Hey! Awesome Primer! I was wondering, your list had a lot of high CMC cards, but would you consider building around Gaddock Teeg? I saw a build the other day that tutored him out (along with Linvala, Keeper of Silence and other hatebears) and used those to protect Marath. What do you think about him?
No Naya Charm? I've found this little instant to be really resourceful. The 3 damage is the weakest choice, sure, but can be relevant at times. Having a fog to fend early aggro, and an instant speed recollect, however is nice. Just tonight I used Naya Charm to return an opponents Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur to his hand in response to his The Mimeoplasm.
Naya Charm is an interesting card, but I honestly believe that it's best used in Sunforger Marath builds. Being able to tutor it up when you need it makes it strongest.
Of course, it's still a good card to run. ^.^ But I only use it when I'm playing a Sunforger control deck, personally (I build different Marath decks occasionally).
An interesting observation about Shared Animosity is that it combos well with the Mirror Entity that you just added, eliminating the different tokens problem. Overall though, I do think that Beastmaster Ascension heavily wins over it.
That is true. My issues with it were that it was an inconsistent two card synergy. I think that, with what I'm running, Beastmaster is more consistently useful. I may add that in next to Shared Animosity for the archetypes though. It's hard jotting down all of the weird synergies you can potentially include.
Hey! Awesome Primer! I was wondering, your list had a lot of high CMC cards, but would you consider building around Gaddock Teeg? I saw a build the other day that tutored him out (along with Linvala, Keeper of Silence and other hatebears) and used those to protect Marath. What do you think about him?
Thanks! ^.^
I put together a build that ran him several months ago here. I'd want to run him in a mid-range aggro style of deck for the most part, where I won't be penalized for having a large number of high cost non-creature cards. In my current build, he wouldn't work too well as a lot of my non-creature spells are 4 and up. The test deck I built worked well though (although I run in a large play group, so it wasn't as effective as it could be). ^.^
Hello there, I built a Marath deck back when Commander 2013 was released, and until recently it was mostly built as a deck to pull out for fun when I got tired of piloting my more cutthroat decks. However, I drydocked my Bant blink deck in order to pull out some goodies with which to tune Marath up, so I might be lurking around your primer while I continue my testing and tuning.
I wonder what your thoughts are on Sterling Grove. I run this alongside Privileged Position to protect the latter against spot removal, and I absolutely love its interactions with Sun Titan. I can tutor up any of my key enchantments (Doubling Season, Mana Reflection, Purphoros, God of the Forge, the list goes on and on...), and with Sun Titan in play I just attack arbitrarily to repeat the process. Have you tried playtesting it? I think it's kind of awesome.
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EDH: B Chainer, Dementia Master B | UG Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG | WRG Marath, Will of the Wild WRG | UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose UBR | UBG Tasigur, the Golden Fang UBG
Modern: WBG Abzan Company WBG | UBR Grixis Delver and/or Twin UBR | U Merfolk U
WBG Anafenza, the Foremost WBG WUR Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR
WUBRG Horde of Notions WUBRG WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon WUBRG URG Maelstrom Wanderer URG UBG Damia, Sage of Stone UBG WUG Roon of the Hidden Realm WUG WUG Rafiq of the Many WUG WUG Deveri, Empyrial Tactician WUG BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher BRG WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain WBG UBR Nekusar, the Mind Razer UBR WBR Kaalia of the Vast WBR UG Prime Speaker Zegana UG UG Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG WB Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter WB WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
Hello there, I built a Marath deck back when Commander 2013 was released, and until recently it was mostly built as a deck to pull out for fun when I got tired of piloting my more cutthroat decks. However, I drydocked my Bant blink deck in order to pull out some goodies with which to tune Marath up, so I might be lurking around your primer while I continue my testing and tuning.
I wonder what your thoughts are on Sterling Grove. I run this alongside Privileged Position to protect the latter against spot removal, and I absolutely love its interactions with Sun Titan. I can tutor up any of my key enchantments (Doubling Season, Mana Reflection, Purphoros, God of the Forge, the list goes on and on...), and with Sun Titan in play I just attack arbitrarily to repeat the process. Have you tried playtesting it? I think it's kind of awesome.
Hopefully you find it helpful. ^.^
It's a very strong card, and I think it comes down to what you want to grab with it. I know it's extremely strong in combo lists for Marath, because most of the common pieces are enchantments. I've considered running both it and Eladamri's Call, but it's a question of finding the cards themselves, and finding room for them. I'm happy to play with it within my own list and getting back to this thread with my results though.
Hiya! I'm currently constructing my first EDH deck in 5ish years because pretty much everyone in my college prefers EDH to regular Magic. I basically got sold into running Marath by the primer, so kudos to Airithne. I'm going to post a rough draft deck list later, but any general advice about card choices for Marath would be appreciated.
On a more constructive note, I found another abusable equipment for Marath: Neko-Te. Not only does it let you tap-down your opponent's creatures for just one mana, but it also doubles burn to the face. This should be an auto-include to burn strategies, plus it adds redundancy to the deathtouch strategy.
