I played with chalice this weekend...was amazing...too bad I didnt side out Vials and Vapor Snags and I side in gutshot....result: 5 dead cards on my hand entire game 3 lol
I'm out on Chalice at the moment. My meta is very competitive (the GP Detroit winner is a regular at my LGS, as it turns out) so I see lots of Eldrazi, and Chalice is dead there. I'll re-evaluate it in the future, though - it was really good in the pre-Oath meta, and if we return to that, it will see some run.
Speaking of Eldrazi, I think the key to combating Kozilek's Return is to proactively remove their graveyard - they're not going to be putting much in it unless you kill their creatures, so you can probably wipe it without too much trouble. As CoBTyrannon and Cowology noted, this effect is a triggered ability on cast, so it can't be countered, and it's tricky to respond to. So pre-empt it - wipe the 'yard BEFORE it becomes a problem.
Congrats to everyone else who made day two this weekend! I am happy to report that I also day twoed at Detroit, going 7-2 on day one and 4-2 on day two to finish 11-4. Unfortunately didn't make the money, but finished 126th. I was running a slightly modified version of Nikachu's list and will post a report probably tomorrow night. Quick version: Beat up UW eldrazi 6-1 on overall games, my four losses were to: soul sisters 1-2 (my misplays + honor of the pure), blue moon 1-2 (ved shackles), elves 0-2 (got annihilated), and ad nauseam 0-2 (mull to five + drawing a card by accident and he got to look at my hand and take my dispel).
I took up Merfolk recently on MTGO and have been putting up a decent fight against Eldrazi, although their best draws feel unbeatable by any deck. I've actually been surprised to only see them about 20% of the time.
I have however been getting massacred by Zoo/Goblins variants. Seems like Chalice would be good in those matchups? I'm trying it on my latest run but haven't had it yet. Been seeing GWx a lot too but they are not quite as bad in my experience.
For Lantern Control, I found Phyrexian Metamorph to be fun tech. I ran them in this case as copies #5-6 of Hurkyl's Recall since they can copy Codex Shredder, and against Eldrazi they make for sturdier clones than Images.
Try Tidebinder Mage if Zoo or Goblins are giving you trouble. It's a huge tempo loss for them, and can be crippling if it manages to stick, plus it has game against WGX to boot. Dispel also helps thwart the likes of Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt, and Chalice of the Void can also be useful.
How would develop a sideboard for a completely unknown meta? I'm going back home to Illinois (for the first time in years) in a few weeks and wife said I could play in a tournament. Thing is, I have absolutely no idea what to expect...
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Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming. Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Yeah GW is indeed very hard for me too and the biggest problem is, that we don't really have good sideboardcards against them.
I really really don't like to play torpor orb....
Once again Relic can remove Kitchenfinks or Redcap, but they have a very strong Plan B.
The only good thing I did in Bologna is playing 4 times against Melira deck. Easy 4-0.
They have dinky creatures which can't block (with or without Seas), their attack is laughable, I killed so many mana creatures with Gut Shot while Seasing their land.
The only concern was combo and Worship (+Township if I take slow hand). Both are solved with cards we already play like Vapor Snag and Echoing Truth. Gut Shot can kill Viscera Seer at the right moment, Dismember can kill Melira or Anafenza while Finks triggered from the graveyard and so on, Dispel was countering Chord and Company. All four matches were -4 Master of Waves, -2 Kira, +4 counterspells and +2 Gut Shot.
Balls to the wall aggro won me every match.
Against Living End, only played against one, I won 2-0 while he resolved every LE copy he drew. It was all about Vial, right dosage of pressure and repopulating with Waves after. Didn't play any Relics (never needed them, luckily) and didn't drew any Chalices (3 copies). My position on LE matchup is still very positive, that isn't changed. He showed me 2 Richochet Traps after game 2 was over, that was funny.
I agree with what SilvergillMaster and rothgar13 said about this matchup.
I also saw some Phyrexian Metamorphs for the Eldrazi mirrors with other usage obv. Thought about putting them in the sideboard on Friday, but there was no room.
