[Deck] Merfolk

[troopatroop]

U/w Folk

4 Wasteland
4 Mutavault
4 Tundra
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Island

4 Aether Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Standstill
4 Force of Will
4 Daze

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Tidebinder Mage
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident


SB:

1 Surgical Extraction
2 Absolute Law
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Tidebinder Mage
1 Pithing Needle
2 Absolute Law
3 Spell Pierce
1 Umezawa's Jitte


I think playing 2 Tidebinder main is fine. I think 4 post side is the nuts with 4 plow as well. I would run more MD, but it's too often a 2/2 for 2.

[SupREME-10]

I still think that Merrow Reejerey is too powerful to be left out of the deck and don't understand why I keep seeing list without him in there.

I know that I am old school Mono-U but I don't see how losing him and splashing into W-B are going to improve the deck in any meta of any real size.

Cheers and here is what I am using.


Deck List

4 x Cursecatcher
4 x Lord of Atlantis
4 x Master of the Pearl Trident
4 x Merrow Reejerey
3 x Phantasmal Image
4 x Silvergill Adept

4 x AEther Vial
3 x Daze
1 x Echoing Truth
4 x Force of Will
2 x Spell Pierce
3 x Standstill

1 x Cavern of Souls
12 x Island
4 x Mutavault
4 x Wasteland

Sideboard
2 x Umezawa's Jitte
3 x Surgical Extraction
2 x Back to Basics
2 x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2 x Spell Snare
2 x Submerge
2 x Tidebinder Mage

And I know it's 61 cards but please don't go off on that part as I have a personal reason for that (and you can just ignore a land if it bothers you that much).

[Vandalize]

U/w Folk

4 Wasteland
4 Mutavault
4 Tundra
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Island

4 Aether Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Standstill
4 Force of Will
4 Daze

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Tidebinder Mage
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident


SB:

1 Surgical Extraction
2 Absolute Law
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Tidebinder Mage
1 Pithing Needle
2 Absolute Law
3 Spell Pierce
1 Umezawa's Jitte


I think playing 2 Tidebinder main is fine. I think 4 post side is the nuts with 4 plow as well. I would run more MD, but it's too often a 2/2 for 2.

I think you might want less Tundras and more fetches. It opens yourself to Stifle, but decreases Wasteland (which is FAR more common) effectiveness. Moreover, you only have few cards that requires white mana, so 4 Tundra is pretty much not needed.

Also, if you're playing white, why not play the best GY hate? Rest in Peace is really disruptive and hard to deal with, and can deal with Tarmogoyfs, Knights and Shamans.

I'd build something like this:

Lands [20]
4 Wasteland
4 Mutavault
2 Tundra
4 Island
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta

Creatures [21]
4 Cursecatcher
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Silvergill Adept
3 Phantasmal Image/Coralhelm Commander
2 Tidebinder Mage

Spells [19]
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 AEther Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Standstill

Sideboard [15]
3 Swan Song/Spell Pierce
3 Rest in Peace
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Submerge
2 Tidebinder Mage
2 Absolute Law
2 Umezawa's Jitte/Disenchant

[JPoJohnson]

After a GPT I went to this last Saturday (Won with TES), we ended up having a casual tournament for fun with various decks and I ended up winning with Mono-U Merfolk. Played against Goblins, Planeswalker Control, Miracles, Esper Stoneblade and TES. Due to a huge misplay on the Goblins', I ended up going 5-0 and having a lot of fun.

I personally still think that Mono-U is the way to go. I run 2 Dismembers in main and I absolutely love them. Sure there are a small handful of matchups where it's lackluster, but it really improves our bad matchups and was one of the reasons I beat Gobbos G2.

[KobeBryan]

After a GPT I went to this last Saturday (Won with TES), we ended up having a casual tournament for fun with various decks and I ended up winning with Mono-U Merfolk. Played against Goblins, Planeswalker Control, Miracles, Esper Stoneblade and TES. Due to a huge misplay on the Goblins', I ended up going 5-0 and having a lot of fun.

I personally still think that Mono-U is the way to go. I run 2 Dismembers in main and I absolutely love them. Sure there are a small handful of matchups where it's lackluster, but it really improves our bad matchups and was one of the reasons I beat Gobbos G2.

Do you have a jitte in the MD or SB?

[JPoJohnson]

I have it in the side.

Edit: I'll post a decklist once I get home.

[beez]

Has anyone tested Swan Song yet? I havent had time to. My initial feeling is that Spell Pierce still hits artifacts and Planeswalkers. Flusterstorm doesn't but helps more in counter wars. Swan Song doesn't either, but is a hard counter, which has some value. The 2/2 bird may not matter only as a chump vs a board of Merfolk lords, but that is like lifegain from the spell to consider. Also a 2/2 goes a little further in Legacy than other formats.

[Barsoom]

DTB we are coming back, i think this can replace Merrow Reejerey that some lists started to cut already, or anyway it's another wonderful merfolk for the aggro version (without standstill).

[Achamian]

DTB we are coming back, i think this can replace Merrow Reejerey that some lists started to cut already, or anyway it's another wonderful merfolk for the aggro version (without standstill).

Link or translation?

Okay, found it:

As Identity Nemesis enters the battlefield, choose a player.

Identity Nemesis has protection from that player. (This creature cannot be blocked, targeted, damaged or enchanted by a source controlled by that player.)

Good one.

[Jeet]

This works really well with Phantasmal Image. I like this card.

[Tokugawa]

Link or translation?

