[Deck] Merfolk

[lilrikki2000]

I have been playing this deck alot on magic online. I have had lots of trouble beating zoo and goblins. How do we beat gobs, can mono blue beat it? has anyone tested propaganda?


Also would u fow a sensei's top on turn 1 game 1 if ur on the draw? assuming they play some kind of island or blue dual

[kitsunewarlock]

I have been playing this deck alot on magic online. I have had lots of trouble beating zoo and goblins. How do we beat gobs, can mono blue beat it? has anyone tested propaganda?


Also would u fow a sensei's top on turn 1 game 1 if ur on the draw? assuming they play some kind of island or blue dual

Goblins and Zoo have always been bad matchups. Try reading through the thread, even the first post, a bit for more information. Propoganda, Hibernation, Submerge and Hydroblast are all popular stradegies against those decks.

And now for the reason I post...

We have 5-6 Merfolk players at Shuffle & Cut last night and it was pretty nuts. 4-5 of us got into Top 8 as well, including myself (*Hugs Tundra and Volcanic Island*). I played 4 Mirror matches, losing one of them. I also played against Reanimator, Affinity and, in top 8, U/W Tempo (lost to that too).

Back to Basics shuts down Affinity.

Jace the Mindsculptor makes Reanimator dump countermagic (as, if he resolves, its pretty much over thanks to his unsummon ability and the lack of cards reanimator has to kill Jace aside from Akroma).

Llawan continues to be very hard to use in the mirror match due to Vial.

[LegacyDan]

I have noticed the Merfolk players in my meta using alot of Echoing Truth in the main, is this occuring across the board or is it more of a local thing?

[Purgatory]

I have noticed the Merfolk players in my meta using alot of Echoing Truth in the main, is this occuring across the board or is it more of a local thing?

Having a couple of them in the main is pretty standard in the traditional mono-blue build.

[_erbs_]

If your running Sejiri Merfolk facing mirror matchups would slightly give you the upperhand. Sejiri's lifelink is really nice against aggro race.

[lilrikki2000]

I found this on another forum.....seems very interesting. i personally havent tested it...but in theory it seems rly good thoughts?

uw
Deck
Creatures
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reegerey
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Cursecatcher
4 Stoneforge Mystic

Artifacts
4 Aether Vial
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Umezaw's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

Enchantments
4 Standstill

Instants
4 Daze
4 Force of Will Land
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
4 Tundra
4 Island
4 Mutavault
4 Wasteland

Sidebord
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Spell Pierce
3 Echoing Truth
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle

[Resist_Temptation]

I found this on another forum.....seems very interesting. i personally havent tested it...but in theory it seems rly good thoughts?

uw
Deck
Creatures
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reegerey
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Cursecatcher
4 Stoneforge Mystic

Artifacts
4 Aether Vial
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Umezaw's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

Enchantments
4 Standstill

Instants
4 Daze
4 Force of Will Land
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
4 Tundra
4 Island
4 Mutavault
4 Wasteland

Sidebord
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Spell Pierce
3 Echoing Truth
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle

I think that if you are gonna run equip, you will only need to run SOF&I and Collar. 4 equipment seems like way too much. and you shouldn't need 4 stoneforge mystic. It is not an efficient beater by itself. Although if I am reading this correctly you can play equipment under a standstill. I like the idea, but don't know if it would really benefit the deck seeing as imo the splash takes away consistency.

[lilrikki2000]

well if i were to go the uw build, i would prob 2-3 stoneforge w/ collar, jitte, and sofr....and maybe put sols in the side.....I prob wouldnt switch to another color though because of the consistency u mentioned

[junkdiver]

Yo guys, I figured you might want to see the report from the merfolk player who made 3rd at scg 5k Orlando

With this deck:
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deck...p?DeckID=32005

Here is the report:
http://www.thegameacademyonline.com/...michael-brady/

[Bahamut056]

So what is the perfect SB (mono blue btw)??? The MB is pretty solid, but I understand the fast decks get ya (I officially hate Zoo in every format btw...)

I have considered all of the following:
Llawan, Cephalid Empress - mirror
Pithing Needle
Hydroblast
Ensnare
Deluge
Flashfreeze
Mind Harness
Submerge - (i'm really not crazy about this. I'd rather have not give them the chance to just recast it)
Hibernation
Wash Out
Gigadrowse
Repeal
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Threads of Disloyalty
Relic of Progenitus
Tormod's Crypt
Spell Pierce
Turnabout
Propaganda
Cryptic Command
Chill
Trinisphere
Spell Snare
Chalice of the Void
Sleep
Back to Basics
Hurykl's Recall
Echoing Truth

I don't like the idea of extra Jittes in the SB. Just run 2 main. (edit - I also equally like Sword of Fire and Ice)

Thanks for the help

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

It just occurred to me that with Reanimator on the rise, Aether Spellbomb seems to have gone from silly to sexy... It pretty much makes Iona its bitch.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: @ Bahamut: For a general meta that involves some Zoo (since that's all the info I'm really getting from your post,) I'd go with some combination of Hydroblast, Spell Snare, Propaganda, Threads/ Mind Harness, Relic/ Crypt, and possibly Pithing Needle. And I would try to fit 2x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner into the main. Take out Jitte if you're running it. But that's just my personal advice.

[Bahamut056]

well both Zoo and Goblins are problems. Most other decks don't scare me too much with a solid MB.

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

well both Zoo and Goblins are problems. Most other decks don't scare me too much with a solid MB.

That's pretty much just the way it's going to be. Splashing white helps a bit in both match-ups, although it's not without its trade-offs.

[Volrath]

Is Sparazan Legate not a good thing VS Zoo and Goblins?, it's free and out of burn range with only 1 lord.
Also, it stops t1 lackeys.

And can chump kird apes/lions.

I'm really liking the seal of removal MB, it's great against iona and for getting some extra damage through.

[sauce]

Isnt Aether spellbomb just infi better than seal of removal?

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

Isnt Aether spellbomb just infi better than seal of removal?

Well, it's not like either of them are flat-out awesome... But Spellbomb seems a lot better against Iona, Shield of Emeria

[jimirynk]

One pinches to force, and your most likely siding out blue cards for colorless cards.=P

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

One pinches to force, and your most likely siding out blue cards for colorless cards.=P

Meanwhile, this deck still has plenty of shit to pitch to Force of Will, and if your plan A really involves pitching the cards you sideboarded in to Force of Will, I suspect you're not "doin' it right."

[Bahamut056]

I forgot about that merfolk...he's nice, but can easily be killed. So far my favorites have turned out to be flashfreeze, pithing needle, and mind harness/threads, hydroblast, and chalice (for 1 or 2 kills gobs and zoo)

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

I forgot about that merfolk...he's nice, but can easily be killed. So far my favorites have turned out to be flashfreeze, pithing needle, and mind harness/threads, hydroblast, and chalice (for 1 or 2 kills gobs and zoo)

Do yourself a favor and work in about 3 Tormod's Crypt and/or Relic of Progenitus into the sideboard. I feel like this is almost essential to any Merfolk sideboard (although I'm not really one of those people who likes to maindeck Relic, unless the meta is just wacky.) I feel like it's pretty rare when you don't want to have any graveyard hate in your 75 cards no matter what deck you're playing in Legacy. The main decks who can circumvent having to have some grave hate are the ones that are going for a turn 2-3 win (ANT, Belcher, Dredge to some extent, etc.) There are just so many decks that want to mess around with their graveyard, it makes graveyard removal one of the most versatile categories of hate.