So, I'm having some fun trying out Redirect. Works beautifully against Abrupt Decay, which was the main card I put it in against. But, I've found that it works well against Burn, Bogle, Twin, and really anything that plays spells with single targets. It really throws them off because it's such an underplayed card too. Granted, it has been a drawback at times when it's the only spell in my hand and I'm getting rammed by critters...but, there's a reason it's not in every sideboard haha! Just a note for anyone having serious trouble with aforementioned cards/decks.
I saw someone in a few pages ago asking about it, so I figured I'd answer. Also, Divert was suggested...but that is only in Odyssey and thus only legal in Legacy, Vintage, and EDH.
Just a personal note about sideboards as it seems that's the topic of the week. I use about 6-9 counterspells depending on my mood in the sideboard, never using Spell Pierce. I don't like conditional counters like that because you just never know. I use mostly U counterspells like Annul (for Affinity and Burn against Eidolon of the Great Revel), Spell Snare (for Burn, Affinity, and Bogle especially), Swan Song (for Living End and Scapeshift mainly), and Dispel (for other Dispels from either Splinter Twin or Scapeshift decks. Not trying to force anything on anyone...but, I've noticed that I usually only have one or maybe two untapped lands at most during my opponent's turn in my build, which is extremely aggro and Mono Blue with about 27 creatures mainboard. Just a note for anyone with a similar build/play style.
In addition to the suggestions above, I've noticed that a lot of Affinity's key cards cost two (Arcbound Ravager, Cranial Plating, Steel Overseer just to name a few), so I've found that Spell Snare is perfect against them and is great to have at least 2 (I use 3 if I can) for a multitude of other opponents. I love pivotal cards like that in a tight sideboard like Merfolk's...
I use Echoing Truth mainly against tokens...especially those from Lingering Souls!! Thank you to everyone who posted their recent States experiences...they were very insightful. Interesting to see Affinity still be such a problem even with 4x Hurkyl's Recall. I can only afford one on MTGO (because they're worth $30 for some odd reason on MTGO, but $1.50 in paper!) and use one Annul in the sideboard and can handle Affinity about 50/50 usually.
I have had a lot of success recently with Master of Waves, but it is true that there is just way too much removal out there that is non-red that just makes you waste your turn when you could've dropped two lords or something. I believe I may try Thassa again, at least as a one of...because I keep forgetting about her unblockable ability in addition to her awesome scry ability...not to mention she's easy to activate with all the lords and Kiras and UU stuff haha!
Just want to mention one more time, I still use 2x Triton Shorestalker...he's a beast!!
For people worried about Choke, I've recently been utilizing Echoing Truth for pesky enchantments/planeswalkers like that. They usually are brought in to replace Vapor Snag or a Spreading Seas or two.
I don't have many problems with Zoo, especially with both of those spells available...I keep all 5 in (3 Vapor Snags, 2 Echoing Truths) when facing heavy aggro deck with weenies like Soul Sisters and/or Zoo. Hibernation most definitely is NOT too slow. You just need to wait for the perfect time, because it's not really worth putting more than one in the sideboard. Same with Hurkyl's Recall...partly because they're so expensive on MTGO but also because of the Spell Snare point made earlier by someone...about how it touches most of the Affinity deck anyway while still being versatile enough to be brought in against a vast array of other decks, unlike Hurkyl's Recall.
And to the person asking about Triton Shorestalker in Chalice-less decks...I am one of them and take the total aggro approach with minimal removal. I use 4 Spreading Seas and 3 Vapor Snags as the only removal in my mainboard. The sideboard is basically a toolbox of disruption, though. The Shorestalker definitely helps poke through extra damage without having to have a Lord of Atlantis or Master of the Pearl Trident in play. He can be a 3/3 or 4/4 easily with other Lords that don't provide Islandwalk. It helps in the times that you don't have the Spreading Seas you need to be able to get through for the lethal 16 (or whatever), so that at least you can hit them for 4 over four turns if worse comes to worse.
One last point, I've been using Sower of Temptation over Threads of Disloyalty for a few reasons: a) because Threads is something like 3x the price on MTGO as Sower. b) you can use Aether Vial to bring it in on your opponent's attack step to throw them off. c) it gives you an extra flying critter to get through. d) it forces them to use their removal on it rather than the lord that is pumping your Fish.
