Relatively new to the deck but I've decided that this is what I'm playing at the upcoming Portland GP this weekend. I'll likely be running the following list and would like some feedback on my SB plan. Any insight is appreciated!
I know this reply is a little late jonpaul99, but in general it's probably best to just play what you want to play. There are quite a few merfolk players on this thread with different levels of experience as well as a ton of meta variations based on your specific locale.
It's probably worth mentioning that Nikachu is a very skilled and seasoned pilot of the Merfolk deck. It's possible that he will be successful with certain deck decision that the majority of Merfolk players may struggle with.
If you did end up playing Coco-folk, please report on how it went!
Not too dissimilar from most lists. This is actually my second U Tron build; the first was right around the time that I was getting into Modern... the build didn't make a lot of sense then and felt pretty bad.
Played this last week at FNM and it was great. Thoughts on a few cards specifically: Thought-Knot Seer: It seemed okay most times I was able to play it. I lucked out that the times I played this it didn't really get removed. Wurmcoil Engine: Having 2 felt good. Epiphany at the Drownyard: Very rewarding even though I made some choice-mistakes after resolution. Spell Burst: Buying this back a couple times was great. Telling Time: Per conversation above, this may become Anticipate. Spreading Seas: Loved having access to this in my 75.
Any thoughts on this list are appreciated. Thanks!
Actually, the more I think about it the more I can see a very slight edge given to Anticipate. There are obviously scenarios where either will shine, but I see the (very marginal) upside to Anticipate.
The chances of drawing 2 great cards in 3 is waaaaaaay lower than 1 in 3. Think of how many times you've top-top after condescending. I rarely have to think about which card to pick when I anticipate, because most of the time it's obvious which card is the strongest. Anticipate also "digs" 4 cards deep if you're looking for a specific answer, maybe a threat or the last tron land, whereas Telling time digs like 2.5 cards deep.
I'll admit this answer makes a little more sense to me than the last, but I'm still not wholly convinced that Anticipate is just 100% better.
Again I can see the upside/downside to both, for example:
You're looking for last tron piece and a threat.
Let's say either reveals the following (unneeded spell, last tron piece, wurmcoil)
In this case, wouldn't Telling Time just be better? Having to put both to the bottom with Anticipate and bricking on your next draw seems undesirable.
On the flip-side, if the reveal is (unneeded spell, unneeded spell, last tron piece) you'd obviously want Anticipate.
Mainly because Telling Time can leave you with a mediocre next draw.
Couldn't the opposite argument be used in favor of Telling Time? As in "it could leave you with a great next-draw"? Is there a higher percenatage of time that you wouldn't want to set up your next draw?
Well Done Tituba9! happy days.
im still yet to get into MTGO, we have a very good modern playgroup locally (3 nights a week, 8-12 players, total of around 30 decks with all tier 1 + 2 covered) also lucky enough to have my LGS support modern with atleast 2 FNM's a months and plenty of weekend tournaments. what are people general opinion on MTGO and is it worth it with such extensive live paper resources and opportunities to play around me?
For the non-pro-pseudo-budget-conscious player, I'd pick one or the other. Maybe it's trivial, but holding the physical cards in my hand and interacting with people in person is a better experience for me. My local meta, like yours, is rife with in-store modern events.
Of course the counter argument to that is that MTGO allows you to reliably play a lot more often.
Has anyone tried Emrakul the Promised End with much success? Feel like it could v good.
I had thought about it, but in my play testing I've found that it can be difficult to cast him for less than 11 or 10. I've had luck following suit with some of the other folks here by keeping my list with an 8 CMC top end - and that's 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon in my SB that I'm considering pulling.
@xelerate I guess shave off some helixes unless you plan to use it for the reach. Swap disenchant with Wear/Tear and 3 LotV is what I use with that build. Good to see someone still using that. Also try to add 1 Crumble to Dust and 2 more Fulminator Mage in the sb for tron matchups
Thanks for the suggestions. As soon as I can get more Lili's I'll definitely be adding them.
Did a little play-testing online last night and boy does this list lose hard to control/combo. Is it wrong to run a few Eidolon of Rhetoric or something in the side?
My SB is a bit of a work in progress... I keep wanting Kozilek, the Great Distortion to be good but I just don't know if it will be. Any thoughts/critiques would be much appreciated.
Switch to Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. Kozilek lacks Indestructible, can be chump blocked all day and the card draw/counter is a trap. Ulamog nets you 2 permanents instantly and if you run up against an infinite life deck you can win via milling them out. Not sure of your meta so I can't say much more at this time. Cut Koz for Ulamog and don't look back.
