Has anyone built a Mayael the Anima deck with only Alara block? I understand that she is one of the easiest commanders to go insane with, and I'm not looking to build that kind of deck. Doing targeted searches, I can easily put 30 creatures with 5 power in, 40 lands, and then 29 other support cards. Janky? Yeah... buuuut, fair and workable?
The biggest issue I have is that six mana hardcasts all but a couple of them anyway, Mayael will draw lots of heat. Is the filtering she does worth the restrictions I placed on it when I can't dial up Darksteel Colossus and other OP creatures?
Sweet idea! Shards is probably my favourite block. I think the major issue is, is your meta/playgroup putting the same restriction on new deck construction? If So; load it up with all the Naya stuff from the block including card like Godsire - always loved this card, but never could put in anywhere. Also I think that core sets should be open as well, Cards like Lurking Predators could have great benefits. Dip into Jund cards as well with Vicious Shadows and all the dragons they can spare.
If Not; then maybe include some commander products for Vorthos lore that may have cards from the plane to expand outward with your thinking and deck brewing. Ultimately her ability isn't worth the limitation because her ability is meant for cheating out fatties like Kaalia of the Vast. So the point IS for big threats and manipulated top decks for that optimized performance.
Sweet idea! Shards is probably my favourite block. I think the major issue is, is your meta/playgroup putting the same restriction on new deck construction?
No, my friends would tell me to make whatever deck I want to play. Having said that, my group isn't really that competitive, and this might do alright, anyway. Naya and some of Bant has some really powerful stuff in Mayael's color, including a modest amount of goodstuff.dec cards, and then also other fun cards like Predatory Advantage, Mayael's Aria, Where Ancients Tread, and Vicious Shadows as you mentioned.
But as you also mention, Mayael is meant for bigguns. Against anyone at a store I'd get hated out for little reason because they would see Mayael and it wouldn't matter what I told them. They'd still frag me as fast as they could, assuming I'm lying...because who would be stupid enough to walk into a store and actually waste Mayael on a block deck?
Another option I'm weighing is to go five colors with a gargantuan theme (creatures with 5 power or more), with ProgenitusWUBRG as the Commander. Like the Mayael idea, it would have a lot of big creatures, Mayael would be demoted as just a card in the deck, and this deck would feature some 5 color cards like: Maelstrom Nexus Maelstrom Archangel (already own) Fusion Elemental (already own...and all foil-y, too.) Conflux (already own)
All the cards would be from Alara, including any non-basic lands. It would have forty lands, and all the ramping/manarocks that Alara holds in it until my needs are filled, which would hopefully allow me to run mostly basic lands with the tri-lands and Alara fetch lands for fixing. Of course, with an entire block to pick (with many staples of EDH coming from this block) and choose all five colors from, that could end up being a pretty goodstuff.dec filled deck. Too broken, maybe?
The biggest issue I have is that six mana hardcasts all but a couple of them anyway, Mayael will draw lots of heat. Is the filtering she does worth the restrictions I placed on it when I can't dial up Darksteel Colossus and other OP creatures?
If Not; then maybe include some commander products for Vorthos lore that may have cards from the plane to expand outward with your thinking and deck brewing. Ultimately her ability isn't worth the limitation because her ability is meant for cheating out fatties like Kaalia of the Vast. So the point IS for big threats and manipulated top decks for that optimized performance.
(W/U)(B/R)GForm of Progenitus, Shape of a Scrubland
BRGJund Tokens with Prossh, the Magic Dragon Foil
URGAnimar, the RUG CleanerFoil
RRRFeldon of the Third Path 2.0 Foil
BG(B/G)Not Another Meren DeckFoil
UR(U/R)Mizzix, Y Control and X Burn Spells
(W/U)(B/R)GHarold Ramos - The 35 Foot Long Twinkie (In +1/+1 counters)
UB(U/B)Dragonlord Silumgar
No, my friends would tell me to make whatever deck I want to play. Having said that, my group isn't really that competitive, and this might do alright, anyway. Naya and some of Bant has some really powerful stuff in Mayael's color, including a modest amount of goodstuff.dec cards, and then also other fun cards like Predatory Advantage, Mayael's Aria, Where Ancients Tread, and Vicious Shadows as you mentioned.
But as you also mention, Mayael is meant for bigguns. Against anyone at a store I'd get hated out for little reason because they would see Mayael and it wouldn't matter what I told them. They'd still frag me as fast as they could, assuming I'm lying...because who would be stupid enough to walk into a store and actually waste Mayael on a block deck?
Maelstrom Nexus
Maelstrom Archangel (already own)
Fusion Elemental (already own...and all foil-y, too.)
Conflux (already own)
All the cards would be from Alara, including any non-basic lands. It would have forty lands, and all the ramping/manarocks that Alara holds in it until my needs are filled, which would hopefully allow me to run mostly basic lands with the tri-lands and Alara fetch lands for fixing. Of course, with an entire block to pick (with many staples of EDH coming from this block) and choose all five colors from, that could end up being a pretty goodstuff.dec filled deck. Too broken, maybe?