Maralen stax deck by ESMolen

Format: Commander

Commander: Maralen of the Mornsong

Bracket: 4

DeckCheck Threat Index: 57

Deck overview

This mono-black deck is a dedicated stax and resource-denial build centered around Maralen of the Mornsong. Its primary strategy leverages Maralen's ability to stop card draws while forcing players to search their libraries, pairing her with Opposition Agent to exile opponents' cards and control their searches. Backed by premier fast mana including Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Ancient Tomb, and Mishra's Workshop, the deck accelerates out oppressive lock pieces like Trinisphere, Winter Orb, Static Orb, and Contamination to paralyze opposing mana development early. Once the lock is established, Teferi's Puzzle Box completely strips opponents' hands, cementing a hard lockout while Maralen's draw-step life loss and creature combat steadily close out the game. Resilient backup lines through Bolas's Citadel, Necropotence, and Ad Nauseam ensure strong card flow and independent win conditions even if the commander is removed.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Ad Nauseam
  • 1 Aeon Engine
  • 1 Ancient Tomb
  • 1 Animate Dead
  • 1 Arena of the Ancients
  • 1 Basalt Monolith
  • 1 Bitterblossom
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Blinkmoth Urn
  • 1 Bloodstained Mire
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Bolas's Citadel
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Stronghold
  • 1 Cavern of Souls
  • 1 Chalice of the Void
  • 1 Chrome Mox
  • 1 Contamination
  • 1 Crawlspace
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Cursed Totem
  • 1 Damnation
  • 1 Damping Sphere
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Desolation
  • 1 Emergence Zone
  • 1 Ensnaring Bridge
  • 1 Eon Hub
  • 1 Force of Despair
  • 1 Gauntlet of Power
  • 1 Grim Monolith
  • 1 Imp's Mischief
  • 1 Imperial Seal
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
  • 1 Mana Vault
  • 1 Mana Web
  • 1 Maralen of the Mornsong
  • 1 Marsh Flats
  • 1 Meekstone
  • 1 Metalworker
  • 1 Mishra's Workshop
  • 1 Mox Diamond
  • 1 Mox Opal
  • 1 Mystic Forge
  • 1 Necropotence
  • 1 Nether Void
  • 1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
  • 1 Opposition Agent
  • 1 Orb of Dreams
  • 1 Pithing Needle
  • 1 Polluted Delta
  • 1 Pox
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Sadistic Sacrament
  • 1 Sculpting Steel
  • 1 Smokestack
  • 1 Snuff Out
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spreading Plague
  • 1 Static Orb
  • 1 Strionic Resonator
  • 21 Swamp
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Teferi's Puzzle Box
  • 1 The Immortal Sun
  • 1 Throne of Eldraine
  • 1 Torpor Orb
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Trinisphere
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Vault of Whispers
  • 1 Vedalken Orrery
  • 1 Verdant Catacombs
  • 1 Voltaic Key
  • 1 Ward of Bones
  • 1 Winter Orb
  • 1 Yawgmoth's Will