Page 389 of 400 FirstFirst ... 289339379385386387388389390391392393399 ... LastLast
Results 7,761 to 7,780 of 7999

Thread: [Deck] Merfolk

  1. #7761

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Relic already deprived him of threshold, so I didn't see any reason to crack it. Drawing a card is nice, but there is always a chance to draw a counter an expose it to discard. I won't generally not crack a relic until I'm forced to, but maybe that's just me.

  2. #7762

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Hi all,

    i'll play tomorrow in the SCG open in NJ, let me know if you're around!

    I'll report afterwards

    cheers!

  3. #7763
    Member
    FANAttIC's Avatar
    Join Date

    Jul 2011
    Location

    Zagreb, Croatia
    Posts

    262

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    So, dinosaurus, are you one of those 3 Merfolk players from day2?
    Miracles and Grixis Delver are the most played decks, how is it possible that Merfolk does nothing in Open?

  4. #7764
    Member

    Join Date

    Nov 2015
    Location

    NYC/CT
    Posts

    3

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Was at the Open in NJ this weekend, heres my brief report. (Been lurking on this thread for a while now, figured I would contribute a little!)

    Round 1 WIN 2 - 1 - 0 Burn 1-0

    Standard "I don't play legacy but borrowed burn from a friend" situation.

    Round 2 WIN 2 - 1 - 0 Burn 2-0

    Much more solid player, very tight match. Chalice was an all star as always.

    Round 3 WIN 2 - 0 - 0 Miracles 3-0

    Fairly standard Miracles list. Chalice was fine as was Cavern. Aggressively Phantasmal Imaged my Mutavaults and just ground it out.

    Round 4 LOSS 1 - 2 - 0 Miracles (Joe Lossett) 3-1

    Very easy game one, was able to go the distance with a True-Name. Games 2 & 3 I didn't see a Lord or TNN once and the Mutavault plan didn't work against Joe's slightly more creature heavy list. This was the only loss of the day that I felt was winnable had I drawn slightly better (or if I hadn't been playing one of the better Miracles players in the world)

    Round 5 LOSS 0 - 2 - 0 Painter’s Servant 3-2

    Rough matchup and the games showed that. Wasn't able to land a chalice before the 5+ pyroblast/REB started hammering my guys. The upside was that the match was over so quick I had time to go eat some food finally :)

    Round 6 WIN 2 - 1 - 0 Sneak and Show 4-2

    Bounced back in a matchup that I have a lot of experience with, which felt nice. Gilded Drake out of the side was an all star. Stole an Emrakul off of Show and Tell and also vialed it in to snipe sneak attack targets. (On a side note, Gilded Drake has been over performing for me lately in a bunch of different matches. Taking Marit Lage tokens, Blightsteel Colossus etc. have made it a nice little toolbox option.

    Round 7 LOSS 0 - 2 - 0 MUD & Round 8 LOSS 1 - 2 - 0 MUD 4-4

    These matches hit me right in a sideboard blind spot which was pretty frustrating. Back to back MUD matches sealed the deal and I ended the day at 4-4. Out of our small group, Elves and S&T made day 2. Didn't see a single delver or storm deck all day which was too bad.

  5. #7765
    Bear Cub > Tarmogoyf

    Join Date

    Jul 2007
    Posts

    775

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Congrats on the strong start and sorry bout the double MUD thing. We can be the founding members of the consecutive-losses-to-MUD-knocked-my-fish-deck-out club.

    Not to exaggerate the threat here, but does it make sense (at least in a meta-dependent way) to devote some board space to MUD and similar decks? While Ensnaring Bridge is often used against us and our lord-pumping, it would help against Wurmcoil, Emrakul, etc. I know this goes against our aggro role in this matchup though. Just wondering what in the side would help most.
    Most people blindly suggest new cards for decks. True contributors also suggest what to remove. It's not about what's good, but rather what's better than the current selections.

  6. #7766
    Member

    Join Date

    Nov 2015
    Location

    NYC/CT
    Posts

    3

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by kirbysdl View Post
    Congrats on the strong start and sorry bout the double MUD thing. We can be the founding members of the consecutive-losses-to-MUD-knocked-my-fish-deck-out club.

