The post-banning dilemma

[(nameless one)]

Hello Fellow Sourcers,

I currently have an old Merfolk deck (the Standstill version). I have a feeling that the banning of Mystical Tutor (and the apparent shafting of both Reanimator and ANT decks), Merfolk is just a cat food (Zoo reference). I was trying to build a Counter-Top deck (since I have an unused playset of Counterbalance) but that deck also falls prey to Zoo/Goblins and the rest of the Aggro decks. Not to mention that I currently do not have any Revised Duals on my possession.

Now I face this dilemma, behind this tight budget of mine.

Should I trade my Blue denial package (playsets Force of Will, Standstill, Stifle, Counterbalance) and Merfolks for something that will suite the upcoming meta? Should I wait for Columbus to see what deck actually become really good and trade those pieces for the forementioned pieces? Possibly for Mox Diamonds (or other board control pieces), Karakas (join the DnT bandwagon) or Zoo pieces (and conform with the rest of the format).

Should I just keep them and hopefully the meta doesn't really shift as everyone would expect?

PS. I also have saved up $100 cash dedicated for Magic. I was going to purchase a set of Flooded Strand (for CounterTop Thopter deck). Outside of Jace (which I believe I can win from the local store via tournaments), Dual Lands, Moat (which can be substituted by Humility, which I have) and Flooded Strands themselves, I appear to have all the cards needed for that deck. Does that deck actually have a future on this post-Mystical Tutor banning format?

Or maybe just get a playset of Survival of the Fittest? After all, I do have this Elf deck that needs a facelift (it was my 1st ever Legacy deck)

Anyways, thanks for hearing me out and hopefully this thread actually gets a positive reply.

And please, do not turn this thread into that kittens thread.

[Aggro_zombies]

I think you should trade them away for Anus Mittens.

In all seriousness, get yourself some duals already. You can't build most of the good decks in the format without them.

[emidln]

If you really want to, you can beat Zoo and Goblins with CB. It involves Firespout, Humility, and Thopter/Sword.

That said, we can always use more combo players...

[heroicraptor]

You should play Countertop Superfriends. I think the available hate for the Thopter/Swords combo is great enough that it could easily be hated out of the format, if it became a DTB.

[luckymartyr]

I would not sell forces at this time. There is a good liklihood that you will need them in the future and buying them back will be painful. You can still play a competitive merfolk deck by playing more lords with the commander and not running standstill. Kira will go a long way to preventing all of your guys from duying to bolts and grim lavamancer. If you are able to get the UW fetchlands and one tundra you can consider splashing white for swords and sygg. I have seen builds that run stifle, wasteland, daze and ghostly prisonout of the board that make it harder for zoo to kill you. Good luck.

[from Cairo]

Don't trade away Force of Will.

Blue has always been the best color in the format. I'd start getting Blue fetches/duals and then build whatever deck suites your fancy - CounterT(h)op, Ugw CBT, New Horizons, UW Tempo, Excalibur, etc etc. UW Tempo would be a strong place to start at the very least, because it's 2 colors and doesn't run Tarmogoyf, which by Legacy standards is budget friendly. Your Merfolk disruption cards also carry over a lot: Aether Vial, Wasteland, Stifle, Force of Will, Brainstorm, the creatures are all junk rares, you really just need Tundras and Flooded Strands. Then from there work on Tropical Islands and Tarmogoyfs and you pretty much have the UGW staples.

[Phoenix Ignition]

Wait didn't you already start this thread somewhere else? I swear I've seen a poll asking the exact same question.

As to the answer get whatever cards for the deck you want to play. I would never play zoo so there is no point in me owning it. What do you want to play...?

[(nameless one)]

Wait didn't you already start this thread somewhere else? I swear I've seen a poll asking the exact same question.

As to the answer get whatever cards for the deck you want to play. I would never play zoo so there is no point in me owning it. What do you want to play...?

I think you are talking about that thread where I ask if its worth to get Natural Order or Survival of the Fittest.

I actually like changing my playstyle. I think it broadens my knowledge of the format. I used to love aggro decks and now I am getting into control.

[jazzykat]

The combo of thopter/sword is remarkably powerful. I think we are all hoping that Columbus brings us something new and amazing but even if it does you are going to have to wait to see if it is the real deal i.e. top 2 of GP Madrid or just a tier 1.5-2 deck Dream Halls. Why don't you play an updated version of merfolk for a little bit without burning any of your magic money and then if you get tired of the deck or whatever you can unload the whole thing minus wastes, fow, and daze towards getting what you want.

[Shugyosha]

Never sell your playset of Forces unless you absolutely need the cash.

