{"ops":[{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Introduction"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"As we all know, aggro decks don't tend to get a lot of love and affection; especially in a format like EDH thats heavily biased against aggro. However, aggro decks can deliver a certain depth of strategy if planned correctly. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Mayael the Anima"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is a great commander for aggro players for a number of reasons. Firstly, she's a card advantage engine in colors that typically have a hard time generating it. Secondly, she makes a perfect complement to a strong suite of board control effects by letting you rebuild faster than your opponents while digging through your library to find the best creature with power greater than or equal to 5 you can. Finally, she can dig through your library and drop uncounterable threats at instant speed. These are all things you want to be doing in an aggro deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Before we get into the primer, let's address the Terastodon in the room: Mayael the Anima, like so many commanders of her time, have fallen to the wayside in today's modern Magic The Gathering. Cards are now faster, cost less, and do more; some to a devastating degree. She's simply too slow to keep up with a lot of other commander's in today's meta. For this reason, it should be known that Mayael will never be a competitive EDH commander. But I'm not building Mayael because I want to be competitive; I'm building her because she's my favorite commander in my favorite color combination. She allows us to play to Naya's strengths without dedicating our strategy to a particular niche or tribe of creatures. In spite of the fact that Mayael will probably never be a cEDH commander, that doesn't mean we can't make her a high power threat."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Lets take a closer look at the deck:"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Land Base"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Lets quickly talk about the land selection; the most important part of any deck. I made careful choices when selecting my lands to synergize with the deck's ramp package and (in some cases) the choice of creatures."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc","bold":true},"insert":"Dual Lands"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" - I specifically chose dual lands that counted as two different land types. For example: "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Stomping Ground"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" counts as both a mountain and a forest. This is crucial to the deck's ramp package because we have spells that search for \"forest\" cards; not \"basic forest\" cards. Constructing our land base and ramp package this way ensures that we can ramp into the appropriate colors we need and not getting stuck without the right colors."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc","bold":true},"insert":"Fetch Lands"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" - We're running a full suite of 9 fetch lands plus "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Fabled Passage"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Prismatic Vista"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" for 2 very important reasons: 1) They synergize with our dual lands package to ensure we can ramp into more than one color; very important. 2) Fetch lands help thin out the deck and reduce the chances of having a dead draw; especially in crucial situation. More importantly, by thinning out the deck we increase the chances of Mayael landing on a creature when she activates her ability."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc","bold":true},"insert":"Other Lands"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" - Not running much in the way of utility lands. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Ancient Tomb"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is fantastic because it puts us one turn ahead of our opponents. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Homeward Path"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is an EDH staple in my opinion as it completely counters mind control/theft effects which are rampant in the format. Other than that the lands are just color fixers like "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Command Tower"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Mana Management"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"By nature of her design, Mayael is a very mana-intensive commander. We don't want to run out of, or get stuck without, the right colors; especially since she forces us to run a greater-than-normal amount of expensive creature spells. Like it or not, it's almost unavoidable that those creature spells will end up in our hand. It's not the end of the world if they do, but we should make sure to run a top notch RAMP package in case we have to hard cast some of our creatures. Hitting our land drops every turn and trying to ramp ahead of the curve is essential. For these reasons, I try to have 50 mana sources in the deck; split between 37 lands and 13 pieces of ramp."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"First things first, lets talk about our traditional green ramp cards: "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Farseek"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Nature's Lore"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Skyshroud Claim"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Three Visits"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" are our spells of choice for a very specific reason; they search for \"forests\" (except for farseek), not \"basic forests\". Meaning that our dual type lands (like "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Stomping Ground"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" or "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Temple Garden"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":") will count as a valid target. As stated above in the "},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc","bold":true},"insert":"Land Base"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" section, this is one of the crucial ways the deck ensures it has the right colors on the field."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Bloom Tender"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" serve as our mana dorks and can accelerate our mana by a significant amount. You can replace Gwenna with "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Selvala, Heart of the Wilds"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" if your heart desires as she has a chance to net you some card draw, but I find in the early game Gwenna pays off "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22","italic":true},"insert":"slightly"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" more since she can net us two mana when Selvala only nets us one; which means we may be able to use Mayael or cast a big creature 1 turn earlier which can save you life. Either way, it's up to you which one you use here."