I feel like Swords are too clunky for Merfolk. They're probably too clunky for any given Modern deck. The only equipment I'd play in Modern is Batterskull, as it gives you a creature with it and isn't a terrible topdeck on an empty board, but that's another conversation entirely.
On another note, been noticing that the UW version is still making a splash. Though I'm still not totally onboard with the list that runs the Changeling/Spellstutter package, but the guy seems to be doing well. So I'm probably totally wrong on that one. Think I might try a list like this tomorrow at my shop's weekly tourney (and I expect to get crushed).
Not running a fourth Mutavault because I'm bad at MTG and simply don't have one. My theoretical plan is to drop Phantasmal Image for White hatebears where they're needed. This may or not be a good plan. Are there any last-minute changes I should consider before trying to run this list tomorrow?
Yes, Moorland Haunt is fantastic and makes control decks cry. It's basically the equivalent of bitterblossom lategame
Be wary however that you don't run too few islands, with so many cards costing UU we're actually a very colorheavy deck. I wouldn't ever want to go below 14 blue sources so if you run the standard 2x Cavern of Souls 4x Mutavault you should probably either cut one of those or run a 21th land for Moorland Haunt (which is worth it)
What do you guys think about taking out vial versus jund? Generally it's a bad idea to flood against them anyways and it's such a Godawful topdeck, I'd rather max out on threats.
Yep Vial side out is not a bad thing against a number of decks, I do it v jund, I even do it v robots, and v bg rock, I do want to try it v Pod, I have not done so in the past, and I think it's bitten me in the backside a few times.
Just makes me worry about multiple vials. I mean it is one of the best cards in magic, but the legacy merfolk deck I'll be playing won't even run them.
Another merfolk deck won another ptq last weekend, ran two md relics, so might try that again.
I'd say bogles is also not great, and same with soul sisters. I don't know why people think scapeshift is hard? In my experience it's one of our best MUs, and that opinion has been voiced by a number of scapeshift players I know, who say they pretty much need to draw multiple cryptics and hope there's no counterspell action.
I will also move back up to four cursecatcher, don't think I appreciated him enough, actually.
Yes, Moorland Haunt is fantastic and makes control decks cry. It's basically the equivalent of bitterblossom lategame
Be wary however that you don't run too few islands, with so many cards costing UU we're actually a very colorheavy deck. I wouldn't ever want to go below 14 blue sources so if you run the standard 2x Cavern of Souls 4x Mutavault you should probably either cut one of those or run a 21th land for Moorland Haunt (which is worth it)
All of the builds I've seen rocking Haunt have run 21 lands. I run 21 in my UW build and have had no flooding issues. Honestly, I've had a ton of fun with my build but also think the white splash is very much merited. I'm mostly a D&T player and have become accustomed to premiere SB options. IMO, splashing white is worth the SB upgrade alone but MD Path, Haunt, possibly Sygg River Guide can't hurt. Other than becoming exponentially weaker to Blood Moon (and I know that may be a very good reason to stray from UW depending on your meta) I don't see why not. I've had very few issues with color screw/consistency.
I think if I were to play Merfolk, it would be a UW version of some sort. Maybe not with Spellstutter Sprite, but main decking path with the way the meta is right now, along with having the best anti-affinity cards when affinity is our worst matchup, AND having access to Moorland Haunt is awesome.
Opinions on Chalice of the Void? Chalice on 1 against Burn, Boggle, Storm (chalice on 2 here is also good) and against Affinity seems awesome, chalice on 0 vs affinity is also ok, chalice on 2 vs. affinity may be slow but also quite good.
Spellskite for boggle and infect and burn.
Chalice of the void and hurkyll recall and dismember for affinity and infect also
Tidebinder mage for Jund BGx Rock and infect.
Unified will for burn and UWR control and living and.
Relic of progenitus for UWR control, Jund BGx Linving end
I have one spell snare for storm BGx, UWR control
For UR Splintertwin.. dismember, echoing truth
Thoughts on Quickling? 2 drop flash that returns a Silvergill adept back to your hand or a lord, saving him from path/bolt while simultaneously replacing a body.
