Oh my, when I started on this comment I didnt think I was about to write a full theses but here we are. This is a very long so if you dont read I understand lol. But I wanted to mention off the top here I wanted to mention I respect you and your opinions, most of what I have here is opinion or derived from personal experience. I know I am a little late to the party here but I would like to offer some feedback and criticism in the recommendations/deck list you have provided with this video. My absolute favorite deck for the past 6-7 years was my Kumena merfolk tribal deck and after witnessing Hakbal in action I have very recently decided to swap commanders to Hakbal because I believe he is much more focused and consistent of the two. All that being said, I would like to point out some cards I believe are not strong recommendations or trap cards that have also ran at some point and ended up cutting: Agatha's Soul Cauldron - This is a potent card in many decks but I don't think there is enough pay off to consider this card. Exiling a Sea Hunter or a Vorel under the cauldron could be a potent play but outside of those two situations other activated abilities available to us are very weak and ultimately I believe this card will just be dead in hand or attract table attention when it reveled off explore/played. Recommended Swap: Bala Ged Recovery, this a far more flexible card for graveyard interaction and can double a land if needed. Vanquisher's Banner/Kindred Discovery - I have attempted to play these in multiple iterations of the deck but they always feel extremely clunky and end up on the cutting block very quickly. At 5 mana these are a higher mana value than most of your creatures, so you will have already played out most of your hand, to get a board of dudes down before playing your commander, so these end up getting stuck in hand. Kindred Discovery does have a major upside due to the added versatility of the on attack draw, which is far more potent, and can be worth keeping around for this effect. Recommended Swap: Mystic Remora and Sylvan Library, these provide more consistent card draw for the mana value. Sylvan Library has the added benefit of allowing you to stack the top of your deck for Hakbal's trigger. Kindred Summons - This spell can be a massive bomb, doubling up on your merfolk in play on the end step before you turn then go for a massive attack on your turn. My experience with this card is that I either have it when I'm attempting to rebuild my board and I wish it was a draw spell or I cast it to close out a game but I think I could have most likely won without the card, making this a total win more card. Recommended Swap: For the Ancestors, while this card does not have anywhere near the upside of Kindred Summons. This is much more consistent, it will allow you get dig for, on average, a merfolk or two at instant speed without requiring a large board state to capitalize. It also has the upside of having flashback allowing you to put it in the graveyard with Hakbal's ability and still having access to the effect if you need it. Commander's Sphere - This list is really light on ramp, which I think is the correct decision for a more aggro list like this, but if you are looking for a few ramp pieces I would only consider 1-2 mana value ramp. This will allow you to cast these alongside low cost merfolk on turn 2-3 so we dont lose tempo. Recommended Swap: Wild Growth, Birds of Paradise, Nature's Lore, three Visits, or Simic Signet. Inspiring Call - In the ideal situation Inspiring Call is an insane blowout and will probably result in you completely taking over the game. I really struggled to cast this as a card draw spell only and I would sit on it waiting for that magical christmas land situation which would never come. Ultimately I think this slot is most likely better severed being another counter spell for added flexibility since you already have multiple slots dedicated to more efficient board protection with Heroic Intervention and Ripples of Potential. Recommended Swap: Fierce Guardianship, Mana Drain, Swan Song, Counterspell, and Stubborn Denial. I would honestly look to try to jam all of these into the deck. (PS. Force of Will is insanely strong and efficient, but it is not the best counter spell in the format that spot belongs to Fierce Guardianship.) Ravenform, Ruinous Intrusion, Beast Within - Inefficient removal. All would be better served as one of the counter spells listed above. Beast Within is worth considering since it can target any permanent I would only consider it for this list if your opponents have problematic lands that frequently need to be destroyed. Merfolk: - Coalhelm Commander - 6 mana investment activate the lord effect. - Kopala, Warden of Wave - Decent effect but more than likely people will not use single target removal on your creatures they will look to wrath. - Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca - Amazing versatility, works with other merfolk. But you want to be attacking with your