I have been running 2x Grafdigger's Cage alongside 2x Relic of Progenitus for the longest time in my SB as y grave hate of choice. Lately, though, I find that I am rarely ever siding in the Cage. It really shines against only about 5 matchups (Reanimator, Dredge, Elves, Storm, Loam?) and never otherwise gets boarded in. I am thinking of cutting them to add in another Relic and then freeing up that spot for something else. Do you all swear by the card?
I have been running 2x Grafdigger's Cage alongside 2x Relic of Progenitus for the longest time in my SB as y grave hate of choice. Lately, though, I find that I am rarely ever siding in the Cage. Do you all swear by the card?
I've also used 2x Grafdigger's Cage and 2x Relic of Progenitus for my grave hate as Reanimator, Elves, and Storm were decks I played against a lot so I didn't mind that split.
But doing 3x Relic of Progenitus wouldn't be all that bad seeing it can free you up for one more SB spot.
I've seen some Venser, Shaper Savant lately in some sbs, other than Sneak and Show and Marit Lage decks are there other decks where it is good to sb it in? I am convinced at least 1 will replace one of my 2 Echoing Truth but I am wondering if I might go up to a second copy. Any thoughts?
I have couple of Vensers for years, they are my get out of jail cards: Sneak&Show, Marit Lage, all the you-can't-attack crap like Bridge from Burn, Solitary Confinement from Enchantress and Glacial Chasm; then returning Sword of Fire&Ice inside combat, countering random Verdict or Terminus, bouncing Delver, Eldrazi dudes or Reanimator targets like Elesh Norn, Griselbrand, Emrakul or Blazing Archon, etc.
Except that now you could legitimately build an army of cheap unblockables which is usually how legacy slivers wins with galerider sliver. It seems like for no reason you're too angry to realize this, but single cards generally don't ever, in any way, single handedly "change legacy." The only cards that could do that are something like black lotus or ancestral recall if they were made legal.
Which part of my answer was "angry"?
Single cards often single handedly change Legacy: Deathrite Shaman, Leovold, Griselbrand, Abrupt Decay, Walking Ballista and so on.
For us, it was True-Name Nemesis and Copter, and to a lesser extent Harbinger of the Tides, Spyglass and Ceremonious Rejection.
If unblockability was something we wanted than Spreading Seas would be a 4-of in the deck.
Which part of my answer was "angry"?
Single cards often single handedly change Legacy: Deathrite Shaman, Leovold, Griselbrand, Abrupt Decay, Walking Ballista and so on.
None of those changed legacy, they simply gave some deck types extra versatility on top of what they already had.
Single cards often single handedly change Legacy: Deathrite Shaman, Leovold, Griselbrand, Abrupt Decay, Walking Ballista and so on.
For us, it was True-Name Nemesis and Copter, and to a lesser extent Harbinger of the Tides, Spyglass and Ceremonious Rejection.
If unblockability was something we wanted than Spreading Seas would be a 4-of in the deck.
You say "we" as if you have some kind of delusion where you think you have the authority to speak on behalf of hundreds or even thousands of people whom you never have met, and never will meet. Furthermore, spreading seas lacks synergy with the deck whereas other cards like silvergil not only let you draw but give you aggro at the same time.
Besides, half the format runs Islands. Unblockable is already a thing we have more often than not.
No one is disputing whether blue has unblock-able cards already, the note is that there is now the means to make an even more efficient deck that is readily unblockable to any color.
I said: "We have Triton Shorestalker and Inkfathom Infiltrator for years." There is no possible way anything in that sentence is a lie.
"We" as Merfolk players, "we" as Magic players or "we" as humans (or anyway you like) had those two cards for years, which part does not work for you?!
My second sentence is that I believe Herald will have zero impact on Legacy. As a Merfolk player for exactly 10 years now, I have a right to express my opinion on a card.
Two simple sentences. How did you read them so wrong? And calling me angry, delusional and full of myself?!
Please use arguments in your response.
Spreading Seas lacks synergy with the deck? Is this hidden camera?...
I said: "We have Triton Shorestalker and Inkfathom Infiltrator for years." There is no possible way anything in that sentence is a lie.
"We" as Merfolk players, "we" as Magic players or "we" as humans (or anyway you like) had those two cards for years, which part does not work for you?!
Which part doesn't work? The part you conveniently omitted. Since playing magic is an ever changing format and in a somewhat unpredictable way, simply playing a deck for a long time isn't relevant, it's your ability to adapt it with new ideas and respond to an increasing number of strategies that does.
