Not trying to derail the U/G train, but for the sake of conversation, and perhaps for the sake of the tribe, have any of you dropped blue in favor of black? I ask because in our pre-meta gauntlet, we had a merfolk build and the more we played the more it actually felt like blue was a trap. The bulk of your power is in green, so we paired the green merfolk with a snek package and added fatal push. Now its up for debate if you don't just end up with a worse energy deck, but it tested much better than any of the U/G variants we tried. And we tried a *bunch.*
This was basically the same conclusion I came to as well. Replacing the blue with black made the deck feel a bit more refined and explosive, however, it also just felt like running a nerfed version of GB Energy. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't so much that it was a bad deck (it wasn't), I just didn't see a point for forcing the tribal aspect.
After all that, I decided to go back to the UG version to try and make it work. While it is still underpowered for this standard format, it's definitely capable of taking down your an FNM or two. Maindeck Spell Pierce is great and allows us to steal games.
And here's some explanations on some of my less than popular choices so far:
1x Shapers of Nature - I'm trying this guy out. I know it just straight up dies to removal, but it's a very impactful 3-drop that can take over the game if left unchecked or with the proper protection.
2x Tempest Caller - Normally this slot would be for Herald of Secret Streams, but I actually like Tempest Caller better in our current supposed meta. I feel like the blowout potential for us to attack into our opponents creatures only to have the Herald of Secret Streams removed before blocks is enough of a reason to stay off of it for now. Tempest Caller doesn't get around vehicles, though. That could become a problem in the future, but that's a bit easier to play around.
2x Nissa, Steward of Elements - She's just great, really. I see no reason not to run her. She is card advantage and a win condition all in one easy to cast planeswalker.
So those are my thoughts for now. It's definitely not a tier one deck, but I'm hoping to at least build a solid base for some potential upgrades from Rivals of Ixalan. Perhaps we can some decent fringe playability out of it in the meantime.
Maybe Durable Handicraft. An extra (1) to give a Merfolk a +1/+1 counter when it enters the field. Can be sacced for 6 mana to give all your creatures a +1/+1 counter.
After some more testing I'm liking Unsummon more and more and Opt a lot less. I'm rather shocked however that most people haven't considered running Chart a Course. The card seems perfect for our line of play.
Nissa, Steward of Elements as well as the Vineshaper Mystic/Rishkar,Peema Renegade look more appealing as Deeproot Champion, as many have already pointed out, doesn't have such a natural fit in her. More often than not he becomes a 3/3 or even a 4/4 but never anything more. I'll be tuning my list over the week and see what i end up with.
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I have to say, I'm not holding out a tremendous amount of hope for this deck. It seems to run out of gas very, very easily. Any form of disruption (in the form of Fatal Push/Lightning Strike/Board Wipe) can be devastating. Playing against other creature heavy decks can be extremely difficult due to our own lack of removal (Unsummon is only effective for so long). Each time I win, I feel almost out of breath, that I have had to claw and scramble for victory.
Anyway, maybe some other builds will pop up over time and will be more effective. I'm currently toying with the idea of adding Shaper Apprentice, because more evasion appears to be a good thing. Not quite sure what I'd remove in order to include it, though.
Here's my decklist for reference. Anyone have any suggestions/insight regarding making this deck more consistent?
I'm new to the forums but I'm playing a list very similar to yours, so I wanna help. A card that no one seems to have considered 'til now is Censor. It helps to fight against board wipes and cycles in the late game to find more gas; I find it strictly better than Spell pierce, that I'd put in the sideboard. Hashep Oasis seems to me an auto-include with the unblockable creatures. If Censor can gain you a turn, this is how you wanna spend it most of the time.
Lastly, as an unpopular opinion, I prefer Jace, Cunning Castaway over Nissa, steward of elements since we have a relatively high number of noncreature spells in the deck, which cannot be put into play with the elven girl~
I'm sorry if my English is too rusty; I hope everything is understandable.
I'm new to the forums but I'm playing a list very similar to yours, so I wanna help. A card that no one seems to have considered 'til now is Censor. It helps to fight against board wipes and cycles in the late game to find more gas; I find it strictly better than Spell pierce, that I'd put in the sideboard. Hashep Oasis seems to me an auto-include with the unblockable creatures. If Censor can gain you a turn, this is how you wanna spend it most of the time.
