Updated 7/22/16
HA! GOT YOU!! It's really just merfolk, but seriously, it's a Mono-U Zoo for sure. Now that you're here though...
So here it is, my merfolk deck I've been rockin' for the past 2 years through various ebbs and flows of the rest of the format. The deck is fantastic, lots of fun, lots of play to it and definitely a solid deck regardless of other popular decks(sand the notoriously bad Affinity matchup). I will make a write up and possibly a primer soon, but for now here is the list that I have been playing, recently to a Top 4 finish at a local modern PPTQ.
Now that the Eldrazi menace has died down a bit(still around obviously, big cheaty monsters are still big cheaty monsters) the 8-Seas version of Merfolk with 4 Spreading Seas and 4 Sea's Claim is fairly obsolete. Unless your local meta has a very high density of BGx, Mardu or other mana intensive decks you shouldn't be playing Sea's Claim at all. The impact is too low and effect isn't worth the card anymore.
With the rise of the Abzan Company/Chord decks, you will keep seeing more and more
Tidebinder Mage
in main decks. Being able to prevent a T1 mana dork from accelerating the game plan is huge in keeping the Collected Company decks from doing what makes them so good. Add in the double blue for devotion count with
Master of Waves
and
Tidebinder Mage
becomes a very solid choice to see anywhere from 1-3 copies in the main. I have chosen 2 copies for my main, but I can very much see the merit for the extras, especially after sideboarding.
With all the attention to
Silvergill Adept
as one of the best cards in the deck, one card that is consistently flying under the radar and underappreciated by the masses is Merrow Reejerey. With Aether Vial being a possible choice to be sided out in the grindier matchups, Reejerey acts almost as your replacement since it enables for some very crazy turns and creates a combo-like feel to the deck. The lords in the deck only get better with multiples, and Merrow Reejerey is no exception. Multiple copies essentially let you play your
Lord of Atlantis
and company for free, and turns Cursecatcher into positive net mana. Some of the best turns you can have when untapping T4 with a Merrow Reejerey is:
Play Island for 4 lands in play
Cast a Lord, untapping a land to make 3 untapped lands.
Cast another Lord, untapping a land to leave 2 untapped lands.
Tap a land to activate
Mutavault
, creating a 5/5 or bigger to begin swinging in.
meerow reejerey being a 3 drop definitely puts it on the slower end, but if you plan on rolling Aether Vial to 4 for
Master of Waves
then you have to stop at 3 for a turn which is perfect. Long story short, 3-4 copies is a MUST for the deck.
Also, the Oboro/Minamo package is great Choke insurance. That's the one downside to the Mono-U over the white or other splashed color versions. In my area and on the greater scheme though Choke isn't overly played so I'm safe most of the time. I also usually play 2-6 counters, so if I know someone is on the Choke plan you can play around it alright
If you have experience with the deck please leave your feedback and suggestions to what works well. +1's appreciate as always, thanks all!
