[Deck] Merfolk

[Svenanole]

I dont really like clique, it seems when he hits the board the opponent has already exhausted most/all of their cards in hard to deal with the merfolk that I dont see that its thats good.

[Jon Stewart]

I just finally completed my Merfolk deck.

What do you guys think of my list. Any changes that you think I ought to make before taking it to a tourney this Wednesday?

I tried to make it more creature heavy (24 creatures) because my meta is very aggro oriented so a creature light deck would get killed. And also, I feel like I need to play a lot of creatures to justify and properly abuse the 4 Aether Vial in the deck.

14 Island
4 Wasteland
3 Mishra's Factory (Have no desire to acquire Mutavault if Factories work almost just as well)

4 Aether Vial
4 Standstill
3 Daze
4 Spell Pierce (FoW's are still in the mail, I will swap them if they manage to arrive in time)

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Wakethrasher
2 Coralhelm Commander
2 Sower of Temptation

So any suggestions?

I like Wakethrasher a lot, but if you guys think it sucks, I can cut it for Jitte, Spell Pierce, Spell Snare, Ponder, Spellstutter Sprite or something. I have all those cards and the ones that I'm not a fan of are Spell Snare and Spellstutter Sprite (both have let me down).

[dyzzy]

3 Mishra's Factory (Have no desire to acquire Mutavault if Factories work almost just as well)

Factories do not "work almost just as well" as Mutavaults. You need them to get lord bonuses.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes I know, Mutavaults on average* get to be 3/3s when attacking AND blocking whereas factories are usually only 2/2s when attacking and 3/3s when blocking.

But that slight pump isn't the reason this deck plays Mutavaults.

This deck wouldn't be playing Mutavaults if it weren't for Standstill in the same way that neither Goblins nor Elves play Mutavaults though they run a similar number of lord effects and goblin synergic cards.

The main reason Mutavaults are in the deck, are to (along with the Vials) let you get away with playing 4 Standstill.

I know Mutavaults are better, but Factories still serve the same role, in allowing you play and abuse 4 Standstill. And I don't feel like investing money into acquiring them right now.

*Sometimes they only get to be 2/2s and sometimes they get to be 4/4s but on average, they're 3/3s.

[Resist_Temptation]

Mutavaults get to be 4/4 or greater quite often. They are no where near mishra's factory, but if you cannot get your hands on them I understand and mishra's factory will suffice. I do not like the 4 wake thrashers. have you tried out merfolk sovereign? I find that the unblockable is very amazing in some matchups.

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

I just finally completed my Merfolk deck.

What do you guys think of my list. Any changes that you think I ought to make before taking it to a tourney this Wednesday?

I tried to make it more creature heavy (24 creatures) because my meta is very aggro oriented so a creature light deck would get killed. And also, I feel like I need to play a lot of creatures to justify and properly abuse the 4 Aether Vial in the deck.

14 Island
4 Wasteland
3 Mishra's Factory (Have no desire to acquire Mutavault if Factories work almost just as well)

4 Aether Vial
4 Standstill
3 Daze
4 Spell Pierce (FoW's are still in the mail, I will swap them if they manage to arrive in time)

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Wakethrasher
2 Coralhelm Commander
2 Sower of Temptation

So any suggestions?

I like Wakethrasher a lot, but if you guys think it sucks, I can cut it for Jitte, Spell Pierce, Spell Snare, Ponder, Spellstutter Sprite or something. I have all those cards and the ones that I'm not a fan of are Spell Snare and Spellstutter Sprite (both have let me down).

-Factories are *ok* since this is your first tourney with the deck, but if you want to play this on a regular basis, I think you're gonna find you want some Mutavaults.
-Sower of Temptation is risky, particularly when you only run 19 lands. I would try Kira, Great Glass-Spinner instead, she's pretty fucking amazing.
-Merfolk Sovereign is pretty good, I think you might want to add a couple. In your list, I think 2-3 would be a good number.
-I'm personally still in the camp that likes Wake Thrasher, but 4 is definitely to many. I think you should cut two for Sovereigns.
-I would either start trying to borrow some FoW's, or start praying that they make it on time.

-One more thing I have to ask: why exactly did you decide to start playing this in what you describe as a creature-heavy meta? If that means like Tempo Thresh and Bant or something, I could see it being an ok pick. But if your meta has lots of Zoo and/or Gobbos, this really isn't the best list to run. You should probably dig around this thread and gather some sideboard tech, or give us more info on your meta. You want a solid maindeck, but I think it's especially clutch to have a well-selected sideboard when you run Merfolk. You really want to have a well-rounded sideboard with a few specific hosers based on which matchups you need to improve. However, in some meta's (ie 40% or more Zoo or Gobs, or some similar nonsense), it's probably right to just run a different list altogether.

Anyhow, glad to have you on board. Good luck with the event.

[Jon Stewart]

Thank you for all your help. By aggro, I didn't mean all hardcore competitive aggro like Goblins and Zoo only. I meant random Bant, Vampires, Merfolk, Elves, decks like that as well.

