Also, I really wish people would stop running Deeproot waters. It's outclassed by Jungleborn Pioneer in so many ways that it just isn't worth the slots in the deck. It's better as top deck, it gives immediate value, and it works with Unclaimed Territory. Also, I'm on the fence with Blossoming Defense in this deck. After having tried to build it a few times this deck wants as many creatures as possible and I've basically canned even my pet favorite card of the set to make room. Unsummon is absolutely necessary in the deck. The sideboard is a mess right now, though. I've gone to Strictly better MTGs channel to see what he ended up with and his sideboard is almost the same as mine. Aethersphere Harvester sounds like a good plan since it stops Glorybringer all day.
What do they have in the Sideboard? Or can you link the relevant video?
Interesting, I like most of the sideboard, but it doesn't seem to have a plan for GPG/Scarab God. When I was searching he did a video in November or so about UG Merfolk and suggested Sentinel Totem for GPG/Scarab God abuse. Does that still stand up? I know some folks prefer Crook of Condemnation, and obviously Silent Gravestone is intended to slowdown Tokens/GPG/Scarab God.
Or does this deck just not care and try to gas it's way to victory. I understand the Unsummon play, so I've actually put those back into my build, but would prefer another option for any of the graveyard abuse decks besides Unsummon/Crashing Tide.
Deeproot Waters... IMO... can help us recover from board wipes... It helps us so we don't have to dump our hands as fast. If they wipe our board we can get a new board state in 1 turn.
Deeproot Waters... IMO... can help us recover from board wipes... It helps us so we don't have to dump our hands as fast. If they wipe our board we can get a new board state in 1 turn.
Jungleborn pioneer does the board state recovery far better because it does so without requiring another card in hand and isn't susceptible to being removed due to sitting on the field. We basically have to play deep-root waters on curve for it to be any good, where as pioneer works anytime.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Have to agree that Jungleborn Pioneer is better than Deeproot waters.
Alysheba should look higher in the thread at some builds posted to streamline. Hype has Kumena's price out of hand which might be why you only have 1 but really the deck needs 3.
If you want a counter use Spell Pierce. This deck should be fast enough that 5 cmc sweepers will be just in time and too late if they need 2 more mana to stay alive. Or at the very least Dissolve, but 3 cmc is out of place when you should be tapping down to just one open mana to play out creatures and protect them with Blossom or Spell Pierce
If you're just throwing together a bunch of cards you have in your collection, then go for it. But if this is intended to be a competitive deck in the vein of UG Merfolk, it's just bad. All your creatures except one are one and two-ofs which isn't good for consistency. You also don't have nearly enough creatures for a deck. Panharmonicon is bad as is Blinding Fog and Cancel. Your sideboard is full of creatures that should be in the main, though aren't an improvement over what you have, just more bodies.
In general, Merfolk in Ixalan is a creature deck that focuses on getting as much pay off as possible from the lords and requires a lot of sequencing to play optimally. They don't really interact as much with the opponent as other decks, but you get to go through a lot more of your deck than the opponent does. That's why deeproot waters is unnecessary: the sheer number of cards that filter or draw another card that are creatures already fills the field with bodies.
The hard part is not over extending into a board wipe...
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I am really excited with this decks ability to curve. Deeproot Elite... bought 4 on ebay yesterday and very glad. Very good card that can curve well in many forms. I even did a turn 3 Merfolk Mistbender into a Unsummon on their two drop and hit for 3. It's quite nice the synergy. I love Kopala, Warden of Waves and have since his debut. I like the set back he creates. Tempest Caller is the 4 drop answer or late game answer to board stalls against counters etc. Against some decks when I board in the bounce spells. Baral's Expertise is more for actual creatures and River's Rebuke para tokens.
Unsummon looked strange until I read into and played it on turn 3 or 4 it really sets the opponent back and is great. Spell Pierce is a savior against game 1 board wipes or etc.
Haven't seen the need for Naturalize just yet but there's plenty of enchantments and artifacts that deserve to be destroyed so it's staying in.
Seafloor Oracle is also a really cool card. I use to think the Mist-Cloaked Herald , River Sneak and Herald of Secret Streams were necessary but all are sort of weak in comparison to the preferred merfolk I show here. Combined with Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca it can draw us at least 1 card per turn... with the lord and deeproot elite it gets a fat but and is harder to destroy and also not a vital merfolk if they want to use removal on it but a pesky draw source if they don't... Especially against control I can for see going low and reserved with him out and counter back up. I am even considering cutting 1 negate and spell pierce from the board for more blossoming defense for control as well.