Quickling is not a very good card. The problem is that you must bounce a creature of your own. Sometimes it's an upside (using it in response to removal) but the rest of the time it's a drawback. What if you don't have another creature out? What if they don't play removal? What if you cast it and they respond with removal? It's bad in a lot of situations and only really good in specific occasions.
If you want to deal with Path/Bolt and put a flyer into play, you could use Spellstutter Sprite I guess. But even then, I think you're probably better off running a more versatile counterspell such as Mana Leak or Spell Pierce. Or just play Faeries. I don't think Fae is going to play Quickling either, but it's a better home for the Sprite anyway.
Hey guys, long time lurker but finally decided to contribute a bit.(Disclosure : Pardon my English, I'm a French native)
I've been playing fish for the past 6 months and I love that deck, whatever the haters say. I took a more serious approach to it after I saw mister snazzycool performance in Richmond. I went at my local FNM in Montreal yesterday night (good level local FNM ) and went 4-0, taking 1st place with the following list.
4 lord of the atlantis
4 master of the pearl trident
4 merrow reejerey
3 cursecatcher
4 silvergill adept
3 master of waves
2 coralhelm commander
1 kira, great glass spinner
4 aether vial
4 mana leak
4 spreading seas
3 vapor snag
4 mutavault
2 cavern of souls
14 islands
I faced : white vial/hatebears/weenie, Pod, Burn and UWr control (no Kiki).
R1 1 : White weenie splash red/vial/hatebears 1-0
G1 : A very straight race that I won with spreading seas and vapor snag. He had Brimaz into play with the soldier that makes all your creaturess x/x in hand, I block a token, he slams the soldier with vial, and I vapor snag his double strike guy, falling down to 4 when he's all tap, then alpha strike back for 18. I could/should have blocked with a lord That I had in my hand in order to be more safe.
G2 : He goes all in with vial, Thalia + brave the elements and kills me turn 4.
G3 : Vial into cursecatcher, into silvergil. Turn 4 I cast a lord with 2 mana up, he tries to path it, I slam Kira. He then tries brimaz, I manaleak, and I have vial at 4 with 2 masters in hand + 5 devotion on the table.
R2 : POD (Melira)2-1
G1 : He had bird + finks + pod + melira in hand, goes for combo turn 4 withou a single pod activation. Skilled.
G2 : I keep a hand with island, vial, reejerey silvergill and 3 lords. He decays my vial, I don't see a second land before turn 4, but manage to counter his pod with steel sabotage. He has only some mana dorks and finks. I start hitting lands on turn 4-5, and cast two reejereys, then Lord untap two islands*3 then win on spreading seas next turn. I was at 3. Never keep a one lander against a deck with decay.
G3 : He casts a bird, I dismember it, then spreading sea his overgrown tomb, leaving him with just one gavony township and blue mana. No finks for you mofo. My board is weak (silvergill*2 + cursecatcher + lands) but I manage to kill him slowly him with mana leak protection in hand.
R3 Burn 2-0
G1 : I'm on the draw, he casts goblin guide T1, then burns me down to 8 but I have a solid board (vial + lords). He tries to burn my lords, but I have kira on vial + mana leak in my hand. Then start slamming.
G2 : Spreading seas + mana leak early game, then kira + spellskite lock. (one of my favourite stuff to do). He tries to trick me attacking with guide, and asking if I want to block with spellskite. I say no thanks, and strikes for lethal in two turns with multiple lords + corlahelm commander level 4.
R4 : UWr control snap/bolt/ajani and stuff - 2-1
G1 : He has a hand full of removal, and I scoop on vendilion clique + ajani tapping my cavern of souls after turn 10 with no more gas in hand.
G2 : I spreading sea his red land, and start grinding with cursecatcher + silvergill, keeping mana up for mana leak and vial on 2 with speelskite in hand. He anger of the god turn 5, when I have 2 lords. I sac cursecatcher to make him pay one (leaving just 1 mana up), then slams a lord to protect my other lords. Attack for lethal with mutavault on my turn.
