Maybeboard


Jan 16, 2022: I have returned to playing EDH online and will be once again tweaking and updating this build as I do research on new cards to fit in. Most of it should stay the same, but the mana base, sac outlets, and utility dudes are going to change. Thanks everyone who enjoyed discussing this build and hating themselves. Taking new recommendations and discussion since I'm largely out of the MTG loop.

Lose Friends and Alienate People: The Deck That Social Distances For You

TL;DR

This Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck is a hyper-efficient Birthing Pod deck built for 2-3 player Commander games. [01/16/22: It performs adequately in 4-player games.] It excels in small groups playing "fair" decks (aggro, non-stax control) and struggles against decks with little-to-no interaction (stax, storm). [01/16/22: I've also found it struggles against high-efficiency mono-white.]

This deck is high-risk, high-reward. You cannot win if you are "nice" while playing. You must play like an a-hole. It is alienating.

What is a Birthing Pod deck?

A Pod deck uses Birthing Pod, Chord of Calling, Collected Company, or Eldritch Evolution effects to turn their library into a creature-based "tool-box." They can do this with combos or utility.

My first good deck was Modern 4C Birthing Pod + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker in Winter of 2013. Back then I appreciated the infinite-combo abilities that Birthing Pod enabled. From then I built Modern decks like Junk, Jund, RG Tron, and of course Melira, Sylvok Outcast Pod. [01/16/2022: Obviously, Birthing Pod has long since been banned in Modern.]

Birthing Pod is a broken card. Lots of fun, I'll tell you.

I enjoy tool-box style decks. They tend to be more resilient and offer more options to players than a streamlined, predictable deck.

The ability to respond to any situation is valuable. Though this style is high-risk due to how off-putting opponents can find it, it can also offer exceptionally high rewards.

This strategy also has plenty of weaknesses--it's a predictable, easy target that's easily disrupted early. This deck is made primarily for 2-3 player Commander games. There are decks that this one probably won't beat, no matter how badly I wish it would. But there are plenty of decks that won't beat this deck. That's what we're hoping for.

Why Utility over Reanimator for Meren? Show

Show Me the DeckFax! Show

Creature Base Show

Non-Creature Spells Show

Side-Board Show

Suggestions

Updates Add

The last time I wrote an update for this deck was 2016. But now I am here once more, tweaking this list.

Changes I made today as I added to/changed the Primer section were:

  • Mana base adjustments: For 2022 and for the playtesting I did. Still sub-optimal and with some sort of budget in mind, but better. Less likely to get stuck on B early when you need G.
  • Maybeboard full rework: Moved things that used to be in the Primer to the Maybeboard, added past suggestions, added new cards I'm considering.

The Revision section will stay visible and you can keep seeing what I tweak, even though I do it in a disorganized fashion.

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Casual

100% Competitive

Revision 3 See all

(2 years ago)

+1 Ancient Tomb main
+2 Assassin's Trophy main
+1 Attrition maybe
+1 Black Market maybe
+1 Bloodghast maybe
+1 Dark Confidant maybe
+1 Deathcap Glade main
-1 Deathreap Ritual main
+1 Demon's Disciple maybe
+1 Dictate of Erebos maybe
+1 Druid of Purification maybe
+1 Foundation Breaker maybe
-1 Ghost Quarter main
+1 Grisly Salvage maybe
-1 Hissing Quagmire main
+1 Life from the Loam maybe
+1 Maralen of the Mornsong maybe
+1 Mausoleum Secrets maybe
+1 Necroblossom Snarl main
+1 Necropotence main
and 40 other change(s)
Top Ranked
Date added 8 years
Last updated 1 year
Exclude colors WUR
Key combos
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

Rarity (main - side)

10 - 0 Mythic Rares

50 - 0 Rares

18 - 0 Uncommons

9 - 0 Commons

Cards 100
Avg. CMC 3.11
Tokens Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Experience Token, Morph 2/2 C, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders Commander Decks, Other Edh, EDH, Cool Decks, EDH
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