Round 1: Loam Pox (2-0 games, 1-0 matches)
- G1 (play) both players mull to 6; I draw an aggressive hand (Lords and Spreading Seas) and he can't remove enough of my guys to stabilize
- G2 (draw) I mull to 6 but he mulls to 5; land a T2 Relic and a Pithing Needle for his Molten Vortex to shut him out of the game
Round 2: Merfolk (2-0 games, 2-0 matches)
- G1 (play) land T1 Vial to assemble board state with no Islands; overwhelm opponent with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 (draw) mull to 6, but tempo opponent out with T1 Vial and 2x Harbinger of the Tides
Round 3: U-Tron (2-1 games, 3-0 matches)
- G1 (draw) opponent mulls to 6, but lands T3 Tron; eventually lose to Mindslaver lock
- G2 (play) both players mull to 6; opponent lands Thought-Knot Seers but I am able to buy time with uncounterable Harbingers until a topdecked Lord enables me to swing for lethal
- G3 (draw) get a fast aggro hand with 2x Dispel as backup; opponent has no responses
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate (could potentially be Hurkyl's Recall?), +1 Pithing Needle, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
As you can see, the deck was firing on all cylinders today. I made short work of my Loam Pox rematch by drawing my hate, overwhelmed my opponent in the mirror with a bit of savvy play and some T1 Vials, then managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat from a U-Tron opponent that started off hot but couldn't deal with uncounterable Merfolk from Cavern of Souls. I ID'd in Round 4 as a favor to my opponent, but that also netted us both a pretty nice haul. Pithing Needle put in major work in Round 1 as a way to stuff my Loam Pox opponent's comeback attempt, so I'm excited to keep testing it.
Try Tidebinder Mage if Zoo or Goblins are giving you trouble. It's a huge tempo loss for them, and can be crippling if it manages to stick, plus it has game against WGX to boot. Dispel also helps thwart the likes of Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt, and Chalice of the Void can also be useful.
Right, I've been running 3 Tidebinders in the sideboard. It just doesn't feel like enough, they get immediately bolted every time. Feels like the only winning strategy is to stick 3 lords at once or a MoW for 4+. I guess the only thing I haven't pursued is Dispel/Negate.
My latest run has convinced me that Leagues are openly hostile to Merfolk lately...
Match 1: RG Zoo (1-2) [0-1]
Only win here was when triple Harbingers stalled him JUST enough to land a MoW for 4. I probably should have been dead to burn but he conceded on the spot. Mulled to 6 both SB games and never saw my Chalices to try.
Match 2: UR Blue Moon (2-1) [1-1]
I'm not sure if this is a worse matchup without Caverns, because sometimes they will keep lots of countermagic and board out Blood Moon, and sometimes they do the opposite. Either way it doesn't feel like a horrible matchup but all of the removal costing life is awkward in a grindly long game like this where they can burn you out.
Match 3: UWR Control / Resto-Kiki (1-2) [1-2]
Same as above, basically. Can't side out the removal but it feels really bad blowing 12 life on Dismembers. Ended within 1 life.
Match 4: Skred Red (0-2) [1-3]
This guy was maindecking Pyrite Spellbomb, dropped it T1 both games, and saved it for MoW. Pretty sure there were 4 maindeck Anger of the Gods. Enough said.
Match 5: GR Titan Scapeshift (0-2) [1-4]
First time facing this deck... More maindeck Anger of the Gods and Pyroclasm, along with an Inferno Titan that vaporized 3 of my merfolk at once. Able to ramp while bolting my creatures. Islanding his Valakuts didn't seem to slow him down at all either. He was able to kill me with triggers both games while mercilessly murdering all of my creatures with the extras.
I guess my only consolation would be that all of these decks fold to Eldrazi harder than I do.
Try Tidebinder Mage if Zoo or Goblins are giving you trouble. It's a huge tempo loss for them, and can be crippling if it manages to stick, plus it has game against WGX to boot. Dispel also helps thwart the likes of Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt, and Chalice of the Void can also be useful.
Right, I've been running 3 Tidebinders in the sideboard. It just doesn't feel like enough, they get immediately bolted every time. Feels like the only winning strategy is to stick 3 lords at once or a MoW for 4+. I guess the only thing I haven't pursued is Dispel/Negate.
My latest run has convinced me that Leagues are openly hostile to Merfolk lately...
[/spoiler]
Maybe try Threads of Disloyalty, although that 1 extra turn it takes to cast it is huge. I've personally never tried out the card so cant speak to how effective it is. In theory though I'd imagine it fills the role that you want fromTidebinder Mage in that it doesn't get bolted and forces the opponent to kill their own creatures. Merfolk 2 for 1......... whaaaaaatttt O_o?
Round 1 U/W Control 2-1 Game 1 he only saw 1 Supreme Verdict, Game 2 he saw 3, Game 2 he only saw 1. It was basically simple as that. There was of course more involved than that, but the Verdicts were his only real way of keeping the game under control.
Round 2 Jund Aggro Brew 2-1 Not much to really say about the match up. She ran Tattermunge Maniac, Rakdos Cackler, Reckless Bushwhacker, and similiar cards to just do 10-12 damage a turn. Completely caught me by surprise Game 2.
Round 3 Bogles 2-0 Game 1 he got a bogle and loaded it up with auras to swing at me, going into my turn 4 I was at 2 with 2 Silvergills and a Muta in play. I tick my vial up to 3. I put in a reejerey, copy it with phantasmal image, then play 2 lords untapping the muta vault. I animate it and swing for 18 with the 2 silvergills and muta to win. Game 2 he saw more creatures than auras, so bad times for him there.
