Hidden Gems for Maralen, Fae Ascendant
We could spend our time wondering why it took so long to get a Commander that combines two of the most popular creature types, or we could simply clasp our hands together, give thanks, and get to deck building, with
Maralen, Fae Ascendant
To no one’s surprise, the new Maralen has already proven to be a popular build. But there are always more cards out there that might be overlooked or underappreciated, and today I’ll offer up my top five suggestions for cards you might want to include in Maralen’s 99.
The base of the deck seems pretty straightforward: play Elves and Faeries. Keeping that in mind, my choices build off the assumption that we’ll be triggering Maralen’s ability with frequency.
#1. Oblivion Sower
With each and every trigger from Maralen’s exile ability, the pile of exiled cards owned by your opponents will grow and grow. Because Maralen’s second ability only lets you cast cards, you won’t be able to snatch lands from your opponents. Enter: Oblivion Sower.
It may not be an Elf. It may not be a Faerie. But it certainly plays nicely with that exiled stash of lands. Once you get going, you’ll see who has the most lands waiting for you to steal.
Play Oblivion Sower on the opponent who has the most exiled lands and voila! Your mana pool will have grown substantially.
| Oblivion Sower | ||
| Oblivion Sower | ||
| Oblivion Sower (Ripple Foil) |
#2. Lantern of Insight
Anyone who has played against the terror that is Lantern Control knows that the inclusion of Lantern of Insight can lead to some frustrating games. I’m not here to convince you to do all that to your opponents, but I can’t stop you either.
I recommend Lantern of Insight because it will let you know who has the best goodies at the top of their deck. Instead of picking an opponent at random or one who might have cards that synergize with yours, take the guessing out of the equation and pick and choose which spells you steal.
At the low, low cost of one mana, it’ll be silly not to give it a try.
| Lantern of Insight |
#3. Sakashima the Impostor
I’m truly surprised to not see this included in more deck lists. Yes,
This original Sakashima can copy any creature on the battlefield, giving you more flexibility in games than the second version (
| Sakashima the Impostor | ||
| Sakashima the Impostor | ||
| Sakashima of a Thousand Faces |
#4. Scheming Symmetry
There are plenty of tutors, and some that are, perhaps, more competitive than Scheming Symmetry. But this one-mana spell does so much more than get you a card of your choice.
You can play a little mini-game with the opponent you target. You can tutor your best card and put it on the top of your deck, but what should your opponent do? Do they grab their best card, just to see it exiled with Maralen? That seems risky. Or do they grab a useless card and hope that you exile something they don’t want to draw? Intrigue.
In a pinch, you can also work with a teammate to get them something from their deck that you both need them to draw. Now we’re scheming!
| Scheming Symmetry | ||
| Scheming Symmetry (1997) | ||
| Scheming Symmetry |
#5. Submerge
Perhaps this is too cute of an idea, but playing removal that puts cards on the top of your opponent’s deck sounds like a neat trick for Maralen’s exile.
Do you find yourself wanting to steal a creature in play? Submerge it (for free?!), put an Elf or Faerie into play, and cast it yourself. There are other spells that do this, but can be quite costly. Submerge has the wonderful benefit of being free in most games.
Give it a go! It’s not often enough that an uncommon from
| Submerge |
That’s all for this edition of Hidden Gems. And don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights!
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Adam Berg
Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.