[Deck] Merfolk

[FANAttIC]

There is absolutely nothing for merfolk or blue devotion deck in Born. Sad.

[Windmill]

Born of the God's certainly brings nothing new to the Merfolk table, unless some bold player wants to try out lolcat in the deck. But not that it matters, TNN is a ridiculous addition that more than makes up for it.

Small tourney tomorrow. Still debating over my 4 flexi spot. Someone pointed out to me than there are a lot of basic lands in our meta due to lack of money and availability. So I'm going to cut back a wasteland I think and run as it:

12 x Island
3 x Mutavault
3 x Wasteland
2 x Cavern of Souls

[benthetenor]

Does a phantasmal image tnn die to target?

No, it doesn't KobyBryan. They can't target it.

BVB09, that's not what he was asking. Of course it still dies to being targeted; it's written right on Phantasmal Image. It just can't be targeted by the opponent so as long as you don't target it, it will live. In practice, that mostly just means you can't put a Jitte on it.

I also take exception to the idea that the reason to play this deck is because you can play 8 True-Name Nemesis. I think that's a plus, and it definitely helps out in the weaker matchups, but there are a whole slew of decks that don't care about True-Name Nemesis. Ours being one of them. And that's the reason to play this deck. The metagame has skewed into one where you're either a) playing True-Name Nemesis (and thus have Islands, making Islandwalk insane against you and Merfolk a good choice), b) ignoring True-Name Nemesis (and thus playing combo, making Merfolk a natural predator) or c) playing a fair deck with answers to True-Name Nemesis (most of which are blanked by having lots of creatures, including some Lord of Atlantis). If you make the deck all about getting 2-3 True Name Nemesis and winning from there, you weaken your matchup against decks that can safely ignore TNN and against decks that have lots of answers for TNN.

If you really want to play with 4 TNN and 4 Phantasmal Image, you should have enough in your sideboard to board some of that out in the matchups where it's bad. Otherwise, you're just unnecessarily weakening the deck.

[Windmill]

Played in my local tourney. Did terribly, but was to be expected. I am so new to legacy and have only been playing constructed magic for a few months now

As a terrible pilot, I lost to Omni (one of the most experienced players there and I just DIDN'T DRAW DUDES), Goblins and Affinity.
I won against BUG and a terrible homebrew.
I then played a friendly match against a bad storm player and crushed them despite knowing next-to-nothing about storm.

It taught me something. I played with 3/3 split of wasteland/mutavault and 2 CoS. There aren't enough blue sources. I won the first match-up against Goblins, and then proceeded to muligan down both games after because of lack of blue. I had to mull a few times due to 1 land hand. Maybe I should keep those more? Do you guys keep 1 land hands?

I think I want to keep Wasteland. Mutavault can be very powerful, but Wasteland can be so OP. I usually want to play dudes, so Mutavault won't come online for ages. And Mutavault is at its best against control, and running CoS helps that match-up considerably. It will weaken my match-up against goblins and affinity, but I'd rather do that I think.

Funny, there were no blade decks this time. All of my preparation for nothing! So Kira was just bad. Sygg never really got drawn, so still don't know. I want card advantage and still don't know how to get it with Standstill not working out for me.

[JPoJohnson]

What's your full decklist?

[Windmill]

Main Deck

4 x Cursecatcher
4 x Silvergill Adept
4 x Master of the Pearl Trident
4 x Lord of Atlantis
4 x Phantasmal Image (no regrets)
4 x True-Name Nemesis (no regrets)
2 x Kira (terrible)
2 x Sygg, River Cutthroat (?)

4 x Aether Vial (no regrets)
4 x Force of Will
3 x Daze
1 x Spell Pierce (iffy?)

12 x Island
3 x Wasteland
3 x Mutavault
2 x Cavern of Souls

My sideboard was half-baked because I didn't have access to some of the cards I hoped to play. Here is what I ended up playing:

3 x Steel Sabotage (due to blade and affinity... but there was no blade... just affinity which wrecked me as always)
2 x Jitte (no regrets)
3 x Dismember (no regrets)
2 x Spell Pierce (wanted to run 2 flusterstorms instead)
2 x Swan Song (wanted to run 1, and then run 1 Vendilion Clique)
3 x Grafdiggers Cage (forgot to bring a Tormod's Crypt)

My Kira/Sygg were in there because I thought Kira might be virtual card advantage against the recurring removal I saw in blade decks last time I played in our meta. But that is the great thing about the meta. It is so small, that it changes!

