Poor merchant ship. You deserved the +buys, not Wharf.
MS would be WAY to strong with +buy. It allows for a consistency that is only really balanced by it's natural ability to only purchase one thing. Wharf, because it can draw itself and other cards dead, survives on it's + buy (although I would think it more balanced if it dud not provide that benefit as a duration).
Are you really trying to argue that MS with buy would be better than wharf as-is?
Looks like I need to go write the wharf article.
I think Wharf is too strong as-is. I think MS with +buy would be on par with Wharf.
The math on this is pretty simple. If the cards you would have drawn with wharf have a value equal to $2, then they would be the same (aside from any positive or negative value to general deck velocity). If their average value is less than $2, then a MS with +buy would be better; if greater than $2, then wharf would be better.
How often is the average value of two cards in your deck less than $2?