creatures. Better served for a deck dedicated to his abilities. - Sage of Fables - Most of our merfolk are wizards and the draw ability is nice if you held up mana for interaction or as a mana sink if you have a ton of mana. But these synergies are weak and will be better served as a lower costed more aggresive merfolk. - Surgespanner - This is an all star in a Kumena since you can tap and untap it multiple times very easily to really punish opponents with the bounce ability. In our list the synergy is much weaker and harder to really benefit from. - Tributary Instructor - While I do think this card is nice, Its inclusion is entirely meta dependent since we really lack ways of triggering the draw outside of Vodalian Hexcatcher. My meta is full of mass exile effects like Farewell which makes this card very underwhelming. - Vorel of the Hull Clade - He is slow and clunky and outside of trying to double counters on Simic Ascendancy he is pretty lacking. - World Shaper - This is one of my favorite cards in magic and it hurts me that it isn't a snap include in merfolk decks. At a minimum when it goes off you are getting back a few fetch lands which is nice. But in order to really benefit you have to go out of your way to get lands into the graveyard then we also run into the same issues as Tributary Instructor we will mostly rely on ou9r opponents to kill it. +Mist-Cloaked Herald, Triton Shorestalker - Much like you said in the honorable mentions low cost, great to put +1/+1 counters on. + Tide Shaper or Mistcaller - great 1 drops which can give you an opening to abuse islandwalk or a silver bullet against decks that are trying to outpace you by cheating things into play. + Thrasios Triton Hero - One of the most potent activated abilities in the format. Amazing mana sink. + Merfolk Looter - One of the strongest merfolk in the deck. You can use this ability after exploring a card you want to the top of your library to put it into your hand and then use the remaining explore triggers to dig deeper into the deck. + Silvergill Adept - Great tempo 2 drop that draws a card. Nothing flashy just really efficient. + Thieving Skydiver - Early game its a on curve 2 drop merfolk. Flying is very relevant because flying creatures like dragons are very difficult for this deck to deal with. In addition to all that if you draw it late you can kick it and steal a cool artifact. + Kiora's Follower - Versatile two drop that in a worst case its a mana dork, or it can double up your Merfolk Looter activations , and if you see the land recommendations it can produce massive amounts of mana with lands that tap for more than 1 mana like Nykthos or Itlimoc. + Svyelen of Sea and Sky - This is a better Kopala. + Merfolk Trickster - Great for turning off commander abilities as an opponent is looking to go for an explosive turn. + Tishana's Tidebinder - More potent version Merfolk Trickster but it can suppress an artifact, creature, or planeswalker for as long as its in play. Lands Recommended Swap: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Prismatic Vista, Fabled Passage, Mystic Sanctuary, Gaea's Cradle, Growing Rites of Itlimoc, and Cavern of Souls Honorable Mentions: Deeproot Pilgrimage - Very potent token generator in a Kumena deck but can also be useful for Hakbal to gradually go wider and wider if it lasts for a couple attacks. Lullmage Mentor - Another card that is probably more at home in a Kumena deck but can be very strong. Ozolith, the Shattered Spire - A second copy of Hardened Scales for redundancy. Bred for the Hunt - Underrated. A second copy of Bident of Thassa. Noxious Revival, Unnatural Restoration, Salvager of Secrets, Shipwreck Dowser Creeping Renaissance - Additional ways to interact with the graveyard to get back cards which have been pitched with Hakbal triggers. Twists and Turns - One of the few explore support cards. Seems like it could allow for a large amount of card selection with Hakbal triggers.
I appreciate the time and detail in this comment! I also built and played this deck a ton and you certainly have points about certain cards, agathas soul cauldron didnt stay in mine long and various other cards have moved in and out as i've built other decks and don't have multiple copies of certain, expensive cards. Also with the brand new precons, we don't take out any NEW cards at all, and of course, we are all different players and have personal play styles and preferences. Thanks so much for watching the entire video and offering so much insight! WE LOVE IT! :)
Oh my, when I started on this comment I didnt think I was about to write a full theses but here we are. This is a very long so if you dont read I understand lol. But I wanted to mention off the top here I wanted to mention I respect you and your opinions, most of what I have here is opinion or derived from personal experience.
I know I am a little late to the party here but I would like to offer some feedback and criticism in the recommendations/deck list you have provided with this video.
