Skulker is an option after rotation. Right now it lacks devotion and can't replace Thassa or Specter (more three drops are not recommended).
We can't fight creature overload from our opponent. Our plan is to play flyers turn 1-2-3, then go wide with Master and unblockable with Thassa. All about race, not creature containment.
Round 1 Jund 2-1
aether vial went out, master of waves won both games, vapor snag on kira after being targeted with abrupt decay was sweet too.
How does Kira work in your example? I would presume that your vapor snag would be countered by Kira's ability as the abrupt decay has not resolved yet? Or am i wrong?
Kira ability goes on top of Decay and resolves first, trying to stop it but fails.
While Decay is still on the stack, you Vapor Snag it.
We can't cover everything, no deck can, but I don't think that having Recalls in the sideboard is the cause for lackluster finishes.
Edges and Recalls don't have to be mutually exclusive, there are 15 slots and I haven't seen perfect sideboard yet.
Regarding those 4 decks (UWR and company), are Tec Edges such game winners (honest question, haven't had any experience with TE)?
Pure theorizing:
- against UWR I have Spreading Seas for each Collonade, Verdict and Resto comes as soon as they reach four mana, how does Edge help here (except vs that lonely Rev)?
- I can see how Edge helps against Scapeshift
- Jund have 1-4 mana curve, nothing expensive, Edge helps destroying one of 8 manlands and it helps Spreading Seas in righteous fight; is that so important?
- Tron is my worst matchup, they "always" have turn 3 tron with Verdict, Anger, Pyroclasm, Oblivion Stone backup, then Karn, Wurmcoil, Elesh and anything alse ridiculous finish me off. I might draw Spreading Seas but unless I draw two they will have tron by turn 4 (before I can Tec Edge) and cast some bomb against my few counters. Edgeing them after that will not help me. I'd rather play Sea's Claim vs Jund, UWR and Tron (that at least raise devotion). Or just play Leonin Arbiter-Ghost Quarter-Path package + Sygg main.
Tec Edge didn't bring anyone to top8 either, but I won't dismiss it since we still have no tier1 build.
I am running 2 Hall of Triumph in maindeck because a curve that goes: dude, dude, Hall, Master, is unbeatable for nonVerdict matchups.
People are mostly prepared for Master and I expect him to die almost everytime the opponent gets priority or a turn. And that's ok.
But why should my cute elemental army die? I intend to win with those!
Weird can attack for 6, my Specter can push through a Specter in the mirror, it negates Jace +1, it adds to attack power without overextending into Verdict, it pushes some creatures out of Anger and Bile (some even out of Mortars range!) and so on... but nothing is as important as keeping those tokens. I am aware it is Legendary, but so are Bident and Thassa.
So my question is: why is it only used 1 copy max, or none at all?
My second question is: did anyone tried sideing in Nautilus vs Verdict deck?
They usually play Jace and plus it when we play conservatively and only put few dorks which can't harm him. The same thing is with Elspeth, we have maybe Familiar and Weird as "pressure".
I hate when they have no fear for their Walkers. Nautilus crashes that plan very effectively and kills the Walker immidiately by Bestowing a dork.
It is a great play for turn 3 because 4-power is enough, great play for turn 5 because it leaves a beater after a mandatory Verdict, it evolves the Raptor, it is not expected and has its own little "combos" with Rapid, Tidebinder (puting it on their creature) and so on. Yes, it dies to everything but so is every other creature we have.
I don't think there is an option to "abandon" affinity matchup, at least not if you are a serious player who wish to win something.
We can say goodbye to us ever celebrating our brother/sister winning a GP or PT thinking like that.
Until Cranial Plating becomes banned there will always be enough robots to stomp our *ss.
There was a small modern tournament with 21 people. 6 of them were affinity.
I had to play 3 of them and managed to beat all three.
Recall and Chalice of the Void from the sideboard and Snag, Truth, Spreading Seas and Spellskite in the main helped.
Maybe they were all newbs, maybe they are not Mr. Majlaton, or any other reason, but people don't give up!
No need for it.
When an opponent see Vial/Cavern game 1, they will side out most counters for removal.
We need more Islands to cast Kira, Image, Remand, Spell Pierce...
2-3 Cavern seems perfect.
Hello.
Long time lurker and merfolk player here.
I am tired of seeing no results from this deck so I am here to talk about some unusual cards which might help (or not).
Always between mono blue and Uw merfolk myself. White brings Sygg, River Guide (great islandwalking merfolk by itself, not to mention his tricks with Vial and what he does to Anger of the Gods, Combust and Abrupt Decay; blocks nontrampling Boggles and Geist of Saint Traft, works great with flood :)...), Suppression Field (did anyone tried to play that maindeck vs Pod, Twin, Affinity and Tron?, the card is a tactical nuclear vs some decks and most play fetchlands and manlands; it has a drawback to not play nicely with Vial, Sygg and Mutavault, not being a creature and doing nothing against some decks, but at least it stacks better than Rest in Peace, Stony Silence and some other narrow strong side cards, can easily be sided out and few decks have any answer for it), Reveillark (mostly vs UWR, Jund and Junk which try to attrition us, I was never sad to see it after sideboard).
