Maybe this is a dumb question (definitely is), but where does this deck stand in the current Legacy meta? Noticed it put up results on MTGO, and I've been looking for a cheap/competitive entry deck for Legacy. Is this a good fit?
I feel like Swords are too clunky for Merfolk. They're probably too clunky for any given Modern deck. The only equipment I'd play in Modern is Batterskull, as it gives you a creature with it and isn't a terrible topdeck on an empty board, but that's another conversation entirely.
On another note, been noticing that the UW version is still making a splash. Though I'm still not totally onboard with the list that runs the Changeling/Spellstutter package, but the guy seems to be doing well. So I'm probably totally wrong on that one. Think I might try a list like this tomorrow at my shop's weekly tourney (and I expect to get crushed).
Not running a fourth Mutavault because I'm bad at MTG and simply don't have one. My theoretical plan is to drop Phantasmal Image for White hatebears where they're needed. This may or not be a good plan. Are there any last-minute changes I should consider before trying to run this list tomorrow?
A version very similar to this just 4-0'd a daily event
I want to try this at an upcoming PTQ. Maybe without the Changeling/Sprite package though. Seems a bit too cute. Though Mirror Entity seems decent here, and I'd rather have Path to Exile in the main deck.
Haven't been browsing this thread (or playing) much lately. Wondering where Cursecatcher stands at the moment. See it's used on MTGO a great deal, but it still seems like a pretty mediocre card to me. Has the meta changed?
Yeah, I'm probably wading into a murky watered-down Hatebears. I already run a pretty stock GW Death & Taxes, which is probably the best (arguably) that GW can get.
I'll probably just test the Mono-Green list online. I'll try to report back after getting blown up in a few dailies.
I know this is a budget thread, but what do you think about 4 Tarmogoyf in the deck? It has troubles with dryad militant, but Tarmo is the strongest creature in the game!
I wouldn't run Tarmogoyf alongside Dryad Militant. You're still even against opposing Tarmogoyfs, but your Goyfs will apply less pressure against other decks.
If you have an idea, and you don't have to invest too heavily to test it, what does it hurt to give it a try? You never know what's going to work surprisingly well or what card combinations will push a deck over the top unless you try it first. Someone had to look past 42 Lightning Bolts to realize Channel + Fireball was a thing. The obvious answer is usually the best, but not always. Also obvious isn't always obvious right away. If you don't try things out, how do you know what's going to work best?
As for Yeva, Nature's Herald, it was one I was going to originally include in the write up, but decided to leave out. The advantage is that she allows you to play creatures draw-go style, leaving your mana open for instants. The question to ask yourself is "Do I need that?" If you have her on-hand, why not give it a try?
That's fair. Need to not shoot myself down before testing things.
Was also thinking about taking this deck in a more non-budget direction. Which probably turns into something that doesn't belong in this thread. I might build a Mono-Green list online, since it'd cost me around 20 tickets to build, and maybe try something like the below build on paper, as I have most of these cards. I guess it would be something like . . . Wilt-Leaf Zoo?
But I've been playing a bit of Mono-Green Infect lately and I've found the deck to be pretty frustrating. This deck looks a lot more stable, seems to have more potential/options, and fulfills my kinky Mono-Green needs.
Did not at all expect to see this deck. G1 I get blown out by Blood Moon. I can't even remember how I won G2 because I was too busy living in fear. Barely won G3. Got to a point where I had to deal with Boros Reckoner, Simian Spirit Guide, and Thundermaw Hellkite. I hit Thundermaw Hellkite with a Path to Exile. On my end I had Burrenton Forge-Tender, Leonin Arbiter, Blade Splicer and Qasali Pridemage. He plays Koth of the Hammer, animates a mountain, and swings in with his guys. Chump Mountain with Splicer, killed Simian with the token, and chumped Reckoner with Burrenton. He redirected the one damage to me, putting me at 2. Next turn I take care of his Koth with Qasali/Golem, and I realize that I should've swung at my opponent directly with Leonin Arbiter as well. Next turn he swings in with Reckoner, I flash in Restoration Angel and take care of Reckoner. Next turn I topdeck Scavenging Ooze, exile some cards to get me out of burn range, and luckily he doesn't topdeck Hellkite.
