Meren's Monster Mash (Primer)

Commander / EDH DSquirrel

SCORE: 5 | 13 COMMENTS | 1523 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS


Aug. 28, 2019

replaced Barter in Blood and Skullwinder with Search for Tomorrow and Kodama's Reach for more ramp

Tata says... #1

I think you can push your power level a bit forward if you anticipate your meta to include more yard hate in response. Graveyard strategies are extremely common in EDH and it's not really your fault if your casual playgroup forgets to include any - that's not really your problem, and in the end it will make them better players if they are forced to solve a problem that comes up in every format of Magic.

Greenwarden of Murasa is an extremely high-value creature on its own. In a deck that self-mills, it's even better. And it's surprisingly cheap.

Woodland Bellower is another high-value creature that's relatively inexpensive.

Barter in Blood and Diabolic Tutor are cuts I would make for this deck. They're spells for one thing, and don't synergize with Meren. They're also a little high in CMC for what they do.

August 26, 2019 7:28 p.m.

DSquirrel says... #2

Tata Would you suggest cutting Barter in Blood and Diabolic Tutor for those two or are there other cards you would replace them with. My main thought process at the moment for Diabolic Tutor is that it can get me any card not just green creatures.

Also what is your opinion on Bolas's Citadel in this deck? I've been looking at it as an auto include in any black deck; but I see it in a lot less decks then I expected. Am I thinking too highly of this card?

August 27, 2019 4:57 a.m.

Tata says... #3

Yes, I would recommend cutting those 2 sorceries. Diabolic Tutor you can keep if you want - it's much better than Barter in Blood . Wretched Confluence is something you could cut instead. It doesn't do enough at all for 5.

Bolas's Citadel is a great card and you should run it.

August 27, 2019 11:45 a.m.

Tata says... #4

Creatures that smooth your curve and give you a much more consistent and stronger mid/late game: Diligent Farmhand , Fertilid , Farhaven Elf , Yavimaya Elder . Spells that do the same: Cultivate , Kodama's Reach , Skyshroud Claim , Nature's Lore , Farseek , Nissa's Pilgrimage .

I would really recommend cutting down on big spells and replacing them with cards like these.

August 27, 2019 11:50 a.m.

DSquirrel says... #5

what would you suggest cutting to fit in the ramp then? Most games I feel like I get a consistent mid/late game and still find my self drawing ramp when I don't feel like I need it.

I don't really have many Big spells, I think the deck might be a bit too front heavy with all the low CMC I have.

August 27, 2019 12:29 p.m.

Tata says... #6

It's hard to see your real curve because of your large Maybeboard. Though you don't have a lot of 1-drops, that's for sure. Search for Tomorrow and Diligent Farmhand are good choices in that regard.

You have a lot of cards that cost 2 but you don't really want to cast on turn 2. Things like Zulaport Cutthroat should be saved in hand for a big play, for example, and Costly Plunder will probably rarely be cast on turn 2, whereas something like Sakura-Tribe Elder will ALWAYS be played on turn 2. Same with Farseek , Nature's Lore , etc.

Top-end should really be wincons. You have Pathbreaker Ibex , Overwhelming Stampede , and Command the Dreadhorde for that, and I think you could fit in one or two more big ones. Rise of the Dark Realms , Craterhoof Behemoth , Triumph of the Hordes , Avenger of Zendikar , Rune-Scarred Demon to tutor for answers/wincons - these are all solid top-end choices.

I would cut your creature-count by about 5. I suggest looking at Massacre Girl , Skullwinder , Carrion Feeder , Whisper, Blood Liturgist , World Shaper , Gonti, Lord of Luxury . Most of these are decent cards, but I don't think they do enough in your build.

August 27, 2019 12:52 p.m.

DSquirrel says... #7

I don't like the idea of adding Craterhoof Behemoth or Triumph of the Hordes as I like to drain people out rather then win via combat. Pathbreaker Ibex and Overwhelming Stampede are only in there as I started from the precon and haven't found anything to replace them with.

I am tempted to remove Skullwinder and World Shaper but I feel the others are good for the deck as Massacre Girl is a decent board wipe; Carrion Feeder adds a sac outlet and Whisper, Blood Liturgist is more recursion and extra sac.

There are already 6 forms of ramp in the deck so wouldn't adding more just take away from what I need the mana for

August 27, 2019 2:04 p.m.

Tata says... #8

I understand. Many people think overrun effects are cheese, though I disagree (since they require the combination of multiple creatures, and cards like Torment of Hailfire require nothing but mana).

Drain effects are hard to pull off, and if you want to gear your deck towards them, you will find that your wincon of pinging opponents to death will revolve around a bunch of cheap token creatures. Zulaport Cutthroat , Blood Artist , and Poison-Tip Archer offer you your road to victory if you can reliably sacrifice the tokens from Hornet Queen , Avenger of Zendikar , Deep Forest Hermit , and Tendershoot Dryad , just to name a few of my favorite army-in-a-can creatures.

You already have some great sacrifice outlets, but I would also add: Culling Dais and Perilous Forays to what you are already considering in your Maybeboard.

August 27, 2019 6:42 p.m.