Nice writeup, and boo on that Storm player getting lucky against you. You should have chewed him up. I'm now experimenting with a mainboard Ghost Quarter, and if it doesn't work out I may have to find some room for it (or Tectonic Edge) in the SB, as land hate seems like an important thing to have these days.
Hey all! I recently played at SCG Cincinnati and ended up with a 6-3 record. I took some notes while I was playing and thought I'd share them, even though I unfortunately didn't make Day 2. I took almost the same deck that I played to Day 2 GP Pittsburgh, except I bumped my Cavern of Souls to 2 and cut a basic Island.
Round 1 vs Henry on Merfolk (Won 2-0, 1-0 Overall)
Not a huge fan of starting out with the mirror match because of how unpredictable it can be. Unfortunately for my opponent, he was new to the deck, and was not aware his Lord of Atlantis buffed my guys also. I took Game 1 easily off the backs of multiple Reejerays spitting out a lot of merfolk, and getting buffed by reejs + his Lord of Atlantis. Game 2 was much closer, but unfortunately for Henry, I drew Master of the Pearl Trident and he again had Lord of Atlantis. This one was actually super close, where if he had another lord (or if my MotPT was a LoA) he would have taken the game.
I don’t sideboard anything, but if you have extra fish in your board, bring in as many bodies as possible. I don't really mind having spreading seas to turn off opposing mutavaults or to enable islandwalk if they are being crafty and not playing islands. It is not ideal though, I will admit.
Round 2 vs Heath on Lantern Control (Won 2-0, 2-0 Overall)
This deck can be challenging for us, especially pre-board, unless we have a spell pierce for their bridge. If they land a bridge it’s just time to pack it up and go to game 2. However, Game 1 was very odd, where I had a single mutavault and 2 vials all game, but was able to slowly get there, as he was stuck on 2 mana as well. He misplayed big by playing pithing needle and naming mutavault instead of aether vial. If he did that it would likely have been an easy win for him. I count myself very lucky to steal a pre-board game from lantern.
However, post-board I think we’re very favored.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (put it on 1 and they can’t play a large part of their deck)
3x Hurkyl's Recall (for bridges we can’t get with counter magic)
2x Negate (for bridges)
2x Relic of Progenitus (to prevent recursion of bridges (or other annoying things) with academy ruins)
Out:
1x Kira
3x Master of Waves (too slow)
2x Dismember
4x Spreading Seas
In Game 2 I had both pierce and recall in hand and just always kept pierce mana open as I played out fish. He never found a bridge but even if he did, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Round 3 vs Tony on RG Tron (Won 2-0, 3-0 Overall)
This game was pretty crazy, mainly for my winning play. I kept a fairly normal hand, but didnt have double lord and got blown out by a pyroclasm on turn 3. I did not have any spreading seas, and just played out dudes while he tried to find a threat. I was able to rebuild my board to the point where I had a Master of Waves, two Lords and a Cursecatcher out. I have a Dismember in hand. His last card is a Newalmog from his Eye of Ugin. He casts it, killing a lord and the Master, leaving just a Lord and a Cursecatcher. I draw for turn and am super disappointed. It’s my second Dismember. But wait! Can I? Holy *****, I can! I double dismember Ulamog, kill it, and swing for the last 4 points of life my opponent has. I was trying so hard not to lose my ***** while sideboarding, but I went and told everyone I even barely know after. I still cannot believe I won by double dismembering a freaking Ulamog, what an insane line.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (Putting this on 1 stops 16 cards of theirs)
2x Negate (Stops Ugin/Karn/board wipes)
3x Tectonic Edge (Obviously)
Out:
2x Dismember (I understand the irony, but they do almost nothing)
4x Harbinger of the Tides (I used to keep these in to bounce wurmcoils, but I don't seem to be facing many wurmcoils recently, so these guys tend to just be bears. I also don't really relish the idea of bouncing Newlamog)
1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner (No targeted removal, no fliers need blocking)
Game 2:
This was a super grindy game, where I kept spreading seasing his lands and he kept finding replacements. I fought through two o-stones by playing out just enough to force him to blow them (adepts are MVPs here), and was able to eventually run him out of ways to fetch more lands, while he had a Newalmog stuck in hand with only 6 mana on the field.
Round 4 vs Jeffrey on Jund (Lost 1-2, 3-1 Overall)
Game 1:
One of those games where spreading seas is a free win, he keeps two lands, I spreading seas one, he is left with a basic of some sort, I just run him over.
In:
2x Relic of Progenitus (Mainly for tarmos and scoozes but can also prevent delving for tasigur early on)
2x Tectonic Edge (I really like bringing in 2 tec edges against 3 color decks. Could just be wrong, but I’ve found it can really disrupt them when combined with spreading seas.
Out:
4x AEther Vial (Kolaghan’s Command)
Game 2:
This dude had lifegain coming out of every card. It was crazy. Turn 3 kitchen finks, turn 4 huntmaster. Huntmaster can be a real house against us if we don’t have double lords, which we often don’t against Jund and all their removal, as it is easy to flip huntmaster back and forth. Regardless, I made a huge misplay and tried to end the game quickly by tapping out for a Master of Waves on my turn 4, because I wanted to quickly break the board stall, even though I had a spell pierce in hand. Turn 5 he plays Damnation and wipes everything but his Kitchen Finks. I can’t rebuild fast enough before his creatures take over the game and finish me. If I had just played out another fish, I still would have had a good board state, even if it was stalled, and I could have waited one turn to play Master of Waves with pierce backup.
Game 3:
Finks and huntmaster again, combined with heavy single target removal and discard and my mulligan to 6 keeps his hp up and my guys dead. Huntmaster flips multiple times. Unfortunate.
Round 5 vs Floyd on Affinity (Lost 0-2, 3-2 Overall)
Both games played out very similarly. He got 1-2 Vault Skirges out and pumped them to the point where I couldn’t race. In game 1 I got blown out by a spell pierce when I tried to dismember his skirge. The worst part? He didn’t have an opal or drum, he used an inkmoth I had turned into an island with spreading seas. Ugh. Be careful of the new trend of running 1 mana counterspells in affinity.
For the record, I SB like this:
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (on 0 usually - I often take these back out if I am on the draw, but I think it could be right to leave them in to prevent more 0 drops even if they drop a ton on turn 1. Not sure tbh.)
3x Hurkyl's Recall
Out: We tend to be one turn too slow against affinity, so I want to reduce my curve as much as possible
3x Master of Waves
3x Merrow Reejerey
Round 6 vs Michael on Infect (Won 2-1, 4-2 Overall)
I really dislike the infect matchup for us, especially mainboard. Harbingers, dismembers, Cursecatchers and spell pierces are the most important things for us to have, and the last two can be essentially cancelled out if they have a bunch of Heirarchs. We face the challenge of putting on a fast clock and still disrupting almost everything they do. In Game 1 I got lucky and he did not get a Blighted Agent or Inkmoth, so I was able to block. I slowly beat him down while keeping up spell pierce, which did end up blowing him out one turn. Whew.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (set on 1)
2x Negate
2x Relic of Progenitus (prevents Become Immense)
Out: Everything slow
3x Master of Waves
4x Meerow Reejeray
Note: I leave in Kira to block Inkmoths.
Game 2 I thought I had it locked up with a harbinger, but he had a turn 2 Blighted Agent and the apostle’s blessing for my flashed in harbinger when he swung for the kill.
Game 3 he mulled to 6, tanked for a while and kept his 6. His only land was a Dryad Arbor, and when he tapped it for mana on his turn 2, I bounced it on my turn 3 with my harbinger. He quickly conceded after that.
Round 7 vs Anthony on U/R Twin (Won 2-0, 5-2 Overall)
I was so freaking happy to finally see a player playing Islands, as I hadn’t really seen them since Round 1 in the mirror. Both of these games played out exactly the same. I played fish 1 turn behind curve, keeping a spell pierce open. In both games I just beat him down and he couldn’t really do anything. In Game 2 I spell pierced an Anger that would have board wiped me, and won on the turn after.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (This is kind of an experiment, but it stops Spell Snare, Dispel (protects twin from our counters), Bolt (kills our clock), and Serum Visions (sets up their combo)
2x Negate (Obvious reasons)
2x Relic of Progenitus (They play snaps)
Round 8 vs Bob on Jund (Lost 1-2, 5-3 Overall)
Easily one of the most intense matches I’ve ever played in modern. Every game was a grindy slog, and we finished game 3 with ~2 minutes left on the clock. I won Game 1 thanks to a clutch Master of Waves that I top decked to clogging the board when he had a bunch of dudes out, any of which would be lethal. I was helped out enormously from his own Bob flipping a Tasigur - I don’t think I would have taken Game 1 without that 6 damage.
Similarly to the previous Jund player, he had lots of life gain in the board. I do not like this trend. In Game 2 he just had all of the answers and 1-for-1ed me while healing a bunch from finks. Game 3 was interesting because I drew then played 4 reejerays in a row. He killed the first 2, but then I got the last 2 to stick, and used the reej combo to empty my hand (lord, silvergill, harbinger). So I had ~20 power on board, but he had multiple blockers and I had no spreading seas. I drew and played a spreading seas and had to decide if I should go for it. He had one card in hand and had just gotten runner runner runner removal. I went for it, he killed my islandwalk lord, blocked two of my guys, and I knocked him down to 2 hp. He killed me on the crackback. Rough go, but he agreed that was the right play. What I took from this game is that when it looks like I have a game locked up, but have reejs on the field and only one source of islandwalk (either from a lord or a seas), I should keep a fish in my hand to use reej tap down triggers on the turn I want to kill him. If I hadn’t played out even just one of my guys, I could have tapped down his blockers and guaranteed my win.