Round 4 Zoo 2-1 Game 1 he just beat me down with dorks, game 2 I saw tidebinders to lock down his stuff. Game 3 I had a tidebinder out and a reejergy, he pathed the tidebinder to untap his gofy. He attacked me for 10 and I was at 14, he had one card in hand. I didnt block ending up at 4. I then played 3 lords off of Reej to lock up the ground. He passed his turn hoping to block me. I drew a lord off the top, tapped one of his creatures with Reej and swung with 5 6/6 creatures. It was a greedy play just taking the damage, but I had to risk it.
Things of note, im playing a Ghost Quarter over a 4th Harbinger main and I like it. 2 different times I hit my own land to get untapped blue mana for vapor snag or swan song so it is staying in. My sideboard is still kinda loose, but my main deck is locked with the new inclusion of Qhost Quarter. It is a pretty stock list overall and the sideboard is too much of a mess to share i was testing cards out and I never saw them so cant really report on that. Reejerey is just dumb Those games against bogles and zoo I only won thanks to Reejerey just letting me spew out lords.
How would develop a sideboard for a completely unknown meta? I'm going back home to Illinois (for the first time in years) in a few weeks and wife said I could play in a tournament. Thing is, I have absolutely no idea what to expect...
If I was going to a new store, I would probably run nikachu's SB from his latest monthly deck tech. I say this because without knowing what you'll be playing against, you'll want a wide variety of answers, and I think Nikachu does a good job at tuning his SB for that...That said, I would also try to play his exact main-board or close to it so that both sb and main complement each other. It's always hard going into a new meta without any knowledge of whats there.
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Evil Beware!....We have waffles.
"In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks." Calvin & Hobbes Quotes
Calvin : You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
Hobbes : What mood is that?
Calvin : Last-minute panic.
Decks I'm playing:
Modern: U Merfolk
Standard: I dislike Standard ATM
Round 2: Merfolk (2-0 games, 2-0 matches)
- G1 (play) land T1 Vial to assemble board state with no Islands; overwhelm opponent with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 (draw) mull to 6, but tempo opponent out with T1 Vial and 2x Harbinger of the Tides
Can you break down your thoughts on Pithing Needle here? Is the idea that even though we're mirroring their Mutavaults and AEther Vials we can just hit whichever is worse for them at the time? Any consideration toward bringing Tidebinder Mages in here over Spreading Seas and maybe Dispels? Though Dispels might be necessary. Removing a Lord during combat can be a huge blow out for the Mirror. And I'm guessing your thoughts are 2 Seas are important to ensure Islandwalk if your opponent draws enough non basics to not have to play them.
Maindeck
10 Island
4 Mutavault
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Wanderwine Hub
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
2 Harbinger of the Tides
2 Merrow Reejerey
2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
4 Master of Waves
4 Aether Vial
2 Vapor Snag
2 Gut Shot
2 Dismember
4 Spreading Seas
Sideboard
4 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Tidebinder Mage
2 Remand
2 Dispel
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Echoing Truth
UW Eldrazi
Play
+1 Echoing Truth
-1 Harbinger of the Tides
Draw
+2 Dispel
+1 Echoing Truth
-3 Cursecatcher
UR Eldrazi
+1 Echoing truth
-1 Spreading Seas
Mono Black/WB Eldrazi
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Gut Shot
-3 Cursecatcher
RG Eldrazi
Play
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
-2 Gut Shot
Draw
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
-2 Gut Shot
Affinity
+4 Hurkyl's Recall
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Master of Waves
-1 Dismember (or anything else you want to side out)
Burn
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Chalice of the Void
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-3 Spreading Seas
or
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Chalice of the Void
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Jund
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
Merfolk
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+1 Echoing Truth
+1 Dispel
Coco Zoo
Play
-2 Gut Shot
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
Draw
-4 Cursecatcher
-2 Gut Shot
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
Suicide Zoo (Death Shadow)
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Dispel
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
-2 Master of Waves
Small Zoo (Kird Ape and friends)
Gut Shot may or may not be good. Depends on opponents build. It kills Reckless Bushwhacker, Stepp Lynx, and Experiment One.
