[Deck] Baseruption (aYb Aggro Control)

[kabal]

Heres the list:

//Lands
1 [TSP] Academy Ruins
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
3 [U] Tropical Island
3 [U] Underground Sea
2 [B] Tundra
1 [U] Plains
1 [U] Forest
2 [U] Island

You have no way to fetch that singleton Forest. A better plan would be:

-1 Forest
+1 Polluted Delta

[Nekrataal]

Oh yeah thanks for your input. I found out about the latter when playtesting against Merfolks yesterday :/ Could also run 1-2 Windswepth Heath. It could fetch Tundra and Tropical as well. Although I think a basic swamp isnt necessacy I wished I had one when playing Merfolks. What do you think?

Ah ... Shackles, totally right, although I didnt miss it in my frist playtests. Mh I have to sort that out because I do not have another slot to free. Although Trinket Mage hasnt been amazing in my first games either. So possible solution -2 Trinket Mage + 1EE + 1 Shackles.

OK I playtested Merfolks yesterday against a friend playing with my own Merfolk build because I think Merfolk is a hard matchup for Baseruption. Well it is. I just could win about 1/3 of preboard matches. Lord, Vial, Thrasher, Mutvault + Wasteland and Standstill are just to much to handle. POstboard it gets much better though.

I boarded in:
+ 2 Grips (against Vial)
+ 1EE (against Folks and stuff)
+ Jitte (for opposing Jitte mostly)
+ 2 Engineered Plague (obvious)
+ 1 Darkblast (A lot of critters are just */1 as long as one can keep Lord off the table, especially it deals with Wake Threshers

against:
- 2 Ponder
- 2 Sower (too slow)
- 1 Top / -1 Counterbalance (It just does nothing with Vial out)
- 1 Shackles (stealing things isnt very good because e.g. Lord counts for all Merfolks on the table, so it is better to get rid off things)
- 1 BoB (didnt know what else to take out)

Postboard I won about 60%. There are still times when you draw no solution to what's on the table but EE, Plague and Darkblast buy you much more time. Double Plague is almost GG. Grips take care of the extra speed provided by Vial (and uncounterability) and the possibility to drop Standstill against your favor.

[Mister Agent]

For some odd reason, I find shackles to be superb against creature oriented decks. Of course, the logic behind it is the sooner you can play and activate shackles the better. Although, shackles definitely has it's late game uses as well. It basically counts as a threat and a removal spell simultaneously which is relevant against "not quite shroud" creatures. Also, you should really be running a playset of engineered plagues against merfolks. They can dismantle tribal decks so run more of them.

[b4r0n]

For some odd reason, I find shackles to be superb against creature oriented decks. Of course, the logic behind it is the sooner you can play and activate shackles the better. Although, shackles definitely has it's late game uses as well. It basically counts as a threat and a removal spell simultaneously which is relevant against "not quite shroud" creatures. Also, you should really be running a playset of engineered plagues against merfolks. They can dismantle tribal decks so run more of them.

I've found Engineered Plague to be disappointingly poor against Merfolk. They run so many lords that you often need either Plague + removal or multiple Plagues in order to actually kill their creatures. Plus, Wasteland/Stifle/Daze can make it hard to resolve 1 Plague, let alone 2. I don't know what else to suggest against Merfolk though, that matchup is no fun.

[KillemallCFH]

SB Path to Exile is the best solution I know of to Merfolk. I agree E-Plague is pretty poor against them, but having access to 7-8 Swords makes the matchup more bearable. Although you are still very vulnerable to them just keeping you off white. And assuming you can keep LoA off of the table, creature-stealing effects (Threads, Sower, Shackles) are decent against them, acting pretty much as double-removal if you can cast them.

[Mister Agent]

Well I thought engineered plague would be decent against merfolks just as long as you can plow or EE their lords away.

[Steino]

//Lands
1 [TSP] Academy Ruins
4 [ON] Polluted Delta
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
3 [u] Tropical Island
3 [u] Underground Sea
3 [b] Tundra
2 [u] Island

//Creatures
2 [FD] Trinket Mage
2 [DIS] Trygon Predator
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf

//Spells
4 [CS] Counterbalance
4 [5E] Brainstorm
3 [NE] Daze
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [u] Swords to Plowshares
1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
2 [FD] Vedalken Shackles
4 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
2 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [UL] Engineered Plague
SB: 4 [u] Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 2 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 [PS] Meddling Mage

I’ve been trying this decklist and it seems to have what I need for a meta that is heavy on creatures, goblins, and control.