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Other sources of ramp come from artifacts. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Arcane Signet"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is an obvious choice, "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Chromatic Lantern"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" helps fix our color issues, and good ol' "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Sol Ring"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is an EDH staple. I try not to run too much artifact ramp if I can help it because they are easy targets to remove; but these help a lot."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Cavalier of Thorns"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" can dig through the top of our library for a land and offers recursion when he dies. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" also digs through the top of our library for a land AND any creature card; amazing. Both are creatures that can come down "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22","italic":true},"insert":"relatively"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" early should they end up in our hand but can also be targeted by Mayael."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"The final pieces of our ramp package include:"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Jeska's Will"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" - Can generate lots of mana early and/or dig through our library to generate some card advantage."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Smothering Tithe "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":"- A stax card that can potentially slow down our opponents while ramping us. A great card in any deck with white in it."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Card Advantage and Tutoring"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Card advantage is important in every single deck. While Mayael can be an important part of our strategy, it is important that the deck be able to function without her should she be removed. I usually try to include around 10 pieces of card advantage in my EDH decks. A big way to ensure we keep up with the table is to have plenty of draw power:"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Cavalier of Flame"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" can draw us cards when he enters at the expense of cards we might not want in our hand. He's also an aggro enabler because he gives our creatures haste for two mana AND he burns our opponents and their planeswalkers when he leaves the field equal to the number of lands in our graveyard; which should be a decent amount with our fetch land package."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Elder Gargaroth"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" can draw us cards when he attacks or blocks; very useful. Can also make tokens and gain 3 life as the situation calls for it."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Garruk's Uprising"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Return of the Wildspeaker"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" offer fantastic draw power while also promoting our aggressive playstyle. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Trouble in Pairs"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is an amazing draw engine, especially with more than one opponent, while simultaneously shutting down blue's power to take extra turns. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Eladamri's Call"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" tutors a card from our creature tool box to help deal with specific situations; most times, however, I use it on "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Seedborn Muse"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":"."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Some of the card advantage package also includes top-deck manipulators. These cards are especially important. Mayael is incredibly dependent on the top few cards of the deck. She wants to find a big creature within the top 5, but we don't want to draw those cards. So, we want our beat-sticks NEAR the top but not actually on the top. When you have a fatty in your hand, it generally means you’re going to end up paying retail for it, and doing it at sorcery speed. This is the opposite of what you want to be doing. The ideal play is to activate Mayael during your last opponent’s end step or in response to something; such as an attack. You should know what you’re going to flip off her activation; but your opponents won’t, making it much harder to attack you profitably."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Scroll Rack"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is downright awesome. Lets face it, no matter how much you scry or manipulate the top of your deck sometimes its just inevitable to draw your big creatures. And having them in your hand means you'll have to hard cast them for their large CMC and they run the risk of being countered as well. This card will put the big creatures from our hand on top of our deck (where they need to be) and digs through our library. Not to mention this card mitigates the need for mulligans as well. So this thing has a lot of use in this deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Sensei's Divining Top"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is pretty much an EDH staple. It drops early and generates lots of card advantage for Mayael by manipulating the top of the library. Its also incredibly resilient, should it get targeted for destruction just tap it to put it on top of your deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Sylvan Library"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is an excellent 2 CMC top-deck manipulator (probably one of the best in the game) and serves as a powerful draw engine. A good candidate for Mayael :)"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Sylvan Tutor"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Worldly Tutor "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":"round out the card advantage package by searching for any creature and putting it on top of the library; which can then be summoned by Mayael's effect whenever we want."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Protection"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"It is vital that we stop our opponents from interacting with our board and protect our investments with the proper kit; ensuring our permanents, especially our creatures, can't be removed so easily. Naya colors have a lot of cards that offer fantastic protection, in fact I would say that it's one of the colors specialties. While it's impossible to have complete protection from everything, we can cover a lot of our bases with the right cards. Let's start with our creatures:"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Avacyn, Angel of Hope"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is a no brainer. She makes all our permanents indestructible which deters a lot of spot removal and board wipes. Alongside her we have "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Gisela, Blade of Goldnight"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Sigarda, Host of Herons"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":", both angels under Avacyn's command. These cards reduce the amount of damage we take and prevent our opponents from making us sacrifice things respectively."