I have a pretty good sideboard idea.

I'm playing 21 land, so 2 Sower, 2 Commander should work well in this build.

I'll try to get some Soverigns as well. Other than Reanimator, what matchups in particular benefit so much from the unblockable it provides?

It seems like tapping down the Sovergn, just to be able to swing with something else is usually weaker than instead just playing a Sower of Temptation to steal their biggest creature, or a Wake Thrasher which almost always outsizes their biggest creature (especially now that manaburn no longer exists).

I won't get Sovergn's in time for this week, but it seems like everyone thinks I should cut 2 Wake Thrasher, so the question is, which one of the following do you think I should play 2 Jitte, 2 Spell Pierce, 2 Ponder or two something else in place of the Wake Thrashers?

Thanks again.

[Svenanole]

Thank you for all your help. By aggro, I didn't mean all hardcore competitive aggro like Goblins and Zoo only. I meant random Bant, Vampires, Merfolk, Elves, decks like that as well.

I have a pretty good sideboard idea.

I'm playing 21 land, so 2 Sower, 2 Commander should work well in this build.

I'll try to get some Soverigns as well. Other than Reanimator, what matchups in particular benefit so much from the unblockable it provides?

It seems like tapping down the Sovergn, just to be able to swing with something else is usually weaker than instead just playing a Sower of Temptation to steal their biggest creature, or a Wake Thrasher which almost always outsizes their biggest creature (especially now that manaburn no longer exists).

I won't get Sovergn's in time for this week, but it seems like everyone thinks I should cut 2 Wake Thrasher, so the question is, which one of the following do you think I should play 2 Jitte, 2 Spell Pierce, 2 Ponder or two something else in place of the Wake Thrashers?

Thanks again.

I constantly find soverigns not up to par as it generally is just an all merfolk get +1/+1 as it takes another turn to get that unblockable and by that point you have either won or lost the game.

I would play 2 Jitte/ET mainboarded, they are only bad vs ANT but we already have a strong enough matchup against them pre sideboard that it doesn't really matter. I picked Jitte for my deck because of the redundancy of bounce in the sideboard with submerge.

[Jon Stewart]

Thanks for the advice.

I just got back from playing some games with the deck, and I have to ask, why don't you guys like Wake Thrasher? It's been MVP for me all night.

Every single time I cast it, if it resolved, it swung in as a 6/6 or as a 7/7 that next turn, outsizing everything else and singlehandedly winning games.

Sower was also MVP, stealing all sorts of broken creatures.

[Svenanole]

I dont like wake thresher except for the mirror. Just because hes a 6/6 or a 7/7 doesn't mean he is going to connect for 6 or 7 damage in our weaker matchups. In our stronger matches, he is just a "win more." I have consistently found that I would like to use him as a blocker at some point however he cannot block at all. He is also very easily removed durring your opponents turn via burn, swords and jitte.

I do like Sower (especially in the mirror as well), however I find that it is very susceptible to removal so I do not play it at all.

EDIT: I am debating if spell pierce is still a good sideboard card, im looking at other options. (not that im going to cut it, i just making sure that there isnt anything better)

[Raptor]

I dont like wake thresher except for the mirror. Just because hes a 6/6 or a 7/7 doesn't mean he is going to connect for 6 or 7 damage in our weaker matchups. In our stronger matches, he is just a "win more." I have consistently found that I would like to use him as a blocker at some point however he cannot block at all. He is also very easily removed durring your opponents turn via burn, swords and jitte.

I do like Sower (especially in the mirror as well), however I find that it is very susceptible to removal so I do not play it at all.

EDIT: I am debating if spell pierce is still a good sideboard card, im looking at other options. (not that im going to cut it, i just making sure that there isnt anything better)

Personally, I really like spell pierce in merfolk's sideboard, it's really good agaisnt Combo, CB Top, Enchantress (early in game) and Control.

Has anyone ever tried the white splash ? The swords are REALLY good to stop the stall from an opposite creature (such as goyf), so you can attack and be more agressive and helps alot in our worse match ups, Disenchant in side is not a bad idea too. I've ran Uw Merfolk two times in tournaments, and I finished top 8 and 1st (yesterday).

[Exospaciac]

Personally, I really like spell pierce in merfolk's sideboard, it's really good agaisnt Combo, CB Top, Enchantress (early in game) and Control.

Has anyone ever tried the white splash ? The swords are REALLY good to stop the stall from an opposite creature (such as goyf), so you can attack and be more agressive and helps alot in our worse match ups, Disenchant in side is not a bad idea too. I've ran Uw Merfolk two times in tournaments, and I finished top 8 and 1st (yesterday).

If you splash white in this deck, do you play Sejiri Merfolk, and how many?

It seems like it would be just as much of a reason to splash white as Plow would.

[Raptor]

If you splash white in this deck, do you play Sejiri Merfolk, and how many?

