I want another Adept variant, even Merfolk Visionary (1/1 etb draw) would be ok, but not realistic.
I believe Lord without Islandwalk and Merfolks with Flash, since Harbinger experiment was success, are coming next.
Master of Waves is ridiculous, it is hard to imagine another 4-drop for our deck that could challenge his spots.
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.
Great report, congratulations !!
Let me ask, Vapor Snag works better than Dismember for you ?? I ask because I like both and not sure which one to use....
I'm a big fan of Vapor Snag. It furthers my tempo plan, can be used to save my own guys from removal, and it costs my opponent life (as opposed to me). I'm a big believer in that one of our main advantages against the field is the painless manabase, so I'm not about to squander that advantage for removal that only moves the needle in certain matchups. I believe that Dismember is at its best in the sideboard, but that seems to be a minority opinion.
I agree with you about dismember (I do not play it at all though).
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
- A 3CMC creature that puts a single elemental token on the field.
- Another unsummon on a stick.
- Another Tidebinder Mage without color restrictions, probably at 3 CMC.
- A 1CMC creature that gets a +1/+1 counter whenever a merfolk ETB.
- Something that can make the Affinity matchup better without being OP and not be too narrow.
I'm a big fan of Vapor Snag. It furthers my tempo plan, can be used to save my own guys from removal, and it costs my opponent life (as opposed to me). I'm a big believer in that one of our main advantages against the field is the painless manabase, so I'm not about to squander that advantage for removal that only moves the needle in certain matchups. I believe that Dismember is at its best in the sideboard, but that seems to be a minority opinion.
Well, while I really do like Vapor Snag (was running 4 in my 75 up until earlier today) I have to say that dismember is -pardon the language- really ****in' good! I play a 2/2 split of it between MD and SB and I find myself boarding it in a lot more than I board in Vapor snag, but that may just be some kind of confirmation bias.
I am almost certain this was suggested before, but what about a Faerie Conclave that is a 1/1 merfolk and comes into play untapped. Would we play that over Mutavault? Is the 2/2 body too good as well as the synergy with Master of Waves? Would we just run both and run less islands?
Also, how do you feel compared to other tribal decks? Goblins is barely a deck if at all...and in Origins elves got Shaman of the Pack, Dwynen's Elite, and Dwynen herself. We just got Harbinger. Despite there being Elves on Zendikar as well as Merfolk, neither tribe got anything. Should we consider Eldrazi a tribal deck now that they are also getting more support in Oath, as to be expected? Because any other tribal plane we visit would strength those kinds of decks, goblins could make a comeback with the right support, Elves would get more dangerous, but so would we. Zombies maybe have a chance again since we are going back to Innistrad
I am almost certain this was suggested before, but what about a Faerie Conclave that is a 1/1 merfolk and comes into play untapped. Would we play that over Mutavault? Is the 2/2 body too good as well as the synergy with Master of Waves? Would we just run both and run less islands?
Mate.
If we had a 1/1 or 2/1 merfolk land that tapped for blue? I'd be all over that baby in a moment, sheesh!
Instead of a new card, is there something from Legacy or Vintage (besides the obvious True-Name Nemesis) that could a) actually have a chance of being printed into a current set and b) help us?
Instead of a new card, is there something from Legacy or Vintage (besides the obvious True-Name Nemesis) that could a) actually have a chance of being printed into a current set and b) help us?
Playing at the IQ in Tampa. And second round I just beat affinity 2-1.. And it was nearly all on the back of Seas Claiming Inkmoth Nexus'.. I'll report my final results but I feel on top of the world right now.. lol
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern UMerfolk WDeath and Taxes BRBliztkrieg GStompy
- - -
"Rock is overpowered. Paper is fine."
-Scissors
So I've been tinkering and I've come up with a list that's pretty cool. It really cashes in on the controlling nature of Blue, and i've been testing on xmage, and so far i've had pretty good results. I have yet to play any of the tier 1 decks, so I need more testing on those, but i've absolutely wrecked the other decks I played.
I hate playing cards as only 2-ofs in my builds. I feel like I never get them when I want them. So I play with minimum 3x of any one card for maximum consistency. And usually, this works out well.
