T16 Legacy decklists Seattle.
Not a single Merfolk deck in T16 and Hive Mind at the top? What is wrong with this world?
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T16 Legacy decklists Seattle.
Not a single Merfolk deck in T16 and Hive Mind at the top? What is wrong with this world?
I'm pretty sure most people have forgotten what the card Spell Pierce does. That should change.Quote:
Originally Posted by Purgatory
I think it's because the format's shifted towards Zoo, which in turn, fuels easy wins for Hive Mind and the like.
The aggro/combo/control trinity still seems in effect. If the field becomes Hive Mind to beat zoo and stoneforge decks, then merfolk and blue decks with control elements will beat Hive Mind. Granted, the MU could be better considering it is a combo deck, but it is still favorable. Especially if you dedicate SB slots for pierce and the like.
Also, different regions have drastically different meta-games (just look at the US vs Europe). I don't think a tournament report or two is worth sounding the alarm too loudly.
I agree, but it was just strange to not see the deck represented at all in the top. I can't remember the last time I saw that in an SCG open, but I'm sure there are more examples.Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck2657
So, I was wondering the usual "can I get some feedback on my sideboard" question that seems to pop up every page or so on this thread. I'm playing a conventional list with no Standstill, and my free slots in the main are 2 Kira, 2 Dismember. Here's the sideboard-in-progress as it stands these days:
3 Spell Pierce
2 Propaganda
2 Dismember
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Llawan, Cephalid Empress
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Energy Flux
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Faerie Macabre
I don't really go to many events these days, since there's not much Legacy in my area... So this is basically for an unknown meta. The Macabres should maybe be Surgical Extractions, and I'm not entirely sure how well the one-of's add up as a strategic sum total. I would sorta like to have at least one Echoing Truth in there also (possibly also 2-3 Pithing Needles/ Phyrexian Revokers), but I can't really find the space for it. Anyhow, I'd be glad if anyone has some advice.
EDIT: I think one question is if Tower of the Magistrate is a valid maindeck inclusion in order to free up a sideboard slot (probably as the ninth non-basic, going down to 12 Islands)... Something tells me it would fuck up my :u: count to cut the Island though.
I think your sideboard looks good overall, basing it on an unknown meta, but I do have some comments anyway. Overall, I find having random one-offs in the sideboard is not that awesome in Merfolk (for example, one Llawan, one Energy Flux etc.). Other decks may get away with this, I play several 2-ofs in my Team America and Dark Thresh sideboards, however, in both those decks I play nine cantrips, along with a bunch of fetchlands, which allows me to effectively find the answers I board in.
I suggest that you streamline your sideboard a bit more, Energy Flux, for example, is awesome against Affinity, but it's not-so-awesome against many other decks. To show you what I mean, here is my own Merfolk sideboard that I bring to unknown metas:
3 Spell Pierce
1 Daze
2 Echoing Truth
3 Submerge
1 Dismember
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Umezawa’s Jitte
It looks sort of convoluted, but the cards can easily be separated into neat piles of Anti-aggro, Anto-combo and graveyard hate. Echoing Truth is the black sheep that stands out as a versatile failsafe against many decks where I might have dead cards (Mental Misstep against Stax, for example), along with the lone Daze which completes the 3 in the MD. The same is true for Dismember.
Overall, I highly value versatility in my SB, instead of maybe the more powerful pinpointed hate. Spell Pierce may not be as good against some decks as Energy Flux, but it can certainly come in against more decks. All in all, the only thing that can make for a good sideboard is testing and predicting the metagame. Find what works best for you.
This is more for fun than anything else, but how would you guys suggest modifying this for two-headed giant? I figure an obvious inclusion is Standstill, but that's about all I know.
Also, how is everyone doing against various Stoneblade decks?
I fought 2 UW and the advantage you have is LOA since they have Islandwalk. Their removal is STP and most of the time counters your creatures. Just protect the LOA's and you'll be fine.
Last StarCityGames Legacy Open had 3 Merfolk decks in the top 16. Would love to hear from anybody that piloted those decks and what they experienced.
Good job Merfolk community!
It is starting to look like 2 dismembers (and 3 daze) are close to being part of the 'standard' build, with a lonely 2 flex spots for jitte/sovereign/kira/more dismembers/Phyrexian Metamorph/etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyronick
I'd love to hear what the metagame looks like as well. That and how SB cards are fairing.
Hi guys, long time stalker first time poster, and I guess I owe this forum a big thanks for helping me pilot to a 7th place finish this weekend! From what I saw the top tables were made up of fish,zoo,WUG control, as well as stoneblade control, with a good bit of cephalid breakfast (mimeoplasm kill) and abit of hivemind. I don't think I'd change anything maindeck or side, I never sided in the Llawans or relics, but I was also never wishing they were anything else. The dismembers and Sovereigns were HOUSE, dismember in one instance killed a game one (via living wish) Llawan against DarkHex BUG ftw, and fixed that problem post side all day, with Sovereign allowing me to push Coralhelm Plus another creature past a batterskull to allow a progressive clock in a circumstance in which you're usually locked into place.
I didn't see alot of hivemind, but I did a feature match against it (actually against the guy who got the decktech, can't remember his name) where I went down game 1 on a bad draw (3vial 2 dismember over the course of the game) and then sided in the pierces and walked the match. I'm not sure I understand that deck's success recently, in games two and three I just simply had 15 relevant counterspells to his 8 relevant threats and got there, tight play and awareness of the deck's interactions should just be enough for any deck with permission to beat it.
Either way, half my matches had stoneforge/batterskull and 8 swords affects available, along with Llawans in the side, which given the success of fish this weekend should show that tight play and the raw power of the deck is enough to beat the haters.