Round 9 vs Dalton on UW Tron Gifts (Won 2-1, 6-3 Overall)
This matchup really just comes down to if they can Rites an Elesh Norn early on. Not much to write home about this one, in Game 1 I just beat him down before he could do anything, in Game 2 he had the Gifts/Rites combo when I only had 1 Lord on the field, and in Game 3 I outraced that combo.
In:
2x Negate (Obvious reasons)
2x Relic of Progenitus (Counters gifts, they play snaps)
3x Tectonic Edge (Tron lands/Colonnades)
Out:
2x Dismember (Not gonna do anything)
4x Harbinger of the Tides (No creatures we want to bounce. Maybe Iona? Still think this is right)
1x Kira (Not enough single target removal to worry, a bit slow)
I was fairly pleased with the deck’s performance, though the misplay against Jund in Round 4 where I could have countered the Damnation smarts a little bit. Also, if this was any other SCG event, or any GP from now on, I would have been able to make Day 2 with a 6-3 record. Ah well, I still finished in 118th place out of almost 1100 players, I only had one 0-2 loss and a bunch of 2-0 wins, and I’ll happy with those stats. Thanks for reading and if anyone has any questions please let me know!
TL;DR: Beat Fish, Lantern, RG Tron, UW Tron, Infect & U/R Twin. Lost to Jund x2 & Affinity.
If you're having problems with Jund, Walamor, I strongly recommend some Tidebinder Mages in your sideboard. It gives you an extra threat to keep fighting off removal, and it can be a huge tempo swing (or even act as removal if it is not removed itself). I posted a report on some matches I've had a few pages ago, and I've yet to drop a game (let alone a match) to Jund since I put 4 Tidebinders in my board.
Nice writeup, and boo on that Storm player getting lucky against you. You should have chewed him up. I'm now experimenting with a mainboard Ghost Quarter, and if it doesn't work out I may have to find some room for it (or Tectonic Edge) in the SB, as land hate seems like an important thing to have these days.
So would anyone who's a better player than me break down why Negate is favored over Unified Will? I get the whole "Oh ***** he bolted my creature in response and 2-for-1'd me" but that seems kinda narrow.
Unified will is also awesome against Tron, which is a pretty rough MU in my experience.
I favor negate because it is unconditional and it stops the vast majority of what we want to stop. Creatures normally do not concern us that much, we mainly worry about combo pieces like twin or living end or phyexian unlife, or board wipes like oblivion stone or anger of the gods, or troublesome planeswalkers like ugin, karn or lili.
In your tron example, the only thing UWill really hits extra is wurmcoil, which we can normally swing through and outrace. While I can think of other creatures in other matchups that I want to counter, I would vastly prefer the reliability of negate.
Nice writeup, and boo on that Storm player getting lucky against you. You should have chewed him up. I'm now experimenting with a mainboard Ghost Quarter, and if it doesn't work out I may have to find some room for it (or Tectonic Edge) in the SB, as land hate seems like an important thing to have these days.
Storm is pretty heavily favoured
Perhaps it was in its heyday, but the current, slow version? I find that doubtful, especially post-board with Chalice of the Void and Negate coming to stuff all their spells.
And props to CryptoSC for detailing the Unified Will vs. Negate debate very succinctly. In the end, I've opted for Negate because the increased range of matchups where it was boardable was a relevant advantage (I did a 100-match trial, and the ratio of SBing Negate to Unified Will was close to 3:1).
Well I guess we got sweet new Negate art in the new set...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Level 1 Judge
Level 2 in progress...
UUU Merfolk UUU "Above the waves you may be mighty indeed, but down here you belong to me."
-Empress Galina
UBR Cruel Control UBR "The essence of every world, every spell, and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
-Nicol Bolas
Do you still have the notes of that sample size? It is still very interesting to see where Unified Will comes in more and where Negate.
Different meta's ask for different sideboard choices.
Thanks
I most certainly do. I'm working on posting them shortly.
Well, I'll certainly have to get my hands on that Negate. As for the Entangler... not enough noncreature spells for Prowess to matter, and 2-drop is our most contested slot to begin with.
are the only 3 cards in the entire 75 we differ, so your results really interest me. Some pointers:
-What did you take out versus twin? I find the idea of bringing in Chalice versus them pretty interesting and want to try it out, but I always have trouble with finding enough cards to side out; apart from the 4 Spreading Seas, all our cards seem good.
-I disagree with your sideboard plan versus affinity: personally I take out Cursecatchers and Spell Pierce for 3x Hurkyl and 3x Chalice. The reasoning is that we can't go under them so have to go over them with more expensive spells, and Cursecatcher is basically a vanilla 1/1 versus them. Spell Pierce can be strong but the casting window is so tiny I don't think it's worth it.
4C Good Stuff: 2-0
Match 1 (12/05/2015): 2-1
- G1 land T1 Vial and beat opponent to death
- G2 end up 2 damage short
- G3 opponent mulls to 6 and I tempo a Doran for the win
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 game goes very long; stall with 3x Master of Waves then land Lord of Atlantis for the win
- G2 pressure early with Tidebinder; fight through an Engineered Explosives to win on tempo
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves
5C Superfriends: 1-0
Match 1 (12/10/2015): 2-0
- G1 fight through Ajani Vengeant and Kiora for lethal
- G2 land a T1 Vial and rush opponent down (dodged Vraska activation with Vapor Snag)
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Spreading Seas
8-Rack: 1-1
Match 1 (12/21/2015): 1-2
- G1 land Vial with Lords and beat down
- G2 mull to 6 and Shrieking Affliction + Smallpox grind me out
- G3 opponent lands 2x Shrieking Affliction + The Rack
Match 2 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Lords early and beat him down
- G1 mull to 5 but opponent only finds 2nd Rack late; beat him down with Cursecatcher + Silvergill + Mutavault
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
Affinity: 2-1
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent mulls to 5 and plays nothing T1; I take advantage and win on tempo
- G2 I lose to T2 Master of Etherium
- G3 clutch Hurkyl's Recall seals the win
Match 2 (12/14/2015): 0-2
- G1 opponent lands T3 Plating and wins the race
- G2 opponent rushes with fliers; I never find 3rd land
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 2-1
- G1 open the way with Spreading Seas and keep Vault Skirge at bay with Harbinger
- G2 lose the race to Ravager and Etched Champion
- G3 key Vapor Snag gives me just enough for lethal
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-4 Master of Waves, -1 Spreading Seas
Amulet Bloom: 1-0
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent has a slow hand, win on incremental damage
- G2 opponent mulls to 5, I Spell Pierce his Hive Mind and Tidebinder Mage his Primeval Titan
SB:
+2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Merrow Reejerey
Bloom/Scapeshift/Tron Hybrid Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 2-1
- G1 lose to Scapeshift
- G2 rush him with a lord + Cursecatcher + Silvergill
- G3 counter his combos and win on tempo
BG Rock: 0-1
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 1-2
- G1 mull to 6 but land a Master of Waves to surge ahead
- G2 mull to 6 and lose to a T3 Choke
- G3 mull to 6 and flood out; lose on tempo
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
Bogles: 3-1
Match 1 (11/26/2015): 2-1
- G1 keep a 1-lander (Cavern of Souls), never draw 2nd land
- G2 opponent mulls to 5, I pump my Merfolk higher than his Bogles
- G3 opponent mulls to 4, I Negate an Aura to win on tempo
Match 2 (12/01/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent assembles Voltron Bogle by T3
- G2 land a T2 Spellskite my opponent can't beat
- G3 got stuck on 1 land
Match 3 (12/10/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent has godhand
- G2 land a T1 Vial and counter a Daybreak Coronet for the win
- G3 land a T1 Vial and counter Daybreak Coronet and Stony Silence to win on tempo
Match 4 (01/04/2016): 2-0
- G1 outgrow his 4/4 Bogle with Lords and take over the game
- G2 bounce his Kor Spiritdancer twice to surge ahead
SB:
+2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -1 Spreading Seas
Boros Kiki Combo: 0-1
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 1-2
- G1 lose to flood and grind
- G2 pressure him until lethal
- G3 stop combo 1st time, lose to it the 2nd
Boros Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (01/01/2016): 2-1
- G1 get locked out by Isochron Scepter + Silence
- G2 bounce Isochron Scepter + Angel's Grace with Hurkyl's Recall and swing for lethal
- G3 land 3x Master of Waves and overwhelm opponent
Burn: 5-2
Match 1 (11/25/2015): 2-0
- G1 mull to 4 but Æther Vial into 2x Silvergill Adept and turn the game around
- G2 tap down a Grim Lavamancer with Tidebinder then Lord rush
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands a T3 Eidolon with an empty board state
- G2 land a Tidebinder, win on tempo
- G3 opponent lands double Eidolon, life total dips too low
Match 3 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands 2 Goblin Guides and lots of Bolts
- G2 lock opponent out of R with a Spreading Seas
- G3 opponent gets godhand - T1 Nacatl, T2 Eidolon, lots of burn
Match 4 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 get overwhelmed by Eidolon early; Master of Waves is not enough to save me
- G2 get 1 lander but 2x Vials and shut him down with Spellskite and fish swarm
- G3 opponent mulls to 6 and I turn the corner with Tidebinder Mage
Match 5 (12/21/2015): 2-1
- G1 stabilize and turn the corner with Master of Waves at 1 life
- G2 opponent lands T2 Eidolon and I stabilize one turn too late
- G3 stabilized behind a Spellskite and 2 Lords
Match 6 (12/21/2015): 2-0
- G1 stabilize with a Master of Waves at 1 life
- G2 land 3 straight Lords to turn the corner
Match 7 (12/27/2015): 2-0
- G1 stabilize with a Master of Waves and 2 Lords
