Emperor Mihail IIEmperor Mihail II | Art by PINDURSKI

Merfolk History

Merfolk have a long legacy of competitive and casual play in Magic, resulting in generations of blue-based Aggro-Control decks being nicknamed “fish” after the humanoid deep sea denizens. Ever since Alpha, the fishmen have been swimming past opposing defenses with Lord of AtlantisLord of Atlantis. The Professor has even professed his love of the creature type on multiple occasions, most notably with his Sygg decks on the Command Zone.

Merfolk have tested the waters with a few different color combinations over the years, but always favor blue. Modern and Legacy Merfolk have historically been mono-blue, using the power and flexibility of Aether VialAether Vial to drop Merfolk into play without paying mana, at instant speed, and without being cast. 

The last time we were in Lorwyn, Jan Ruess brought a Standard Merfolk deck splashing white to Pro Tour Hollywood, including a couple UnsummonUnsummons in the sideboard, a man after my own heart. He may have come up just short, losing in the finals, but he showed how powerful Merfolk can be with multiple Lords (creatures that provide universal boosts to all members of a given creature type).

In Ixalan, Merfolk began seeping into green. These Merfolk were vibrant and colorful, much more like oceanic and tropical fishpeople than Lorwyn’s riverbound merrow. Much like they evolve to fit different competitive environments, Merfolk have historically evolved to fit diverse locales.

Today’s Emperor Mihail IIEmperor Mihail II Commander deck tech is going to attempt the tough task of uniting the diverse species of undersea humanoid life across the Multiverse.

But which build do we favor? Or can we draw inspiration from both?

What Does Emperor Mihail IIEmperor Mihail II Do?

Despite being a 3/3 for three mana, the most important three about Mihail are his three abilities. Mihail lets us look at the top card of our library and cast Merfolk spells from there. Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel is a Game Changer for a reason, and limiting it to Merfolk in a Merfolk Typal deck isn’t much of a downside.

Mihail also lets us pay a mana to make a 1/1 Merfolk token essentially as a kicker ability to any Merfolk we cast, giving us a reason to make smaller Merfolk late in the game, as well as to run extra mana sources. 

And is there a more entertaining type to take our opponents to school?

Key Cards for Emperor Mihail IIEmperor Mihail II

There are almost as many Merfolk as there are fish in the sea, but we’re looking for specific characteristics. We want low mana values so that we can cast multiple in a turn. If they have enters-the-battlefield (ETB) abilities, awesome. But we need them to have relevant tempo abilities, either putting multiple bodies out or hindering our opponents’ game plans.

CursecatcherCursecatcher was part of Jan Ruess’s Standard Merfolk list, and a strong counterspell on a cheap body. Harbinger of the TidesHarbinger of the Tides sneaks a removal spell onto a solid body that can gain flash, letting us hit opponents when they don’t expect it, including off of the top of our library when our commander is out.

Both Deeproot PilgrimageDeeproot Pilgrimage and Master of WavesMaster of Waves make multiple bodies, with the Pilgrimage acting as a supplement or replacement for our commander’s Merfolk-making ability and the Master making Elementals equal to our devotion to blue, which gets quite high in a mono-blue deck.

But what do we do with all of these little bodies?

Make them big.

Almost every time Merfolk are featured, they come away with a new Lord or two, starting with the iconic Lord of AtlantisLord of Atlantis. Vodalian HexcatcherVodalian Hexcatcher fuses Lord of AtlantisLord of Atlantis with CursecatcherCursecatcher, as alluded to in the name.

There are a couple of Lords who happen to not be Merfolk but are able to boost them all the same. Paragon of Gathering MistsParagon of Gathering Mists and Grand ArchitectGrand Architect both boost our blue creatures…which happens to be all of them!

Part of what made Legacy Merfolk so strong was the inclusion of Kira, Great Glass-SpinnerKira, Great Glass-Spinner, which counters the first spell or ability targeting a creature each turn. Why is this relevant? Because this granted the Merfolk a layer of protection.

Lost in the MazeLost in the Maze gives our tapped creatures hexproof, while Cryptic CommandCryptic Command has several useful modes, including countering a board wipe. The Command was also part of Ruess’s Merfolk deck, tapping down opposing boards to enable an all-out attack (alpha strike).

Nykthos providing a burst of mana is nothing new, but being able to use that mana to cast spells off the top of our library and to make additional bodies with whatever extra mana we have lying around is a bit different from how other decks use it.

Riptide LaboratoryRiptide Laboratory bounces Wizards, which a lot of our Merfolk happen to be. This lets us make additional bodies with our commander and re-use ETBs.

How Does This Emperor Mihail IIEmperor Mihail II Commander Deck Win?

Like with other small creature (weenie) decks, our game plan consists of making a wide battlefield of small bodies, making those bodies bigger with Lords, and then casting backbreaking spells to invalidate our opponents’ defenses.

So, how do we get through? Deepchannel MentorDeepchannel Mentor makes our blue creatures swim around opposing defenses, and LevitationLevitation can turn our Merfolk into literal Flying Fish!

Emperor Mihail II Commander Deck List

Conclusion

Merfolk have been around since the beginning of Magic, and they have a devoted fanbase for a reason. They’re beautiful and diverse, evolving with each iteration, but staying true to their claim as the most iconic blue creature type.

But how would you build Merfolk? And which iteration is your favorite?