It seems like it would be just as much of a reason to splash white as Plow would.

I don't splash Sejiri anymore. After testing, it doesn't do enough in bad match ups, hence why I play 2 jitte over them at the moment.

This is my list by the way, and I run a sovereign over the 4th sword maindeck.

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Rejeerey
3 Merfolk Sovereign

4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Standstill
4 Aether Vial
3 Swords to Plowshare
2 Umezawa's Jitte

4 Wasteland
4 Mutavault
2 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Tundra
3 Island

Sideboard

3 Faerie Macabre
1 Hibernation
2 Pithing Needle
3 Spell Pierce
2 Meddling Mage
3 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshare

[Svenanole]

If it wasn't for my love for spellstutter sprite, I would run UW with 4 swords and 2-3 meddling mages in the sideboard. I would run 2/2/2 split between my fetches and cut down tundras to 3. I would still run Submerge in the sideboard over path to exile because you can cut people off of a color with wasteland and you dont want to give them that color with path.

[Bahamut056]

on the coralhelm debate:

I've decided I like these different card combinations in the main deck

Coralhelm Commander
Kira, Great-Glass Spinner (doesn't play nice with others....ie. Jitte and Sovereign)
Wake Thrasher

or

Merfolk Sovereign
Umezawa's Jitte
Echoing Truth

[(nameless one)]

on the coralhelm debate:

I've decided I like these different card combinations in the main deck

Coralhelm Commander
Kira, Great-Glass Spinner (doesn't play nice with others....ie. Jitte and Sovereign)
Wake Thrasher

or

Merfolk Sovereign
Umezawa's Jitte
Echoing Truth

With Coralhelm, how would your list look like?

[_erbs_]

Hello,
Im currently running UW merfs. I like it better over the mono u merfs, but they have their own strenghts and weakness.

Creatures [20]
4 Cursecatcher
2 Silvergill Adept
3 Sejir Merfolk
3 Coralhelm Commander
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Rejeerey

Spells [20]
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
4 Standstill
4 Aether Vial
3 Swords to Plowshare
1 Path to Exile
1 umezawa's jitte

Lands [20]
3 Wasteland
3 Mutavault
4 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Tundra
3 Island
1 Plains

SB
2 disenchant
2 path to exile
4 meddling mage
2 tormod's crypt
1 relic of progenitus
3 spell peirce
1 umezawa's jitte

[Resist_Temptation]

@Erbs Only 2 silvergill adept!?! That card is one of the best in the tribe. Also feel that Sejir Merfolk is subpar. The first strike is cute, but it doesn't really help in the ways that we need. We need to keep card advantage. I think you should be running another jitte over the path to exile. Helping them fix their mana is kinda bad. I have seen this beaten to death, but I really don't like Coralhelm. It soaks up too much of our mana. We already run Jitte and I bitch and moan every time I have to re-equip that to someone else, because it throws off the tempo so much. (on the contrary when the jitte is equipped I really like having it.)

The reasoning why splashing white is not necessary is that our creatures can get just as big as everyone elses, and if ours are getting that big then we obviously have an army of them. Swords seems to me like a panic button. I can only see it being used in that situation where you can just wait a turn to A) get your reejerey online, or b) get another lord to make your creature bigger than said opponents.

[Resist_Temptation]

@Erbs Only 2 silvergill adept!?! That card is one of the best in the tribe. Also feel that Sejir Merfolk is subpar. The first strike is cute, but it doesn't really help in the ways that we need. We need to keep card advantage. I think you should be running another jitte over the path to exile. Helping them fix their mana is kinda bad. I have seen this beaten to death, but I really don't like Coralhelm. It soaks up too much of our mana. We already run Jitte and I bitch and moan every time I have to re-equip that to someone else, because it throws off the tempo so much. (on the contrary when the jitte is equipped I really like having it.)

The reasoning why splashing white is not necessary is that our creatures can get just as big as everyone elses, and if ours are getting that big then we obviously have an army of them. Swords seems to me like a panic button. I can only see it being used in that situation where you can just wait a turn to A) get your reejerey online, or b) get another lord to make your creature bigger than said opponents.

[_erbs_]

@Resist_Temptation
I know silvergil is really a nice card draw card, but my build doesn't thrive on tempo nor i miss the draw of silvergill. In my mono u list i have 4 silvergill. the lone jitte in my list is just fine for me as its just a backup or just to destroy my opponents jitte. coralhelm for me is really good, but having 4 is bad. coralhelm is a threat that your opponent needs to kill asap or it would wreck havoc in the battlefield.

as for sejiri merfolk, against bigger creatures once you have islandwalk ability even when faced with 2 5/6 tarmo you can win the damage race with 2 sejiri merfolk + 1 loa in field. sejiri is also a threat needs to be addressed quickly by your opponent especially if his win condition is via aggro.

i loss the draw 1 card and 2/1 body but i gain creatures that are threats that needs to be killed quickly or your opponent must dedicate removals for it.