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Hiya! I'm currently constructing my first EDH deck in 5ish years because pretty much everyone in my college prefers EDH to regular Magic. I basically got sold into running Marath by the primer, so kudos to Airithne. I'm going to post a rough draft deck list later, but any general advice about card choices for Marath would be appreciated.
On a more constructive note, I found another abusable equipment for Marath: Neko-Te. Not only does it let you tap-down your opponent's creatures for just one mana, but it also doubles burn to the face. This should be an auto-include to burn strategies, plus it adds redundancy to the deathtouch strategy.
Hello! Glad to see another convert to our Naya overlords. If you would like any help or have any questions, just let me know!
On Neko-Te, that's actually pretty interesting. I'm going to have to find one to play test. ^.^ I don't know if it's going to be the best in my meta, but it definitely belongs in the archetype section of the primer, so thano you for that.
Since Chorus of the Conclave uses an additional cost, would it put two counters on Marath for each mana you spend? If so it might be a decent inclusion.
Since Chorus of the Conclave is an additional cost would it put two counters on Marath for each mana?
To an extent. My understanding is that you will get X counters based on how much Marath cost to cast, Y counters from spending additional mana on him with Chorus, Z counters from Chorus itself.
For example, if you cast Marath for three mana, and used chorus to pay an additional three mana, Marath will come into play with 9 +1/+1 counters. 3 from his normal cost, 3 from the additional mana paid with Chorus's ability, and 3 from the counters added by chorus.
Since Chorus of the Conclave is an additional cost would it put two counters on Marath for each mana?
To an extent. My understanding is that you will get X counters based on how much Marath cost to cast, Y counters from spending additional mana on him with Chorus, Z counters from Chorus itself.
For example, if you cast Marath for three mana, and used chorus to pay an additional three mana, Marath will come into play with 9 +1/+1 counters. 3 from his normal cost, 3 from the additional mana paid with Chorus's ability, and 3 from the counters added by chorus.
Thanks for confirming. I'm making a Marath deck and this primer is very helpful. I also love the idea of playing a large Marath and following it with Essence of the Wild. So many 6/6 tokens .
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Thanks for confirming. I'm making a Marath deck and this primer is very helpful. I also love the idea of playing a large Marath and following it with Essence of the Wild. So many 6/6 tokens .
Glad I could be of help. Let me know if you have any other questions, and I hope you have fun smashing faces in Naya style!
I'll look at it in the next couple of days when I get s chance to sit down and do more than glance over it. ^.^
In other news, Jazal Goldmane from Commander 2014 looks VERY promising. I'll have to set aside some time to test him, as I'm not sure what he should replace.
I've been following this primer for a while now, i'm really impressed with your efforts
Your buildstyle is sort of similar to mine. powerfull onedrops (dragonmaster,rhys, exploration, hardened scales)
and enchantments to control the boardstate.
Ive noticed this approach really helps when you run out of gas, stop drawing good cards
where is vorinclex? he's a mana doubler and a win con-all-in-one
The short answer is cards like Bribery, which are popular where I play. Having that effect turned against you can cripple the deck, and he is usually grabbed before any other card if the caster can manage it.
how do you deal with running out of cards in this deck?
I've added mentor of the meek and garruk beastmaster in my marathbuild,
But that just tells all the other players:
Remove these cards, dudes gonna destroy himself fast enough
(controlheavy meta, unfortunatly)
While my meta used to be much more control oriented, it's more removal oriented now, so I typically hold back a few cards and let Marath carry the deck when I can.
But, if it would be helpful, I can spend some time brainstorming up a CA suite once I'm done updating my decks for C14.
Angel of Dire Hour - Not a bad effect, although it is very expensive to cast. Personally, I believe Spike Weaver is a stronger alternative if you're looking for a way to deter attackers, as it has a strong synergy with Marath's ability.
Angelic Field Marshal - The Lieutenant cards are interesting, but they are difficult to use in a deck like this. We constantly kill Marath off ourselves, so it would be difficult to get a consistent effect from her. It would be easier to use another vigilance granting card.
Benevolent Offering - The offerings are interesting political cards, but I don't think this is worth it to warrant a spot. Even if it didn't affect another player, there are stronger cards to run.
Comeuppance - I really like this fog effect, and it's probably very strong in an aggro heavy meta. It doesn't do much in my own meta, but has potential none the less, especially in a control heavy deck with a Sunforger package.
Containment Priest - This is a really strong choice for a hate bears type of build, but it does have a negative impact on some of our recursion effects (Sun Titan) and tutors (Green Sun's Zenith).
Deploy the Front - A very powerful way to create tokens, but it seems to be a 'win more' card.
Fell the Mighty - This card has a lot of potential for a token deck, if you play in a group where you consistently have the smallest creatures. I don't know if it will work in my play group, but it's an effect I intent to test.
Jazal Goldmane - I am really excited for this guy. Another strong repeatable pump effect is always welcome in a token deck, and I'm going to be testing out a spot for him.