Made a few misplays this game so I'm surprised I came through. Also very fortunate that he didn't run Stormbreath Dragon over Hellkite. If you're out there, whoever my 1st round opponent was, I'd recommend making that swap.
Match 2 - Burn
I lost. In both games my opponent played burn spells straight to my dome without altering his strategy at any point during the entire match. Very skillful.
Match 3 - Mono-U Tron
This wasn't even a match. G1 I got a couple of Leonin Arbiters out there. He's almost at Tron mana, so he goes for the third piece with Expedition Map, but he tries to pay the Arbiter tax after cracking the map. He conceded after figuring out what he did.
Let me say that I'm kind of surprised at how often that happens online. I'm sure it happened a few times at GP Minneapolis today and ruined someone's life.
G2 I drop Arbiter beats while my opponent does next to nothing. He assembles Tron and I'm sure I'm dead, and he literally does nothing with all of his Tron mana. So I'm not even sure how I win here, but I beat him to death with cat fists.
Match 4 - UWR Control
No idea how I won G1. The whole game I'm thinking about how I don't stand a chance, because I have such a hard time against UWR, and somehow my opponent is like GG and I get in 2 last damage with Arbiter.
G2 I have this killer curve of Burrenton Forge-Tender into Aven Mindcensor at my opponent's EoT. I'm hoping that my opponent will tap out. Next turn I go to swing and he taps out to Electrolyze my Mindcensor. I let it die (which may have been a mistake), but I decide to hold onto the Burrenton and I follow up with a Choke. He has three Shocklands that are Islands, and he isn't able to recover from that.
I'm pretty satisfied with the list, even if it's slightly budget (can't go ham and pick up Noble Hierarch/Horizon Canopy). Probably still need Spellskite somewhere in the 75.
Pretty sure I'll drop Akroma, Angel of Fury. I've never gotten to use her flicker shenanigans. Might go with a single Kitchen Finks instead, to have a somewhat resilient 3-drop that's similar to Blade Splicer, that'll also serve as a lifegaining hatebear against Burn/Aggro.
Assuming we're running the Shoktroopa list, what's the best way to go about beating UR Splinter Twin? Every time I see that deck in a daily I lose to it, regardless of whatever I'm piloting.
Burrenton Forge-Tender is pretty solid against Burn, for obvious reason. Negates direct burn damage, or can stuff Goblin Guide pretty easily. Spellskite also negates a decent chunk of Burn's damage if they can't deal with it. Scavenging Ooze can get you out of range with lifegain and keep them off of Unearth. Thalia makes their Burn slower, and a 2/1 First Strike can take down pretty much every creature they run.
Hmmmm... Burrenton is single use, so only good for a final save? Or am I missing something?
Spellskite is pretty much the same thing, as it dies to Flames of the Blood Hand or Boros Charm, Thalia makes them slower, but a clever burn player instantly throws a bolt at her (heck, she dies to shock)...
Or am I really unfortunate about my draws? Because all of the above happened in 4 turns in a game I just played... In fact Aggro just runs over me.
Burn sometimes simply gets a draw that you can't beat without some lifegain. When I used to run Kitchen Finks I'd rarely lose that matchup, but I think that most everyone has dropped Finks by now.
Burrenton still has value stuffing their ground-based dudes. And if either Burrenton or Thalia take a Lightning Bolt for my face, I'll gladly take that trade. Spellskite also requires some pretty specific cards to get burned out.
. . .
Havrekjex just posted about the same thing I was going to.
Pricing: Currently, it's in the ~$18.00 price range, which is far too expensive for me to purchase, for a deck which is fairly cheap to build.
I get that it's a bit high, and maybe this commentary is slightly off-topic, but I'd pick up a couple Spellskites just to have them. You can put it in just about any Modern deck and it'll improve a wide range of matchups.
And even if you play it and it gets removed, at least you saved your Inkmoth/Necropede/Ichorclaw. It's not there to progress your clock. It's there to ensure that you have a clock.
And it will straight up win games against decks like Burn/Bogles if they can't find an answer for it, and it's a pretty big advantage in the mirror.