My Sideboard:Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck2657
3 Relic of Progenitus
1 Dismember
3 Spell Pierce
2 Submerge
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2 Llawan, Cephalid Empress
Relic- I think I lied abit in my last post, relic DID come in once, against breakfast, but I never drew them and I felt dumb as soon as I presented my deck, (he has access to grip, he could just grip and go off) otherwise it sat in side. That being said I wouldn't take it out, it's a big safety blanket incase of the dredge match and I'd rather not be without it.
Dismember- Came in alot, there are just abunch of matchups you want a third
Spell Pierce- Pierce is great in combo matchups, or against decks that, when on the draw, you can't afford to lose tempo and the noncreature clause isn't too restrictive Vs daze. I sided out daze for pierce on the draw alot.
Submerge- Submerge is awesome, it buys tempos and eats knights with activations, fetch lands, or other stuff on stack. I would've been okay with a 3rd submerge in my side, but I don't think I have space for all those submerges and dismembers and dismember is less narrow.
Jitte- Never used them once, don't believe I even considered them once. That being said, I didn't play zoo, the mirror or elves in swiss rounds.
Kira- I don't really know how I felt about kira this weekend, it would have came in Vs zoo, but in all the matchups that I knew my opp would have 8 swords I just didn't have any space to bring her in. As good as she is, and as much as I REALLY like her, she was sided in alot less than I would have anticipated and was generally kind of underwhelming.
Llawan- Sat in the sideboard waiting for a mirrormatch that never came.
I would have to agree with this statement. I didn't pilot Merfolk at SCG: Pitt, but I instead ran U/B Reanimator. It is probably one of my favorite decks. I also had a lot more playtesting experience with it. That coupled with the lack of graveyard hate in the top 8-16 decks at the last few events pushed me towards Reanimator over Merfolk. I got off to a rocky start, but managed to go 6-2 and ended 15th. If anyone is interested here is the report: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...imator/page134. I know it is a completely different deck, but Merfolk and Reanimator run nearly the same, if not identical, counter packages.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Josh!
I played agaisnt AJ Sacher and Chris VanMeter (the guy who was interviewed for the decktech article) both were playing Hive Mind combo. Honestly, going into each of these games, I was a little nervous and didn't think I would be able to win them. However, playing tight with Mental Missteps (for the Brainstorms and Ponders), Dazes, and saving FoWs for either Show and Tell or Hive Mind got me 2-0 victories against both of them. I think that now that people understand the interactions in the deck, if you play tight and safe with your counterspells you shouldn't have a problem.
QFTQuote:
Originally Posted by Sturtzilla
It is a 3-card combo with an insufficient number of search spells. I have never had trouble with it using Merfolk as long as I keep Pierces in my SB.
How does my list look?
[DECK]
Creatures
2x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
4x Coralhelm Commander
1x Cursecatcher
4x Lord of Atlantis
4x Merrow Reejerey
4x Silvergill Adept
Instants
3x Daze
4x Force of Will
4x Mental Misstep
2x dismember
Artifacts/Enchantment
4x Aether Vial
3x standstill
Lands
4x Mutavault
4x Wasteland
13x Island
Sideboard
1x Dismember
3x Spell Pierce
2x Tormod's crypt
3x cursecatcher
3x phyrexian metamorph
3x surgical extraction
[/DECK]
Should I actually ditch the standstills and use the cursecatcher MD. Then I would have 3 slots for 1 more dismember, 1 more daze, and 2 echoing truths, minus 1 phyrexian metamorph.
or
3 pithing needles 1 daze
I think that the main problem is that if you cut the Cursecatcher from the MD you're running too few creatures (and Merfolk in particular).
I know that this can be mitigated by the cards you should draw with Standstill, but in this way you loose speed and consistency. Moreover you are exposing yourself to decks that can run under standstill (zoo for his speed, goblin and DnT for playing vials themselves).
Last but not least, cursecathcer is one of your two answers to T1 lackey when on the draw (the other being dismember).
I would use the 3 slots in the side for 1 dismember and 2 Echoing truth.
Greetings.
Won locals last night, though managing to play a lot of the same decks. Beat Hive Mind 2-0, BUG Landstill 2-0, some amazing crazy Protean Hulk deck with Footsteps of the Goryo and Through the Breach and a ton of protection 2-1, then in top 4 BUG Landstill 2-1 by the skin of my teeth and Hive Mind 2-1 similarly.
I came to the following conclusions:
1. It's getting harder and harder in today's Legacy to get the time necessary to level up Coralhelm Commander and make him truly amazing. Even against BUG Landstill, he didn't pull his weight, and he was certainly the last Lord I ever wanted to see in any of the combo games where all I cared about was speed. Not that I'm recommending doing anything with his spot just yet, but I became aware that I'm losing a little faith in him in a lot of matchups and I keep just wanting guys who immediately grant the Lord effect.
2. Hive Mind is still a huge threat. Me and Nick (The HM player) played a few extra games just to mess around and I'm pretty sure he got more of them than he lost. I felt like I lucked out to beat a so-called good matchup.
3. Merfolk feels weaker every time I pilot it. But I somehow still win with it.
I was watching merfolk playing TES yesterday and saw him keep this hand on the play. 2xWasteland, Aether vial, 1 mishra's factory, 2 silvergill adept, coralhelm commander. I though that the keep was fine because the wasteland should slow TES down enough that you have a good shot of drawing into disruption. Also i think the average 6 card hand is going to be worse. Two other good players there thought it was an easy mulligan. As far as I know he plays a 14 lord variant with no standstills and all 12 free counters.
I'd mull it regardless of whether I knew that I was playing TES. Your chances of a better six are much higher than your chances of drawing into enough disruption quick enough to stop them. And in the world of Mental Misstep, you can't count on that resolving against a blind deck.