Play
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Harbinger of the Tides (or Gut Shot)
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Chalice of the Void
Draw
-4 Cursecatcher
-2 Gut Shot
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Chalice of the Void
Abzan
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+1 Dispel
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Cursecatcher
Bogels (Hexproof)
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Vapor Snag
-3 Cursecatcher
+2 Dispel
+2 Chalice of the Void
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Tidebinder Mage
UR Delver
Play
-4 Aether Vial
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Relic of Progenitus
Draw
-4 Cursecatcher
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Relic of Progenitus
Grixis Delver
Play
-4 Aether Vial
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+1 Tidebinder Mage
Draw
-4 Cursecatcher
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+1 Tidebinder Mage
Temur Delver
Play
-4 Aether Vial
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+2 Relic of Progenitus
Draw
-4 Cursecatcher
-4 Spreading Seas
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+2 Relic of Progenitus
Soul Sisters
+1 Echoing Truth
+1 Remand
+2 Chalice of the Void
-4 Cursecatcher
Martyr Control
+2 Dispel
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Vapor Snag
-2 Dismember
-1 Harbinger of the Tides
GR Tron
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
UW Tron
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
-2 Dismember
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Master of Waves
Mono Blue Tron
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-2 Master of Waves
UWR Control
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Gut Shot
UW Control
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Gut Shot
UWR Kiki-control
Play
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Master of Waves
Draw
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Cursecatcher
Valakut
+2 Remand
+2 Tidebinder Mage
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Scapeshift
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Tidebinder Mage
-2 Gut Shot
-4 Spreading Seas
-2 Dismember
Grixis Control
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Gut Shot
Lantern Control
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Remand
+4 Hurkyl’s Recall
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Master of Waves
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Vapor Snag
-1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Blue Moon
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+2 Hurkyl’s Recall
-4 Spreading Seas
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
Kiki Chord
Play
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
-1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Draw
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Cursecatcher
-1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Abzan Company (Podless Pod)
Play
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Aether Vial
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Draw
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Cursecatcher
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
Infect
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Master of Waves
-2 Merrow Reejerey
-1 Master of the Pearl Trident
Living End
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Dispel
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Tidebinder Mage
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-2 Vapor Snag
-4 Spreading Seas
Ad Nauseam
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Remand
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Dispel
+1 Hurkyl’s Recall
-2 Dismember
-2 Vapor Snag
-4 Spreading Seas
Storm
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+1 Echoing Truth
-4 Spreading Seas
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Vapor Snag
-1 Master of Waves
BR Goryo’s Vengeance
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Dismember
-4 Spreading Seas
-1 Master of Waves
Grixis Goryo’s Vengeance
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Relic of Progenitus
+2 Remand
+2 Dispel
+1 Echoing Truth
-2 Gut Shot
-2 Vapor Snag
-1 Master of Waves
-4 Spreading Seas
Elves
+2 Chalice of the Void
+2 Dispel
+2 Tidebinder Mage
-2 Harbinger of the Tides
-2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
-2 Vapor Snag
Some thoughts & questions after running your list in Detroit.
My Elves & Abzan Company opponents both had Worship. First of all.. Yikes! Second, any thoughts on this? Should we start bringing in Echoing Truth out of the side vs Abzan at least? It's hard to get them with Vapor Snag through Viscera Seer so you need to Dismember / Gut Shot it first. Ouch.
Against Affinity what are your thoughts on Chalice of the Void at least on the play? Maybe it's not needed but being that it's a tough matchup it could help? I lost to Affinity twice. In one match I just blatantly misplayed, bouncing their Master of Etherium and neglecting that with it coming back out and another Steel Overseer activation his two Inkmoths were going to be 4/4s and I was already at 3 poison. Missed my on board death. While having Hurkyl's and other interaction in hand and tapping out. Oops!
What do you think of bringing in Relic of Progenitus vs RG Eldrazi? Their Kozilek's Return on 5 damage is scary! But I could see your plan being to Spreading Seas / Ghost Quarter them down while trying to win before they can cast a 7. Any other thoughts on this matchup? Lost to them twice this weekend.
I saw many Merfolk in day2 in Bologna, but we were all at 6-3 or 7-2, this is the reason for small numbers in top100 archetypes.
There were two all foiled decks and I witnessed a nice moment when Reality Smasher attacked and got eaten by Vialed in foil Skaab Ruinator.
The look on the opponent’s face when he took the card for some reading...
Now I am just waiting for the ban(s) so things get back to "normal".
Great report, Motto82. Thanks for that. Sorry on the bad luck against Affinity and Abzan Company to start your Day 2 - you would have really been in contention if not for that. That said, that game against WB Tokens was epic - we are favored, but your hand did not look good until it turned on the jets. Good stuff.
Try Tidebinder Mage if Zoo or Goblins are giving you trouble. It's a huge tempo loss for them, and can be crippling if it manages to stick, plus it has game against WGX to boot. Dispel also helps thwart the likes of Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt, and Chalice of the Void can also be useful.
Right, I've been running 3 Tidebinders in the sideboard. It just doesn't feel like enough, they get immediately bolted every time. Feels like the only winning strategy is to stick 3 lords at once or a MoW for 4+. I guess the only thing I haven't pursued is Dispel/Negate.
My latest run has convinced me that Leagues are openly hostile to Merfolk lately...
Match 1: RG Zoo (1-2) [0-1]
Only win here was when triple Harbingers stalled him JUST enough to land a MoW for 4. I probably should have been dead to burn but he conceded on the spot. Mulled to 6 both SB games and never saw my Chalices to try.