Because I want to go beyond Modern some day.
I feel like Swords are too clunky for Merfolk. They're probably too clunky for any given Modern deck. The only equipment I'd play in Modern is Batterskull, as it gives you a creature with it and isn't a terrible topdeck on an empty board, but that's another conversation entirely.
On another note, been noticing that the UW version is still making a splash. Though I'm still not totally onboard with the list that runs the Changeling/Spellstutter package, but the guy seems to be doing well. So I'm probably totally wrong on that one. Think I might try a list like this tomorrow at my shop's weekly tourney (and I expect to get crushed).
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Silvergill Adept
1 Sygg, River Guide
2 Tidebinder Mage
3 Merrow Reejerey
1 Mirror Entity
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Master of Waves
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
4 Spreading Seas
Mana/Beats
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Hallowed Fountain
4 Island
3 Mutavault
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Wanderwine Hub
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Swan Song
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Mark of Asylum
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Not running a fourth Mutavault because I'm bad at MTG and simply don't have one. My theoretical plan is to drop Phantasmal Image for White hatebears where they're needed. This may or not be a good plan. Are there any last-minute changes I should consider before trying to run this list tomorrow?
I want to try this at an upcoming PTQ. Maybe without the Changeling/Sprite package though. Seems a bit too cute. Though Mirror Entity seems decent here, and I'd rather have Path to Exile in the main deck.
Would adding tech cards to the sideboard be too much here? Could see cards like Eidolon of Rhetoric/Kataki, War's Wage/Hushwing Gryff/Thalia, Guardian of Thraben being decent sideboard choices, though they might water down Wanderwine Hub too much. Linvala, Keeper of Silence seems worth considering as well.
Thanks for the write-up. I've been putting off building this deck for too long. People keep proving that it's pretty solid.
I'll probably just test the Mono-Green list online. I'll try to report back after getting blown up in a few dailies.
I wouldn't run Tarmogoyf alongside Dryad Militant. You're still even against opposing Tarmogoyfs, but your Goyfs will apply less pressure against other decks.
That's fair. Need to not shoot myself down before testing things.
Was also thinking about taking this deck in a more non-budget direction. Which probably turns into something that doesn't belong in this thread. I might build a Mono-Green list online, since it'd cost me around 20 tickets to build, and maybe try something like the below build on paper, as I have most of these cards. I guess it would be something like . . . Wilt-Leaf Zoo?
3 Dryad Militant
4 Experiment One
3 Fleecemane Lion
3 Qasali Pridemage
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Loxodon Smiter
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Baneslayer Angel
Instants/Godsend
4 Path to Exile
2 Beast Within
1 Dismember
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Eiganjo Castle
4 Forest
2 Gavony Township
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
4 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Temple Garden
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
1 Deglamer
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Mark of Asylum
1 Stony Silence
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Torpor Orb
2 Choke
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Also want to try testing Yeva, Nature's Herald in place of a Thrun. Which means I've probably officially gone crazy.
I even want to test Boon Satyr . . .
But I've been playing a bit of Mono-Green Infect lately and I've found the deck to be pretty frustrating. This deck looks a lot more stable, seems to have more potential/options, and fulfills my kinky Mono-Green needs.
3 Dryad Militant
4 Experiment One
3 Kalonian Tusker
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Strangleroot Geist
1 Viridian Zealot
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
Instants
4 Vines of Vastwood
2 Giant Growth
2 Beast Within
1 Dismember
3 Rancor
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
Random Garruk because Ljungquist ran it
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Mana
18 Forest
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Pendelhaven
2 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Deglamer
3 Skylasher
1 Torpor Orb
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
2 Choke
1 Crushing Vines
2 Obstinate Baloth
This build might be infinitely worse and too cute, but I want to try it because it looks . . . fun.