Nahiri, the Lithomancer - Sadly, her -2 effect will almost never be relevant, but her +2 has potential for some interesting Skullclamp shennanigans. I believe she at least deserves a test run.
Red Cards
Bitter Fued - A silly effect, but it has a lot of potential to back fire.
Dualcaster Mage - He has the benefit of being a creature, but I wouldn't run this unless you were already looking to run the other copy effects, or were running a more focused, mid-range aggro deck.
Feldon of the Third Path - I don't run many creatures to put into the graveyard, without something like Survival of the Fittest to fuel it. I think it's to inconsistent for this particular build, but it does have potential in other Marath builds.
Impact Resonance - This is a really good effect for colors that don't have access to more traditional board wipes, but we have the unconditional board wipes available to us from White.
Incite Rebellion - An interesting way to drop life totals. I could see this working in a burn build for Marath, but in a token deck it will likely injure you the most.
Scrap Mastery - Similar to a Living Death for artifacts. We don't run many, so it isn't very useful.
Tyrant's Familiar - I think this is an okay choice in an aggro deck, but he is very expensive to cast, for an okay ability.
Volcanic Offering - This card is incredible for removal in a mono red deck, but I believe there are better options in a multi colored deck.
Warmonger Hellkite - I like the effect, and you can make blockers with Marath to prevent getting swung at in retaliation. I just don't believe it's strong enough.
Green Cards
Creeperhulk - Making your creatures bigger seems like it would be good for this style of deck, on paper. The problem with this card is that it is expensive to use, especially with a token army. Overall I believe that it's less powerful than other effects we run, but it could be useful in an aggro deck that is less focused on token swarm.
Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury - I'm interested to test this card out. Her tokens are mana dorks, which has a lot of potential, with Marath's mana intensive abilites. Her -6 isn't always the most useful with multiple colors of tokens, but both of her other effects make up for it.
Gravesifter - This could be a really strong card, but it needs a tribal deck to get the most effect out of it.
Lifeblood Hydra - This does seem like an odd card to want to include, but Marath's ability to add counters on to other creatures, along with the pump effects in the deck give this card some potential as a source of card draw.
Song of the Dryads - I like removal effects that hit more than one type. The permanent will return to it's original state if the enchantment is removed, but it's a nice effect overall and worth a test run.
Sylvan Offering - Much like the white offering, it would be more effecient to put your mana towards Marath's ability, which doesn't have to be symmetrical.
Thunderfoot Baloth - Trample is always nice, but it's less effective in a token deck without a source of pump or anthem to back it up.
Titania, Protector of Argoth - Titania has a unique effect for green, but is more effective in a lands deck, rather than a token deck.
Wave of Vitriol - I don't run enough basics to make use of this, and I would probably be hurt the most by this spell, if it resolved.
Wolfcaller's Howl - It's a neat effect, but not a very effecient source of token generation.
Arifacts
Assault Suit - While expensive, I believe that this card has a neat effect. Unfortunately, a token swarm deck doesn't have many ways to take advantage of it, and there aren't many creatures that I would be willing to give away that wouldn't backfire on me.
Commander's Sphere - I like a mana rock that taps for other colors, and draws cards. I'm excited to test this out.
Crown of Doom - A fairly weak card with the potential to backfire.
Loreseeker's Stone - I don't mind testing out draw effects. I do believe that Mind's Eye is more effecient, but it's an interesting secondary effect.
Masterwork of Ingenuity - I like it's ability for it's cost, but I don't run much equipment.
Unstable Obelisk - I believe this card is more suited to a mono colored deck. Being multicolored, we can deal with most permanent types.
Lands
Arcane Lighthouse - There are plenty of hexproof and shrouded creatures in my playgroup that I would love to be able to deal with. It's especially potent if Marath has some form of deathtouch.
Flamekin Village - Giving haste to one creature isn't worth the slot in a swarm deck, and Marath's ability doesn't require him to tap to activate it.
In short, it will be a while before I make it through the test phase of these cards, but there are a fair few that I'm excited to test out. Room is tight in my list, but Jazal Goldmane is a definite include once I figure out what to take out for him.
Pretty good analysis, but I disagree with your assessment of Thunderfoot Baloth and Crown of Doom. The baloth is a reasonably costed body with an Overrun type effect stapled to it, with the only real downside being the risk of getting blown out by an instant speed removal spell. Your opponents can't give the crown back to you without a donate effect, which is rare outside of Zedruu decks, so if you treat it like a 5 mana spell it's pretty solid.
Pretty good analysis, but I disagree with your assessment of Thunderfoot Baloth and Crown of Doom. The baloth is a reasonably costed body with an Overrun type effect stapled to it, with the only real downside being the risk of getting blown out by an instant speed removal spell. Your opponents can't give the crown back to you without a donate effect, which is rare outside of Zedruu decks, so if you treat it like a 5 mana spell it's pretty solid.
Sorry. That took a little while to write, and I guess I misread the cards by the end. >.<
I still would likely not run them. I prefer most of my current pump/anthem effects (and Jazal), as many of them are repeatable.
