I'm gonna test out Huntmaster of the Fells in the deck to see how well he plays out. I tend to not play too many spells during my own turn and I think he can give me some early game presence that Mayael tends to not have too much of. Not to mention he's cool as hell...
I also broke down and made room for Karmic Guide. He's just too much of a bomb to not have anymore and I just can't justify giving him a utility spot. In order to make room, I ended up cutting Scavenging Ooze. I love the card, but has tended to lose most of his effectiveness of late in my playgroup. I may try and find room for him again once our local Mimeoplasm player returns to our little group.
My last change was to add Recross the Paths in place of Kodama's Reach mostly because I hope to be able to win most of the clashes with the CMC of my deck being relatively high. I also didn't like having 2 cards that do the same thing in a singleton format. (Cultivate and Kodama's Reach)
- Steel Hellkite / + Avacyn, Angel of Hope
This change should be pretty obvious because I think Avacyn will be a bomb in Commander. Shes not unstoppable by any means, but when she hits the field, opponents **** bricks. The Hellkite has always been really underwhelming and always seems to be a more mana-intensive Balefire Dragon.
- Yosei, the Morning Star / + Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
This change is mostly a meta call for me. My opponents always hated to play against Yosei and just loved to hate him in general and quite frankly I'm getting tired of defending him. Gisela is by far the best of all of the legendary angels from AVR so I don't feel like I'm cutting him for something subpar.
- Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger / + Sigarda, Host of Herons
Again, another meta call. People tend to hate playing against a Vorinclex and I feel like a douchebag for even playing him. Even if I just Mayael him into play on "accident"... Sigarda isn't the best creature in the world to replace him, but I think she's an incredibly cool card and the art looks awesome. She does carry some utility against meta cards like Thraximundar, Living Death, and other cards that make you sacrifice creatures. On top of that, I'm adding 2 of the other legendary angels so I might as well run as many as I can
- Maze of Ith / + Survival of the Fittest]
This change was one that took a while. I knew that I wanted to make room for Survival because its... well, Survival, but I couldn't figure out what to cut for it. I'm not that happy with having to cut Maze just because I do play against a couple Voltron generals that are a real pain, but for now thats the spot I'm going to use. I could end up putting it back in for something else in the long run, but for now its bye bye Maze.
- Sarkhan Vol / + Anger
This change is mostly because I'm adding Survival of the Fittest to allow for more creature search and for finding particular utility creatures. It makes more sense to use Anger for a haste outlet because Sarkhan seems to draw more direct hate.
I just made cuts to bring in the three angels too.
My cuts were pretty straight forward and easy to make.
Avacyn is strictly better than Deathless Angel.
Sigarda brings versatility to providing resilience, thus went a redundant Spearbreaker Behemoth.
Gisela replaces Vigor. I could never quite get the hang of him anyways. Gisela is pure stomp.
I understand your reasons for cutting Vorinclex and Yosei, but I could never do it.
Vorinclex gets removed on sight, and unless you are going for a Yosei lock he's not game breaking. I don't see Knight of the Reliquary, High Market or even tutors for Greater Good in your build, so Yosei abuse shouldn't be a legit grievance with your play group.
I would boot Windbrisk and Spearbreaker way before I said goodbye to Yosei and Vorinclex.
You run Blightsteel, which is much more frowned upon!
Looking at your list, I couldn't help but notice how out of place Huntmaster of the Fells is. Wrath of God is a bit curious to me too.
Yeah people tend to not like Blightsteel either, but my group burns me at the stake for having Yosei running around... I don't understand it either but if I cut him, I have 1 less fight to worry about every night lol.... Huntmaster of the Fells is just sooo freaking cool lol. He's just a little bit of a pet card for me so he kind of sticks around when I really should cut him lol. And I have a foil promo Wrath of God too so I use that just because I like it. I would probably use Rout, Akroma's Vengeance, or even the new Terminus cards if I wanted to really get more optimized.
I'm going to be the first person to NOT try and help. Instead I'm going to tell you the fun things I'm going to try soon with my mayael deck (things that are probably not wise or sensible, but seem like they could be fun...)
Hey thanks all for the suggestions! I edited the deck to contain a more updated version I've been playtesting.