Lastly, as an unpopular opinion, I prefer Jace, Cunning Castaway over Nissa, steward of elements since we have a relatively high number of noncreature spells in the deck, which cannot be put into play with the elven girl~
I'm sorry if my English is too rusty; I hope everything is understandable.
Your English is absolutely comprehendible!
Hashep Oasis is certainly something I am considering. It may help to give my Fish a bit more clout when I need to remove those last few points of life or to kill an opponent's creature.
Censor may very well be a good idea -- perhaps it's something I should think about.
I was fiddling with the build last night and I think I may have made a major improvement. I have added Shaper Apprentice and removed Unsummons in order to allow for my threats to be more concentrated. Evasion seems pretty important. Also, Chart a Course on your second main phase is super powerful. Will see how this new build goes and move from there.
I don't like Dive Down very much, but it could work against some shells. I'd put it in the sideboard at best: we wanna be the aggressors anyway!
The way the tribe plays, I like to think that flexibility is the answer to most of our problems. Merfolk can and should change the shape of their plays depending on what they're facing. Usually, I go with this sequencing:
Turn 3: play a stronger two-drop like River Sneak or Metallic Mimic and keep mana open for protection; I know that, usually, you want to play these cards first, but I value protection more than a single +1/+1 counter. Alternatively, just play Kopala, Warden of Waves.
Turn 4: from this turn on, I start to play conservatively around board wipes and depending on the match-up.
My point being that this sequencing can change very easily depending on what we are facing: against something like Abzan Tokens we can drop all our plays (cycling Censor, use Blossoming Defense on attack) and be faster than them. Against something like UW Approach, instead, we can play a card like Deeproot waters to bait board wipes or to rebuild quickly after them. Unsummon is another example of this flexibility: can gain us tempo used on our opponent's creature, but can save the life of ours creatures too.
Since we are not fast as Ramunap Red nor controlling like UW approach, we should be flexible and reactive, and that's what I like about this deck.
This is the list i'm playing, for reference:
Have you guys considered Cultivator of Blades as a possible alternative to Gearhulk? With Herald of the Secret Streams giving your creatures unblockable it becomes a delayed Overrun effect.
The problem is that Ridgescale tusker is only +1/+1 Cultivator with it's counters on it is an overrun, and if all of your creatures are sporting +1/+1 you got 5/5 minimum with unblockable.
I strongly considered River Heralds' Boon, ArcueidToo. I had it in my initial build for the deck, but the more I looked at Blossoming Defense the clearer it became which of the two I wanted the most. Maybe a brew will come out running both? Who knows. But for now I find that spot going to the superior Blossoming.
Still toying with a new build of the deck! Report in soon.
Seems like since this is a more aggressive/tempo shell, the biggest weakness of the tribe is lack of 1 drops. In addition, and partly due to, lack of 1-drops, there is also a bit of being just a tad too slow and/or running out of gas.
Because of those two things, I really thing that a playset of Shapers' Sanctuary need to be in the deck, or at the very least 3 copies.
- It gives us another T1 play besides sitting there, and potentially could be the correct T1 play over your 1 drop in some games.
- It stacks with multiples, and triggers regardless of whether you counter or respond with hexproof (Dive Down, Blossoming Defense, Heroic Intervention)
- While not directly protecting you against board wipes, it indirectly does via the card advantage. Have fun in a control shell tapping out on T5/T6 for a wipe only to have the merfolk player untap and drop 2-3 more creatures with likely another pump/protection in hand.
Thats just a rough guess, but honestly the pump and green protection seems a bit better mainboard than the Censor's and Spell Pierce's as the protection value will be similar though more flexible, and the deck as a whole wants to be the aggressor in most matches. Between running the enchantment card draw, the 2nd main phase card draw, and potentially the explore Merfolk, 22 lands may even be high when you end at 3 cmc, and 24 creatures *should* still be enough to push through.
Sideboard is where I would put Spell Pierce and Censor as probably a playset as they both have more benefit after a game1 where the opponent doesnt see a single counter.
Finally, its not a Merfolk, but has anyone considered: Prowling Serpopard?
Probably as a SB card, but depending on the meta 1-2 could be good MB.