Okay, found it:

As Identity Nemesis enters the battlefield, choose a player.

Identity Nemesis has protection from that player. (This creature cannot be blocked, targeted, damaged or enchanted by a source controlled by that player.)

Good one.

Does it reads as "Mini-Progenitus"? He is extremely hard to die!

[Tru3z3rox]

Man I love playing standstill, but now that I see this guy I may need to cut them to go the aggro route. He seems so good! Cutting standstill really hits our CA though. How do you guys make up the CA without standstill?

[Einherjer]

Man I love playing standstill, but now that I see this guy I may need to cut them to go the aggro route. He seems so good! Cutting standstill really hits our CA though. How do you guys make up the CA without standstill?

Smash face?

[Tru3z3rox]

What do you smash face with after having 1-2 of your guys removed from the game and force of willing once? I find myself with very few cards in hand.

As amazing as this guy is I don't see myself running a set. I'll probably run about 3 just because he is still not a lord and costs 3.

[kingtk3]

Smash face?

+1

I played merfolk for years with some good results and standstill was never in my main except for when the meta demanded for it. Playing standstill often extends the game and merfolk is bad in mid and late game.

On the other hand I always wished for an intargettable merfolk lord (likewise crystalline sliver): this one isn't a lord but it makes up for it with some incredible features, beign able to block anything without trample for days and, most of all, beign himself unblockable even without islands on opponent's side!

I guess that swan song will be played over flusterstorm too, since the only things that kill this one are terminus, deed and engineered plague.

[troopatroop]

4 Wasteland
4 Mutavault
11 Island
2 Cavern of Souls

4 Aether Vial
2 Dismember
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
3 Daze

3 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Identity Nemesis
1 Merrow Reejerey



Mono Blue DTB... Can we make it back? Love the new 3 drop, it's just retarded. Protection from Player, LOLGTFO basically...

I only like 1 Reejerey, and it's really only for the line with "IN". Tick Vial to 3, Vial Reejerey. Play an Identity Nemesis through Cavern, Untap Aether Vial, Vial in another Nemesis. Now you have uncounterable GG Blocks and lethal in 2 turns.

This deck is so sexy right now! xD

[supachai]

I feel like 4 Identity Nemesis is almost certainly correct. At least 3 Phantasmal Image to go along with that. Copying Nemesis gets rid of Image's drawback. I did some testing with this list and Nemesis is quite strong. Blocks Goyf all day. Kills Planeswalkers. Merfolk is going to make a comeback.

3 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Identity Nemesis
2 Merrow Reejerey
3 Phantasmal Image

4 Aether Vial
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
2 Dismember

4 Mutavault
4 Wasteland
2 Cavern of Souls
11 Island

[KobeBryan]

I feel like 4 Identity Nemesis is almost certainly correct. At least 3 Phantasmal Image to go along with that. Copying Nemesis gets rid of Image's drawback. I did some testing with this list and Nemesis is quite strong. Blocks Goyf all day. Kills Planeswalkers. Merfolk is going to make a comeback.

3 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Identity Nemesis
2 Merrow Reejerey
3 Phantasmal Image

4 Aether Vial
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
2 Dismember

4 Mutavault
4 Wasteland
2 Cavern of Souls
11 Island

why do you even need dismembers anymore? dismember was a way to deal with problematic creatures. now with identity, you dont' have any problematic creatures because you can chump all day all night.

I think you are just throwing cards in this merfolk deck without fully understanding how to play it.

I'm guessing the same for the majority who just automatically wants to dismiss reejery for identity.

If anything, Identity fits in the standstill slot because right now its a aggro heavy meta. No point of having standstill at this point when merfolk can still deal with combo at this point without sacrificing much. In fact, standstill comes out 75% of the time post board.

What this identity really needs are jittes in the MD to support the combat damage. You also want reejery as well since you can swing in, bring something in and untap with identity for an additional blocker.

[raikenxy]

why do you even need dismembers anymore? dismember was a way to deal with problematic creatures. now with identity, you dont' have any problematic creatures because you can chump all day all night.

I think you are just throwing cards in this merfolk deck without fully understanding how to play it.

I'm guessing the same for the majority who just automatically wants to dismiss reejery for identity.

If anything, Identity fits in the standstill slot because right now its a aggro heavy meta. No point of having standstill at this point when merfolk can still deal with combo at this point without sacrificing much. In fact, standstill comes out 75% of the time post board.

What this identity really needs are jittes in the MD to support the combat damage. You also want reejery as well since you can swing in, bring something in and untap with identity for an additional blocker.

agreed 100 percent, couldnt have said it better

[supachai]

why do you even need dismembers anymore? dismember was a way to deal with problematic creatures. now with identity, you dont' have any problematic creatures because you can chump all day all night.

I think you are just throwing cards in this merfolk deck without fully understanding how to play it.

I'm guessing the same for the majority who just automatically wants to dismiss reejery for identity.

If anything, Identity fits in the standstill slot because right now its a aggro heavy meta. No point of having standstill at this point when merfolk can still deal with combo at this point without sacrificing much. In fact, standstill comes out 75% of the time post board.

What this identity really needs are jittes in the MD to support the combat damage. You also want reejery as well since you can swing in, bring something in and untap with identity for an additional blocker.

Yeah, I don't play Merfolk at all. I just want to see what people were saying about the new fish. Your arguments make sense; dismembers aren't needed and I like the sound of Reejery giving pseudo vigilance and Jitte to pair up with Nemesis. How would your list look if you wanted to fit all that in?