I also tended to think I could get away with 18-20 lands but 22 feels right. If I can get about 6 mana out the rest of the game is a breeze. I don't know how I feel about running more than 2 legends or if it's cost but maybe ill go up to a 3rd kumena. I really like where this deck is moving.
Better off squeezing at least 2 more Blossom into the main. Most decks are going to save kills and get your lords unless protected.
Kopala really hoses point removal but Tyrant is what makes the deck explode.
Better off squeezing at least 2 more Blossom into the main. Most decks are going to save kills and get your lords unless protected.
Kopala really hoses point removal but Tyrant is what makes the deck explode.
Unsummon is blossoming defense. It let's you swing into settle the wreckage and survive exile effects, as well as bounce their creatures when needed.
I've been sticking a singleton uncage the menagerie in the deck as an experiment as it does depend a bit on getting the elite out.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm using a bit different tactic and Unsummon is mostly aggressive with Blossom defensive. Both fit at 2 and 3 respectively. Merfolk can be built in a lot of different ways which is cool.
As an update, that singleton Uncage the Menagerie is actually really good in this deck. I've mostly just used it with X = 2, but it can be used turn 6 to get a Kumena and a Jungleborn Pioneer in a pinch. It feels like it was tailor made to work in this deck and I like it even more than Nissa.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I was curious about the lack of Metallic Mimic in a lot of these lists. Have you guys tested that card and found that other two drops are better in that slot?
I was curious about the lack of Metallic Mimic in a lot of these lists. Have you guys tested that card and found that other two drops are better in that slot?
M&M is kind of bad as a top deck mid game and it's only a merfolk when in play, which matters since Silvergill Adept cares if a card is a merfolk when in your hand. You can try running it as a 2 of if you want, but I think that Merfolk Branchwalker is better thanks to the card filtering. Basically, to make sure that card appears soon enough in game to matter the deck really needs a 4x of it, and that spot is taken up by both of the new merfolk lords now, so it mostly got dropped for consistency.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I disagree Mimic has been great for me so far and the counters it provides in my Unblockable.dek plan have been invaluable. Rishkar and Verdurous Gearhulk and Vizier have all been very good too
Couple of Merfolk decks in Top 16, and the other placed 18th from the SCG Dallas that are worth looking at. Interesting thing to note, none of them are using Marfolk Branchwalker and running 4 of Kumena and Mimic. Deathgorge Scavenger in the side is a great choice, I still think we need to be aware of the GPG/Scarab God matchups. No one using Hadana's Climb (which is unfortunate because with the Mimics and Elites it's has been super easy to flip in my playtesting, but depends on a lot of luck). Also one Essence Scatter is interesting, for me I'd rather go Spell Pierce and Unsummon just so I have the ability to counter anything, rather than just creature but clearly it worked for them, and no Nissa either. I personally feel Tempest Caller is better in the 4 slot because it doesn't have to survive to grant a benefit like Oracle does, but to each their own. Decklists are below, you can find them on the SCG page but I figured this would make it easier to discuss. Thoughts? Comments?
Interesting the highest ranked deck used the fewest non-creature spells.
Wonder if he benefitted from everyone else's.
I can see Metallic in place of Jade Bearer, higher performance ceiling if it sticks. Slightly lower chance to get Silvergill for 2 but later that matters less. By having both Deeproot and Metallic you end up with more counters and faster wins, though seems more vulnerable to sweepers. They must not have thought control would have much of a showing, and that they were fast enough for it to not matter.
It is simple: Elite or Mimic into Kumena means he will have 5 toughness when Chandra and Glorybringer come.
When we untap with it, we would have enough options to close out the game, like keeping Negate for sweeper and outgrinding everything else.
Because you also need room for the actual "fighters" like: Silvergill Adept, Merfolk Branchwalker and the 1-drops.
Having only situational (not Merfolk Mistbinder) lords without enough (real) bodies to take advantage of them can also be bad.
I'm trying to give myself a reason to sell my Metallic Mimics while the price is high, so I'm interested in this topic.
I like the idea that the Mimic's give the counters, but don't like the body they come in as, and the fact that they take another spot from the attackers like @d90Dennis14 mentions. Or are Mistbinders and and Elites enough?
