[Deck] Merfolk

[JohnnyCage]

Yeah there is a lot of Landstill. I play at least 1 every tourney (well almost). I was just wondering cause we have a lot of SB choices to make which would be the most potent (in my meta). Maybe I should make a list of all possible choices and impact on game (kind of value matrix) and figure it out.

Considering Stifle on your opening hand. At least Game 2 opponents will be extra careful (if relevant for their deck) and expect that you will try to stifle their Fetchlands. They will wait for your last Island to be tapped. Pretending to have stifle then is a good idea though you should keep on developing your board position.

I found that counting on your opponent being smart is a terrible idea because 90% of the people you will play wont be.

[Phoenix Ignition]

If playing smart involves them losing tempo because they don't crack fetches and play around the stifles you don't have, maybe that should be counted as playing stupidly, and they should just not worry about the stifle unless they have an option to without losing speed.

[JohnnyCage]

Most people will crack the fetch into a stifle, number one they cant afford to not to, and two the most likely have another land and cantrips.

[Wrath_Of_Houlding]

Can we start profiling some typical matches? Things to watch out for, first turn plays, sample sideboards etc.

How about Goblins? I read someone mention that Chicago will likely be a lot of aggro, and this is a big one. How do Merfolk stack up?

[rufus]

How about Goblins? I read someone mention that Chicago will likely be a lot of aggro, and this is a big one. How do Merfolk stack up?

Vial gobbos is a big favorite over typical Merfolk decks. No good answer for Piledriver, and their dirt for cheating critters into play is better.

[Piceli89]

I think goblins is about 15-85 for them or something close. It's pratically impossible to stop pilly as well fanatics (vialed ) fuck us.
Not to count all the rest, obv.
Propaganda can do something, but it's stll harsh.

[georgjorge]

Mutavault helps a lot with 'Drivers, especially since Gempalms are often cut down to one or not played at all thanks to Weirding. It's still not good.

[Piceli89]

The point with mutavaults is they regularly have a wasteland as soon as you land a vault, always. And for gempalm, I usually see that 3-ofs are ran. Which list does run only 1 -of? The BR ? Boh, here mono-red goblin seems to be prevalent...

[Phoenix Ignition]

The point with mutavaults is they regularly have a wasteland as soon as you land a vault, always. And for gempalm, I usually see that 3-ofs are ran. Which list does run only 1 -of? The BR ? Boh, here mono-red goblin seems to be prevalent...

Mono-red isn't as good anymore. BR is one of the better ones now (actually, Brg is probably best). Warren weirding just is too good in this meta. Luckily it isn't that great against us.

[JohnnyCage]

Mono-red isn't as good anymore. BR is one of the better ones now (actually, Brg is probably best). Warren weirding just is too good in this meta. Luckily it isn't that great against us.

Your home early lol, how did top 2 go? and about gobs i feel RBW is best list but none the less the weirding is there main removal.

[Wrath_Of_Houlding]

I think goblins is about 15-85 for them or something close. It's pratically impossible to stop pilly as well fanatics (vialed ) fuck us.
Not to count all the rest, obv.
Propaganda can do something, but it's stll harsh.

So what's the best first turn play against them?

[JohnnyCage]

So what's the best first turn play against them?

Island, Vial, go, daze there play, hopefully vial and continue.

[Curby]

I went to 4th out of 25 or so with Merfolk+Standstill tonight.

http://mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12496

[Phoenix Ignition]

I went to 4th out of 25 or so with Merfolk+Standstill tonight.

http://mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12496

gratz but I really think you should use cursecatcher.

I played a 35 man tournament today with the folk and went 4-2. My favorite play on game one match 2:

Me: Island, Vial, pass turn
him: City of brass, LED, crack LED, play deep anal, dredge all 4 bridge from belows, pass turn
Me: Vial +1 counter, play Island pass turn
him: Try to put Ichorid into play :Me stifle ichorid, response vial in cursecatcher, response sac cursecatcher on my stifle -> RFG 4 bridge from below.

Game 2 was similar antics but on his spell this time. RFG 3 briges.

Overall Cursecatcher is a freaking amazing creature in the deck, as it improves combo so much and stops a lot of removal on the lords.

Quick report:
35 man tournament, went 4-2

M1G1: turn 1 he plays swamp, pass turn. I play vial, pass turn. He plays dark rit, cabal therapy on himself for Avatar of Woe, Exhume. "oh shit oh shit oh shit..."

I still have a sweet hand with 2 cursecatcher, 1 LoA, 1 Reejery, which can outrace a 6 damage swinger, so I keep my head up. He starts swinging stupidly, and we race for 2 turns until I have LoA, Reejery, and 2 cursecatchers. He then starts pinging my guys 1 by 1, as I don't want to swing into him. I swing into him and stifle the tap -> kill effect. Eventually he clears my board and swings. I'm at 8, he's at 7, I have a vial, 4 lands on board with 2 standstills and a vial in my hand (I love my draws...). I top deck a Wakethrasher, but there's no use in playing him as he's going to be killed immediately. Counting up my permanents, I play the extra vial, and then the standstill. He swings and I'm at 2. I tap my island for the extra wakethrasher +1/+1, mana burn for one, and vial him in. Swing for the win!

Game 2 I get a mit full of counters. Yay.

1-0

M2: Ichorid, described above... blowout like usual.

M3: Rats deck. Honestly it had a bunch of crap that just so happened to be perfect against my deck. Crypt rats > merfolk. Sideboard engineered plage + unmakes got game 2.
This deck magically ended up top 4ing with Ravenous Rats, Chittering Rats, and Crypt Rats (plus swarmyard and Nantuko shade).
2-1

M4: 3 color Landstill. Game 1 I keep a 1 land hand and draw 8 cards that aren't lands. Game 2 Orim's Chant on a stick hits play before my pithing needle naming it and I don't see a Echoing Truth.