If unblockability was something we wanted than Spreading Seas would be a 4-of in the deck.
Who's to say there isn't someone who wants it out of thousands of people? A mere one-draw enchantment isn't very synergistic with the culmination of instants and aggro creatures that create an aggro merfolk deck, but it's also reasonable someone wants to mitigate colorless mana lands like mutavault or, on an entirely different subject, for an enchantment deck.
My second sentence is that I believe Herald will have zero impact on Legacy. As a Merfolk player for exactly 10 years now, I have a right to express my opinion on a card.
A petty strawman. I don't see anyone saying you can't express your opinion, but that doesn't mean there aren't issues of reasoning with that sentence. No individual card ever does impact legacy (short of a few old cards that are already banned in anticipation they would break the game like ante cards), it's how it's used within a deck, so there was no basis to make that assertion in the first place.
I'm interested to know people's thoughts/experience on splashing green for simic merfolk. With the new ixalan set comes a few interesting options:
Merfolk Mistbinder, combined with Lord of Atlantis and Master of the Pearl Trident gives merfolk 12 2-drop creatures that boost each other. While there are still aggro decks that can bash Merfolk like Burn, Maverick, B/G Elves or Delver, if you're putting down an "All other creatures you control get +1/+1" every turn while you sit on counterspells, your opponent has to spend removal on them at some point or be inevitably overrun.
Merfolk Branchwalker can be argued as an alternative to Silvergil Adept because you don't don't have to pay 3 more if you have no merfolk to reveal, and if you don't draw something good you get a free +1/+1 counter. In a fringe possibility, its to-graveyard ability may also pair well with graveyard acceleration.
Then, there is Kumena's Speaker which isn't Goblin Guide but it will more than likely be a 3/3 on your second turn, conveniently matching the speed of Delver for only 1 mana.
Deeproot Elite is worth a glance, but it's more than likely that it is too slow for 2 mana.
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca looks interesting, but for 3 mana I would rather play True-Name Nemesis or Vendilion Clique. However, its tapping abilities would pair well with having 12 merfolk boosters should you decide to venture down that path in Modern.
But beyond Rivals of Ixalan, splashing green opens the door to other possibilities. Simic Charm, buffs you against spot removal or swing for the win if someone decides not to block (which happens more often in legacy), but also gives you the flexibility of harbinger's effect. Sylvan Library Lets you rearrange the top cards of your library in any order and switch cards in your hand for cards in your deck every single turn, in addition to providing draw if you need it. With this, you may not even need Chart a Course or Silvergil or Smuggler's Copter. Natural State, costing only 1 green mana would make a good sideboard card against nearly any artifact-using deck like Affinity, Death and Taxes, Maverick, or Steel Stompy which typically don't run counterspells. The only drawback is that it is more vulnerable to Chalice of the Void if you don't counter it, though chalice for 1 mana is hardly a the deciding factor against merfolk to begin with. However, it can also be sideboarded against control/midrange decks that rely on key artifacts and enchantments such as Sneak Attack or Cursed Scroll where 8 counterspells in deck may not be enough to match their Thoughtseize or own Force of Will.
These kinds of cards would likely come at the cost of Harbinger of the Tides or Phantasmal Image or Silvergil which are all good cards, so you can't have everything, but if you find Merfolk is missing aggro and runs out of gas, this is how to refuel it.
Legacy is a different ballgame. Merfolk has access to Force of Will, which serves as a catch-all answer to Natural State and similar additions. One point of power isn't as relevant in Legacy, which diminishes the worth of Speaker. Additionally, the blue Lords are even better relatively, due to Islands being so prolific (well over 2/3 the format).
Image and Harbinger are much stronger in Legacy because the threats are much more powerful and easier to cheat in. Also, Image has TNN or other resilient targets.
The amount of nonbasic hate in Legacy is also much higher. We can even bring some of it to the table. This further discourages splashing.
Tropical Fish has a much higher hill to climb in Legacy, because the card quality is a lot higher. It doesn't mean it can't be done, but I'm not confident enough to spend time running the experiment.
Force of would surely still stay in, I don't know anyone who would take it out.
As nice as all kinds of bounces and counter spells are, no matter what, merfolk's win condition is still getting your opponent's life to 0 using creatures, and as quickly as possible. Not all current merfolk cards let you do this quickly, but Mist and Speaker can give you more aggro to speed up this process.
