Introduction:
This is a synergy, combo, aggro-midrange Miracle Grow variant that features Merfolks as its core creature package. As with other similar Miracle Grow decks, this archetype aims to have creatures stay on board and then have them 'grow' with the addition of +1/+1 counter effects over time. Its main win condition is to out value your opponent by turning low stated weenies into beat sticks and eventually closing out the game through the unblockable effect of Herald of Secret Streams. Very simple, but the choices made each turn greatly affect later ones because this deck is dynamic due to its inherent synergies.
Consider how small the Merfolk package is. It consists of 16 Merfolks with an additional 4 Metallic Mimic acting as a Merfolk only when they are on board. Each Merfolk, therefore, relies on each other Merfolk to work and grow. Their supporting cast, the additional 13 non-Merfolk creatures, tend to doll out +1/+1 counters continue the theme of growing our minions. From the Metallic Mimic pumping each Merfolk that comes into play after it to the Verdurous Gearhulk which spreads counters around to other creatures or place them on himself to the draw of Rogue Refiner, the whole creature package specializes in either drawing cards to get more creatures who can pump out +1/+1 counters or are themselves creatures that add +1/+1 counters to the board.
The deck is straight forward in its plan to grow creatures and smash faces, but the conditions that allow for that game plan rapidly change based on draws, creatures/artifact in play, and which creatures/artifact are destroyed during the game.
WHY I HAVE PICK THE CARDS THAT I HAVE PICKED
Spell Selection:
We being in an odd section for covering the choice of cards in the main deck list of a creature based deck, for we are going survey its spells first. As this version of Miracle Grow focuses heavily on creatures, there is limited room for spells, but the ones we do run, inform our later creature choices. So, with such a small selection, whichever spells are included in the list must focus on solving two specific problems: They must either protect our creatures or fix our early mana issues. Since each spell has to do multiple things and cost relatively little to fit in our aggressive and constrained style, we shall include only spells that cost one mana in the main list. An example of this efficient dual-natured spell is Blossoming Defense. It wonderfully both pumps our creatures to change combat math and also protects them from targeted removal all while costing a single mana. The second instant we run is the cheap removal spell Fatal Push. With its highly efficient removal of early and mid-game threats Fatal Push is an auto-include in any black list in this meta because of cards like Longtusk Cub and other strong aggro/midrange cards; there isn't a choice, Fatal Push belongs in any black deck. The last spell run in the main list is Attune with Aether. It is another auto include in any multi-coloured green based Aether Hub deck. It fixes our early game mana problems, gives us energy to spend, and thins our deck via land searching.
Each of these three spells serves the basic needs of this deck they enable our aggression through control or draw us cards that we need to function but because of space constraints, we cannot afford to run 4 copies of each spell, so the two weakest ones are reduced down to three copies each.
Creature and Artifact Choices:
As a Merfolk deck, many of a creature choices are made out of necessity as the pool or Merfolk in standard is still small. However, within the constrained pool of merfolk options the main consideration of our running them is their utility. Due to our small pool of spells, we lack some of the utility that a larger amount of spells provides. Therefore our creatures often serve as pseudo-spell to make up for our lack of actual spells: This deck's creatures produce energy counters, hand out +1/+1 counters, search our deck for lands, provide a pseudo-scry, and draw us cards. These pseudo-spell creatures, often Merfolk like Silvergill Adept, Merfolk Branchwalker, and Vineshaper Mystic, have trigger abilities that activate when they come into play. As there are many into play triggers creatures in our deck list, to capitalize on our use of into play triggers, we run the artifact Panharmonicon. With its ability to double into play triggers, it transforms the great synergy of our cards into stellar synergy. While Panharmonicon is itself an excellent card, with its high mana cost and tempo loss if played on turn 4 when it cannot be paired with any other card in our deck, it is not a card we want to see constantly in most match ups. With its good synergy but wonky fit, we only include two copies of Panharmonicon in the list.
Why Black?:
The last important feature of this list is that it is a tricolour deck. As Merfolk are primarily blue and green cards, those colours are predetermined for our deck. So, what is the point of splashing in some black cards into the mix if there are no black Merfolk in standard? Well, black offers the insanely strong removal card in the spell Fatal Push as well as more cheap anti-removal cards in the sideboard with Duress; but the main reason to splash black into a Merfolk deck is Winding Constrictor. The Constrictor is incredible in that it doubles the effect of a single +1/+1 counter effect radically increasing the growth of our early plays when combined with cards such as Metallic Mimic and Merfolk Branchwalker.
Another strong justification for using a tricolour list is that black has some of the best control spells to fix the primary weaknesses of a Miracle Grow creature archetype: it can keep our opponent from wiping our board and Black does so the cheapest. Because black removal is so inexpensive and so diverse, you can slip those black control spells into play while also dropping your own cost-effective creatures. As an added bonus, Black has Vraska's Contempt to exile any obnoxious cards such as as The Scarab God or planswalkers like Chandra, Torch of Defiance.
The final and very dumb reason to include black in a primarily Green-Blue archetype is, actually, The Scarab God. As one of the best individual cards in standard, The Scarab God further increases our already savage and consistent end game plan. It is just so good that the card belongs in any blue-black list.
Sideboard:
We have covered spell, creature, artifact, and colour selection, so the last issue to broach is our sideboard tech. Because there are many aggro decks out there, as with many lists, we run Aethersphere Harvester to stay alive long enough for our Merfolk to take over the game. We also include a few copies of Duress, Heroic Intervention, and Negate to counter control decks as well as survive board sweeps as overextending without draw cards is often a loss. We also have a single copy of Carnage Tyrant and Confiscation Coup to act as finishers against control decks giving us some more staying power. Finally, there is the mandatory graveyard hate with Sentinel Totem and the necessary planeswalker and indestructible control with Vraska's Contempt to round out the sideboard to meet a variety of meta threats.
Additional Information
- This deck is not yet standard viable until Rivals of Ixalan is added into the standard format because this list uses the reprinted Silvergill Adept.
- This is a work in progress and an early version of the deck. It will be updated as more cards are revealed from Rivals of Ixalan (Pray for another +1/+1 counter lord).
- If you want to adjust the relative amounts of each spell, change them as you need to, but I would not recommend cutting any of them outright.
- To make the deck a little cheaper, cut Scarab Lord and add in a third Panharmonicon or Rogue Refiner based on your preference.
- While the list is my own design, some of the card selections were inspired by MTG Goldfish's SaffronOlive. Its successes and failings are my own.