- Fits curve of the deck, and is above the curve statwise
- Great utility for an aggro deck
- Plays SOOOOO well with Shapers' Sanctuary + Heroic Intervention
Maybe Durable Handicraft. An extra (1) to give a Merfolk a +1/+1 counter when it enters the field. Can be sacced for 6 mana to give all your creatures a +1/+1 counter.
The fact we have to pay 1 mana to activate it and it doesn't do anything on the field when it lands basically makes it unplayable.
I like his list, though I think like many commented in the comments over on the video, he missed the Vineshaper Mystic and went with the Wayfinder instead. I'm still thinking on what might be a better option for the 4 cmc spot. Tempest Caller is more reliable over all compared to Herald of Secret Streams, but without some kind of exhaustion effect I think Herald is better when the deck is built around the +1/+1 theme.
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!
So here's my take/tweak on this. Initially I was building an aggro deck based on the shell of Gx energy but decided I like the tribal route better (though there may still be room for Longtusk Cub to play side by side with Merfolk Branchwalker one day).
This is a slightly more aggressive take than above, but it can still pivot into tempo/card advantage play in the sideboard as necessary. I think Watertrap Weaver is the way to go in the three drop slot. It can shutdown something in advance of Herald coming in and making everything unblockable. Opt helps on games where start on blue mana or don't get a green one drop. Dive Down isn't as aggressive as Blossoming Defense, so fewer are needed, but having them in for extra hexproof protection could be huge, even allow a chump block without losing the blocker if you need to survive one more turn.
In the event you run up against decks that can make your Herald irrelevant, but also runs creatures, you can sub in four Tempest Caller, who has a very similar effect. Nissa, Steward of Elements, Spell Pierce, and Shaper's Sanctuary allow the deck to pivot into the aforementioned tempo/card advantage machine, especially against Grixis or U/B control with all their targeted spot removal. Heroic Intervention can stave off more spot removal and even avoid a Fumigate, allowing you to use Spell Pierces on Settle the Wreckage.
I do worry about the lack of Islands to support Kumena's Speaker early on. The deck may also just tilt to creatureless strategies since it has so many tap effects. Either way, I like the look of this and will try it next time at FNM. Love the discussion going here so far.
So here's my take/tweak on this. Initially I was building an aggro deck based on the shell of Gx energy but decided I like the tribal route better (though there may still be room for Longtusk Cub to play side by side with Merfolk Branchwalker one day).
This is a slightly more aggressive take than above, but it can still pivot into tempo/card advantage play in the sideboard as necessary. I think Watertrap Weaver is the way to go in the three drop slot. It can shutdown something in advance of Herald coming in and making everything unblockable. Opt helps on games where start on blue mana or don't get a green one drop. Dive Down isn't as aggressive as Blossoming Defense, so fewer are needed, but having them in for extra hexproof protection could be huge, even allow a chump block without losing the blocker if you need to survive one more turn.
In the event you run up against decks that can make your Herald irrelevant, but also runs creatures, you can sub in four Tempest Caller, who has a very similar effect. Nissa, Steward of Elements, Spell Pierce, and Shaper's Sanctuary allow the deck to pivot into the aforementioned tempo/card advantage machine, especially against Grixis or U/B control with all their targeted spot removal. Heroic Intervention can stave off more spot removal and even avoid a Fumigate, allowing you to use Spell Pierces on Settle the Wreckage.
I do worry about the lack of Islands to support Kumena's Speaker early on. The deck may also just tilt to creatureless strategies since it has so many tap effects. Either way, I like the look of this and will try it next time at FNM. Love the discussion going here so far.
I actually planned on running some Watertrap weaver in my own list. The only issue is that it really hurts to lose the Vineshaper Mystic at 3 cmc giving counters. The deck really needs the reliability to get counters on creatures in order to take advantage of Herald of Secret Streams, that is why so much of the deck is devoted to sticking counters on creatures. The one thing that I'm not happy about in the budget list is how one dimensional merfolk can be. Without some kind of variance, it's possible to easily get sideboarded for and taken out. Also, the deck can be very focused on doing it's own thing, which can be problematic in this format that looks like it may have quite a few decks that want to interact.
Also, I have to admit this deck is as close to a sealed / draft deck one can get in standard. It literally is mostly the uncommons and commons with a lot of focus on in-set rares.
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!
What I'm starting to realize is we need a way to interact with our opponents creatures.