    Not to exaggerate the threat here, but does it make sense (at least in a meta-dependent way) to devote some board space to MUD and similar decks? While Ensnaring Bridge is often used against us and our lord-pumping, it would help against Wurmcoil, Emrakul, etc. I know this goes against our aggro role in this matchup though. Just wondering what in the side would help most.
    Thanks! I can't help but feel the rough ending was partially due to mistakes in my sideboard build. I had 2 echoing truth to swing for lethal after building a critical mass of fish, but left out a pithing needle/null rod option to combat metalworker/forgemaster etc. Looking forward I will be including some number of pithing needles in the side, got a little too cute with hibernations and tower of the magistrate in there instead. (Although I suppose if I had taken those out I would have gotten blown out by elves all day :) )

  7. #7767

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Hey guys,
    I'm currently looking to get my first serious legacy deck (besides burn) and I'm thinking maybe this could be a good choice? I'm wonder how hard this deck is to pilot with very limited legacy knowledge and how good it is in the current meta? Also how linear is merfolk, as it feels pretty linear from my testing and I'm not sure I like that. Those are the main things I'm looking for in a deck, as well as maybe future options to build from it. I'm on an about $1,500 budget. Thanks!

  8. #7768
    Member

    Join Date

    Nov 2015
    Location

    NYC/CT
    Posts

    3

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by Figurative View Post
    Hey guys,
    I'm currently looking to get my first serious legacy deck (besides burn) and I'm thinking maybe this could be a good choice? I'm wonder how hard this deck is to pilot with very limited legacy knowledge and how good it is in the current meta? Also how linear is merfolk, as it feels pretty linear from my testing and I'm not sure I like that. Those are the main things I'm looking for in a deck, as well as maybe future options to build from it. I'm on an about $1,500 budget. Thanks!
    Merfolk was my first serious Legacy deck years ago. I've been through a couple of different delver variants, infect and others over the years but I keep coming back to Merfolk. If you are just getting started playing legacy I think its important to note that as crucial as it is to know your own deck, understanding the field is an equal priority. In that sense, I think Merfolk is a fine starting point. You're right, it can be a linear deck, but as you gain understanding of specific matchups it is a deck that can grow with you. As a side bonus, it can be ported to Modern relatively easily should you want to run side events or whatever. Also, merfolk fits with a $1500 budget with most being in the 1300-1600 range.

  9. #7769
    Viva la pimienta!
    Anarky87's Avatar
    Join Date

    Feb 2005
    Location

    Danville, IL
    Posts

    559

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    We had an impromptu Legacy event this past Saturday. I decided to take a break from Jund and run the Fish and made top 4. Pretty standard list:

    4 Cursecatcher
    4 Silvergill Adept
    4 Lord of Atlantis
    4 Master of the Pearl Trident
    4 True Name Nemesis
    3 Phantasmal Image
    2 Harbinger of the Tides

    4 Aether Vial
    4 Force of Will
    3 Chalice of the Void
    2 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Echoing Truth

    12 Islands
    4 Cavern of Souls
    4 Mutavault
    1 Mishra's Factory

    I don't remember my board, but I know it lacked Back to Basics which really ruined my chances to go the distance. I played against a rogue brew (2-1), Jund (2-0), 12 Post (1-2), and then top 4 12 Post (0-2).
    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Burton
    What does that mean? Huh? "China is here." I don't even know what the hell that means. All I know is that this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just STANDS there! Waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with LIGHT coming out of his mouth!

  10. #7770
    Member
    FANAttIC's Avatar
    Join Date

    Jul 2011
    Location

    Zagreb, Croatia
    Posts

    262

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Cliques against 12 Post, instead of Harbingers, could at least nab a threat out of their threat light deck.
    What did Harbingers do for you at this tournament?

  11. #7771
    Viva la pimienta!
    Anarky87's Avatar
    Join Date

    Feb 2005
    Location

    Danville, IL
    Posts

    559

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    It was alright. It bounced a Spitemare and a Boros Reckoner in my first round, bounced a DRS eot into Chalice @ 1 game 1, bounced a Goyf game 2, which he followed next turn by playing two Goyfs, which got Truth'd the following turn and by then he was too far behind.

    12 Post was rough because of both Elephant Grass and Ensnaring Bridge to play around. Those just slowed me down too much and let him get his combo's online.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Burton
    What does that mean? Huh? "China is here." I don't even know what the hell that means. All I know is that this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just STANDS there! Waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with LIGHT coming out of his mouth!

  12. #7772

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Hey,
    I was talking to someone who knew more about me at legacy yesterday and he suggested that merfolk isn't a great choice for a big event as it has trouble with many tier 1 matchups which you are more likely to encounter. Would you guys say this is true? I really am looking to do good at the upcoming Card Kingdom 1Ks and don't want to have a deck that will underperform at them.