I disagree Mimic has been great for me so far and the counters it provides in my Unblockable.dek plan have been invaluable. Rishkar and Verdurous Gearhulk and Vizier have all been very good too
If you're running Verdurous, Vizier, and Riskhar, you're not really playing a merfolk deck, though.
I'm trying to give myself a reason to sell my Metallic Mimics while the price is high, so I'm interested in this topic.
I like the idea that the Mimic's give the counters, but don't like the body they come in as, and the fact that they take another spot from the attackers like @d90Dennis14 mentions. Or are Mistbinders and and Elites enough?
I think they're just outside playable. The truth is, we have a shedload of good "actual" Merfolk to choose from and I don't think MM makes the cut. I'd rather have three Jade that hand out counters when they enter (sort of like a 1 mana sorcery that says "put a +1/+1 counter on target merfolk you control, create a 1/1 merfolk token) and Deeproot Elite that lets me put the token wherever I want. I also want four Kumena because they're just nuts when you have one on board. It's worth it having them in hand for when they die - it's really that essential.
Interesting, I like most of the sideboard, but it doesn't seem to have a plan for GPG/Scarab God. When I was searching he did a video in November or so about UG Merfolk and suggested Sentinel Totem for GPG/Scarab God abuse. Does that still stand up? I know some folks prefer Crook of Condemnation, and obviously Silent Gravestone is intended to slowdown Tokens/GPG/Scarab God.
Or does this deck just not care and try to gas it's way to victory. I understand the Unsummon play, so I've actually put those back into my build, but would prefer another option for any of the graveyard abuse decks besides Unsummon/Crashing Tide.
You have a lot of "bad" cards here: Cancel, B.Fog, D.Champion, Rashmi and Shapers (also Jungle Delver is not a constructed-playable card).
I'd drop all of those.
Also Panharmonicon is really slow and not worth it in the deck.
Jungleborn pioneer does the board state recovery far better because it does so without requiring another card in hand and isn't susceptible to being removed due to sitting on the field. We basically have to play deep-root waters on curve for it to be any good, where as pioneer works anytime.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Alysheba should look higher in the thread at some builds posted to streamline. Hype has Kumena's price out of hand which might be why you only have 1 but really the deck needs 3.
If you want a counter use Spell Pierce. This deck should be fast enough that 5 cmc sweepers will be just in time and too late if they need 2 more mana to stay alive. Or at the very least Dissolve, but 3 cmc is out of place when you should be tapping down to just one open mana to play out creatures and protect them with Blossom or Spell Pierce
If you're just throwing together a bunch of cards you have in your collection, then go for it. But if this is intended to be a competitive deck in the vein of UG Merfolk, it's just bad. All your creatures except one are one and two-ofs which isn't good for consistency. You also don't have nearly enough creatures for a deck. Panharmonicon is bad as is Blinding Fog and Cancel. Your sideboard is full of creatures that should be in the main, though aren't an improvement over what you have, just more bodies.
The hard part is not over extending into a board wipe...
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
2 Jadelight Ranger
3 Jungleborn Pioneer
2 Kopala, Warden of Waves
4 Kumena's Speaker
2 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Silvergill Adept
3 Tempest Caller
2 Spell Pierce
3 Unsummon
4 Botanical Sanctum
5 Forest
4 Hashep Oasis
5 Island
4 Unclaimed Territory
3 Seafloor Oracle
2 Naturalize
4 Negate
2 Spell Pierce
2 Baral's Expertise
2 River's Rebuke
I am really excited with this decks ability to curve. Deeproot Elite... bought 4 on ebay yesterday and very glad. Very good card that can curve well in many forms. I even did a turn 3 Merfolk Mistbender into a Unsummon on their two drop and hit for 3. It's quite nice the synergy. I love Kopala, Warden of Waves and have since his debut. I like the set back he creates. Tempest Caller is the 4 drop answer or late game answer to board stalls against counters etc. Against some decks when I board in the bounce spells. Baral's Expertise is more for actual creatures and River's Rebuke para tokens.
Unsummon looked strange until I read into and played it on turn 3 or 4 it really sets the opponent back and is great. Spell Pierce is a savior against game 1 board wipes or etc.
Haven't seen the need for Naturalize just yet but there's plenty of enchantments and artifacts that deserve to be destroyed so it's staying in.
