck.
January 10, 2014 1:48 p.m.
Equinox_Shift says... #5
Thank you, that was an inspiring read. I'll really put some thought into that.
Thanks :D
Equinox_Shift says... #2
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mayael-deck-2/
LMAO, forgot to post the link.
January 10, 2014 9:36 a.m.