Seeing that list with Thalia and no Sygg makes no sense to me. He plays Recall instead of Stony Silence and has Cursecatcher, Thalia and Spreading Seas bombo with Path to Exile. I don't know how many players were in that tournament but he was probably better player than deckbuilder. At least Gryffs look fun.
Final thing I want to mention for my first post: never side out Silvergill Adept. There is no reason for it and I can't see good argument for doing that.
Nope. You draw if you countered something.
We can't fight creature overload from our opponent. Our plan is to play flyers turn 1-2-3, then go wide with Master and unblockable with Thassa. All about race, not creature containment.
Kira ability goes on top of Decay and resolves first, trying to stop it but fails.
While Decay is still on the stack, you Vapor Snag it.
Talk about being preboarded vs control...
Still don't like some numbers but he must have done something right
Second Bident and Thassa are equally bad but Hall + Master is mostly game over.
Edges and Recalls don't have to be mutually exclusive, there are 15 slots and I haven't seen perfect sideboard yet.
Regarding those 4 decks (UWR and company), are Tec Edges such game winners (honest question, haven't had any experience with TE)?
Pure theorizing:
- against UWR I have Spreading Seas for each Collonade, Verdict and Resto comes as soon as they reach four mana, how does Edge help here (except vs that lonely Rev)?
- I can see how Edge helps against Scapeshift
- Jund have 1-4 mana curve, nothing expensive, Edge helps destroying one of 8 manlands and it helps Spreading Seas in righteous fight; is that so important?
- Tron is my worst matchup, they "always" have turn 3 tron with Verdict, Anger, Pyroclasm, Oblivion Stone backup, then Karn, Wurmcoil, Elesh and anything alse ridiculous finish me off. I might draw Spreading Seas but unless I draw two they will have tron by turn 4 (before I can Tec Edge) and cast some bomb against my few counters. Edgeing them after that will not help me. I'd rather play Sea's Claim vs Jund, UWR and Tron (that at least raise devotion). Or just play Leonin Arbiter-Ghost Quarter-Path package + Sygg main.
Tec Edge didn't bring anyone to top8 either, but I won't dismiss it since we still have no tier1 build.
People are mostly prepared for Master and I expect him to die almost everytime the opponent gets priority or a turn. And that's ok.
But why should my cute elemental army die? I intend to win with those!
Weird can attack for 6, my Specter can push through a Specter in the mirror, it negates Jace +1, it adds to attack power without overextending into Verdict, it pushes some creatures out of Anger and Bile (some even out of Mortars range!) and so on... but nothing is as important as keeping those tokens. I am aware it is Legendary, but so are Bident and Thassa.
So my question is: why is it only used 1 copy max, or none at all?
My second question is: did anyone tried sideing in Nautilus vs Verdict deck?
They usually play Jace and plus it when we play conservatively and only put few dorks which can't harm him. The same thing is with Elspeth, we have maybe Familiar and Weird as "pressure".
I hate when they have no fear for their Walkers. Nautilus crashes that plan very effectively and kills the Walker immidiately by Bestowing a dork.
It is a great play for turn 3 because 4-power is enough, great play for turn 5 because it leaves a beater after a mandatory Verdict, it evolves the Raptor, it is not expected and has its own little "combos" with Rapid, Tidebinder (puting it on their creature) and so on. Yes, it dies to everything but so is every other creature we have.
We can say goodbye to us ever celebrating our brother/sister winning a GP or PT thinking like that.
Until Cranial Plating becomes banned there will always be enough robots to stomp our *ss.
There was a small modern tournament with 21 people. 6 of them were affinity.
I had to play 3 of them and managed to beat all three.
Recall and Chalice of the Void from the sideboard and Snag, Truth, Spreading Seas and Spellskite in the main helped.
Maybe they were all newbs, maybe they are not Mr. Majlaton, or any other reason, but people don't give up!
When an opponent see Vial/Cavern game 1, they will side out most counters for removal.
We need more Islands to cast Kira, Image, Remand, Spell Pierce...
2-3 Cavern seems perfect.
Long time lurker and merfolk player here.
I am tired of seeing no results from this deck so I am here to talk about some unusual cards which might help (or not).
Always between mono blue and Uw merfolk myself. White brings Sygg, River Guide (great islandwalking merfolk by itself, not to mention his tricks with Vial and what he does to Anger of the Gods, Combust and Abrupt Decay; blocks nontrampling Boggles and Geist of Saint Traft, works great with flood :)...), Suppression Field (did anyone tried to play that maindeck vs Pod, Twin, Affinity and Tron?, the card is a tactical nuclear vs some decks and most play fetchlands and manlands; it has a drawback to not play nicely with Vial, Sygg and Mutavault, not being a creature and doing nothing against some decks, but at least it stacks better than Rest in Peace, Stony Silence and some other narrow strong side cards, can easily be sided out and few decks have any answer for it), Reveillark (mostly vs UWR, Jund and Junk which try to attrition us, I was never sad to see it after sideboard).
Seeing that list with Thalia and no Sygg makes no sense to me. He plays Recall instead of Stony Silence and has Cursecatcher, Thalia and Spreading Seas bombo with Path to Exile. I don't know how many players were in that tournament but he was probably better player than deckbuilder. At least Gryffs look fun.
Final thing I want to mention for my first post: never side out Silvergill Adept. There is no reason for it and I can't see good argument for doing that.