My absolute favorite deck for the past 6-7 years was my Kumena merfolk tribal deck and after witnessing Hakbal in action I have very recently decided to swap commanders to Hakbal because I believe he is much more focused and consistent of the two.
All that being said, I would like to point out some cards I believe are not strong recommendations or trap cards that have also ran at some point and ended up cutting:
Agatha's Soul Cauldron - This is a potent card in many decks but I don't think there is enough pay off to consider this card. Exiling a Sea Hunter or a Vorel under the cauldron could be a potent play but outside of those two situations other activated abilities available to us are very weak and ultimately I believe this card will just be dead in hand or attract table attention when it reveled off explore/played.
Recommended Swap: Bala Ged Recovery, this a far more flexible card for graveyard interaction and can double a land if needed.
Vanquisher's Banner/Kindred Discovery - I have attempted to play these in multiple iterations of the deck but they always feel extremely clunky and end up on the cutting block very quickly. At 5 mana these are a higher mana value than most of your creatures, so you will have already played out most of your hand, to get a board of dudes down before playing your commander, so these end up getting stuck in hand. Kindred Discovery does have a major upside due to the added versatility of the on attack draw, which is far more potent, and can be worth keeping around for this effect.
Recommended Swap: Mystic Remora and Sylvan Library, these provide more consistent card draw for the mana value. Sylvan Library has the added benefit of allowing you to stack the top of your deck for Hakbal's trigger.
Kindred Summons - This spell can be a massive bomb, doubling up on your merfolk in play on the end step before you turn then go for a massive attack on your turn. My experience with this card is that I either have it when I'm attempting to rebuild my board and I wish it was a draw spell or I cast it to close out a game but I think I could have most likely won without the card, making this a total win more card.
Recommended Swap: For the Ancestors, while this card does not have anywhere near the upside of Kindred Summons. This is much more consistent, it will allow you get dig for, on average, a merfolk or two at instant speed without requiring a large board state to capitalize. It also has the upside of having flashback allowing you to put it in the graveyard with Hakbal's ability and still having access to the effect if you need it.
Commander's Sphere - This list is really light on ramp, which I think is the correct decision for a more aggro list like this, but if you are looking for a few ramp pieces I would only consider 1-2 mana value ramp. This will allow you to cast these alongside low cost merfolk on turn 2-3 so we dont lose tempo.
Recommended Swap: Wild Growth, Birds of Paradise, Nature's Lore, three Visits, or Simic Signet.
Inspiring Call - In the ideal situation Inspiring Call is an insane blowout and will probably result in you completely taking over the game. I really struggled to cast this as a card draw spell only and I would sit on it waiting for that magical christmas land situation which would never come. Ultimately I think this slot is most likely better severed being another counter spell for added flexibility since you already have multiple slots dedicated to more efficient board protection with Heroic Intervention and Ripples of Potential.
Recommended Swap: Fierce Guardianship, Mana Drain, Swan Song, Counterspell, and Stubborn Denial. I would honestly look to try to jam all of these into the deck. (PS. Force of Will is insanely strong and efficient, but it is not the best counter spell in the format that spot belongs to Fierce Guardianship.)
Ravenform, Ruinous Intrusion, Beast Within - Inefficient removal. All would be better served as one of the counter spells listed above. Beast Within is worth considering since it can target any permanent I would only consider it for this list if your opponents have problematic lands that frequently need to be destroyed.
Merfolk:
- Coalhelm Commander - 6 mana investment activate the lord effect.
- Kopala, Warden of Wave - Decent effect but more than likely people will not use single target removal on your creatures they will look to wrath.
- Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca - Amazing versatility, works with other merfolk. But you want to be attacking with your creatures. Better served for a deck dedicated to his abilities.
- Sage of Fables - Most of our merfolk are wizards and the draw ability is nice if you held up mana for interaction or as a mana sink if you have a ton of mana. But these synergies are weak and will be better served as a lower costed more aggresive merfolk.
- Surgespanner - This is an all star in a Kumena since you can tap and untap it multiple times very easily to really punish opponents with the bounce ability. In our list the synergy is much weaker and harder to really benefit from.
