<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emperor Mihail II" href="#" target="_blank">Emperor Mihail II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/pindurski" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PINDURSKI</a></span></i></p>
<h2>Merfolk History</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Merfolk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merfolk</a> have a long legacy of competitive and casual play in <em>Magic</em>, resulting in generations of blue-based Aggro-Control decks being nicknamed “fish” after the humanoid deep sea denizens. Ever since <em>Alpha</em>, the fishmen have been swimming past opposing defenses with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of Atlantis" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of Atlantis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Tolarian_Community_College" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Professor</a> has even professed his love of the creature type on multiple occasions, most notably with his Sygg decks on the Command Zone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Vial" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Vial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to drop Merfolk into play without paying mana, at instant speed, and without being cast. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The last time we were in <em>Lorwyn</em>, Jan Ruess brought a Standard Merfolk deck splashing white to Pro Tour Hollywood, including a couple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsummon" href="#" target="_blank">Unsummon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s 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).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In <em>Ixalan</em>, Merfolk began seeping into green. These Merfolk were vibrant and colorful, much more like oceanic and tropical fishpeople than <em>Lorwyn</em>’s riverbound merrow. Much like they evolve to fit different competitive environments, Merfolk have historically evolved to fit diverse locales.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today’s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emperor Mihail II" href="#" target="_blank">Emperor Mihail II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander deck tech is going to attempt the tough task of uniting the diverse species of undersea humanoid life across the Multiverse.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But which build do we favor? Or can we draw inspiration from both?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emperor Mihail II"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emperor Mihail II" href="#" target="_blank">Emperor Mihail II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite being a 3/3 for three mana, the most important three about Mihail are his three abilities. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mihail lets us look at the top card of our library and cast Merfolk spells from there. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a </span><a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game Changer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for a reason, and limiting it to Merfolk in a Merfolk Typal deck isn’t much of a downside. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mihail also lets us pay a mana to make a 1/1 Merfolk token essentially as a <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Kicker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kicker</a> 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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And is there a more entertaining type to take our opponents to school?</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emperor Mihail II" href="#" target="_blank">Emperor Mihail II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cursecatcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harbinger of the Tides"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursecatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Cursecatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was part of Jan Ruess’s Standard Merfolk list, and a strong counterspell on a cheap body. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harbinger of the Tides" href="#" target="_blank">Harbinger of the Tides</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deeproot Pilgrimage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Master of Waves"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deeproot Pilgrimage" href="#" target="_blank">Deeproot Pilgrimage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Waves" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Waves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what do we do with all of these little bodies?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Make them big.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vodalian Hexcatcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paragon of Gathering Mists"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost every time Merfolk are featured, they come away with a new Lord or two, starting with the iconic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of Atlantis" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of Atlantis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fuses <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of Atlantis" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of Atlantis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursecatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Cursecatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as alluded to in the name. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are a couple of Lords who happen to not be Merfolk but are able to boost them all the same. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paragon of Gathering Mists" href="#" target="_blank">Paragon of Gathering Mists</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Architect" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Architect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both boost our blue creatures…which happens to be all of them!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part of what made Legacy Merfolk so strong was the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kira, Great Glass-Spinner" href="#" target="_blank">Kira, Great Glass-Spinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lost in the Maze"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptic Command"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lost in the Maze" href="#" target="_blank">Lost in the Maze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives our tapped creatures hexproof, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptic Command" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptic Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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).</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Riptide Laboratory"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Laboratory" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Laboratory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> bounces Wizards, which a lot of our Merfolk happen to be. This lets us make additional bodies with our commander and re-use ETBs.</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emperor Mihail II" href="#" target="_blank">Emperor Mihail II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deepchannel Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Levitation"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, how do we get through? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deepchannel Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Deepchannel Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes our blue creatures swim around opposing defenses, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Levitation" href="#" target="_blank">Levitation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn our Merfolk into literal Flying Fish!</span></p>
<h2>Emperor Mihail II Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Emperor Mihail II Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Emperor Mihail II
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Archetype of Imagination
*1 Attuma, Atlantean Warlord
*1 Champions of the Shoal
*1 Coralhelm Commander
*1 Cosi&#039;s Trickster
*1 Cursecatcher
*1 Deepchannel Mentor
*1 Grand Architect
*1 Harbinger of the Seas
*1 Harbinger of the Tides
*1 Lord of Atlantis
*1 Lullmage Mentor
*1 Master of Waves
*1 Master of the Pearl Trident
*1 Merfolk Looter
*1 Merfolk Sovereign
*1 Merfolk Trickster
*1 Merrow Harbinger
*1 Merrow Reejerey
*1 Mindspring Merfolk
*1 Mist Dancer
*1 Mist-Cloaked Herald
*1 Mistcaller
*1 Paragon of Gathering Mists
*1 Rishadan Dockhand
*1 River Sneak
*1 Seafloor Oracle
*1 Seahunter
*1 Silvergill Adept
*1 Silvergill Mentor
*1 Stonybrook Banneret
*1 Sun Quan, Lord of Wu
*1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
*1 Tempest Caller
*1 Thieving Skydiver
*1 Tidal Warrior
*1 Tide Shaper
*1 Tideshaper Mystic
*1 Tishana&#039;s Tidebinder
*1 Triton Shorestalker
*1 Vodalian Hexcatcher
*1 Wonder
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Deeproot Pilgrimage
*1 Deeproot Waters
*1 Levitation
*1 Lost in the Maze
*1 Merrow Commerce
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Memorial
*1 Eldrazi Monument
*1 Glaring Spotlight
*1 Smoke Bomb
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Open into Wonder
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Cryptic Command
*1 Filter Out
*1 Flare of Denial
*1 Negate
*1 Thassa&#039;s Rebuff
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Castle Vantress
*30 Island
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Riptide Laboratory
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Three Tree City
*1 War Room
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Merfolk have been around since the beginning of <em>Magic</em>, 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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Merfolk? And which iteration is your favorite?</span></p>


merfolk commander deck

Building Merfolk Typal With Emperor Mihail II