> Introduction

This is a Meren deck with the aim to combo and win as soon as possible. Why Meren? Because the combination of black and green makes it possible to play some really nice creature-based combos, and meren can bring combo pieces back to the battlefield with her ability. She can be an enabler for a combo, but the deck can also win without her.

> Strategy

The strategy of this deck is to win with a combo mentioned below. For this, we have a lot of tutor cards and recursion cards. Also, Meren is possible to enable our combo. We are using a lot of creature-based effects and a lot of sac effects to increase our experience counters. One of our main key cards is necrotic ooze. We can use this card in many ways to win or to bring advantage on the board. With some reanimation spells we are able to use cards more than just one time, and with meren we can bring some creatures back like eternal witness to use cards as often as needed.

> Win Con and Combos

> Necrotic Ooze combos

• Necrotic Ooze on Battlefield and Walking Ballista/Triskelion + Phyrexian Devourer in Graveyard:

  1. Exile cards form the top of your library and shoot DMG to kill your enemies

• Necrotic Ooze on Field and Asmodeus the Archfiend and Skirge Familiar in the graveyard:

  1. discard three cards for three black mana
  2. draw seven cards by paying three black mana
  3. discard three cards for three black mana
  4. draw seven cards
  5. draw your deck. Win with one of the combos or just with Gray Merchant of Asphodel and some reanimate spells and enough devotion.

• Necrotic Ooze and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on the field. Walking Ballista/Triskelion and Viscera Seer/Sakura Tribe Elder/Carrion Feeder/spore frog in Graveyard:

  1. Sac Necrotic Ooze
  2. Undying trigger
  3. shoot 1 DMG to an enemy
  4. sac again
  5. undying trigger and shoot DMG again

> Protean Hulk combos

• Perma sac outlet like viscera seer or carrion feeder needed:

  1. Search for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Walking Ballista.
  2. Sac Ballista
  3. Undying trigger
  4. Shoot with ballista
  5. sac ballista
  6. undying trigger and do it again.

• One time sac outlet like victimize or phyrexian tower needed (or just play The Meathook Massacre for x=1 to kill the ballista) and Blood artist, zulaport cutthroat or The Meathook Massacre on battlefield:

  1. Search for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Walking Ballista.
  2. Sac Ballista
  3. Deal dmg with Blood artist/zulaport cutthroat or The Meathook Massacre
  4. Undying trigger
  5. Kill ballista with his own dmg by removing one +1/+1 counter and shoot the dmg to himself
  6. Deal dmg with Blood artist/zulaport cutthroat or The Meathook Massacre
  7. undying trigger
  8. Kill ballista with his own dmg, undying trigger and dmg - loop
     Note: If you have Grim Haruspex or Guardian Project on field instead of Blood artist/zulaport cutthroat or The Meathook Massacre you can draw your deck ;-)

> Defense of the heart combo

• Search for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion.
  1. Shoot 1 dmg to an enemy and 2 dmg to Triskelion
  2. undying trigger
  3. shoot 2 dmg to an enemy and 2 dmg to Triskelion
  4. undying trigger
  5. loop.

> Tooth and Nail with entwine combo

• Search for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion.
  1. Shoot 1 dmg to an enemy and 2 dmg to Triskelion
  2. undying trigger
  3. shoot 2 dmg to an enemy and 2 dmg to Triskelion
  4. undying trigger
  5. loop.

> Single Card Discussion

> Inclusions

• Deathrite Shaman: very versatile and all the active abilities can be used with necrotic ooze as well. Can make DMG, can make mana and is just a one drop.
• Dance of the dead: brings back necrotic ooze and don't care about the fact that the creature is tapped.
• Diligent Farmhand: ramp and experience counter in once. One drop which meren can bring back easily.
• Neverwinter dryad: same like diligent farmhand
• Village rites: sac and draw for synergy
• Necropotence: Draw, but be careful with discard. You can instantly use necromancy to bring necrotic ooze back and win instantly as a reaction to the exile from graveyard trigger.
• necromancy: Instant recursion can win instantly.
• spore frog: Can sacrifice himself and protect you from DMG.
• veil of summer: protect from exile and counter magic.
• Unmarked Grave/entomb: both nice tutors for graveyard. Can out win cons into the grave for your necrotic ooze combo, or just throw something into the grave and bring it back with meren or reanimate, for example.
• Fiend Artisan: On field tutor which can synergize with necrotic ooze and also a sac outlet.
• victimize: sac outlet and recursion spell for 2 creatures.
• farseek / nature's lore / three visits: I don't want to lose all my mana into a mass removal or gravehate or to cards like humility, cursed totem or linvala, keeper of silence. So, I need and want another way to ramp to be more flexible, and the 2 mana sorceries are some of the fastest and best ramp spells. In my opinion. They also don't have summoners sickness, so you can use the lands from Three visits and nature's lore in the same turn if needed.
• Outland Liberator // Frenzied Trapbreaker: Great removal with self-sac for experience counter and only 2 cmc.
• Caustic Caterpillar: Same like Outland Liberator just for 1 mana but 2 mana for sac and destroy.
• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician: sac outlet for just 1 life, removal with -1/-1 counter and also a draw engine. Very strong in this deck.

> Exclusions

• Acidic Slime: Nice creature base removal but too expensive for just a removal
• Dauthi Voidwalker: Strong anti-grave card, but not needed for a combo or something else, and also huge drawback if someone clones him or steal him.
• Final Parting: Good tutor for this deck but too expensive.
• Heroic intervention: It doesn't matter if creatures die, we have enough tools to bring them back.
• eldritch evolution: too restricted, if we sac a creature with low cmc we can't go for mikaeus. Pattern of growth is more consistent.
• Wood Elves / Yavimaya Granger are both great in this deck, and I have already looked at these cards and also considered playing them. However, I decided against 3 mana creature-based ramp to make the deck faster and less susceptible to certain cards or mechanics.
• llanowar elves and other mana dorks: I don't want to lose all my mana into a mass removal or gravehate or to cards like humility, cursed totem or linvala, keeper of silence. So, I need and want another way to ramp to be more flexible, and the 2 mana sorceries are some of the fastest and best ramp spells. In my opinion. They also don't have summoners sickness, so you can use the lands from Three visits and nature's lore in the same turn if required.
• midnight reaper: good draw engine in this deck, but I cut this card to play more tutors. With tutors, I can just search for a draw engine or win con, so I tried to play more tutors than draw engines.
• Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity: Nice card, but not necessary in this deck. It is more a "protection" spell which will bring back a creature if this creature is already attached with this enchantment. Dance of the dead or the other recursion spells are better for the combo wins.
• shriekmaw: non artifact, non-black creature removal which is creature based is a bit too weak, and this deck is already running a lot of creature-based removal.
• survival of the fittest: a great card but I don't own this card and this card is very expensive and not absolutely necessary
• Foundation Breaker: for it evoke costs, it's a nice removal which will create an experience counter. But Outland Liberator // Frenzied Trapbreaker is better.

> Strength and Weaknesses

> Strength

• Fast deck which can win very quick
• Good grind potential because of meren
• Destroy removal doesn't hurt that much, and we can abuse cards pretty often
• One card win potential with tooth and nail and defense of the heart

> Weaknesses

• Orzhov with a lot of exile removal
• Graveyard hate like rest in peace or dauthi voidwalker
• Stax pieces like humility will hit hard

> Changelog

See revision: https://deckstats.net/decks/118014/2243181-meren-of-golgari-combo?lng=de#show__revisions