- G2 land a T2 Spellskite and a T4 Master of Waves to flip the game
Defender Ramp Combo: 2-2
Match 1 (11/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 hit a Master of Waves for 8, chump-block several Defenders
- G2 fight through a Worship with Vapor Snag
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands a Worship and that buys him time for a x=15 Genesis Wave
- G2 I mull to 6 and flood out but opponent can't finish and I Snag to fight through Worship
- G3 I mull to 6 and opponent spams walls then drops Assault Formation and Worship
Match 3 (12/15/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent mulls to 4 and I beat Worship with Vapor Snag
- G2 I bounce opponent's Overgrown Battlement 2x and win on tempo
Match 4 (01/04/2016): 0-2
- G1 opponent is able to blunt my attacks with Perimeter Captain and goes off with CoCo and Staff of Domination
- G2 I mull to 5 and opponent resolves Worship, which buys him time until he can win with Emrakul
Dimir Faeries: 2-0
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Master of Waves
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I apply early pressure, then land a Master of Waves to win
Match 2 (12/18/2015): 2-1
- G1 land T1 Vial eventually followed by Master of Waves; win with tokens
- G2 keep a 1-lander without Vial; get too far behind
- G3 opponent Vendilion Cliques away a Reejerey and gives me a Master of the Pearl Trident; win with unblockable creatures
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate
-4 Spreading Seas
Dimir Mill: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 3 consecutive Lords for the T4 kill
- G2 stick a Lord and a Mutavault and opponent never finds 4th land
Doran Abzan: 1-0
Match 1 (12/27/2015): 2-1
- G1 flood out and get punished by 3x Rhino
- G2 land Master of Waves to break open stalemate
- G3 mull to 6 but land 2x Master of Waves to fend opponent off and win with Lords + islandwalk
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
Elves: 1-1
Match 1 (12/02/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent drains me for 14 with 2 Shaman of the Pack
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I blitz him with Lords early
- G3 opponent mulls to 5 and I counter CoCo with a Vialed-in Cursecatcher + a Dispel
Match 2 (01/04/2016): 0-2
- G1 both players get off to durdly starts but opponent uses CoCo to fill board
- G2 opponent stonewalls my early aggro with a Nettle Sentinel then uses Elvish Archdruid and CoCo to go off
Esper Eldrazi: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 go over the top with a Master of Waves
- G2 both players mull to 6 and I get caught up in a grindy game but win on the back of bouncing Eldrazi for tempo and Lords
Esper Gifts Control: 1-0
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 2-1
- G1 fight through targeted discard to grind my opponent out
- G2 get blown out by a Wrath of God, which buys my opponent time to use Gifts
- G3 land an early Cursecatcher and use it for tempo beats
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Negate
-1 Æther Vial, -2 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Esper Tokens: 1-0
Match 1 (12/08/2015): 2-1
- G1 land Spreading Seas and 2x Lord
- G2 opponent lands Bitterblossom, Gideon pump, and Sorin pump - Dispel should have been Spell Pierce!
- G3 fight through 3x Inquisition of Kozilek and 1x Thoughtseize to finish game with 2x islandwalking Mutavault
SB:
+2 Negate
-2 Vapor Snag
Free Win Red: 1-0
Match 1 (12/15/2015): 2-1
- G1 get locked out by Ensnaring Bridge
- G2 counter Ensnaring Bridge and swing for lethal
- G3 grind out a win after Hurkyl's Recall on Bridge and opponent misplay on Koth of the Hammer emblem
Goblins: 0-1
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 1-2
- G1 opponent plays a T1 Goblin Piledriver with Simian Spirit Guide and I am stuck on 2 land
- G2 easily turn the corner behind Tidebinder Mage as opponent is stuck on 1 land
- G3 get stuck on Island + Mutavault and opponent overwhelms me with Goblin tokens
Grixis Control/Midrange: 0-1
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 lose a long, grindy game
- G2 get 2-for-1'd 6 times (including 4 Kolaghan's Command)
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will (should have brought in Tidebinders!)
-4 AEther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Grixis Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/24/2015): 2-1
- G1 I flood out and Grim Lavamancer + Tasigur take over the game
- G2 mull to 5 but win on the back of 2x Master of Waves + clutch Lord of Atlantis
- G3 opponent keeps an opening hand with only a Swamp and I win on tempo
Gruul Small Zoo: 1-1
Match 1 (12/18/2015): 2-1
- G1 land a T1 Vial and tempo my opponent out with Reejerey and Harbinger despite misplay
- G2 get greedy with Mutavault and opponent is a bit too aggressive early; stabilize at 1 but lose to topdecked Boros Charm
- G3 land a T4 Master of Waves and opponent can't beat it
Match 2 (12/29/2015): 1-2
- G1 get blitzed by godhand with Experiment One
- G2 stabilize behind 2x Master of Waves
- G3 stabilize with Master of Waves and Tidebinder Mage at 3 life but lose to topdecked Bolt
GW Hatebears: 1-1
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 miss a land drop on a 1-lander and fall behind because of 2x Path
- G2 overwhelm his creatures with size
- G3 opponent lands Azusa + Crucible of Worlds + Ghost Quarter combo but I have 3x Lords and Spellskite
Match 2 (01/03/2016): 1-2
- G1 mull to 5 and get beaten down by 2x Voice token and 1x Smiter
- G2 easily overwhelm my opponent with Lords
- G3 opponent lands Choke and Brimaz as I flood out
Heartless Summoning Mill Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 counter attempts at removal and win with beats
- G2 assemble quick beatdown plan and win counterspell war while presenting a clock
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Spreading Seas
Infect: 1-2
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 2-0
- G1 take him off G with a Spreading Seas and beat him on tempo
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I land 2x Cursecatcher and 2x Lord
Match 2 (12/08/2015): 0-2
- G1 opponent lands 2 Inkmoth Nexus and I can only deal with 1 of them
- G2 mull to 6 and opponent lands T2 Blighted Agent followed by multiple Vines of Vastwood
Match 3 (01/04/2016): 1-2
- G1 get stuck with 2 Master of Waves in hand as opponent swings for exactly lethal
- G2 tap down an Elf with Tidebinder and bounce a beefy Nexus with Harbinger
- G3 durdle on T1 and get beaten by Wild Defiance triggers on a Blighted Agent
Izzet Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 use Lords to slip past Pyromancer tokens and win on beats
- G2 hold up counterspells with Vial and win on tempo
Jeskai Control: 2-1
Match 1 (11/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 land a Master of Waves and opponent doesn't find sweeper with enough mana
- G2 opponent keeps a 1-lander and misses 2x land drops, win on tempo
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 rush opponent through Vial
- G2 eventually lose a grindy game to Ajani Vengeant and Celestial Colonnade
- G3 opponent lands T5 Keranos and I lose on value
Match 3 (12/21/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush with Vial
- G2 land a late Vial and land 2x Dispel for the win
Jund: 3-0
Match 1 (12/06/2015): 2-0
- G1 get godhand T4 kill
- G2 Master of Waves puts me over the top in a grindy game
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 2-0
- G1 mull to 6 take opponent off red and win on beats
- G2 mull to 6 and get color-screwed but opponent dies to his own Bobs
Match 3 (12/14/2015): 2-0
- G1 land double Master of Waves to overwhelm double Goyf
- G2 double Spreading Seas locks him out of mana and I win on tempo
Knightfall: 4-2
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 early color screw and he goes off on T3
- G2 kept 1-lander with Vial, didn't find 2nd land
Match 2 (11/23/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent mulls to 5, but rallies with a combo kill
- G2 Lord rush for the win
- G3 opponent lands Choke T2 on the play, but I win by playing through Vial
Match 3 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 T3 combo kill
- G2 mull to 6 and shut down his mana dork with a Tidebinder Mage and win on tempo
- G3 opponent mulls to 4 and I win easily
Match 4 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 I Spell Pierce a game-winning Chord of Calling
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 but threatens with big creatures until I draw 2nd Merrow Reejerey
Match 5 (12/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush early and win the game easily
- G2 land T1 Vial and use evasion granted by Lord for lethal
Match 6 (01/03/2016): 0-2
- G1 mull to 6 and opponent gets me with a T3 combo kill
- G2 get color-screwed and opponent plays Geist followed by Knight of the Reliquary
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Lantern Control: 1-2
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 get locked out early
- G2 lose a grindy game with opponent at 2 life
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 0-2
- G1 don't find any Lords and eventually die to lock
- G2 mull to 3 and bring opponent to 2 life with Mutavaults before lock is set in
Match 3 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 mull to 5 and get locked out
- G2 tempo him out with Lords one turn before the lock
- G3 blast him with creatures; opponent never finds 3rd land
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Living End: 2-0
Match 1 (12/10/2015): 2-1
- G1 get fast start and opponent is on back foot while I hold up Spell Pierce
- G2 opponent goes off on T4 and I can't recover in time
- G3 opponent goes off, but I recover with Tidebinder Mage and 2x Mutavault and win on tempo
Match (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 land 3 Lords and counter Living End to win
- G2 recover from a Living End with Tidebinder, Harbinger, and 2x Mutavault
Mardu Kiki Combo: 0-1
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 0-2
- G1 never draw a Seas effect and get stonewalled by blockers and removal while Restoration Angel beats me up
- G2 opponent lands an Isochron Scepter on Lightning Helix and value-plays me into the dirt
Merfolk: 2-0
Match 1 (01/03/2016): 2-0
- G1 I use a timely Vapor Snag as a combat trick to win on tempo
- G2 I use a Harbinger and a Spreading Seas as combat tricks to surge ahead
