MTG Salvation

This thread is for the discussion of my latest article, Whoops: A Tournament Report for Arizona States. We would be grateful if you would let us know what you think, but please keep your comments on topic.

I like your style.

Very readable, except when I really want to know what happens in the end.

Not your bad.

You have an interesting relationship with that judge.

great article and great game.


I know that your deck was big. I played a similar version in T2 pre-alara and it was almost unstopable. Also, I remeber saying that the thrashers were great in the forums....

Good job

I absolutely love your writing style! Easy to read and follow and kept me very interested.


Congrats on your finish!

I love the crazy antics of that judge.

haha, that was an enjoyable read. Hard beat at the end there, better luck next time.

Excellent stuff!

And congrats on the good result. Sure, I was hoping you'd win, but coming back to that from a 1-1 record is still amazing.

Geh. Every other set I drop merfolk and then people start having success with it again O_o

Good article, and I'm glad to see someone is still doing well with fish.

Congrats on the finish. Your articles really are great to read

Why would it be illegal to remove 2 Dousings and put in 3 Lullabies? My understanding is that, while there is a 60 card minimum, there is no maximum. For games 2 and 3, you could play with all 75 cards if you so desired.

I love your style and it was riveting and humourous (well at least my kind =P), I was reading the the text line by line towards the end... and i felt bad for you when you got 2nd, so yeah it was a good read, thank you =). And I think you got something there, both deck and article.



I looked at the vote for best article.... I do regret not voting your article in october... but I will vote for this in Nov =)

Quote from Ultraviolent

Congrats on the finish. Your articles really are great to read

Why would it be illegal to remove 2 Dousings and put in 3 Lullabies? My understanding is that, while there is a 60 card minimum, there is no maximum. For games 2 and 3, you could play with all 75 cards if you so desired.

Whenever you sideboard in a Constructed format, you have to trade cards between main-deck and sideboard on a 1-for-1 basis; one out, one in. Sixty is the minimum and you can play as many as you want, but your main-deck size always has to be the same at the start of each game.

I love your writing. The suspense was pretty great and I was hoping you'd win, but you seemed to take it well, all told.

Excellent stuff! well written, an enjoyable read, and congratulations on the finish.
A friend of mine is currently feverishly buying Wake Trashers and Duelists for his Merfolk

Congrats on the strong finish.

I have a friend of mine, here in New York, who extensively played Type 2 Merfolk back when Lord of Atlantis was still legal. It broke his heart when the Lord rotated out, and he abandoned the deck as "unviable." Shortly thereafter, his constructed rating (around 1965, boosted extensively by several top finishes in major events in Type 2 with Merfolk and Extended with Next Level Blue) plummeted to the low 1800s as he tried out more and more decks that just weren't his style.

When you posted your original article, with the follow-up, I encouraged him to go back to Merfolk. I told him Wake Thrasher was good and Deft Duelist was strong sideboard tech and I linked him to the article and the second follow-up article (both of which I enjoyed).

Sadly, he never listened. He just couldn't swallow that Merfolk ("the best deck I ever played," according to him) would still work.

It's too bad. Players like you, who take a largely abandoned concept to the top, are inspirations. Most times, you really shouldn't abandon the dream.

Go go fishmen!

Very enjoyable article and well-written. I don't know how you can remember all those plays in specific details. The only things I really remember from games are the endings and wins/losses. Nice finish.

Great report! One thing missing though... what did you win?

A quick question about this last game scenario:

So I dropped my Merrow Reejerey, which he tried to counter with a Spellstutter Sprite, but I countered the creature with a third Sage's Dousing. Please, cantrip, give me another Reejerey.

No.

I drew a Wake Thrasher, which wouldn't help anymore. So I played the Adept in my hand, hoping his cantrip could draw me another Reejerey and I used the Reejerey trigger to tap down Dusty's only blocker. Really, he was at 7 and I had six damage on the board. I just needed a Reejerey.

So you resolved the first Reejerey... why did you need another one? Wouldn't playing any Merfolk tap down his blocker? I mean, the Adept you played, what did you do with the triggered ability (tap or untap) for that one?

good article, and it sounds like you had some fun matchups.

sucks losing at the end like that, but id much rather see a close game that i lost(even to mistakes) than an absolute blowout.

I've read two of your reports so far, waterboy, and I must say it's always good entertainment. Plus, your build's a beating.

I wish you would've won.. but hey, attending to such events is already a victory. Getting as far as 2nd place... mad props.

Quote from Amidumaru

I don't see how this is a misplay on his part. He managed to get the best possible outcome on this situation, he may have realised he had no chance unless he got the best effect out of this command, and had to rely on you play mistaking, which you did.

The way that you assumed you were right, without looking deeper into the plays kind of annoyed me and ruined this article for me, but other than that, it was a good article.

The best play for the opponent would have been to tap down his attackers and to draw a card.. since, ya know, Cryptic Command could do that. The way that you assumed that he was wrong, when you weren't there, kind of annoyed me.

Quote from Cala

Whenever you sideboard in a Constructed format, you have to trade cards between main-deck and sideboard on a 1-for-1 basis; one out, one in. Sixty is the minimum and you can play as many as you want, but your main-deck size always has to be the same at the start of each game.

Yes, you're right

I was thinking of limited, where you can change your decksize after game 1.

Quote from Sutherlands

The best play for the opponent would have been to tap down his attackers and to draw a card.. since, ya know, Cryptic Command could do that. The way that you assumed that he was wrong, when you weren't there, kind of annoyed me.

I'd say that it depends on who your opponent is.

Risk vs. Reward.

Is thw deck viable with only 2 mutavaults? I happen to love U/W and I have the deck's entire set of rares, except 3 wake thrashers (pretty easy to get), and 2 vaults. but will the 2 vaults make a difference?

Quote from Seppel

I'd say that it depends on who your opponent is.

Risk vs. Reward.

And when you're in the finals of a 132-man States Tournament...

Quote from MageofDancingDragons

Is thw deck viable with only 2 mutavaults? I happen to love U/W and I have the deck's entire set of rares, except 3 wake thrashers (pretty easy to get), and 2 vaults. but will the 2 vaults make a difference?

Yes, they probably will, I would say.

Quote from jokalhaups

Great report! One thing missing though... what did you win?

A quick question about this last game scenario:


So you resolved the first Reejerey... why did you need another one? Wouldn't playing any Merfolk tap down his blocker? I mean, the Adept you played, what did you do with the triggered ability (tap or untap) for that one?

The second reejerey is worth +1 damage, aka lethal.

So back to my friend who I have never been able to convince to play Merfolk in Type 2 since the deck lost Lord of Atlantis...

Today I played a 16k weekend Standard Constructed event at my local card shop. My friend wanted to come along but I refused to take him unless he went back to his roots and played Merfolk, citing Andrew Hanson's top 2 finish at Arizona States and some other top 8 Merfolk finishes here on the East Coast. Reluctantly, he put together the deck, making his own adjustments.

There were 28 people in attendance. 5 rounds, with a cut to top 8, then top 4, then top 2.

I came in 3rd place playing my usual Mirror Master Kithkin.

My friend won the tournament with Merfolk.

Thanks, Andrew.