Pointed Discussion

This is fun to combo with any of the Lorwyn merfolk with untap activated abilities.

I think the activation costs are too expensive to be able to use this creature in an offensive way.
Although there might be some use when combined with Merfolk which have -abilities.
(These are Leech Bonder, Puresight Merrow and the less playable Merrow Grimeblotter and Merrow Wavebreakers.)

Very flavorful overall, especially regarding the last ability which was exclusively made for these reasons, but i'm actually glad that this drawback is normally omitted on cards these days.

Yet interesting is the fact that this can do a better job as blocker, because you can still tap Merfolk which have blocked to boost the War Machine. (This is also kind of flavor-breaking, since tapping the Merfolk represents getting in the machine, so how is that creature supposed to both block an opponent's attacker alone and another one within the machine when these are attacking simultaneously?)

And regarding the creature type, this actually looks a lot like a Construct instead of a Wall, doesn't it?

Heh, it looks more like a circus than a construct.

Mode: As for the flavor abuse, I'm pretty sure tapped creatures didn't deal combat damage back in those days.

R&D's Secret Lair lets you keep tapping the same merfolk for an infinitely large War Machine

I always loved the flavor to cards like this. The idea that you're filling the thing up with Merfolk and they're using it.

So, for the low price of 1UU, I can have a 0/4 creature that can, with the aid of TWO other Merfolk become an exciting 2/5 attacker?! Hey, if I toss in another Merfolk, it gets up to 4/6 - exciting! Oh, and if the Machine dies, all the Merfolk die, too? Sign me up!

This thing is horrible. It seems, back than, if a card had "Machine" in the title, you knew it was useless. This card, Mishra's War Machine, Diabolic Machine, etc.

This is good with Stonybrook Schoolmaster and Intruder Alarm. Tap the Schoolmaster to the machine, it pops a Merfolk Wizard, and the Alarm untaps it. Do that a couple hundred times and you're good to go!

art looks like a sunken Mishra's War Machine. Why has nobody noticed that yet?

"Finally! I have assembled my mighty merfolk army! Prepare to die!"
"Okay."
"Entering combat step! Declaring attackers! Tapping one merfolk to allow it to attack!"
"Alright."
"One! Two! Three! Four! It is now a mighty 8/8! Give up, yet?"
"Nah, keep going."
"Declare your blockers, fiend!"
"No blocks."
"MWAHAHAHA!!!"
"Terror."
"Hahahaha... :D :) :| :( :'( D':"

This is a great example of an old-school tribal mechanic that simply didn't work because it weakens the tribe if it dies, just like Heart Wolf and other cards of its day. Wizards eventually realized that no one would play these cards with that kind of penalty (and they were hardly overpowered). But it took a few more years before they got there.

The card could have also been named Vodalian Party Ship. Everybody get on board and full speed ahead!

I like the card. Very flavorful. Not that good, but fun.

Back in the day, Vodalian War Machine went with War Barge and Phantasmal Terrain. That was the cheap way to make your merfolk effective without the Lord of Atlantis. Terror was generally met with Counterspell and Swords to Plowshares' exile not sending the "Machine" to the graveyard didn't kill off your merfolk. Still lethal today with Stonybrook Schoolmaster and Intruder Alarm in casual play.

Yet another fallen empires flavor win but functional fail...kind of glad wanky cards like this exist, mainly for artistic appreciation and the occasional bad doomsday device deck. But please don't print them anymore.

Although if you can win with this you are a planeswalker of the highest order.

Patron, scary thing is that I know a friend who has a Merfolk deck and regularly does win with this thing. He uses its ability to tap other Merfolk without attacking with them, and usually if we forget about him for a turn or two he can simply take over the game on his own, becoming too much for the table to deal with.