Is Merfolk A Thing In Modern
Modern forum
Posted on Oct. 13, 2016, 10:30 p.m. by Matthews_Decks
So I was wondering if merfolk was a thing in modern that was any good and if it is good what tier its in. I've played modern for about 4 to 5 mouths and merfolk is not a thing at my LGS so I was wondering if I show up with that deck if it will do well and if its fun to pilot.
Fish is definitely a thing in Modern! I currently play the deck and I win consistently with it! The deck is pretty bad against combos like ad nauseum, but the deck can race really well with turn 1 Cursecatcher, turn 2 Lord, turn 3 Lord, turn 4 Lord. Swing every turn and it's over. This is if they don't kill anything and don't block.
My version I call "7 Seas" because I play all 4 copies of Spreading Seas along with 3 copies of Sea's Claim and the 4th in the Sideboard for the matchups it's VERY good against (4th isn't necessary but it can help sometimes) and I win a lot of matchups very well like against Jund, if you get an aggressive hand you can beat ad nauseum, you easily wreck any Burn/Zoo decks. You have enough utility to combat Infect except for their turn 2 wins. And Hurkyl's Recall helps wreck Affinity once you're racing. AEther Vial turn 1 with very consistent Lords and curve can win straight up at least 75% of the time.
The deck is just so good because it can play any kind of strategy: Aggro, Tempo & Control. If I gave it a tier, I'd say 2, but with the right build, can be 1.5!
October 13, 2016 11:16 p.m.
SamCre1993 says... #4
I wouldn't be as brash as to generalize and call the deck horrible. I have been playing the deck for over a year and it has performed very well. I have 4-0'd numerous side events at GP's and down well locally as well.
It just takes a good knowledge of the Metagame and catering your list towards this. Even this year, the deck has put up results at GP's, including one win, and a few wins as well on SCG opens.
October 13, 2016 11:43 p.m.
GlistenerAgent was being facetious. Merfolk is usually Tier 1, and at minimum Tier 2. See this list for details.
As implied, Merfolk is a very good deck in Modern. The reason why is that it has both a goldfish aggro plan and a disruptive plan, and one of the two usually works. Check out this list if you want tips on how to build the deck, since it links to both my personal build as well as the primer on MTGSalvation that I wrote:
In Waves
Modern
SCORE: 22 | 26 COMMENTS | 4836 VIEWS | IN 8 FOLDERS
October 14, 2016 12:03 a.m.
SamCre1993 says... #6
Ah gotcha!
I think my favorite moments in Merfolk come when playing against burn.Almost none of their spells have generic mana in the cost, so Spreading Seas becomes a two mana stone rain with the bonus of drawing a card!
October 14, 2016 12:42 a.m.
SamCre1993: Not even. Best part is when you have an AEther Vial with 2 counters and during combat using the Vial to put out a Phantasmal Image to copy their Eidolon of the Great Revel and all they have are Lava Spike's/Boros Charm's/Creatures in hand XD
October 14, 2016 9:52 a.m.
The other thing worth considering is how well Fish ports over to and from other formats, especially Legacy. Once you own the deck in Modern, you practically own the deck in every other format.
For Legacy, you're swapping out a few lands/spells for Wasteland and Force of Will. In Vintage, you're taking out AEther Vials for Null Rods, jamming in 4 Mental Missteps, possibly fitting in Daze, and then playing whatever power you can get your hands on. Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, and Mox Sapphire are the only power cards it plays, sometimes even skipping out on Mox and Lotus due to Null Rod.
If you can get the deck in Modern, go for it. It's a solid investment that lets you play in more events and tournaments because so many of the cards retain their power level elsewhere.
GlistenerAgent says... #2
Nope, it's horrible. Just not powerful enough to compete.
If you're looking for a cool brew to play, rothgar13 has a spicy brew worth trying.
October 13, 2016 10:33 p.m.