Meren has a powerful ability that allows her to recur creatures at the end step, whether they go to the battlefield or the hand is based on the number of experience counters you obtain by slewing yours and others' creatures. What this means is that this deck will rely on mostly ETB and LTB effects brought on by sacrifice effects or other methods.
First thing’s first, the cards I want to go over are both the cards I have and their place within the deck as well as.
Sacrifice Outlets:
There are multiple ways for this deck to get our creatures dead and in the yard to benefit from Meren’s ability
Sac Effects
Viscera Seer
- A one-drop that does a very good job of filtering our draws; not too bad for a one-drop. Nice thing about this card is that it can be used multiple times a turn, including your opponents’ at instant speed to dodge removal and exile effects, and it can be used to save itself. Skullclampable.
Spore Frog
- Not really a sacrifice outlet like a few on this list, but he does sacrifice himself. This is great against anyone whose deck is based on attack (so, like a lot). It’s a great way to give you enough time to get enough experience counters or find your win-cons. Great way to get your first experience counter and get it back during the same end step!
Sakura-Tribe Elder
- Sacrifices himself just like Spore Frog, but he gets a land instead of frustration from your opponent.
Sadistic Hypnotist
- Great card in this deck with all the cannon fodder and ETBs I want to abuse. Works great with my newly acquired
Mindslicer
Merciless Executioner
,
Fleshbag Marauder
,
Slum Reaper
- These three I’m gonna put together, since two are mirror images of each other, and the other costs an extra mana for a pone point boost to power and toughness. These three are the backbones of the deck and I tutor at least one up any chance I get. They do everything this deck wants to do.
Sidisi, Undead Vizier
- Great way to search up what you need and getting an experience counter. It can whiff if you opponent has instant-speed removal, but it’s too good whenever you’re able to get it to work, just be careful! The body on this gal ain’t half bad either! Even though it is rotting flesh…
Disciple of Bolas
- Great way to refill your hand once you run out of things to do and buff your life total a bit when it’s running low. There’s really nothing more to say here. Solid card all around.
Shriekmaw
- It has one of the best abilities for a Meren deck- Echo. I wish there were others that were just as sweet as Shriekmaw to abuse, but there isn’t, and I’m still happy with our four-eyed, two-armed snake-like boy (or girl).
Evolutionary Leap
- Another great card to help bring some card advantage. You can take those extra guys on the field and turn them into something larger. In this deck, you’re gonna hit something that does something!
Fleshwrither
- This guy is the only card with his ability- Transfigure- and it works great in this deck. It hits:
(Maybe Board)-
Nekrataal
- Targeted Removal
It’s a great way to find what you’re looking for.
Birthing Pod- Talked about in Tutors
Victimize
- This is a one-time effect, but it does get you two creatures out of the ‘yard. Very good card in this deck.
Dread Return
- Flashback cost of three creatures is quite nice for getting more experience counters. Since it’s a cost, no matter what your opponents, do, you’re getting three experience counters.
Primal Growth
- Another one-time sac effect, and probably one of the weakest in the deck, but ramping two lands in a turn is no small thing, and it can bring you that much closer to playing any of your finishers.
Grim Backwoods
- While a little mana-intensive and low-impact, it doesn’t take a spell slot and is hard to remove. Being instant speed makes it pretty nice too.
High Market
- Great little sac effect to gain you some life and getting those experience counters higher.
Graveyard Hate
There’s not too much in this deck, but both are fairly easy to get out with all the tutoring and reanimation.
Agent of Erebos
- Great one-sided graveyard wipe effect. Nice is that it triggers off of Animated Dead, so bring back Skullwinder from the yard to turn him into a pseudo-Eternal Witness.
Scavenging Ooze
- What more can I say about ScOoze that you don’t know? Gain life, get bigger, keep graveyards at bay. Always leave a couple forests untapped for this little guy so that your opponents are hesitant on messing with their yard!
Finishers
These are how the deck really puts up the pressure, tightening the vice, putting those last nails in the coffin.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
and
Triskelion
- Infinite combo. Get this and It'll take a damn miracle to keep you from winning once these 2 hit the board. There's no reason to even mentiont the million or so experience counters you’ll get off this interaction, but you’ll lose all those since your opponents’ life totals will all be 0. It's a loss we will just have to deal with and learn to get past.
Void Winnower
- This one is experimental, but getting this guy out in the first 5 turns is basically game over.
Kokusho, the Evening Star
- Damn strong card. Drain your opponents while you fatten up your life total. Go ahead and sac him with High Market for some extra flair.
