I'm curious how many showed up in total all weekend.
Making top 8 as the only UG fish deck that made day two really helps AND hurt its cause. It's another top 8 for the deck, but no one else made it to the second day.
I'm curious how many showed up in total all weekend.
Making top 8 as the only UG fish deck that made day two really helps AND hurt its cause. It's another top 8 for the deck, but no one else made it to the second day.
This makes no sense. The only way to hurt its cause was if there were only U/G merfolk players trying the deck and failing to convert for day 2. However, I don't think we have access to that information. So, the only information we have is that for the merfolk archetype the list that made day 2 was Simic, not monoblue. This is good news for U/G and bad for monoblue (again, given the information we have).
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My guess is not very many. The meta looks good for Merfolk (as evidenced by a pilot making Top 8), but the fact that only one made Day 2 means that few people showed up with the deck in the first place. UG isn't different enough from mono-U to drastically alter any of its matchups.
Quibbles about the viability of any version of the deck aside, I think we can all agree Game 3 of the semifinals was played very poorly by Jeremy. Merfolk should have made the finals.
Yes, this was painful to watch. He attacked with lords when he shouldn't have TWICE. The first time he got lucky because opponent punted back and traded everything when could have just eaten the creature. Really bad attacks.
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Eh, what can you do, though? He still made top 8 and rep'd us well. He drew really bad and perhaps that's what coerced him into making some greedy attacks with lords. Looked like he just missed the Silvergill Adept trading there, unfortunately.
I'm really curious to what his maindeck looks like. Zero Cursecatchers (from the looks) + at least one Master of Waves in his deck. The realization that this deck is far from refined is great news for the future of the UG variant. Looking forward to more lists popping up to experiment with!
Several of the decisions made in that list don't make much sense to me, to be honest. Deeproot Waters in particular stands out as a "why is this in here?"
Several of the decisions made in that list don't make much sense to me, to be honest. Deeproot Waters in particular stands out as a "why is this in here?"
Feels like the two Deeproot Waters could have been extra Master of Waves copies if they were there for attrict matchups. 19 lands feels a bit greedy. The lack of cursecatchers is a bit surprising, but it does open up more slots for other things. I think if you're doing that you can try and afford to keep 2 more masters in your sideboard. And maybe up the land count by one (probably by removing Kira).
EDIT: as some have mentioned and noticed, removing master of waves make the decks worse in some previously decent-to-good matchups (against grixis shadow and burn, for instance). I think moving them to the sideboard is a good compromise.
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Am I wrong to think that there needs to be more blue sources? I like the sideboard quite a bit, actually. It seems geared towards attrition matchups with the Deeproot Waters. It'd be cool to get some insight from Jeremy on that one.
RE: mana,
If you effectively only have 5 maindeck spells (4 Spreading Seas, 1 Kira) that care about color and all your sideboard cards are effectively U, then it doesn't seem too bad. Everything but Mutavault tapped for U for a creature.
I actually am not a fan of his list, but good on him.
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Standard
Tempo Modern
Eldrazi and Staxes
Whir Prison Legacy
5c Humans
DnT
"I'm a lead farmer... !" Quote ruined due to policy.
You're right in that the mana source count is borked. Between that and the confusing choices in the sideboard, I'm beginning to think this was one player running hot in a metagame that was kind to the archetype, as opposed to significant innovation in the list. If you're looking for fresh tech in UG, I'd take a peek at whatever gets reported from MTGO or the comments section here.
Running so few ways to find basic islands makes me very nervous. UG is already weaker to blood moon, but this deck is destroyed by it.
I suppose Deeproot Waters would be legit good vs control. If it sticks, you have to imagine it gives that match-up way more play, and it's tough to remove. But I think it's worse in any other situation compared to MoW.
@IslandsAreBroken
Actually, E-Tron was a Tier 1.5 deck until people figured out to incorporateWalking Ballista (it was released weeks before it made it's way into the deck.) It made Top 4 at GPT Brisbane and was reasonably frequently a 5-0 deck on MTGO. Even after people realized Ballista was good, it was another month+ before it made it to an automatic 4-of, with very heated discussion of 2 vs. 4.
