Man, I'd hate to retool my build just so i could cast this, but if I could reanimate it it'd be solid. I love it.
I'm going to have to start looking through all of my active decks and figuring out how much access I have to colorless mana in an average game before I start working on these kinds of cards, but it is a sweet card. I'll start working on looming through the set and giving a review on it.
I should clarify i didnt realize all of the colorless mana sources i do run and there are. I got downvoted hard on reddit for it.
I should clarify i didnt realize all of the colorless mana sources i do run and there are. I got downvoted hard on reddit for it.
I was mostly referring to my deck. Because off the top of my head, I can't even remember how often I see colorless mana, I hadn't paid it much mind. So I'd want to make sure my mana base was stable enough to support colorless cards as a precaution before I started making changes. I'm pretty cautious with stuff like that in general (also, it saves me space in my change log later if something doesn't work).
Arena is great when it comes down early, otherwise you're better off just playing a draw spell. However its consistent cards, which is really a toss up what you prefer. It could easily be replaced with Read the Bones if you're worried about that.
Gary is exceptional. Play with it a few times!
Totally ! I won many games with him : comes in play, dies, resurrected, dies. EOT meren makes him come back again, and bring the win with him.
With 6/7 devotion it's worth it.
This is a good list of cards, but keep in mind that a lot of them are deck dependent. For example, Jarad and Mazirek are both strong cards, but neither fits in particularly well with my list. Jarad's is expensive, and I don't have the right set up of creatures to really make use of his ability (he's somewhat expensive to cast/use considering I have several cheaper options), where as Mazirek doesn't do enough on his own to justify a spot, especially without the protection that the command zone offers.
Another example of this is graveyard removal. You'll pretty much never see it in my decks, because there's only two (including me) people who actually play graveyard based decks in my group, and not enough recursion overall to justify using spot for it.
There are some good cards in here that I'll keep in mind when I get around to updating, however.
Phyrexian Arena is a matter of preference, but because this deck is slow and somewhat grindy, it gets a lot of mileage. Vulturous Aven fills an important cmc with a decent effect. It also has a one shot sac outlet, which is potentially important. I'm trying to finalize a spot for Birthing Pod in the deck, so it's not likely to get cut soon.
On Genesis: redundancy is a positive thing in a high removal meta. Think of it as a back up plan for games that I can't sick Meren. The Hart is flexible, but also currently not in the physical version of the deck (haven't updated to include what I've tested).
As for Gary, he's one of my primary win conditions, as I don't have a lot of beat down potential in this list, so he does quite a bit.
On the topic of beatdown potential, I don't know if you're looking to be able to swing with more of the big creatures that you've got, but I've been testing Eldrazi Monument in my own Meren list and finding that it's been working pretty well. Indestructible and flying isn't bad at all, also helps to get around other token decks (in my meta there's Jazal, Ghavek, Krenko, and this helps). Also +1/+1 and the additional turn-by-turn sacs can be nice if you still need more EXP counters.
I picked up a Bayou when their price dropped, so that's a new include. I did find a spot for birthing pod, and I'm pulling Bellower out, as I haven't loved it and I at least wanted two seven drops for Birthing Pod, so Sepulchral Primordial is coming back in to the list.
I haven't decided on any changes with the new cards, so hang tight on those.
What's the META around you and with which ban list are you guys using?
My meta is pretty varied, but some kind of combo/control hybrid is the most popular type of deck. We use the standard banlist/rules for the most part (someone's people want exceptions for their laid back decks like running Tibalt as a commander.
It's a little weird because there's a lot variation as far as being cutthroat goes, and I'm kind of trying to figure out where this deck fits in. I'm hoping that the new mulligan rules kind of slow other decks down a bit before I update this deck with some ramp or something else to make it operate a bit faster.
This is what I have brewed up, and have been running online for the past couple days.
I love the deck! It is so satisfying to get value off of every creature that dies. Today I had Dark Prophecy and Sifter of Skulls in play: my c]Sakura-Tribe Elder[/c] was 3 for 1'ing every turn.
Man, I'd hate to retool my build just so i could cast this, but if I could reanimate it it'd be solid. I love it.
I'm going to have to start looking through all of my active decks and figuring out how much access I have to colorless mana in an average game before I start working on these kinds of cards, but it is a sweet card. I'll start working on looming through the set and giving a review on it.
I should clarify i didnt realize all of the colorless mana sources i do run and there are. I got downvoted hard on reddit for it.
Been wanting to build a Meren deck, this thread is a great read! I have a fair few of the cards in your lists actually, would just need to supplement/build on it a bit. How are you finding the playability of the list you're running?