Gifted Aetherborn is a prime example of a creature that slows us down in several ways; he's able to block our early creatures and can bring the life total further out of reach. Being in Simic colors (colors well known to not have much proactive interaction) we'll most likely be forced to use fight effects or bounce spells to only temporarily fix the problem.
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:simic::azorius::selesnya: Prime Speaker Bant:selesnya::azorius::simic:
I think either can work. It boils down to "do I want two cards or do I want one card with some filtering?" I went with Opt because I'll take a guaranteed 1.5 cards for 1 rather than a possible (probable) 2 cards for 2 that will occasionally be 1 card for 2. I also like how Opt fits in with a more aggressive stance, giving you a chance to put two counters on your Deeproot Champion for the same cost as one with a Chart a Course.
Also, I have to admit this deck is as close to a sealed / draft deck one can get in standard. It literally is mostly the uncommons and commons with a lot of focus on in-set rares.
I actually planned on running some Watertrap weaver in my own list. The only issue is that it really hurts to lose the Vineshaper Mystic at 3 cmc giving counters. The deck really needs the reliability to get counters on creatures in order to take advantage of Herald of Secret Streams, that is why so much of the deck is devoted to sticking counters on creatures. The one thing that I'm not happy about in the budget list is how one dimensional merfolk can be. Without some kind of variance, it's possible to easily get sideboarded for and taken out. Also, the deck can be very focused on doing it's own thing, which can be problematic in this format that looks like it may have quite a few decks that want to interact.
Yeah, I didn't realize how far away from counter access this list skewed. Two River Heralds' Boon doesn't seem enough. Another consideration is Jade Guardian. But the four slot seems pretty full as it is. Maybe this does want a Verdurous Gearhulk just for the counters. I wasn't a fan of Vineshaper Mystic just because a 1/3 for 3 just seems bad. Even with the counters. Maybe counters aren't the endgame here. Maybe it's just an aggro strat that has an ace in the hole when needed. Ideally, you never need to cast Herald of Secret Streams. Ideally a fast attack gameplan plus protection gets you there.
I'm focussing on cheap creatures and getting a lot of counters on them. Herald of Secret Streams will eventually allow me to go for a massive unblocked attack to finish the game. I've done some goldfishing games and it's incredible how fast it can go. Especially with Rishkar, Peema Renegade adding up on the counters and ramping you to emptying your hand as well. Verdurous Gearhulk to assist in the counters plan and being big on it's own. Unsummon to have the tempo plan and get rid of (big) Longtusk Cub or Scarab God.
I'm replacing 1 more Forest with Hashep Oasis.
I think Vineshaper Mystic is not good being a 1/3 for 3. It also comes with the downside that you'll almost always want to play it when you have atleast 2 other Merfolk. It makes you keep it in hand where you rather want to play stuff and keep your aggro plan going.
I also think Jade Guardian is overcosted and the 4 slot doesn't really have room for it.
After much revision, I feel like I have finally developed an optimal build of sorts. It turns out that Rishkar is an extremely strong card in this deck; if you are pursuing the counters strategy, you need to include him. This build has been winning many more games than previous iterations.
Main win tactic is to get counters on creatures and make them un-blockable with Herald, or to tap blockers via Tempest Caller (I love this card -- may eventually revise to two Tempest Callers and two Heralds), and swing for massive damage.
I'm not sure how people are managing to get notable results with Deeproot Champion. I play tested him and he was generally a static 1/1, contributing nothing -- perhaps he would shine in a deck that utilised more spells (Opt, Unsummon, etc).
Anyway, super happy with this build. Will be bringing it to Standard Showdown this Saturday. Will make sure to let y'all know how it fares!
I'm on the rishkar band wagon as well with Merfolk. Don't know if I'll get to standard showdown this weekend due to still getting cards delivered and building decks, though.
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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!
Looking it over, I think Rishkar, Peema Renegade is the better choice in the three drop, compared to Watertrap Weaver. Maybe 2 of each? Four Rishkar is too many for a Legendary, and Watertrap does some good work in some matchups. Then again, maybe this deck prefers three Rishkar and +1 to River Heralds' Boon? I dunno. I also I took out the Opt for Unsummon. I think it's far superior for an aggro style attack. I still prefer Opt for tempo plays, but this version is more aggressive.
