Meren Commander I need help
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 6, 2016, 7:44 p.m. by WithaBagel
I need advice on my Meren deck. I know how it works but I am not sure if this is a good list.
On a general level...
You may have too many cards that benefit on a creature dying relative to your ability to support them with a steady creature supply. This is impacted by several areas of deck construction: the mana curve of your creatures alone, your ramp suite, and the synergies you're trying to get into play. When I look at your list I see a lot of nasty synergies that soft-lock a table - but they can require 20+ CMC of cards in play, making you extremely weak to even light disruption.
Your limited supply of tutors in the broadest sense - Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Green Sun's Zenith, Jarad's Orders, Buried Alive, and kinda-sorta Evolutionary Leap - means you're at higher risk of "bad luck" games where you just aren't drawing what you need. All but one of these only tutor for creatures, too, so you're SOL if you need access to any other card type.
I think you're a little light on ramp right now compared to the number of high CMC bombs you want to play - 20% of your deck is 5 CMC or above. While playing Meren as our general makes us think we've got unlimited basic land searching from cards like Wood Elves, each time we do that is a turn we have both Meren in play, with enough experience counters, and at a cost of not recurring a value creature or removal.
More recursion, more grave-filling. Meren can get one creature out of your yard each of your turns if she's in play but when is one enough? And what if she gets hated out? You do have some recurring creatures or fodder enchantment but these fund your sac outlets rather than being replacements for the bombs sitting in your graveyard waiting for their turn. I see Sheoldred, Whispering One and Victimize filling this role but unless I'm not seeing it there's nothing else. Consider adding cards like Corpse Dance, Life/Death, and Reanimate. With all of your ways to sac creatures you can easily avoid the exile effect on Corpse Dance and having buyback makes it an all-star. It single-handedly won my last game with my Meren deck.
As for specific cards...
Without much (land) tutoring you're going to find it difficult to assemble the Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth synergy. I'd either cut Coffers or include things like Sylvan Scrying, Crop Rotation, or more unconditional tutors so you have a better chance of getting both in play.
Has Vraska the Unseen paid off for you? My impression is that she's an overcosted removal spell in a lot of games.
You're playing Wood Elves but not Farhaven Elf. At the very least swap for the Farhaven but consider running both based on your number of ramp cards. I'd aim for around 10.
The stax combo of Tangle Wire and Smokestack feel out of place.
Treasured Find out for Regrowth. Identical effect, doesn't exile so it's possible to recur, cheap to buy, and slightly easier mana fixing.
February 7, 2016 11:24 a.m.
I hear you. I tried to recommend only things with a pretty low price tag but which could be nice additions to your deck. Regrowth in particular has several functional reprints that may be even cheaper.
February 7, 2016 3:41 p.m.
Something I should have said before that could be useful when you look at your deck, that helped me with my own Meren deck.
Separate the cards in your list into types based on their role in your deck. Some cards fill more than one role, of course, so either put them in their primary category or double-count them. For example, you probably have at least the following categories: Land, Graveyard Recursion, Removal, Bombs/Fatties/WinCons, Ramp, Tutors or Graveyard Fillers, and Utility (creatures and spells).
Look at how many cards you have in each category. Is one of them over-represented? What's the mana curve like across your categories? Are there critical cards that pull a lot of weight in your deck? If so, do you have ways of tutoring them up when needed or multiple cards that fill the same general role?
cityslicker says... #2
You should look to feed your graveyard as Meren is going to use that as an extension of your hand. Cards like Buried Alive, Jarad's Orders, Hermit Druid I would say are a must. Cards with the dredge ability work. And try to add creatures with enter the battlefield abilities like Grave Titan and Avenger of Zendikar. Try to benefit off of your creatures dying like Grave Pact and Grave Betrayal.
February 6, 2016 9:38 p.m.