It's been a while, but here is an article about how the Smoke and Mirrors team can be used to play together. https://intothehexadome.home.blog/2019/09/06/team-planning-smoke-and-mirrors/
I think it's actually kinda astonishing how much better that box gets if you substitute in Mushashi and Bixie to replace Murtair and Mendoza. That all-Yu Jing team is damn solid. Mind you, Murtair and Mendoza are actually pretty strong as a combination themselves.
Yeah, Murtair and Mendoza, I do think of Murtairs health as being a resource you can spend on his cards in that situation.
Yeah, I think you can build some damn strong teams around a core of Murtair and Mendoza, by focusing on high Wounds to get the most out of Mendoza. Something along the lines of Murtair, Mendoza, Maximus and either Hammerhead or Wild Bill would be tough for opponents to put down and solid in a wide range of Scenarios. It's weaker against strong State based Control, but the meta seems to be against that kind of building overall right now.