Honestly, even just using Rishkar, Peema Renegade to bust into a River's Rebuke can be pretty spicy (and game ending) with this deck. My only thought is how well the deck does on getting back on it's feet when the opponent may draw into removal and kill some of the early drops.
Private Mod Note
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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!
It can be tough getting back on your feet/flippers. A Blossoming Defense or a Spell Pierce in opening hand really does wonders for the longevity of one's game. Board wipes are devastating and potentially sleep disrupting. If you suspect that your opponent may play a board wipe (Fumigate, etc), you're better off keeping a blue mana open for Spell Pierce than you are expending all of your mana to play one extra creature.
I kind of feel like Merfolk look to be very combo heavy. They have river sneak and a bunch of cards that can give +1/+1 counters, which can combo with rikshar to create a lot of mana. From there, the two lines of play are pump mana into an X spell like Nissa, play a whole lot of Merfolk using Rashmi or Vizier of the menagerie to trigger river sneak or the creature generating enchantment, etc.
I've found the mana rush approach can be done without a lot of Merfolk, but Kopala giving extra protection Vs spot removal is important since breaking the rush spells doom. Also the branch walker is just really good. I want to see more aggressive explore cards next set, but I think that is only for the first block.
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!
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This was basically the same conclusion I came to as well. Replacing the blue with black made the deck feel a bit more refined and explosive, however, it also just felt like running a nerfed version of GB Energy. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't so much that it was a bad deck (it wasn't), I just didn't see a point for forcing the tribal aspect.
After all that, I decided to go back to the UG version to try and make it work. While it is still underpowered for this standard format, it's definitely capable of taking down your an FNM or two. Maindeck Spell Pierce is great and allows us to steal games.
Here's the shell I am currently working with:
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Metallic Mimic
4 River Sneak
1 Shapers of Nature
4 Vineshaper Mystic
2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2 Tempest Caller
4 Blossoming Defense
4 Spell Pierce
3 Unsummon
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Hashep Oasis
6 Forest
8 Island
And here's some explanations on some of my less than popular choices so far:
1x Shapers of Nature - I'm trying this guy out. I know it just straight up dies to removal, but it's a very impactful 3-drop that can take over the game if left unchecked or with the proper protection.
4x Vineshaper Mystic/2x Rishkar, Peema Renegade - I think you want as many of these effects as you can possibly play. Rishkar, Peema Renegade also has the relevant mana producing ability that can help accelerate out a Nissa, Steward of Elements ultimate very early.
2x Tempest Caller - Normally this slot would be for Herald of Secret Streams, but I actually like Tempest Caller better in our current supposed meta. I feel like the blowout potential for us to attack into our opponents creatures only to have the Herald of Secret Streams removed before blocks is enough of a reason to stay off of it for now. Tempest Caller doesn't get around vehicles, though. That could become a problem in the future, but that's a bit easier to play around.
2x Nissa, Steward of Elements - She's just great, really. I see no reason not to run her. She is card advantage and a win condition all in one easy to cast planeswalker.
So those are my thoughts for now. It's definitely not a tier one deck, but I'm hoping to at least build a solid base for some potential upgrades from Rivals of Ixalan. Perhaps we can some decent fringe playability out of it in the meantime.
Nissa, Steward of Elements as well as the Vineshaper Mystic/Rishkar,Peema Renegade look more appealing as Deeproot Champion, as many have already pointed out, doesn't have such a natural fit in her. More often than not he becomes a 3/3 or even a 4/4 but never anything more. I'll be tuning my list over the week and see what i end up with.
Anyway, maybe some other builds will pop up over time and will be more effective. I'm currently toying with the idea of adding Shaper Apprentice, because more evasion appears to be a good thing. Not quite sure what I'd remove in order to include it, though.
Here's my decklist for reference. Anyone have any suggestions/insight regarding making this deck more consistent?
Hashep Oasis seems to me an auto-include with the unblockable creatures. If Censor can gain you a turn, this is how you wanna spend it most of the time.
Lastly, as an unpopular opinion, I prefer Jace, Cunning Castaway over Nissa, steward of elements since we have a relatively high number of noncreature spells in the deck, which cannot be put into play with the elven girl~
I'm sorry if my English is too rusty; I hope everything is understandable.
Your English is absolutely comprehendible!
Hashep Oasis is certainly something I am considering. It may help to give my Fish a bit more clout when I need to remove those last few points of life or to kill an opponent's creature.
