Meren of Clan Nel Toth - The Circle of Death

Commander / EDH* BG (Golgari) Bracket 4 Elves Infinite Combo Sacrifice

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Creature (28)

• 1x Walking Ballista
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Carrion Feeder
• 1x Caustic Caterpillar
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Spore Frog
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Dark Confidant
• 1x Fauna Shaman
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Satyr Wayfinder
• 1x Demon's Disciple
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Gravelighter
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Braids, Cabal Minion *f-etch*GC
• 1x Necrotic Ooze
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1x Phyrexian Devourer
• 1x Triskelion
• 1x Protean Hulk *f-etch*

Artifact (10)

• 1x Chrome MoxGC
• 1x Mox DiamondGC
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Altar of Dementia
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Strionic Resonator
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Phyrexian Altar
• 1x Birthing Pod

Land (31)

• 1x Ancient TombGC
• 1x Bayou HP
• 1x Bloodstained Mire *f-pre*
• 1x Blooming Marsh
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dakmor Salvage
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 3x Forest
• 1x High Market
• 1x Llanowar Wastes
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nurturing Peatland
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Wood
• 1x Twilight Mire
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills
• 1x Woodland Cemetery

Instant (6)

• 1x Entomb
• 1x Vampiric TutorGC
• 1x Abrupt Decay
• 1x Assassin's Trophy *f-pre*
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Krosan Grip

Commander (1)

Enchantment (12)

• 1x Exploration
• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Dance of the Dead
• 1x Survival of the FittestGC
• 1x Sylvan Library
• 1x Necromancy
• 1x NecropotenceGC
• 1x Pernicious Deed
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Defense of the Heart
• 1x Grave Pact
• 1x Greater Good

Sorcery (12)

• 1x Profane Tutor
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Demonic TutorGC
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Farseek
• 1x Persist
• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Cultivate
• 1x Grim Tutor
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Victimize
• 1x Natural OrderGC

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Sideboard

Artifact (1)

• 1x Mana Crypt

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Maybeboard

Creature (4)

• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x Merciless Executioner
• 1x Wood Elves

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Green Sun's Zenith
• 1x Life from the Loam
• 1x Eldritch Evolution

Artifact (1)

• 1x Netherborn Altar

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Meren of Clan Nel Toth - The Circle of Death

Deck Overview

Welcome to Meren of Clan Nel Toth, a graveyard-focused, creature recursion powerhouse. This deck thrives on sacrificing creatures to generate value, then reanimating them to keep the cycle going. Meren is your commander, using experience counters to bring creatures back from your graveyard to the battlefield and continue building momentum.

Key Synergies

• Sacrifice Outlets: Meren shines when you sacrifice creatures for value. Viscera Seer, Carrion Feeder, Ashnod’s Altar, and Phyrexian Altar let you sacrifice creatures repeatedly to trigger Meren’s reanimation ability.
• Reanimation Power: Meren gets stronger the more creatures die, making her a key engine in this deck. Reanimate, Animate Dead, and Buried Alive help load your graveyard and bring back important creatures.
• Graveyard Setup: Entomb, Survival of the Fittest, and Buried Alive set up key graveyard targets for recursion.
• Value Creatures: Eternal Witness, Grave Pact, Spore Frog, and Plaguecrafter all provide ongoing value when sacrificed or reanimated.

Win Conditions

This deck can win in multiple ways, depending on the game state:

1. Graveyard Grind

2. Meren's recurring creatures combined with value pieces like Grave Pact and Toxic Deluge let you grind your opponents down over time. Sacrifice creatures to clear boards while ensuring that your creatures keep coming back.

3. Sacrifice Value

4. Reanimating creatures like Sakura-Tribe Elder, Spore Frog, or Demon’s Disciple lets you constantly disrupt your opponents while building your own advantage.

5. Big Creature Finishers

6. Mikaeus, the Unhallowed combined with Triskelion or Walking Ballista can set up infinite damage loops.

7. Board Control and Value

8. Grave Pact and Plaguecrafter create massive value when you sacrifice creatures, ensuring your opponents are pressured and forced to sacrifice their own creatures, clearing the way for your win.

Early Game

• Start by ramping with mana dorks like Llanowar Elves, Birds of Paradise, or Farseek to get your mana base ready.
• Get Meren on the battlefield early to start accumulating experience counters.
• Set up a sacrifice outlet to take advantage of your creatures and get more value from them.

Mid Game

• Use tutors like Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Diabolic Intent to find your key combo pieces or reanimation spells.
• Start looping creatures with Meren’s ability, reanimating Eternal Witness, Sakura-Tribe Elder, or other utility creatures.
• Keep the board clear with Grave Pact and Plaguecrafter while continuing to build your engine.

Late Game

• At this stage, if you haven't already won through infinite combos or grind value, you're in a position to outlast opponents with recursive threats and board control.
• Set up an infinite combo using Mikaeus + Triskelion or Walking Ballista to finish the game.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Strengths:
• High resilience—this deck can recover from board wipes and removal with its graveyard recursion.
• Multiple win conditions—you can win with an infinite combo, grind value, or big finishers.

• Strong against creature-heavy decks, especially with Grave Pact and Toxic Deluge.

• Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to graveyard hate like Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void.
• Slow start—this deck needs time to ramp and set up, so faster decks might outrace it.
• Struggles against non-creature combo decks or heavy control decks that prevent creature recursion.

Card Choices

• Meren of Clan Nel Toth: The engine that powers this deck, allowing you to continually bring back key creatures from your graveyard.
• Eternal Witness + Animate Dead: Reanimating key creatures from your graveyard to keep your engine running.
• Carrion Feeder + Viscera Seer: Sacrifice outlets that help you trigger Meren’s ability and generate value.
• Grave Pact: A powerful enchantment that forces opponents to sacrifice creatures every time you sacrifice one of your own, keeping board control.

Date added	6 years
Last updated	10 hours
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	9 - 0 Mythic Rares 62 - 1 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.51
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Experience Token