Top 8ed Regionals in Orlando using Merfolk Joe's list and sideboard guide except i switched the 2 main deck spell pierce to vapor snag at the last minute because of how much UR Phoenix I saw in the room.
Spectacle is an alternative casting cost for which we have 12 out of 19 sources of mana we can use to pay it. It's a grindy card.
On another note. Lavinia, Azorius Renegade takes care of a lot of problem cards like: Karn, Ugin, all is Dust, Ostone, Conflagrate. Chord of Calling and more.
When i think of it, it's everything i use Gaddock Teeg for, on a human
stops the dreaded miracle terminus as well (at least sometimes)
For anyone thinking of jumping into fish in Standard, you might need a third color (either red or black) for removal. Straight up UG is terrible in the meta without removals against Mono Red and Temur Energy.
i expect energy will be neutered in the B/R announcement
but this thread is for modern so i'll probably get a nastygram for even talking about standard...
UG merfolk still very soft against Elves lol played against it last night, and their explosive hands are just umbeatable
it's very hard to beat.
i got blown out by a surprise EOT chord for 4 to get chameleon colossus
untap swing for 20 with islandwalk (thanks to my LoA)...
IIRC the confusing bit is that if opponent doesn't do anything (like cast Cryptic) then you can NOT then activate your second 'vault, because you have passed priority in "Beginning of Combat".
The rules about that communication have actually changed recently due to the confusion about when you can crew vehicles. So, now when you say "move to combat", you are no longer considered to have passed priority all the way to the declare attackers step and can still act in the "Beginning of Combat" step.
This was the reason she gave my opponent for why i still got priority but my understanding is that even under the old rule, i get priority if my opponent acts during that step.
I had an interesting judge interaction this weekend in a side event at GP Atlanta.
Was playing against jeskai control. Had 3 creatures in play and 2 mutavaults. My opponent was representing a cryptic command. I animate 1 mutavault and ask to move to combat. My opponent stops me and casts cryptic to tap and draw. I let the cryptic resolve and attempt to animate my other mutavault. Opponent stops me and says i cant do that. I ask for a judge, explain the situation and she agrees with my opponent that we're now in the declare attackers step and i don't get priority back after my opponents spell resolves. I asked for an appeal and ahe says "im filling in for the head judge of this side event so you cant appeal". I was pretty floored. As politely as i could i said "im 100% sure that this ruling is incorrect. I'd appreciate it if you would just ask another judge really quick." She did and eventually came and gave us a correct ruling (although she didnt explain it very well) despite my opponents continued arguing. In my mind this was a pretty standard play-around-cryptic play, but my opponent was pissed and felt that I'd scum bagged him. "If that's the way it works all manlands should triple in price because thats too good".
Please reassure me that i didn't to something wrong (or even that unusual) here.
I think spyglass is definitely WORSE than Pithing Needle
if you're bringing in Needle, you know what you're naming. i don't think looking at their hand is worth 1 more mana.
Stroke is there for valakut but I like it against tron and eldrazi too. Negate is sort of an online card in that it counters random crap I see all the time . You are right I have too many counterspells but idk how to leverage against things without them. I've liked gut shot in the past so maybe I could consider cutting negate for it and running 3. That kills me for the burn matchup though. Perhaps I could circumvent that by running snag instead of dismember MB. I'm higher on snag than a lot of people anyway. I've tried unified will a lot but I think that card is just awful for us especially with all the spot removal nowadays.
unified will is fantastic...
you don't bring it in vs decks full of spot removal
It's better against valakut and tron than stroke is. it counters, literally, every spell in their decks, including anger and o-stone. it also has game against control decks to counter a counter/snapcaster/revelation/planeswalker (including gideon of the trials). it's live against storm as well.
3 rejections should be enough counters for eldrazi (plus you have all those dismembers)
Negate is very sub-par vs burn anyway. 2 mana is too much, you want dispel there.
7-1 in swiss
Matchups were
Bogles
Titanshift
Dredge
Sultai Reclamation
4c Kiki
UR Phoenix
Martyr proc
GDS
QuarterFinal
Amulet Titan
I got multiple comments from opponents and spectators each round about how they hadn't seen Merfolk in forever. Nobody plays fish in Florida?
Blue Commune with Nature. Does this change any opinions on 1 drops?
stops the dreaded miracle terminus as well (at least sometimes)
unsummon
watertrap weaver
combat tricks (blossoming defense, river heralds' boon)
i expect energy will be neutered in the B/R announcement
but this thread is for modern so i'll probably get a nastygram for even talking about standard...
since when?
it's very hard to beat.
i got blown out by a surprise EOT chord for 4 to get chameleon colossus
untap swing for 20 with islandwalk (thanks to my LoA)...
The rules about that communication have actually changed recently due to the confusion about when you can crew vehicles. So, now when you say "move to combat", you are no longer considered to have passed priority all the way to the declare attackers step and can still act in the "Beginning of Combat" step.
This was the reason she gave my opponent for why i still got priority but my understanding is that even under the old rule, i get priority if my opponent acts during that step.
Was playing against jeskai control. Had 3 creatures in play and 2 mutavaults. My opponent was representing a cryptic command. I animate 1 mutavault and ask to move to combat. My opponent stops me and casts cryptic to tap and draw. I let the cryptic resolve and attempt to animate my other mutavault. Opponent stops me and says i cant do that. I ask for a judge, explain the situation and she agrees with my opponent that we're now in the declare attackers step and i don't get priority back after my opponents spell resolves. I asked for an appeal and ahe says "im filling in for the head judge of this side event so you cant appeal". I was pretty floored. As politely as i could i said "im 100% sure that this ruling is incorrect. I'd appreciate it if you would just ask another judge really quick." She did and eventually came and gave us a correct ruling (although she didnt explain it very well) despite my opponents continued arguing. In my mind this was a pretty standard play-around-cryptic play, but my opponent was pissed and felt that I'd scum bagged him. "If that's the way it works all manlands should triple in price because thats too good".
Please reassure me that i didn't to something wrong (or even that unusual) here.
Nikachu is free. He only got banned for like a week. He just doesn't post here anymore because this place sucks.
well it's better in some instances and worse in a lot of instances.
for example it's better vs abrupt decay and is better at protecting a phantasmal image
if you're bringing in Needle, you know what you're naming. i don't think looking at their hand is worth 1 more mana.
unified will is fantastic...
you don't bring it in vs decks full of spot removal
It's better against valakut and tron than stroke is. it counters, literally, every spell in their decks, including anger and o-stone. it also has game against control decks to counter a counter/snapcaster/revelation/planeswalker (including gideon of the trials). it's live against storm as well.
3 rejections should be enough counters for eldrazi (plus you have all those dismembers)
Negate is very sub-par vs burn anyway. 2 mana is too much, you want dispel there.