- Blightsteel Colossus / + Soul of the Harvest
I never really enjoyed flipping a Blightsteel off of a Mayael activation just because of the threat that it brings. Not to mention, its just not a fun card to play with when you can just one shot people. The Soul will bring some more draw into the deck to allow for the growing need for my opponents to tuck Mayael
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre / + Vengeful Archon
Similar to Blightsteel, Ulamog never really seemed like an intelligent decision to flip off of a Mayael. So, he tends to just be a dead draw in a lot of situations. With the addition of cards like Soul's Fire, Warstorm Surge, and the always troublesome Fling, I constantly found myself in a great board position and just getting burned out. I'm hoping that the addition of the Archon will be able to help with that a little more and be a tech card in those situations.
@pixeltarian I added Seedborn Muse a while ago and never updated it into the list. Thanks for pointing it out. I originally thought the Muse would be too big of a threat to be effective, but I've found that she's more of a threat because she's so effective. It's a change I've made and haven't looked back since. Cathar's Crusade is a nuts card, but I don't really know how well it fits into the deck other than combo-ing with Woodfall. I'm not a huge fan of infinite combos (with a sac outlet) in the first place. I have been looking at adding Faith's Reward as well once M13 drops. It just seems like its going to be a game winner.
@lordsigmund Thanks for the link! I'll check it out
I never found Vengeful Archon to be useful beyond being a 7/7 flying beater.
Opponents play around it and I never seemed to have enough mana available to stop lethal anyways. If getting burned out is an issue, take a look at the new Elderscale Wurm.
Or, if you want suprise factor against a burn mage in your playgroup, run Reflect Damage.
Yeah in testing on Friday, I found that when I got Vengeful Archon it was always a little too late to be effective. I think in the long run I'm going to make a couple changes to help, I like the idea of adding Enderscale Wurm once M13 drops mostly because you can gain life where something like Platinum Emperion where you can't. He's also i think more effective as a beater as he can't be chump blocked all day. I'm also looking to add Seht's Tiger as well as kind of a tech against alpha strikes and the aforementioned burn that tends to happen. On top of Enderscale Wurm and Faith's Reward, I'm also looking at adding Ajani, Caller of the Pride mostly because he's really cool, but also because he's recoverable through Sun Titan and can really put the nail in the coffin by giving something Double Strike and Flying. Also, what are the thoughts on the Thundermaw Hellkite in EDH? Is anyone going to try and make a spot for him?
Thundermaw is pretty beefy. If you are running a relentless stomp version of Mayael with lots of combat buffing, it's pretty good. I can see him along side of Gisela, Avatar of Slaughter, Gratuitous Violence and such. I can't say that he's $20 better than Bogardan Hellkite though. In fact, Bogardan is probably better in Mayael overall due to his utility to spot remove or to inflict direct damage which is much harder to interrupt. Nevermind the difference in casting cost. Mayael players cheat creatures into play anyways. (I love me some Elvish Piper and have been wanting to try Sneak Attack.. that is until it DOUBLED in price last month just like Scroll Rack did. Grrr.)
Updated my decklist after making a few changes in the past few weeks... I've been really lazy with my EDH decks lately just because I've been getting back into Standard. Most of the changes were just small adjustments with cards that I've been trying out. Somberwald Sage is a card that I recently added to just try it out. Haven't had a chance to play it too much recently so the jury is still out. I've been mulling around some ideas to try and lean down the deck a little more just because my playgroup has gotten faster and more efficient lately. Maybe adding cheaper, more efficient beaters in place of some of the more expensive ones and going with a sword/equipment package to try and turn some of my smaller creatures into finishers?
Swords are just ok in this deck, and really not that spectacular in the format as a whole.
I run Feast & Famine because to help casting due to the high curve of the deck, and also to go infinite combat with Hellkite Charger. This is more personal preference though, as I like having a combo or two.