Ok! So my play group is running a 10 tix only commander games once a week. I think Marath is perfect since hes powerful on his own and supports a full range of naya. The question is how to make a 10 tix version of the deck. But I figured tokens is probably the way to go.
Ok! So my play group is running a 10 tix only commander games once a week. I think Marath is perfect since hes powerful on his own and supports a full range of naya. The question is how to make a 10 tix version of the deck. But I figured tokens is probably the way to go.
I'd look at the cheapest token makers and anthem effects that you can manage. I have no idea what the MTGO market is like, so my advice may be a little off, but I'd look into cheap cards like Jade Mage, Ant Queen, and Selesnya Guildmage. I could be wrong on pricing, but anthems like Dictate of Heliod, Beastmaster Ascension, and Cathars' Crusade would also work really well.
Other than that, you'll want ramp. Marath can support a deck on his own, but you need the mana to do it.
Hopefully that's helpful! I'm sorry I can't be more specific, I just don't know what everything is worth on MTGO. ^.^
I recently finished building my own Marath deck (Thanks for the great primer, Airithne!), and I was curious as to what you all thought. I thought it might be more constructive to post here than make a whole other thread.
By Card Type/CMC:
I feel like Sterling Grove would likely be awesome in this build, I just haven't found one (and I'm not too sure what I'd cut, to be honest).
I've been highly considering a wishboard with Living Wish. Some card's I'd love to include in such a wishboard are Arcane Lightnouse and Angel of Finality. Any suggestions on awesome situational wish targets, I'm all ears!
I feel like I might run a bit high on the artifact/enchantment removal, but honestly, I'm never terribly sad to draw it.
I oftentimes find this deck has an extremely hard time running in topdeck mode. I really wish there were a couple other reliable ways to draw cards (Skullclamp is bonkers, though). It (may) be me overextending a bit, but I haven't played enough games to really find out. I would love to find some space to run Garruk, Primal Hunter.
Some other things I would like are at least 1 more boardwipe (I don't run nearly enough, if there's a Sunforger-able boardwipe I am unaware of, I'd love to know what it is), possibly Mana Reflection, and Academy Rector.
I feel like I should run at least 1 or 2 more land to compliment Oracle of Mul-Daya (I would like to add Exploration as well). I really need to pick up some more rainbow lands for color fixing.
As for the deck itself, it runs really nicely. I'm usually rather successful at controlling the board to the extent needed (I play 4 person pod, typically). I've felt that it mostly runs pretty well and there's not too many cards I'm sad to see. Sometimes I feel like I just can't draw enough ramp though, even though it seems like there is more than enough.
Sorry if my ideas sound a little incoherent or like rambling, it's hard for me to organize my ideas as well as I'd like. Let me know what you think!
I'm sorry in advance for not quoting your whole post, but I'm on my phone. >.<
I think that the list looks pretty good overall! Just at a glance, before I dive in to the rest of your post, the only suggestions I have are to swap Harmonic Sliver for Reclamation Sage. You aren't running any other slivers or changelings, and the sage has less of a chance to backfire (HS's effect is global). Other than that, Comeuppance could be a really good alternative to Deflecting Palm, and can occasionally wipe someone's board. As an added bonus, it can be grabbed with Sunforger as well. Lastly, I would include one more six drop for your Pod chain. Inferno Titan could be good, and it had a lot of synergy worn your deathtouch enablers.
Sterling Grove is really strong, as you can use it to grab a combo piece on addition to protecting your stuff. If you're not looking to be an aggro deck, it's s nice alternative to Privileged Position.
On that note, I would also consider running Cathars' Crusade, Mana Echoes, and Hardened Scales. Hardened Scales can be a win condition on its own, and can come down very early. The other two gone holy more combo pieces, which can be helpful, as they tend to be removed often, and you'll have a better chance of drawing them.
A wishoard could be interesting. I've never considered it, as it isn't allowed in my group, but I can brainstorm up suggestions if you like.
If you're looking for card draw, I'd look into Mentor of the Meek and Mind's Eye. Your deck won't shut off Mentor as easily as mine can, which is a bonus.
The only board wipe I can think of that Sunforger can grab is Fated Retribution. Otherwise, I'm partial to Rout myself. ^.^
The only walker that you listed that really would help is Garruk Wildspeaker and maybe Sarkhan.
I'm glad you're enjoying the deck! I wish I could be of more help with potential cuts, but it's difficult to know what works in your group and what doesn't. I would recommend Mirri's Guile. The similar effects seems a bit much, but that's just what I would recommend.
I run a Burning Wish-board, which I'll go ahead and describe even though it's not directly on point. I take a toolbox style approach to it; basically a pile of last card outs and situational cards. The deck isn't in front of me, but off the top of my head it includes Wrath of God, Purify, Decimate, Overrun, and Tsunami (generally I'm getting Wrath, Purify, or Overrun). At a minimum it should include the best Wrath, best artifact/enchantment wipe, and best Overrun effect (generally the card itself) that isn't in your 99; from there it's all hosers and imagination.