Match 2 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 I out-aggro my opponent on the draw using 2x Lords as his Thassa + Lords fall 1 mana short
- G2 I mull to 5 but opponent mulls to 6 and I topdeck 2x Lords
Mono-B Infect: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-0
- G1 I tempo my opponent out with Harbinger of the Tides + Lords
- G2 opponent misses 3rd land drop twice as I win with damage
Naya Kiki Combo: 0-2
Match 1 (12/07/2015): 0-2
- G1 lose to surprise combo kill
- G2 eat 3x Path and then lose to combo kill
Match 2 (12/24/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent Chords for Kiki then E-Wits into Chord for Restoration Angel while I'm tapped out
- G2 stop Kiki combo with Harbinger then swing for lethal
- G3 game goes long and I lose to combo while waiting for Lord
Ninjas: 2-0
Match 1 (12/02/2015): 2-0
- G1 land a Lord and kill with beats
- G2 T1 Vial into 2x Cursecatcher, Lord, 2x Mutavault
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Reejerey and tempo opponent to death
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 and is stuck on 1 land; T4 kill
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate
-4 Spreading Seas
Orzhov Lifegain: 1-0
Match 1 (01/03/2016): 2-0
- G1 fight through 2x Path and 2x Thoughtseize to assemble board state for lethal
- G2 blitz opponent with Lords as he misses 2 land drops
Rakdos Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (12/04/2015): 2-1
- G1 fight through removal and win on tempo
- G2 flood out and lose to Bob + Olivia Voldaren
- G3 win on rushdown
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
RG Tron: 2-0
Match 1 (12/04/2015): 2-1
- G1 overcome T3 Tron with Harbinger rush and Master of Waves
- G2 T3 Tron + Karn followed by Wurmcoil and O-Stone
- G3 play 3 Lords in a row and opponent doesn't find 3rd Tron land
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 win the race with 2x Mutavaults and 2x Silvergill Adept
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 but lands a clutch O-Stone to turn the game around
- G3 tense game; get opponent down to 1 but he stabilizes, then misplays a Karn allowing me to win
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves
Simic Ramp Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 go over the top of a stalled board state with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 T1 Vial into Lord blitz and opponent has no removal
Simic Training Grounds Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-1
- G1 use islandwalking Lord and Harbinger to pressure them for lethal
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 and I commit misplays to let him back in the game
- G3 recover from slow start to blitz opponent with Merfolk thanks to Merrow Reejerey and Æther Vial
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Sultai Midrange: 2-0
Match 1 (11/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush
- G2 keep pressure on and fight through Cryptic-Snap-Cryptic
Match 2 (11/24/2015): 2-1
- G1 eventually lose a grindy game to Tasigur
- G2 fight through a Choke thanks to flood
- G3 opponent keeps a 1-lander and misses 2nd land drop for 2 turns. Win on tempo.
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will (maybe Tidebinder Mage?)
-4 AEther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Tezz Tooolbox: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 overcome a fetched Engineered Explosives with a Silvergill and a Harbinger
- G2 land a Master of Waves and grind my opponent out
Tooth & Nail: 1-1
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 lose to Ojutai's Command + a misplay (too conservative)
- G2 land early Tidebinder Mage and win on tempo
- G3 T4 combo kill even despite Tidebinder Mage
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 rush opponent with Lords and win
- G2 get 2 Vials and win on tempo + counters
Treasure Hunt Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent mulls to 6 and I counter a Treasure Hunt with Cursecatcher to buy myself enough time to win
- G2 opponent mulls to 4 and I counter a Treasure Hunt with Cursecatcher while keeping Negate up
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves
UR Delver Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-1
- G1 dominate game with 2x Reejerey
- G2 opponent sideboards into Splinter Twin and topdecks 2x consecutive Splinter Twins for the win
- G3 game goes long due to bad topdecks but I eventually find a Lord and swing for lethal
UR Prowess: 1-0
Match 1 (01/05/2016): 2-1
- G1 I flood out and opponent recovers from my fast start to take over with Pyromancer and Snapcaster
- G2 opponent keeps a 1-lander and never finds 2nd land
- G3 I slip past a field of Pyromancer tokens and Abbots with 2x Lords for lethal
UR Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 counter Splinter Twin with Spell Pierce then swing for lethal
- G2 disrupt Splinter Twin with Harbinger of the Tides 2x, then win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
U-Tron: 1-0
Match 1 (01/04/2015): 2-0
- G1 walk past Wurmcoil Engine with islandwalking Lords
- G2 delay Tron with a Spreading Seas and use islandwalking Lords for lethal; stop an Ætherize with Unified Will
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
UW Control: 1-2
Match 1 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent eventually wins a grindy game
- G2 keep pressure on opponent and Dispel a Path for T5 kill
- G3 flood out and opponent lands 2x Supreme Verdict
Match 2 (12/11/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Vial and rush with Lord + 2 Mutavault
- G2 land 2x Lord, fight through Detention Sphere with Merrow Reejerey + Harbinger
Match 3 (12/13/2015): 1-2
- G1 flood out (10/17 cards were lands)
- G2 quick beat down with Reejerey and Mutavaults
- G3 keep 1-lander and get too far behind; recover but opponents casts Verdict followed by Sun Titan
UW Midrange: 1-1
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 eat lots of counterspells, lose on tempo
- G2 draw 3 Harbingers but 0 Lords, lose on tempo
Match 2 (11/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 win a grindy game
- G2 keep constant pressure up, win on tempo
Valakut Titan: 1-0
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 rush with Silvergill Adepts
- G2 keep a 1-lander after mulling to 6 and lose a turn to tempo; die to Titan + Valakuts
- G3 rush with Harbinger and Lords; finish the game with Master of Waves
Overall, the deck has performed quite well. I've been particularly pleased with Tidebinder Mage, as my strong records against Burn, Jund, and Knightfall have shown. However, I feel that Hurkyl's Recall and Unified Will haven't been sided in enough to merit inclusion. Hurkyl's Recall in particular is sided in very little, and in all but one matchup (Affinity) would have been functionally identical to an Echoing Truth. As such, I plan to replace it with Echoing Truth. And while it can be argued that Relic of Progenitus has been sided in less often that Unified Will, it has been very impactful when it has come in. The same cannot be said for Unified Will. As such, I am in the market for another counterspell at the moment. Given that I'm most commonly seeking something that can slow down decks with combo or ramp elements (such as Affinity, Bogles, Elves, Infect, and Tron) and that I intend to test Ghost Quarter as mainboard disruption for everything from Eldrazi Temple to Stirring Wildwood, I'll be giving Chalice of the Void a try. The positive reports from the community regarding Chalice have also played into this decision.
Emperor of Atlantis 2UU
Other Merfolk you control get +2/+2 and have Islandwalk. Or maybe even straight +3/+3 but no islandwalk.
3/3 or 2/4
Would we play that over Master of Waves or is it just too winmore than even MoW? The chances of them printing something like that at 3 mana cost, outside of a legendary, are super low since we already have Reejerey and Merfolk Sovereign.
The danger on something like Misdirection is other decks, like Twin, getting to use it as well. Something like Silumgar's Scorn but for merfolk would be great, sadly unless we go back to Lorwyn I doubt we will see much Merfolk in the future as they aren't exactly common across the multiverse.
Honestly, it's just a day old. I was too lazy to make one all this time.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
4 Harbinger of the Tides
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
3 Master of Waves
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Dismember
2 Spell Pierce
4 Spreading Seas
4 AEther Vial
9 Island
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
4 Mutavault
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
3 Wanderwine Hub
2 Hibernation
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Negate
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Tectonic Edge
Round 1 vs Henry on Merfolk (Won 2-0, 1-0 Overall)
Not a huge fan of starting out with the mirror match because of how unpredictable it can be. Unfortunately for my opponent, he was new to the deck, and was not aware his Lord of Atlantis buffed my guys also. I took Game 1 easily off the backs of multiple Reejerays spitting out a lot of merfolk, and getting buffed by reejs + his Lord of Atlantis. Game 2 was much closer, but unfortunately for Henry, I drew Master of the Pearl Trident and he again had Lord of Atlantis. This one was actually super close, where if he had another lord (or if my MotPT was a LoA) he would have taken the game.
I don’t sideboard anything, but if you have extra fish in your board, bring in as many bodies as possible. I don't really mind having spreading seas to turn off opposing mutavaults or to enable islandwalk if they are being crafty and not playing islands. It is not ideal though, I will admit.
Round 2 vs Heath on Lantern Control (Won 2-0, 2-0 Overall)
This deck can be challenging for us, especially pre-board, unless we have a spell pierce for their bridge. If they land a bridge it’s just time to pack it up and go to game 2. However, Game 1 was very odd, where I had a single mutavault and 2 vials all game, but was able to slowly get there, as he was stuck on 2 mana as well. He misplayed big by playing pithing needle and naming mutavault instead of aether vial. If he did that it would likely have been an easy win for him. I count myself very lucky to steal a pre-board game from lantern.
