[Deck] Merfolk

[Shough]

@ 4eak

It looks as though you have done extensive testing on your build. I was wondering what you would cut if the Meta was favoring Kira in the main? Would you play 2 Merfolk Sovereign & 2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner What matchups do you bring in Shackles and no Jitte, Jitte no Shackles, use a combination or bring in all 6? Lastly, I think spell snare works really well after sideboarding it provides a hard counter on QPM and generally better as the game tends to shift to the later game. There is just little space for them… Any thoughts?

[T-Farr]

Hey guys, I've been watching this thread closely and playing fish for about five months. I've learned much of what I know from this site, and I've created an account so that I may be as prepared as possible for my first Star City event in Atlanta Georgia. I look forward your critiques.


Creatures

Cursecatcher x4
Silvergill adept x4
Coralhelm Commander x4
Lord of Atlantis x4
Merrow Reejerey x4
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner x2


Artifacts

Aether Vial x4


Instants

Spell Pierce x3
Stifle x4
Daze x4
Force of Will x4


Land

Wasteland x4
Mutavault x3
Underground Seas x3
Misty Rainforest x2
Scalding Tarn x2
Polluted Delta x1
Flooded Strand x1
Island x3



Side Board

Tormod's Crypt x2
Umezawa's Jitte x2
Perish x3
Engineered Plague x3
Llawan, Cephalid Empress x2
Mindbreak Trap x1
Submerge x2

[lambert101]

I have been reading these threads for about 4 months now and is it safe to say to drop standstill?

[T-Farr]

Pretty much, stand still is a really good card, but it has never found a deck that it fits perfectly into.

[Shough]

@ lambert101 – I always loved the fact I could refill my hand with a standstill should everything start going wrong… However, When you need standstill in a match up that IS going wrong the board situation does not allow you to play it. I miss it in some match ups but those are the match ups I should be winning in the first place and in those situations I want more counters. I cut them to up my counter count.

@ T-Farr – I don’t like to play stifle but, its looks like you are expecting some ANT (W/ Mindbreak Trap SB) or you just really like the card. In that case I would play 3 Standstill and 1 more spell pierce. IMHO…

[Blade3142]

Hey guys, new to the thread but thought i'd add my two cents.
I just recently (yesterday) played in the SCG Open Series with Merfolk (mostly because it seems great, and i happened to have all the cards for it)

Here's what I ran:
MD:

4x silvergill adept
4x cursecatcher
4x Lord of Atlantis
3x Coralhelm Commander
4x Merfolk Reejerey
2x Kira, Great-Glass Spinner

4x Force of Will
3x Spell Pierce
4x Daze
4x Standstill
4x Aether Vial

3x Misty Rainforest
4x Mutavault
3x Wasteland
10x Island

Board:
4x Hydroblast
2x Echoing Truth
1x Umezawa's Jitte
3x Mind Harness
3x Relic of Progenitus
2x Merfolk Sovereign

quick snipit: I've never played the deck in a real tourney, but i real a LOT of stuff here and there. So most of my knowledge is not "gameplay", so this was really my first attempt into the Legacy fore-front.

the Games:
R1 - Zoo (Loss)
R2 - Natural Order Bant (win)
R3 - Twelve Post - deck running Candelabra and Eldrazi..seems scary..but...(WIN)
R4 - Team America - one of the most ridiculous, tightest, and best games ever..but couldn't pull through..double needle on vial and mutavault = pretty good (loss)
R5 - Gobbos - G1 - lost, G2 - won by jank tricks! G3 - punted (though more i htink about it..he may have had it anyways..) (loss and DROP)

Thoughts:

Aggro match up is El Terrible
in the match-ups standstill worked well...i already had a great board presence..in most matchs it just sucked (aggor matches really)
Thinking of trying brainstorm over the standstills, with some more sac-lands. can't always rely on using adept to draw into the nuts!

I have a legacy event this coming sunday i'm playing in, and wonder if i could get some advice or maybe some criticism!

Thanks!

[Shough]

I, as well as some others here have dropped standstill for more Lord in the MD to help your aggro matches. So I would do that and the general consensus is Fetches / Brainstorm is not the answer for card draw… If you find a reliable card drawer that works please let us all know… Coralhelm Commander has saved my ass so much I would not play with less then a set. You need at least 2 jitte SB… 4eak has a neat idea without Mutavault or standstill that I believe works well. Back to Basics is good vs 3 color decks, atrifact decks, etc. in the SB. everybody has there own opinion, this is just my 2 cent worth.