Both image and harbinger can always be in the sideboard, not that you can't still have a few maindeck. You're not obligated to take them out, you could take out an Umezawa's Jitte or Echoing Truth for instance, it's simply one of the creatures that is most likely to be taken out to maintain aggro.
Non-basic hate doesn't seem to stop many people from running mutavault and cavern of souls in merfolk either. But, if you're not even going to run a single experiment, there's no reason to automatically take your word for anything, and frankly not exploring new possibilities makes you worse as a player.
You asked a question. I gave an answer. I'm not claiming to be an oracle, but I'm not going to waste my time with what looks like a pointlessly bad idea.
If you're so confident, then why don't you do it and go prove my assessments wrong?
I await your impressive tournament reports with bated breath. I won't be responding to anything else you write until then, because it's frankly not worth it: all you have is venom for anyone who disagrees with your suggestions, and that doesn't exactly engender a constructive dialogue.
Public Mod Note
(Teia Rabishu):
Warning for trolling.
You asked a question. I gave an answer. I'm not claiming to be an oracle, but I'm not going to waste my time with what looks like a pointlessly bad idea.
You realize whatever deck you make from these cards is going to be almost exactly like a regular merfolk deck right? The rhetoric you present comes across as nothing short of childishly arrogant.
If you're so confident, then why don't you do it and go prove my assessments wrong?
I'm not confident or unconifdent, I already have the cards and tested it several times and thought it was interesting enough to put the effort into writing a semi-detailed post spelling out relevant considerations so that other people could test it and expand upon the idea. One person's testing is hardly enough for a consensus.
I await your impressive tournament reports with bated breath.
Again your aggressive ranting just comes across as immature. The burden is on you to prove your claim by the way, if you think it's a wholly crap concept that should never be considered in any way, play against it yourself. I'm just throwing it out there as an idea because I think it's interesting and considerable.
I'm interested to know people's thoughts/experience on splashing green for simic merfolk. With the new ixalan set comes a few interesting options:
Merfolk Mistbinder, combined with Lord of Atlantis and Master of the Pearl Trident gives merfolk 12 2-drop creatures that boost each other. While there are still aggro decks that can bash Merfolk like Burn, Maverick, B/G Elves or Delver, if you're putting down an "All other creatures you control get +1/+1" every turn while you sit on counterspells, your opponent has to spend removal on them at some point or be inevitably overrun.
Merfolk Branchwalker can be argued as an alternative to Silvergil Adept because you don't don't have to pay 3 more if you have no merfolk to reveal, and if you don't draw something good you get a free +1/+1 counter. In a fringe possibility, its to-graveyard ability may also pair well with graveyard acceleration.
Then, there is Kumena's Speaker which isn't Goblin Guide but it will more than likely be a 3/3 on your second turn, conveniently matching the speed of Delver for only 1 mana.
Deeproot Elite is worth a glance, but it's more than likely that it is too slow for 2 mana.
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca looks interesting, but for 3 mana I would rather play True-Name Nemesis or Vendilion Clique. However, its tapping abilities would pair well with having 12 merfolk boosters should you decide to venture down that path in Modern.
But beyond Rivals of Ixalan, splashing green opens the door to other possibilities. Simic Charm, buffs you against spot removal or swing for the win if someone decides not to block (which happens more often in legacy), but also gives you the flexibility of harbinger's effect. Sylvan Library Lets you rearrange the top cards of your library in any order and switch cards in your hand for cards in your deck every single turn, in addition to providing draw if you need it. With this, you may not even need Chart a Course or Silvergil or Smuggler's Copter. Natural State, costing only 1 green mana would make a good sideboard card against nearly any artifact-using deck like Affinity, Death and Taxes, Maverick, or Steel Stompy which typically don't run counterspells. The only drawback is that it is more vulnerable to Chalice of the Void if you don't counter it, though chalice for 1 mana is hardly a the deciding factor against merfolk to begin with. However, it can also be sideboarded against control/midrange decks that rely on key artifacts and enchantments such as Sneak Attack or Cursed Scroll where 8 counterspells in deck may not be enough to match their Thoughtseize or own Force of Will.
These kinds of cards would likely come at the cost of Harbinger of the Tides or Phantasmal Image or Silvergil which are all good cards, so you can't have everything, but if you find Merfolk is missing aggro and runs out of gas, this is how to refuel it.