However, post-board I think we’re very favored.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (put it on 1 and they can’t play a large part of their deck)
3x Hurkyl's Recall (for bridges we can’t get with counter magic)
2x Negate (for bridges)
2x Relic of Progenitus (to prevent recursion of bridges (or other annoying things) with academy ruins)
Out:
1x Kira
3x Master of Waves (too slow)
2x Dismember
4x Spreading Seas
In Game 2 I had both pierce and recall in hand and just always kept pierce mana open as I played out fish. He never found a bridge but even if he did, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Round 3 vs Tony on RG Tron (Won 2-0, 3-0 Overall)
This game was pretty crazy, mainly for my winning play. I kept a fairly normal hand, but didnt have double lord and got blown out by a pyroclasm on turn 3. I did not have any spreading seas, and just played out dudes while he tried to find a threat. I was able to rebuild my board to the point where I had a Master of Waves, two Lords and a Cursecatcher out. I have a Dismember in hand. His last card is a Newalmog from his Eye of Ugin. He casts it, killing a lord and the Master, leaving just a Lord and a Cursecatcher. I draw for turn and am super disappointed. It’s my second Dismember. But wait! Can I? Holy *****, I can! I double dismember Ulamog, kill it, and swing for the last 4 points of life my opponent has. I was trying so hard not to lose my ***** while sideboarding, but I went and told everyone I even barely know after. I still cannot believe I won by double dismembering a freaking Ulamog, what an insane line.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (Putting this on 1 stops 16 cards of theirs)
2x Negate (Stops Ugin/Karn/board wipes)
3x Tectonic Edge (Obviously)
Out:
2x Dismember (I understand the irony, but they do almost nothing)
4x Harbinger of the Tides (I used to keep these in to bounce wurmcoils, but I don't seem to be facing many wurmcoils recently, so these guys tend to just be bears. I also don't really relish the idea of bouncing Newlamog)
1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner (No targeted removal, no fliers need blocking)
Game 2:
This was a super grindy game, where I kept spreading seasing his lands and he kept finding replacements. I fought through two o-stones by playing out just enough to force him to blow them (adepts are MVPs here), and was able to eventually run him out of ways to fetch more lands, while he had a Newalmog stuck in hand with only 6 mana on the field.
Round 4 vs Jeffrey on Jund (Lost 1-2, 3-1 Overall)
Game 1:
One of those games where spreading seas is a free win, he keeps two lands, I spreading seas one, he is left with a basic of some sort, I just run him over.
In:
2x Relic of Progenitus (Mainly for tarmos and scoozes but can also prevent delving for tasigur early on)
2x Tectonic Edge (I really like bringing in 2 tec edges against 3 color decks. Could just be wrong, but I’ve found it can really disrupt them when combined with spreading seas.
Out:
4x AEther Vial (Kolaghan’s Command)
Game 2:
This dude had lifegain coming out of every card. It was crazy. Turn 3 kitchen finks, turn 4 huntmaster. Huntmaster can be a real house against us if we don’t have double lords, which we often don’t against Jund and all their removal, as it is easy to flip huntmaster back and forth. Regardless, I made a huge misplay and tried to end the game quickly by tapping out for a Master of Waves on my turn 4, because I wanted to quickly break the board stall, even though I had a spell pierce in hand. Turn 5 he plays Damnation and wipes everything but his Kitchen Finks. I can’t rebuild fast enough before his creatures take over the game and finish me. If I had just played out another fish, I still would have had a good board state, even if it was stalled, and I could have waited one turn to play Master of Waves with pierce backup.
Game 3:
Finks and huntmaster again, combined with heavy single target removal and discard and my mulligan to 6 keeps his hp up and my guys dead. Huntmaster flips multiple times. Unfortunate.
Round 5 vs Floyd on Affinity (Lost 0-2, 3-2 Overall)
Both games played out very similarly. He got 1-2 Vault Skirges out and pumped them to the point where I couldn’t race. In game 1 I got blown out by a spell pierce when I tried to dismember his skirge. The worst part? He didn’t have an opal or drum, he used an inkmoth I had turned into an island with spreading seas. Ugh. Be careful of the new trend of running 1 mana counterspells in affinity.
For the record, I SB like this:
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (on 0 usually - I often take these back out if I am on the draw, but I think it could be right to leave them in to prevent more 0 drops even if they drop a ton on turn 1. Not sure tbh.)
3x Hurkyl's Recall
Out: We tend to be one turn too slow against affinity, so I want to reduce my curve as much as possible
3x Master of Waves
3x Merrow Reejerey
Round 6 vs Michael on Infect (Won 2-1, 4-2 Overall)
I really dislike the infect matchup for us, especially mainboard. Harbingers, dismembers, Cursecatchers and spell pierces are the most important things for us to have, and the last two can be essentially cancelled out if they have a bunch of Heirarchs. We face the challenge of putting on a fast clock and still disrupting almost everything they do. In Game 1 I got lucky and he did not get a Blighted Agent or Inkmoth, so I was able to block. I slowly beat him down while keeping up spell pierce, which did end up blowing him out one turn. Whew.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (set on 1)
2x Negate
2x Relic of Progenitus (prevents Become Immense)
Out: Everything slow
3x Master of Waves
4x Meerow Reejeray
Note: I leave in Kira to block Inkmoths.
Game 2 I thought I had it locked up with a harbinger, but he had a turn 2 Blighted Agent and the apostle’s blessing for my flashed in harbinger when he swung for the kill.
Game 3 he mulled to 6, tanked for a while and kept his 6. His only land was a Dryad Arbor, and when he tapped it for mana on his turn 2, I bounced it on my turn 3 with my harbinger. He quickly conceded after that.
Round 7 vs Anthony on U/R Twin (Won 2-0, 5-2 Overall)
I was so freaking happy to finally see a player playing Islands, as I hadn’t really seen them since Round 1 in the mirror. Both of these games played out exactly the same. I played fish 1 turn behind curve, keeping a spell pierce open. In both games I just beat him down and he couldn’t really do anything. In Game 2 I spell pierced an Anger that would have board wiped me, and won on the turn after.
In:
3x Chalice of the Void (This is kind of an experiment, but it stops Spell Snare, Dispel (protects twin from our counters), Bolt (kills our clock), and Serum Visions (sets up their combo)
2x Negate (Obvious reasons)
2x Relic of Progenitus (They play snaps)
Round 8 vs Bob on Jund (Lost 1-2, 5-3 Overall)
Easily one of the most intense matches I’ve ever played in modern. Every game was a grindy slog, and we finished game 3 with ~2 minutes left on the clock. I won Game 1 thanks to a clutch Master of Waves that I top decked to clogging the board when he had a bunch of dudes out, any of which would be lethal. I was helped out enormously from his own Bob flipping a Tasigur - I don’t think I would have taken Game 1 without that 6 damage.
In:
2x Relic of Progenitus (Tarmos/scoozes/delve dudes)
2x Tectonic Edge (Color screw)
Out:
4x AEther Vial (Kolaghan’s Command)
Games 2/3
Similarly to the previous Jund player, he had lots of life gain in the board. I do not like this trend. In Game 2 he just had all of the answers and 1-for-1ed me while healing a bunch from finks. Game 3 was interesting because I drew then played 4 reejerays in a row. He killed the first 2, but then I got the last 2 to stick, and used the reej combo to empty my hand (lord, silvergill, harbinger). So I had ~20 power on board, but he had multiple blockers and I had no spreading seas. I drew and played a spreading seas and had to decide if I should go for it. He had one card in hand and had just gotten runner runner runner removal. I went for it, he killed my islandwalk lord, blocked two of my guys, and I knocked him down to 2 hp. He killed me on the crackback. Rough go, but he agreed that was the right play. What I took from this game is that when it looks like I have a game locked up, but have reejs on the field and only one source of islandwalk (either from a lord or a seas), I should keep a fish in my hand to use reej tap down triggers on the turn I want to kill him. If I hadn’t played out even just one of my guys, I could have tapped down his blockers and guaranteed my win.
Round 9 vs Dalton on UW Tron Gifts (Won 2-1, 6-3 Overall)
This matchup really just comes down to if they can Rites an Elesh Norn early on. Not much to write home about this one, in Game 1 I just beat him down before he could do anything, in Game 2 he had the Gifts/Rites combo when I only had 1 Lord on the field, and in Game 3 I outraced that combo.
In:
2x Negate (Obvious reasons)
2x Relic of Progenitus (Counters gifts, they play snaps)
3x Tectonic Edge (Tron lands/Colonnades)
Out:
2x Dismember (Not gonna do anything)
4x Harbinger of the Tides (No creatures we want to bounce. Maybe Iona? Still think this is right)
1x Kira (Not enough single target removal to worry, a bit slow)
I was fairly pleased with the deck’s performance, though the misplay against Jund in Round 4 where I could have countered the Damnation smarts a little bit. Also, if this was any other SCG event, or any GP from now on, I would have been able to make Day 2 with a 6-3 record. Ah well, I still finished in 118th place out of almost 1100 players, I only had one 0-2 loss and a bunch of 2-0 wins, and I’ll happy with those stats. Thanks for reading and if anyone has any questions please let me know!
TL;DR: Beat Fish, Lantern, RG Tron, UW Tron, Infect & U/R Twin. Lost to Jund x2 & Affinity.
