Over the years, a variety of different creatures that punish players for casting specific types of spells have made an impact on the competitive scene. From Thalia, Guardian of Thraben‘s taxing ability to Eidolon of the Great Revel‘s brutal trigger, these threats showcase that even symmetrical effects can be abused in the right deck.
Now, it appears Avatar is bringing us a new two-drop that blends ideas from both of these creatures. This legend is capable of winning matchups singlehandedly if left unchecked and should definitely be on your radar moving forward.
Breaking the Symmetry in Constructed
Mai, Scornful Striker is an incredibly strong two-drop with a lot of competitive potential. It attacks and blocks well, is efficient, and against decks that rely on cantrips, it’s going to deal a boatload of damage. The key is finding a good home for it.
Because Mai only has two toughness, it is vulnerable to Burst Lightning, Tragic Trajectory, and all other cheap sources of removal that commonly see Standard play. The good news is that your opponent will take a minimum of two damage just to get this card off the board, even if they have the answer right away. So, if you can back up this threat with extra pressure from your other creatures that also demand to be killed on sight, you’ve got a strong game plan.
Currently, there isn’t a strong creature-heavy archetype in black in Standard or Pioneer that’s aggressive enough to want Mai in the maindeck, but this creature could help change that. Orzhov Humans has made a splash in Pioneer in the past to make use of elite removal spells like Fatal Push and Dire Tactics, and this threat could push players in that direction.
Beyond its maindeck applications, Mai’s ability to play the Magebane Lizard role out of the sideboard for black decks in general is big game. In Pioneer, Mai is a great piece of anti-Izzet Phoenix tech for Black Midrange decks. Even in a format as fast as Modern, curving Thoughtseize into Mai gives Mono-Black Nethergoyf shells a much better chance at beating Ruby Storm and other spell-based combo decks. Seeing this card pop up in Mono-Black Scam or an aggressive Lurrus of the Dream-Den build in Vintage as a way to punish Doomsday combo and decks with lots of broken fast mana wouldn’t be shocking, either.
A Devastating Commander Design
In addition to having major Constructed potential, there’s a wealth of different ways to take advantage of Mai in Commander. First and foremost, in Duel Commander where players start at 20 life, Mai looks poised to see play. Many of the strongest decks in the format rely on casting lots of noncreature spells to advance their gameplan.
Simply adding Mai to your Slimefoot and Squee deck as a tutor target should make your matchup versus Lier, Disciple of the Drowned combo much easier. This doesn’t take into account the fact that Mai is legendary in itself, opening the door for players to build an assertive black aggro deck with it as the Commander.
While Mai is more appealing in 20-life formats than 40-life ones, there are also plenty of casual Commander decks that will utilize this card in the 99. The card pairs quite well with Commanders who get value out of instances of life loss, like Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls. Otherwise, decks with Mogis, God of Slaughter at the helm can use Mai to help lower each opponent’s life total in a flash.
All in all, Mai is truly one of the strongest punisher effects we’ve seen in recent years. We’re excited to see what archetypes work to incorporate such a powerful design. Don’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the best cards in the set.
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