Overview:

This Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck is a grindy aristocrats/reanimator build focused on sacrificing creatures for value, accumulating experience counters, and recurring key threats from the graveyard. Meren acts as the engine, enabling persistent recursion of creatures with MV ≤ experience counters. The deck leverages sacrifice outlets like Phyrexian Altar and Viscera Seer to fuel death triggers, generate value via cards like Morbid Opportunist, and execute game-ending combos. Primary win conditions include infinite loops with Protean Hulk/Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, mass life drain via Kokusho, the Evening Star/Gray Merchant of Asphodel, and mill through Altar of Dementia.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Sakura-Tribe Elder), self-mill (Stitcher's Supplier, Satyr Wayfinder), and sacrifice outlets (Carrion Feeder, Viscera Seer). Use Buried Alive or Hermit Druid to stock graveyard with key creatures.
2. Midgame Engine (Turns 4-6): Cast Meren to begin recurring Fleshbag Marauder/Plaguecrafter for repeated edicts or value creatures like Eternal Witness. Activate Birthing Pod/Eldritch Evolution to upgrade creatures into threats like Sheoldred, Whispering One or Archon of Cruelty.
3. Win Conditions:
   • Hulk Combos: Protean Hulk death fetches Lesser Masticore + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (infinite persist/sacrifice loops) or Viscera Seer + Zulaport Cutthroat-equivalent effects.
   • Life Drain Loops: Recur Kokusho, the Evening Star with Phyrexian Altar + Grave Pact effects or Gray Merchant of Asphodel with devotion enablers.
   • Mill: Infinite death triggers with Altar of Dementia + Gravecrawler-like loops (though explicit zombie recursion is limited here).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with early ramp (Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise), a sacrifice outlet, and graveyard setup (Stitcher's Supplier/Buried Alive).
• Prioritize black mana sources to enable early Viscera Seer/Carrion Feeder.
• Avoid hands lacking both ramp and graveyard interaction.

Key Tips:

• Use Sylvan Safekeeper to protect Meren by sacrificing lands.
• World Shaper enables explosive land recursion if milled early.
• Culling Ritual clears opponents' early boards while ramping into Meren.
• Teval's Judgment provides incremental value from graveyard exile triggers.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples recursion and combo potential.
• Torpor Orb/Hushbringer nullifies ETB death triggers from key creatures like Ravenous Chupacabra and Gray Merchant.

Moderate

• Heavy artifact/enchantment removal disrupts Birthing Pod, Phyrexian Altar, and Lightning Greaves.
• Fast combo decks can outpace this deck's grindy value engine.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction beyond Assassin's Trophy and Malakir Rebirth.
• High MV creatures like Colossal Grave-Reaver can be clunky without sufficient ramp.

Most Important Cards:

• Protean Hulk (Primary combo enabler)
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (Combo piece with undying/persist)
• Phyrexian Altar (Mana generation + infinite sacrifice outlet)
• Birthing Pod (Creature tutoring and value chain)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life drain win condition)
• Buried Alive (Graveyard setup for combos)
• Viscera Seer (Sacrifice outlet + scry)
• Sheoldred, Whispering One (Recurrence engine and stax effect)
• Eldritch Evolution (Tutor for key creatures)
• Altar of Dementia (Alternative mill wincon)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can execute Hulk combos as early as T4 with optimal ramp and tutors, but typically threatens wins T6-7 through incremental value.

Resilience: 6/10

• Recursive threats and Meren’s engine provide recovery, but heavy reliance on graveyard makes it vulnerable to targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Multiple tutors (Buried Alive, Eldritch Evolution) and self-mill ensure access to combo pieces, but lacks blue’s card selection.

Interaction: 5/10

• Limited removal suite focused on edicts (Fleshbag Marauder) and spot removal (Assassin's Trophy), but minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a high-power casual level with T6-7 combo potential through Hulk lines and persistent recursion, but its graveyard dependency and moderate interaction keep it below cEDH viability. The balance of resilience and speed aligns with optimized casual tiers.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0