Merfolks, staying alive and adapting to the new metagame...

[Bone]

I started playing merfolks in march this year and it is the vintage deck I am most comfortable with. I only have one piece of power, a Sapphire, so the decks I can build are limited. I played a version of this deck in BoM3 and felt it was good enough to compete at this level. I don't know how the meta will turn out before BoM4 but I want to play this deck and will tweak it as much as I can to make it competive.

Merfolks - August 09

Creatures = 18

4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
3 Merrow Reejerey
3 Riptide Pilferer*
4 Silvergill Adept

*The 3 Riptide Pilferer are just for testing. If I am not happy with them they will be replaced by 1 Merrow Reejerey + 2 Sygg, River Cutthroat. This is probably also the best choice in an aggroheavy metagame.

Spells = 21

1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
1 Echoing Truth
4 Force to Will
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Misdirection
4 Null Rod
3 Standstill
3 Stifle

Mana = 21

3 Flooded Strand**
8 Island
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mutavault***
3 Polluted Delta**
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland

**The fetches. Their single reason for being in this deck is to thin out my draws in the middle/late game. But running into a t1 or t2 Stifle can ruing my game. And the lifeloss is not good either. Perhaps they should go, and be replaced by 7 Islands + 1 Mutavault. Wich brings me to...

***The single Mutavault. I'm getting more and more sure that it should be two instead of one. There are several reasons: 1; I have enough islands so getting blue mana doesn't seem like a problem. 2; An extra Mutavault lets me take out a creature for an extra Echoing Truth or whatever I need. 3; I play with 3 Standstill.

Sideboard = 15

3 Curfew (Inkvell and Oath)
1 Echoing Truth
3 Energy Flux (most boarded in at BoM3)
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Threads of Disloyality****
3 Tormod's Crypt

****I have been thinking alot of Gilded Drake lately. I run 2 Echoing Truth (1 md, 1 sb), I can add another maindeck if I do the -1 Island, -1 creature, +1 Mutavault, +1 Echoing Truth change. I can also use Waterfront Bouncer (merfolk after erreta). Vs Oath, DC and Sphinx 3 Drakes will be alot better than Threads of Disloyality. What do you think?

(copied from my blogg, http://blogg.stavangermagic.com)

[Bone]

I have made some minor changes to my decklist:

-1 Polluted Delta, +1 Mutavault
-3 Riptide Pilferer, +1 Merrow Reejerey, +1 Sygg, River Cutthroat, +1 Echoing Truth

Merfolks - September 09

Creatures = 17

4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept
1 Sygg, River Cutthroat*

*Did alot of testing with Riptide Pilferer and alot of times I wanted it to be another card instead. I chose Sygg, River Cutthroat over Cold-Eyed Selkie and Wake Thrasher as a metagame choice. Nice blocker and almost always gets me one draw. (keep mana open in the combat phase then play this in the second main phase)

Spells = 22

1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
2 Echoing Truth**
4 Force of Will
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Misdirection
4 Null Rod
3 Standstill
3 Stifle

**When adding an extra Mutavault I could add another spell and still keep 17 merfolks and 21 mana sources. I'm not sure if Echoing Truth is the right choice but it has proven quite good so far.

Mana = 21

3 Flooded Strand
8 Island
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Mutavault
2 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland

Sideboard:

3 Curfew (Inkvell and Oath)
3 Energy Flux (most boarded in at BoM3)
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Threads of Disloyality***
3 Tormod's Crypt
1 Trickbind****

***I am still thinking about the Gilded Drake tech...

****With Echoing Truth going into the main I had one slot open in the sideboard. I'm not sure what to put in but a superstifle won't hurt while thinking of other cards to include.

Zendikar bonus:

There is a new card spoiled in Zendikar named Cosi's Trickster. It's a 1/1 Merfolk for 1 blue that gets a +1/+1 counter on it each time an opponent shuffles his library. I like the card alot, but it will never see play in vintage when we allready have Cursecatcher as THE best blue creature for 1 mana. Perhaps it will be played in other formats, but not this one.

Ravenous Trap is an instant Tormod's Crypt for 0 if my opponent put three or more cards into his graveyard this turn. It can't be grudged and I don't need to bother with chalice @ 0. This card will most likely take the crypts place in the sideboard.

[JudasKilled]

I understand yer running monoblue fish and thats fine but honestly you have 2 look at the deck and say what does this have over BUGFISH or any of the like?  Really not much as is.

The creatures alone are subpar.  your running 4 hard counters and 3 soft, and a heavy mana denial package.  Seems weak.

I would considers plashing black for BoB and tutors + edict or discard,.

The stifles seem weak , I would cut stifle and some of the unnecsesary carsd and run more hard counters IE mana leak 4th daze and spellsnare

[Bone]

Please stay to the topic...

(just waiting for someone to suggest adding voltaic key  + time vault...)

BUG fish and Merfolks are very different decks.

3 times top 8 (one win) in 50-70 players Catalan Vintage League this year has proven this deck competive.

[JudasKilled]

3 top 8s doesnt mean 2 much, thats 0 wins.  Besides tourney size? etc must also be considered.

Bug fish and other fish decks do matter because what your playing is mono blue fish

[Sean Ryan]

Not a bad budget choice for a zero proxy event.  Although, having Sapphire listed retracts from your budget status.

I would cut the random Sygg.  Why no Wake Thrasher?

How does your stax match tend to play out?  Your game 1 seems a little weak, maybe add another Hurkyl's Recall in place of an Echoing Truth.

I would imagine you crush other Fish decks with the army of island walking Folks.  The Drain match should also be decent.

Rootwater Theif is another consideration for you.