Match 2: UR Blue Moon (2-1) [1-1]
I'm not sure if this is a worse matchup without Caverns, because sometimes they will keep lots of countermagic and board out Blood Moon, and sometimes they do the opposite. Either way it doesn't feel like a horrible matchup but all of the removal costing life is awkward in a grindly long game like this where they can burn you out.
Match 3: UWR Control / Resto-Kiki (1-2) [1-2]
Same as above, basically. Can't side out the removal but it feels really bad blowing 12 life on Dismembers. Ended within 1 life.
Match 4: Skred Red (0-2) [1-3]
This guy was maindecking Pyrite Spellbomb, dropped it T1 both games, and saved it for MoW. Pretty sure there were 4 maindeck Anger of the Gods. Enough said.
Match 5: GR Titan Scapeshift (0-2) [1-4]
First time facing this deck... More maindeck Anger of the Gods and Pyroclasm, along with an Inferno Titan that vaporized 3 of my merfolk at once. Able to ramp while bolting my creatures. Islanding his Valakuts didn't seem to slow him down at all either. He was able to kill me with triggers both games while mercilessly murdering all of my creatures with the extras.
I guess my only consolation would be that all of these decks fold to Eldrazi harder than I do.
You need to put the conventional counterspells in, bud. Skred Red and Titanshift are eminently winnable if you have Dispel and Negate (Dispel is also great against Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt). Chalice of the Void is questionably positioned in this metagame, so I'd swap it out. I don't think Psionic Blast is a good card, so that one should go away too. Last but not least, I would recommend opting for Vapor Snag over Dismember - that's what I'm doing, and I've had a lot of success with it.
Round 1 U/W Control 2-1 Game 1 he only saw 1 Supreme Verdict, Game 2 he saw 3, Game 2 he only saw 1. It was basically simple as that. There was of course more involved than that, but the Verdicts were his only real way of keeping the game under control.
Round 2 Jund Aggro Brew 2-1 Not much to really say about the match up. She ran Tattermunge Maniac, Rakdos Cackler, Reckless Bushwhacker, and similiar cards to just do 10-12 damage a turn. Completely caught me by surprise Game 2.
Round 3 Bogles 2-0 Game 1 he got a bogle and loaded it up with auras to swing at me, going into my turn 4 I was at 2 with 2 Silvergills and a Muta in play. I tick my vial up to 3. I put in a reejerey, copy it with phantasmal image, then play 2 lords untapping the muta vault. I animate it and swing for 18 with the 2 silvergills and muta to win. Game 2 he saw more creatures than auras, so bad times for him there.
Round 4 Zoo 2-1 Game 1 he just beat me down with dorks, game 2 I saw tidebinders to lock down his stuff. Game 3 I had a tidebinder out and a reejergy, he pathed the tidebinder to untap his gofy. He attacked me for 10 and I was at 14, he had one card in hand. I didnt block ending up at 4. I then played 3 lords off of Reej to lock up the ground. He passed his turn hoping to block me. I drew a lord off the top, tapped one of his creatures with Reej and swung with 5 6/6 creatures. It was a greedy play just taking the damage, but I had to risk it.
Things of note, im playing a Ghost Quarter over a 4th Harbinger main and I like it. 2 different times I hit my own land to get untapped blue mana for vapor snag or swan song so it is staying in. My sideboard is still kinda loose, but my main deck is locked with the new inclusion of Qhost Quarter. It is a pretty stock list overall and the sideboard is too much of a mess to share i was testing cards out and I never saw them so cant really report on that. Reejerey is just dumb Those games against bogles and zoo I only won thanks to Reejerey just letting me spew out lords.
Nicely done! The Ghost Quarter in the main was one of my go-to tricks for a while, so I'm glad to see someone having success with it. And yes, Merrow Reejerey is awesome if you get to untap with it/Vial it in. People need to embrace it as one of our key advantages in this metagame.
Round 2: Merfolk (2-0 games, 2-0 matches)
- G1 (play) land T1 Vial to assemble board state with no Islands; overwhelm opponent with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 (draw) mull to 6, but tempo opponent out with T1 Vial and 2x Harbinger of the Tides
Can you break down your thoughts on Pithing Needle here? Is the idea that even though we're mirroring their Mutavaults and AEther Vials we can just hit whichever is worse for them at the time? Any consideration toward bringing Tidebinder Mages in here over Spreading Seas and maybe Dispels? Though Dispels might be necessary. Removing a Lord during combat can be a huge blow out for the Mirror. And I'm guessing your thoughts are 2 Seas are important to ensure Islandwalk if your opponent draws enough non basics to not have to play them.
Yeah, it's definitely there to shut down any Æther Vials or Mutavaults that threaten us (more than likely the latter). I like keeping in 2 Spreading Seas in case I don't draw the Needle, or my opponent plays the "I have an Æther Vial, so I'm not playing Islands" game (I surged ahead in Game 1 that way, so I definitely endorse the strategy if it's available).
Some thoughts & questions after running your list in Detroit.
