i would replace Cyclonic Rift , Counterspell , and Cryptic Command with Spell Pierce and Daze because they are cheaper to cast and have basically the same effect, and add another AEther Vial . also I think that Merfolk Sovereign is underpowered compared to other merfolk because you lose an extra attacker to make one unblockable. I would suggest Merrow Reejerey or Coralhelm Commander over the sovereign. if you really need a bounce spell in the mainboard you could probably try Echoing Truth instead of the rift

I agree with swapping out Merfolk Sovereign for Merrow Reejerey and I am thinking thoroughly through your other advice lol

The easiest changes will be -3 chalice (does nothing without mana ramp), -3 cyclonic (utterly useless in most matchups), -3 counterspell( there are better), -4 cryptic (does not win the game), - 4 reejay (too expensive, ability is meh). These are seventeen cards.

1 aether vial - the most important merfolk card in the deck4 cursecatcher - a great counterspell for one mana when combined with vial. lowers cmc.4 phatasmal image - copy a lord or TNN for great boon4 spell pierce - the second best counterspell in legacy4 daze - the best for tempo.

Additional cards to consider include Master of Waves (untap with it and win), Standstill (vial in dudes to win).

Most importantly, figure out your sideboard. Something like:

3 Curfew - vs show and sneak

4 Hydroblast - obvious

3 Pithing Needle - sneak attack, wasteland and others

2 Counterspell - vs control

2 Thassa's Rebuff - vs control.

1 Engineered Explosives - casting it for just one or zero is great.

Thanks for the feedback. A lot of what you said is true and your suggestions are valid. I made a few tweeks as you purposed, and am still mulling over your other points lol (:

It looks like a solid legacy merfolk deck. You know like one I would expect to see at a major tournament. The only question that have for you is, do you have experience playing merfolk in other formats? Like modern.

If you do, then you're good. If not, you may want to test, test, test. Legacy rewards players not for just having a solid deck, but more for the ability to pilot it. Experience and flawless plays are the key to your success. It's definitely a format where people will park their tanks on your lawn, then get out and pee on your doorstep. So be ready for that.

Other than that, +1 from me, and good luck.

Find a way to add some kind of artifact hate... I can't spell the name at the moment, but hurkylls recall? I probably fucked that all up. Affinity might be thing.

Hurkyl's Recall

From your deck help post it looks like this is going to be taken to a play group not a tournament is that correct? For a playgroup (even a very competitive one) this looks fine. But when the chips are thrown down I would definitely add in the Wasteland s that are an integral part of most merfolk decks in legacy because that tempo is hard to beat.

Thank you both very much for taking a minute to share your thoughts. Both suggestions are solid and worth incorperating. I feel a bit more confident now (:

I concur with the above comments. Looks quite solid!

Definitley playtest against decks like Show and Tell, Dredge, StoneBlade, TES/ANT, Reanimator, Elves, Goblins, 12 Post, Jund, The Rock, Maverick, Affinity, Red Deck Wins/Burn, and Delver. Those decks are quite popular and/or have placed well in tournaments as of late.

It's been a wile since I played legacy last so forgive this question but is main deck Chalice of the Void 's for stuff like Lion's Eye Diamond or just general utility? My only suggestion would be to try out Cosi's Trickster . As many fetch lands + stoneforge mystics as I see getting played they can get big very quickly. The only decks I can think of that don't play fetch lands in legacy are combo elves and Death and Taxes (not counting land-less anything). If you don't play in a meta with a bunch of fetch lands I understand not using them, but if you do I suggest at the very least making some proxies. I wanted to play it in my merfolk deck I used, but got rid of if before I ever got around to picking any up.

I've been staring at merfolk too long it seems. I was passing right over Cosi's Trickster time and again until your suggestion and BLAM. I will work it in. Thanks! Also, Chalice of the Void and I had a stern talk, after my misuse of the card was addressed, and I've kicked it out and welcomed back good ol Spell Snare

Belcher doesn't run fetches, although it does run Land Grant and I also have a feeling you consider even 1 land Belcher as "landless". Belcher is also not really a deck. It is a metacall.

I've seen people main deck Chalice of the Void before just didn't know if it was a meta call or for something in particular.

Gidgetimer I forgot that belcher is even a deck lol. Either way most of the decks that I can think of in legacy run fetches or some other search. Even a lot of burn decks now even run fetches to thin out the deck and speed up lavamancers.

Yeah like I said it is more a meta call than a deck. It tramples all over any non-blue deck making them cry. But it is decimated by one well timed Force of Will or Daze .

As far as Chalice of the Void is concerned, with one or two counters on it, it can cripple a lot of legacy decks. We fell out when I realized I was not playing it properly. You must pay two mana per counter. Having to wait until T4 to put two counters on it, not fast enough for my preferences. Heartbreaking this discovery was...