Seafloor Oracle is also a really cool card. I use to think the Mist-Cloaked Herald , River Sneak and Herald of Secret Streams were necessary but all are sort of weak in comparison to the preferred merfolk I show here. Combined with Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca it can draw us at least 1 card per turn... with the lord and deeproot elite it gets a fat but and is harder to destroy and also not a vital merfolk if they want to use removal on it but a pesky draw source if they don't... Especially against control I can for see going low and reserved with him out and counter back up. I am even considering cutting 1 negate and spell pierce from the board for more blossoming defense for control as well.
I also tended to think I could get away with 18-20 lands but 22 feels right. If I can get about 6 mana out the rest of the game is a breeze. I don't know how I feel about running more than 2 legends or if it's cost but maybe ill go up to a 3rd kumena. I really like where this deck is moving.
Kopala really hoses point removal but Tyrant is what makes the deck explode.
Unsummon is blossoming defense. It let's you swing into settle the wreckage and survive exile effects, as well as bounce their creatures when needed.
I've been sticking a singleton uncage the menagerie in the deck as an experiment as it does depend a bit on getting the elite out.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
M&M is kind of bad as a top deck mid game and it's only a merfolk when in play, which matters since Silvergill Adept cares if a card is a merfolk when in your hand. You can try running it as a 2 of if you want, but I think that Merfolk Branchwalker is better thanks to the card filtering. Basically, to make sure that card appears soon enough in game to matter the deck really needs a 4x of it, and that spot is taken up by both of the new merfolk lords now, so it mostly got dropped for consistency.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Deeproot Elite
4 Jungleborn Pioneer
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Mist-Cloaked Herald
2 Seafloor Oracle
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
4 Forest
7 Island
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Hashep Oasis
4 Unclaimed Territory
Spells (4)
2 Essence Scatter
2 Unsummon
2 Deathgorge Scavenger
2 Tempest Caller
2 Admiral's Order
1 Essence Scatter
1 Life Goes On
3 Naturalize
4 Negate
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Deeproot Elite
4 Jungleborn Pioneer
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Mist-Cloaked Herald
2 Seafloor Oracle
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
4 Forest
7 Island
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Hashep Oasis
4 Unclaimed Territory
Spells (5)
1 Essence Scatter
4 Unsummon
3 Deathgorge Scavenger
2 Tempest Caller
2 Admiral's Order
2 Essence Scatter
2 Naturalize
4 Negate
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Deeproot Elite
3 Jade Bearer
4 Jungleborn Pioneer
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Tempest Caller
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
5 Forest
7 Island
4 Botanical Sanctum
2 Hashep Oasis
4 Unclaimed Territory
Spells (5)
1 Essence Scatter
4 Unsummon
2 Deathgorge Scavenger
2 Seafloor Oracle
2 Admiral's Order
2 Essence Scatter
1 Life Goes On
3 Naturalize
3 Negate
Wonder if he benefitted from everyone else's.
I can see Metallic in place of Jade Bearer, higher performance ceiling if it sticks. Slightly lower chance to get Silvergill for 2 but later that matters less. By having both Deeproot and Metallic you end up with more counters and faster wins, though seems more vulnerable to sweepers. They must not have thought control would have much of a showing, and that they were fast enough for it to not matter.
When we untap with it, we would have enough options to close out the game, like keeping Negate for sweeper and outgrinding everything else.
Having only situational (not Merfolk Mistbinder) lords without enough (real) bodies to take advantage of them can also be bad.
I like the idea that the Mimic's give the counters, but don't like the body they come in as, and the fact that they take another spot from the attackers like @d90Dennis14 mentions. Or are Mistbinders and and Elites enough?
If you're running Verdurous, Vizier, and Riskhar, you're not really playing a merfolk deck, though.
I think they're just outside playable. The truth is, we have a shedload of good "actual" Merfolk to choose from and I don't think MM makes the cut. I'd rather have three Jade that hand out counters when they enter (sort of like a 1 mana sorcery that says "put a +1/+1 counter on target merfolk you control, create a 1/1 merfolk token) and Deeproot Elite that lets me put the token wherever I want. I also want four Kumena because they're just nuts when you have one on board. It's worth it having them in hand for when they die - it's really that essential.
You decide.
That's the joy of Merfolk there are many ways to get it done.