Is Merfolk a serious deck?

karnaz · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 3

Here is an excellent question: Will we see Merfolk played seriously in T2 tourneys? We already see a smattering of Merfolk on Magic-League, but what about IRL? What does competitive Merfolk even look like? Mono-Blue? UW? UR? Maybe even UB? What does your competitive Merfolk look like?

Mine:

UW Merfolk Aggro/Control

Lands
8 Island
4 Plains
4 Wanderwine Hub
4 Adarkar Wastes
2 Mutavault
2 Faerie Conclave

Creatures
4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Stonybrook Banneret
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey

Spells
2 Ancestral Vision
3 Ponder
4 Sage's Dousing
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Cryptic Command

Sideboard
3 Magus of the Disk
4 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Temporal Isolation
4 Flashfreeze
2 Sower of Temptation

What about yours? Please post some good stuff!

Ludz · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 5

Daniel Snell got T8 both Starcitygames tourneys with this:

Creatures
4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord Of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Stonybrook Banneret

Instants
4 Cryptic Command
2 Mirrorweave

Sorceries
4 Ponder

Tribal Instants
4 Sage's Dousing

Tribal Sorcerys
3 Aquitect's Will

Basic Lands
11 Island

Lands
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Mutavault
4 Wanderwine Hub

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=24876

kby · Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 145

My MUMerfolk Deck:

27 [creature spells]
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Rejerey
4 Cursecatcher
2 Stonybrook Banneret
4 Grimore Theif
2 Venser, shaper servent
4 Silvergul Adept
3 Tideshaper Mystic

11 [non-creature spells]
4 Runesnag
2 Mirrorweave
2 Sage's Dousing
3 Aquitect's Will

22 [land]
3 Faerie Conclave
19 Islands

15 [sideboard]
3 Ancestral Vision
3 Trickbind
2 Merfolk Assassin
3 Pongify
4 Remove Soul

====
currently 7-0-1 in tournament play, and last nights fnm i was 3-0-1/6-1-1 // only game loss to mirrormatch, and drawing to seal 1st/2nd
====
my version is kind of different than others, obviously and for a lot of reasons

No Cryptics: dont feel like trading for them, though they would be a nice addition, cept for my curve with is mainly 2cc

No Muta's: same as cryptics, and would simply replace faerie conclave, though they are nice vs a series of decks, cept where muta just gets blocked by...muta's

x2 instead of 4 Banneret's: well simply... i dont need 4... sure they let me drop otherguys faster, but in the end, at the end of the game they are a dead card, or simply when you don't need the tempo/tricks from rejerey anymore.

Why No White: Don't feel the need for those sb slots to be wasted with white cards... just doesn't seem like there needed, though i did have moat once, and it does win vs half the meta...

Why no Ponder/Vision's main: well this is the aggro version, and you really don't need draw heavy unless you are facing control, which is why there in the sb

====
enjoy to comment, but i will rarely change my deck based on what people say, unless i think they are correct.

Spyx · Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 828

Is Sygg just not good enough, even if you are in U/W?

TekNique · Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 157

I just played with mine at FNM and it was inconsistent. either win by turn 4 or mulligan 3 times and be screwed... even with 22 land. huh?

4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Cursecatcher
4 Stonybrook Banneret
4 Merrow Reejerey
2 Sygg River cutthroat

4 Rune Snag
4 Ancestral Vision
4 Cryptic Command
3 Acquitect's will
3 Sage's Dousing
2 Mirrorweave

22 Island

well after posting my decklist i realize i did not have enough creatures and this was a stupid mistake.

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 788

you need 23 land, you dont have mutavault or silvergil adept why would ur deck be consistent

kfcman · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 665

WaMMaSaNDe · Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 8

I played Merfolk at FNM too, with this list:

4x Adarkar Wastes
4x Merfolk Dual
2x Mutavault
rest Islands
=23

4x Adept
4x Reejerey
4x Lord
4x Banneret
4x Cursecathcer

4x Sage's Dousing
4x Command
4x Ponder
3x Acquitect's will
2x Mirrorweave

SB was almost completely useless as I faced no RDWs, I didn't have time enough to scout the meta and make my SB relevant. So white splash was useless and I took about 10 points of damage from my own lands durning 4 matches. I'd definately cut the splash, at least if you know you are not facing loads of burn.

Only lack was the pair of Mutavaults altought I drew one about every second game.

Deck seemd really inconsistent, I flooded at least one game per match. Mirrorweave is really shitty card, you are already winning when you would like to play it and it does nothing when you are at topdecking mode.

It's just stupid how that deck loses to a single bocker with start of T2 Banneret, T3 3x Adept if you draw only non-lord premanents. I don't like this deck.

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 788

your not winning cuz ur running ponder over visions. and mirrorweave is rly good.

Tms-Rock · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 25

Im Daniel Snell, if your deck is inconsistant your either the most unlucky person in the world or just don't know what good hands look like in the deck ><. Ponder over Visions with catchers in the main is infinitly better. I think theres a total of maybe 6 games in the last 8 events i'v played with this deck that i havn't won by turn 5 so visions is just A waste ontop of that catchers is infinitly better to drop on turn 1 over visions and turns 2-3 and usually even 4 are reservered for your other drops so visions shouldn't be in the deck.

