Reduce...Reuse...Recycle...Repeat.

First off, this is a really fun deck to play. My family and friends really hate to play against this deck because of all the possibilities of controlling the board, the overwhelmingly crapload of grave shift / graveyard interaction, the plethora of death and tax's interaction, as well as a ton of token and mana generation.

Now, I give you...

Meren is the lovechild of Palace Siege and Sheoldred, Whispering One, only having a token green splash because she was made to eat her veggies. Of the all flagship experience counter generals (the others being Ezuri, Claw of Progress; Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas; Daxos the Returned; and Mizzix of the Izmagnus), Meren is probably the most boring and the most powerful.

Recursion has always been a very strong element in Commander. Other than being a badass dragon-bitc...er, -lady, from Jund that’s about all there is to Meren. If she didn’t have a decent backstory, I’d say she’s flatter than the cardboard she’s printed on. But alas, I do love playing her and watching the experience accumulate, especially when the numerous number of creatures, artifacts, enchantments, and lands begin their respective effects that allow me to start sacking my creatures, and then watch Meren do what she does best...RECURRISION!!!

Given, there are other existing Golgari generals that provide far more unique options to build around. However, if you want something mechanical and efficient, Meren is great. Here are examples of the cards within the deck for each type of shenanigans...

• Sac outlets -

Bontu the Glorified; High Market; Demon of Catastrophes; Doomgape; Fleshbag Marauder; Mycoloth; Sidisi, Undead Vizier; Viscera Seer; Altar of Dementia; Ashnod's Altar; Attrition

UPDATE: Replaced Wood Elves with Phyrexian Altar which has more synergy with the deck, and is a 2-in-1 with both sac outlet and (any) mana ramp.

• Mana Ramp (few sac outlets as well)

Hermit Druid; Sakura-Tribe Elder; Solemn Simulacrum; Wild-Field Scarecrow; Yavimaya Elder. In a 1v1 Commander game, I will likely make room for Primeval Titan for a big body and reoccurring mana ramper.

Diligent Farmhan 

(1 vs 1 Commander ONLY!)

• Tutors -

Pattern of Rebirth; Rune-Scarred Demon (utilizing the ETB effect); Sidisi, Undead Vizier (using its Exploit ability); Demonic Tutor; Diabolic Intent (plus sac outlet).

• Token Generators -

Grave Titan; Caustic Caterpillar; Catacomb Sifter; Blisterpod; Avenger of Zendikar; Sifter of Skulls; Ishkanah, Grafwidow; Mycoloth; Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince; From Beyond; and Awakening Zone.

I replaced Grave Pact with Pattern of Rebirth; every game where I had Grave Pact on the board, my opponents (literally my kids and siblings...it is Family Night Magic, tabletop-friendly Commander) would just scoop, which meant a lot of dirty looks. The real reason they hated was when I played Grave Pact by turn two...I will domonstrate:

- T1: Drop Llanowar Wastes (LW), tap for G; cast Caustic Caterpillar (C2); end turn.

- T2: Drop Phyrexian Tower (PT), tap, and sac C2 (and get colorless Scion Token) to PT for 2x B; tap LW for B; sac Scion Token for Colorless mana..

- Voila: Colorless, 3x B mana = Grave Pact. This truly locks down the board, and your opponents will be unable to keep creatures in play due to my deck sacrificing every creature = opponents sac a creature as well = unhappy players that do not want to play anymore. There is no fun in that if you are trying to bring new players into the game.

There is no need for Grave Pact in this deck if it is just "Tabletop Commander"; but if it is for a tourney or FNM...keep it in, and go for the jugular!!

*****WAR OF THE SPARK Spoilers!!*****

Folks, I am down right excited about War of the Spark, the newest MTG set that will release worldwide on 3 May, 2019. As websites begin to reveal - a.k.a., spoil - cards from War of the Spark, I have seen some cards that I will likely add to the deck. Here are a few:

• Liliana, Dreadhorde General (A-MER-A-CAH...F*** YEAH!!))

This card will DEFINITELY be add to the deck...let's take a look at this beauty:

Now, let’s break down the abilities of this card.