Desolation Giant and a Harmonic Sliver-like creature strike me as good Living Wish-board candidates. I'd also think about a reasonably costed fatty, a graveyard hoser like Loaming Shaman, and the best eldrazi you aren't running. Things that are really good sometimes but not reliable enough to make the 99 is what goes in a wishboard.
EDIT: A fight card like Ulvenwald Tracker or Polukranos might be good too.
Alright! Heres my super budget list for my online playgroup.
Again, this is for my playgroup that used to play in college, and we've moved away. We also focus on fun, complepetitve, but still mostly on fun. Heres a 10 tix list.
Thoughts? Again, I know budget is tough to evaluate, but all the decks I'll be playing is lower power level. I feel like this should compete. Anyone got some better cards than I've listed here?
It looks pretty good for a budget. If you plan on using Comet Storm as a wrath effect then Starstorm might be better. Mirari's Wake would be good but I don't know about it's price tag. You're playing a large number of basics so Boundless Realms is a option.
Didnt want to hit my creatures, and I also liked it could be used as just a burn spell with my extra mana. wake is about 8 tix Boundless Realms is a good suggestion, but I wonder if its a little too high end on the ramp
@lantern Gyre Sage should be in every Marath list, especially a budget one. Some bigger mana rocks like Worn Powerstone should be in there too. Cut Rampant, Channelers, and Wood Elves. Kaysa is bad, run the green lieutenant instead. Austere Command and Elspeth Tirel are essentially one sided wraths. Khalni Garden is garbage, use Grove of the Guardian instead.
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Of course, it's still a good card to run. ^.^ But I only use it when I'm playing a Sunforger control deck, personally (I build different Marath decks occasionally).
That is true. My issues with it were that it was an inconsistent two card synergy. I think that, with what I'm running, Beastmaster is more consistently useful. I may add that in next to Shared Animosity for the archetypes though.
Thanks! ^.^
I put together a build that ran him several months ago here. I'd want to run him in a mid-range aggro style of deck for the most part, where I won't be penalized for having a large number of high cost non-creature cards. In my current build, he wouldn't work too well as a lot of my non-creature spells are 4 and up. The test deck I built worked well though (although I run in a large play group, so it wasn't as effective as it could be). ^.^
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I wonder what your thoughts are on Sterling Grove. I run this alongside Privileged Position to protect the latter against spot removal, and I absolutely love its interactions with Sun Titan. I can tutor up any of my key enchantments (Doubling Season, Mana Reflection, Purphoros, God of the Forge, the list goes on and on...), and with Sun Titan in play I just attack arbitrarily to repeat the process. Have you tried playtesting it? I think it's kind of awesome.
B Chainer, Dementia Master B | UG Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG | WRG Marath, Will of the Wild WRG | UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose UBR | UBG Tasigur, the Golden Fang UBG
Modern:
WBG Abzan Company WBG | UBR Grixis Delver and/or Twin UBR | U Merfolk U
WBG Anafenza, the Foremost WBG
WUR Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR
WUBRG Horde of Notions WUBRG
WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon WUBRG
URG Maelstrom Wanderer URG
UBG Damia, Sage of Stone UBG
WUG Roon of the Hidden Realm WUG
WUG Rafiq of the Many WUG
WUG Deveri, Empyrial Tactician WUG
BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher BRG
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain WBG
UBR Nekusar, the Mind Razer UBR
WBR Kaalia of the Vast WBR
UG Prime Speaker Zegana UG
UG Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG
WB Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter WB
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
It's a very strong card, and I think it comes down to what you want to grab with it. I know it's extremely strong in combo lists for Marath, because most of the common pieces are enchantments. I've considered running both it and Eladamri's Call, but it's a question of finding the cards themselves, and finding room for them. I'm happy to play with it within my own list and getting back to this thread with my results though.
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On a more constructive note, I found another abusable equipment for Marath: Neko-Te. Not only does it let you tap-down your opponent's creatures for just one mana, but it also doubles burn to the face. This should be an auto-include to burn strategies, plus it adds redundancy to the deathtouch strategy.
You value knowledge, logic, and deceit. You love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At your best, you are brilliant and progressive. At your worst, you are treacherous and cold. Your symbol is a water droplet. Your enemies are green and red.
On Neko-Te, that's actually pretty interesting. I'm going to have to find one to play test. ^.^ I don't know if it's going to be the best in my meta, but it definitely belongs in the archetype section of the primer, so thano you for that.
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For example, if you cast Marath for three mana, and used chorus to pay an additional three mana, Marath will come into play with 9 +1/+1 counters. 3 from his normal cost, 3 from the additional mana paid with Chorus's ability, and 3 from the counters added by chorus.
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
Thanks for confirming. I'm making a Marath deck and this primer is very helpful. I also love the idea of playing a large Marath and following it with Essence of the Wild. So many 6/6 tokens
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I posted it here: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/576911-marath-will-of-the-wild I'd love to get your feedback on it sometime
In other news, Jazal Goldmane from Commander 2014 looks VERY promising.
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
The short answer is cards like Bribery, which are popular where I play. Having that effect turned against you can cripple the deck, and he is usually grabbed before any other card if the caster can manage it.
