Deeproot Waters

Enchantment

Whenever you cast a Merfolk spell, create a 1/1 blue Merfolk creature token with hexproof. (A creature with hexproof can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)

Tokens

• Merfolk 1/1 U w/ Hexproof

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

Guerric on Too Many Merfolk!

2 years ago

I have pondered building Kumena many times, and I have some thoughts which I think will help! To begin with, when playing any {U}{G} weenie deck whether merfolk or otherwise, the best thing you can do is just draw boatloads of cards by attacking with small evasive creatures with Coastal Piracy, Bident of Thassa, or Reconnaissance Mission out. These cards will keep your hand flooded with cards and therefore options and you will love them. For this reason, don't sleep on small evasive merfolk like Mist-Cloaked Herald, Slither Blade, and others. Playing Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive will help all your weenies get through. Deeproot Waters is a must play enchantment that will give you tokens for every merfolk you cast, giving you more stuff to do with Kumena. You also want to play more ramp here, and you don't need too many artifacts other than Sol Ring because you are in green. You can add Kodama's Reach, Nature's Lore, Three Visits, Skyshroud Claim, Explosive Vegetation, etc. Dorks like Elvish Mystic are also good here since they ramp Kumena out a turn early. Altogether these can ramp you into game-winning cards like Genesis Wave and Kindred Summons, which will absolutely wreck your opponents.

santuli on Sygg's, fleet & Roy: The Magic Box

3 years ago

My Kumena deck is one of my favorite decks. Very different strategy (and colors), since it likes to go wide to abuse tap/untap effects, but isn't too control-y. But there are some cards that might be useful.

Salvager of Secrets works as both a Merfolk and a Wizard. Deeproot Waters is so good at rebuilding a board if I'm unable to protect it. It also really helps Lullmage Mentor go off, which could also be good with all the counterspells you got. Speaking of, something like Muddle the Mixture can work as another counter spell or a tutor for your many 2 drops.

If you have it or it's within your budget, Kindred Discovery can be a beast at drawing cards. The newer Reflections of Littjara can also really expand your board in really gross ways (making a token copy of Merrow Commerce feels so good in Kumena). If you can reliably get your merfolk tapped, Fallowsage is also very good, but that might just be me thinking of how much work he does with Kumena.

TheoryCrafter on U/G(Simic) Pioneer Merfolk

3 years ago

If you're running 31 merfolk, including 3 copies of Realmwalker, you may want to consider moving a couple copies of Collected Company to the sideboard. The number of merfolk tokens you could make from Deeproot Waters would help with the first ability of Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca. Thus, if you don't have a merfolk through Realmwalker on top of your library, you can draw cards until you get a Collected Company or another merfolk. With 3/4 of your creatures 2cmc or less, I think its workable.

I_Want_To_PlayAllTheDecks on I_want_to_playallthedecks’s Thada Adel deck

3 years ago

I just thought of this but its possible to take infinite turns with Wanderwine Prophets + Deeproot Waters If i can get lucky, and maybe not infinte but def enough to win the game. I also like Lullmage Mentor but I'm not sure how many counters I need to play for that to be worth it. Stonybrook Banneret is also good. But Idk if Its goof enough based on how many merfolk we play, cuz i dont want to just be a merfolk deck.

SatisfactionDay on Fish Walker Tribal

3 years ago

CoBo I really like the list. Triumph of the Hordes I've wanted to put in my deck as well since Kumena is generally around 10 power when I attack with him.

I would suggest running Herald's Horn and Kindred Discovery. Kindred Discovery mixed with Deeproot Waters can add up to a ton of value.

But I really like the list. Oko, Thief of Crowns is a card that I love, even though your opponents will not. He is good for getting rid of their ramp or hateful artifacts as well as beefy or troublesome creatures.

Thaleas on Fish Deck Featuring Tyrant

3 years ago

I think Deeproot Waters is must in any Merfolk deck:D and Deeproot Elite and Metallic Mimic help you put counters on your merfolks. i also think Mowu is not really great card for this deck since kumena puts counters only on mefloks...And i would cut Brineborn Cutthroat as well, hes great for control decks with loooots of interactions but i think you can find much better fit since you are playing only 14 instants and very few flash spells. If you are interested you can check my profile....i started brewing merfolks too....deck is nowhere near finished.... i basicaly throw every merfolk and triball spell i could find together..so you can check your options there...i also have deck centered around +1+1counter shenenigans if you are interested in upgrading that way instead of tribal. Good luck with your deck!:)

lagotripha on

3 years ago

Plan your sideboard alongside your first 60 cards- knowing all the tools you have available will help immensely. Knowing you have Tidebinder Mage for RDW or Deeproot Waters for control/midrange.

Bringing down the average CMC or upping the levels of interaction will do a lot;

In terms of 'raw power', Hardened Scales/The Ozolith offer the biggest boosts.

Jade Bearer, Kumena's Speaker, Brineborn Cutthroat, Harbinger of the Tides, Merfolk Trickster Mistcaller, Mist-Cloaked Herald/Triton Shorestalker, River Sneak, Silvergill Adept and Merfolk Skydiver will all let you operate at a lower CMC.

Lowering the curve also means you can run Neoform in place of evolution.

Traditionally merfolk is a tempo list using creatures that delay your opponent, then unblockability (previously islandwalk/flood effects) to finish them off. Its one of the few lists where a bounce effect is often just as effective as a kill spell. Its place in modern was defined by Blood Moon reslience from an all-island manabase combined with land disruption in Aquitect's Will, but that is not relevant in pioneer, so you will need to experiment to find a new nieche. It might be able to emulate affinity with ozolith support, with some luck and a favourable meta.

Augur of Bolas/Deeproot Champion offers a version of the list that wants to spellsling, but I can't say that I've thought through what that would look like.

abby315 on Simic Merfolk

3 years ago

A few suggestions:

I think Silvergill Adept should definitely be a 4-of. Correspondingly, I don't think Incubation/Incongruity is good enough for Pioneer. I'd recommend cutting that card and going up to 4 Adept.

With the remaining two slots, I highly highly recommend Merfolk Branchwalker. I'd add +2 Branchwalker, and then cut 2 Deeproot Waters for an additional +2. This will really help consistency and speed. Deeproot Waters has its place as a value engine - though maybe it should be sideboard - but I can't think of a game where you'd want to see 2+ copies. It's just slow to get going.

I'd recommend the full playset of Harbinger of the Tides. It's a Wizard, to help turn on Retort, and it's also your best interaction/tempo play. I'd either go down on Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca - which, again, comes down late and doesn't do much on the turn it's played - or on Deeproot Elite, which is awkward as a behind-curve drop in an aggro deck.

Master of Waves probably deserves a slot in the sideboard.

Finally, have you considered Metallic Mimic as a second Lord?

I played UG Merfolk in modern for awhile after XLN dropped, and it has a lot of the same pieces to work with in Pioneer. GLHF!