Reasoning for my choices:
Phantasmal Image: Another Lord, another Silvergill, another Vendilion, or he's your opponent's best creature. He's amazing.
Vendilion Clique: I don't like Master of Waves. Never have, never will. I don't want him in the main unless I'm boarding him in against midrange/aggro. But for everything else, I just don't like what he does. I prefer to have more interaction with the player, and since we don't get to play around with True Name Nemesis, I was looking for an analogue to it that could replace MoW in the main. Vendilion was the perfect card and it gives us virtual card advantage and access to a Flyer which we sorely need. Things get sick when you copy your Vendilion via Phantasmal Image.
*Edit* Further reasoning as to why I don't like MoW. I don't like MoW because all it does is push the aggro plan. It's in the sideboard for those grindy matchups, but I think that 4 mana is a huge investment and I don't like the fact that MoW's power is completely reliant on having a relatively developed board-state. Merfolk are extremely vulnerable to removal, which just makes MoW a dead card later in the game. I'd prefer to have a more proactive game plan. That's where Clique and Phantasmal come in. I don't consider MoW an analogue to TNN because MoW is just a beater (and it's not really him that does any work, it's the tokens he makes which is reliant on your board state), and he's relatively easy to remove. Pro Red isn't a good enough reason to play him Main Board imo, cuz when he gets removed, all the tokens are gone too. Vendilion on the other hand, is Aggro in addition to Control and provides more straight up value one turn earlier, and isn't reliant on your board state to be effective. It's also very likely that you could force your opponent to discard a removal spell which they would have otherwise used on one of your Lords, and if you had been running MoW instead and planned to play it on turn 4, whelp, now you have less devotion on the field, diminishing the efficiency of MoW.
Harbinger of the Tides: I might play around with him in the future, but from my testing, I never really like the fact that he goes in, bounces a creature, and then becomes a Bear. I'd prefer to board in the Tidebinder Mages when I actually need to deal with a threat. The way I see it, Tidebinder deal with the more relevant threats like Goyf, Rhinos, Voice, Smiters, Swiftspears, etc. Essentially, we tap down their big dudes, and force them to use their removal on Tidebinder, which saves our Lords from removal and allows us to amass a bigger army than our opponent. If Harbinger is used instead of Tidebinder, The opponent doesn't care if their creature gets bounced because they can a) cast it next turn b) Harbinger poses no additional threat to them and c) use their removal on one of our Lords and go on with the game as planned.
I do however main 3x Vapor Snag as my bounce spell. I like that I can save my Lords if I need to. I'm thinking of going down to 2x Vapor Snag and 4x Spell Pierce. Haven't Decided yet though.
I need more testing to finalize my sideboard, but if I had to think about the changes I'd make, I'd cut MoW, and bring in 3x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner for more fliers against affinity, and more protection for the rest of my creatures.
I would never board in Hurkyl's Recall just for affinity. It's not relevant enough unless you can alpha strike and win. Spellskites do work for you all game long and Kira can combat fliers and offer more protection for your lords. Affinity usually comes down to a) Did you counter Cranial Plating? or b) do you have flyers to block their flyers? c) can you alpha strike and win?. Kira, Spellskite, and Spell Pierce ensure that I can get to plan c).
Anyways, that's all I got. I'll update with more results when I can get to testing against more Tier 1 decks.
When a Merfolk player says (never happened before) "I don't like Master of Waves. Never have, never will.", that sounds like a line from someone who played other decks a lot and lost every game to Master against Merfolk, then transitioned to this deck but the hatred remained. No idea why you hate it but one of this days you are going to play against tier1 decks, Vendilions will not solve your problems.
You mentioned wanting an analog to TNN that will take MoWs spots ignoring the fact that he IS our TNN in Modern (harder to remove threat that stops ground assault and wins games).
3 Clique is definitely too much and could you explain sick situations when you copy Clique with Image (legendary)?
Your deck even has a considerable chance that Hub Etb tapped or nothing to show for Adept, which is shameful for a Merfolk deck
I will not sugarcoat it, no love for this build.