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Serra's Emissary"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is a beautiful new addition to Mayael. When she enters, she gives us and our creatures complete protection from a specific card type; which is huge. The most common choice would be \"creature\" since it prevents "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22","bold":true},"insert":"you"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" from being damaged by creatures while making your creatures unblockable; but \"instant\" and \"sorcery\" are equally effective choices. Her versatility makes it so we can protect ourselves from whatever the situation demands."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Finally, "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Frenzied Saddlebrute"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Marisi, Breaker of the Coil "},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"discourage our fellow aggro decks from attacking us; this is especially useful against token decks. The saddlebrute also doubles as a haste enabler for us!"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"The non-creature spells are the \"bread 'n' butter\" of our protection package. Each one has been chosen for is effectiveness and/or versatility:"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Akroma's Will"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" offers incredible protections and can also be used to end a game with its offensive option. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Asceticism"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is very important in a creature heavy deck such as ours; and can help rebuild our board after a board wipe with regenerate. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Deflecting Swat"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" redirects a targeted spell to something else, potentially removing an opponents threat instead of ours. "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Boros Charm "},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Heroic Intervention"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" are cheap instants to give our permanents indestructible (and hexproof in the case of the later). "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Teferi's Protection"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is the ultimate protection spell IMHO, as it simply removes us and our permanents from the game until our next turn. This is extremely useful in many scenarios, but my favorite time to use it is when my opponent casts an overloaded "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Cyclonic Rift"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" or a mass-exile spell such as "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Farewell"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":". You may have noticed a slight dislike for blue players in this deck description LOL all in good fun though."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Removal Package"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"This section can be broken down into 2 categories: spot removal and board wipes. I usually try to include anywhere from 8-10 spot removal and 2-3 board wipes. Spot removal gets rid of problematic permanents our opponents control and board wipes are extremely useful when the field gets out of hand; which happens often. Its also important for our removal cards to have versatility in order to get around some of the protections our opponents have. Some of our removal spells take the form of creatures; ensuring that we have some kind of interaction when Mayael hits a target with her ability."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"We'll start with our spot removal cards. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Beast Within"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Generous Gift"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" are basically the same card, they get rid of a permanent and give our opponents a 3/3 critter; which will cower before our behemoths. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Path to Exile"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Swords to Plowshares"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" are white's most efficient form of removal; both costing 1 mana and exiling a creature to get around indestructibility. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Drakuseth, Maw of Flames"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Kogla, the Titan Ape"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Terror of the Peaks"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Zacama, Primal Calamity"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" all have useful spot removal effects attached to big creatures."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"For our board wipes we have "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Cleansing Nova"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Farewell"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":". Both cards offer enough versatility for us to choose how the board looks after we wipe it. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Balefire Dragon"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":", one of my personal favorite cards, comes with a field wipe effect attached to an evasive flyer; fantastic against token decks. Finally, "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Vandalblast"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" can be used as a spot removal in the early game or overloaded to take out all of our opponent's artifacts in the mid-to-late game."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Utility"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"This is a bit of a subjective section. Basically, what I mean by utility is anything that can help the decks overall strategy; or help rebuild our board with some recursion effects. Utility cards can be an important part of any deck's strategy to win while also offering the most versatility for choice. The cards that I choose to run for utility might not be the same cards you choose. I'll do my best to explain why I chose the cards that I did and why I like to run them; but this section allows for the greatest amount of variety to include the cards you like to run in your own Mayael deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"I run a small recursion package to help rebuild my board after an opponent destroys/counters my cards. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Greenwarden of Murasa"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" has good synergy with Mayael, being a creature she can target, and offers fantastic recursion when it both enters and dies. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Sun Titan"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is also a big body that can offer consistent recursion for our lower CMC permanents OR bring back some of the fetch lands we sacrificed at the beginning of the game; ensuring we keep up with the curve and hit our land drops even late into the game."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"I'm also running a couple of burn cards to keep the pressure on our opponents. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Purphoros, God of the Forge"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" burns our opponents every time a creature enters the battlefield on our side. His low CMC also means he can hit the field early should he end up in our hand. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Quakebringer"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" burns our opponents every turn, but his real utility is his ability to prevent life gain for our opponents; he can also enter early if you foretell him."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Token generation isn't the purpose of the deck, but it can help us keep up with those opponents who prefer to attack us with quantity instead of quality. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Avenger of Zendikar"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" is an oldie but a goodie. Offers plenty of tokens when he enters and buffs them every time a land enters the battlefield; which pairs nicely with the fetch lands we're running. He also synergizes crazy good with "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Purphoros, God of the Forge"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" for a lot of damage and maybe a surprise win. "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Titania, Protector of Argoth"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" also synergizes with our fetch land package. If left unattended our opponents could be facing an army of 5/3 elementals."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Surrak, the Hunt Caller"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is cheap and gives our creatures haste. So does "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Xenagos, God of Revels"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" but he has the added benefit of pumping our already big creatures to great heights. Speaking of \"pump\" effects, "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Nylea, God of the Hunt"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Rhonas the Indomitable"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" are both cheap creatures (Gods even) that can make our guys bigger when we have open mana to spare and gives them "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22","italic":true},"insert":"Trample"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":". All of these cards can be targeted by Mayael and offer plenty of great effects."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Kodama of the East Tree"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is a unique form of utility. He lets us put permanents from our hand onto the field for free (meaning they can't be counterspelled this way) provided they didn't enter because of him; albeit at an equal or lower CMC than what just entered. This of course synergizes fantasticly with Mayael's ability, allowing us to keep up with our opponents and establishing our board."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" is a nasty card. Doubling our mana production while freezing our opponents lands is a crippling ability. Once upon a time I willingly opted to not include him in the deck because his ability was so game changing (see what I did there) and I didn't want to play a game that \"wasn't fun\" for my opponents. However, over the years I realized that my sense of honor is not shared by my opponents; even in my own friend group LOL So now I've adopted a more \"cutthroat\" mentality. He may be a \"RAMP-more\" card but he is a welcome addition to the deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Finally, we have my favorite part of the utility package, the untap effects:"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Wilderness Reclamation"},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":" untaps our lands during our end step. This allows us to play cards from our hand during our turn without worrying about trying to leave mana open for our instants OR Mayael's ability."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#187dd4","background":"transparent"},"insert":"Seedborn Muse "},{"attributes":{"color":"#dcdcdc","background":"#1c1e22"},"insert":"untaps our EVERYTHING during each of our opponent's untap steps. This ability is phenomenal for allowing us to either respond to our opponents or to use Mayael's ability during their end step while setting us up for the next opponent's turn. This essentially multiplies the number of times we can use Mayael's ability by the number of opponents we have."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"When we have both "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Wilderness Reclamation"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Seedborn Muse "},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"on the field, we are extremely deadly. During our end step, our lands uptap which immediately enables us to use Mayael's ability; only to have our permanents untap again during our opponent's untap step where we can repeat the process. I've had both these cards on the field simultaneously only a few times, and each time Mayael has been extremely hard to deal with. They're worth your consideration when making your own Mayael deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"Conclusion"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":"To me, "},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#187dd4"},"insert":"Mayael the Anima"},{"attributes":{"background":"#1c1e22","color":"#dcdcdc"},"insert":" represents everything I love about Naya. She was one of my first commanders ever and has been a staple in my deck box ever since. While I have adapted her as best I can over the years, she'll always remain out of reach of cEDH. But that's ok! Because honestly, sitting with my friends around a table or going to a casual MtG night at my local game store is my prefered way to play. Not every deck has to be meta defining; sometimes its just about playing what you like and playing it to the best of its ability. Well that about sums it up. If you like the deck then give it a +1! If you guys can think of anything else to improve the deck then please drop a comment :) I'm only one person after all so I can't think of everything lol Hope you guys liked it!"},{"insert":"\n"}]}