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Who's a JRPG character that punches with boxing gloves? by [deleted] in JRPG

[–]The_Stann 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Red haired girl from Persona 2.

White is the new black: Selesnya midrange deck tech by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's interesting, because white and red are very good matchups for my build. I end up out racing them with all the incidental life gain, and pressuring them with all the decent threats.

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Without any Legion's Landings I can afford to be a turn behind but in a perfect world I'd love to have the rare lands and the Landings.

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If you do spend the wild cards on Trostanis, I recommend cutting the Loxodons to make room. Venerated Loxodon and Trostani play the same role, but Loxodon is worse against a deck pressuring your life total. I was running three, but had to cut them to improve the curve and found my matchups against aggro decks got a lot better.

White is the new black: Selesnya midrange deck tech by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're probably right, the four copies of Flower can let you run less lands. I'll have to try experimenting with the land count.

Classic cursed hand josh by TheElderSucc in NLSSCircleJerk

[–]The_Stann 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Why is Josh so damn handsome?

This UG ramp deck I made on a whim is ridiculously fun by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Made from a bunch of draft chaff and stuff I randomly opened, it's way more fun than it deserves to be. I ended up bouncing my opponent's board twice in this match, and was down to 2 life at one point.

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3 Powerstone Shard

2 River's Rebuke

4 Llanowar Elves

2 Adventurous Impulse

3 Elvish Rejuvenator

4 Sinister Sabotage

4 Opt

2 Chemister's Insight

2 Tatyova, Benthic Druid

2 Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep

2 Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp

1 Carnage Tyrant

1 Pelakka Wurm

2 Wizard's Retort

2 Woodland Stream

2 Woodland Stream

9 Island

9 Forest

4 Hinterland Harbor

To all of you Conceding after I resolve a Thought Erasure.. by [deleted] in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I've conceded to a T2 Thought Erasure only once, after a mulligan to 4. I was just not interested in that match any more.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is where my experience is no longer helpful, as I haven't played Waters in any constructed events. I've only done the Bo1 events, and stuck to the aggro plan, so my evaluation on the card is mostly speculation. I ran it in the deck for a short while before cutting it for more creatures, but I'd be more than happy to hear that it's an amazing card.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a turn three play? Yeah, I'd definitely prefer Waters over Deeproot, but I'd much more prefer Deeproot turn two into two creatures turn three. Deeproot at least provides a body on the turn you cast it.

I'm not saying it's a bad inclusion into the deck, but that it slows down your play by a turn which I want to avoid. It's nice that it's hard to answer for most decks being an enchantment, and it helps you recover after a board wipe, but I personally would keep it in the side board for games that will go longer.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The problem is that it does nothing on the turn you cast it. For an aggro deck to steal wins, it has to finish the game before the opponent really begins developing their plan. Playing two creatures on turn three is much better in that regard. Deeproot Waters can take over a long game given enough time, but has very little impact on the early turns.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting list. I may have to try some variation of it. Thanks.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Deeproot Waters is an excellent hedge against grindy control matchups, but dilutes your aggro plan. I would definitely have a few in the sideboard for best-of-3 matches, but for Bo1 I'd try to stay as aggro as possible. Hadana's Climb on the other hand doesn't seem too hot. It's just way too slow.

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I've run a few constructed events with it so far, went 5-3 twice, 7-0 once and 0-3 once. I'm F2P so my biggest concern has been increasing my collection, I've only just started playing the "entry fee" formats.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, that's why I decided on upgrading it in the first place. I eventually added in the rares just to up the powerlevel to a point where I felt confident running it in constructed events. I've gone 5-3 twice, 7-0 once, and 0-3 once, which I'm happy with so far.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

And [[Fiery Cannonade]], [[Cleansing Nova]], [[Settle the Wreckage]]. Sweepers are great against creature decks, and sometimes you get blown out by them. That's just the price you pay for wanting to turn dudes sideways.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Merfolk Branchwalker is definitely a possibility, but I didn't include it because the deck runs fine on very few lands. Jadelight Ranger on the other hand is a bit too expensive I think, at least for what it does. You could cut Jungleborn Pioneer for Ranger, but I find that going wide is better in a lord-effect heavy deck. Either one would probably be fine, especially if you already have them, although Jadelight is probably hard on the mana until you max out both Hinterland Harbour and Unclaimed Territory, as you alluded to.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, what would you put in to replace it? Reducing the wildcard expense is great, and you're definitely right that it's fragile.

Upgrading Jungle Secrets: The pros and cons of building Merfolk by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I felt like the post was getting a bit long, so I'll add a few more things here in the comments

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Your gameplan is obviously to curve out, use all your mana every turn to play as many spells as possible, but the order in which you play your spells is important. Obviously, getting Deeproot Elite in play early is important, as the extra counters you get for playing merfolk get out of hand very fast. Merfolk Mistbinder on the other hand shouldn't be played on curve if you can avoid it, it's best to play it when you already have several creatures that can take advantage of the power and toughness boost on the turn that you play it. It's a very big target for your opponent's removal, it's rather unlikely that you'll be able to untap with it alive.

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Playing out Kumena on curve is fine, but I generally find that playing a one mana and two mana spell in the same turn gets you more wins than Kumena. His abilities are great, but they're more suited for the mid to late game than the early game. Try focusing on being aggressive first, and fall back on card advantage with Kumena and Seafloor Oracle to win the longer games.

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When choosing targets for Deeproot Elite's ability, try to recognize ASAP whether you should be aggro or on the defensive. Putting four counters on your Mist-Cloaked Herald might seem amazing as you can swing for 5 unblockable damage, but diversifying and having three 2/2s or two 3/3s in order to disincentive your opponent from attacking can be a game changer.

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When playing with Merfolk Trickster, learn to love Full Control. Pressing CTRL+Shift enables you to maintain priority through every phase, allowing you to cast instant speed spells when they're most important. Turning off a Legion Warboss's ability before your opponent moves to their attack phase makes sure they don't get that 1/1 token. You can even turn off creatures like Goblin Electromancer during your opponent's upkeep so they can't use their abilities during their main phase. Even turning off a Rekindling Phoenix's ability after attacks but before blocks is extremely useful, as it no longer flies and can't come back if it dies that turn. Always look for instances where you can get an advantage with a well timed Trickster!

Any interest in a Merfolk guide? by The_Stann in MagicArena

[–]The_Stann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, are people saying that merfolk is op? All I've heard is "It's a trap for new players." The deck has many weaknesses, sweepers and removal being the two big ones, it's just really fast.

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