  13. #7773
    Viva la pimienta!
    Anarky87's Avatar
    Join Date

    Feb 2005
    Location

    Danville, IL
    Posts

    559

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    It might not be as great as it was when everyone was packing on the cantrips to power their Digs, but I still feel it's pretty solid. It seems the overwhelming majority of decks doing well are Miracles (34% of the T32 decks at Somerset were Miracles), Grixis, and some Shardless. Merfolk should have a great match against Miracles and Grixis. I'd say if you expect a large concentration of those decks at your tournaments, Merfolk seems like a fine choice.

    I'd just be sure to get a lot of practice in with the deck before the 1k's against the popular matchups and get really familiar with them. Of course, that should go without saying, but the deck does have a bit of intricacy about it. Someone just picking it up and expecting to herp-derp-fish-army-go! everyone might be disappointed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Burton
    What does that mean? Huh? "China is here." I don't even know what the hell that means. All I know is that this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just STANDS there! Waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with LIGHT coming out of his mouth!

  14. #7774

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by Anarky87 View Post
    It might not be as great as it was when everyone was packing on the cantrips to power their Digs, but I still feel it's pretty solid. It seems the overwhelming majority of decks doing well are Miracles (34% of the T32 decks at Somerset were Miracles), Grixis, and some Shardless. Merfolk should have a great match against Miracles and Grixis. I'd say if you expect a large concentration of those decks at your tournaments, Merfolk seems like a fine choice.

    I'd just be sure to get a lot of practice in with the deck before the 1k's against the popular matchups and get really familiar with them. Of course, that should go without saying, but the deck does have a bit of intricacy about it. Someone just picking it up and expecting to herp-derp-fish-army-go! everyone might be disappointed.
    Yeah that makes sense. Been testing online and have been having fairly good runs with it. I like the way it plays too, and it's nice and affordable. I just worry about how good it is, and whether something else would be a better $1,500ish deck -- DnT could be strong, though I would need some legacy experience to pilot it well, and some people (including Gerry Thompson, who sometimes shows up at local events in my area) have liked the idea of a slightly suboptimal infect list, maybe with some breeding pools. What would you say is the strongest? I also currently have legacy burn, but I really don't like the way it plays.

  15. #7775
    Bear Cub > Tarmogoyf

    Join Date

    Jul 2007
    Posts

    775

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    You're going to have a bigger impact on your event result than your deck.

    But let's say you have the finest ability in the world. Miracles in the hands of a true expert can dominate a GP, and it has. Miracles in the hands of a true expert can scrub out of a GP on the first day, and it has. (See Bonanni/Schönegger at GP Lille 2015.) Similar statements can be made about other competitive deck archetypes, especially as the size of the event decreases and variance plays a greater role in the outcome. This means that even if you hone your skills, factors outside your control (matchups, topdecks, recovering from a cold, etc.) play an important role.

    But first you need skills, and that comes from practice. If you spend half your time choosing the perfect metagame-busting deck, you've lost important playtesting time that might end up being more significant than choosing a deck that shaves a couple points off matchup win percentages. You admit that some decks "need some legacy experience to pilot it well." To be honest, the same is true of every deck.

    tl;dr If you as a Merfolk pilot is as strong as Merfolk is as a Legacy deck, you can get there. Even if Merfolk isn't the strongest Legacy deck, you can still get there with stronger skills and a bit of luck.
    Most people blindly suggest new cards for decks. True contributors also suggest what to remove. It's not about what's good, but rather what's better than the current selections.

  16. #7776

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by kirbysdl View Post
    You're going to have a bigger impact on your event result than your deck.

    But let's say you have the finest ability in the world. Miracles in the hands of a true expert can dominate a GP, and it has. Miracles in the hands of a true expert can scrub out of a GP on the first day, and it has. (See Bonanni/Schönegger at GP Lille 2015.) Similar statements can be made about other competitive deck archetypes, especially as the size of the event decreases and variance plays a greater role in the outcome. This means that even if you hone your skills, factors outside your control (matchups, topdecks, recovering from a cold, etc.) play an important role.

    But first you need skills, and that comes from practice. If you spend half your time choosing the perfect metagame-busting deck, you've lost important playtesting time that might end up being more significant than choosing a deck that shaves a couple points off matchup win percentages. You admit that some decks "need some legacy experience to pilot it well." To be honest, the same is true of every deck.

    tl;dr If you as a Merfolk pilot is as strong as Merfolk is as a Legacy deck, you can get there. Even if Merfolk isn't the strongest Legacy deck, you can still get there with stronger skills and a bit of luck.
    Yeah I guess you're right. Merfolk seems like a really good fit in terms of legacy decks, as one of my friends has a modern merfolk deck he'd trade off, I already have some of the cards, and it seems like a nice deck for learning the format. Lately I've been obsessively grinding on cockatrice trying to find the right deck and it's been stressing me out a ton, but I think I just need to chill out and pick a goddamn deck. However, is merfolk a good choice? I am a bit worried about competitiveness as I'm a pretty big spike and it looks solidly tier 2.5 right now.

