Tutorless Meren

Commander / EDH

Maimed_Dan

Land (35)

• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crypt of Agadeem
• 6x Forest
• 1x Golgari Rot Farm
• 1x High Market
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Llanowar Wastes
• 1x Mortuary Mire
• 1x Mystifying Maze
• 1x Nephalia Academy
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Sea Gate Wreckage
• 1x Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Wood
• 1x Temple of Malady
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Throne of the High City
• 1x Twilight Mire
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Woodland Cemetery

Finisher (9)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1x Kessig Cagebreakers
• 1x Kokusho, the Evening Star
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1x Primal Surge
• 1x Puppeteer Clique
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Tokens (8)

• 1x Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1x Garruk Wildspeaker
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1x Kessig Cagebreakers
• 1x Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1x Ophiomancer
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Tendershoot Dryad

Beater (6)

• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Kokusho, the Evening Star
• 1x Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
• 1x Regal Behemoth
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Svogthos, the Restless Tomb

Draw (15)

• 1x Decree of Pain
• 1x Grim Haruspex
• 1x Harvester of Souls
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1x Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1x Lurking Predators
• 1x Midnight Reaper
• 1x Regal Behemoth
• 1x Sea Gate Wreckage
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Throne of the High City
• 1x Treasure Keeper
• 1x Underrealm Lich
• 1x Yavimaya Elder
• 1x Zendikar Resurgent

Removal (13)

• 1x Attrition
• 1x Decree of Pain
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Dictate of Erebos
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1x Merciless Executioner
• 1x Pernicious Deed
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Shriekmaw
• 1x Song of the Dryads
• 1x Windgrace's Judgment

Ramp (9)

• 1x Boundless Realms
• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Garruk Wildspeaker
• 1x Golgari Signet
• 1x Phyrexian Altar
• 1x Regal Behemoth
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Zendikar Resurgent

Defense (7)

• 1x Acidic Slime
• 1x Cauldron of Souls
• 1x Mystifying Maze
• 1x Nephalia Academy
• 1x Ophiomancer
• 1x Spore Frog
• 1x Tendershoot Dryad

Mill (4)

• 1x Altar of Dementia
• 1x Deadbridge Chant
• 1x Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1x Underrealm Lich

Commander (1)

Reanimate (14)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Body Snatcher
• 1x Cauldron of Souls
• 1x Deadbridge Chant
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Golgari Findbroker
• 1x Journey to Eternity  ^Flip
• 1x Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1x Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1x Nezumi Graverobber  ^Flip
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Strionic Resonator
• 1x Victimize

Sacrifice (13)

• 1x Altar of Dementia
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Attrition
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x High Market
• 1x Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
• 1x Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1x Merciless Executioner
• 1x Phyrexian Altar
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Hate (7)

• 1x Acidic Slime
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Pernicious Deed
• 1x Puppeteer Clique
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Woodfall Primus

---

This is my Meren list. I used to run tutors like Sidisi, Buried Alive, Birthing Pod or Pattern of Rebirth, but the game would always gravitate towards a combo kill; usually via Necrotic Ooze or Nim Deathmantle. It was very powerful, but very repetitive - it wasn't really fun for me, or the rest of my meta, who don't combo, at least not like that. So I cut all of those.

The deck still crushes it, but now it does so by controlling the board and incrementally growing value until it lands a finisher. The high creature count lets me run cards like Primal Surge , Lurking Predators , and Zendikar Resurgent with high yields. I'm looking forward to pulling them off. I'm also experimenting with unconventional finishers such as Grimoire of the Dead , and Kessig Cagebreakers . Won't know if they work until I try them, but I'm hopeful.

Because most of those tutors have been cut, most of the cards that are good in combos have as well. Jarad, Nim Deathmantle, Necrotic Ooze, just don't pull their weight without it.

There are a few things that probably still need to be adjusted. The deck can operate if Meren is removed, but not as well as it could. Adding redundant effects could help mitigate that, and as a result make her less of a target. I have some, but I feel like I could use a couple more.

UPDATE: In an effort to continue to make this deck less feel-bad, I've cut the discard packages and auto-win cards out as well. Not as good anymore, but games where no one plays cards while you slowly beat them to death with utility creatures are boring, and it's kind of dumb how Rise of the Dark Realms just wins automatically.

Date added	9 years
Last updated	6 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 43 - 0 Rares 27 - 0 Uncommons 8 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.06
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, City's Blessing, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Elf Druid 1/1 G, Emblem Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Energy Reserve, Experience Token, Human 2/2 G, Insect 1/1 BG, Morph 2/2 C, Plant 0/1 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Snake 1/1 B, The Monarch, Wolf 2/2 G, Zombie 2/2 B