That said, I'm about to play in the first Daily I've done in a solid week or two. Very excited! Hope to see one or two of y'all lurking around there today, just don't wanna run into you, I do terribly in the mirror match hahaha!
NOTE: When playing against the Lands deck (Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Amulet of Vigor, Primeval Titan, etc.)...always remember to play out your Cursecatchers if you don't run very many counters or just happen to not have any counters. Because when they go to their Plan-B Hive Mind > Summoner's Pact combo, you can use Cursecatcher to counter your copy of the spell as long as you don't pay the 1 colorless...which you will happily say 'no' to!! I just lost to it in the last seconds of the 2nd round to go 0-2 for today. I lost to a RUG aggro deck that was basically R/U Delver with Tarmogoyf in the other round if curious.
I like that Redirect idea, I might throw two in the sideboard instead of Spell Snare or some other counter. Can't remember who said it, but I agree that 0 counters are needed in the mainboard. I use about 4-5 in the sideboard, usually 3 different kinds. One of Flashfreeze has been pretty crucial in several games for me, so I almost always have one of them in there. I've found Unified Will to be a lot of fun, but I slowly stopped bringing it in because it can be so conditional against things like pod and others that can play creatures at instant speed or burn yours out before the counter resolves. Spell Snare and Spell Pierce are MVP's here for sure depending on your metagame and how much you worry about Affinity or the mirror match. I worry about Affinity more because I can only afford to have one Hurkyl's Recall in my sideboard with how expensive they are (at least on MTGO! haha!)
Speaking of the mirror match, I got worked by it in the Modern Daily yesterday to go 1-2 drop. I was upset, but okay with the fact that a fellow Fish player knocked me out. Regardless, I've always been against using Master of Waves and/or Thassa, God of the Sea. I have bought them and tried them on two separate test runs and have hated it. It's almost, if not more conditional and flemsy than the Unified Will and there are four of them in the mainboard! Thassa was okay for a while until I realized a fourth Spreading Seas makes for more efficient islandwalk/manland killer/Scapeshift killer. What do y'all think about Master of Waves being used? Because my opponent played it both games against me and totally owned me, even though I hit a Vapor Snag on it once.
Yeah, Kira edges out Spellskite because of the damage-based spells. Kira can block Paths, O-Rings, Planeswalker targeting, etc. Everything but Abrupt Decay, essentially. I have run into the relentless burn player that doesn't hesitate to use two burn spells on Kira the second she hits the field...just to get it over with. Same with Spellskite, for that matter.
Finally i have to say that i really hate my one Toughnessguys. Not being able to block or attack into a token makes me cringe!!!
That's why you play at least three Spreading Seas. Also, the Triton Shorestalker is a good one because it is unblockable.
Merrow Reejery is a freaking champion!! When you untap an Aether Vial twice in a turn and play 5 creatures in one turn for about 4 mana total...that's when you realize the power of the Reejery. Don't even get me started on how you can untap a Mutavault and the mana to activate it with two Reejerys out, haha!
The card I find underwhelming the most is Phantasmal Image. It can have that 'wow' factor though when it copies an opposing Tarmogoyf or Siege Rhino or Griselbrand...but against R/U, Burn, anything with spot removal, it is especially terrible...even with a Kira in play, so it's one of the first set of cards I go to sideboard out a lot of times. I do the same with Cursecatcher against aggro decks, countering their spells isn't as important as keeping them tapped down or countering their fatties with some tools from the sideboard.
Hey there everyone, a newbie to the forum but kind of an old magic player here. I've been playing around with Merfolk mostly since the days of Extended and find it to be a lot of fun...but with minimal success at times. I play mainly on MTGO (same handle as here, MoonTimeDweller) and have been seeing some recent success in the Modern Daily tournaments, usually going 3-1 or 2-2.
Today, I went 4-0 and the thing that got my attention was that I crushed three R/U Delver decks along with one R/W Burn Cruise deck...two of the three or four hardest match-ups for Merfolk usually! I only dropped one game to the Delver deck in the first round, otherwise undefeated. I find to be mostly because of the sideboard, but also one little gem I've added recently in Triton Shorestalker.
