Dear Mayeal,
I've played like a mixture of a Johny and a Spike for a long time now. Preferring to play (wacky) combo or control over anything agro. The only time I play an agro deck is when I am teaching someone the game, however those decks are very sub-par, only usefull for teaching, not for serious games. I fear my inner Timmy is being neglected, please Mayael, can you help me?
Well, looks like Mayael can help. Let me explain my goal here. My group has come up with the idea to start on EDH and all of us have started building some decks. When choosing my general I decided I really wanted to try something off the beaten path as far as my normal playstyle is concerned. What I normally do is build decks that win through attrition, lot's of recursion, answers to anything and everything, probably a wishboard for the less common situations, etc. Or, alternatively I build some combo deck, trying to play as many synergistic cards as I can that will actually do stuff when played outside the combo as well. Basically I am most happy when I have some kind of recursion going.
This time though I wanted something different. I browsed through a list of the legends in magic and came up with these as possible options:
1 [MI] Asmira, Holy Avenger
1 [DIS] Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
1 [AP] Cromat
1 [LG] Tetsuo Umezawa
1 [IA] Merieke Ri Berit
1 [LRW] Doran, the Siege Tower
1 [ALA] Mayael the Anima
Some of these were scrapped because they would probably push me towards the kind of deck I'd normally be playing. Others were scrapped because I thought they wouldn't be good enough or fun enough (in the case of Cromat I thought it would maybe be too good, with all the special lands I have a 5 color manabase feels easier to create than a 3 color one). In the end Mayael came rolling out as she would force me to play with big creatures, keep my deck relatively simple and in general force me to get out of my comfort zone.
The deck below is the results of a few deckbuilding iterations. The problem with earlier versions was that the deck would roll over to anything that put a large number of creatures in play. Hence the inclusion of quite a bit of mass destruction. Another thing which I realized is that all the decks my group build were quite slow (we always play multiplayer with 3-6 people, chaos style). Earlier versions contained lots of accelerants which just weren't needed as much as I thought. Especially starting at 40 life made it easy to have the curve start a little higher. Mayael being only 3 mana to cast helps, if needed she can be an early blocker. What I am looking for is suggestions on how to improve on this deck. After the whole list I will discuss the cards in more detail.
// Lands
1 [LRW] Windbrisk Heights
1 [LRW] Mosswort Bridge
1 [IA] Snow-Covered Forest
1 [SHM] Wooded Bastion
1 [IA] Forest
1 [IA] Plains
1 [IA] Mountain
1 [ALA] Naya Panorama
1 [TE] Reflecting Pool
1 [SHM] Fire-Lit Thicket
1 [ON] Wooded Foothills
1 [ON] Windswept Heath
1 [UL] Treetop Village
1 [R] Savannah
1 [R] Plateau
1 [SHM] Sapseep Forest
1 [RAV] Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 [SHM] Mistveil Plains
1 [EVE] Springjack Pasture
1 [NE] Kor Haven
1 [UD] Yavimaya Hollow
1 [PS] Rith's Grove
1 [JU] Krosan Verge
1 [UL] Forbidding Watchtower
1 [R] Taiga
1 [RAV] Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
1 [TSP] Kher Keep
1 [RAV] Boros Garrison
1 [RAV] Selesnya Sanctuary
1 [GP] Gruul Turf
1 [ALA] Jungle Shrine
1 [RAV] Temple Garden
1 [GP] Stomping Ground
1 [RAV] Sacred Foundry
1 [GP] Skarrg, the Rage Pits
1 [IA] Snow-Covered Mountain
1 [UL] Ghitu Encampment
1 [WL] Winding Canyons
1 [SC] Temple of the False God
// Creatures
1 [ON] Krosan Tusker
1 [SC] Eternal Dragon
1 [SOK] Arashi, the Sky Asunder
1 [PLC] Magus of the Arena
1 [NE] Ancient Hydra
1 [TE] Verdant Force
1 [SHM] Woodfall Primus
1 [SHM] Twilight Shepherd
1 [MOR] Spitebellows
1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
1 [LRW] Flamekin Harbinger
1 [ON] Venomspout Brackus
1 [IN] Sabertooth Nishoba
1 [ALA] Flameblast Dragon
1 [SHM] Oversoul of Dusk
1 [LRW] Treefolk Harbinger
1 [EVE] Wickerbough Elder
1 [GP] Living Inferno
1 [PLC] Mire Boa
1 [VI] River Boa
1 [US] Crater Hellion
1 [US] Shivan Hellkite
1 [TSP] Bogardan Hellkite
1 [OD] Kamahl, Pit Fighter
1 [SHM] Windbrisk Raptor
1 [JU] Pulsemage Advocate
1 [SC] Fierce Empath
1 [JU] Nullmage Advocate
1 [DIS] Indrik Stomphowler
1 [FD] Eternal Witness
1 [JU] Genesis
1 [PLC] Dust Elemental
1 [ALA] Godsire
1 [LRW] Ashling the Pilgrim
1 [MM] Vine Trellis
1 [MI] Wall of Roots
1 [TSP] Magus of the Disk
1 [FUT] Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 [ALA] Spearbreaker Behemoth
1 [RAV] Blazing Archon
// Spells
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
1 [LG] Sylvan Library
1 [MI] Worldly Tutor
1 [PT] Sylvan Tutor
1 [TE] Scroll Rack
1 [ALA] Naya Charm
1 [UL] Defense of the Heart
1 [SH] Fanning the Flames
1 [IN] Breath of Darigaaz
1 [SHM] Firespout
1 [R] Wrath of God
1 [IN] Rout
1 [LRW] Austere Command
1 [PLC] Pyrohemia
1 [AQ] Tawnos's Coffin
1 [US] Catastrophe
1 [ON] Starstorm
1 [PS] Eladamri's Call
1 [TE] Mirri's Guile
1 [OD] Kirtar's Wrath
// Sideboard
SB: 1 [ALA] Mayael the Anima
The extra discussion:
// Lands
Not much to add here I think. I included any good lands that produce multiple mana in my colors. Besides this I included any man lands and token producers I could find (kjeldoran outpost and urza's factory were deemed not good enough). I think an argument could be made for mishra's factory or blinkmoth nexus, but I don't like how they provide colorless mana. I am playing my lands highlander as well, mostly just because I can.