Censor may very well be a good idea -- perhaps it's something I should think about.
I was fiddling with the build last night and I think I may have made a major improvement. I have added Shaper Apprentice and removed Unsummons in order to allow for my threats to be more concentrated. Evasion seems pretty important. Also, Chart a Course on your second main phase is super powerful. Will see how this new build goes and move from there.
Here's the new build.
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Unclaimed Territory
6 Island
4 Forest
4 Hashep Oasis
Creatures (25)
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Metallic Mimic
4 River Sneak
3 Vineshaper Mystic
2 Kopala, Warden of Waves
2 Herald of Secret Streams
2 Verdurous Gearhulk
4 Blossoming Defense
3 Dive Down
3 Deeproot Waters
3 Chart a Course
1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
2 Nissa, Steward of Elements
2 Sentinel Totem
3 Spell Pierce
3 Negate
4 Life Goes On
I want to find room for more Herald of Secret Streams but i honestly don't know where to begin.
The way the tribe plays, I like to think that flexibility is the answer to most of our problems. Merfolk can and should change the shape of their plays depending on what they're facing. Usually, I go with this sequencing:
My point being that this sequencing can change very easily depending on what we are facing: against something like Abzan Tokens we can drop all our plays (cycling Censor, use Blossoming Defense on attack) and be faster than them. Against something like UW Approach, instead, we can play a card like Deeproot waters to bait board wipes or to rebuild quickly after them. Unsummon is another example of this flexibility: can gain us tempo used on our opponent's creature, but can save the life of ours creatures too.
Since we are not fast as Ramunap Red nor controlling like UW approach, we should be flexible and reactive, and that's what I like about this deck.
This is the list i'm playing, for reference:
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Unclaimed Territory
3 Hashep Oasis
4 Forest
8 Island
In-tribe spells (28)
4 Kumena's Speaker
3 Deeproot Champion
4 River Sneak
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
2 Kopala, Warden of the Waves
2 Herald of the Secret Streams
2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
Non-tribe spells (10)
1 Jace, Cunning Castaway
3 Unsummon
3 Censor
3 Blossoming Defense
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
Any one considered River Heralds' Boon ?
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
Still toying with a new build of the deck! Report in soon.
Because of those two things, I really thing that a playset of Shapers' Sanctuary need to be in the deck, or at the very least 3 copies.
- It gives us another T1 play besides sitting there, and potentially could be the correct T1 play over your 1 drop in some games.
- It stacks with multiples, and triggers regardless of whether you counter or respond with hexproof (Dive Down, Blossoming Defense, Heroic Intervention)
- While not directly protecting you against board wipes, it indirectly does via the card advantage. Have fun in a control shell tapping out on T5/T6 for a wipe only to have the merfolk player untap and drop 2-3 more creatures with likely another pump/protection in hand.
Honestly I havent looked all all the Merfolk to give a full list/deck, however I'd like to play something like the following.
4x - 1 drop
4x - Shapers' Sanctuary
12x - 2 drop
8x - 3 drop
4x - Blossoming Defense
3x - Heroic Intervention
3x - Chart a Course
22x - lands
Thats just a rough guess, but honestly the pump and green protection seems a bit better mainboard than the Censor's and Spell Pierce's as the protection value will be similar though more flexible, and the deck as a whole wants to be the aggressor in most matches. Between running the enchantment card draw, the 2nd main phase card draw, and potentially the explore Merfolk, 22 lands may even be high when you end at 3 cmc, and 24 creatures *should* still be enough to push through.
Sideboard is where I would put Spell Pierce and Censor as probably a playset as they both have more benefit after a game1 where the opponent doesnt see a single counter.
Finally, its not a Merfolk, but has anyone considered: Prowling Serpopard?
Probably as a SB card, but depending on the meta 1-2 could be good MB.
- Fits curve of the deck, and is above the curve statwise
- Great utility for an aggro deck
- Plays SOOOOO well with Shapers' Sanctuary + Heroic Intervention
The fact we have to pay 1 mana to activate it and it doesn't do anything on the field when it lands basically makes it unplayable.