When a Merfolk player says (never happened before) "I don't like Master of Waves. Never have, never will.", that sounds like a line from someone who played other decks a lot and lost every game to Master against Merfolk, then transitioned to this deck but the hatred remained. No idea why you hate it but one of this days you are going to play against tier1 decks, Vendilions will not solve your problems.
You mentioned wanting an analog to TNN that will take MoWs spots ignoring the fact that he IS our TNN in Modern (harder to remove threat that stops ground assault and wins games).
3 Clique is definitely too much and could you explain sick situations when you copy Clique with Image (legendary)?
Your deck even has a considerable chance that Hub Etb tapped or nothing to show for Adept, which is shameful for a Merfolk deck
I will not sugarcoat it, no love for this build.
I've been playing Merfolk since I started with MTG several years ago. It was my first modern deck, and it is still my go-to deck. I've played alot of games with Merfolk and the one weakness the deck has is its super linear playstyle. Focusing on the purely aggro plan is great and all, but most decks have multiple ways to answer our threats, and that's why Vendilion and Phantasmal seemed liked pretty good Flex creatures that open up new lines of play against a wide variety of decks.
My build is still in testing, and in no way am I saying that it's better than other builds, but it is different, and it offers a different kind of playstyle; more controlling, and more emphasis on combat tricks and interactions with your opponent instead of straight up aggro.
I don't like MoW because all it does is push the aggro plan. It's in the sideboard for those grindy matchups, but I think that 4 mana is a huge investment and I don't like the fact that MoW's power is completely reliant on having a relatively developed board-state. Merfolk are extremely vulnerable to removal, which just makes MoW a dead card later in the game. I'd prefer to have a more proactive game plan. That's where Clique and Phantasmal come in. Clique is Thoughtseize on a stick, and Phantasmal is anything I want it to be, depending on the board state. Copying Vendilion with Phantasmal allows you to Thoughtseize your opponent twice. That's what I meant when I was talking about their interaction together. Even though one Clique dies, you would do this in response to your Clique getting killed, blocked etc. When you know it's going to die anyways, that's when you flash in your Image and copy Clique. Just an example of different lines of play that get opened up.
And just a side note on TNN: TNN is sweet because he accomplishes two things. He's a beater, but he's also a defender that's really hard to remove. I don't consider MoW an analogue to TNN because MoW is just a beater (and it's not really him that does any work, it's the tokens he makes which is reliant on your board state), and he's relatively easy to remove. Pro Red isn't a good enough reason to play him Main Board imo, cuz when he gets removed, all the tokens are gone too. Vendilion on the other hand, is Aggro in addition to Control and provides more straight up value one turn earlier, and isn't reliant on your board state to be effective. It's also very likely that you could force your opponent to discard a removal spell which they would have otherwise used on one of your Lords.
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.
Ghost Quarter sounds interesting, why that over tec edge tho? Also what do you think of having a 2 of sea's claim in the sideboard as alternative land disruption that also turns on islandwalk?
I believe Lord without Islandwalk and Merfolks with Flash, since Harbinger experiment was success, are coming next.
Master of Waves is ridiculous, it is hard to imagine another 4-drop for our deck that could challenge his spots.
Great report, congratulations !!
Let me ask, Vapor Snag works better than Dismember for you ?? I ask because I like both and not sure which one to use....
I tried running 2/2 of them tonigh and ended up going 2-2-1. I was happy with that setup and might keep going with that.
U Merfolk U
W Mono W PBJ W
UBRGDredgeGRBU
EDH:
U Arcum Dagsson U
~I think Randy Buehler's mug is buehlertiful~
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
- A 3CMC creature that puts a single elemental token on the field.
- Another unsummon on a stick.
- Another Tidebinder Mage without color restrictions, probably at 3 CMC.
- A 1CMC creature that gets a +1/+1 counter whenever a merfolk ETB.
- Something that can make the Affinity matchup better without being OP and not be too narrow.
Some of these are unreasonable but I could dream.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
Well, while I really do like Vapor Snag (was running 4 in my 75 up until earlier today) I have to say that dismember is -pardon the language- really ****in' good! I play a 2/2 split of it between MD and SB and I find myself boarding it in a lot more than I board in Vapor snag, but that may just be some kind of confirmation bias.