Massacre Wurm
- This guy isn’t as strong as the other four, but he can allow all those sacrifices to add up. Better version of
Blood Artist
or
Zulaport Cutthroat
which are too cute in this deck, but
Massacre Wurm
puts the oomph in life loss with a 6/5 body.
Board Wipes
Living Death
- Synergizes well with this deck and of course can be used best when we have a full graveyard and are ready to end the game.
Toxic Deluge
- Great card that can remove almost any creature threat you're gonna come up against. It's a Legacy staple which should tell you its power level.
Filling Your Graveyard
Greater Good
- Not only draws you cards, but is a great way to fill the yard with cards you would rather cheat into play.
Removal
We’ll divide this into two sections- creature and non-creature removal
Creature-
Merciless Executioner
,
Fleshbag Marauder
,
Slum Reaper
- Already talked about these in length. Don’t worry, they still remove things just as well as they help you get experience counters.
Shadowborn Demon
- More alive than dead in most matchups, you can make sure to kill almost any creature that isn't a demon, and if that isn't enough, it's not like we have a lack of kill effects in this deck.
Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Very good card to keep those behind, behind and help you catch up as long as you can keep her around for a few turns. Careful though, she’s a lightning rod and in EDH, lightning strikes twice!
Big Game Hunter
- Since EDH is full of big dudes, this guy is a no-brainer to add to the removal package. He also has his Madness cost which makes life easier for casting on occasion.
Putrefy
- Good for removing both creatures and artifacts. Solid, good cost, staple.
Attrition
- Great sac outlet that can kill a ton of creatures. The drawbacks are annoying, but we have enough ways to find the specific card we need if this isn't enough.
Non-creature
Reclamation Sage
- Removing pesky artifacts and enchantments has always been a forte of green’s. Skullclampable.
Acidic Slime
- Two. For. One. This guy always eats something and then eats a removal spell or another creature. You’d be crazy to not run this.
Terastodon
- Great beater and destructor of three of your opponent’s non-creature whatevers for a small safari. I’m ok with the trade.
Woodfall Primus
- Another good way to remove non-creature permanents. With persist, it’s so nice, it can do it twice! With Mikaeus out, he can do it ad infinitum.
Card Draw
This is how we keep ahead. We use the resources available to us to keep our deck going.
Greater Good
- Does everything we want to do, draw, discard and sac.
Disciple of Bolas
- Also pulls triple duty as a sac outlet, card drawer and life gainer. With Kokushuo, it's just the nuts.
Grim Haruspex
. Not explosive, but will draw you the most over a game.
Skullclamp
- The best artifact draw ever. Of course I’m running this. It came with the deck! Here are all the cards that draw you two as soon as you equip it:
Eternal Witness
,
Wood Elves
,
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Dryad Arbor
,
Fyndhorn Elves
,
Elves of Deep Shadow
,
Llanowar Elves
,
Big Game Hunter
,
Reclamation Sage
,
Spore Frog
,
Viscera Seer
,
Disciple of Bolas
,
Fleshbag Marauder
and
Merciless Executioner
. With
Viscera Seer
or
High Market
out, it’s gonna always reap.
Tutors
The tutors I run are a mixed bag until I can afford the best of the best. They will be divided between tutors that put them into the graveyard and those that don’t
To the ‘Yard
Entomb
- Instant-speed, one-mana dump a creature in your graveyard. This works well with reanimate. With those two cards in hand, it won’t take much for you to take the game away. Good way to quickly get in the yard what you need Meren to bring back when her ability triggers.
Buried Alive
- This is where you can get your utility creatures or combos in a position where you can utilize them. A must in this deck.
Jarad's Orders
- Puts one in your hand and one in your ‘yard. Another good and quality combo.
Corpse Connoisseur
- A tutor to the graveyard on a stick. Good for recursion. Has Unearth when needed in a pinch.
To Hand/Library
Fauna Shaman
- Great tutoring card. Her big brother
Survival of the Fittest
needs to be in the deck. Until then, she works great. You can pitch the expensive guys to the yard until you have enough experience counters or have need of their skills to search up what you do need. You can use her to fatten up your graveyard to bait out some grave hate. She is pretty versatile.
Demonic Tutor
- A staple in black, just had to wait for the funds to get it! Is a second copy of any card/effect we need in a pinch.
Diabolic Intent
- Yes, we have to sac a creature, which makes this excellent in this deck. Glad to include it.
To the Battlefield
Chord of Calling
- Great instant-speed to the battlefield tutor. This is a deck where it can be used most effectively. Getting a lot of creatures onto the battlefield in this way is a great way to catch your opponents with their pants down.