G3 : It was such a grind. I lack gas early game but I have 2 cursecatchers + vial + relic on the board. I keep vial on 2, attack with cursecatchers + 1 lord. He wants to path my lord but I have him exile my spellskite instead to keep pressuring his life total. Next turn, he tries to snap bolt but I counter his bolt, then save one of my guys with vapor snag from another bolt, to re-vial it in combat. Lots of tricks. I slam a lord end of turn to have lethal. He tries to cryptic command tap/draw on my next attack, but I have 2 cursecatchers. I sac the two to counter the cryptic, he's got 1 mana up, and falls to 1, then I destroy his untapped blue land with tec edge and vapor snag his snapcaster (lol).
I'll probably make some changes for GP Boston next week, fine tuning the sideboard for affinity and make room for echoing truth (for hatebears enchantements/twin/resto/tokens etc).
My own 2 cents :
Merfolk is a good deck that you have to play like a fox. Don't puke your hand, you're not affinity. Use your bounce wisely, 40% of the time on you own guys. Spreading seas before silvergill is often a good choice.
MVPs and movers:
- Relic + tec edge. Probably moving up to 3 tec edge in the sideboard for Tron and Scapeshift
- Spellskite + kira : so much value. Sadistic play : Path your spellskite > counter. Path again, slams another spellskite on vial > counter > cry.
- I'll probably cut coralhelm commander for more bounce and back to 4 cursecatcher (don't under the little guy, he's your mvp against control.)
- Steel sabotage is nut
- I still think tidebinder has a place in a meta full of BGx shells
- Threads of disloyalty is not worth playing anymore
- Always keep at least one dismember somewhere
Good report BUT looks like you've been cheating with Kira. You can't vial kira in in response to a path. It doesn't counter the path, because the spell is already on the stack, and your creature did not have the "Kira shield" when it was selected as a target. So path resolves, and you lose your guy
EDIT: Same for burn spells. Can't stop them by responding with vialling in Kira. On the other hand you can vial in spellskite in response, and redirect. That works.
As for whether to play Silvergill or Spreading Seas first, I think it depends on the MU. In some cases cutting off their coloured mana early is better, in other cases playing a beater early and having your seas ready for when you need islandwalk, or just stop a man land, is better. Also depends on if you have vial, since you can just vial silvergill in later in that case.
Hey guys, long time lurker but finally decided to contribute a bit.(Disclosure : Pardon my English, I'm a French native)
I've been playing fish for the past 6 months and I love that deck, whatever the haters say. I took a more serious approach to it after I saw mister snazzycool performance in Richmond. I went at my local FNM in Montreal yesterday night (good level local FNM ) and went 4-0, taking 1st place with the following list.
4 lord of the atlantis
4 master of the pearl trident
4 merrow reejerey
3 cursecatcher
4 silvergill adept
3 master of waves
2 coralhelm commander
1 kira, great glass spinner
4 aether vial
4 mana leak
4 spreading seas
3 vapor snag
4 mutavault
2 cavern of souls
14 islands
I faced : white vial/hatebears/weenie, Pod, Burn and UWr control (no Kiki).
R1 1 : White weenie splash red/vial/hatebears 1-0
G1 : A very straight race that I won with spreading seas and vapor snag. He had Brimaz into play with the soldier that makes all your creaturess x/x in hand, I block a token, he slams the soldier with vial, and I vapor snag his double strike guy, falling down to 4 when he's all tap, then alpha strike back for 18. I could/should have blocked with a lord That I had in my hand in order to be more safe.
G2 : He goes all in with vial, Thalia + brave the elements and kills me turn 4.
G3 : Vial into cursecatcher, into silvergil. Turn 4 I cast a lord with 2 mana up, he tries to path it, I slam Kira. He then tries brimaz, I manaleak, and I have vial at 4 with 2 masters in hand + 5 devotion on the table.
R2 : POD (Melira)2-1
G1 : He had bird + finks + pod + melira in hand, goes for combo turn 4 withou a single pod activation. Skilled.
