<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aunt May" href="#" target="_blank">Aunt May</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://gallegosart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Randy Gallegos</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello and welcome to <em>Spider-Man</em> preview season! Or is it <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em> preview season? Didn't <em>Edge of Eternities</em> just get released? All of these things are true. So, it's as good a time as any for a <em>Spider-Man</em> deck tech! <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=set%3Aspm+is%3Acommander&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We've already seen 30 commanders from this set</a>, but one of them caught my eye for its simplicity. While there's certainly more unique options for interested deckbuilders, today's deck tech will be focused on... <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aunt May" href="#" target="_blank">Aunt May</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aunt May"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Aunt May Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aunt May's a pretty simple card. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we get a 0/2 Human Citizen that lets us gain a life whenever another creature we control enters the battlefield. She also puts a +1/+1 counter on that creature if it's a Spider (but there's only one Spider in this deck, so that line of text is largely irrelevant). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love how straightforward this card is. So many modern commanders have got far too much text on them, so it's refreshing to return to something a little bit more down-to-earth once in a while. Plus, Aunt May doesn't sacrifice on power. Although she's only got one ability, it's a strong one that a lot of white cards can capitalize on. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aunt May is, of course, the latest in a long line of Soul Sisters - creatures that let us gain life whenever a creature we control enters the battlefield. She's essentially a cheaper version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daxos, Blessed by the Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Daxos, Blessed by the Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (but without the death trigger) and a monocolored version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (also without the death trigger). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Notably, though, Aunt May costs just one mana. This small change makes a world of difference, as it means we'll always have an impactful turn-one play that can set us on a great path for the early game. Long term readers of my articles will know I love a good curve out, so I'm especially excited for this deck tech!<br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos, Blessed by the Sun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim"></div></div></p>
<p>Let's get down to brass tacks. How are we actually going to win? All lifegain decks face this problem, and far too many of them fail to answer it effectively. Here, we'll gain a boatload of life by flooding the board with creatures. Then, we'll convert that lifegain into victory through alternate win conditions and those creatures into super effective combat steps through anthems.</p>
<p>It might not be the most glamorous game plan, but it's a very <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> way to win! Let's get going, and see what this deck can do!</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Everyone's Favorite Auntie</h2>
<p>Alongside Aunt May, this deck's got a full seven soul sister effects. While the deck can certainly gain enough life with our commander alone, it becomes significantly more effective with another <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variant on board.</p>
<p>My favorite among these is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haliya, Guided by Light" href="#" target="_blank">Haliya, Guided by Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which triggers itself and can provide us with card advantage. I'm also a fan of both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suture Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Suture Priest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guide of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Guide of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both of which provide upside compared to the OG effect. I love cards that improve on a timeless classic in some subtle way, while still allowing room for unique deckbuilding by not being too overpowered.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haliya, Guided by Light"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Suture Priest"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guide of Souls"></div></div>
<p>Because we've got constant access to <a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/tags/card/creaturefall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creaturefall</a> effects, cards that can repeatedly make tokens shine in this deck's 99. Among them, my favorite is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Sell-Sword" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Sell-Sword</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This creature is fantastic, letting us get an extra body every time a creature we control enters. Plus, it'll provide us with an effective attacker, blocker, and an extra card draw on each of our turns! <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is admittedly a lot to ask, but this creature pays us off quite well for that investment.</p>
<p>There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand Moons Smithy" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand Moons Smithy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an awesome card from <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan</em> that makes some huge tokens. It makes what I affectionately refer to as a "super karnstruct" on ETB, and can keep making those super karnstructs if we've got a big enough board. These tokens, of course, trigger our enters effects, but they can also serve as win conditions if we make enough of them.</p>
<p>There's lots of other ways to make tokens, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voice of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Voice of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar" href="#" target="_blank">Adeline, Resplendent Cathar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Charismatic Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Charismatic Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But, those cards are already well known and well understood.</p>
<p>For our last card in this group, I'll talk about another high mana value card that makes a huge impact on the game: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silverwing Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Silverwing Squadron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Human Knight is a huge, flying, vigilant body. And, it'll make us three tokens every time it attacks (which also means this creature becomes even bigger)! It might cost six mana, but Silverwing Squadron is a nice way to transition from the mid- to the late-game, and even close out grindier matches.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Sell-Sword"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand Moons Smithy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silverwing Squadron"></div></div>
<p>With all these creatures entering the battlefield, we'll be gaining a lot of life. How can we turn those life points into actual, factual on-board advantage?</p>
<p>Well, by far the best way to do that is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We'll usually have a big board of small creatures, and this Angel can turn that army into a fearsome fighting force. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Man, Peter Parker" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Man, Peter Parker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have similar effects, but the aforementioned Angel is significantly more effective.</p>