It's a bit slow at the moment, so it can fall behind pretty easily if I don't get a good start. I'm looking in to upping my ramp a bit, likely with Golgari Signet and possibly Mana Crypt (I'll have to decide if I want to move it from the deck it's currently in), and maybe even a card or two more after that, depending on whether or not the new mulligan rules slowed the rest of my group down. If I can fix that problem, it's a super solid list, however.
This is what I have brewed up, and have been running online for the past couple days.
I love the deck! It is so satisfying to get value off of every creature that dies. Today I had Dark Prophecy and Sifter of Skulls in play: my Sakura-Tribe Elder was 3 for 1'ing every turn.
Looks solid. Once you get the deck going, she's a value monster. Has Titania done much for you? I've never actually seen her as one of the 99 in any deck outside of Omnath.
Because rule 4 has been removed, now it will produce blue instead of turning it to colorless.
Yeah, those quotes were before the rules change was announced and we were speculating on mana support the addition of colorless cards. There's only one I have my eye on, so I should still be fine though.
Been wanting to build a Meren deck, this thread is a great read! I have a fair few of the cards in your lists actually, would just need to supplement/build on it a bit. How are you finding the playability of the list you're running?
It's a bit slow at the moment, so it can fall behind pretty easily if I don't get a good start. I'm looking in to upping my ramp a bit, likely with Golgari Signet and possibly Mana Crypt (I'll have to decide if I want to move it from the deck it's currently in), and maybe even a card or two more after that, depending on whether or not the new mulligan rules slowed the rest of my group down. If I can fix that problem, it's a super solid list, however.
I've found ramp to be crucial in a competitive meta. You get way too far behind, Meren is super powerful but super grindy. Your value comes from turn-to-turn plays and not as usually the explosive ones EDH is known for. Meren builds seem to more closely resemble well-oiled machines but if a cog gets thrown in them they fall behind. I've added mana dorks to the mix to pump out an early Meren, plus they're fine to sac since they can come right back. I cannot stress enough how good Devoted Druid is for this deck.
So how competitive is this deck? Any changes you with make with an unlimited budget? I've been toying around with a Meren deck, but it's garbage and I just stumbled across this. I love Meren, and might make a 2nd deck around her.
Man, I'd hate to retool my build just so i could cast this, but if I could reanimate it it'd be solid. I love it.
I'm going to have to start looking through all of my active decks and figuring out how much access I have to colorless mana in an average game before I start working on these kinds of cards, but it is a sweet card. I'll start working on looming through the set and giving a review on it.
I should clarify i didnt realize all of the colorless mana sources i do run and there are. I got downvoted hard on reddit for it.
So how competitive is this deck? Any changes you with make with an unlimited budget? I've been toying around with a Meren deck, but it's garbage and I just stumbled across this. I love Meren, and might make a 2nd deck around her.
My build at least, is incredibly competitive. It's a well oiled machine for sure. Just make sure you have multiple outs for winning. As much as I hate Exsanguinate with Cabal Coffers+Thespian's Stage+Urborg, I may end up adding that combo in as a backup plan.
My build at least, is incredibly competitive. It's a well oiled machine for sure. Just make sure you have multiple outs for winning. As much as I hate Exsanguinate with Cabal Coffers+Thespian's Stage+Urborg, I may end up adding that combo in as a backup plan.
Not sure if you've tested this but I've had some luck with Caustic Caterpillar in my Meren deck. It's good for the early game cause it sacs itself and comes back immediately. A reusable Naturalize isn't bad either...
My build at least, is incredibly competitive. It's a well oiled machine for sure. Just make sure you have multiple outs for winning. As much as I hate Exsanguinate with Cabal Coffers+Thespian's Stage+Urborg, I may end up adding that combo in as a backup plan.
posted it a few pages prior, made minor updates since. I havent gotten a chance to play EDH in about 2 months due to holidays and events that everyone wants to schedule during the only day and time in town where events are ran. :/
Not sure if you've tested this but I've had some luck with Caustic Caterpillar in my Meren deck. It's good for the early game cause it sacs itself and comes back immediately. A reusable Naturalize isn't bad either...
I've recommended that card to everyone. It's incredible in this deck!
This card is very good, if you can build around it. I dont see myself returning it to play much unless I need to hit like Disciple of Bolas really bad, or a Mindslicer. It's definitely worth testing.
So how competitive is this deck? Any changes you with make with an unlimited budget? I've been toying around with a Meren deck, but it's garbage and I just stumbled across this. I love Meren, and might make a 2nd deck around her.
It's not particularly competitive at the moment, it's a bit inconsistent, but that could just be a symptom of the games I've played ending extremely fast.
I'd definitely add in a mana crypt, other than that, I own most of the expensive stuff. Right now it's a matter of tuning.
This thread is filled with fantastic options! I just went to optimize my own Meren a bit further and stumbled upon the thread, and it was for the better by far!