Yea, you're right. I think this was me trying to put my own flavor on this deck but honestly I'm just not finding any real cases where I want to bring Kozi in. That's a great point about the alternative win-con too.
Regarding the Death's Shadow thing, what is our matchup supposed to be percentage-wise against that deck? My meta is filled with Death's Shadow right now and I think I've only dropped 1 game against them (at least 4-5 different players recently). For game 2 I'm mostly siding out expedition maps and keeping Reality Smasher in. Maybe I've just gotten lucky but it's felt like we just out race them or delay enough to resolve Endbringer or a big Walking Ballista and take over the game.
Has there been a lot of struggle with Death's Shadow from the other folks here?
Relatively new to the deck but I've decided that this is what I'm playing at the upcoming Portland GP this weekend. I'll likely be running the following list and would like some feedback on my SB plan. Any insight is appreciated!
Spirits
O: 2 Relic, 2 Explore, 1 Farseek
I: 2 Abrade, 1 Rec Sage, 1 Cage, 1 Anger
Humans
O: 2 Relic, 1 Explore
I: 1 Anger, 2 Abrade
Burn
O: 2 Relic, 1 Anger
I: 3 Baloth
Affinity/Hardened Scales
O: 2 Relic, 1 Explore, 1 Valakut
I: 1 Anger, 2 Abrade, 1 Rec Sage
BGx
O: 1 Suns, 1 Anger, 4 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 3 Baloth, 2 Tireless Tracker, 1 Thrun
Mardu Pyro
O: 4 Scapeshift, 3 Explore/Farseek, 3 Bolt
I: 1 Rec Sage, 1 Beast Within, 1 Anger, 1 Relic, 3 Baloth, 2 Tracker, 1 Thrun
Phoenix Aggro
O: 1 Suns, 1 Anger, 1 Explore
I: 1 Cage, 1 Relic, 1 Rec Sage
Hollow One
O: 4 Scapeshift, 3 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Anger, 3 Baloth, 1 Rec Sage, 2 Abrade
Eldrazi Tron
O: 1 Anger, 1 Suns, 3 Bolt
I: 2 Tracker, 3 Baloth
Boggles
O: 3 Bolt
I: 1 Anger, 1 Rec Sage, 1 Beast Within
Tron
O: 1 Suns, 1 Anger, 2 Relic, 1 Bolt
I: 2 Damping, 1 Beast Within, 2 Tireless Tracker
UW Control
O: 1 Anger, 1 Suns, 3 Bolt, 2 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Relic, 2 Tracker, 3 Baloth, 1 Thrun
Merfolk
O: 2 Relic, 3 Explore/Farseek
I: 1 Rec Sage, 1 Anger, 2 Abrade, 1 Beast Within
Scapeshift/Titanshift
O: 1 Suns, 1 Anger
I: 2 Tracker, 1 Beast Within
Dredge
O: 3 Bolt, 1 Suns, 2 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Relic, 1 Cage, 1 Anger, 3 Baloth
Infect
O: 2 Pact, 2 Titan
I: 1 Anger, 2 Abrade, 1 Beast Within
KCI
O: 1 Suns, 1 Anger, 2 Bolt, 3 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 2 Abrade, 1 Rec Sage, 1 Beast Within, 2 Damping Sphere, 1 Relic
Storm
O: 2 Scapeshift, 2 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Cage, 1 Relic, 2 Damping Sphere
Amulet Titan
O: 2 Relic, 1 Suns, 1 Anger, 1 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 2 Damping, 2 Abrade, 1 Beast Within
Elves
O: 2 Scapeshift, 2 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Anger, 2 Abrade, 1 Beast Within
Ad Nauseam
O: 3 Bolt, 1 Anger, 1 Suns
I: 1 Rec Sage, 2 Abrade, 2 Damping
CoCo Company
O: 2 Scapeshift, 1 Wood Elves, 2 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 1 Anger, 1 Beast Within, 2 Abrade, 1 Cage
Living End
O: 3 Bolt, 1 Anger, 1 Suns
I: 3 Baloth, 1 Cage, 1 Relic
Jesakai Control
O: 3 Bolt, 1 Anger (unless Geist), 1 Suns (unless Geist), 1 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 2 Tracker, 3 Baloth, 1 Thrun
Ponza
O: 4 Scapeshift, 3 Explore/Farseek (Play/Draw)
I: 2 Tracker, 3 Baloth, 1 Rec Sage, 1 Beast Within
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Wood Elves
4 Primeval Titan
Spells (24)
2 Summoner's Pact
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Explore
4 Farseek
1 Prismatic Omen
1 Anger of the Gods
4 Search for Tomorrow
1 Sweltering Suns
4 Scapeshift
3 Cinder Glade
3 Forest
6 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Tireless Tracker
3 Obstinate Baloth
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Abrade
2 Damping Sphere
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Beast Within
It's probably worth mentioning that Nikachu is a very skilled and seasoned pilot of the Merfolk deck. It's possible that he will be successful with certain deck decision that the majority of Merfolk players may struggle with.