“Whenever a creature you control dies, draw a card.” – Similar to Grim Haruspex's ability, this is a great static ability (quasi-enchanment?) that goes WELL with the soul of this deck; sacrifice outlet with the added bonus of card draw, which is an advantage in Commander/EDH. This static ability can be applied even if you are playing a control deck with little to no creatures. Thanks to its first ability, you will have a 2/2 Zombie at your (or Her's) defense, as well as, drawing plenty of cards unless they want to be overtaken by a Zombie horde.

“[+1]: Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.” – Anytime you can protect a planeswalker with a plus ability it is worthwhile. This gives her 7 loyalty to start with a creature protecting it. Even if you chump block each turn, you will gain card advantage thanks to its static ability. If left untouched, you can either create an army of Zombies to win the game or use the zombies to sacrifice abilities of other cards in order to feed Meren of the Clan Nel Toth's experience. Oh, and yeah...draw a card in the process (static ability).

“[-4]: Each player sacrifices two creatures.” – Against certain decks this can win you the game. Red Green decks often have two threats out in the mid-game. Often decks like Mono White or Mono Red can have 2 creatures left on the battlefield after you’ve used some removal to clear out the rest. You are still left with a working planeswalker after using this ability as well, which means they will have to deal with it before it starts spitting out Zombie tokens.

“[-9]: Each opponent chooses a permanent they control of each permanent type and sacrifices the rest.” – You read that correctly, your opponent is left with 1 land, 1 creature, 1 enchantment….Cataclysmic Gearhulk-esque...Well, you get the point. The key for this ultimate ability is leaving your opponent with only 1 land. This should put them significantly behind and unable to recover in the late game.

FREA...KING...AWE...SOME!!!

• Dreadhorde Invasion

Finally, Bitterblossom was a card that players have been loving for years. War of the Spark brings its own version of the card to the table. Here is Dreadhorde Invasion.

Let’s look at the meat of this card, and that is the ability that makes you lose 1 life and Amass 1 each upkeep. This can either be something where you build up a 5/5 over 5 turns and lose 5 life or, an ability that gives you a new creature every turn since you build a deck that uses the 1/1 creature to your advantage. I’m in favor of the latter myself. Here are some cards that you can use to help you take advantage of getting a 1/1 creature every turn.

– Demon of Catastrophes – You now have the fuel to bring out this 6/6 Demon without sacrificing a creature card to do so.
– Priest of Forgotten Gods – The Zombie Army will help you use this ability to gain some mana and draw a card.
– Torgaar, Famine Incarnate – Use your Zombie Army to be able to cast this creature just a little bit sooner.
– Vraska, Golgari Queen – By far the best use is sacrificing that creature to gain back your 1 life lost and draw a card as well.

• Massacre Girl (considering as a "sac" outlet)

Kudos, to whoever named this card and the artist Chris Ralles for some sweet artwork to best depict this card visually. As a creature it is a strong 4/4 creature with menace, making it hard to kill when it's attacking. To best explain Massacre Girl’s ability, if you have creatures with 1, 2, 3, and 4 toughness respectively on the battlefield they are all going to die. When the 1 toughness creature dies, it triggers the ability giving -1/-1 to all other creatures. This repeats again and again until no other creature dies or only Massacre Girl remains. This would be great against a deck like Mono-White Aggro that often has creatures at multiple toughness levels. Look for this creature to be put into sideboards in all sorts of different decks that want a one-sided board clear.

• Leyline Prowler & Deathsprout (looks promising)

Next up, here are some fantastic Golgari uncommons in Leyline Prowler and Deathsprout. I can’t help but shake the feeling that these could have been rares if their costs were both reduced by one-mana, but appear to be awesome value for the rate.

• Bolas's Citadel (I really like this)

This Legandary Artifact reveals an insanely powerful card. Let's break it down: 

"You may look at the top card of your library any time.” – Simply put...scrying at instant speed. Need I say more.

"You may play the top card of your library. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its converted mana cost rather that pay its mana cost.” – Casting spells for free is never bad.

Do not freet...as more cards are spoiled, and they have a place within this deck, I will include the card image and a small assessment as to why it would be a good fit.

Please enjoy and leave any comments or suggestions.