G2 : I keep a hand with island, vial, reejerey silvergill and 3 lords. He decays my vial, I don't see a second land before turn 4, but manage to counter his pod with steel sabotage. He has only some mana dorks and finks. I start hitting lands on turn 4-5, and cast two reejereys, then Lord untap two islands*3 then win on spreading seas next turn. I was at 3. Never keep a one lander against a deck with decay.
G3 : He casts a bird, I dismember it, then spreading sea his overgrown tomb, leaving him with just one gavony township and blue mana. No finks for you mofo. My board is weak (silvergill*2 + cursecatcher + lands) but I manage to kill him slowly him with mana leak protection in hand.
R3 Burn 2-0
G1 : I'm on the draw, he casts goblin guide T1, then burns me down to 8 but I have a solid board (vial + lords). He tries to burn my lords, but I have kira on vial + mana leak in my hand. Then start slamming.
G2 : Spreading seas + mana leak early game, then kira + spellskite lock. (one of my favourite stuff to do). He tries to trick me attacking with guide, and asking if I want to block with spellskite. I say no thanks, and strikes for lethal in two turns with multiple lords + corlahelm commander level 4.
R4 : UWr control snap/bolt/ajani and stuff - 2-1
G1 : He has a hand full of removal, and I scoop on vendilion clique + ajani tapping my cavern of souls after turn 10 with no more gas in hand.
G2 : I spreading sea his red land, and start grinding with cursecatcher + silvergill, keeping mana up for mana leak and vial on 2 with speelskite in hand. He anger of the god turn 5, when I have 2 lords. I sac cursecatcher to make him pay one (leaving just 1 mana up), then slams a lord to protect my other lords. Attack for lethal with mutavault on my turn.
G3 : It was such a grind. I lack gas early game but I have 2 cursecatchers + vial + relic on the board. I keep vial on 2, attack with cursecatchers + 1 lord. He wants to path my lord but I have him exile my spellskite instead to keep pressuring his life total. Next turn, he tries to snap bolt but I counter his bolt, then save one of my guys with vapor snag from another bolt, to re-vial it in combat. Lots of tricks. I slam a lord end of turn to have lethal. He tries to cryptic command tap/draw on my next attack, but I have 2 cursecatchers. I sac the two to counter the cryptic, he's got 1 mana up, and falls to 1, then I destroy his untapped blue land with tec edge and vapor snag his snapcaster (lol).
I'll probably make some changes for GP Boston next week, fine tuning the sideboard for affinity and make room for echoing truth (for hatebears enchantements/twin/resto/tokens etc).
My own 2 cents :
Merfolk is a good deck that you have to play like a fox. Don't puke your hand, you're not affinity. Use your bounce wisely, 40% of the time on you own guys. Spreading seas before silvergill is often a good choice.
MVPs and movers:
- Relic + tec edge. Probably moving up to 3 tec edge in the sideboard for Tron and Scapeshift
- Spellskite + kira : so much value. Sadistic play : Path your spellskite > counter. Path again, slams another spellskite on vial > counter > cry.
- I'll probably cut coralhelm commander for more bounce and back to 4 cursecatcher (don't under the little guy, he's your mvp against control.)
- Steel sabotage is nut
- I still think tidebinder has a place in a meta full of BGx shells
- Threads of disloyalty is not worth playing anymore
- Always keep at least one dismember somewhere
Hope you guys enjoy it !
G3 : Vial into cursecatcher, into silvergil. Turn 4 I cast a lord with 2 mana up, he tries to path it, I slam Kira. He then tries brimaz, I manaleak, and I have vial at 4 with 2 masters in hand + 5 devotion on the table.
Vialing in Kira in response to a path does not save your creature. Kira has to be in play to counter the first spell that targets your creature
Good report BUT looks like you've been cheating with Kira. You can't vial kira in in response to a path. It doesn't counter the path, because the spell is already on the stack, and your creature did not have the "Kira shield" when it was selected as a target. So path resolves, and you lose your guy
EDIT: Same for burn spells. Can't stop them by responding with vialling in Kira. On the other hand you can vial in spellskite in response, and redirect. That works.
Assuming this fact, is it still worth to play Kira? In my local meta judges were wrong and allowed me to vial Kira to counter spells and effects. This was a real advantage. Now I have to explain them how the rule works and i will lose this advantage. My question is, is Kira still good even if you can't play it as an instant speed counter?
Yes that ruling is true, you cannot vial in kira to counter spells since by then the countering has already happened (just like how you can't protect Phantasmal Image with Kira). Nevertheless Kira is still definitely worth playing. Ask any control-esque deck pilot (Twin or UWr) what their most hated card in Merfolk is and they'll probably say Kira
Good report BUT looks like you've been cheating with Kira. You can't vial kira in in response to a path. It doesn't counter the path, because the spell is already on the stack, and your creature did not have the "Kira shield" when it was selected as a target. So path resolves, and you lose your guy
Damn, this is true, I've been doing this for months. I even remember asking a judge that told me this play was legit. It's still worth playing especially if you have a spellskite somewhere in your 75. Which you should.
I've been playing alot with a friend of mine against his burn deck and I've been finding Master of Waves is just too slow and by the time I get him out he just gets bolted, should I just swap him out with Kira, Great Glass-Spinner? Heres his deck list
also I know this is in the wrong primer but he wants me to ask if adding black to his burn deck would be advantageous.
I don't think splashing black is a bad idea, even if it's just for Bump in the Night and some sideboard cards. The fetches required for splashing black would also enable Grim Lavamancer, one of the few really effective ways burn decks can have some inevitability if they fizzle out a bit. Also, you should tell your friend that Goblin Guide is one of the most important cards for Modern Burn. Unless he's restricted by budget, he should really find a way to fit in 4x Goblin Guide and 2x Grim Lavamancers if he's splashing back with fetches. If I had to pick something to drop for them, I'd say Spark Elemental and Vexing Devil are the weakest cards in his deck.
Not exactly... Id go -2 shard volley, 4 is too many from exp. Go up tp 18 land, cut the magma jets for the guides and add 2 Lavamancers
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I feel like Swords are too clunky for Merfolk. They're probably too clunky for any given Modern deck. The only equipment I'd play in Modern is Batterskull, as it gives you a creature with it and isn't a terrible topdeck on an empty board, but that's another conversation entirely.
On another note, been noticing that the UW version is still making a splash. Though I'm still not totally onboard with the list that runs the Changeling/Spellstutter package, but the guy seems to be doing well. So I'm probably totally wrong on that one. Think I might try a list like this tomorrow at my shop's weekly tourney (and I expect to get crushed).
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Silvergill Adept
1 Sygg, River Guide
2 Tidebinder Mage
3 Merrow Reejerey
1 Mirror Entity
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Master of Waves
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
4 Spreading Seas
Mana/Beats
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Hallowed Fountain
4 Island
3 Mutavault
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Wanderwine Hub
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Swan Song
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Mark of Asylum
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Not running a fourth Mutavault because I'm bad at MTG and simply don't have one. My theoretical plan is to drop Phantasmal Image for White hatebears where they're needed. This may or not be a good plan. Are there any last-minute changes I should consider before trying to run this list tomorrow?
Thats like the whole reason to splash white. it gives the deck so much more longevity its amazing!
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
-------------
xRxAffinityxRx
Be wary however that you don't run too few islands, with so many cards costing UU we're actually a very colorheavy deck. I wouldn't ever want to go below 14 blue sources so if you run the standard 2x Cavern of Souls 4x Mutavault you should probably either cut one of those or run a 21th land for Moorland Haunt (which is worth it)
Just makes me worry about multiple vials. I mean it is one of the best cards in magic, but the legacy merfolk deck I'll be playing won't even run them.
Another merfolk deck won another ptq last weekend, ran two md relics, so might try that again.
Other than Affinity what would be this decks toughest matchups? I know some people say Jund but I say to you run Master of Waves good sir!
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
-------------
xRxAffinityxRx
I will also move back up to four cursecatcher, don't think I appreciated him enough, actually.
All of the builds I've seen rocking Haunt have run 21 lands. I run 21 in my UW build and have had no flooding issues. Honestly, I've had a ton of fun with my build but also think the white splash is very much merited. I'm mostly a D&T player and have become accustomed to premiere SB options. IMO, splashing white is worth the SB upgrade alone but MD Path, Haunt, possibly Sygg River Guide can't hurt. Other than becoming exponentially weaker to Blood Moon (and I know that may be a very good reason to stray from UW depending on your meta) I don't see why not. I've had very few issues with color screw/consistency.
Opinions on Chalice of the Void? Chalice on 1 against Burn, Boggle, Storm (chalice on 2 here is also good) and against Affinity seems awesome, chalice on 0 vs affinity is also ok, chalice on 2 vs. affinity may be slow but also quite good.
Do you cut Aether Vial vs. Affinity? Jund?
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
-------------
xRxAffinityxRx
Chalice of the void and hurkyll recall and dismember for affinity and infect also
Tidebinder mage for Jund BGx Rock and infect.
Unified will for burn and UWR control and living and.
Relic of progenitus for UWR control, Jund BGx Linving end
I have one spell snare for storm BGx, UWR control
For UR Splintertwin.. dismember, echoing truth
If you want to deal with Path/Bolt and put a flyer into play, you could use Spellstutter Sprite I guess. But even then, I think you're probably better off running a more versatile counterspell such as Mana Leak or Spell Pierce. Or just play Faeries. I don't think Fae is going to play Quickling either, but it's a better home for the Sprite anyway.
I've been playing fish for the past 6 months and I love that deck, whatever the haters say. I took a more serious approach to it after I saw mister snazzycool performance in Richmond. I went at my local FNM in Montreal yesterday night (good level local FNM ) and went 4-0, taking 1st place with the following list.
4 lord of the atlantis
4 master of the pearl trident
4 merrow reejerey
3 cursecatcher
4 silvergill adept
3 master of waves
2 coralhelm commander
1 kira, great glass spinner
4 aether vial
4 mana leak
4 spreading seas
3 vapor snag
4 mutavault
2 cavern of souls
14 islands
I faced : white vial/hatebears/weenie, Pod, Burn and UWr control (no Kiki).
R1 1 : White weenie splash red/vial/hatebears 1-0
G1 : A very straight race that I won with spreading seas and vapor snag. He had Brimaz into play with the soldier that makes all your creaturess x/x in hand, I block a token, he slams the soldier with vial, and I vapor snag his double strike guy, falling down to 4 when he's all tap, then alpha strike back for 18. I could/should have blocked with a lord That I had in my hand in order to be more safe.
G2 : He goes all in with vial, Thalia + brave the elements and kills me turn 4.
G3 : Vial into cursecatcher, into silvergil. Turn 4 I cast a lord with 2 mana up, he tries to path it, I slam Kira. He then tries brimaz, I manaleak, and I have vial at 4 with 2 masters in hand + 5 devotion on the table.
R2 : POD (Melira)2-1
G1 : He had bird + finks + pod + melira in hand, goes for combo turn 4 withou a single pod activation. Skilled.
G2 : I keep a hand with island, vial, reejerey silvergill and 3 lords. He decays my vial, I don't see a second land before turn 4, but manage to counter his pod with steel sabotage. He has only some mana dorks and finks. I start hitting lands on turn 4-5, and cast two reejereys, then Lord untap two islands*3 then win on spreading seas next turn. I was at 3. Never keep a one lander against a deck with decay.
G3 : He casts a bird, I dismember it, then spreading sea his overgrown tomb, leaving him with just one gavony township and blue mana. No finks for you mofo. My board is weak (silvergill*2 + cursecatcher + lands) but I manage to kill him slowly him with mana leak protection in hand.
R3 Burn 2-0
G1 : I'm on the draw, he casts goblin guide T1, then burns me down to 8 but I have a solid board (vial + lords). He tries to burn my lords, but I have kira on vial + mana leak in my hand. Then start slamming.