Just add 4 Coralhelm Commander, 2 Kiras and 2 Jittes to your deck for the usual 4 Standstills and 4 Stifle/Snare and you have a real blue aggro Deck which can kill surprisingly fast. SB has to be heavy Zoo hate but besides Blasts carefully timed Hibernations can always wreak havoc.

[samurai_socks]

Never sell your playset of Forces unless you absolutely need the cash.

Just add 4 Coralhelm Commander, 2 Kiras and 2 Jittes to your deck for the usual 4 Standstills and 4 Stifle/Snare and you have a real blue aggro Deck which can kill surprisingly fast. SB has to be heavy Zoo hate but besides Blasts carefully timed Hibernations can always wreak havoc.

This.

Threads is pretty great against Zoo as well.

The white splash in merfolk is also something to look at in a very heavy aggro meta.

-Cheers-

[Hanni]

I agree with everyone else. Never sell your Force of Wills. Maybe you don't want to play a deck with them right now, but there will come a time when you do, and you'll be kicking yourself for having ever gotten rid of them. There are just too many viable decks that require Force of Will.

[(nameless one)]

This.

Threads is pretty great against Zoo as well.

The white splash in merfolk is also something to look at in a very heavy aggro meta.

-Cheers-

Fair enough.

Although I will not be able to buy Tundras right away, I guess I will go on and purchase that playset of Flooded Strands. Although, I might try building CounterTop Thopter and experiment on it, essentially have a build thats a cross of CounterTop Thopter, Quinn and Enchantress (After all Enlightened Tutor plays an important roll on the first two decks)

Justifiable?

[samurai_socks]

Fair enough.

Although I will not be able to buy Tundras right away, I guess I will go on and purchase that playset of Flooded Strands. Although, I might try building CounterTop Thopter and experiment on it, essentially have a build thats a cross of CounterTop Thopter, Quinn and Enchantress (After all Enlightened Tutor plays an important roll on the first two decks)

Justifiable?

Good choice. There are just too many decks you will want to build in the future that require FOW's.

Here is a sample Merfolk list with white.

Maindeck:

Artifacts
4 Aether Vial

Creatures
4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
2 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept

Enchantments
4 Standstill

Instants
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares

Legendary Artifacts
2 Umezawa's Jitte

Basic Lands
2 Island
1 Plains

Lands
4 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Mutavault
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Tundra
4 Wasteland

Sideboard:
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Chill
3 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Path to Exile
3 Submerge

Also this might work as a budget Thopter deck.

Maindeck:

Artifacts
1 Chalice of the Void
3 Chrome Mox
3 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Sword of the Meek
3 Thopter Foundry

Creatures
2 Trinket Mage

Instants
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Force of Will
2 Gifts Ungiven
3 Path to Exile
3 Spell Snare
1 Swords to Plowshares
4 Thirst For Knowledge

Planeswalkers
2 Tezzeret the Seeker

Sorceries
1 Wrath of God

Artifact Lands
1 Ancient Den
1 Seat of the Synod

Basic Lands
10 Island
2 Plains

Basic Snow Lands
1 Snow-Covered Island

Lands
4 Flooded Strand
1 Tolaria West
1 Tundra

Legendary Lands
2 Academy Ruins

Sideboard:
1 Meekstone
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Vedalken Shackles
2 Trinket Mage
3 Stifle
2 Oona, Queen of the Fae
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Wrath of God

-Cheers-

[JACO]

I currently have an old Merfolk deck (the Standstill version).

I also have saved up $100 cash dedicated for Magic. I was going to purchase a set of Flooded Strand (for CounterTop Thopter deck). Outside of Jace (which I believe I can win from the local store via tournaments), Dual Lands, Moat (which can be substituted by Humility, which I have) and Flooded Strands themselves, I appear to have all the cards needed for that deck. Does that deck actually have a future on this post-Mystical Tutor banning format?

Yes, the deck definitely has a future, as do Landstill variants. What I would do if I was you is:
1) Get Flooded Strands ($15 each), Misty Rainforests ($8-9 each), Polluted Deltas ($15-20 each), and then 2-3 of each of Tundra ($50 each), Tropical Island ($50 each), Underground Sea ($60-75 each), depending on what deck you want to play. You can't play legitimate control without these staples, so you're going to have to get them if you want to play.
2) Spend your $100 and trade away your extra Merfolk creatures and AEther Vials, Elves junk, Enchantress stuff, Quinn stuff, other miscelaneous fetchlands, and your other random loose cards to acquire said cards above. Narrow your collection and turn your junk into gold.
3) Focus on just Blue decks (CounterTop variants, Landstill variants, Bant decks, etc.), which mostly have interchangeable and similar parts, and then you can slowly pick up the stuff you need once you have the solid foundation.
4) Profit.