If you're having problems with Jund, Walamor, I strongly recommend some Tidebinder Mages in your sideboard. It gives you an extra threat to keep fighting off removal, and it can be a huge tempo swing (or even act as removal if it is not removed itself). I posted a report on some matches I've had a few pages ago, and I've yet to drop a game (let alone a match) to Jund since I put 4 Tidebinders in my board.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Storm is pretty heavily favoured
Bant Eldrazi
UW Control
U Merfolk
Legacy
Merfolk
UR Delver
Unified will is also awesome against Tron, which is a pretty rough MU in my experience.
U Merfolk U
W Mono W PBJ W
UBRGDredgeGRBU
EDH:
U Arcum Dagsson U
~I think Randy Buehler's mug is buehlertiful~
In your tron example, the only thing UWill really hits extra is wurmcoil, which we can normally swing through and outrace. While I can think of other creatures in other matchups that I want to counter, I would vastly prefer the reliability of negate.
Perhaps it was in its heyday, but the current, slow version? I find that doubtful, especially post-board with Chalice of the Void and Negate coming to stuff all their spells.
And props to CryptoSC for detailing the Unified Will vs. Negate debate very succinctly. In the end, I've opted for Negate because the increased range of matchups where it was boardable was a relevant advantage (I did a 100-match trial, and the ratio of SBing Negate to Unified Will was close to 3:1).
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Level 2 in progress...
UUU Merfolk UUU
"Above the waves you may be mighty indeed, but down here you belong to me."
-Empress Galina
UBR Cruel Control UBR
"The essence of every world, every spell, and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
-Nicol Bolas
I most certainly do. I'm working on posting them shortly.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
-1 Merrow Reejerey
+1 Dismember
-2 Hibernation
+2 Tidebinder Mage
are the only 3 cards in the entire 75 we differ, so your results really interest me. Some pointers:
-What did you take out versus twin? I find the idea of bringing in Chalice versus them pretty interesting and want to try it out, but I always have trouble with finding enough cards to side out; apart from the 4 Spreading Seas, all our cards seem good.
-I disagree with your sideboard plan versus affinity: personally I take out Cursecatchers and Spell Pierce for 3x Hurkyl and 3x Chalice. The reasoning is that we can't go under them so have to go over them with more expensive spells, and Cursecatcher is basically a vanilla 1/1 versus them. Spell Pierce can be strong but the casting window is so tiny I don't think it's worth it.
Modern
UGWRB Humans
G Mono-Green Tron
UWBR Ad Nauseam
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)
2 Spell Pierce
2 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
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Negate
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
4 Tidebinder Mage
2 Unified Will
Modern Merfolk v3 Testing:
4C Good Stuff: 2-0
Match 1 (12/05/2015): 2-1
- G1 land T1 Vial and beat opponent to death
- G2 end up 2 damage short
- G3 opponent mulls to 6 and I tempo a Doran for the win
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 game goes very long; stall with 3x Master of Waves then land Lord of Atlantis for the win
- G2 pressure early with Tidebinder; fight through an Engineered Explosives to win on tempo
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves
5C Superfriends: 1-0
Match 1 (12/10/2015): 2-0
- G1 fight through Ajani Vengeant and Kiora for lethal
- G2 land a T1 Vial and rush opponent down (dodged Vraska activation with Vapor Snag)
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Spreading Seas
8-Rack: 1-1
Match 1 (12/21/2015): 1-2
- G1 land Vial with Lords and beat down
- G2 mull to 6 and Shrieking Affliction + Smallpox grind me out
- G3 opponent lands 2x Shrieking Affliction + The Rack
Match 2 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Lords early and beat him down
- G1 mull to 5 but opponent only finds 2nd Rack late; beat him down with Cursecatcher + Silvergill + Mutavault
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
Affinity: 2-1
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent mulls to 5 and plays nothing T1; I take advantage and win on tempo
- G2 I lose to T2 Master of Etherium
- G3 clutch Hurkyl's Recall seals the win
Match 2 (12/14/2015): 0-2
- G1 opponent lands T3 Plating and wins the race
- G2 opponent rushes with fliers; I never find 3rd land
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 2-1
- G1 open the way with Spreading Seas and keep Vault Skirge at bay with Harbinger
- G2 lose the race to Ravager and Etched Champion
- G3 key Vapor Snag gives me just enough for lethal
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-4 Master of Waves, -1 Spreading Seas
Amulet Bloom: 1-0
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent has a slow hand, win on incremental damage
- G2 opponent mulls to 5, I Spell Pierce his Hive Mind and Tidebinder Mage his Primeval Titan
SB:
+2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Merrow Reejerey
Bloom/Scapeshift/Tron Hybrid Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 2-1
- G1 lose to Scapeshift
- G2 rush him with a lord + Cursecatcher + Silvergill
- G3 counter his combos and win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-2 Vapor Snag, -4 Master of Waves, -4 Merrow Reejerey
BG Rock: 0-1
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 1-2
- G1 mull to 6 but land a Master of Waves to surge ahead
- G2 mull to 6 and lose to a T3 Choke
- G3 mull to 6 and flood out; lose on tempo
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
Bogles: 3-1
Match 1 (11/26/2015): 2-1
- G1 keep a 1-lander (Cavern of Souls), never draw 2nd land
- G2 opponent mulls to 5, I pump my Merfolk higher than his Bogles
- G3 opponent mulls to 4, I Negate an Aura to win on tempo
Match 2 (12/01/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent assembles Voltron Bogle by T3
- G2 land a T2 Spellskite my opponent can't beat
- G3 got stuck on 1 land
Match 3 (12/10/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent has godhand
- G2 land a T1 Vial and counter a Daybreak Coronet for the win
- G3 land a T1 Vial and counter Daybreak Coronet and Stony Silence to win on tempo
Match 4 (01/04/2016): 2-0
- G1 outgrow his 4/4 Bogle with Lords and take over the game
- G2 bounce his Kor Spiritdancer twice to surge ahead
SB:
+2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -1 Spreading Seas
Boros Kiki Combo: 0-1
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 1-2
- G1 lose to flood and grind
- G2 pressure him until lethal
- G3 stop combo 1st time, lose to it the 2nd
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce, -2 Vapor Snag
Boros Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (01/01/2016): 2-1
- G1 get locked out by Isochron Scepter + Silence
- G2 bounce Isochron Scepter + Angel's Grace with Hurkyl's Recall and swing for lethal
- G3 land 3x Master of Waves and overwhelm opponent
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Hurkyl's Recall, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce, -1 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Burn: 5-2
Match 1 (11/25/2015): 2-0
- G1 mull to 4 but Æther Vial into 2x Silvergill Adept and turn the game around
- G2 tap down a Grim Lavamancer with Tidebinder then Lord rush
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands a T3 Eidolon with an empty board state
- G2 land a Tidebinder, win on tempo
- G3 opponent lands double Eidolon, life total dips too low
Match 3 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands 2 Goblin Guides and lots of Bolts
- G2 lock opponent out of R with a Spreading Seas
- G3 opponent gets godhand - T1 Nacatl, T2 Eidolon, lots of burn
Match 4 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 get overwhelmed by Eidolon early; Master of Waves is not enough to save me
- G2 get 1 lander but 2x Vials and shut him down with Spellskite and fish swarm
- G3 opponent mulls to 6 and I turn the corner with Tidebinder Mage
Match 5 (12/21/2015): 2-1
- G1 stabilize and turn the corner with Master of Waves at 1 life
- G2 opponent lands T2 Eidolon and I stabilize one turn too late
- G3 stabilized behind a Spellskite and 2 Lords
Match 6 (12/21/2015): 2-0
- G1 stabilize with a Master of Waves at 1 life
- G2 land 3 straight Lords to turn the corner
Match 7 (12/27/2015): 2-0
- G1 stabilize with a Master of Waves and 2 Lords
- G2 land a T2 Spellskite and a T4 Master of Waves to flip the game
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Merrow Reejerey, -1 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Defender Ramp Combo: 2-2
Match 1 (11/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 hit a Master of Waves for 8, chump-block several Defenders
- G2 fight through a Worship with Vapor Snag
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent lands a Worship and that buys him time for a x=15 Genesis Wave
- G2 I mull to 6 and flood out but opponent can't finish and I Snag to fight through Worship
- G3 I mull to 6 and opponent spams walls then drops Assault Formation and Worship
Match 3 (12/15/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent mulls to 4 and I beat Worship with Vapor Snag
- G2 I bounce opponent's Overgrown Battlement 2x and win on tempo
Match 4 (01/04/2016): 0-2
- G1 opponent is able to blunt my attacks with Perimeter Captain and goes off with CoCo and Staff of Domination
- G2 I mull to 5 and opponent resolves Worship, which buys him time until he can win with Emrakul
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-1 Æther Vial, -2 Cursecatcher, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Spell Pierce
Dimir Faeries: 2-0
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Master of Waves
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I apply early pressure, then land a Master of Waves to win
Match 2 (12/18/2015): 2-1
- G1 land T1 Vial eventually followed by Master of Waves; win with tokens
- G2 keep a 1-lander without Vial; get too far behind
- G3 opponent Vendilion Cliques away a Reejerey and gives me a Master of the Pearl Trident; win with unblockable creatures
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate
-4 Spreading Seas
Dimir Mill: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 3 consecutive Lords for the T4 kill
- G2 stick a Lord and a Mutavault and opponent never finds 4th land
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Doran Abzan: 1-0
Match 1 (12/27/2015): 2-1
- G1 flood out and get punished by 3x Rhino
- G2 land Master of Waves to break open stalemate
- G3 mull to 6 but land 2x Master of Waves to fend opponent off and win with Lords + islandwalk
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
Elves: 1-1
Match 1 (12/02/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent drains me for 14 with 2 Shaman of the Pack
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I blitz him with Lords early
- G3 opponent mulls to 5 and I counter CoCo with a Vialed-in Cursecatcher + a Dispel
Match 2 (01/04/2016): 0-2
- G1 both players get off to durdly starts but opponent uses CoCo to fill board
- G2 opponent stonewalls my early aggro with a Nettle Sentinel then uses Elvish Archdruid and CoCo to go off
SB:
+2 Dispel, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -2 Spell Pierce
Esper Eldrazi: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 go over the top with a Master of Waves
- G2 both players mull to 6 and I get caught up in a grindy game but win on the back of bouncing Eldrazi for tempo and Lords
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -2 Spell Pierce, -2 Vapor Snag
Esper Gifts Control: 1-0
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 2-1
- G1 fight through targeted discard to grind my opponent out
- G2 get blown out by a Wrath of God, which buys my opponent time to use Gifts
- G3 land an early Cursecatcher and use it for tempo beats
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Negate
-1 Æther Vial, -2 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Esper Tokens: 1-0
Match 1 (12/08/2015): 2-1
- G1 land Spreading Seas and 2x Lord
- G2 opponent lands Bitterblossom, Gideon pump, and Sorin pump - Dispel should have been Spell Pierce!