My Elves & Abzan Company opponents both had Worship. First of all.. Yikes! Second, any thoughts on this? Should we start bringing in Echoing Truth out of the side vs Abzan at least? It's hard to get them with Vapor Snag through Viscera Seer so you need to Dismember / Gut Shot it first. Ouch.
Against Affinity what are your thoughts on Chalice of the Void at least on the play? Maybe it's not needed but being that it's a tough matchup it could help? I lost to Affinity twice. In one match I just blatantly misplayed, bouncing their Master of Etherium and neglecting that with it coming back out and another Steel Overseer activation his two Inkmoths were going to be 4/4s and I was already at 3 poison. Missed my on board death. While having Hurkyl's and other interaction in hand and tapping out. Oops!
What do you think of bringing in Relic of Progenitus vs RG Eldrazi? Their Kozilek's Return on 5 damage is scary! But I could see your plan being to Spreading Seas / Ghost Quarter them down while trying to win before they can cast a 7. Any other thoughts on this matchup? Lost to them twice this weekend.
If you see Worship, obviously side in Echoing Truth. Not all deck lists are the same, your opponents will occasionally show you the unexpected and this is when you break away from the guide.
Chalice for 0 on the play is great vs Affinity, in this particular build we already have too many good cards vs Affinity No room!
I'm not sure about Relic vs the Kozilek's return Eldrazi deck yet. It will be hard to hold up mana while emptying our hand, but I still need to know how the match might play out. Probably it is necessary.
I heard Dario Casatti (who won the latest Magic Card Market event) copied a Displacer with Image, then displaced an Endless One and hit for lethal
He finished 12-3 by the way, in 42nd place.
Fantastic result, in my book. Can we somehow get his list (if different from the last time)?
I need it for the last big Modern tournament before they kill the Spaghettis.
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Speaking of Eldrazi, I think the key to combating Kozilek's Return is to proactively remove their graveyard - they're not going to be putting much in it unless you kill their creatures, so you can probably wipe it without too much trouble. As CoBTyrannon and Cowology noted, this effect is a triggered ability on cast, so it can't be countered, and it's tricky to respond to. So pre-empt it - wipe the 'yard BEFORE it becomes a problem.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
I have however been getting massacred by Zoo/Goblins variants. Seems like Chalice would be good in those matchups? I'm trying it on my latest run but haven't had it yet. Been seeing GWx a lot too but they are not quite as bad in my experience.
For Lantern Control, I found Phyrexian Metamorph to be fun tech. I ran them in this case as copies #5-6 of Hurkyl's Recall since they can copy Codex Shredder, and against Eldrazi they make for sturdier clones than Images.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming.
Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Originally posted by MemoryLapse and DotMatrix
They have dinky creatures which can't block (with or without Seas), their attack is laughable, I killed so many mana creatures with Gut Shot while Seasing their land.
The only concern was combo and Worship (+Township if I take slow hand). Both are solved with cards we already play like Vapor Snag and Echoing Truth. Gut Shot can kill Viscera Seer at the right moment, Dismember can kill Melira or Anafenza while Finks triggered from the graveyard and so on, Dispel was countering Chord and Company. All four matches were -4 Master of Waves, -2 Kira, +4 counterspells and +2 Gut Shot.
Balls to the wall aggro won me every match.
Against Living End, only played against one, I won 2-0 while he resolved every LE copy he drew. It was all about Vial, right dosage of pressure and repopulating with Waves after. Didn't play any Relics (never needed them, luckily) and didn't drew any Chalices (3 copies). My position on LE matchup is still very positive, that isn't changed. He showed me 2 Richochet Traps after game 2 was over, that was funny.
I agree with what SilvergillMaster and rothgar13 said about this matchup.
I also saw some Phyrexian Metamorphs for the Eldrazi mirrors with other usage obv. Thought about putting them in the sideboard on Friday, but there was no room.