[lambert101]

thanks for the advice. I've been playing folk for about a year and really want to cut the standstills. I hear a lot about 4eak's decklist and hope he sees this for an updated version! Also, what is everyones' opinion on how many kirias and merfolk soverigns to run and any sb help would be amazing. Thanks

[Shough]

This is my current deck... you can look back in the thread to see 4eak's list. I play tested his list and was amazed in the post SB game, consistent manabase, and the improvement in tough matches. I can’t play in my metagame without Kira and I like 2 spell snares in the SB to bring in vs my metagame...

4 Wasteland
16 Island

4 Aether Vial

4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Spell Pierce

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Coralhelm Commander
2 Merfolk Sovereign
2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner

SB:
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Vedalken Shackles
3 Back to Basics
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Echoing Truth
2 Spell Snare

I hope 4eak can critique my list and opine on spell snare and Kira in it… I think 3 Jitte is too many and I had no choice but to cut a Relic for my second SB slot. Spell Snare really helps I think after sideboard because it helps protect your shackles, B2B, and Jitte as well as provide a good later game hard counter.

[4eak]

@ Shough

I was wondering what you would cut if the Meta was favoring Kira in the main? Would you play 2 Merfolk Sovereign & 2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner

I love Kira. If I were going to replace something for Kira, I'd replace some combination of Merfolk Sovereign and Spell Pierce.

What matchups do you bring in Shackles and no Jitte, Jitte no Shackles, use a combination or bring in all 6?

Jitte is broken against Tribal/weenie. It also does some important removal tricks and mitigates the value of removal against you. That said, it really isn't impressive against alot of Goyf decks. Shackles is substantially better in those cases. I do side both shackles and jittes against things like Goblins, whereby I really need just about any bomb to help pull me out of the deep water.

Lastly, I think spell snare works really well after sideboarding it provides a hard counter on QPM and generally better as the game tends to shift to the later game. There is just little space for them… Any thoughts?

Spell Snare is certainly a very reasonable card to play in the side. I'm sure there is space for them if you want them.

I hope 4eak can critique my list and opine on spell snare and Kira in it…

It seems good to me. I'd consider trying -1x Spell Pierce for +1x Merfolk Sovereign. I've tried both ways. I know I like to maximize my creatures when I have Kira in the main.



peace,
4eak

[Shough]

I’ll have to try – 1 Spell Pierce -1 Merfolk Sovereign. Kira is less aggressive but, needed in some meta’s. I see what you’re saying though, sudo-protection and flying is nice but, stacking lords is better most of the time. Thanks for your advice…

[thatoneguy]

Has anyone ever thought of running spreading seas sideboard for zoo? It would draw you a card, make one of their lands an island, and your creatures would have island walk. I know its not a great card, but would this help, or are their better options?

[lambert101]

Pride mate target for seas and anyone try sword of fire/ice of body/mind instead of jitte? In side. I was thinking one jitter and one sword in side

[CranialX]

Has anyone tried Volrath Stronghold for U/B buiild?
It gives you recursion and stuff ...

[Tammit67]

Has anyone ever thought of running spreading seas sideboard for zoo? It would draw you a card, make one of their lands an island, and your creatures would have island walk. I know its not a great card, but would this help, or are their better options?

The problem isn't making your creatures unblockable, it is keeping them on the field long enough.

Pride mate target for seas and anyone try sword of fire/ice of body/mind instead of jitte? In side. I was thinking one jitter and one sword in side

The additional mana cost is probably not worth it, as it will often take two turns instead of one to play and equip. Better against goblins i guess?

Has anyone tried Volrath Stronghold for U/B buiild?
It gives you recursion and stuff ...

What matchup do you really want the recursion? You'd have to cut vault or waste to support it producing colorless, which weakens your blue matchups built around tempo. It shouldn't be that great against junk (wasteland/swords) or goblins. Maybe ok against zoo, but really slow. Against anything not aggro, you play around sweepers postboard with countermagic and mutavault or just not over extending.

[Blade3142]

Anyone have thoughts on the "Lands" match-up? is the Merfolk board just to bring in Back to Basics? and maybe Relic?

Also i've made an executive decision to not run standstill this weekend.

if you reference my deck from above the MD is changing ever so slightly:
-4 Standstill, +2 Jitte, +2 Sower of Temptation

I will be testing this for this coming weekend

Also I am probably going to take the 1 jitte, and 2 sovereigns out of board and put in Three Back To Basics

[Tammit67]

Anyone have thoughts on the "Lands" match-up? is the Merfolk board just to bring in Back to Basics? and maybe Relic?

If you are mono color, keep a hand of high basics and don't use your wastelands carelessly. You are trying to play around maze of ith, tabernacle, and glacial chasm preboard. Rejerrey often deals with maze, and enough mana plays around tabernacle. Save counters for when you actually need it. EE and ensnaring bridge are often found main as well. If things look too grim, scoop it up to save some time.