<p>There's also quite a few ways to turn lifegain into tokens. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crested Sunmare" href="#" target="_blank">Crested Sunmare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Resplendent Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Resplendent Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Speaker of the Heavens" href="#" target="_blank">Speaker of the Heavens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are just three of several ways that we can make tokens if we keep gaining life.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crested Sunmare"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Resplendent Angel"></div></div>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aunt May" href="#" target="_blank">Aunt May</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px;">As the game goes on, there's a few ways that we can ensure that we turn the corner and secure victory. First up, there's anthems like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Invention" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Invention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Warleader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Warleader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The latter two creatures can even create extra tokens, should we need to gain more life or simply have more blockers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 16px;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline of Hope"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Invention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warren Warleader"></div></div></span></p>
<p>There's a few creatures that get progressively bigger as we gain more and more life, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voice of the Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Voice of the Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda&#039;s Hierophant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and (my favorite) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Qala, Ajani&#039;s Pridemate" href="#" target="_blank">Qala, Ajani&#039;s Pridemate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Qala, in particular, excels here. This Cat Warrior gets huge as the game rages on, acts as another anthem effect, and can even turn our excess mana into extra lifegain!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voice of the Blessed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Qala, Ajani&#039;s Pridemate"></div></div>
<p>Finally, we've got a trio of alternate win conditions: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Destiny" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Destiny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We should easily be able to gain enough life to activate these win cons, making them relatively consistent ways to end the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherflux Reservoir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Destiny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Sovereign"></div></div>
<h2>Aunt May Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a Lifegain Deck with Aunt May" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Aunt May
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Caduceus, Staff of Hermes
*1 Oketra&#039;s Monument
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 The Wind Crystal
*1 Thousand Moons Smithy // Barracks of the Thousand
*1 Well of Lost Dreams
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
*1 Angel of Destiny
*1 Angel of Invention
*1 Angel of Vitality
*1 Angelic Sell-Sword
*1 Archangel of Thune
*1 Archivist of Oghma
*1 Auriok Champion
*1 Celestine, the Living Saint
*1 Charismatic Conqueror
*1 Crested Sunmare
*1 Elenda&#039;s Hierophant
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Exemplar of Light
*1 Felidar Sovereign
*1 Guide of Souls
*1 Haliya, Guided by Light
*1 Heliod, Sun-Crowned
*1 Knight of the White Orchid
*1 Linden, the Steadfast Queen
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Loyal Warhound
*1 Lunarch Veteran // Luminous Phantom
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Nykthos Paragon
*1 Ocelot Pride
*1 Qala, Ajani&#039;s Pridemate
*1 Resplendent Angel
*1 Saradoc, Master of Buckland
*1 Serra Ascendant
*1 Silverwing Squadron
*1 Soul Warden
*1 Soul&#039;s Attendant
*1 Speaker of the Heavens
*1 Spider-Man, Peter Parker
*1 Sunscorch Regent
*1 Suture Priest
*1 The Gaffer
*1 Voice of Victory
*1 Voice of the Blessed
*1 Warren Warleader
*1 Welcoming Vampire
*1 Witch Enchanter // Witch-Blessed Meadow
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Authority of the Consuls
*1 Blind Obedience
*1 Case of the Uneaten Feast
*1 Cleric Class
*1 Griffin Aerie
*1 Legion&#039;s Landing // Adanto, the First Fort
*1 Leyline of Hope
*1 March of the Canonized
*1 Sheltered by Ghosts
*1 Skrelv&#039;s Hive
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ajani, Strength of the Pride
[/Planeswalkers]
[Instants]
*1 Get Lost
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unexplained Absence
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Fumigate
*1 White Sun&#039;s Twilight
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*31 Plains
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That's it for this week, folks! I'm pretty happy with how this list turned out. We've turned a simple, one-drop commander into a fun mono-white lifegain list that can hang with much more complex decks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I wanted to shoutout one of my favorite cards in this list before I end this writeup. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunscorch Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Sunscorch Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get really big, really fast. And, this Dragon can repeatedly trigger our <a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/tags/card/lifegain-matters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifegain-matters</a> effects. In case you can't tell, I really like five- and six-drops that can accelerate us towards victory. Long live battlecruiser EDH!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunscorch Regent"></div></div>
<h3>More <em>Spider-Man</em>:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="pz5P7aFfCu"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/gwen-stacy-ghost-spider-commander-deck-tech/">Gwen Stacy // Ghost-Spider Commander Deck Tech</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Gwen Stacy // Ghost-Spider Commander Deck Tech&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/gwen-stacy-ghost-spider-commander-deck-tech/embed/#?secret=8ppWYhseX4#?secret=pz5P7aFfCu" data-secret="pz5P7aFfCu" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="3Wwbw18y29"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/spider-man-noir-commander-deck/">Building a Counters-Matter Spider-Man Noir Deck</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building a Counters-Matter Spider-Man Noir Deck&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/spider-man-noir-commander-deck/embed/#?secret=FfjaFi1BFr#?secret=3Wwbw18y29" data-secret="3Wwbw18y29" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="igzUaLvQ1v"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/a-mono-white-voltron-aikido-deck-with-anti-venom-horrifying-healder/">A Mono-White Voltron / Aikido Deck with Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;A Mono-White Voltron / Aikido Deck with Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/a-mono-white-voltron-aikido-deck-with-anti-venom-horrifying-healder/embed/#?secret=a55beOeYF2#?secret=igzUaLvQ1v" data-secret="igzUaLvQ1v" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


aunt may

Building a Lifegain Deck with Aunt May