The Commander
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Exhaust — 
: Put a double strike counter on Mai. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)
Guide
Gameplan
Mai is a cheap, aggressive mono-red commander that turns every cheap noncreature spell into a damage boost via prowess, then permanently doubles her combat output with the one-time double strike exhaust. Curve out early, suit her up with cantrips, pumps, and protection, and connect for lethal commander damage as fast as possible.
Strengths
- Two-mana commander that pressures life totals on turns 3-4 before opponents stabilize
- Prowess scales beautifully with cheap red spells, rummaging, and rituals
- Built-in double strike means you only need 11 combat damage worth of pumps for a one-shot
- Mono-red keeps the mana base clean and consistent with strong burn-based reach
Weaknesses
- Single creature reliance makes her extremely vulnerable to removal and board wipes
- Mono-red lacks resilient protection, recursion, and card advantage compared to other colors
- Falls off hard against lifegain, fog effects, and decks that ignore the board
- Exhaust double strike costs mana and can only be used once, so a kill on Mai resets her
Key Cards
- Embercleave — Cast cheaply after attacking and combined with her double strike it routinely deals 20+ commander damage in a single swing.
- Fireblade Charger — Cheap haste threat whose ability rewards your equipment-and-pump plan while you build toward Mai.
- Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh — Zero-mana body that carries equipment and triggers nothing for Mai but shows the cheap-creature voltron support red offers — swap for early enablers.
- Brute Force — One-mana +3/+3 instant that pumps Mai, triggers prowess, and pushes lethal through blockers.
- Mishra's Bauble — Free cantrip that triggers prowess with zero mana investment, smoothing draws while building damage.
- Lightning Greaves — Haste and shroud protect your fragile commander from removal so she can connect every turn.
Upgrade Path
Lower the curve and add free or one-mana cantrips (Gut Shot, Manamorphose, Mishra's Bauble) to maximize prowess triggers, then layer in protection like Swiftfoot Boots, Apostle's Blessing, and Deflecting Swat to keep Mai alive. Add evasion and trample (Rogue's Passage, Loxodon Warhammer, Embercleave) so your double strike always lands, and include fast mana like Jeska's Will and rituals to deploy Mai and a finisher in the same turn.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸One-shot lethal commander damage from a pumped, double-striking Mai
- ▸Going wide with cheap red threats backed by Embercleave or overrun effects
- ▸Burn spells finishing off opponents brought low by combat damage
Archetypes
- Voltron — Double strike plus pump spells and equipment turns Mai into a one-shot commander-damage threat.
- Spellslinger — Prowess rewards loading the deck with cheap instants, sorceries, and cantrips to grow her each turn.
- Aggro/Burn — Low curve and reach via burn spells let her race the table while leaving damage in hand.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