[the_lord_shaper]

      Here's the version of merfolk I would run at the moment Bone. I like the splash of another color in merfok, I just don't think mono-blue is good enough these days. Even with that being said, I have been playing BUG fish for the past two months though.


Main Deck:
Creatures: 17
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Cursecatcher
3 Slivergil Adept
2 Merrow Reejerey
2 Wake Thrasher
2 Sygg, River Cutthroat

Spells: 18
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
3 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
1 Brainstorm
1 A-Call
1 Timewalk
1 Vamp Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 H. Recall


Artifacts: 7
4 Null Rod
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet

Lands: 18
4 Wastelands
1 Strip Mine
2 Mutavault
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Island

Side Board:
2 Jitte
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Planar Void
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Energy Flux
2 Spell Snare
2 Curfew

[Bone]

Please stay to the topic...

(just waiting for someone to suggest adding voltaic key  + time vault...)

BUG fish and Merfolks are very different decks.

3 times top 8 (one win) in 50-70 players Catalan Vintage League this year has proven this deck competive.

3 top 8s doesnt mean 2 much, thats 0 wins.  Besides tourney size? etc must also be considered.

Bug fish and other fish decks do matter because what your playing is mono blue fish

No they don't. (just because both are fishdecks)

That is just as lame as comparing Drain Tendrils to TPS and Ad Nauseam Tendrils... 

Not a bad budget choice for a zero proxy event.  Although, having Sapphire listed retracts from your budget status.

I would cut the random Sygg.  Why no Wake Thrasher?

How does your stax match tend to play out?  Your game 1 seems a little weak, maybe add another Hurkyl's Recall in place of an Echoing Truth.

I would imagine you crush other Fish decks with the army of island walking Folks.  The Drain match should also be decent.

Rootwater Theif is another consideration for you.

Hello

This deck is for sanctioned non-proxy events so you got me there. When I started out playing this deck it was pure budget $300. But my wife wanted to give me a mox as a morninggift on our wedding so I included a Sapphire. The times I have it in my oppening hand (about 11,67%) it is very nice and helps alot. I will (in time) include Lotus, Recall and Walk... hopefully my budget allows me to get one more piece of power this year.

Sygg is almost always draw 1. And it's a good blocker vs aggro. The reason why I only have a single one is because I feel that 17 creatues is the optimal number (+2 manlands). Everytime I look for improvements on my deck I consider both Wake Thrasher and Cold-Eyed Selkie in that spot. Perhaps I should to more testing with Wake Thrasher, he's a good beatstick.

Game 1 against stax is very weak. I have only played against it once in a tournament (Bazaar of Moxen 3) against Harald Brown. I was very lucky to win both games (thanks to Energy Flux). Luckily sanctioned tournaments are not full of stax.

Every blue control/combo is a good matchup for me. I love to get paired against Tezz/Vault players.

Yeah, Rootwater Thief comes up once in a while. I have tested it and it was weak. In the merfolk 2cc spot LoA, Adept and the single Sygg is better. And as hate it's not enough as every deck is not reliable on only one card. I also tested Extract as a 3-of in the sideboard but it didn't make the cut.

Thanks btw, will do some more testing with Wake Thrasher.

      Here's the version of merfolk I would run at the moment Bone. I like the splash of another color in merfok, I just don't think mono-blue is good enough these days. Even with that being said, I have been playing BUG fish for the past two months though.

Side Board:
2 Jitte
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Planar Void
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Energy Flux
2 Spell Snare
2 Curfew

Thanks. I don't think I will splash any colors at the moment. (weakened manabase). But I can see the strenghts; discard, tutors and I just love the anti-graveyard sideboard (2 Jailers, 2 Planar Void, 2 Relics). It's not easy for an Ichorid player to side hate against creature/enchantment/artifact at the same time. With Zendikar I will change 3 crypts against 3 Ravenous trap.

[Elfrago]

Hello, this is the list I'm actually playing.



// Lands
    4  Wasteland
    1  Strip Mine
    4  Island
    4  Tundra
    4  Flooded Strand
    1  Plains

// Creatures
    4  Lord of Atlantis
    3  Merrow Reejerey
    4  Cursecatcher
    4  Silvergill Adept
    3  Riptide Pilferer
    2  Sygg, River Cutthroat

// Spells
    1  Black Lotus
    4  Chalice of the Void
    1  Misdirection
    2  Spell Snare
    4  Force of Will
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Gush
    1  Time Walk
    1  Ancestral Recall
    3  Daze
    4  AEther Vial

// Sideboard
SB: 3  Kataki, War's Wage
SB: 2  Tormod's Crypt
SB: 2  Relic of Progenitus
SB: 4  Swords to Plowshares
SB: 4 open slots

I've highlighted the biggest differences in our lists, and those differences come from the different vision the deck we have.
Since this deck is capable of a very quick clock, I see it more like an aggro deck than a fish deck (to be clear: more like goblins than fish).
To keep the deck at his full speed I've chosen Chalice over null rod, since you have to play a creature each turn and "wasting" a turn for null rod slows the clock.
For the same reason, for the lack of turn one plays and for the bad matchup vs stack I've inserted Aether Vial.
The white splash, for SB only, tryes to fix the stack matchup and the non-blue aggro matchup.

[madmanmike25]

Wake Thrasher seems like a great aggro card now that mana burn no longer exists.  EOT tap lands/moxen, untap and +x/+x. 

I think you guys need to look at Rootwater Thief.  Seriously, 1-2 activations can win u the game.

What about Grimoire Thief as well?  Playing a merfolk with multiple Reejery's seems pretty good.  Not just for the counter ability, but the removal of random cards.

Naturally these guys blow vs aggro, but then again u can add in more Merfolk that add +1/+1 to all you creatures post SB.  Besides there arent that many competitve aggro decks out there.

Good luck,
Mike