- Tributary Instructor - While I do think this card is nice, Its inclusion is entirely meta dependent since we really lack ways of triggering the draw outside of Vodalian Hexcatcher. My meta is full of mass exile effects like Farewell which makes this card very underwhelming.
- Vorel of the Hull Clade - He is slow and clunky and outside of trying to double counters on Simic Ascendancy he is pretty lacking.
- World Shaper - This is one of my favorite cards in magic and it hurts me that it isn't a snap include in merfolk decks. At a minimum when it goes off you are getting back a few fetch lands which is nice. But in order to really benefit you have to go out of your way to get lands into the graveyard then we also run into the same issues as Tributary Instructor we will mostly rely on ou9r opponents to kill it.
+Mist-Cloaked Herald, Triton Shorestalker - Much like you said in the honorable mentions low cost, great to put +1/+1 counters on.
+ Tide Shaper or Mistcaller - great 1 drops which can give you an opening to abuse islandwalk or a silver bullet against decks that are trying to outpace you by cheating things into play.
+ Thrasios Triton Hero - One of the most potent activated abilities in the format. Amazing mana sink.
+ Merfolk Looter - One of the strongest merfolk in the deck. You can use this ability after exploring a card you want to the top of your library to put it into your hand and then use the remaining explore triggers to dig deeper into the deck.
+ Silvergill Adept - Great tempo 2 drop that draws a card. Nothing flashy just really efficient.
+ Thieving Skydiver - Early game its a on curve 2 drop merfolk. Flying is very relevant because flying creatures like dragons are very difficult for this deck to deal with. In addition to all that if you draw it late you can kick it and steal a cool artifact.
+ Kiora's Follower - Versatile two drop that in a worst case its a mana dork, or it can double up your Merfolk Looter activations , and if you see the land recommendations it can produce massive amounts of mana with lands that tap for more than 1 mana like Nykthos or Itlimoc.
+ Svyelen of Sea and Sky - This is a better Kopala.
+ Merfolk Trickster - Great for turning off commander abilities as an opponent is looking to go for an explosive turn.
+ Tishana's Tidebinder - More potent version Merfolk Trickster but it can suppress an artifact, creature, or planeswalker for as long as its in play.
Lands Recommended Swap: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Prismatic Vista, Fabled Passage, Mystic Sanctuary, Gaea's Cradle, Growing Rites of Itlimoc, and Cavern of Souls
Honorable Mentions:
Deeproot Pilgrimage - Very potent token generator in a Kumena deck but can also be useful for Hakbal to gradually go wider and wider if it lasts for a couple attacks.
Lullmage Mentor - Another card that is probably more at home in a Kumena deck but can be very strong.
Ozolith, the Shattered Spire - A second copy of Hardened Scales for redundancy.
Bred for the Hunt - Underrated. A second copy of Bident of Thassa.
Noxious Revival, Unnatural Restoration, Salvager of Secrets, Shipwreck Dowser Creeping Renaissance - Additional ways to interact with the graveyard to get back cards which have been pitched with Hakbal triggers.
Twists and Turns - One of the few explore support cards. Seems like it could allow for a large amount of card selection with Hakbal triggers.
I appreciate the time and detail in this comment! I also built and played this deck a ton and you certainly have points about certain cards, agathas soul cauldron didnt stay in mine long and various other cards have moved in and out as i've built other decks and don't have multiple copies of certain, expensive cards. Also with the brand new precons, we don't take out any NEW cards at all, and of course, we are all different players and have personal play styles and preferences. Thanks so much for watching the entire video and offering so much insight! WE LOVE IT! :)
Loved the Merfolk upgrades, I love playing green and blue!
Nastiest color combo in the game imo
This video made me a subscriber! it was so helpful and to the point :)
That’s awesome, thank you so much!!
Merfolk used to be a dominant force, and looks like they are coming back
Made my way here from your X post! Subbed! TY!
Thank you!!
Great deck tech, but needs more dinos!
I remember my friends merfolk deck it was wild
They’ve become so nasty
Another great video! 🎉
Nice upgrades, sadly merfolks are going up in price.
The music is a bit louder than you at times so its hard to hear you clearly. Good video though.
Thanks for the heads up 😎
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