Scuta04 · Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 66

// Lands
18 [LRW] Island (1)
4 [MOR] Mutavault

// Creatures
4 [LRW] Silvergill Adept
2 [FUT] Venser, Shaper Savant
3 [ON] Voidmage Prodigy
4 [TSB] Lord of Atlantis
4 [LRW] Merrow Reejerey
3 [MOR] Sage of Fables
4 [SHM] Cursecatcher
3 [MOR] Stonybrook Banneret

// Spells
3 [LRW] Cryptic Command
4 [LRW] Ponder
4 [CS] Rune Snag

// Sideboard
SB: 2 [TSB] Merfolk Assassin
SB: 4 [9E] Dragon's Claw
SB: 4 [10E] Flashfreeze
SB: 3 [SHM] Mirrorweave
SB: 2 [LRW] Tideshaper Mystic

Orlandu · Joined: 25 Sep 2004 Posts: 165

Ponders over Visions? Really? Is the deck fast enough that it can beat faeries before visions would matter? I would think that if they resolve a visions and you just cast ponder, that's bad times for you.. no? Just wondering.

karnaz · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 3

Mr. Snell, I just wanted to get your perspective on a couple of things about your Merfolk....

A: What you do with Mirrorweave that makes it worth 2 spots?

B: Why do you have that sideboard and what card do you put in for what situation?

Thanks.

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 788

mirrorweave wins the game...

Tms-Rock · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 25

Okay :
orlandu : Yes the deck really is that fast, faeries hand either deterializes trying to stop u from stablizing with terrors/Snags or they try to race u which loses them the game. Ponder is great mostly because it lets u keep nuts 1 land hands. I constantly keep 1 land Ponder/Banneret hands where if it was visions i would muligan. Another thing about visions is that if u have both Curse and Visions Curse always takes priority vs faeries pretty much no matter what because it lets u resolve Banneret which is like the main thing in this deck that lets you just go nuts. Leaving vision in your hand prob till turn 3 or 4 at the earlyist + its a dead draw off Silvergil and can prevent u from Cantrippin, where as ponder can go for say a Silvergil, which hits into a Aquatics will which hits into w/e is next after u've already draw the 3 cards off the visable ponder targets. Essentially ponder is a visions for this deck. Ponder makes Rejeery and banneret so much better, if u curve out turn 1 curse,t2 banneret, t3 rejeery + multiable trips at the end of your can trip you can ponder with the blue, then alow u to set up the next set of trips for the next turn. or counters which ever is more effective based off your ponder.

Next !

karnaz : Mirrorweave wins over 50% of games or just makes it alot easier to win alot faster. Not only that it can prevent some situations from happening.

The Most effective Mirrorweave situations:

1: MIrrorweaving Loard of Atlantis, this allows all your opp. creatures to become LOA along with yours. Which is one of the main reasons for Aquatics Will. So if your Opp has 4 creatures and your behind with 2 one being a loard of atlantis that means both your creatures are comming accross for 14 total with only 2 creatures.

2: Vs Mistbind Clique When your opp goes for clique on turn 4 during your upkeep you can in response Weave choosing one of your merfolks allowing him to not beable to champion.

3: Vs Doran this situation isn't overall amazing but has helped me in the doran match up acouple times. Hes Atked with Doran and i'v had 6 lands open ill mirrorweave making everything say birds then anitmate mutavault and block doran as birds.

These are just 3 of many helpful sitautions overall the card makes the deck so much more viable.

Question # 2 : about sideboards

Well at the 5k i repersented a Anti-Red SB consisting of:
4 BUrninton Forge
4 Dragons Claw
4 Flashfreeze
3 Merfolk Asn - Mirrormatch

I didn't play against red and didn't sb once the whole day.

Day 2 :

3 Sowers
4 Temp Iso
4 Burninton Forge
4 Unsummon

The reason for this board was because of the day before i expected to see alot of Daniel Samsons Mono G Hybrid Stompy which is what Unsummon and Isolations were for. Unsummon is very useful in that match-up vs creatures w/ Shield of the oversoul alot with Temporal Isolation. Temporal Isloation was also in the board because there was alot of GW Ramp, which runs heavy Oversoul of Dusk, and really Isolation is the only thing useful imo that targets him. It ended up getting me my top 8 spot. Sowers are not useful and for my revised board i actually took out board Unsummon and Sowers and now playing 2 Extra Weaves in the board , Revilark and Remove Soul. It now Looks like:

4 BUrninton Forge
3 Temporal Isloation
4 Removesouls
2 Mirrorweaves
2 Revilark

Remove soul and Mirroweave are to improve the aggro match-up depending on what its against. Mirrorweave is great vs Elves because they mass the board so quick and have no real way to stop weave from resolving if used correctly. And Soul speaks for its self.

Revilark is by far one of the best cards for this deck, its so good in just about every match-up its like insurance lol. U Drop Revilark vs Faeries and 3 of there SB cards have just become half as helpful, not only that its a blocker for Clique if needed. I'v actually moved 2 larks to the main hopping to fit a third.

Ill be post revised decklists later this week!