The alternative is that my attacker goes unblocked, and that can either make an opponent dead or I can sacrifice the attacker myself in the post-combat main phase
Adrix and Nev, Twincasters and Thrasios, Triton Hero are great examples of powerful merfolk that work without being part of a dedicated typal deck
Layla Hassan A white commander that can retrieve a historic card from the graveyard with her enters-the-battlefield ability (ETB) is pretty good, especially when she can do it again when she deals combat damage
For this reason, Dragons Rage Channeler has become a staple of Grixis tempo decks in Legacy
Arabian Nights King Suleiman (PO, LP) Erhnam Djinn (PL) City in a Bottle (PL, GD) Island of Wak-Wak (PL, LP, GD) Bazaar Of Baghdad (BGS 8.5) Antiquities Argivian Archaeologist (PL, LP, EX) Transmute Artifact (PO) Tawnos's Coffin (NM) Italian Legends Moat (LP) High-End Reserved List Stocking up on High-End RL cards from Essen