U Merfolk U
W Mono W PBJ W
UBRGDredgeGRBU
EDH:
U Arcum Dagsson U
~I think Randy Buehler's mug is buehlertiful~
Also, how do you feel compared to other tribal decks? Goblins is barely a deck if at all...and in Origins elves got Shaman of the Pack, Dwynen's Elite, and Dwynen herself. We just got Harbinger. Despite there being Elves on Zendikar as well as Merfolk, neither tribe got anything. Should we consider Eldrazi a tribal deck now that they are also getting more support in Oath, as to be expected? Because any other tribal plane we visit would strength those kinds of decks, goblins could make a comeback with the right support, Elves would get more dangerous, but so would we. Zombies maybe have a chance again since we are going back to Innistrad
UMerfolkU
Legacy
UMerfolkU
Commander
RWBAlesha, Who Smiles At DeathRWB
Mate.
If we had a 1/1 or 2/1 merfolk land that tapped for blue? I'd be all over that baby in a moment, sheesh!
U Merfolk U
W Mono W PBJ W
UBRGDredgeGRBU
EDH:
U Arcum Dagsson U
~I think Randy Buehler's mug is buehlertiful~
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Modern
UGWRB Humans
G Mono-Green Tron
UWBR Ad Nauseam
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
Well, Wasteland would be "ok"
UMerfolk
WDeath and Taxes
BRBliztkrieg
GStompy
- - -
"Rock is overpowered. Paper is fine."
-Scissors
Here's the list:
4x Silvergill Adept
4x Master of the Pearl Trident
4x Lord of Atlantis
3x Merrow Reejerey
3x Vendilion Clique
3x Phantasmal Image
11x Island
1x Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
4x Mutavault
1x Wanderwine Hub
1x Cavern of Souls
4x Spreading Seas
3x Vapor Snag
3x Spell Pierce
2x Dismember
3x Spellskite
3x Relic of Progenitus
3x Tectonic Edge
3x Tidebinder Mage
I hate playing cards as only 2-ofs in my builds. I feel like I never get them when I want them. So I play with minimum 3x of any one card for maximum consistency. And usually, this works out well.
Reasoning for my choices:
Phantasmal Image: Another Lord, another Silvergill, another Vendilion, or he's your opponent's best creature. He's amazing.
Vendilion Clique: I don't like Master of Waves. Never have, never will. I don't want him in the main unless I'm boarding him in against midrange/aggro. But for everything else, I just don't like what he does. I prefer to have more interaction with the player, and since we don't get to play around with True Name Nemesis, I was looking for an analogue to it that could replace MoW in the main. Vendilion was the perfect card and it gives us virtual card advantage and access to a Flyer which we sorely need. Things get sick when you copy your Vendilion via Phantasmal Image.
*Edit* Further reasoning as to why I don't like MoW. I don't like MoW because all it does is push the aggro plan. It's in the sideboard for those grindy matchups, but I think that 4 mana is a huge investment and I don't like the fact that MoW's power is completely reliant on having a relatively developed board-state. Merfolk are extremely vulnerable to removal, which just makes MoW a dead card later in the game. I'd prefer to have a more proactive game plan. That's where Clique and Phantasmal come in. I don't consider MoW an analogue to TNN because MoW is just a beater (and it's not really him that does any work, it's the tokens he makes which is reliant on your board state), and he's relatively easy to remove. Pro Red isn't a good enough reason to play him Main Board imo, cuz when he gets removed, all the tokens are gone too. Vendilion on the other hand, is Aggro in addition to Control and provides more straight up value one turn earlier, and isn't reliant on your board state to be effective. It's also very likely that you could force your opponent to discard a removal spell which they would have otherwise used on one of your Lords, and if you had been running MoW instead and planned to play it on turn 4, whelp, now you have less devotion on the field, diminishing the efficiency of MoW.