While my meta used to be much more control oriented, it's more removal oriented now, so I typically hold back a few cards and let Marath carry the deck when I can.
But, if it would be helpful, I can spend some time brainstorming up a CA suite once I'm done updating my decks for C14.
I'm going to start going through all of the cards tonight and will post a full review add soon as I'm able.
At a glance, I'm most interested in Jazal Goldmane and Arcane Lighthouse. ^.^
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
White Cards
Angel of Dire Hour - Not a bad effect, although it is very expensive to cast. Personally, I believe Spike Weaver is a stronger alternative if you're looking for a way to deter attackers, as it has a strong synergy with Marath's ability.
Angelic Field Marshal - The Lieutenant cards are interesting, but they are difficult to use in a deck like this. We constantly kill Marath off ourselves, so it would be difficult to get a consistent effect from her. It would be easier to use another vigilance granting card.
Benevolent Offering - The offerings are interesting political cards, but I don't think this is worth it to warrant a spot. Even if it didn't affect another player, there are stronger cards to run.
Comeuppance - I really like this fog effect, and it's probably very strong in an aggro heavy meta. It doesn't do much in my own meta, but has potential none the less, especially in a control heavy deck with a Sunforger package.
Containment Priest - This is a really strong choice for a hate bears type of build, but it does have a negative impact on some of our recursion effects (Sun Titan) and tutors (Green Sun's Zenith).
Deploy the Front - A very powerful way to create tokens, but it seems to be a 'win more' card.
Fell the Mighty - This card has a lot of potential for a token deck, if you play in a group where you consistently have the smallest creatures. I don't know if it will work in my play group, but it's an effect I intent to test.
Hallowed Spiritkeeper - I believe this card does have potential, but without something like Survival of the Fittest to fuel it, I think it's better oriented to a deck like Ghave, Guru of Spores, as we don't typically aim to use our graveyard often.
Jazal Goldmane - I am really excited for this guy. Another strong repeatable pump effect is always welcome in a token deck, and I'm going to be testing out a spot for him.
Nahiri, the Lithomancer - Sadly, her -2 effect will almost never be relevant, but her +2 has potential for some interesting Skullclamp shennanigans. I believe she at least deserves a test run.
Red Cards
Bitter Fued - A silly effect, but it has a lot of potential to back fire.
Daretti, Scrap Savant - Sadly, he has next to no synergy in this style of deck.
Dualcaster Mage - He has the benefit of being a creature, but I wouldn't run this unless you were already looking to run the other copy effects, or were running a more focused, mid-range aggro deck.
Feldon of the Third Path - I don't run many creatures to put into the graveyard, without something like Survival of the Fittest to fuel it. I think it's to inconsistent for this particular build, but it does have potential in other Marath builds.
Impact Resonance - This is a really good effect for colors that don't have access to more traditional board wipes, but we have the unconditional board wipes available to us from White.
Incite Rebellion - An interesting way to drop life totals. I could see this working in a burn build for Marath, but in a token deck it will likely injure you the most.
Scrap Mastery - Similar to a Living Death for artifacts. We don't run many, so it isn't very useful.
Tyrant's Familiar - I think this is an okay choice in an aggro deck, but he is very expensive to cast, for an okay ability.
Volcanic Offering - This card is incredible for removal in a mono red deck, but I believe there are better options in a multi colored deck.
Warmonger Hellkite - I like the effect, and you can make blockers with Marath to prevent getting swung at in retaliation. I just don't believe it's strong enough.
Green Cards
Creeperhulk - Making your creatures bigger seems like it would be good for this style of deck, on paper. The problem with this card is that it is expensive to use, especially with a token army. Overall I believe that it's less powerful than other effects we run, but it could be useful in an aggro deck that is less focused on token swarm.
Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury - I'm interested to test this card out. Her tokens are mana dorks, which has a lot of potential, with Marath's mana intensive abilites. Her -6 isn't always the most useful with multiple colors of tokens, but both of her other effects make up for it.
Gravesifter - This could be a really strong card, but it needs a tribal deck to get the most effect out of it.
Lifeblood Hydra - This does seem like an odd card to want to include, but Marath's ability to add counters on to other creatures, along with the pump effects in the deck give this card some potential as a source of card draw.
Siege Behemoth - The psuedo unblockability is a nice effect, however a card like Iroas, God of Victory is probably more effective.
Song of the Dryads - I like removal effects that hit more than one type. The permanent will return to it's original state if the enchantment is removed, but it's a nice effect overall and worth a test run.
Sylvan Offering - Much like the white offering, it would be more effecient to put your mana towards Marath's ability, which doesn't have to be symmetrical.
Thunderfoot Baloth - Trample is always nice, but it's less effective in a token deck without a source of pump or anthem to back it up.
Titania, Protector of Argoth - Titania has a unique effect for green, but is more effective in a lands deck, rather than a token deck.
Wave of Vitriol - I don't run enough basics to make use of this, and I would probably be hurt the most by this spell, if it resolved.
Wolfcaller's Howl - It's a neat effect, but not a very effecient source of token generation.