// Creatures
1 [ON] Krosan Tusker
1 [SC] Eternal Dragon
1 [SOK] Arashi, the Sky Asunder
1 [MOR] Spitebellows
1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
All large enough creatures to get hit by Mayael that provide me nice abilities even when I can't cast them. I don't think the other land searchers or cyclers are good enough. I would have loved elvish aberration to have its P/T switched though.
1 [PLC] Magus of the Arena
1 [NE] Ancient Hydra
1 [ON] Venomspout Brackus
1 [ALA] Flameblast Dragon
1 [GP] Living Inferno
1 [US] Crater Hellion
1 [US] Shivan Hellkite
1 [TSP] Bogardan Hellkite
1 [OD] Kamahl, Pit Fighter
1 [TSP] Magus of the Disk
1 [FUT] Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 [LRW] Ashling the Pilgrim
These guys are good at killing (a lot of) stuff, especially creatures. I love the hellion and really like the Brackus (together with Arashi) against whatever comes in through the skies. Haven't actually had the scourge in play yet, but I'm probably going to enjoy having that about as much. The others are just your basic killers.
1 [TE] Verdant Force
1 [ALA] Godsire
1 [IN] Sabertooth Nishoba
1 [SHM] Oversoul of Dusk
I am playing Mayael, these are just very basic heavy hitters. I have played darksteel colossus in the past, however it didn't really do all that much (at least nothing other cards couldn't do for a lower mana cost).
1 [SHM] Woodfall Primus
1 [SHM] Twilight Shepherd
1 [ALA] Spearbreaker Behemoth
1 [JU] Genesis
1 [FD] Eternal Witness
1 [PLC] Dust Elemental
These keep things alive and are good at staying alive. Dust elemental is especially nice with all the global removal I have, though it can be annoying to hit with Mayael. I know from other decks Dusty is really hard to stop having both fear and flying.
1 [LRW] Flamekin Harbinger
1 [LRW] Treefolk Harbinger
1 [SC] Fierce Empath
Search for stuff, note that I'll often use the treefolk harbringer just to fix my mana, but can use it to get rid of some problematic artifact or enchantment. The empath I haven't had in play yet, maybe it's not worth it.
1 [EVE] Wickerbough Elder
1 [JU] Pulsemage Advocate
1 [JU] Nullmage Advocate
1 [DIS] Indrik Stomphowler
I realized I had plenty of time in the games we played, so why not put the utility I am looking for on creatures. I am expecting the advocates to give me some nice options for politics, but probably the pulsemage is a little too good for my group's liking, I haven't had it in play yet.
1 [RAV] Blazing Archon
1 [SHM] Windbrisk Raptor
Just some measures to avoid getting killed.
1 [PLC] Mire Boa
1 [VI] River Boa
1 [MM] Vine Trellis
1 [MI] Wall of Roots
Some early creatures to keep opponents at bay. Most people in my group seem to be having either islands or swamps so the boa's can actually be used to get in some damage at times.
// Spells
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
1 [LG] Sylvan Library
1 [TE] Mirri's Guile
1 [TE] Scroll Rack
I like me some card selection, especially if it works really well with Mayael. I have considered cream of the crop, but it always felt a bit weird. Most often I did not want to put that many of those cards on the bottom of my library.
1 [MI] Worldly Tutor
1 [PT] Sylvan Tutor
1 [UL] Defense of the Heart
1 [PS] Eladamri's Call
Some basic tutoring. I tried congregation at dawn as well, but most often it would be a 3 mana worldly tutor. I am now trying the call to see whether I like that better.
1 [ALA] Naya Charm
All 3 options are nice, still waiting for a situation where I can just march through an opponent's defenses with the white option.
1 [SH] Fanning the Flames
1 [IN] Breath of Darigaaz
1 [SHM] Firespout
1 [R] Wrath of God
1 [IN] Rout
1 [LRW] Austere Command
1 [PLC] Pyrohemia
1 [US] Catastrophe
1 [ON] Starstorm
1 [OD] Kirtar's Wrath
I like to kill stuff

. Actually typing this out only now I realize how much removal I am actually playing. I guess some of the creatures my opponents played really scared me! I have tried retalliation as well, but the taking a hit to make it work part kind of put me off. It probably didn't help that the first time that hit was for 25 life points.
1 [AQ] Tawnos's Coffin
It allows for lots of recursion, takes out the most annoying creature on the board, let's me reuse any comes into play abilities (note it does not phase anymore), it even turns ancient hydra into a machine gun. What's not to like.
What's going wrong here. I notice that even though I have lots of large creatures it is not that easy to get through to my opponents. Also 40 life is a lot. We play between 1 PM and 6 PM and if we have 5-6 people we normally don't finish the game (not playing especially slowly either, we are actually considering moving down to starting with 20 life). Besides this I like how this deck can generally hold its own, people never seem to want to get into a fight with the guy who is commanding the larger creatures. I am however a little afraid that when they decide to do so I probably will not be able to handle more than one, if that.
Well, thanks for reading! Any suggestions?
Thanks.
pi
p.s. as I've searched for this before, the miss percentages:
viewtopic.php?p=19455#p19455