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Aven Mindcensor
3 Blade Splicer
4 Flickerwisp
2 Mirran Crusader
3 Restoration Angel
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
Artifacts/Path
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Brushland
2 Forest
2 Gavony Township
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Temple Garden
1 Wooded Bastion
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Rest in Peace
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Stony Silence
1 Dismember
2 Choke
Match 1 - SKRED RED
Did not at all expect to see this deck. G1 I get blown out by Blood Moon. I can't even remember how I won G2 because I was too busy living in fear. Barely won G3. Got to a point where I had to deal with Boros Reckoner, Simian Spirit Guide, and Thundermaw Hellkite. I hit Thundermaw Hellkite with a Path to Exile. On my end I had Burrenton Forge-Tender, Leonin Arbiter, Blade Splicer and Qasali Pridemage. He plays Koth of the Hammer, animates a mountain, and swings in with his guys. Chump Mountain with Splicer, killed Simian with the token, and chumped Reckoner with Burrenton. He redirected the one damage to me, putting me at 2. Next turn I take care of his Koth with Qasali/Golem, and I realize that I should've swung at my opponent directly with Leonin Arbiter as well. Next turn he swings in with Reckoner, I flash in Restoration Angel and take care of Reckoner. Next turn I topdeck Scavenging Ooze, exile some cards to get me out of burn range, and luckily he doesn't topdeck Hellkite.
Made a few misplays this game so I'm surprised I came through. Also very fortunate that he didn't run Stormbreath Dragon over Hellkite. If you're out there, whoever my 1st round opponent was, I'd recommend making that swap.
Match 2 - Burn
I lost. In both games my opponent played burn spells straight to my dome without altering his strategy at any point during the entire match. Very skillful.
Match 3 - Mono-U Tron
This wasn't even a match. G1 I got a couple of Leonin Arbiters out there. He's almost at Tron mana, so he goes for the third piece with Expedition Map, but he tries to pay the Arbiter tax after cracking the map. He conceded after figuring out what he did.
Let me say that I'm kind of surprised at how often that happens online. I'm sure it happened a few times at GP Minneapolis today and ruined someone's life.
G2 I drop Arbiter beats while my opponent does next to nothing. He assembles Tron and I'm sure I'm dead, and he literally does nothing with all of his Tron mana. So I'm not even sure how I win here, but I beat him to death with cat fists.
Match 4 - UWR Control
No idea how I won G1. The whole game I'm thinking about how I don't stand a chance, because I have such a hard time against UWR, and somehow my opponent is like GG and I get in 2 last damage with Arbiter.
G2 I have this killer curve of Burrenton Forge-Tender into Aven Mindcensor at my opponent's EoT. I'm hoping that my opponent will tap out. Next turn I go to swing and he taps out to Electrolyze my Mindcensor. I let it die (which may have been a mistake), but I decide to hold onto the Burrenton and I follow up with a Choke. He has three Shocklands that are Islands, and he isn't able to recover from that.
I'm pretty satisfied with the list, even if it's slightly budget (can't go ham and pick up Noble Hierarch/Horizon Canopy). Probably still need Spellskite somewhere in the 75.
Pretty sure I'll drop Akroma, Angel of Fury. I've never gotten to use her flicker shenanigans. Might go with a single Kitchen Finks instead, to have a somewhat resilient 3-drop that's similar to Blade Splicer, that'll also serve as a lifegaining hatebear against Burn/Aggro.
If you were going to a tournament tomorrow with Green Stompy, what specific changes would you make to the stock Ljungquist list?
Burn sometimes simply gets a draw that you can't beat without some lifegain. When I used to run Kitchen Finks I'd rarely lose that matchup, but I think that most everyone has dropped Finks by now.
Burrenton still has value stuffing their ground-based dudes. And if either Burrenton or Thalia take a Lightning Bolt for my face, I'll gladly take that trade. Spellskite also requires some pretty specific cards to get burned out.
. . .
Havrekjex just posted about the same thing I was going to.
I get that it's a bit high, and maybe this commentary is slightly off-topic, but I'd pick up a couple Spellskites just to have them. You can put it in just about any Modern deck and it'll improve a wide range of matchups.
And even if you play it and it gets removed, at least you saved your Inkmoth/Necropede/Ichorclaw. It's not there to progress your clock. It's there to ensure that you have a clock.
And it will straight up win games against decks like Burn/Bogles if they can't find an answer for it, and it's a pretty big advantage in the mirror.