At this juncture I am waiting on 10 cards from TCGPlayer, listed on my TappedOut deck description (the cards taken out are still in my paper iteration but not the digital one). All credit for consideration of those cards (except probably Zulaport Cutthroat - I honestly have no clue why I had a Blood Artist in there in its stead - and Strip Mine, since Crucible of Worlds was already in there and the Strip needed to go in anyway) goes to y'all.
Death in the Brambles
(I will not post the decklist straight from TappedOut because the site formats exports really poorly towards MTGSal.)
You might be able to tell by the title that it was originally a Skullbriar deck. However, truth be told it was meant to work more like a Mazirek deck at the time, to attempt to gear it more towards Multiplayer. The issue there was that swarm decks overran my own with relative ease no matter how many things they sacrificed in the process. Therefore, changes were needed, changes were made (including an overhaul of the managerial structure XD), and now it's brutal. So I have thanks to a lot of people, including the lot of you as well as my friend Alex whose Mazirek deck stomped me consistently until this came about and proceeded to return the favor
I should clarify i didnt realize all of the colorless mana sources i do run and there are. I got downvoted hard on reddit for it.
llanowar wastes, high market, grim backwards, arcane lighthouse, blighted Woodland, Sol Ring, Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Tower, Volrath's Stronghold, Temple of the False God, Ancient Tomb, Yavimaya Hollow Awakening Zone, From Beyond, or with your basic land fetchers like Slyvan Ranger and Farhaven Elf, grab a singleton Wastes
or as someone pointed out, tap City of Brass for Blue, and it will produce a colorless.
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
I was mostly referring to my deck. Because off the top of my head, I can't even remember how often I see colorless mana, I hadn't paid it much mind. So I'd want to make sure my mana base was stable enough to support colorless cards as a precaution before I started making changes. I'm pretty cautious with stuff like that in general (also, it saves me space in my change log later if something doesn't work).
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
Slum Reaper
Phyrexian Delver
Victimize
Life's Legacy
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord another win condition + big creatures.
---Sewer Nemesis
---Boneyard Wurm
---Splinterfright
---Bonehoard
---Lord of Extinction Good Greater Good sac fodder
Vampire Hexmage Kills planeswalkers
Devoted Druid
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest Try it!
Spore Frog
Dawntreader Elk Very good ramp
Lotleth Troll
Yavimaya Granger
Harvester of Souls
Soul of the Harvest
Living Death
Carrion Feeder
Faceless Butcher
Sylvok Replica
Viridian Zealot
Bloodghast
Diligent Farmhand
Scavenging Ooze gy control as creature
Vulturous Aven very weak draw effect
Burnished Hart There are faster/cheaper mana alternatives
Genesis redundancy
Gray Merchant of Asphodel does this card do a lot for you?
Phyrexian Arena over rated card draw, slow.
Arena is great when it comes down early, otherwise you're better off just playing a draw spell. However its consistent cards, which is really a toss up what you prefer. It could easily be replaced with Read the Bones if you're worried about that.
Gary is exceptional. Play with it a few times!
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
Totally ! I won many games with him : comes in play, dies, resurrected, dies. EOT meren makes him come back again, and bring the win with him.
With 6/7 devotion it's worth it.
Another example of this is graveyard removal. You'll pretty much never see it in my decks, because there's only two (including me) people who actually play graveyard based decks in my group, and not enough recursion overall to justify using spot for it.
There are some good cards in here that I'll keep in mind when I get around to updating, however.
A secondary Pawn of Ulamog. Nice.
Phyrexian Arena is a matter of preference, but because this deck is slow and somewhat grindy, it gets a lot of mileage. Vulturous Aven fills an important cmc with a decent effect. It also has a one shot sac outlet, which is potentially important. I'm trying to finalize a spot for Birthing Pod in the deck, so it's not likely to get cut soon.
On Genesis: redundancy is a positive thing in a high removal meta. Think of it as a back up plan for games that I can't sick Meren. The Hart is flexible, but also currently not in the physical version of the deck (haven't updated to include what I've tested).
As for Gary, he's one of my primary win conditions, as I don't have a lot of beat down potential in this list, so he does quite a bit.
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
UUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectUU
BGMeren of Clan Nel TothBG
Out
Burnished Hart
Woodland Bellower
1x Swamp
In
Birthing Pod
Sepulchral Primordial
Bayou
I picked up a Bayou when their price dropped, so that's a new include. I did find a spot for birthing pod, and I'm pulling Bellower out, as I haven't loved it and I at least wanted two seven drops for Birthing Pod, so Sepulchral Primordial is coming back in to the list.
I haven't decided on any changes with the new cards, so hang tight on those.
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
What's the META around you and with which ban list are you guys using?