    Also, you were talking about practicing and getting skills with it. Are there any specific tips you think I should do with folk? Thanks.

  17. #7777
    Member
    FANAttIC's Avatar
    Join Date

    Jul 2011
    Location

    Zagreb, Croatia
    Posts

    262

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    One of the most powerful, if not the most, cards in Legacy is Chalice of the Void. A deck has to pay the cost to play it.
    We are easily doing that while many decks are close to a scoop on turn 2 Chalice.
    That alone makes it better than tier 2.5.

    I am so satisfied with how Merfolk plays that my Snapcasters and Mystics are in the mail right now (selling them), as there is no need to have multiple decks anymore.

  18. #7778
    Member
    Chronatog's Avatar
    Join Date

    Feb 2015
    Location

    Berkeley, CA
    Posts

    82

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by Figurative View Post
    Also, you were talking about practicing and getting skills with it. Are there any specific tips you think I should do with folk? Thanks.
    I echo what kirbysdl and FANAttIC said - practice makes perfect. Specifically practice with mulligans and sideboarding is very important for Merfolk. We don't have cantrips and deck manipulation spells other than Silvergill Adept, so our open hand is what pretty much determines the course of the game. So understanding when to keep and when to mulligan is important. Understanding what to bring from sideboard and what to take from the deck is also critical as Abrupt Decay and other anti-Chalice cards are common responses. This really forces you to acquire a good understanding of different decks and how Merfolk interact with them.

    And speaking about big events, depending on your pairings, Merfolk actually has good chances to do well. Miracles is still the dominant deck with about 30% of the big tournament metagame and Merfolk prays on Miracles. On the other hand, it is much harder to win over Reanimator as it is so damn fast when their hand is good and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a complete devastation of the board.

    I'm not trying to sell you Merfolk, however this deck is relatively cheap and many cards from the deck are transferable so definitely Merfolk is a good choice for someone who wants to start playing Legacy. Taking into account that you already have Burn, at some point you will be able to assemble UR Delver-type deck (if you decided to get fetches and duals).
    ---
    Carpe Diem

  19. #7779

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    Quote Originally Posted by Chronatog View Post
    I echo what kirbysdl and FANAttIC said - practice makes perfect. Specifically practice with mulligans and sideboarding is very important for Merfolk. We don't have cantrips and deck manipulation spells other than Silvergill Adept, so our open hand is what pretty much determines the course of the game. So understanding when to keep and when to mulligan is important. Understanding what to bring from sideboard and what to take from the deck is also critical as Abrupt Decay and other anti-Chalice cards are common responses. This really forces you to acquire a good understanding of different decks and how Merfolk interact with them.

    And speaking about big events, depending on your pairings, Merfolk actually has good chances to do well. Miracles is still the dominant deck with about 30% of the big tournament metagame and Merfolk prays on Miracles. On the other hand, it is much harder to win over Reanimator as it is so damn fast when their hand is good and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a complete devastation of the board.

    I'm not trying to sell you Merfolk, however this deck is relatively cheap and many cards from the deck are transferable so definitely Merfolk is a good choice for someone who wants to start playing Legacy. Taking into account that you already have Burn, at some point you will be able to assemble UR Delver-type deck (if you decided to get fetches and duals).
    Okay tht makes sense. Could you give examples of specific sbing plans and specific hands to keep?

    Also I'm gonna be selling my burn deck to pay for Merfolk, so I would be selling my UR Delver stuff. Is UR Delver a better choice then merfolk though? Would you reccomend one over the other?

    Thanks.

  20. #7780
    Member
    FANAttIC's Avatar
    Join Date

    Jul 2011
    Location

    Zagreb, Croatia
    Posts

    262

    Re: [Deck] Merfolk

    As a UR Delver player I can confirm that it was a great deck when Cruise was legal.
    Now, Miracles is the most played deck and Counterbalance is bad news.
    In head to head Merfolk would probably win because Chalice is such a blowout while the only relevant spell in UR Delver is early Delver.
    UR has one great card: Price of Progress, but it is not the time for it or at least people know how to play around it.

    If you want to play a Delver deck, BUG or BURG are the only viable options because Abrupt Decay is important.
    In small environments UR can be good enough, but if you like big events Death&Taxes, Lands and Miracles will make your life hard.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)