Arifacts
Assault Suit - While expensive, I believe that this card has a neat effect. Unfortunately, a token swarm deck doesn't have many ways to take advantage of it, and there aren't many creatures that I would be willing to give away that wouldn't backfire on me.
Commander's Sphere - I like a mana rock that taps for other colors, and draws cards. I'm excited to test this out.
Crown of Doom - A fairly weak card with the potential to backfire.
Loreseeker's Stone - I don't mind testing out draw effects. I do believe that Mind's Eye is more effecient, but it's an interesting secondary effect.
Masterwork of Ingenuity - I like it's ability for it's cost, but I don't run much equipment.
Unstable Obelisk - I believe this card is more suited to a mono colored deck. Being multicolored, we can deal with most permanent types.
Lands
Arcane Lighthouse - There are plenty of hexproof and shrouded creatures in my playgroup that I would love to be able to deal with. It's especially potent if Marath has some form of deathtouch.
Flamekin Village - Giving haste to one creature isn't worth the slot in a swarm deck, and Marath's ability doesn't require him to tap to activate it.
Myriad Landscape - This seems better in a mono colored list, as we have access to Krosan Verge.
In short, it will be a while before I make it through the test phase of these cards, but there are a fair few that I'm excited to test out. Room is tight in my list, but Jazal Goldmane is a definite include once I figure out what to take out for him.
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
Pauper: Burn
Modern: Burn
Legacy: Burn
EDH:
I still would likely not run them. I prefer most of my current pump/anthem effects (and Jazal), as many of them are repeatable.
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
Other than that, you'll want ramp. Marath can support a deck on his own, but you need the mana to do it.
Hopefully that's helpful! I'm sorry I can't be more specific, I just don't know what everything is worth on MTGO. ^.^
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
I recently finished building my own Marath deck (Thanks for the great primer, Airithne!), and I was curious as to what you all thought. I thought it might be more constructive to post here than make a whole other thread.
By Card Type/CMC:
3 Marath, Will of the Wild
Creatures (26)
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Bloom Tender
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Nightshade Peddler
2 Scavengine Ooze
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Wood Elves
3 Eternal Witness
3 Harmonic Sliver
3 Goblin Sharpshooter
4 Ivy Lane Denizen
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Oracle of Mul-Daya
4 Restoration Angel
5 Acidic Slime
5 Stonehewer Giant
5 Karmic Guide
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Zealous Conscripts
5 Reveillark
6 Sun Titan
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Angel of Serenity
7 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
8 Woodfall Primus
Enchantments and enchantment-like permanents (10)
0 Maze of Ith
1 Mirri's Guile
2 Earthcraft
2 Sylvan Library
3 Fires of Yavimaya
3 Aura Shards
3 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
5 Mirari's Wake
5 Doubling Season
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Skullclamp
2 Swiftfoot Boots
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Ashnod's Altar
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Sunforger
4 Birthing Pod
Instants (11)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Wear // Tear
2 Eladamiri's Call
2 Boros Charm
2 Deflecting Palm
3 Oblation
3 Chaos Warp
4 Wild Ricochet
Sorceries (7)
1 Green Sun's Zenith
2 Nature's Lore
2 Regrowth
3 Cultivate
4 Day of Judgement
6 Austere Command
7 Tooth and Nail
Lands (35)
5x Forest
4x Plains
3x Mountain
0 Strip Mine
0 High Market
0 Yavimaya Hollow
0 Kessig Wolf Run
0 Dryad Arbor
0 Rugged Prarie
0 Wooded Bastion
0 Fire-lit Thicket
0 Rootbound Crag
0 Sunpetal Grove
0 Clifftop Retreat
0 Windswept Heath
0 Wooded Foothills
0 Arid Mesa
0 Stomping Ground
0 Temple Garden
0 Sacred Foundry
0 Brushland
0 Karplusan Forest
0 Battlefield Forge
0 Reflecting Pool
0 Command Tower
0 Mistveil Plains
Considerations I've been making:
I feel like Sterling Grove would likely be awesome in this build, I just haven't found one (and I'm not too sure what I'd cut, to be honest).
I've been highly considering a wishboard with Living Wish. Some card's I'd love to include in such a wishboard are Arcane Lightnouse and Angel of Finality. Any suggestions on awesome situational wish targets, I'm all ears!
I feel like I might run a bit high on the artifact/enchantment removal, but honestly, I'm never terribly sad to draw it.
I oftentimes find this deck has an extremely hard time running in topdeck mode. I really wish there were a couple other reliable ways to draw cards (Skullclamp is bonkers, though). It (may) be me overextending a bit, but I haven't played enough games to really find out. I would love to find some space to run Garruk, Primal Hunter.
Some other things I would like are at least 1 more boardwipe (I don't run nearly enough, if there's a Sunforger-able boardwipe I am unaware of, I'd love to know what it is), possibly Mana Reflection, and Academy Rector.
I feel like I should run at least 1 or 2 more land to compliment Oracle of Mul-Daya (I would like to add Exploration as well). I really need to pick up some more rainbow lands for color fixing.