Bant Eldrazi
UW Control
U Merfolk
Legacy
Merfolk
UR Delver
4 Æther Vial
Creatures (28)
4 Cursecatcher
4 Harbinger of the Tides
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Master of Waves
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Spreading Seas
Instants (4)
4 Vapor Snag
Lands (20)
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
4 Mutavault
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
10 Island
2 Wanderwine Hub
2 Dispel
4 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Negate
1 Pithing Needle
2 Relic of Progenitus
4 Tidebinder Mage
Round 1: Loam Pox (2-0 games, 1-0 matches)
- G1 (play) both players mull to 6; I draw an aggressive hand (Lords and Spreading Seas) and he can't remove enough of my guys to stabilize
- G2 (draw) I mull to 6 but he mulls to 5; land a T2 Relic and a Pithing Needle for his Molten Vortex to shut him out of the game
SB:
+2 Negate, +1 Pithing Needle, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Vapor Snag
Round 2: Merfolk (2-0 games, 2-0 matches)
- G1 (play) land T1 Vial to assemble board state with no Islands; overwhelm opponent with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 (draw) mull to 6, but tempo opponent out with T1 Vial and 2x Harbinger of the Tides
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Pithing Needle
-1 Æther Vial, -2 Spreading Seas
Round 3: U-Tron (2-1 games, 3-0 matches)
- G1 (draw) opponent mulls to 6, but lands T3 Tron; eventually lose to Mindslaver lock
- G2 (play) both players mull to 6; opponent lands Thought-Knot Seers but I am able to buy time with uncounterable Harbingers until a topdecked Lord enables me to swing for lethal
- G3 (draw) get a fast aggro hand with 2x Dispel as backup; opponent has no responses
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate (could potentially be Hurkyl's Recall?), +1 Pithing Needle, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
Round 4: Intentional Draw (0-0-3 games, 3-0-1 matches)
As you can see, the deck was firing on all cylinders today. I made short work of my Loam Pox rematch by drawing my hate, overwhelmed my opponent in the mirror with a bit of savvy play and some T1 Vials, then managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat from a U-Tron opponent that started off hot but couldn't deal with uncounterable Merfolk from Cavern of Souls. I ID'd in Round 4 as a favor to my opponent, but that also netted us both a pretty nice haul. Pithing Needle put in major work in Round 1 as a way to stuff my Loam Pox opponent's comeback attempt, so I'm excited to keep testing it.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Right, I've been running 3 Tidebinders in the sideboard. It just doesn't feel like enough, they get immediately bolted every time. Feels like the only winning strategy is to stick 3 lords at once or a MoW for 4+. I guess the only thing I haven't pursued is Dispel/Negate.
My latest run has convinced me that Leagues are openly hostile to Merfolk lately...
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Harbinger of the Tides
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2 Merrow Reejerey
3 Master of Waves
4 Spreading Seas
2 Echoing Truth
3 Dismember
Land
14 Island
4 Mutavault
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Tidebinder Mage
4 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Psionic Blast
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
Match 1: RG Zoo (1-2) [0-1]
Only win here was when triple Harbingers stalled him JUST enough to land a MoW for 4. I probably should have been dead to burn but he conceded on the spot. Mulled to 6 both SB games and never saw my Chalices to try.
Match 2: UR Blue Moon (2-1) [1-1]
I'm not sure if this is a worse matchup without Caverns, because sometimes they will keep lots of countermagic and board out Blood Moon, and sometimes they do the opposite. Either way it doesn't feel like a horrible matchup but all of the removal costing life is awkward in a grindly long game like this where they can burn you out.
Match 3: UWR Control / Resto-Kiki (1-2) [1-2]
Same as above, basically. Can't side out the removal but it feels really bad blowing 12 life on Dismembers. Ended within 1 life.
Match 4: Skred Red (0-2) [1-3]
This guy was maindecking Pyrite Spellbomb, dropped it T1 both games, and saved it for MoW. Pretty sure there were 4 maindeck Anger of the Gods. Enough said.
Match 5: GR Titan Scapeshift (0-2) [1-4]
First time facing this deck... More maindeck Anger of the Gods and Pyroclasm, along with an Inferno Titan that vaporized 3 of my merfolk at once. Able to ramp while bolting my creatures. Islanding his Valakuts didn't seem to slow him down at all either. He was able to kill me with triggers both games while mercilessly murdering all of my creatures with the extras.
I guess my only consolation would be that all of these decks fold to Eldrazi harder than I do.
Maybe try Threads of Disloyalty, although that 1 extra turn it takes to cast it is huge. I've personally never tried out the card so cant speak to how effective it is. In theory though I'd imagine it fills the role that you want fromTidebinder Mage in that it doesn't get bolted and forces the opponent to kill their own creatures. Merfolk 2 for 1......... whaaaaaatttt O_o?
Round 1 U/W Control 2-1 Game 1 he only saw 1 Supreme Verdict, Game 2 he saw 3, Game 2 he only saw 1. It was basically simple as that. There was of course more involved than that, but the Verdicts were his only real way of keeping the game under control.
Round 2 Jund Aggro Brew 2-1 Not much to really say about the match up. She ran Tattermunge Maniac, Rakdos Cackler, Reckless Bushwhacker, and similiar cards to just do 10-12 damage a turn. Completely caught me by surprise Game 2.
Round 3 Bogles 2-0 Game 1 he got a bogle and loaded it up with auras to swing at me, going into my turn 4 I was at 2 with 2 Silvergills and a Muta in play. I tick my vial up to 3. I put in a reejerey, copy it with phantasmal image, then play 2 lords untapping the muta vault. I animate it and swing for 18 with the 2 silvergills and muta to win. Game 2 he saw more creatures than auras, so bad times for him there.