Merfolk Branchwalker in possible UG Merfolk deck in Legacy can't ever be considered alternative to Adept. Nothing can be. Adept is set in stone.
If you like playing with Branchwalker or Library try finding another slot. You can even make Mono Green Merfolk if you like, but any Merfolk list that has Island in it starts with 4x Silvergill Adept.
Simic Charm is not good enough for Modern and even worse in Legacy since we play more lands like Wasteland and Cavern that can't cast it.
Copter is great in our deck, Library is too slow, doesn't attack/block and there is no space.
Natural State is not great since we are the ones playing Chalice of the Void and we don't care for Chalices on the other side.
It also doesn't work against Sneak Attack and Cursed Scroll saw play 10 years ago.
I'm interested to know people's thoughts/experience on splashing green for simic merfolk. With the new ixalan set comes a few interesting options:
Merfolk Mistbinder, combined with Lord of Atlantis and Master of the Pearl Trident gives merfolk 12 2-drop creatures that boost each other. While there are still aggro decks that can bash Merfolk like Burn, Maverick, B/G Elves or Delver, if you're putting down an "All other creatures you control get +1/+1" every turn while you sit on counterspells, your opponent has to spend removal on them at some point or be inevitably overrun.
Merfolk Branchwalker can be argued as an alternative to Silvergil Adept because you don't don't have to pay 3 more if you have no merfolk to reveal, and if you don't draw something good you get a free +1/+1 counter. In a fringe possibility, its to-graveyard ability may also pair well with graveyard acceleration.
Then, there is Kumena's Speaker which isn't Goblin Guide but it will more than likely be a 3/3 on your second turn, conveniently matching the speed of Delver for only 1 mana.
Deeproot Elite is worth a glance, but it's more than likely that it is too slow for 2 mana.
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca looks interesting, but for 3 mana I would rather play True-Name Nemesis or Vendilion Clique. However, its tapping abilities would pair well with having 12 merfolk boosters should you decide to venture down that path in Modern.
But beyond Rivals of Ixalan, splashing green opens the door to other possibilities. Simic Charm, buffs you against spot removal or swing for the win if someone decides not to block (which happens more often in legacy), but also gives you the flexibility of harbinger's effect. Sylvan Library Lets you rearrange the top cards of your library in any order and switch cards in your hand for cards in your deck every single turn, in addition to providing draw if you need it. With this, you may not even need Chart a Course or Silvergil or Smuggler's Copter. Natural State, costing only 1 green mana would make a good sideboard card against nearly any artifact-using deck like Affinity, Death and Taxes, Maverick, or Steel Stompy which typically don't run counterspells. The only drawback is that it is more vulnerable to Chalice of the Void if you don't counter it, though chalice for 1 mana is hardly a the deciding factor against merfolk to begin with. However, it can also be sideboarded against control/midrange decks that rely on key artifacts and enchantments such as Sneak Attack or Cursed Scroll where 8 counterspells in deck may not be enough to match their Thoughtseize or own Force of Will.
These kinds of cards would likely come at the cost of Harbinger of the Tides or Phantasmal Image or Silvergil which are all good cards, so you can't have everything, but if you find Merfolk is missing aggro and runs out of gas, this is how to refuel it.
Merfolk Branchwalker in possible UG Merfolk deck in Legacy can't ever be considered alternative to Adept. Nothing can be. Adept is set in stone.
If you like playing with Branchwalker or Library try finding another slot. You can even make Mono Green Merfolk if you like, but any Merfolk list that has Island in it starts with 4x Silvergill Adept.
Simic Charm is not good enough for Modern and even worse in Legacy since we play more lands like Wasteland and Cavern that can't cast it.
Copter is great in our deck, Library is too slow, doesn't attack/block and there is no space.
Natural State is not great since we are the ones playing Chalice of the Void and we don't care for Chalices on the other side.
It also doesn't work against Sneak Attack and Cursed Scroll saw play 10 years ago.
I've tried playing without adept and honestly, it's not the best but I can't say I'm disappointed either when there are other draw and aggro cards, I haven't found it to be a must-have. Copter is good early on and is also useful for adapting your hand to whether you need more aggro or control, but the problem I encounter with copter is that it isn't a great topdeck card later in the game. It is very easy for two decks that run counterspells or any kind of control to have a long drawn-out game that goes well past 4 rounds, so if all I have is a discard engine, it's not doing me any favors. The flying is nice, but there are already other flying/unblockable cards worth considering, and ones that are actually merfolk at that.