2-2

M5: Burn. He burns me instead of the merfolk and loses the damage race. G2 divert are funny.

3-2

M6: Team America. Close games, I take the first down with Islandwalk, he takes the second down with goyf + tombstalker and me not drawing lands, 3rd game he sits at 1 life for quite a while with a goyf and tombstalker staring down my cursecatcher + Silvergill. Silvergill dies but my vial at 2 and 14 life are too intimidating for him to swing. I eventually draw a reejery and after 6 more turns a merfolk to play to tap 1 of his guys.

4-2

Missed the top 8 but losing to bad draws happens. Probably should mulligan into more lands more often but I just didn't think it would have been that big of a problem the games where I did get screwed.

S'all good though because my super secret deck that I made and my friend played top 8ed.

Know what's good against burn decks? Phyrexian Dreadnaught. I expected a lot of sligh and just put them in the sideboard with an extra stifle. It's a hell of a lot easier than watching your fishies die to random burn spells, and incredibly funny when people don't see it coming.

Top Decked unmake eats Dreadnaught though.

[Curby]

Any further thoughts on Whirlpool Rider? Phoenix Ignition said a couple pages back that it mainly seemed good for the late-game when you only had crap in hand, but for a deck that really wants to see Standstill/Muta/Vial ASAP, we can use this early to increase the chances of that combo. Also, if your opp decides to pull a power play and you're out of countermagic, you can Vial in Rider as a megaBrainstorm to try to draw a FoW/Stifle/etc. Plus, unlike Kira, it's a Merfolk. Still too small for its casting cost, but at least it can work with the Lords/Adept/etc.

[Barsoom]

Can you post your decklist with sideboard Ignition?

[Phoenix Ignition]

I still really like whirlpool rider. I did not play it since I decided to use 2 dreadnaughts main instead, but when I playtested with it, it was a very strong card. Great card to use when you're fishing for your sideboard.

EDIT: sure.

//Lands (19)
12 [MR] Island
4 [TE] Wasteland
3 [MOR] Mutavault

//Creatures (20)
4 [u] Lord of Atlantis
4 [LRW] Merrow Reejerey
4 [LRW] Silvergill Adept
2 [EVE] Wake Thrasher
4 [SHM] Cursecatcher
2 Phyrexian Dreadnaught

//Spells (21)
4 [OD] Standstill

4 [DS] Aether Vial
3 [NE] Daze
3 [SC] Stifle
3 [ALA] Relic of Progenitus
4 [AL] Force of Will

// Sideboard
SB: 2 Phyrexian Dreadnaught
SB: 2 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 3 [5E] Divert
SB: 1 Stifle
SB: 2 Propaganda
SB: 3 [DS] Echoing Truth
SB: 2 Back to Basics

I'm not sold on the Dreadnaught main. As I said I was expecting a lot of goyf sligh and straight up burn, so I went with it. It is very good as a sideboard against these decks though, as they are going to use all of their burns trying to kill your merfolk while you just hopefully get out a freaking huge giant. If you have the extra slots in your sideboard, it helps against a lot of decks (like the rats deck I played against... crypt rats and Jittes aren't very dangerous compared to a 12/12... just watch out for the top decked Unmake).

Other than that 2 propaganda is huge against ichorid, new cephalid breakfast, and any other tribal decks. Divert is still really good against burn and sligh, and I had a fun play against Team America diverting his Thoughtseize back at himself (such a freaking huge swing in the game from that). Pithing needle is worth it against landstill (though I didn't draw it) and other equipment decks. Back to Basics is mainly there against Aggro Loam (huge in my meta) and landstill. And lastly Echoing Truth is for whatever else may be out there.

I'm still looking for something in the 2 slot of Phyrexian Dreadnaught, but right now nothing seems too appealing. Whirlpool is really good late game, Kira is slow but really good against certain decks (although, I think dreadnaught may be better against those decks), and other options just don't do enough... tidal warrior for example.

[Curby]

Without much draw, tutors or digging cantrips, how often do you find your sideboard tech? Using a bunch of 2-ofs and 3-ofs gives you great flexibility, but at the expense of consistency.

[Phoenix Ignition]

Without much draw, tutors or digging cantrips, how often do you find your sideboard tech? Using a bunch of 2-ofs and 3-ofs gives you great flexibility, but at the expense of consistency.

Standstill + Silvergill Adept + Relics are usually enough draw, plus we run counterspells. Generally you want to hit a sideboard to beat decks, but we have enough cards in the main to hold people off for a while. That's why I like having most of the sideboard be passive cards. Propaganda, pithing needle, back to basics, all work after people play the threatening cards. Actually, those cards are better to play after people unload their hand than before, so you know what to name with needle, get someone overextending into propaganda, and tapping out into back to basics. Echoing truth as a 3 of works fine as well since you either Force the card you would have bounced, or sac cursecatcher to stop them from getting zombie tokens anyway. Echoing truth is another retroactive card. That is one of the main reasons I don't like Chill in a sideboard like this, as it sucks when you hit it later on.

And yeah, I really could have just made some sarcastic remark about how obvious your statement was.

[georgjorge]

I'm still looking for something in the 2 slot of Phyrexian Dreadnaught, but right now nothing seems too appealing. Whirlpool is really good late game, Kira is slow but really good against certain decks (although, I think dreadnaught may be better against those decks), and other options just don't do enough... tidal warrior for example.

Exchange the two 'Noughts against a Stifle and Truth/Needle from the board ? Could be better game one, as those are more versatile then 'Nought. Or just +1 Daze +1 Thrasher.