The only green is in BUG and RUG. No Maverick or Elves are played. Besides goblins/affinity, everyone loves blue. I am from New Zealand, we're a small place

The biggest weakness of the deck are:

1. The mass amounts of muligining I do. Rebuilding is HARD.
2. Lack of card advantage.

[tuxdev]

I've been looking through gatherer for unusual card advantage/quality options:

Ancestral Vision
- sooo slooow. I would hope we already won, but one of the reasons we want CA in the first place is when we can't.. quite.. get there.
Perilous Research
- kinda like thoughtcast for us, since we have no use for much land.
Jace TMS
- 4 mana is a ton, but it's Jace. Stifle isn't too common around in my meta, so I could a play a set of fetches for occasional value.
Jace Beleren
- Solid CA engine, the lure/fog effect isn't too awful either. Activating +2 is super scary, as pretty much every other deck has higher value cards than we do.
Bident of Thassa
- Taking a page out of standard really. Can be super explosive, but can also just do nothing. Somewhat more reasonable might be to splash green and play Eldric.
Deep Analysis
- Super expensive, but can't really be disrupted. Could work well with some kind of looter.
Diminishing Returns
- The cheapest draw 7 around, and since the only deck that dumps their hand faster than us is affinity, we'll likely be up cards. Can backfire horribly, of course.
Merfolk Looter
- Can attack when you don't need the loot, but the body is pretty inconsequential overall.
Merfolk Traders/Vodalian Merchant
- Only get to loot once, but can always attack. Also, the extra toughness has some value, similar to DRS's toughness.
Puresight Merrow
- Most aggressive option. Solid bear with the ability to scry-ish for cheap as long as we keep attacking, which is what we want to do anyway.

[Windmill]

Hi and welcome to the source and Merfolk thanks for your analysis. In regards to Puresight Merrow, if we are going to play him it is better to play Sygg River Cutthroat as Sygg can net us a card that turn, whereas this guy merely gives us unconditional scry.

I think we could make Diminishing Returns work against fair decks IF it was an instant. But this would spell death to us vs. combo and the other decks get to go first.

I find Jace Beleren a curious option, because JTMS, while better, costs 4 mana and that is simply too much. This one is interesting. Against fair decks, could we keep him alive?

My friend actually mentioned Edric, Spymaster of Trest to me as a potential card drawing engine. The problem? It costs GREEN! To splash green, how many fetches/duals would you need to play? I like my mana to be resistant to stifle and blood moon. Cold-Eyed Selkie would give us similar amounts of cards for 3cc in blue, but he takes an extra turn to come online. Someone already tried him out, and didn't like him.

[Mortox]

I've been looking through gatherer for unusual card advantage/quality options:

Preordain is something I've seen showing up in Merfolk recently. I was playing with it in my list to get a feel for it and I'm liking it so far. Sure, in a vacuum its a weaker card than Brainstorm or Ponder but the way it actually functions in Merfolk by getting the draw + multiple scry effects means you can keep the necessary gas coming and bottom the rest. There are a lot of situations where you don't just "want more cards" but instead want specific cards (creatures or free counters) and Preordain is really good at that sort of filtering. Could make an argument for Brainstorm instead if you were running a bunch of fetchlands but I don't think that's a good direction for the deck.

[Windmill]

Preordain is something I've seen showing up in Merfolk recently. I was playing with it in my list to get a feel for it and I'm liking it so far. Sure, in a vacuum its a weaker card than Brainstorm or Ponder but the way it actually functions in Merfolk by getting the draw + multiple scry effects means you can keep the necessary gas coming and bottom the rest. There are a lot of situations where you don't just "want more cards" but instead want specific cards (creatures or free counters) and Preordain is really good at that sort of filtering. Could make an argument for Brainstorm instead if you were running a bunch of fetchlands but I don't think that's a good direction for the deck.

I figured that preordain was the better option over ponder, because with ponder you can get stuck with terrible cards coming your way if you want to draw one of them. I haven't tried them though because it just doesn't seem like enough.

[CaptainTwiddle]

I know that Merfolk has typically looked to Standstill as its option for cards advantage, but it definitely has some downside (as is evident from its non-universal inclusion in the deck). I was wondering if Mystic Remora had been tried by anyone. Maybe it's a better sideboard option against decks that try to play multiple spells in a single turn, but it seems potentially very powerful. The cumulative upkeep makes it unlikely to stick for more than 1-2 turns, but that seems like enough if you're playing the role of a tempo deck. Merfolk's counters are generally "free" and the ability to keep your mana open by using Aether Vial seems to facilitate the Remora.

[Windmill]

I know that Merfolk has typically looked to Standstill as its option for cards advantage, but it definitely has some downside (as is evident from its non-universal inclusion in the deck). I was wondering if Mystic Remora had been tried by anyone. Maybe it's a better sideboard option against decks that try to play multiple spells in a single turn, but it seems potentially very powerful. The cumulative upkeep makes it unlikely to stick for more than 1-2 turns, but that seems like enough if you're playing the role of a tempo deck. Merfolk's counters are generally "free" and the ability to keep your mana open by using Aether Vial seems to facilitate the Remora.

I think it is just too situational. Fair decks tend to play creatures that have effects. The only thing they play otherwise is removal. I think they'd just sit there and let us tax our mana for a couple of turns which means we can't play dudes, and then they'll just go and play their own dudes, then removal once we lose our enchantment.

[CaptainTwiddle]

I think it [Mystic Remora] is just too situational. Fair decks tend to play creatures that have effects. The only thing they play otherwise is removal. I think they'd just sit there and let us tax our mana for a couple of turns which means we can't play dudes, and then they'll just go and play their own dudes, then removal once we lose our enchantment.