A third will be new cards so they have to fill the others with existing, and TNN is just ok in 2hg, while being excellent chase card to make people buy the set.
Hopefully that slashes his Mtgo price.
Hi guys, longtime follower of the thread and I'm finaly able to contribute some decent tournament results. It won't be a detailed report, since I don't recall every play I made.
I played in a 56-man tournament today, went 4-2 and ended up in 15th place.
Round 1: 4C Leovold, 2-0
Games were over rather quick. I only saw Leovold come out once in G1, and his Strixes didn't compare against my TNN's
Round 2: Sneak'n Show, 1-2
Most exciting games of the day. G1 I was on Cursecatcher beatdown, untill he managed to get Sneak attack online. He kept digging with Grisselbrand and found Emrakul. G2 I managed to copy Grisselbrand with image, drawing 7 while blocking and shutting down sneak attack the turn after. TNN finished him off. G3 was a nail-biter, I kept the pressure on with double cursecatchers and needle on sneak attack. He eventually found Emmy and SnT, Annihilator left me with just the cursecatcher and him on 2 life... So I was 1 damage short of victory.
Round 3: WBUG deck, 2-1
Still don't really know what my opponent was playing. I saw noble hierarch, deathrite shaman, stoneforge mystic, JTMS, swords to plowhares, batterskull and jitte. So if anybody could point me to a certain deck, it would be much appreciated.
G1 TNN and Jitte are best friends, game was over real quick. G2 Back to Basics slowed the game, but he managed to keep destroying my lords and got batterskull out. I never really recovered and lost to the Batterskull. He even managed to surgical extract my TNN because he managed to counter one... I still don't know if this guy boarded this in on accident or he's a genius. G3 I don't remember the specifics, G2 took a really long time so we were running low on time. I presented lethal damage on the last turn of overtime. He went to 9 life with his batterskull lifelink, but 2 beefy TNN's took him out.
Round 4: Grixis Delver, 0-2
Not much to say here... Never saw a single lord in both games. Game 1 I was overrun by pyromancer elemental tokens. G2 I played a turn 2 chalice on 1 and bounced his flipped delver the next turn. He kept throwing his 1 mana spells at my chalice, to quickly turn them into food for a gurmag angler... Next turn he cast a TNN of his own and I never stood a chance. Worst game of the day.
Round 5: Deadguy Ale, 2-0
Quickest games of the day. G1 He never really posed a threat. Except for a scrubland, thoughtseize and collective brutality I didn't see much of his deck. He got overwhelmed by fishies. G2 He turn 1 thoughtseizes me again, he sees lord, image, cursecatcher, chalice and lands. He takes out cursechatcher. My turn I draw a new cursecatcher, play land and cursecatcher. Next turn he thoughtseizes me again, counter with cursecatcher but he pays with his untapped wasteland. I fear the worst, but he then takes out the chalice... I'm not sure what just happend, My turn I play the lord, waste his only scrubland, leaving him with wasteland. He does nothing. I play image copying the lord. He never really recovered and scoops at 4 life.
Round 6: Red stompy, 2-0
He played a version of mono red sneak attack/ dragon stompy with godo, bandit warlord and a sneak attack package.
G1 TNN and his best buddy Jitte are on the field, I manage to counter anything relevant he tries to do. G2 he stares down 2 TNN and 1 image copying TNN. Games were over really quick.
I didn't get a chance to play Venser today, so I'm still not sure how good he really is. I'd also like to test out sorcerous spyglass. I do love a turn one needle sometimes, but it's also awkward not being able to cast it when chalice is out... So I might have to give the spyglass a go. Smuggler's copter proved it's worth again today. A few awkwards lootings did occur, but I still love the card advantage it gives.
It's no top 8, but I'm still happy with the result.
I had small tournament today, 4 rounds, top4.
Took tuxdev's list and with 6-0 in games against Maverick, D&T and Eldrazi, drew with 4c Delver into first place for top4.
Split 1-1 against the same Eldrazi, and in game 3 his Spyglass took my 2 Mutavaults "out" and mine took his 2 Factories. It was a choice between Jitte in hand (no other dudes) or 2 lands. My clock with CC, Lord and Copter was too slow and he topdecked Smasher, equipped the Jitte...
Had several loots with SC but TNN or other solution was not coming, scooped with 3 more lands in hand.
Eldrazi took down Delver with Cavern'd Smashers.
TNNs were great as always but Copter was mvp in all matches, not their fault I drew only lands when mattered.