If you did end up playing Coco-folk, please report on how it went!
2 Breeding Pool
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
3 Island
2 Mutavault
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Treasure Mage
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Platinum Angel
1 Sundering Titan
Spells
2 Chalice of the Void
4 Condescend
1 Epiphany at the Drownyard
4 Expedition Map
2 Repeal
1 Spell Burst
1 Cyclonic Rift
3 Remand
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Telling Time
1 Oblivion Stone
4 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Mindslaver
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Academy Ruins
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Ghost Quarter
7 Island
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Chalice of the Void
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Spatial Contortion
2 Spreading Seas
1 Dismember
2 Summary Dismissal
Not too dissimilar from most lists. This is actually my second U Tron build; the first was right around the time that I was getting into Modern... the build didn't make a lot of sense then and felt pretty bad.
Played this last week at FNM and it was great. Thoughts on a few cards specifically:
Thought-Knot Seer: It seemed okay most times I was able to play it. I lucked out that the times I played this it didn't really get removed.
Wurmcoil Engine: Having 2 felt good.
Epiphany at the Drownyard: Very rewarding even though I made some choice-mistakes after resolution.
Spell Burst: Buying this back a couple times was great.
Telling Time: Per conversation above, this may become Anticipate.
Spreading Seas: Loved having access to this in my 75.
Any thoughts on this list are appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks for the comments on this topic.
I'll admit this answer makes a little more sense to me than the last, but I'm still not wholly convinced that Anticipate is just 100% better.
Again I can see the upside/downside to both, for example:
You're looking for last tron piece and a threat.
Let's say either reveals the following (unneeded spell, last tron piece, wurmcoil)
In this case, wouldn't Telling Time just be better? Having to put both to the bottom with Anticipate and bricking on your next draw seems undesirable.
On the flip-side, if the reveal is (unneeded spell, unneeded spell, last tron piece) you'd obviously want Anticipate.
It seems like the difference is negligible to me.
Couldn't the opposite argument be used in favor of Telling Time? As in "it could leave you with a great next-draw"? Is there a higher percenatage of time that you wouldn't want to set up your next draw?
If this has already been answered in this thread, I'm not able to find it. Mtgsalvation is giving me an error when I try searching for telling time.
Thanks!
For the non-pro-pseudo-budget-conscious player, I'd pick one or the other. Maybe it's trivial, but holding the physical cards in my hand and interacting with people in person is a better experience for me. My local meta, like yours, is rife with in-store modern events.
Of course the counter argument to that is that MTGO allows you to reliably play a lot more often.
I had thought about it, but in my play testing I've found that it can be difficult to cast him for less than 11 or 10. I've had luck following suit with some of the other folks here by keeping my list with an 8 CMC top end - and that's 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon in my SB that I'm considering pulling.
Played a couple against UW control and lost a set against Ad Nauseam.
Thanks for the suggestions. As soon as I can get more Lili's I'll definitely be adding them.
Did a little play-testing online last night and boy does this list lose hard to control/combo. Is it wrong to run a few Eidolon of Rhetoric or something in the side?
Yea, you're right. I think this was me trying to put my own flavor on this deck but honestly I'm just not finding any real cases where I want to bring Kozi in. That's a great point about the alternative win-con too.
Regarding the Death's Shadow thing, what is our matchup supposed to be percentage-wise against that deck? My meta is filled with Death's Shadow right now and I think I've only dropped 1 game against them (at least 4-5 different players recently). For game 2 I'm mostly siding out expedition maps and keeping Reality Smasher in. Maybe I've just gotten lucky but it's felt like we just out race them or delay enough to resolve Endbringer or a big Walking Ballista and take over the game.
Has there been a lot of struggle with Death's Shadow from the other folks here?