Round 4 Zoo 2-1 Game 1 he just beat me down with dorks, game 2 I saw tidebinders to lock down his stuff. Game 3 I had a tidebinder out and a reejergy, he pathed the tidebinder to untap his gofy. He attacked me for 10 and I was at 14, he had one card in hand. I didnt block ending up at 4. I then played 3 lords off of Reej to lock up the ground. He passed his turn hoping to block me. I drew a lord off the top, tapped one of his creatures with Reej and swung with 5 6/6 creatures. It was a greedy play just taking the damage, but I had to risk it.
Things of note, im playing a Ghost Quarter over a 4th Harbinger main and I like it. 2 different times I hit my own land to get untapped blue mana for vapor snag or swan song so it is staying in. My sideboard is still kinda loose, but my main deck is locked with the new inclusion of Qhost Quarter. It is a pretty stock list overall and the sideboard is too much of a mess to share
UMerfolkU
Legacy
UMerfolkU
Commander
RWBAlesha, Who Smiles At DeathRWB
If I was going to a new store, I would probably run nikachu's SB from his latest monthly deck tech. I say this because without knowing what you'll be playing against, you'll want a wide variety of answers, and I think Nikachu does a good job at tuning his SB for that...That said, I would also try to play his exact main-board or close to it so that both sb and main complement each other. It's always hard going into a new meta without any knowledge of whats there.
Evil Beware!....We have waffles.
"In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks." Calvin & Hobbes Quotes
Calvin : You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
Hobbes : What mood is that?
Calvin : Last-minute panic.
Decks I'm playing:
Modern: U Merfolk
Standard: I dislike Standard ATM
Can you break down your thoughts on Pithing Needle here? Is the idea that even though we're mirroring their Mutavaults and AEther Vials we can just hit whichever is worse for them at the time? Any consideration toward bringing Tidebinder Mages in here over Spreading Seas and maybe Dispels? Though Dispels might be necessary. Removing a Lord during combat can be a huge blow out for the Mirror. And I'm guessing your thoughts are 2 Seas are important to ensure Islandwalk if your opponent draws enough non basics to not have to play them.
My Elves & Abzan Company opponents both had Worship. First of all.. Yikes! Second, any thoughts on this? Should we start bringing in Echoing Truth out of the side vs Abzan at least? It's hard to get them with Vapor Snag through Viscera Seer so you need to Dismember / Gut Shot it first. Ouch.
Against Affinity what are your thoughts on Chalice of the Void at least on the play? Maybe it's not needed but being that it's a tough matchup it could help? I lost to Affinity twice. In one match I just blatantly misplayed, bouncing their Master of Etherium and neglecting that with it coming back out and another Steel Overseer activation his two Inkmoths were going to be 4/4s and I was already at 3 poison. Missed my on board death. While having Hurkyl's and other interaction in hand and tapping out. Oops!
What do you think of bringing in Relic of Progenitus vs RG Eldrazi? Their Kozilek's Return on 5 damage is scary! But I could see your plan being to Spreading Seas / Ghost Quarter them down while trying to win before they can cast a 7. Any other thoughts on this matchup? Lost to them twice this weekend.
There were two all foiled decks and I witnessed a nice moment when Reality Smasher attacked and got eaten by Vialed in foil Skaab Ruinator.
The look on the opponent’s face when he took the card for some reading...
Now I am just waiting for the ban(s) so things get back to "normal".
You need to put the conventional counterspells in, bud. Skred Red and Titanshift are eminently winnable if you have Dispel and Negate (Dispel is also great against Atarka's Command and Lightning Bolt). Chalice of the Void is questionably positioned in this metagame, so I'd swap it out. I don't think Psionic Blast is a good card, so that one should go away too. Last but not least, I would recommend opting for Vapor Snag over Dismember - that's what I'm doing, and I've had a lot of success with it.
Nicely done! The Ghost Quarter in the main was one of my go-to tricks for a while, so I'm glad to see someone having success with it. And yes, Merrow Reejerey is awesome if you get to untap with it/Vial it in. People need to embrace it as one of our key advantages in this metagame.
Yeah, it's definitely there to shut down any Æther Vials or Mutavaults that threaten us (more than likely the latter). I like keeping in 2 Spreading Seas in case I don't draw the Needle, or my opponent plays the "I have an Æther Vial, so I'm not playing Islands" game (I surged ahead in Game 1 that way, so I definitely endorse the strategy if it's available).
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
If you see Worship, obviously side in Echoing Truth. Not all deck lists are the same, your opponents will occasionally show you the unexpected and this is when you break away from the guide.
Chalice for 0 on the play is great vs Affinity, in this particular build we already have too many good cards vs Affinity
I'm not sure about Relic vs the Kozilek's return Eldrazi deck yet. It will be hard to hold up mana while emptying our hand, but I still need to know how the match might play out. Probably it is necessary.
Fantastic result, in my book. Can we somehow get his list (if different from the last time)?
I need it for the last big Modern tournament before they kill the Spaghettis.