Strictly better MtG Devs list:
4 Herald of Secret Streams
2 Kopala, Warden of Waves
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Metallic Mimic
4 River Sneak
4 Tishana's Wayfinder
4 Blossoming Defense
3 Chart a Course
3 Deeproot Waters
Land 24
7 Forest
4 Hashep Oasis
11 Island
2 Woodland Stream
3 Dissenter's Deliverance
3 Larger Than Life
4 Life Goes On
2 Sentinel Totem
3 Spell Pierce
I like his list, though I think like many commented in the comments over on the video, he missed the Vineshaper Mystic and went with the Wayfinder instead. I'm still thinking on what might be a better option for the 4 cmc spot. Tempest Caller is more reliable over all compared to Herald of Secret Streams, but without some kind of exhaustion effect I think Herald is better when the deck is built around the +1/+1 theme.
3 Herald of Secret Streams
2 Kopala, Warden of Waves
4 Kumena's Speaker
3 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Metallic Mimic
4 River Sneak
4 Vineshaper Mystic
2 Verdurous Gearhulk
4 Blossoming Defense
3 Chart a Course
3 Deeproot Waters
Land 24
5 Forest
4 Hashep Oasis
9 Island
4 Botanical Sanctum
2 Unclaimed Territory
3 Dissenter's Deliverance
3 Larger Than Life
4 Life Goes On
2 Sentinel Totem
3 Spell Pierce
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!
4x Kumena's Speaker
2x Deeproot Champion
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Metallic Mimic
4x River Sneak
2x Kopala, Warden of the Waves
4x Watertrap Weaver
3x Herald of Secret Streams
4x Botanical Sanctum
4x Hashep Oasis
3x Unclaimed Territory
5x Island
5x Forest
Spells (12)
4x Blossoming Defense
2x Dive Down
4x Opt
2x River Herald's Boon
3x Shaper's Sanctuary
3x Spell Pierce
3x Heroic Intervention
2x Nissa, Steward of Elements
4x Tempest Caller
This is a slightly more aggressive take than above, but it can still pivot into tempo/card advantage play in the sideboard as necessary. I think Watertrap Weaver is the way to go in the three drop slot. It can shutdown something in advance of Herald coming in and making everything unblockable. Opt helps on games where start on blue mana or don't get a green one drop. Dive Down isn't as aggressive as Blossoming Defense, so fewer are needed, but having them in for extra hexproof protection could be huge, even allow a chump block without losing the blocker if you need to survive one more turn.
In the event you run up against decks that can make your Herald irrelevant, but also runs creatures, you can sub in four Tempest Caller, who has a very similar effect. Nissa, Steward of Elements, Spell Pierce, and Shaper's Sanctuary allow the deck to pivot into the aforementioned tempo/card advantage machine, especially against Grixis or U/B control with all their targeted spot removal. Heroic Intervention can stave off more spot removal and even avoid a Fumigate, allowing you to use Spell Pierces on Settle the Wreckage.
I do worry about the lack of Islands to support Kumena's Speaker early on. The deck may also just tilt to creatureless strategies since it has so many tap effects. Either way, I like the look of this and will try it next time at FNM. Love the discussion going here so far.
I actually planned on running some Watertrap weaver in my own list. The only issue is that it really hurts to lose the Vineshaper Mystic at 3 cmc giving counters. The deck really needs the reliability to get counters on creatures in order to take advantage of Herald of Secret Streams, that is why so much of the deck is devoted to sticking counters on creatures. The one thing that I'm not happy about in the budget list is how one dimensional merfolk can be. Without some kind of variance, it's possible to easily get sideboarded for and taken out. Also, the deck can be very focused on doing it's own thing, which can be problematic in this format that looks like it may have quite a few decks that want to interact.
So you think Opt works better than Chart a Course?
Also, I have to admit this deck is as close to a sealed / draft deck one can get in standard. It literally is mostly the uncommons and commons with a lot of focus on in-set rares.
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!
Gifted Aetherborn is a prime example of a creature that slows us down in several ways; he's able to block our early creatures and can bring the life total further out of reach. Being in Simic colors (colors well known to not have much proactive interaction) we'll most likely be forced to use fight effects or bounce spells to only temporarily fix the problem.
I think either can work. It boils down to "do I want two cards or do I want one card with some filtering?" I went with Opt because I'll take a guaranteed 1.5 cards for 1 rather than a possible (probable) 2 cards for 2 that will occasionally be 1 card for 2. I also like how Opt fits in with a more aggressive stance, giving you a chance to put two counters on your Deeproot Champion for the same cost as one with a Chart a Course.