Lastly, there's some other planeswalkers I feel would be beneficial to run... Xenagos, the Reveler, Elspeth, Sun's Champion,Sarkhan Vol, Garruk, Wildspeaker...but I am unsure what to cut, or how sure I am that they would even fit my strategy.
As for the deck itself, it runs really nicely. I'm usually rather successful at controlling the board to the extent needed (I play 4 person pod, typically). I've felt that it mostly runs pretty well and there's not too many cards I'm sad to see. Sometimes I feel like I just can't draw enough ramp though, even though it seems like there is more than enough.
Sorry if my ideas sound a little incoherent or like rambling, it's hard for me to organize my ideas as well as I'd like. Let me know what you think!
I'm sorry in advance for not quoting your whole post, but I'm on my phone. >.<
I think that the list looks pretty good overall! Just at a glance, before I dive in to the rest of your post, the only suggestions I have are to swap Harmonic Sliver for Reclamation Sage. You aren't running any other slivers or changelings, and the sage has less of a chance to backfire (HS's effect is global). Other than that, Comeuppance could be a really good alternative to Deflecting Palm, and can occasionally wipe someone's board. As an added bonus, it can be grabbed with Sunforger as well. Lastly, I would include one more six drop for your Pod chain. Inferno Titan could be good, and it had a lot of synergy worn your deathtouch enablers.
Sterling Grove is really strong, as you can use it to grab a combo piece on addition to protecting your stuff. If you're not looking to be an aggro deck, it's s nice alternative to Privileged Position.
On that note, I would also consider running Cathars' Crusade, Mana Echoes, and Hardened Scales. Hardened Scales can be a win condition on its own, and can come down very early. The other two gone holy more combo pieces, which can be helpful, as they tend to be removed often, and you'll have a better chance of drawing them.
A wishoard could be interesting. I've never considered it, as it isn't allowed in my group, but I can brainstorm up suggestions if you like.
If you're looking for card draw, I'd look into Mentor of the Meek and Mind's Eye. Your deck won't shut off Mentor as easily as mine can, which is a bonus.
The only board wipe I can think of that Sunforger can grab is Fated Retribution. Otherwise, I'm partial to Rout myself. ^.^
The only walker that you listed that really would help is Garruk Wildspeaker and maybe Sarkhan.
I'm glad you're enjoying the deck!
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[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
Desolation Giant and a Harmonic Sliver-like creature strike me as good Living Wish-board candidates. I'd also think about a reasonably costed fatty, a graveyard hoser like Loaming Shaman, and the best eldrazi you aren't running. Things that are really good sometimes but not reliable enough to make the 99 is what goes in a wishboard.
EDIT: A fight card like Ulvenwald Tracker or Polukranos might be good too.
Pauper: Burn
Modern: Burn
Legacy: Burn
EDH:
Again, this is for my playgroup that used to play in college, and we've moved away. We also focus on fun, complepetitve, but still mostly on fun. Heres a 10 tix list.
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Mycoloth
1 Verdant Force
1 Ant Queen
1 Hydra Broodmaster
1 Verdeloth the Ancient
1 Assemble the Legion
1 Awakening Zone
1 Decree of Justice
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Sprout Swarm
1 Sacred Mesa
Pump/doubling
1 Hardened Scales
1 Hellrider
1 Kaysa
1 Mirror Entity
1 Cathars' Crusade
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Collective Blessing
1 Dictate of Heliod
1 Doubling Season
1 Parallel Lives
1 Raid Bombardment
1 Vicious Shadows
1 Selesnya Guildmage
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Druidic Satchel
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Anger
1 Genesis
1 Karmic Guide
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Worship
1 Glare of Subdual
Wincons:
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Triumph of the Hordes
1 Titanic Ultimatum
1 Artisan of Kozilek
Draw:
1 Skullclamp
1 Psychotrope Thallid
1 Greater Good
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Collective Unconscious
Ramp:
1 Boros Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Gruul Signet
1 Wood Elves
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Rampant Growth
1 Mul Daya Channelers
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Blasting Station
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Oust
1 Condemn
1 Martial Coup
1 Hour of Reckoning
1 Beast Within
1 Comet Storm
1 Sundering Growth
Lands: 37
6 Mountain
9 Plains
12 Forest
1 Gavony Township
1 Temple of the False God
1 Khalni Garden
1 Rugged Highlands
1 Selesnya Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Wind-Scarred Crag
1 Blossoming Sands
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Kazandu Refuge
Thoughts? Again, I know budget is tough to evaluate, but all the decks I'll be playing is lower power level. I feel like this should compete. Anyone got some better cards than I've listed here?
Gyre Sage should be in every Marath list, especially a budget one. Some bigger mana rocks like Worn Powerstone should be in there too. Cut Rampant, Channelers, and Wood Elves. Kaysa is bad, run the green lieutenant instead. Austere Command and Elspeth Tirel are essentially one sided wraths. Khalni Garden is garbage, use Grove of the Guardian instead.
Pauper: Burn
Modern: Burn
Legacy: Burn
EDH: