Hi Shoebaccha, sorry I should have probably elaborated a bit more.
The use of non-basic and man lands has multiple uses.
Wanderwine is not an island, therefore choke/boil resistant, with the bonus that they are also great in the mirror (you dont give island walk) and can open sideboard options (which was not the case here).
Fairy conclave does a similar job (hate and island walk resistant) but is also very good in a control heavy meta-game. Joker pointed out that they are less expensive than Mutavault and can produce B mana instead of colourless. Fairy conclave was popularised by MHayashi who is still using it as a 4 of in his version of Merfolk which plays a different tempo and style and if you look at this MTGO record has had extraordinary results with it.
Both of these lands does a specific job in a specific meta and if you tune your deck around them might give you an edge in a match-up or two. Most Merfolk pilots however prefer to use a more stable manabase (14-15 blue and 4-5 brown sources)that is good against most match-ups.
Why is it you have a Wanderwine Hub and a Conclave?
Wanderwine is to play around choke.
Conclave is to play around choke and as another evasive man-land
In the last week Ive run into 2 Choke's Online in the new Rock deck, so have a more diverse mana-pool is helpful. However, blood moon is still around, so should not over-commit as well.
Are you still preferring all 4 Harbingers in the main? I saw so much Phoenix at my LGS the other day I’m debating it.
I personally have experimented with 2 / 2 , 2 / 1 and I'm currently back on a 3 / 0 split. Someone also posted results where they had all 4 Harbingers in the side.
At a minimum you probably still need at least 2 Harbingers in your 75 - they are just to good in some match ups to leave out and would depend on your meta.
Ive been following the MTG scene the last year or so, but only recently updated my MTGO deck and started playing a few games again.
In my first MTGO Friendly League this week I ran into not one, but two lantern control decks.
Without the sideboard Hurkyls it was painful, very painful... The my 6 maindeck counters ( 2x Spell Pierce and 4x Deprive) was not even good enough.
I feel very confident against Burn at the moment, Ive won my last 6 matches against them comfortably. Like Rothgar said, MoW is beast in the matchup. Im also running 2x spellskite in the side which normally just breaks the Burn's back completely.
I had some trouble against the black control deck playing with Bitterblossom, mostly because I did not know what to expect.
So in my last competitive league on MTGO Ive faced Jeskai control in 3 of 5 games all of them with the new Teferi Planeswalker and legendary enchantment/land that lets them search for answers.
Its a similar list to the following that they are running.
In a friendly league last week, I've faced Jeskai again twice. It seems this deck is gaining a lot of popularity and I don't know what to do...
If I play slow Teferi and the enchantment comes online and they just always have answers. If I try to race, Verdict or Wrath just clears the board.
I always Vial / Flash in creatures at end of their turn, and only if I do not have some pressure on the board already.
I've even added 2x Fairy conclave to try some more man-lands which allowed me to steal me a game, but I still feel this match-up is super hard with the new cards Jeskai got.
I'm playing Nikachu's Spell Pierce list without cursecatchers.
Im going to attend my first Friday night event after about a year hiatus.
I do not have all the new 'tropical' goodies yet, so will need to take the mono blue variant to my LGS.
From what I hear the local meta is still quite Affinity heavy.
My 60 would include the standard 28 creatures + 2 copters.
20 lands, 4 vials, 4 Seas and 2 flex ( probably dismember)
side Im considering:
3 Relic
3 Ceremonious rejection
2 hurkyl's recall
2 dispel
2 negate
2 echoing truth
1 dismember
What would you recommend for the 2 flex slots and am I committing to much to the Affinity match-up in the side board?
It looks like coralhelm commander has fallen completely out of favour recently.
Is he too slow in the meta as 1 or 2 off atm?
Flying is a good ability for midgame (spirit tokens, affinity flyers, blinkmoths etc.) and he can morph into another lord with a big body as a finisher late game.
I found that on turn 5+ I usually sit with unused mana very often and he could act as an efficient mana sink...
I dont know if the one merfolk spoiled in Magic Origins could mean that we might see some new cards we can use...
I guess I should not get excited yet....
I'd like to see a flying merfolk, perhaps a fish with a bounce ETB trigger we can abuse with vial, another prot green/red would be nice, perhaps something with a rally effect "all attacking creatures gets +1/+0".
Would not mind a cheap to cast aggro orientated blue planeswalker..,
I don't want anything game breaking, just more tools to improve our bad matchups.
The use of non-basic and man lands has multiple uses.
Wanderwine is not an island, therefore choke/boil resistant, with the bonus that they are also great in the mirror (you dont give island walk) and can open sideboard options (which was not the case here).