Harbinger of the Tides: I might play around with him in the future, but from my testing, I never really like the fact that he goes in, bounces a creature, and then becomes a Bear. I'd prefer to board in the Tidebinder Mages when I actually need to deal with a threat. The way I see it, Tidebinder deal with the more relevant threats like Goyf, Rhinos, Voice, Smiters, Swiftspears, etc. Essentially, we tap down their big dudes, and force them to use their removal on Tidebinder, which saves our Lords from removal and allows us to amass a bigger army than our opponent. If Harbinger is used instead of Tidebinder, The opponent doesn't care if their creature gets bounced because they can a) cast it next turn b) Harbinger poses no additional threat to them and c) use their removal on one of our Lords and go on with the game as planned.
I do however main 3x Vapor Snag as my bounce spell. I like that I can save my Lords if I need to. I'm thinking of going down to 2x Vapor Snag and 4x Spell Pierce. Haven't Decided yet though.
I consider Merrow Reejerey, Vendilion Clique, and Phantasmal Image as my flex spots in terms of boarding in/out creatures.
Sideboard:
I need more testing to finalize my sideboard, but if I had to think about the changes I'd make, I'd cut MoW, and bring in 3x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner for more fliers against affinity, and more protection for the rest of my creatures.
I would never board in Hurkyl's Recall just for affinity. It's not relevant enough unless you can alpha strike and win. Spellskites do work for you all game long and Kira can combat fliers and offer more protection for your lords. Affinity usually comes down to a) Did you counter Cranial Plating? or b) do you have flyers to block their flyers? c) can you alpha strike and win?. Kira, Spellskite, and Spell Pierce ensure that I can get to plan c).
Anyways, that's all I got. I'll update with more results when I can get to testing against more Tier 1 decks.
You mentioned wanting an analog to TNN that will take MoWs spots ignoring the fact that he IS our TNN in Modern (harder to remove threat that stops ground assault and wins games).
3 Clique is definitely too much and could you explain sick situations when you copy Clique with Image (legendary)?
Your deck even has a considerable chance that Hub Etb tapped or nothing to show for Adept, which is shameful for a Merfolk deck
I will not sugarcoat it, no love for this build.
I've been playing Merfolk since I started with MTG several years ago. It was my first modern deck, and it is still my go-to deck. I've played alot of games with Merfolk and the one weakness the deck has is its super linear playstyle. Focusing on the purely aggro plan is great and all, but most decks have multiple ways to answer our threats, and that's why Vendilion and Phantasmal seemed liked pretty good Flex creatures that open up new lines of play against a wide variety of decks.
My build is still in testing, and in no way am I saying that it's better than other builds, but it is different, and it offers a different kind of playstyle; more controlling, and more emphasis on combat tricks and interactions with your opponent instead of straight up aggro.
I don't like MoW because all it does is push the aggro plan. It's in the sideboard for those grindy matchups, but I think that 4 mana is a huge investment and I don't like the fact that MoW's power is completely reliant on having a relatively developed board-state. Merfolk are extremely vulnerable to removal, which just makes MoW a dead card later in the game. I'd prefer to have a more proactive game plan. That's where Clique and Phantasmal come in. Clique is Thoughtseize on a stick, and Phantasmal is anything I want it to be, depending on the board state. Copying Vendilion with Phantasmal allows you to Thoughtseize your opponent twice. That's what I meant when I was talking about their interaction together. Even though one Clique dies, you would do this in response to your Clique getting killed, blocked etc. When you know it's going to die anyways, that's when you flash in your Image and copy Clique. Just an example of different lines of play that get opened up.
And just a side note on TNN: TNN is sweet because he accomplishes two things. He's a beater, but he's also a defender that's really hard to remove. I don't consider MoW an analogue to TNN because MoW is just a beater (and it's not really him that does any work, it's the tokens he makes which is reliant on your board state), and he's relatively easy to remove. Pro Red isn't a good enough reason to play him Main Board imo, cuz when he gets removed, all the tokens are gone too. Vendilion on the other hand, is Aggro in addition to Control and provides more straight up value one turn earlier, and isn't reliant on your board state to be effective. It's also very likely that you could force your opponent to discard a removal spell which they would have otherwise used on one of your Lords.
Ghost Quarter sounds interesting, why that over tec edge tho? Also what do you think of having a 2 of sea's claim in the sideboard as alternative land disruption that also turns on islandwalk?