- G3 fight through 3x Inquisition of Kozilek and 1x Thoughtseize to finish game with 2x islandwalking Mutavault
SB:
+2 Negate
-2 Vapor Snag
Free Win Red: 1-0
Match 1 (12/15/2015): 2-1
- G1 get locked out by Ensnaring Bridge
- G2 counter Ensnaring Bridge and swing for lethal
- G3 grind out a win after Hurkyl's Recall on Bridge and opponent misplay on Koth of the Hammer emblem
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Goblins: 0-1
Match 1 (01/04/2016): 1-2
- G1 opponent plays a T1 Goblin Piledriver with Simian Spirit Guide and I am stuck on 2 land
- G2 easily turn the corner behind Tidebinder Mage as opponent is stuck on 1 land
- G3 get stuck on Island + Mutavault and opponent overwhelms me with Goblin tokens
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce, -1 Spreading Seas
Grixis Control/Midrange: 0-1
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 lose a long, grindy game
- G2 get 2-for-1'd 6 times (including 4 Kolaghan's Command)
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will (should have brought in Tidebinders!)
-4 AEther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Grixis Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/24/2015): 2-1
- G1 I flood out and Grim Lavamancer + Tasigur take over the game
- G2 mull to 5 but win on the back of 2x Master of Waves + clutch Lord of Atlantis
- G3 opponent keeps an opening hand with only a Swamp and I win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Gruul Small Zoo: 1-1
Match 1 (12/18/2015): 2-1
- G1 land a T1 Vial and tempo my opponent out with Reejerey and Harbinger despite misplay
- G2 get greedy with Mutavault and opponent is a bit too aggressive early; stabilize at 1 but lose to topdecked Boros Charm
- G3 land a T4 Master of Waves and opponent can't beat it
Match 2 (12/29/2015): 1-2
- G1 get blitzed by godhand with Experiment One
- G2 stabilize behind 2x Master of Waves
- G3 stabilize with Master of Waves and Tidebinder Mage at 3 life but lose to topdecked Bolt
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce
GW Hatebears: 1-1
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 miss a land drop on a 1-lander and fall behind because of 2x Path
- G2 overwhelm his creatures with size
- G3 opponent lands Azusa + Crucible of Worlds + Ghost Quarter combo but I have 3x Lords and Spellskite
Match 2 (01/03/2016): 1-2
- G1 mull to 5 and get beaten down by 2x Voice token and 1x Smiter
- G2 easily overwhelm my opponent with Lords
- G3 opponent lands Choke and Brimaz as I flood out
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce
Heartless Summoning Mill Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 counter attempts at removal and win with beats
- G2 assemble quick beatdown plan and win counterspell war while presenting a clock
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Spreading Seas
Infect: 1-2
Match 1 (12/03/2015): 2-0
- G1 take him off G with a Spreading Seas and beat him on tempo
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 and I land 2x Cursecatcher and 2x Lord
Match 2 (12/08/2015): 0-2
- G1 opponent lands 2 Inkmoth Nexus and I can only deal with 1 of them
- G2 mull to 6 and opponent lands T2 Blighted Agent followed by multiple Vines of Vastwood
Match 3 (01/04/2016): 1-2
- G1 get stuck with 2 Master of Waves in hand as opponent swings for exactly lethal
- G2 tap down an Elf with Tidebinder and bounce a beefy Nexus with Harbinger
- G3 durdle on T1 and get beaten by Wild Defiance triggers on a Blighted Agent
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -4 Merrow Reejerey
Izzet Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (12/30/2015): 2-0
- G1 use Lords to slip past Pyromancer tokens and win on beats
- G2 hold up counterspells with Vial and win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -4 Spreading Seas
Jeskai Control: 2-1
Match 1 (11/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 land a Master of Waves and opponent doesn't find sweeper with enough mana
- G2 opponent keeps a 1-lander and misses 2x land drops, win on tempo
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 rush opponent through Vial
- G2 eventually lose a grindy game to Ajani Vengeant and Celestial Colonnade
- G3 opponent lands T5 Keranos and I lose on value
Match 3 (12/21/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush with Vial
- G2 land a late Vial and land 2x Dispel for the win
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Jund: 3-0
Match 1 (12/06/2015): 2-0
- G1 get godhand T4 kill
- G2 Master of Waves puts me over the top in a grindy game
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 2-0
- G1 mull to 6 take opponent off red and win on beats
- G2 mull to 6 and get color-screwed but opponent dies to his own Bobs
Match 3 (12/14/2015): 2-0
- G1 land double Master of Waves to overwhelm double Goyf
- G2 double Spreading Seas locks him out of mana and I win on tempo
SB:
+2 Relic of Progenitus, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial, -2 Vapor Snag
Knightfall: 4-2
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 early color screw and he goes off on T3
- G2 kept 1-lander with Vial, didn't find 2nd land
Match 2 (11/23/2015): 2-1
- G1 opponent mulls to 5, but rallies with a combo kill
- G2 Lord rush for the win
- G3 opponent lands Choke T2 on the play, but I win by playing through Vial
Match 3 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 T3 combo kill
- G2 mull to 6 and shut down his mana dork with a Tidebinder Mage and win on tempo
- G3 opponent mulls to 4 and I win easily
Match 4 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 I Spell Pierce a game-winning Chord of Calling
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 but threatens with big creatures until I draw 2nd Merrow Reejerey
Match 5 (12/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush early and win the game easily
- G2 land T1 Vial and use evasion granted by Lord for lethal
Match 6 (01/03/2016): 0-2
- G1 mull to 6 and opponent gets me with a T3 combo kill
- G2 get color-screwed and opponent plays Geist followed by Knight of the Reliquary
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Lantern Control: 1-2
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 get locked out early
- G2 lose a grindy game with opponent at 2 life
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 0-2
- G1 don't find any Lords and eventually die to lock
- G2 mull to 3 and bring opponent to 2 life with Mutavaults before lock is set in
Match 3 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 mull to 5 and get locked out
- G2 tempo him out with Lords one turn before the lock
- G3 blast him with creatures; opponent never finds 3rd land
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves, -2 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Living End: 2-0
Match 1 (12/10/2015): 2-1
- G1 get fast start and opponent is on back foot while I hold up Spell Pierce
- G2 opponent goes off on T4 and I can't recover in time
- G3 opponent goes off, but I recover with Tidebinder Mage and 2x Mutavault and win on tempo
Match (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 land 3 Lords and counter Living End to win
- G2 recover from a Living End with Tidebinder, Harbinger, and 2x Mutavault
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Mardu Kiki Combo: 0-1
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 0-2
- G1 never draw a Seas effect and get stonewalled by blockers and removal while Restoration Angel beats me up
- G2 opponent lands an Isochron Scepter on Lightning Helix and value-plays me into the dirt
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite (also needed Hurkyl's Recall!)
