I think the strategy of the deck is solid and consistent, but it requires a bit more strategizing than play as many tokens as you can then cover them in +1/+1 counters. I wouldve expected this to work the other way, lore-wise
At the start of your combat step, all your Merfolk creatures explore, revealing the top card of your library and putting it into your hand if its a land, or giving that Merfolk a +1/+1 counter and then letting you choose to keep it on top of your deck or into your graveyard
The Power Nine, including Black Lotus and Time Walk , are on the "Reserved List," which is a promise never to reprint them
Pros & Cons Translates iconic D&D monsters like the Mind Flayer into creature spells
You also don't want to waste spells on your opponents' turns when possible, because churning out these Elemental tokens is quite key to victory
The Lord of Pain is a very strong burn commander in Magic: The Gathering 's Commander format