The point being, it takes a little time for a solid shell to develop, if one can develop and I don't why you seem invested in seeing UG fail.
Also, Jeremy Bertarioni is (was?) 11-3 with UG Merfolk in a tournament where 5-color humans started out 12-0. How many people would have said that deck was a bad decision 4 weeks ago? The only real changes are the Pirate and Unclaimed Territory. And who would have guessed that it wouldn't play Collected Company or any non-creature spells aside from Aether Vial?
EDIT:
3:25pm EST
12-3 and looking at Top 8 if his tie-breakers hold.
@redtwister - actually there is no such thing as tier 1.5 - and I've played all flavours of Eldrazi - made day 2 of a GP with Eldrazi. The deck was pretty garbage without Balista - and that is well accepted.
I'm not invested in UG failing - ppl that advocated for it had poor theory. Maybe it will be a mainstay, maybe it wont - if 4C Humans won the tournament it must have been very competitive!
So we've been derping around this U vs UG thing for a while now. Look, the two decks are almost exactly the same. I heard somewhere that Lord of Atlantis and lords are pretty good along with Silvergill Adept and Aether Vial. Perhaps one is a tiny bit better than the other, but ultimately, you play this deck because of the core cards, and those are solid whether you add a color or stay mon-colored. Maybe a better discussion would be where Simic is stronger and where it is weaker that Blue.
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I did a Competitive League with UG and was pretty underwhelemed. Of course, I faced Grixis Death's Shadow and Burn, two decks where MoW overperforms.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
I'm curious how many showed up in total all weekend.
Making top 8 as the only UG fish deck that made day two really helps AND hurt its cause. It's another top 8 for the deck, but no one else made it to the second day.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
I'm really curious to what his maindeck looks like. Zero Cursecatchers (from the looks) + at least one Master of Waves in his deck. The realization that this deck is far from refined is great news for the future of the UG variant. Looking forward to more lists popping up to experiment with!
The decklist is now here: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=116830
And the lands are very interesting...
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
Maybe control and/or atrict matchups ?
EDIT: as some have mentioned and noticed, removing master of waves make the decks worse in some previously decent-to-good matchups (against grixis shadow and burn, for instance). I think moving them to the sideboard is a good compromise.
Read my other stories as well (some ongoing):
Reaper King (a horror story), Kaalia of the Vast (an origin story), Sequels for Innistrad (Alternative sequels for Inn), Grey Areas (Odric's fanfic), Royal Succession (goblins),The Tracker's Message (eldrazi on Innistrad) and Ugin and his Eye (the end of OGW).
If you effectively only have 5 maindeck spells (4 Spreading Seas, 1 Kira) that care about color and all your sideboard cards are effectively U, then it doesn't seem too bad. Everything but Mutavault tapped for U for a creature.
I actually am not a fan of his list, but good on him.
Tempo
Modern
Eldrazi and Staxes
Whir Prison
Legacy
5c Humans
DnT
"I'm a lead farmer... !" Quote ruined due to policy.
Legacy: Merfolk U; Shadow UB; Eldrazi Stompy C
Pauper: Delver U
Vintage: Merfolk U
Primers:
I suppose Deeproot Waters would be legit good vs control. If it sticks, you have to imagine it gives that match-up way more play, and it's tough to remove. But I think it's worse in any other situation compared to MoW.
@redtwister - actually there is no such thing as tier 1.5 - and I've played all flavours of Eldrazi - made day 2 of a GP with Eldrazi. The deck was pretty garbage without Balista - and that is well accepted.
I'm not invested in UG failing - ppl that advocated for it had poor theory. Maybe it will be a mainstay, maybe it wont - if 4C Humans won the tournament it must have been very competitive!
Bant Eldrazi
UW Control
U Merfolk
Legacy
Merfolk
UR Delver