It's a little weird because there's a lot variation as far as being cutthroat goes, and I'm kind of trying to figure out where this deck fits in. I'm hoping that the new mulligan rules kind of slow other decks down a bit before I update this deck with some ramp or something else to make it operate a bit faster.
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
I love the deck! It is so satisfying to get value off of every creature that dies. Today I had Dark Prophecy and Sifter of Skulls in play: my c]Sakura-Tribe Elder[/c] was 3 for 1'ing every turn.
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Corpse Augur
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Grave Titan
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Grim Haruspex
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Merciless Executioner
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Mindslicer
1 Ophiomancer
1 Pawn of Ulamog
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Shriekmaw
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Sifter of Skulls
1 Smothering Abomination
1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
1 Viscera Seer
1 Whisperwood Elemental
1 Wood Elves
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Command Tower
9 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 High Market
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Strip Mine
9 Swamp
1 Tainted Wood
1 Temple of Malady
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Grave Pact
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Greater Good
1 Animate Dead
1 Necromancy
1 Necropotence
1 Dark Prophecy
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Grim Monolith
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Beast Within
1 Reanimate
1 Krosan Grip
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Dark Ritual
1 Necrologia
1 Syphon Mind
1 Buried Alive
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Liliana of the Veil
SB: 1 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
Because rule 4 has been removed, now it will produce blue instead of turning it to colorless.
Looks solid. Once you get the deck going, she's a value monster. Has Titania done much for you? I've never actually seen her as one of the 99 in any deck outside of Omnath.
Yeah, those quotes were before the rules change was announced and we were speculating on mana support the addition of colorless cards. There's only one I have my eye on, so I should still be fine though.
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
I've found ramp to be crucial in a competitive meta. You get way too far behind, Meren is super powerful but super grindy. Your value comes from turn-to-turn plays and not as usually the explosive ones EDH is known for. Meren builds seem to more closely resemble well-oiled machines but if a cog gets thrown in them they fall behind. I've added mana dorks to the mix to pump out an early Meren, plus they're fine to sac since they can come right back. I cannot stress enough how good Devoted Druid is for this deck.
BWGJunkBWG
BRGJundBRG
B1Eldrazi ShopsB1
UAzami, Lady of ScrollsU
BGMeren of Clan Nel TothBG
BUWJenara, Asura of WarBUW
GURAnimar, Soul of ElementsGUR
Modern
UWGB 4c Snow Control BGWU
Thanks, but that was before the rule was announced sir
My build at least, is incredibly competitive. It's a well oiled machine for sure. Just make sure you have multiple outs for winning. As much as I hate Exsanguinate with Cabal Coffers+Thespian's Stage+Urborg, I may end up adding that combo in as a backup plan.
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
Mind sharing your list by any chance?
BWGJunkBWG
BRGJundBRG
B1Eldrazi ShopsB1
UAzami, Lady of ScrollsU
BGMeren of Clan Nel TothBG
BUWJenara, Asura of WarBUW
GURAnimar, Soul of ElementsGUR
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/10-11-15-aAW-meren/
posted it a few pages prior, made minor updates since. I havent gotten a chance to play EDH in about 2 months due to holidays and events that everyone wants to schedule during the only day and time in town where events are ran. :/
I've recommended that card to everyone. It's incredible in this deck!
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
This card is very good, if you can build around it. I dont see myself returning it to play much unless I need to hit like Disciple of Bolas really bad, or a Mindslicer. It's definitely worth testing.
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown
I'd definitely add in a mana crypt, other than that, I own most of the expensive stuff. Right now it's a matter of tuning.
My Helpdesk
[Pr] Marath | [Pr] Lovisa | Jodah | Saskia | Najeela | Yisan | Lord Windgrace | Atraxa | Meren | Gisa and Geralf
At this juncture I am waiting on 10 cards from TCGPlayer, listed on my TappedOut deck description (the cards taken out are still in my paper iteration but not the digital one). All credit for consideration of those cards (except probably Zulaport Cutthroat - I honestly have no clue why I had a Blood Artist in there in its stead - and Strip Mine, since Crucible of Worlds was already in there and the Strip needed to go in anyway) goes to y'all.
Death in the Brambles
(I will not post the decklist straight from TappedOut because the site formats exports really poorly towards MTGSal.)
You might be able to tell by the title that it was originally a Skullbriar deck. However, truth be told it was meant to work more like a Mazirek deck at the time, to attempt to gear it more towards Multiplayer. The issue there was that swarm decks overran my own with relative ease no matter how many things they sacrificed in the process. Therefore, changes were needed, changes were made (including an overhaul of the managerial structure XD), and now it's brutal. So I have thanks to a lot of people, including the lot of you as well as my friend Alex whose Mazirek deck stomped me consistently until this came about and proceeded to return the favor
~Lil Kalki
Proud Disciple of the Church of the Wary