Other Merfolks were just irrelevant (Force food) and Chalice-Force-TNN-Copter package could play their role in any other deck because power level is so much higher than regular fish.
But doing 3x Relic of Progenitus wouldn't be all that bad seeing it can free you up for one more SB spot.
Grafdigger's Cage is a great card if you're playing against those decks you mentioned above very often.
Single cards often single handedly change Legacy: Deathrite Shaman, Leovold, Griselbrand, Abrupt Decay, Walking Ballista and so on.
For us, it was True-Name Nemesis and Copter, and to a lesser extent Harbinger of the Tides, Spyglass and Ceremonious Rejection.
If unblockability was something we wanted than Spreading Seas would be a 4-of in the deck.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
None of those changed legacy, they simply gave some deck types extra versatility on top of what they already had.
You say "we" as if you have some kind of delusion where you think you have the authority to speak on behalf of hundreds or even thousands of people whom you never have met, and never will meet. Furthermore, spreading seas lacks synergy with the deck whereas other cards like silvergil not only let you draw but give you aggro at the same time.
No one is disputing whether blue has unblock-able cards already, the note is that there is now the means to make an even more efficient deck that is readily unblockable to any color.
"We" as Merfolk players, "we" as Magic players or "we" as humans (or anyway you like) had those two cards for years, which part does not work for you?!
My second sentence is that I believe Herald will have zero impact on Legacy. As a Merfolk player for exactly 10 years now, I have a right to express my opinion on a card.
Two simple sentences. How did you read them so wrong? And calling me angry, delusional and full of myself?!
Please use arguments in your response.
Spreading Seas lacks synergy with the deck? Is this hidden camera?...
Which part doesn't work? The part you conveniently omitted. Since playing magic is an ever changing format and in a somewhat unpredictable way, simply playing a deck for a long time isn't relevant, it's your ability to adapt it with new ideas and respond to an increasing number of strategies that does.
Who's to say there isn't someone who wants it out of thousands of people? A mere one-draw enchantment isn't very synergistic with the culmination of instants and aggro creatures that create an aggro merfolk deck, but it's also reasonable someone wants to mitigate colorless mana lands like mutavault or, on an entirely different subject, for an enchantment deck.
A petty strawman. I don't see anyone saying you can't express your opinion, but that doesn't mean there aren't issues of reasoning with that sentence. No individual card ever does impact legacy (short of a few old cards that are already banned in anticipation they would break the game like ante cards), it's how it's used within a deck, so there was no basis to make that assertion in the first place.
Merfolk Mistbinder, combined with Lord of Atlantis and Master of the Pearl Trident gives merfolk 12 2-drop creatures that boost each other. While there are still aggro decks that can bash Merfolk like Burn, Maverick, B/G Elves or Delver, if you're putting down an "All other creatures you control get +1/+1" every turn while you sit on counterspells, your opponent has to spend removal on them at some point or be inevitably overrun.
Merfolk Branchwalker can be argued as an alternative to Silvergil Adept because you don't don't have to pay 3 more if you have no merfolk to reveal, and if you don't draw something good you get a free +1/+1 counter. In a fringe possibility, its to-graveyard ability may also pair well with graveyard acceleration.
Then, there is Kumena's Speaker which isn't Goblin Guide but it will more than likely be a 3/3 on your second turn, conveniently matching the speed of Delver for only 1 mana.
Deeproot Elite is worth a glance, but it's more than likely that it is too slow for 2 mana.
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca looks interesting, but for 3 mana I would rather play True-Name Nemesis or Vendilion Clique. However, its tapping abilities would pair well with having 12 merfolk boosters should you decide to venture down that path in Modern.
But beyond Rivals of Ixalan, splashing green opens the door to other possibilities.
Simic Charm, buffs you against spot removal or swing for the win if someone decides not to block (which happens more often in legacy), but also gives you the flexibility of harbinger's effect.
Sylvan Library Lets you rearrange the top cards of your library in any order and switch cards in your hand for cards in your deck every single turn, in addition to providing draw if you need it. With this, you may not even need Chart a Course or Silvergil or Smuggler's Copter.
Natural State, costing only 1 green mana would make a good sideboard card against nearly any artifact-using deck like Affinity, Death and Taxes, Maverick, or Steel Stompy which typically don't run counterspells. The only drawback is that it is more vulnerable to Chalice of the Void if you don't counter it, though chalice for 1 mana is hardly a the deciding factor against merfolk to begin with. However, it can also be sideboarded against control/midrange decks that rely on key artifacts and enchantments such as Sneak Attack or Cursed Scroll where 8 counterspells in deck may not be enough to match their Thoughtseize or own Force of Will.