-4 Æther Vial, -1 Cursecatcher
Mardu Tokens: 1-0
Match 1 (11/24/2015): 2-1
- G1 Lord rush and win on tempo
- G2 lose to token swarms
- G3 go down to 1 and win on the backswing
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-4 Æther Vial, -2 Vapor Snag
Merfolk: 2-0
Match 1 (01/03/2016): 2-0
- G1 I use a timely Vapor Snag as a combat trick to win on tempo
- G2 I use a Harbinger and a Spreading Seas as combat tricks to surge ahead
Match 2 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 I out-aggro my opponent on the draw using 2x Lords as his Thassa + Lords fall 1 mana short
- G2 I mull to 5 but opponent mulls to 6 and I topdeck 2x Lords
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Spellskite
-2 Spell Pierce, -1 Spreading Seas
Mono-B Infect: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-0
- G1 I tempo my opponent out with Harbinger of the Tides + Lords
- G2 opponent misses 3rd land drop twice as I win with damage
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Master of Waves
Naya Kiki Combo: 0-2
Match 1 (12/07/2015): 0-2
- G1 lose to surprise combo kill
- G2 eat 3x Path and then lose to combo kill
Match 2 (12/24/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent Chords for Kiki then E-Wits into Chord for Restoration Angel while I'm tapped out
- G2 stop Kiki combo with Harbinger then swing for lethal
- G3 game goes long and I lose to combo while waiting for Lord
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Merrow Reejerey, -4 Master of Waves
Ninjas: 2-0
Match 1 (12/02/2015): 2-0
- G1 land a Lord and kill with beats
- G2 T1 Vial into 2x Cursecatcher, Lord, 2x Mutavault
Match 2 (12/07/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Reejerey and tempo opponent to death
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 and is stuck on 1 land; T4 kill
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate
-4 Spreading Seas
Orzhov Lifegain: 1-0
Match 1 (01/03/2016): 2-0
- G1 fight through 2x Path and 2x Thoughtseize to assemble board state for lethal
- G2 blitz opponent with Lords as he misses 2 land drops
SB:
+2 Dispel, +1 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Spellskite
-4 Æther Vial, -2 Vapor Snag
Rakdos Midrange: 1-0
Match 1 (12/04/2015): 2-1
- G1 fight through removal and win on tempo
- G2 flood out and lose to Bob + Olivia Voldaren
- G3 win on rushdown
SB:
+4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Æther Vial
RG Tron: 2-0
Match 1 (12/04/2015): 2-1
- G1 overcome T3 Tron with Harbinger rush and Master of Waves
- G2 T3 Tron + Karn followed by Wurmcoil and O-Stone
- G3 play 3 Lords in a row and opponent doesn't find 3rd Tron land
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-1
- G1 win the race with 2x Mutavaults and 2x Silvergill Adept
- G2 opponent mulls to 5 but lands a clutch O-Stone to turn the game around
- G3 tense game; get opponent down to 1 but he stabilizes, then misplays a Karn allowing me to win
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves
Simic Ramp Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 go over the top of a stalled board state with 2x Master of Waves
- G2 T1 Vial into Lord blitz and opponent has no removal
SB:
+2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -2 Spell Pierce
Simic Training Grounds Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-1
- G1 use islandwalking Lord and Harbinger to pressure them for lethal
- G2 opponent mulls to 6 and I commit misplays to let him back in the game
- G3 recover from slow start to blitz opponent with Merfolk thanks to Merrow Reejerey and Æther Vial
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
Sultai Midrange: 2-0
Match 1 (11/24/2015): 2-0
- G1 Lord rush
- G2 keep pressure on and fight through Cryptic-Snap-Cryptic
Match 2 (11/24/2015): 2-1
- G1 eventually lose a grindy game to Tasigur
- G2 fight through a Choke thanks to flood
- G3 opponent keeps a 1-lander and misses 2nd land drop for 2 turns. Win on tempo.
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will (maybe Tidebinder Mage?)
-4 AEther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Tezz Tooolbox: 1-0
Match 1 (01/06/2016): 2-0
- G1 overcome a fetched Engineered Explosives with a Silvergill and a Harbinger
- G2 land a Master of Waves and grind my opponent out
SB:
+2 Hurkyl's Recall, +1 Spellskite, +2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
Tooth & Nail: 1-1
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 1-2
- G1 lose to Ojutai's Command + a misplay (too conservative)
- G2 land early Tidebinder Mage and win on tempo
- G3 T4 combo kill even despite Tidebinder Mage
Match 2 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 rush opponent with Lords and win
- G2 get 2 Vials and win on tempo + counters
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-4 Master of Waves, -4 Merrow Reejerey
Treasure Hunt Combo: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-0
- G1 opponent mulls to 6 and I counter a Treasure Hunt with Cursecatcher to buy myself enough time to win
- G2 opponent mulls to 4 and I counter a Treasure Hunt with Cursecatcher while keeping Negate up
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves
UR Delver Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/29/2015): 2-1
- G1 dominate game with 2x Reejerey
- G2 opponent sideboards into Splinter Twin and topdecks 2x consecutive Splinter Twins for the win
- G3 game goes long due to bad topdecks but I eventually find a Lord and swing for lethal
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
UR Prowess: 1-0
Match 1 (01/05/2016): 2-1
- G1 I flood out and opponent recovers from my fast start to take over with Pyromancer and Snapcaster
- G2 opponent keeps a 1-lander and never finds 2nd land
- G3 I slip past a field of Pyromancer tokens and Abbots with 2x Lords for lethal
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -4 Spreading Seas
UR Twin: 1-0
Match 1 (12/09/2015): 2-0
- G1 counter Splinter Twin with Spell Pierce then swing for lethal
- G2 disrupt Splinter Twin with Harbinger of the Tides 2x, then win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Master of Waves, -4 Spreading Seas
U-Tron: 1-0
Match 1 (01/04/2015): 2-0
- G1 walk past Wurmcoil Engine with islandwalking Lords
- G2 delay Tron with a Spreading Seas and use islandwalking Lords for lethal; stop an Ætherize with Unified Will
SB:
+2 Negate, +2 Relic of Progenitus, +2 Unified Will
-4 Master of Waves, -2 Vapor Snag
UW Control: 1-2
Match 1 (12/07/2015): 1-2
- G1 opponent eventually wins a grindy game
- G2 keep pressure on opponent and Dispel a Path for T5 kill
- G3 flood out and opponent lands 2x Supreme Verdict
Match 2 (12/11/2015): 2-0
- G1 land 2x Vial and rush with Lord + 2 Mutavault
- G2 land 2x Lord, fight through Detention Sphere with Merrow Reejerey + Harbinger
Match 3 (12/13/2015): 1-2
- G1 flood out (10/17 cards were lands)
- G2 quick beat down with Reejerey and Mutavaults
- G3 keep 1-lander and get too far behind; recover but opponents casts Verdict followed by Sun Titan
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +2 Relic of Progenitus
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas, -2 Vapor Snag
UW Midrange: 1-1
Match 1 (11/23/2015): 0-2
- G1 eat lots of counterspells, lose on tempo
- G2 draw 3 Harbingers but 0 Lords, lose on tempo
Match 2 (11/23/2015): 2-0
- G1 win a grindy game
- G2 keep constant pressure up, win on tempo
SB:
+2 Dispel, +2 Negate, +1 Spellskite
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Spreading Seas
Valakut Titan: 1-0
Match 1 (12/14/2015): 2-1
- G1 rush with Silvergill Adepts
- G2 keep a 1-lander after mulling to 6 and lose a turn to tempo; die to Titan + Valakuts
- G3 rush with Harbinger and Lords; finish the game with Master of Waves
SB:
+2 Negate, +1 Spellskite, +4 Tidebinder Mage, +2 Unified Will
-1 Æther Vial, -4 Merrow Reejerey, -2 Spell Pierce, -2 Vapor Snag
WB Tokens: 1-0
Match 1 (12/08/2015): 2-0
- G1 overcome early discard with Lord spam
- G2 draw 5 Lords and Relic wipes 2x Lingering Souls
SB:
+2 Relic of Progenitus
-2 Vapor Snag
Total Match W/L: 72-28 (72.0%)
Total Game W/L: 160-87 (64.8%)
Sideboarding Count:
Dispel - 65/100 (65.0%)
Hurkyl's Recall - 11/100 (11.0%)
Negate - 70/100 (70.0%)
Relic of Progenitus - 28/100 (28.0%)
Spellskite - 57/100 (57.0%)
Tidebinder Mage - 51/100 (51.0%)
Unified Will - 29/100 (29.0%)
Overall, the deck has performed quite well. I've been particularly pleased with Tidebinder Mage, as my strong records against Burn, Jund, and Knightfall have shown. However, I feel that Hurkyl's Recall and Unified Will haven't been sided in enough to merit inclusion. Hurkyl's Recall in particular is sided in very little, and in all but one matchup (Affinity) would have been functionally identical to an Echoing Truth. As such, I plan to replace it with Echoing Truth. And while it can be argued that Relic of Progenitus has been sided in less often that Unified Will, it has been very impactful when it has come in. The same cannot be said for Unified Will. As such, I am in the market for another counterspell at the moment. Given that I'm most commonly seeking something that can slow down decks with combo or ramp elements (such as Affinity, Bogles, Elves, Infect, and Tron) and that I intend to test Ghost Quarter as mainboard disruption for everything from Eldrazi Temple to Stirring Wildwood, I'll be giving Chalice of the Void a try. The positive reports from the community regarding Chalice have also played into this decision.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
I ask because I always see people praying during spoiler season, but no idea what we need right now to be better
1-3 CMC
Creature - Merfolk Wizard
Flash
When Lulltide Mage enters the battlefield X.
2/2 or 2/3
X being another spell effect, such as a counter/mana leak, or a removal effect, or maybe even "target land is an island."
My PERSONAL pick would be some sort of Misdirection effect, but that's because that is my favorite type of spell.
Emperor of Atlantis 2UU
Other Merfolk you control get +2/+2 and have Islandwalk. Or maybe even straight +3/+3 but no islandwalk.
3/3 or 2/4
Would we play that over Master of Waves or is it just too winmore than even MoW? The chances of them printing something like that at 3 mana cost, outside of a legendary, are super low since we already have Reejerey and Merfolk Sovereign.
The danger on something like Misdirection is other decks, like Twin, getting to use it as well. Something like Silumgar's Scorn but for merfolk would be great, sadly unless we go back to Lorwyn I doubt we will see much Merfolk in the future as they aren't exactly common across the multiverse.
UMerfolkU
Legacy
UMerfolkU
Commander
RWBAlesha, Who Smiles At DeathRWB