G2 : Spreading seas + mana leak early game, then kira + spellskite lock. (one of my favourite stuff to do). He tries to trick me attacking with guide, and asking if I want to block with spellskite. I say no thanks, and strikes for lethal in two turns with multiple lords + corlahelm commander level 4.
R4 : UWr control snap/bolt/ajani and stuff - 2-1
G1 : He has a hand full of removal, and I scoop on vendilion clique + ajani tapping my cavern of souls after turn 10 with no more gas in hand.
G2 : I spreading sea his red land, and start grinding with cursecatcher + silvergill, keeping mana up for mana leak and vial on 2 with speelskite in hand. He anger of the god turn 5, when I have 2 lords. I sac cursecatcher to make him pay one (leaving just 1 mana up), then slams a lord to protect my other lords. Attack for lethal with mutavault on my turn.
G3 : It was such a grind. I lack gas early game but I have 2 cursecatchers + vial + relic on the board. I keep vial on 2, attack with cursecatchers + 1 lord. He wants to path my lord but I have him exile my spellskite instead to keep pressuring his life total. Next turn, he tries to snap bolt but I counter his bolt, then save one of my guys with vapor snag from another bolt, to re-vial it in combat. Lots of tricks. I slam a lord end of turn to have lethal. He tries to cryptic command tap/draw on my next attack, but I have 2 cursecatchers. I sac the two to counter the cryptic, he's got 1 mana up, and falls to 1, then I destroy his untapped blue land with tec edge and vapor snag his snapcaster (lol).
I'll probably make some changes for GP Boston next week, fine tuning the sideboard for affinity and make room for echoing truth (for hatebears enchantements/twin/resto/tokens etc).
My own 2 cents :
Merfolk is a good deck that you have to play like a fox. Don't puke your hand, you're not affinity. Use your bounce wisely, 40% of the time on you own guys. Spreading seas before silvergill is often a good choice.
MVPs and movers:
- Relic + tec edge. Probably moving up to 3 tec edge in the sideboard for Tron and Scapeshift
- Spellskite + kira : so much value. Sadistic play : Path your spellskite > counter. Path again, slams another spellskite on vial > counter > cry.
- I'll probably cut coralhelm commander for more bounce and back to 4 cursecatcher (don't under the little guy, he's your mvp against control.)
- Steel sabotage is nut
- I still think tidebinder has a place in a meta full of BGx shells
- Threads of disloyalty is not worth playing anymore
- Always keep at least one dismember somewhere
Hope you guys enjoy it !
EDIT: Same for burn spells. Can't stop them by responding with vialling in Kira. On the other hand you can vial in spellskite in response, and redirect. That works.
As for whether to play Silvergill or Spreading Seas first, I think it depends on the MU. In some cases cutting off their coloured mana early is better, in other cases playing a beater early and having your seas ready for when you need islandwalk, or just stop a man land, is better. Also depends on if you have vial, since you can just vial silvergill in later in that case.
G3 : Vial into cursecatcher, into silvergil. Turn 4 I cast a lord with 2 mana up, he tries to path it, I slam Kira. He then tries brimaz, I manaleak, and I have vial at 4 with 2 masters in hand + 5 devotion on the table.
Vialing in Kira in response to a path does not save your creature. Kira has to be in play to counter the first spell that targets your creature
Yes that ruling is true, you cannot vial in kira to counter spells since by then the countering has already happened (just like how you can't protect Phantasmal Image with Kira). Nevertheless Kira is still definitely worth playing. Ask any control-esque deck pilot (Twin or UWr) what their most hated card in Merfolk is and they'll probably say Kira
Damn, this is true, I've been doing this for months. I even remember asking a judge that told me this play was legit. It's still worth playing especially if you have a spellskite somewhere in your 75. Which you should.
Not exactly... Id go -2 shard volley, 4 is too many from exp. Go up tp 18 land, cut the magma jets for the guides and add 2 Lavamancers