Islandwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls an Island.)
: Target Merfolk you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
Sygg, River Guide leads a UW Merfolk tribal deck that floods the board with fish, pumps them with anthems, and swings unblockable while protecting key creatures from removal and blockers. Early turns develop mana and cheap merfolk lords, midgame you build a wide board and start granting evasion, and you close by attacking through protection-enabled openings. Sygg's activated ability doubles as combat trickery and removal insurance, making your attackers hard to interact with.
Repeatable protection from color shrugs off targeted removal and enables clean attacks
Strong tribal synergy in a focused color pair with multiple merfolk lords
Cheap two-mana commander that contributes immediately and is easy to recast
Islandwalk plus protection gives near-guaranteed combat damage against many decks
Lacks card advantage and grindy staying power against board wipes
Protection only helps one creature per activation, so it doesn't save a whole team
Vulnerable to non-targeted sweepers and decks without Islands neutralize the islandwalk
Limited reach against decks that go over the top with combo or big mana