Woodland Bellower
- Great way to restart your Birthing Pod chain or get a utility creature you need.
Birthing Pod
- So good it was banned in Modern! If you haven’t heard about this card, let me tell you, it’s bonkers. It can be used to find almost any answer you need.
Recursion
Now, while Meren is the best thing in this deck at recursion, there needs to be some backups in case something happens to our Commander. We have a lot of backup for her ability, so even if they find some way to neutralize Meren, it doesn’t neuter the deck.
Eternal Witness
- A staple in getting cards back from the graveyard. Even though it isn’t straight to the battlefield, it can get non-creature cards which is a boon.
Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Great way to double Meren’s effect without the need for experience points. A lightning rod for removal, though.
Victimize
- Its sacrifice effect is nice, but its two-creature recursion effect is even stronger.
Dread Return
- Use twice to get back a creature back into play from the graveyard. Its Flashback cost of sac three creatures isn’t bad either.
Animate Dead
- One of the best recursion cards in the game. Works great with
Agent of Erebos
to clear a yard.
Reanimate
- The best reanimation card in the deck. Getting a big finisher out in the first couple turns is backbreaking for your opponents.
Phyrexian Delver
- Great card that brings back another body with it, so it's abusable, our favorite kind of card!
Living Death
- Oh yes, both a board wipe and recursion card, it fits so well in this deck.
Ramp
Gotta get that mana count high to play your stuff. While our curve is not that backbreaking, it’s always nice to have more than your opponent.
Land Ramp
This ramp is where you get lands in play
Solemn Simulacrum
- What more can I say that hasn’t been said before? Ramps when he arrives and replaces himself when leaves. It’s a great four-drop.
Wood Elves
- Good way to not only get basic forests, but our duals that have the forest type.
Sakura-Tribe Elder
- This guy is an all-star. He ramps, gets you experience counters and can even be used with Skullclamp.
Artifact Ramp
Sol Ring
- Meren turn two. Think about it.
Ashnod's Altar
-
Mana Dorks
These guys are useful for getting Meren out on turn 3. Not as good as Sol Ring, but they can then be used as sacrifice fodder and get those experience counters and be ready to tap for mana during your next turn.
Miscellaneous
Here are the cards that have more utility than just one place and I’ve decided to put them down here
Liliana, Heretical Healer
- Sac fodder and gets us sac fodder, recurs creatures, forces discards and her emblem is Sheoldred on steroids.
Lightning Greaves
- protect that which needs to be protected.
Changes
-Elvish Visionary
-Faceless Butcher
-2x forest
-Life/Death
-Llanowar Elves
-Mesmeric Fiend
-Murderous Cut
-Mutilate
-Skullwinder
+Shadowborn Demon
+Dryad Arbor
+Glissa, the Traitor
+Phyrexian Delver
+Mindslicer
+Ashnod’s Altar
+Living Death
+Attrition
+Greater Good
+Arcane Lighthouse
Reasons for Changes:
I decided that with Meren, having more creatures is better, so I traded Murderous Cut for Shadowborn Demon since I can tutor for him more easily and is a sac outlet in his own right.
I took out 2 forests for Dryad Arbor and Arcane Lighthouse because it makes the Sigarda matchup much easier, plus the synergy with Agent of Erebos cannot be overlooked.
I added in cards like Attrition, Greater Good and Ashnod’s Altar as repeatable and instant speed sac outlets to make sure I always have a way to give Meren experience counters.
Added Living Death because it synergizes much better than Mutilate.
I added Glissa, the Traitor because I had my artifacts getting removed quite quickly, so having another way to repeatably recur them besides Eternal Witness was a meta move, and the body isn’t bad either. She’s a great rattlesnake card; however, I feel I could add in better options, so she is still under consideration.
Mindslicer is just great because everyone has no hands, while I still have my graveyard active.
Phyrexian Delver is a better Life/Death in this deck since he can be recurred, might as well get 2 bodies back instead of 1.
Change Log
3/17
-1x Big Game Hunter
-1x Fleshwrither
-2x Forest
-1x Glissa, the Traitor
-1x Krosan Tusker
-1x Reclamation Sage
-1x Shadowborn Demon
-1x Slippery Karst
-2x Swamp
-1x Vivid Grove
-1x Woodland Bellower
+1x Caustic Caterpillar
+1x Birds of Paradise
+1x Deathrite Shaman
+1x Vampiric Tutor
+1x Golgari Thug
+1x Bone Shredder
+1x Gravepact
+1x Golgari Grave Troll
+1x Duplicant
+1x Westvale Abbey
+1x Command Beacon
+1x Wooded Foothills
+1x Blooming Marsh
