Overview:

This Meren deck focuses on incremental value through sacrifice/reanimation loops, leveraging death triggers and experience counters to grind out wins via drain effects (Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat) and recurring threats like Gray Merchant of Asphodel. While capable of explosive reanimation plays, it lacks cEDH-level speed/protection and relies heavily on maintaining graveyard access.

Primer:

Core Strategy: Build experience counters through early creature deaths (Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves), then use Meren's recursion to establish value engines. Key phases:

1. Setup (T1-4): Ramp with dorks/rocks, mill creatures via Satyr Wayfinder, Grisly Salvage
2. Engine Assembly (T5-6): Recur Fleshbag Marauder/Demon's Disciple for repeated edicts or Pitiless Plunderer for treasure generation
3. Closing (T7+): Loop Gray Merchant with sac outlets or amplify death triggers via Syr Konrad, the Grim

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + early ramp (Llanowar Elves, Golgari Signet)
• Prioritize enablers like Entomb/Buried Alive over payoff cards
• Reject hands without graveyard filling or Meren protection

Key Tips:

• Time Meren casts post-wipes when opponents are tapped out
• Use Dread Return flashback as backup reanimation
• Victimize saccing tokens creates explosive value
• Hold Swiftfoot Boots for Meren protection

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending creatures pre-wrath
• Wasting experience counters on low-impact creatures
• Keeping Meren in hand against heavy removal decks

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Graveyard dependency (folds to Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void)
• Limited combo protection (only 3 hexproof sources)

Moderate:

• Slow stax recovery (no mass enchantment removal)
• Experience counter ramp time (needs 4+ for key threats)

Minor:

• Life loss from Phyrexian Arena/Midnight Reaper in long games

Most Important Cards:

• Pitiless Plunderer
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• Buried Alive
• Entomb
• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Zulaport Cutthroat
• Blood Artist
• Dina, Soul Steeper
• Victimize
• Rune-Scarred Demon

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Goldfish win ~T8 via Merchant loops
• No fast mana beyond Sol Ring/signets

Resilience: 6/10

• Good graveyard recursion (Eternal Witness, Dread Return)
• Vulnerable to GY hate and Meren-focused removal

Consistency: 7/10

• 5 tutors + self-mill package
• Redundant drain effects (3+ blood artist effects)

Interaction: 5/10

• Moderate targeted removal (Putrefy, Infernal Grasp)
• Lacks free counterspells/instant-speed GY protection

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at the high end of Optimized Casual (5.0) but lacks the speed/protection for Focused (6.0+). Key differentiators:

• Better than Strong Precons (5.0): More tutors, combo potential
• Below Focused (6.0): No T7-8 guaranteed wins, minimal stack interaction
• Comparable to upgraded Meren builds with moderate interaction

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5