Sometimes you really just want to wipe everything off the table and start over, so Oblivion Stone does play an important role. For the most part, it's an easy include as a wipe because it can be tutored and untapped with Tezzeret, the Seeker, returned with Academy Ruins to be pretty oppressive, etc.
Yes, Tezz is often just a 5 CMC Birthing Pod tutor for me. That and ramp are his primary uses for me here. But I've still got Wargate and Enlightened Tutor for finding Pod, and I've still got plenty of other ramp. It hurts a little to think about cutting him, but I think I can do it and not miss him too much.
I mentioned this previously, but it was putting Woodland Bellower into my Maelstrom Wanderer deck that made me rethink about putting him here. The more I cast him the more I like him.
As is in here, he can go get ramp, artifact/enchantment removal, and graveyard recursion. Those are solid toolbox options. If I swap Angel of Finality for Scavenging Ooze, he can also go get graveyard hate. Adding in Fierce Empath would let him tutor 6/7 drops.
I dunno, we'll see.
Woodland Bellower can also go get Loaming Shaman for Graveyard Hate if you're looking for a less mana-intensive card. Albeit not being able to block and attack like a pumped Scavenging Ooze is a downer.
Have you considered running Dragon Broodmother? She seems like she'd be perfect for your list providing not only tokens on everyones upkeep but the tokens double as sac outlets.
I have thought about him, but decided against it. I feel like making my mana vulnerable to sweepers is not an ideal plan.
That said, he is certainly quite good with the Ascendancy. I'll probably try him out.
Something to remember is that you can point all of his triggers at one land if you're worried about sweepers. Or just do two lands if you want to get some beats in but you're worried about spot removal.
Have you thought about adding a Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper as another Spell's Matter/Dude Maker card? Not to mention turning your lands into dudes plays really well with Jeskai Ascendancy.
This is my take on a Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck. I'm more focused on value and having a toolbox of answers that are easily tutorable/recurrable than any specific theme like Reanimation. Suggestions of upgrades or things I may have missed are appreciated.
Strionic Resonator does that with Brago and a Mana Rock to create infinite etb triggers. Seems kinda silly to exclude Deadeye Navigator because you could go infinite but to include that.
If Rally concerns you, play Agent of Erebos after they've put 12+ cards in their GY.
Assuming they don't have Rally in hand and can *rally**let agent trigger resolve**sac everything to nantuko husk* that's usually GG as it takes a couple turns to get the engine going.
There's no fool proof way to go about beating this deck but cards like Agent and Hallowed Moonlight (another obvious one) are good places to start.
They also straight up can't kill you through a Perilous Vault.
A part of me really wants to run this combo in a Jund Shell to include Solfatara.
I was just about to mention cutting the Megrim's but I see you've taken care of that already. As you said they just end up being cutesy. That said, great deck.
Anger of the Gods is almost 100% dead against Esper Dragons, but one match where you draw it against Mono-Red and it makes it all worth it. Orator of Ojutai actually overperformed against Esper Dragons; blocking Dragonlord Ojutai and forcing Hero's Downfall on it to allow them to use Foul-Tongue Invocation on Thunderbreak Regent. As for Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury, I was split on him. I did like him but decided against him because I usually only have one threat in play against Esper Dragons so having a bigger power and natural haste seemed better.
The cards I'm most iffy about are some of the sideboard. Particularly Roast and the Anger of the Gods. The Roast is there for Abzan Midrange to kill Siege Rhino but I almost wonder if there isn't a better choice. Anger could be almost anything else and be the same though. I only ever needed to draw one to shut the game away against Mono-Red.
Now posting at home. Edited for Card tags and more thoughts.
I Went 5-1-1 in Swiss, losing to Esper Dragons once out of three times I faced it. Then I beat R/G Dragons in Top 8 before losing to Atarka Red in the Semi's from poor draws.
Woodland Bellower can also go get Loaming Shaman for Graveyard Hate if you're looking for a less mana-intensive card. Albeit not being able to block and attack like a pumped Scavenging Ooze is a downer.
This seems good.
Something to remember is that you can point all of his triggers at one land if you're worried about sweepers. Or just do two lands if you want to get some beats in but you're worried about spot removal.
1 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
Creature (40)
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Viscera Seer
1 Blood Artist
1 Nether Traitor
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Burnished Hart
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Grim Haruspex
1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Merciless Executioner
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Pawn of Ulamog
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Filth
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Savra, Queen of the Golgari
1 Smothering Abomination
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
1 Acidic Slime
1 Gilt-Leaf Winnower
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Shadowborn Demon
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Duplicant
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Triskelion
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Black Market
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Grave Pact
1 Greater Good
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
Sorcery (7)
1 Damnation
1 Decree of Pain
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Living Death
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Yawgmoth's Will
Instant (3)
1 Beast Within
1 Krosan Grip
1 Vampiric Tutor
Artifact (6)
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Birthing Pod
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
Land (35)
1 Bayou
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Command Tower
8 Forest
1 Grim Backwoods
1 High Market
1 Marsh Flats
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Strip Mine
6 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
Strionic Resonator does that with Brago and a Mana Rock to create infinite etb triggers. Seems kinda silly to exclude Deadeye Navigator because you could go infinite but to include that.
I really like Hallowed Moonlight against Abzan Rally. It counters both Rally the Ancestors and Collected Company and against Rally it exiles every creature from their yard.
I was just about to mention cutting the Megrim's but I see you've taken care of that already. As you said they just end up being cutesy. That said, great deck.
Somebody did.
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1240124
4 Ajani's Pridemate
1 Archangel of Thune
2 Auriok Champion
2 Essence Warden
4 Eternal Witness
3 Flickerwisp
3 Serra Ascendant
4 Soul Warden
4 Soul's Attendant
1 Spike Feeder
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Path to Exile
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
2 Gavony Township
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Pendelhaven
2 Plains
3 Razorverge Thicket
4 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
1 Celestial Purge
1 Fiend Hunter
2 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Path to Exile
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Reclamation Sage
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
The cards I'm most iffy about are some of the sideboard. Particularly Roast and the Anger of the Gods. The Roast is there for Abzan Midrange to kill Siege Rhino but I almost wonder if there isn't a better choice. Anger could be almost anything else and be the same though. I only ever needed to draw one to shut the game away against Mono-Red.
Now posting at home. Edited for Card tags and more thoughts.
2 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Dragonlord Kolaghan
3 Wild Slash
4 Draconic Roar
1 Ultimate Price
4 Crackling Doom
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Read the Bones
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Nomad Outpost
4 Temple of Triumph
3 Temple of Silence
1 Temple of Malice
1 Caves of Koilos
2 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Flamewake Phoenix
2 Duress
2 Read the Bones
2 Roast
1 Anger of the Gods
I Went 5-1-1 in Swiss, losing to Esper Dragons once out of three times I faced it. Then I beat R/G Dragons in Top 8 before losing to Atarka Red in the Semi's from poor draws.
2 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
4 Martyr of Sands
4 Ranger of Eos
3 Serra Ascendant
4 Squadron Hawk
1 Student of Warfare
1 Banishing Light
3 Ghostly Prison
3 Orzhov Charm
4 Path to Exile
3 Proclamation of Rebirth
4 Wrath of God
4 Flooded Strand
4 Godless Shrine
2 Marsh Flats
2 Mistveil Plains
6 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Banishing Light
3 Hide // Seek
2 Kor Firewalker
1 Memoricide
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
2 Rule of Law
2 Stony Silence
1 Sun Titan