EDH Optimizer
Mai, Scornful Striker
Legendary Creature — Human Noble Ally · 1B
Color identity: Black
Mai, Scornful Striker is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
First strike
Whenever a player casts a noncreature spell, they lose 2 life.
Reference price of the card: €1.67
Average lands in decks for Mai, Scornful Striker: 35
Group SlugBurnLifegainLifedrainAristocratsAggroSelf-DamageStax
Build your Mai, Scornful Striker deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Mai, Scornful Striker 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Mai, Scornful Striker deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (57/100)
- Consistency39
- Speed60
- Interaction32
- Resilience83
- Closing70
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (10 nonbasic, 25 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Blood Seeker · Crypt Ghast · Jet Medallion · Rug of Smothering · Soot Imp · Blood Artist · Dark Ritual · Fate Unraveler · Painful Quandary · Arcane Signet · Bontu's Monument · Creeping Bloodsucker · Massacre Wurm · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Scrawling Crawler · Polluted Bonds · Underworld Dreams · Dread Presence · Exsanguinate · Morbid Opportunist · Sheoldred, the Apocalypse · Bloodthirsty Conqueror · Bloodchief Ascension · Isolation Cell · Nightshade Harvester · The Darkness Crystal · Exquisite Blood · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Feed the Swarm · Phyrexian Arena · Twilight Prophet · Loyal Subordinate · Ophiomancer · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Withering Torment · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Zulaport Cutthroat · Deadly Rollick · Plague Drone · Reanimate · Imp's Mischief · Wound Reflection · Defile · Orcish Bowmasters · Swiftfoot Boots · Toxic Deluge · Accursed Marauder · Enduring Tenacity · Ankh of Mishra · Killing Wave · Marauding Blight-Priest · Phyrexian Obliterator · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Darkness · Sign in Blood · Solemn Simulacrum · Lightning Greaves · Night's Whisper · Revenge of Ravens · Dauthi Voidwalker · Gwenom, Remorseless · Sangromancer · Cabal Coffers · Bojuka Bog · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Cabal Stronghold · Witch's Cottage · Reliquary Tower · Myriad Landscape · War Room · Castle Locthwain
🃏 Recommended cards for Mai, Scornful Striker
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Mai, Scornful Striker, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Seeker | 64% | +63% |
| Rug of Smothering | 61% | +61% |
| Soot Imp | 60% | +59% |
| Fate Unraveler | 57% | +54% |
| Polluted Bonds | 54% | +52% |
| Creeping Bloodsucker | 56% | +51% |
| Scrawling Crawler | 55% | +51% |
| Isolation Cell | 48% | +48% |
| Underworld Dreams | 53% | +48% |
| Painful Quandary | 57% | +47% |
| Nightshade Harvester | 45% | +45% |
| Bloodthirsty Conqueror | 49% | +39% |
| Dread Presence | 52% | +39% |
| Massacre Wurm | 56% | +39% |
| Bloodchief Ascension | 48% | +39% |
| Loyal Subordinate | 40% | +39% |
| Plague Drone | 38% | +37% |
| Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | 51% | +37% |
| Twilight Prophet | 41% | +35% |
| Wound Reflection | 35% | +31% |
| Ankh of Mishra | 30% | +30% |
| Ayara, First of Locthwain | 55% | +30% |
| Exquisite Blood | 42% | +29% |
| Bloodletter of Aclazotz | 39% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your Mai, Scornful Striker deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Blood Seeker
- Rug of Smothering
- Soot Imp
- Isolation Cell
- Underworld Dreams
- Painful Quandary
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Fate Unraveler
- Polluted Bonds
- Creeping Bloodsucker
- Scrawling Crawler
- Massacre Wurm
- Plague Drone
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
- Bloodchief Ascension
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- Exquisite Blood
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Enduring Tenacity
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Mai, Scornful Striker
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Mai, Scornful Striker's color identity?
Mai, Scornful Striker is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Mai, Scornful Striker come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Mai, Scornful Striker deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 42 % of the time and floods 13 %. Deck health: C+ (57/100).
How many lands should a Mai, Scornful Striker deck run?
Real Mai, Scornful Striker decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Mai, Scornful Striker?
The three highest-synergy cards are Blood Seeker, Rug of Smothering, Soot Imp. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Mai, Scornful Striker decks.
What combos does Mai, Scornful Striker have?
Mai, Scornful Striker has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Mai, Scornful Striker deck cost?
You can start cheap: Blood Seeker, Rug of Smothering, Soot Imp are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.