I also find that Spreading Seas is more than just an outlet to either get a new card and/or make islandwalk useful. I believe it should be at least a 3 of in every Merfolk deck even though I use 4 all the time. It just shuts down Burn decks with stuff that is RR (Eidolon and Searing Blaze/Searing Blood) after a crucial Vapor Snag early in the game. Not to mention, it can take out manlands, a fellow Mutavault, or weird things like Windbrisk Heights or Boseiju, Who Shelters All.
As for the sideboard, I have a heavy anti-green and anti-red presence along with only one Hurkyl's Recall. I find 3x Spell Snare and a Hurkyl's Recall to be enough to fend of Affinity at least enough to have a chance and not take over the sideboard. Sower of Temptation is a beast for things like Tarmogoyf and Siege Rhino. Same with Phantasmal Image for the reasons, so that is a good reason not to side them out against Junk/Pod. My MVP for things like Elves and Junk has been Hibernation. There is only one, but it has won me a handful of games single-handedly by throwing people off or just opening up the field for a 15 point lethal attack. It also is really good to bounce a Choke (along with Echoing Truth if you wanna go that way...I'm going to try it.)
I don't find myself to be a Merfolk master or an authority by any means...but I am pretty experienced with these cards and have been testing it pretty hard online for the past couple of months especially. I was very happy to stumble upon this forum and topic, thanks for the good reads and trips down memory lane as this archtype has morphed so so so much over the years! Here is my list for reference:
I saw someone in a few pages ago asking about it, so I figured I'd answer. Also, Divert was suggested...but that is only in Odyssey and thus only legal in Legacy, Vintage, and EDH.
I have had a lot of success recently with Master of Waves, but it is true that there is just way too much removal out there that is non-red that just makes you waste your turn when you could've dropped two lords or something. I believe I may try Thassa again, at least as a one of...because I keep forgetting about her unblockable ability in addition to her awesome scry ability...not to mention she's easy to activate with all the lords and Kiras and UU stuff haha!
Just want to mention one more time, I still use 2x Triton Shorestalker...he's a beast!!
I don't have many problems with Zoo, especially with both of those spells available...I keep all 5 in (3 Vapor Snags, 2 Echoing Truths) when facing heavy aggro deck with weenies like Soul Sisters and/or Zoo. Hibernation most definitely is NOT too slow. You just need to wait for the perfect time, because it's not really worth putting more than one in the sideboard. Same with Hurkyl's Recall...partly because they're so expensive on MTGO but also because of the Spell Snare point made earlier by someone...about how it touches most of the Affinity deck anyway while still being versatile enough to be brought in against a vast array of other decks, unlike Hurkyl's Recall.
And to the person asking about Triton Shorestalker in Chalice-less decks...I am one of them and take the total aggro approach with minimal removal. I use 4 Spreading Seas and 3 Vapor Snags as the only removal in my mainboard. The sideboard is basically a toolbox of disruption, though. The Shorestalker definitely helps poke through extra damage without having to have a Lord of Atlantis or Master of the Pearl Trident in play. He can be a 3/3 or 4/4 easily with other Lords that don't provide Islandwalk. It helps in the times that you don't have the Spreading Seas you need to be able to get through for the lethal 16 (or whatever), so that at least you can hit them for 4 over four turns if worse comes to worse.
One last point, I've been using Sower of Temptation over Threads of Disloyalty for a few reasons: a) because Threads is something like 3x the price on MTGO as Sower. b) you can use Aether Vial to bring it in on your opponent's attack step to throw them off. c) it gives you an extra flying critter to get through. d) it forces them to use their removal on it rather than the lord that is pumping your Fish.
That said, I'm about to play in the first Daily I've done in a solid week or two. Very excited! Hope to see one or two of y'all lurking around there today, just don't wanna run into you, I do terribly in the mirror match hahaha!
NOTE: When playing against the Lands deck (Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Amulet of Vigor, Primeval Titan, etc.)...always remember to play out your Cursecatchers if you don't run very many counters or just happen to not have any counters. Because when they go to their Plan-B Hive Mind > Summoner's Pact combo, you can use Cursecatcher to counter your copy of the spell as long as you don't pay the 1 colorless...which you will happily say 'no' to!! I just lost to it in the last seconds of the 2nd round to go 0-2 for today. I lost to a RUG aggro deck that was basically R/U Delver with Tarmogoyf in the other round if curious.
Speaking of the mirror match, I got worked by it in the Modern Daily yesterday to go 1-2 drop. I was upset, but okay with the fact that a fellow Fish player knocked me out. Regardless, I've always been against using Master of Waves and/or Thassa, God of the Sea. I have bought them and tried them on two separate test runs and have hated it. It's almost, if not more conditional and flemsy than the Unified Will and there are four of them in the mainboard! Thassa was okay for a while until I realized a fourth Spreading Seas makes for more efficient islandwalk/manland killer/Scapeshift killer. What do y'all think about Master of Waves being used? Because my opponent played it both games against me and totally owned me, even though I hit a Vapor Snag on it once.
That's why you play at least three Spreading Seas. Also, the Triton Shorestalker is a good one because it is unblockable.
Merrow Reejery is a freaking champion!! When you untap an Aether Vial twice in a turn and play 5 creatures in one turn for about 4 mana total...that's when you realize the power of the Reejery. Don't even get me started on how you can untap a Mutavault and the mana to activate it with two Reejerys out, haha!
The card I find underwhelming the most is Phantasmal Image. It can have that 'wow' factor though when it copies an opposing Tarmogoyf or Siege Rhino or Griselbrand...but against R/U, Burn, anything with spot removal, it is especially terrible...even with a Kira in play, so it's one of the first set of cards I go to sideboard out a lot of times. I do the same with Cursecatcher against aggro decks, countering their spells isn't as important as keeping them tapped down or countering their fatties with some tools from the sideboard.
Today, I went 4-0 and the thing that got my attention was that I crushed three R/U Delver decks along with one R/W Burn Cruise deck...two of the three or four hardest match-ups for Merfolk usually! I only dropped one game to the Delver deck in the first round, otherwise undefeated. I find to be mostly because of the sideboard, but also one little gem I've added recently in Triton Shorestalker.
I also find that Spreading Seas is more than just an outlet to either get a new card and/or make islandwalk useful. I believe it should be at least a 3 of in every Merfolk deck even though I use 4 all the time. It just shuts down Burn decks with stuff that is RR (Eidolon and Searing Blaze/Searing Blood) after a crucial Vapor Snag early in the game. Not to mention, it can take out manlands, a fellow Mutavault, or weird things like Windbrisk Heights or Boseiju, Who Shelters All.
As for the sideboard, I have a heavy anti-green and anti-red presence along with only one Hurkyl's Recall. I find 3x Spell Snare and a Hurkyl's Recall to be enough to fend of Affinity at least enough to have a chance and not take over the sideboard. Sower of Temptation is a beast for things like Tarmogoyf and Siege Rhino. Same with Phantasmal Image for the reasons, so that is a good reason not to side them out against Junk/Pod. My MVP for things like Elves and Junk has been Hibernation. There is only one, but it has won me a handful of games single-handedly by throwing people off or just opening up the field for a 15 point lethal attack. It also is really good to bounce a Choke (along with Echoing Truth if you wanna go that way...I'm going to try it.)
I don't find myself to be a Merfolk master or an authority by any means...but I am pretty experienced with these cards and have been testing it pretty hard online for the past couple of months especially. I was very happy to stumble upon this forum and topic, thanks for the good reads and trips down memory lane as this archtype has morphed so so so much over the years! Here is my list for reference:
Main Deck:
4x Cursecatcher
2x Triton Shorestalker
4x Lord of Atlantis
4x Master of the Pearl Trident
4x Silvergill Adept
3x Phantasmal Image
4x Merrow Reejerey
2x Merfolk Sovereign
2x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
4x Aether Vial
3x Vapor Snag
4x Spreading Seas
4x Mutavault
2x Cavern of Souls
14x Island
Sideboard:
3x Spell Snare
2x Relic of Progenitus
3x Tidebinder Mage
1x Unified Will
1x Flashfreeze
1x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Hibernation
1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2x Sower of Temptation
I have since changed the sideboard and taken out the Unified Will and 1 Tidebinder Mage for 2x Echoing Truth.