I’ve played Sower of Temptation but it doesn’t really stick around very long or it comes down too late to make an impact. I am trying the Meddling Mage sideboard because I’m having trouble with ANT.

Jittes main have granted that extra removal this decks needs and it gets helps with the life lose.

Thoughts?

[Mister Agent]

//Lands
1 [TSP] Academy Ruins
4 [ON] Polluted Delta
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
3 [u] Tropical Island
3 [u] Underground Sea
3 [b] Tundra
2 [u] Island

//Creatures
2 [FD] Trinket Mage
2 [DIS] Trygon Predator
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf

//Spells
4 [CS] Counterbalance
4 [5E] Brainstorm
3 [NE] Daze
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [u] Swords to Plowshares
1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
2 [FD] Vedalken Shackles
4 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
2 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [UL] Engineered Plague
SB: 4 [u] Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 2 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 [PS] Meddling Mage

I’ve been trying this decklist and it seems to have what I need for a meta that is heavy on creatures, goblins, and control.

I’ve played Sower of Temptation but it doesn’t really stick around very long or it comes down too late to make an impact. I am trying the Meddling Mage sideboard because I’m having trouble with ANT.

Jittes main have granted that extra removal this decks needs and it gets helps with the life lose.

Thoughts?

Playing without ponders makes my head hurt you should at least play with one or two. You could probably could get away with running a sheer minimum of ponders since you already have Dark Confidants. Of course, as a countertop player I would play with as many as I can perferably four. I would recommend looking at Der Imaginure Fruend's list if you want any ideas.

For reference you can find his list here: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=13366

As for having trouble with ANT, I think Duress/Thoughtseize would work much better then mage would in that matchup ESPECIALLY since you already play with 4 countertop. They supplement each other rather well and even if you have a blind counterbalance on turn two it just seems that much better then meddling mage on the same turn.

Also, Duress/Thoughtseize has more uses then meddling mage does in any given medium. I also find meddling mage extremely lackluster in the past year; they are not what they used to be.

[Adan]

For some odd reason, I find shackles to be superb against creature oriented decks. Of course, the logic behind it is the sooner you can play and activate shackles the better. Although, shackles definitely has it's late game uses as well. It basically counts as a threat and a removal spell simultaneously which is relevant against "not quite shroud" creatures. Also, you should really be running a playset of engineered plagues against merfolks. They can dismantle tribal decks so run more of them.

I can only agree with this. Merfolk is a terrible matchup. I played a few games against Merfolk and every game I won was on the back of Shackles. Without Shackles they'll most likely run you over. The second option would be to have 3 Goyfs and Counter-Top with perfectly ranged CC on top, but that's much more harder to accomplish under pressure than just playing Shackles and steal their dudes and turn them against themselves.

Shackles is effective against merfolk because Merfolk doesn't actually play a lot of creatures (and only the 8 Lords are actually relevant and threats to handle).

[Nekrataal]

I can only agree with this. Merfolk is a terrible matchup. I played a few games against Merfolk and every game I won was on the back of Shackles. Without Shackles they'll most likely run you over. The second option would be to have 3 Goyfs and Counter-Top with perfectly ranged CC on top, but that's much more harder to accomplish under pressure than just playing Shackles and steal their dudes and turn them against themselves.

Shackles is effective against merfolk because Merfolk doesn't actually play a lot of creatures (and only the 8 Lords are actually relevant and threats to handle).

I tend to disagree. Merfolks run 20 creatures usually sometimes more. Shackles isnt that great because with a Lord of Atlantis out it doesnt matter anymore if you can steal one folk or not. 50% of the games I lost to such a Lord I couldn't handle anymore. A valuable play pre board imho are Trygon Pretators because they can not be blocked by Merfolk and simply destroy Vial, Jitte and Relics (often played main). Post-Board of course Grip becomes importent.

2 Plague were great for me. Not all merfolk decks play bounce and not all have the luck to power out 3 or four lords without you finding proper removal. It weakens and slows Merfolk especially if no lord is in sight. It destroys them if you have 2 out and they have not two Lords already on the table or ready to Vial in because then no Merfolk will ever stick again. Not to mention that Darkblast is also nice e.g. with Brainstorm ... especially against Wake Threshers.