Fairy conclave does a similar job (hate and island walk resistant) but is also very good in a control heavy meta-game. Joker pointed out that they are less expensive than Mutavault and can produce B mana instead of colourless. Fairy conclave was popularised by MHayashi who is still using it as a 4 of in his version of Merfolk which plays a different tempo and style and if you look at this MTGO record has had extraordinary results with it.
Both of these lands does a specific job in a specific meta and if you tune your deck around them might give you an edge in a match-up or two. Most Merfolk pilots however prefer to use a more stable manabase (14-15 blue and 4-5 brown sources)that is good against most match-ups.
Wanderwine is to play around choke.
Conclave is to play around choke and as another evasive man-land
In the last week Ive run into 2 Choke's Online in the new Rock deck, so have a more diverse mana-pool is helpful. However, blood moon is still around, so should not over-commit as well.
I personally have experimented with 2 / 2 , 2 / 1 and I'm currently back on a 3 / 0 split. Someone also posted results where they had all 4 Harbingers in the side.
At a minimum you probably still need at least 2 Harbingers in your 75 - they are just to good in some match ups to leave out and would depend on your meta.
In my first MTGO Friendly League this week I ran into not one, but two lantern control decks.
Without the sideboard Hurkyls it was painful, very painful... The my 6 maindeck counters ( 2x Spell Pierce and 4x Deprive) was not even good enough.
I feel very confident against Burn at the moment, Ive won my last 6 matches against them comfortably. Like Rothgar said, MoW is beast in the matchup. Im also running 2x spellskite in the side which normally just breaks the Burn's back completely.
I had some trouble against the black control deck playing with Bitterblossom, mostly because I did not know what to expect.
Its a similar list to the following that they are running.
In a friendly league last week, I've faced Jeskai again twice. It seems this deck is gaining a lot of popularity and I don't know what to do...
If I play slow Teferi and the enchantment comes online and they just always have answers. If I try to race, Verdict or Wrath just clears the board.
I always Vial / Flash in creatures at end of their turn, and only if I do not have some pressure on the board already.
I've even added 2x Fairy conclave to try some more man-lands which allowed me to steal me a game, but I still feel this match-up is super hard with the new cards Jeskai got.
I'm playing Nikachu's Spell Pierce list without cursecatchers.
Any advise, suggestions?
Im going to attend my first Friday night event after about a year hiatus.
I do not have all the new 'tropical' goodies yet, so will need to take the mono blue variant to my LGS.
From what I hear the local meta is still quite Affinity heavy.
My 60 would include the standard 28 creatures + 2 copters.
20 lands, 4 vials, 4 Seas and 2 flex ( probably dismember)
side Im considering:
3 Relic
3 Ceremonious rejection
2 hurkyl's recall
2 dispel
2 negate
2 echoing truth
1 dismember
What would you recommend for the 2 flex slots and am I committing to much to the Affinity match-up in the side board?
What do you guys think of the Mono W list?
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=114267
Where are we standing with Chalice of the Void in the side atm?
Playing it on 1 could shutdown quite a number of decks doing well in the meta at the moment.
Replacing Cursecatcher perhaps in games 2 and 3?
It looks like coralhelm commander has fallen completely out of favour recently.
Is he too slow in the meta as 1 or 2 off atm?
Flying is a good ability for midgame (spirit tokens, affinity flyers, blinkmoths etc.) and he can morph into another lord with a big body as a finisher late game.
I found that on turn 5+ I usually sit with unused mana very often and he could act as an efficient mana sink...
Thinking of a 26 creature package:
16 core (lords, silvergills, curse catchers)
3 Harbringers
3 Reejereys
2 MoW
2 Commanders
With
3 Tidebinders
1 MoW
in the side.
Is this too greedy?
Thanks
M
Below is the build I would like to use as a base on Friday night when Ill be making my debut into the modern scene
1 Oboro, Palace in the clouds
1 Minamo, School at water's edge
4 Wanderwine hub
11 Islands
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Harbinger of the Tide
3 Merrow Reejerey
3 Master of the Waves
4 Spreading Seas
2 Dismember
2 Spell Pierce
1 Vapor Snag
Im going into an unknown meta, so I need some sideboard advise.
I was thinking
What do I put in the final 5 slots?
Thanks guys!
I guess I should not get excited yet....
Would not mind a cheap to cast aggro orientated blue planeswalker..,
I don't want anything game breaking, just more tools to improve our bad matchups.
In the U/W merfolk list, Path to exile and Cosi's Trickster also have some synergy.