Regardless of the format, zero-mana artifacts are among the easiest ways to create problems in MTG. Commonly bypassing the mana resource system that keeps game progression in check, zero-mana artifacts, especially when tapped for mana, can progress the game at unopposable speeds. Considering this, Meria, Scholar of Antiquity’s lack of play is extremely surprising.
MTG Meria, Scholar of Antiquity
So long as you have the artifacts to support her, Meria, Scholar of Antiquity does everything that a Commander needs to. Tapping zero-mana artifacts like Mishra’s Bauble to both find new cards or cast them, a well-built Meria deck should never run out of gas. You can even use artifacts like Mox Opal to ramp Meria herself out, then Impulse draw more with it cards later.
Since you’ll be getting most of your value from tapping artifacts, artifacts that untap themselves can do a lot of heavy lifting with Meria. Traxos, Scourge of Kroog and Battered Golem, for example, essentially act as renewable mana sources. In a similar vein, cards like Glaring Fleshraker and Birgi, God of Storytelling can create a lot of value off casting multiple small artifacts.
While this can generate tons of mana quickly, you’ll need even more artifacts for Meria to use as Impulse draw. Traxos can also help here, but Unwinding Clock can do much more. When used with Vedalken Orrery or Liberator, Urza’s Battlethopter, Unwinding Clock can repurpose all of your artifacts into extra mana and draws on your opponent’s turns.
Since you’ll be exiling a ton of cards to cast with Meria, the Commander can easily abuse exile-based payoffs. Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald and Laelia, the Blade Reforged, for example, can both provide additional card advantage while building your board presence. Similarly, payoffs like Sarinth Steelseeker and Quicksmith Genius can create a ton of card selection in short order.
Once you’ve hit critical mass, Meria can employ a ton of unique win conditions to attack from different angles. Thanks to all the artifacts this Commander plays, Ingenious Artillerist and Reckless Fireweaver can quickly ping your opponents to death. For larger chunks of damage, Passionate Archaeologist offers a similar effect that triggers off of Meria’s Impulse drawing.
Untapping Artifacts for Infinite Mana
While Meria offers a fair bit of different infinite combos in the 99 of other Commanders, all of the ones that she’s capable of in the Command Zone revolve around one card. Reducing the cost of activated creature abilities, Heartstone creates a few different infinite combos alongside creatures with untap abilities.
The most useful of these involves Meria, Pili-Pala, and Heartstone to create infinite mana. This combination will, essentially, allow Pili-Pala to tap for a mana and use it to untap. This generates one extra mana in the process, netting infinite mana for a Walking Ballista win.
To add some redundancy to Hearthstone’s inclusion, you can utilize a similar loop with Farmstead Gleaner, netting an infinitely large creature. While this combo isn’t quite as useful as Pili-Pala, you can still set up for a massive Chandra’s Ignition play, dealing infinite damage to all of your opponents.
Depending on how mean you want to be, Meria also has some psuedo-locks that can slow down your opponent’s lands. Cards like Winter Orb and Static Orb can become one-sided effects thanks to Meria’s tap ability. Just tap them for green mana before you untap, and you won’t be affected.
An Unheard of, but Powerful Commander
With an incredibly efficient game plan and some infinite combo potential, Meria, Scholar of Antiquity, seems like the perfect Commander for some powerful brews. Despite this, however, the Commander sees surprisingly little play, appearing in only 3,540 decks according to EDHREC.
Not only does this give you a chance to blindside your opponents with Meria’s potential, but it also means that you can pick up this Commander for cheap. Available for only $0.73, Meria will easily perform far above her price tag. This makes Meria the perfect offbeat artifact Commander to try, especially if you’re after trying the archetype outside of its usual blue color identity.
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