To paraphrase, shew! There's been some really subjective/bad advice dished out, fortunately some folk have pointed out a better direction.
Something to note on older Epic models is that you could likely end up out of pocket/spares with the Brain. Especially if the previous owner has not kept up their maintenance. Great bikes, but if you're unsure around checking suspension and wear items like pivots, you could be caught unawares. True of any purchase, but anything with propriety stuff needs extra consideration.
Of all the options put forward, the Merida and Titan are your best options. Although it's worth noting that the Merida 99 has seen a pretty big update to the frame design. The Cypher seems to be really over forked at 150mm, I'd question this as it would on the limit. From previous talks with Titan I was looking at a bigger travel fork and the suggestion was that 140mm would be the ideal max.
Everything aside, my money would be on the Cypher, it's the newest of the bunch and has a pretty decent spec which can be upgraded over time. Personally, I'd move away from the plasticky SX/NX and move to Deore at that the level. The Microshift is perfectly fine and widely specced by numerous brand in the industry. They're a newer player but have been around a while.
Interesting factoid; the local Merida agents are also the agents for Microshift and a couple other brands like FLR shoes etc. They're also the owners/partners of Titan Racing.
All in all they're a good crowd, are responsive and the support is there.