As for turning a dork into a finisher, I use: Kessig Wolf Run: found by Prime Time and Knight of the Reliquary Natural Order: turn that dork into something awesome! Eldrazi Conscription: cheated into play with Academy Rector + Sac outlet (or) tutored then hard cast via Mirari's Wake. (This is one of my fave Mosswort Bridge tricks too - set up with Enlightened Tutor, Sylvan Library, Scroll Rack)
1x Mayael the Anima
Creatures - 32
1x Scourge of Kher Ridges
1x Akroma, Angel of Fury
1x Bogardan Hellkite
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Stalking Vengeance
1x Blazing Archon
1x Somberwald Sage
1x Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1x Eternal Witness
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Wood Elves
1x Windbrisk Raptor
1x Woodfall Primus
1x Bloom Tender
1x Wurmcoil Engine
1x Spearbreaker Behemoth
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Avenger of Zendikar
1x Terastodon
1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1x Elderscale Wurm
1x Sun Titan
1x Inferno Titan
1x Angel of Serenity
1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1x Soul of the Harvest
1x Sigarda, Host of Herons
1x Karmic Guide
1x Balefire Dragon
1x Moldgraf Monstrosity
1x Anger
1x Seedborn Muse
1x Seht's Tiger
1x Sylvan Library
1x Fires of Yavimaya
1x Greater Good
1x Survival of the Fittest
Planeswalkers - 1
1x Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Artifacts - 6
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Quicksilver Amulet
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sol Ring
1x Relic of Progenitus
Instants - 11
1x Krosan Grip
1x Return to Dust
1x Condemn
1x Chord of Calling
1x Eladamri's Call
1x Worldly Tutor
1x Summoning Trap
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Path to Exile
1x Beast Within
1x Chaos Warp
Sorceries - 7
1x Austere Command
1x Recross the Paths
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Wrath of God
1x Cultivate
1x Blasphemous Act
Lands - 38
5x Forest
4x Mountain
4x Plains
1x Stomping Ground
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Temple Garden
1x Eiganjo Castle
1x Krosan Verge
1x Mossfire Valley
1x Sungrass Prairie
1x Kor Haven
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Winding Canyons
1x Strip Mine
1x Fire-Lit Thicket
1x Wooded Bastion
1x Jungle Shrine
1x Exotic Orchard
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Rootbound Crag
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Arid Mesa
1x Marsh Flats
1x Command Tower
1x Homeward Path
1x Kessig Wolf Run
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
I'm gonna test out Huntmaster of the Fells in the deck to see how well he plays out. I tend to not play too many spells during my own turn and I think he can give me some early game presence that Mayael tends to not have too much of. Not to mention he's cool as hell...
I also broke down and made room for Karmic Guide. He's just too much of a bomb to not have anymore and I just can't justify giving him a utility spot. In order to make room, I ended up cutting Scavenging Ooze. I love the card, but has tended to lose most of his effectiveness of late in my playgroup. I may try and find room for him again once our local Mimeoplasm player returns to our little group.
My last change was to add Recross the Paths in place of Kodama's Reach mostly because I hope to be able to win most of the clashes with the CMC of my deck being relatively high. I also didn't like having 2 cards that do the same thing in a singleton format. (Cultivate and Kodama's Reach)
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
- Steel Hellkite / + Avacyn, Angel of Hope
This change should be pretty obvious because I think Avacyn will be a bomb in Commander. Shes not unstoppable by any means, but when she hits the field, opponents **** bricks. The Hellkite has always been really underwhelming and always seems to be a more mana-intensive Balefire Dragon.
- Yosei, the Morning Star / + Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
This change is mostly a meta call for me. My opponents always hated to play against Yosei and just loved to hate him in general and quite frankly I'm getting tired of defending him. Gisela is by far the best of all of the legendary angels from AVR so I don't feel like I'm cutting him for something subpar.
- Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger / + Sigarda, Host of Herons
Again, another meta call. People tend to hate playing against a Vorinclex and I feel like a douchebag for even playing him. Even if I just Mayael him into play on "accident"... Sigarda isn't the best creature in the world to replace him, but I think she's an incredibly cool card and the art looks awesome. She does carry some utility against meta cards like Thraximundar, Living Death, and other cards that make you sacrifice creatures. On top of that, I'm adding 2 of the other legendary angels so I might as well run as many as I can
- Maze of Ith / + Survival of the Fittest]
This change was one that took a while. I knew that I wanted to make room for Survival because its... well, Survival, but I couldn't figure out what to cut for it. I'm not that happy with having to cut Maze just because I do play against a couple Voltron generals that are a real pain, but for now thats the spot I'm going to use. I could end up putting it back in for something else in the long run, but for now its bye bye Maze.
- Sarkhan Vol / + Anger
This change is mostly because I'm adding Survival of the Fittest to allow for more creature search and for finding particular utility creatures. It makes more sense to use Anger for a haste outlet because Sarkhan seems to draw more direct hate.