These kinds of cards would likely come at the cost of Harbinger of the Tides or Phantasmal Image or Silvergil which are all good cards, so you can't have everything, but if you find Merfolk is missing aggro and runs out of gas, this is how to refuel it.
Image and Harbinger are much stronger in Legacy because the threats are much more powerful and easier to cheat in. Also, Image has TNN or other resilient targets.
The amount of nonbasic hate in Legacy is also much higher. We can even bring some of it to the table. This further discourages splashing.
Tropical Fish has a much higher hill to climb in Legacy, because the card quality is a lot higher. It doesn't mean it can't be done, but I'm not confident enough to spend time running the experiment.
You are, of course, welcome to do so.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
As nice as all kinds of bounces and counter spells are, no matter what, merfolk's win condition is still getting your opponent's life to 0 using creatures, and as quickly as possible. Not all current merfolk cards let you do this quickly, but Mist and Speaker can give you more aggro to speed up this process.
Both image and harbinger can always be in the sideboard, not that you can't still have a few maindeck. You're not obligated to take them out, you could take out an Umezawa's Jitte or Echoing Truth for instance, it's simply one of the creatures that is most likely to be taken out to maintain aggro.
Non-basic hate doesn't seem to stop many people from running mutavault and cavern of souls in merfolk either. But, if you're not even going to run a single experiment, there's no reason to automatically take your word for anything, and frankly not exploring new possibilities makes you worse as a player.
If you're so confident, then why don't you do it and go prove my assessments wrong?
I await your impressive tournament reports with bated breath. I won't be responding to anything else you write until then, because it's frankly not worth it: all you have is venom for anyone who disagrees with your suggestions, and that doesn't exactly engender a constructive dialogue.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
You realize whatever deck you make from these cards is going to be almost exactly like a regular merfolk deck right? The rhetoric you present comes across as nothing short of childishly arrogant.
I'm not confident or unconifdent, I already have the cards and tested it several times and thought it was interesting enough to put the effort into writing a semi-detailed post spelling out relevant considerations so that other people could test it and expand upon the idea. One person's testing is hardly enough for a consensus.
Again your aggressive ranting just comes across as immature. The burden is on you to prove your claim by the way, if you think it's a wholly crap concept that should never be considered in any way, play against it yourself. I'm just throwing it out there as an idea because I think it's interesting and considerable.
Merfolk Branchwalker in possible UG Merfolk deck in Legacy can't ever be considered alternative to Adept. Nothing can be. Adept is set in stone.
If you like playing with Branchwalker or Library try finding another slot. You can even make Mono Green Merfolk if you like, but any Merfolk list that has Island in it starts with 4x Silvergill Adept.
Simic Charm is not good enough for Modern and even worse in Legacy since we play more lands like Wasteland and Cavern that can't cast it.
Copter is great in our deck, Library is too slow, doesn't attack/block and there is no space.
Natural State is not great since we are the ones playing Chalice of the Void and we don't care for Chalices on the other side.
It also doesn't work against Sneak Attack and Cursed Scroll saw play 10 years ago.
I've tried playing without adept and honestly, it's not the best but I can't say I'm disappointed either when there are other draw and aggro cards, I haven't found it to be a must-have. Copter is good early on and is also useful for adapting your hand to whether you need more aggro or control, but the problem I encounter with copter is that it isn't a great topdeck card later in the game. It is very easy for two decks that run counterspells or any kind of control to have a long drawn-out game that goes well past 4 rounds, so if all I have is a discard engine, it's not doing me any favors. The flying is nice, but there are already other flying/unblockable cards worth considering, and ones that are actually merfolk at that.
This article reads to me that True-Name Nemesis is getting a reprint.
A third will be new cards so they have to fill the others with existing, and TNN is just ok in 2hg, while being excellent chase card to make people buy the set.
Hopefully that slashes his Mtgo price.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
I played in a 56-man tournament today, went 4-2 and ended up in 15th place.