Postboard is awkward. Most lists become less GY dependant, but you can still get utility out of relic (way better than standstill). Spell pierce is golden against the anti aggro options of bridge and/or oblivion stone or crucible. The tech varies, some run an e tutor package for Smokestack and propoganda effects, others just still lock the board down with chasm. Just don't throw away counters and the match up is decent.

Of course Back to Basics is kinda insane when you play it after they tap out.

[DukeDemonKn1ght]

So I'm planning to go to the SCG Open in Memphis tomorrow (if I can catch up on sleep a bit beforehand). Planning on running a list very similar to 4eak's list, -2 Sovereign, +2 Kira. Sideboard is fairly similar, I'm planning on trying a Sword of Fire and Ice instead of one Jitte (seems nuts against Goblins, mirror match, decent vs Bant, etc.

So I had a couple concerns/ questions:

-The biggest problem is I'm short by 2 Wastelands. All attempts to borrow them have fallen through on me, mostly because most of my play group is kind of a casual/ standard/ whatever crowd (sucks, I know.) And TrollandToad was out of them, so my order (which should come in the mail today) won't include any. Should I just bite the bullet and buy two from a dealer? (This isn't a power level question; I know how good the card is in this deck. It's a cheapness question, because I can get them for a better deal, just not by tomorrow. I have a friend who lives in Texas who has two extra to trade, and will probably let them go pretty easily...) So, with all that parenthetical information evaluated, what the hell should I do? A cute idea I had was to run a couple Ghost Quarter and the 2 Wastelands which I do have. Is this like, good *enough* for just one tournament, until I can acquire Wastelands on the cheap, or should I blow a chunk of money on 2 more? (Please consider that I'm not exactly wealthy.)

-On to the sideboard: Is Relic of Progenitus still as much of a necessity as it was a year or two ago? I'm a little tempted to try to shake up some space for 2-3 Pithing Needle in the sideboard, since it seems strong against several things I detest (planeswalkers, ramp decks, Sneak Attack, Engineered Explosives, Candelabra of Tawnos, etc). And Relic is probably the first thing I would cut 1 of, since I'm not so sure I need the full 4. Anyone have some advice on this?

Anyhow... Pretty excited to get up there and play some games at least. Last time I played a competitive Legacy event was GP Chicago, so I'm anxious to get Lord of Atlantis's dick wet again, if you'll pardon a terrible metaphor. I'd appreciate any hot tips and tech anyone wants to throw my way.

EDIT: Here's my list, in case anyone is too lazy to go a few pages back and look up 4eak's post:

4x: Cursecatcher, Silvergill Adept, Lord of Atlantis, Coralhelm Commander, Merrow Reejerey, Force of Will, Daze, Spell Pierce, Aether Vial
2x: Kira Great Glass Spinner, Merfolk Sovereign
4 Wasteland (or 2 Wasteland, 2 Ghost Quarter perhaps), 16 Island

SB:
4 Relic of Progenitus (may go down to 3 for Pithing Needle)
3 Back to Basics
3 Vedalken Shackles
2 Echoing Truth
2 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

[4eak]

A cute idea I had was to run a couple Ghost Quarter and the 2 Wastelands which I do have. Is this like, good *enough* for just one tournament, until I can acquire Wastelands on the cheap, or should I blow a chunk of money on 2 more?

If you don't play Leonin Arbiter/Aven Mindcensor or some variant of Lands, then you shouldn't even remotely consider Ghost quarter in this format. Straight Islands are far and away better than Ghost Quarter. That said, if you are going to buy 2 Wastelands in the future anyways, then it really might be worth getting them now (if your budget can squeeze it). Spell Pierce, Daze, Cursecatcher, and Aether Vial are all greatly improved by Wasteland. After Aether Vial and Force, I think Wasteland is the 3rd MVP of the deck.



peace,
4eak

[SlopeeJ]

You def need the 4 wasteland or doesn't even seem like playing the deck is right. Ghost quartering someone is like wastelanding yourself haha, you can't run that. You lose a land and they replace the land they just lost. 2 mutavualts seems better than ghost quarter, uncounterable creatures.

I was reading the lastest articles on starcity meta, zoo/green fatties with green sun/junk are really popular right now. How do you expect to beat those decks without submerge? Zoo has grim lavamancer etc I dunno I just love submerge and think it should be a 4 of. The 3rd kira would like nice in your list, so good against zoo/junk etc.....

Is back to basics really that good? People play basics now and it doesn't really fit the aggro style of your list. Also I don't think you need needle, you have 4 spell pierce main.. That is very good vs all the cards you listed