Such is that tribal life.
Yeah, I didn't realize how far away from counter access this list skewed. Two River Heralds' Boon doesn't seem enough. Another consideration is Jade Guardian. But the four slot seems pretty full as it is. Maybe this does want a Verdurous Gearhulk just for the counters. I wasn't a fan of Vineshaper Mystic just because a 1/3 for 3 just seems bad. Even with the counters. Maybe counters aren't the endgame here. Maybe it's just an aggro strat that has an ace in the hole when needed. Ideally, you never need to cast Herald of Secret Streams. Ideally a fast attack gameplan plus protection gets you there.
I'm going to play this list tomorrow night at our Standard Showdown event.
4x Kumena's Speaker
3x Deeproot Champion
4x River Sneak
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Metallic Mimic
2x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2x Kopala, Warden of Waves
3x Herald of Secret Streams
2x Verdurous Gearhulk
4x Blossoming Defense
3x Unsummon
4x River Heralds' Boon
Land (21)
4x Botanical Sanctum
1x Hashep Oasis
4x Unclaimed Territory
6x Forest
6x Island
I'm focussing on cheap creatures and getting a lot of counters on them. Herald of Secret Streams will eventually allow me to go for a massive unblocked attack to finish the game. I've done some goldfishing games and it's incredible how fast it can go. Especially with Rishkar, Peema Renegade adding up on the counters and ramping you to emptying your hand as well.
Verdurous Gearhulk to assist in the counters plan and being big on it's own.
Unsummon to have the tempo plan and get rid of (big) Longtusk Cub or Scarab God.
I'm replacing 1 more Forest with Hashep Oasis.
The sideboard is still a work in progress but will contain 3-4 Heroic Intervention to protect the board from Fumigate/Bontu's Last Reckoning, a few counterspells like Negate/Essence Scatter and some other cards.
I think Vineshaper Mystic is not good being a 1/3 for 3. It also comes with the downside that you'll almost always want to play it when you have atleast 2 other Merfolk. It makes you keep it in hand where you rather want to play stuff and keep your aggro plan going.
I also think Jade Guardian is overcosted and the 4 slot doesn't really have room for it.
Cheers
After much revision, I feel like I have finally developed an optimal build of sorts. It turns out that Rishkar is an extremely strong card in this deck; if you are pursuing the counters strategy, you need to include him. This build has been winning many more games than previous iterations.
Main win tactic is to get counters on creatures and make them un-blockable with Herald, or to tap blockers via Tempest Caller (I love this card -- may eventually revise to two Tempest Callers and two Heralds), and swing for massive damage.
I'm not sure how people are managing to get notable results with Deeproot Champion. I play tested him and he was generally a static 1/1, contributing nothing -- perhaps he would shine in a deck that utilised more spells (Opt, Unsummon, etc).
Anyway, super happy with this build. Will be bringing it to Standard Showdown this Saturday. Will make sure to let y'all know how it fares!
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!
Looking it over, I think Rishkar, Peema Renegade is the better choice in the three drop, compared to Watertrap Weaver. Maybe 2 of each? Four Rishkar is too many for a Legendary, and Watertrap does some good work in some matchups. Then again, maybe this deck prefers three Rishkar and +1 to River Heralds' Boon? I dunno. I also I took out the Opt for Unsummon. I think it's far superior for an aggro style attack. I still prefer Opt for tempo plays, but this version is more aggressive.
4x Kumena's Speaker
2x Deeproot Champion
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Metallic Mimic
4x River Sneak
2x Kopala, Warden of the Waves
3x Herald of Secret Streams
3x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
4x Botanical Sanctum
4x Hashep Oasis
3x Unclaimed Territory
5x Island
5x Forest
Spells (13)
4x Blossoming Defense
2x Dive Down
4x Opt
3x River Herald's Boon
3x Shaper's Sanctuary
3x Spell Pierce
3x Heroic Intervention
2x Nissa, Steward of Elements
4x Tempest Caller
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've found the mana rush approach can be done without a lot of Merfolk, but Kopala giving extra protection Vs spot removal is important since breaking the rush spells doom. Also the branch walker is just really good. I want to see more aggressive explore cards next set, but I think that is only for the first block.
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!