The list I ran today:
3 Mutavault
2 Wasteland
11 Island
4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Silvergill adept
3 Phantasmal Image
4 True-name Nemesis
4 Force of Will
4 Æther Vial
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Smuggler's copter
1 Umezawa's Jitte
Sdeboard
2 Back to Basics
2 Flusterstorm
2 Echoing Truth
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
2 Pithing Needle
2 Dismember
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Grafdigger's Cage
Round 1: 4C Leovold, 2-0
Games were over rather quick. I only saw Leovold come out once in G1, and his Strixes didn't compare against my TNN's
Round 2: Sneak'n Show, 1-2
Most exciting games of the day. G1 I was on Cursecatcher beatdown, untill he managed to get Sneak attack online. He kept digging with Grisselbrand and found Emrakul. G2 I managed to copy Grisselbrand with image, drawing 7 while blocking and shutting down sneak attack the turn after. TNN finished him off. G3 was a nail-biter, I kept the pressure on with double cursecatchers and needle on sneak attack. He eventually found Emmy and SnT, Annihilator left me with just the cursecatcher and him on 2 life... So I was 1 damage short of victory.
Round 3: WBUG deck, 2-1
Still don't really know what my opponent was playing. I saw noble hierarch, deathrite shaman, stoneforge mystic, JTMS, swords to plowhares, batterskull and jitte. So if anybody could point me to a certain deck, it would be much appreciated.
G1 TNN and Jitte are best friends, game was over real quick. G2 Back to Basics slowed the game, but he managed to keep destroying my lords and got batterskull out. I never really recovered and lost to the Batterskull. He even managed to surgical extract my TNN because he managed to counter one... I still don't know if this guy boarded this in on accident or he's a genius. G3 I don't remember the specifics, G2 took a really long time so we were running low on time. I presented lethal damage on the last turn of overtime. He went to 9 life with his batterskull lifelink, but 2 beefy TNN's took him out.
Round 4: Grixis Delver, 0-2
Not much to say here... Never saw a single lord in both games. Game 1 I was overrun by pyromancer elemental tokens. G2 I played a turn 2 chalice on 1 and bounced his flipped delver the next turn. He kept throwing his 1 mana spells at my chalice, to quickly turn them into food for a gurmag angler... Next turn he cast a TNN of his own and I never stood a chance. Worst game of the day.
Round 5: Deadguy Ale, 2-0
Quickest games of the day. G1 He never really posed a threat. Except for a scrubland, thoughtseize and collective brutality I didn't see much of his deck. He got overwhelmed by fishies. G2 He turn 1 thoughtseizes me again, he sees lord, image, cursecatcher, chalice and lands. He takes out cursechatcher. My turn I draw a new cursecatcher, play land and cursecatcher. Next turn he thoughtseizes me again, counter with cursecatcher but he pays with his untapped wasteland. I fear the worst, but he then takes out the chalice... I'm not sure what just happend, My turn I play the lord, waste his only scrubland, leaving him with wasteland. He does nothing. I play image copying the lord. He never really recovered and scoops at 4 life.
Round 6: Red stompy, 2-0
He played a version of mono red sneak attack/ dragon stompy with godo, bandit warlord and a sneak attack package.
G1 TNN and his best buddy Jitte are on the field, I manage to counter anything relevant he tries to do. G2 he stares down 2 TNN and 1 image copying TNN. Games were over really quick.
I didn't get a chance to play Venser today, so I'm still not sure how good he really is. I'd also like to test out sorcerous spyglass. I do love a turn one needle sometimes, but it's also awkward not being able to cast it when chalice is out... So I might have to give the spyglass a go. Smuggler's copter proved it's worth again today. A few awkwards lootings did occur, but I still love the card advantage it gives.
It's no top 8, but I'm still happy with the result.
Took tuxdev's list and with 6-0 in games against Maverick, D&T and Eldrazi, drew with 4c Delver into first place for top4.
Split 1-1 against the same Eldrazi, and in game 3 his Spyglass took my 2 Mutavaults "out" and mine took his 2 Factories. It was a choice between Jitte in hand (no other dudes) or 2 lands. My clock with CC, Lord and Copter was too slow and he topdecked Smasher, equipped the Jitte...
Had several loots with SC but TNN or other solution was not coming, scooped with 3 more lands in hand.
Eldrazi took down Delver with Cavern'd Smashers.
TNNs were great as always but Copter was mvp in all matches, not their fault I drew only lands when mattered.
Other Merfolks were just irrelevant (Force food) and Chalice-Force-TNN-Copter package could play their role in any other deck because power level is so much higher than regular fish.
It will be a very easy replacement over the 2 lackluster Harbinger Of The Tides.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB