I like it as a 2 copy card. It's not only a 2/2 flyer, but it can be a Jade bearer instead. But the reason for 2 copies is it really shines in the late game after you have 5 mana and some bodies with counters. Then it can start pumping things big and ending the game for you.
If you're doing Curious Obsession (which is the only reason to be playing so many Pierce and Dive Down), then more Skydivers makes sense.
The prime idea is to get lots of counters and then proliferate, Sleep, and kill. Also the card draw in here is insane. Looting forever from Biomancer, plus Silvergill, Kumena, and Seaclaim can often draw 3 cards at once. Even if you do get hit by a sweeper you can reload with a fistful of cards.
Smashed RG midrange in dozens of games, losing only to manascrew.
Okay, so what if we add a color? -4 Tempest Djinn, +4 something? How about Teferi? Can't complain about having an instant Entrancing Melody. Still want a power card, but there's lots of options now.
Most decks are quite deeply affected by the rotation. The best I can spot is Temur Reclamation, a control deck built around Wilderness Reclamation and Niv Mizzet, but will it even be good post-rotation? Who knows?
Played Levy's deck to a 3-1 finish tonight. Might have gone 4-0 if I were a better player. Vs. mono white one turn I attacked for a net 19 damage. But I had forgotten to get a couple merfolk tokens the previous turn so I would have threatened lethal and that would have converted the game in my favor. Lost 1-2.
The other 3 matches were Gates, Izzet Drakes and Jank. Beat them all soundly.
Curious Obsession/Dive Down is the way Merfolk succeeded before. Before the new set arrived, it was just inferior to mono-blue with a flying X/4 finisher. Breeding Pool helps the UG deck catch up a bit, but for Merfolk to compete in standard, I think you need cards that can effectively deal with things like Phoenix.
I don't know what cards that would be. The gap filler doesn't have to be a Merfolk, it could be any creature type or any non-creature spell. Maybe Incubation // Incongruity? With cards like Kumena on the field, a 3/3 isn't a problem, and in other stages, digging for more merfolk is a fine idea.
A very powerful strategy for this deck is Curious Obsession with Dive Down protection and certain unblockable Merfolk attackers. Pump up those little guys and draw like mad.
Had some success today with a G/U deck that goes
4x Bristling Hydra
4x Vine Mare
4x give those guys flying
and a bunch of other mostly creatures some energy sources, some bit of spells.
That success however happened to be all red decks. I'm seeing other creature decks around: stompy, dinos, vampires, dragons, knights, lifegain tribal. For some reason control seems to have disappeared from the local meta.
I'm really not clear on what your point is. You list a bunch of spells that Negate is good against, and this somehow is an argument for Heroic Intervention?
No, the 6 defensive spells are not enough against control decks. It's not a good matchup main. What's your cure?
If you need lifegain, you can get it. There's good options in black white and green.
Wildgrowth Walker is an option for green decks. Branchwalker and Jadelight help fill the grave, and W.W. gets huge while gaining life.
Deck below is what i'm experimenting with. A more conventional UG has Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar, Verderous Gearhulk, and Walking Ballista, but not Merfolk Trickster or Sleep. Sleep seems pretty great btw. You can easily get 12+ power on the board and then Sleep and attack.
4 Mistcloaked Herald
4 Merfolk Skydiver
Pump
4 Icon of Ancestry
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
2 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
4 Benthic Biomancer
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Wizard's Retort
2 Essence Scatter
2 Sleep
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Island
2 Forest
2 Karn's Bastion
If you're doing Curious Obsession (which is the only reason to be playing so many Pierce and Dive Down), then more Skydivers makes sense.
4 Benthic Biomancer
3 Jade Bearer
1 Mist-cloaked Herald
4 Deeproot Elite
2 Merfolk Skydiver
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Silvergill Adept
3 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
2 Seafloor Oracle
1 Herald of Secret Streams
2 Deeproot Waters
2 Spell Pierce
2 Sleep
22 Lands
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hinterland Harbor
2 Unclaimed Territory
2 Karn's Bastion
6 Island
3 Forest
1 Gate
2 River's Rebuke
2 Kraul Harpooner
2 Surge Mare
2 Reclamation Sage
3 Wizard's Retort
4 Auras to take care of their creatures
The prime idea is to get lots of counters and then proliferate, Sleep, and kill. Also the card draw in here is insane. Looting forever from Biomancer, plus Silvergill, Kumena, and Seaclaim can often draw 3 cards at once. Even if you do get hit by a sweeper you can reload with a fistful of cards.
Smashed RG midrange in dozens of games, losing only to manascrew.
The other 3 matches were Gates, Izzet Drakes and Jank. Beat them all soundly.
Lands (20)
4 Breeding Pool
4 Forest
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Island
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Benthic Biomancer
4 Jadelight Ranger
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
2 Spell Pierce
4 Growth Spiral
4 Simic Ascendancy
2 Wilderness Reclamation
4 Deeproot Waters
This deck is heavily about going crazy with Simic Ascendancy, but you can also just swarm kill.
4 Breeding Pool
4 Forest
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Island
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Benthic Biomancer
4 Kumena's Speaker
4 Jadelight Ranger
4 Deeproot Elite
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
Spells (8)
4 Incubation // Incongruity
4 Deeproot Waters
Numbers may be off, sideboard not published yet.
I don't know what cards that would be. The gap filler doesn't have to be a Merfolk, it could be any creature type or any non-creature spell. Maybe Incubation // Incongruity? With cards like Kumena on the field, a 3/3 isn't a problem, and in other stages, digging for more merfolk is a fine idea.
4x Bristling Hydra
4x Vine Mare
4x give those guys flying
and a bunch of other mostly creatures some energy sources, some bit of spells.
That success however happened to be all red decks. I'm seeing other creature decks around: stompy, dinos, vampires, dragons, knights, lifegain tribal. For some reason control seems to have disappeared from the local meta.
No, the 6 defensive spells are not enough against control decks. It's not a good matchup main. What's your cure?
Wildgrowth Walker is an option for green decks. Branchwalker and Jadelight help fill the grave, and W.W. gets huge while gaining life.
Deck below is what i'm experimenting with. A more conventional UG has
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar, Verderous Gearhulk, and Walking Ballista, but not Merfolk Trickster or Sleep. Sleep seems pretty great btw. You can easily get 12+ power on the board and then Sleep and attack.
2 God-Pharaoh's Gift
4 Gate to the Afterlife
// 26 Creature
4 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Wildgrowth Walker
4 Jadelight Ranger
4 Champion of Wits
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Minister of Inquiries
1 Glyph Keeper
1 Vizier of Many Faces
2 Blossoming Defense
// 24 Land
3 Island
4 Forest
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Hinterland Harbor
2 Hostile Desert
4 Ipnu Rivulet
3 Evolving Wilds
// 3 Sorcery
2 Sleep
1 River's Rebuke
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
1 Glyph Keeper
4 Negate
2 Naturalize
2 Plummet
1 River's Rebuke
2 Kefnet's Last Word