You may very well be right. Having Kira, Great Glass-Spinner in play seems like it could improve that situation, but now that we have have TNN, why play Kira (especially in the multiples needed to take advantage of the interaction)?

[KobeBryan]

Why play kira. Just splash black and be a thug with Bob

[Dice_Box]

I have PI a bob before. He sits in this deck very well. I would not splash for him, but if you are looking to splash for card draw he is a strong choice.

[Windmill]

If there was a Bob on the table, I would PI him in a heart beat and take all of the cards. I love PI in this deck and meta. He is so good. I never missed Reejery at all. I hit 3, and always wanted to play TNN, never thought "damn, wish I had Reejery". But I don't think I'd want to splash for him because on turn 2, do I want to play Bob, or do I want to play a lord and start applying pressure? My gameplan right now is to get a critical mass of Merfolk out ASAP, I only want the card draw for rebuilding if I ever need to from a boardwipe or the like.

[tuxdev]

In regards to Puresight Merrow, if we are going to play him it is better to play Sygg River Cutthroat as Sygg can net us a card that turn, whereas this guy merely gives us unconditional scry.

Yeah, I figure sygg is overall better, but puresight does have an advantage of having an extra power and its ability is an untap so it can be defensive too, and most importantly, not being legendary. Not enough advantages and we don't have the slots to just jam bears.

I find Jace Beleren a curious option, because JTMS, while better, costs 4 mana and that is simply too much. This one is interesting. Against fair decks, could we keep him alive?

Well, against fair decks TNN is a huge trump, so defending JB might not be a big deal, and the damage going to jace could easily be the damage differential needed to win a race. It's definitely the option that is the most similar to standstill, I think that's a plus.

I've actually been running 2x Jace TMS sideboard against slower decks where I might need to grind it out and when I think I need a non-damage wincon (which usually amount to the same thing). JTMS in merfolk is the most castable he's ever been with the move away from full quad wastes and due to generally adjusting the manabase to make T3 TNN reliable. I actually ulted him against a lands deck cause, well, I ain't winning through the ensnaring bridge he pulled out. Beleren is probably still overall better maindeck due to CMC 3 being reliable.

I think we could make Diminishing Returns work against fair decks IF it was an instant. But this would spell death to us vs. combo and the other decks get to go first.

I'm not sure how to get the data, but I think it'd be interesting to know how often and how badly we would get blown out. Particularly against combo, since a lot of combo decks are trying to sculpt their hand and this would reset that work. It actually feels scarier to me against fair decks since while they might not be able to just go off like combo, they'll almost always be able to use the cards to good effect. I listed it mostly because it's a draw seven, and those should never be completely discounted.

Preordain is something I've seen showing up in Merfolk recently. I was playing with it in my list to get a feel for it and I'm liking it so far. Sure, in a vacuum its a weaker card than Brainstorm or Ponder but the way it actually functions in Merfolk by getting the draw + multiple scry effects means you can keep the necessary gas coming and bottom the rest. There are a lot of situations where you don't just "want more cards" but instead want specific cards (creatures or free counters) and Preordain is really good at that sort of filtering. Could make an argument for Brainstorm instead if you were running a bunch of fetchlands but I don't think that's a good direction for the deck.

I've seen Preordain as well, that's why I didn't mention it. I was looking for options that people may have just completely forgotten existed, and preordain/ponder has been discussed here somewhat recently. For a while when I just barely got into Legacy with the fishies, I ran git probe as a crutch to avoid getting quite as blindsided by my lack of knowledge of the format. It might actually just be really good anyway just making the deck kind of 56 cards, while being pitchable to Force.

With regards to Perilous Research and the ETB looters, they're grounded on my belief that extra lands and to a lesser extent vials are nigh useless. Having two vials in my opener feels like a mulligan and drawing one later feels like getting time walked.

[Windmill]

To me though, saying the vials is useless is almost like saying that drawing Deathrite Shaman late-game means it isn't worth playing. I mean yeah, dude is much more scary: but he is still a pretty average top deck, really.

[DragoFireheart]

Why play kira. Just splash black and be a thug with Bob

Why play bob. Just splash black and be a noob with SFM equipping TNN. Why play Merfolk at this point though? Just play a True Blade deck and win.

I've never seen a Merfolk deck that splashed colors that was highly succesful [/ancedote]. Truth be told, you need a really good reason to splash a color because DnT will have a field day with you if you don't and some True Blade decks are running 4 Wastelands.

[benthetenor]

Why play bob. Just splash black and be a noob with SFM equipping TNN. Why play Merfolk at this point though? Just play a True Blade deck and win.

I've never seen a Merfolk deck that splashed colors that was highly succesful [/ancedote]. Truth be told, you need a really good reason to splash a color because DnT will have a field day with you if you don't and some True Blade decks are running 4 Wastelands.

What about that time Saito played U/B Merfolk and won GP damn Columbus? Don't remember that? Here you go. [/anecdote]

The fun thing about the word "never" is that it takes just one counter-example to show that you have no idea what you're talking about.