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
My cuts were pretty straight forward and easy to make.
Avacyn is strictly better than Deathless Angel.
Sigarda brings versatility to providing resilience, thus went a redundant Spearbreaker Behemoth.
Gisela replaces Vigor. I could never quite get the hang of him anyways. Gisela is pure stomp.
I understand your reasons for cutting Vorinclex and Yosei, but I could never do it.
Vorinclex gets removed on sight, and unless you are going for a Yosei lock he's not game breaking. I don't see Knight of the Reliquary, High Market or even tutors for Greater Good in your build, so Yosei abuse shouldn't be a legit grievance with your play group.
I would boot Windbrisk and Spearbreaker way before I said goodbye to Yosei and Vorinclex.
You run Blightsteel, which is much more frowned upon!
Looking at your list, I couldn't help but notice how out of place Huntmaster of the Fells is. Wrath of God is a bit curious to me too.
Modern
RBig RedR
GMean GreenG
WWW AlliesW
BGScavengeBG
WUVenser SilenceWU
EDH
RWAurelia 1 vs 1RW
GWURoonGWU
GWSaffiGW
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
Cathars' Crusade
woodfall primus loves this card.
Triumph of the Hordes
comeon. it's funny.
faith's reward
well... as soon as july 13th rolls around anyway. so good.
why isn't seedborn muse on your list?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=204602
Helped me a lot with my Mayael deck Have fun with your fatties!
- Blightsteel Colossus / + Soul of the Harvest
I never really enjoyed flipping a Blightsteel off of a Mayael activation just because of the threat that it brings. Not to mention, its just not a fun card to play with when you can just one shot people. The Soul will bring some more draw into the deck to allow for the growing need for my opponents to tuck Mayael
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre / + Vengeful Archon
Similar to Blightsteel, Ulamog never really seemed like an intelligent decision to flip off of a Mayael. So, he tends to just be a dead draw in a lot of situations. With the addition of cards like Soul's Fire, Warstorm Surge, and the always troublesome Fling, I constantly found myself in a great board position and just getting burned out. I'm hoping that the addition of the Archon will be able to help with that a little more and be a tech card in those situations.
@pixeltarian I added Seedborn Muse a while ago and never updated it into the list. Thanks for pointing it out. I originally thought the Muse would be too big of a threat to be effective, but I've found that she's more of a threat because she's so effective. It's a change I've made and haven't looked back since. Cathar's Crusade is a nuts card, but I don't really know how well it fits into the deck other than combo-ing with Woodfall. I'm not a huge fan of infinite combos (with a sac outlet) in the first place. I have been looking at adding Faith's Reward as well once M13 drops. It just seems like its going to be a game winner.
@lordsigmund Thanks for the link! I'll check it out
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
Opponents play around it and I never seemed to have enough mana available to stop lethal anyways. If getting burned out is an issue, take a look at the new Elderscale Wurm.
Or, if you want suprise factor against a burn mage in your playgroup, run Reflect Damage.
Modern
RBig RedR
GMean GreenG
WWW AlliesW
BGScavengeBG
WUVenser SilenceWU
EDH
RWAurelia 1 vs 1RW
GWURoonGWU
GWSaffiGW
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
Modern
RBig RedR
GMean GreenG
WWW AlliesW
BGScavengeBG
WUVenser SilenceWU
EDH
RWAurelia 1 vs 1RW
GWURoonGWU
GWSaffiGW
GWR [EDH]Mayael the Anima GWR
GWB [EDH]Doran, the Siege Tower GWB
I run Feast & Famine because to help casting due to the high curve of the deck, and also to go infinite combat with Hellkite Charger. This is more personal preference though, as I like having a combo or two.
As for turning a dork into a finisher, I use:
Kessig Wolf Run: found by Prime Time and Knight of the Reliquary
Natural Order: turn that dork into something awesome!
Eldrazi Conscription: cheated into play with Academy Rector + Sac outlet (or) tutored then hard cast via Mirari's Wake. (This is one of my fave Mosswort Bridge tricks too - set up with Enlightened Tutor, Sylvan Library, Scroll Rack)
Modern
RBig RedR
GMean GreenG
WWW AlliesW
BGScavengeBG
WUVenser SilenceWU
EDH
RWAurelia 1 vs 1RW
GWURoonGWU
GWSaffiGW
Thanks you very much DarkNightCavalier for the Sig.