Meren of Clan Value (Duel Banlist)
Duel Commander*
SCORE: 9 | 9 COMMENTS | 3556 VIEWS
New cards to test from Amonkhet —April 25, 2017
Amonkhet has a number of interesting new toys to test out for Golgari Creature decks. In particular, green gets a potential boost from Vizier of the Menagerie, Prowling serpopod and Manglehorn, while Bontu the Glorified has potential in a sacrifice-based deck. Which leads me to my deck alterations
Out: Shriekmaw, Abyssal Persecutor
In: Bontu the Glorified, Vizier of the Menagerie
Cutting Shriekmaw feels very, deeply wrong, however with the state of my local meta it really is the correct cut. During any given event, at least 75% of the decks are Black/X decks, and most of my most challenging matchups are against decks that feature black heavily. Notably Griselbrand control has zero targets for my favorite recurable Terror and it doesn't remove Anafenza, the Foremost, the commander in the local meta that hoses my strategy the most. Olivia Voldaren, Anafenza, the Foremost, and a Leovold control deck that I know for a fact one of the local players has in the works all make for a meta very unfriendly to Terror effects. Indeed, the only deck that consistently presents Shriekmaw targets is Zurgo, and killing 1 and 2-drops makes the card a fair bit less mana efficient than I would like. The card will easily see a return to the deck (along with Bone Shredder) if a meta shift will allow it, but for now it will have to take a back seat to me creature-based edicts and targeted removal. I have actually tested Dark Betrayal to great success at my local store, bizarrely.
Cutting Abyssal Persecutor seems more obvious. It is a big, nasty flying threat, but it gains no value on ETB/reanimation and is frequently a 4-mana creature that simply eats removal. Vizier is a four-drop that is much more relevant to my overall game plan, gaining card advantage, something hard to do in G/B colours and presenting a respectable 3/4 body against aggressive strategies.
Finally, Bontu the Glorified seems to be doing all of the things Meren wants to be doing. It's a sac outlet that drains your opponent and fixes your draws and is difficult for non-white decks to deal with. The creature survives basically any board-wipe short of Toxic Deluge for 6 life or a late Mutilate. It threatens to block at a moment's notice, with another creature in play with only two mana open and swings in for damage when it counts. I doubt I will cut this card any time soon.
Now for the cards I haven't added in this update. Prowling Serpopard seems amazing, a 4/3 for 3 is above curve it does a reasonable Cavern of Souls impression where it counts. The thing is, I'm not hugely worried about blue control in my local meta right now. I am sure I will find space for the card if/when Baral/Baby Jace decks start popping up again, but until then the under-costed body just isn't enough to sell me on the card. Manglehorn seems very good, and having a second Reclamation Sage (lets face it, you are using rec sage to hit artifacts most of the time anyway) that continues to hose mana rocks and miscellaneous artifacts while in play seems pretty great. But the 3-drop slot in this deck is already very tight, and I just don't know what I would cut. I am sure I will revisit this card at some point, but for now it doesn't quite make the cut.