My Top 8 FIN-ish at the Hunter Burton Memorial Open With Merfolk

 I just drove in from Dallas, and boy are my fins tired.

Hi there. For those who don’t know me, my name is Jon. I have been playing Magic since 2001 when I was 12. Back then I was the kid at my LGS and am now kind of the uncle to a lot of players in my area. I first started traveling for competition in 2013 and have been in-and-out of competitive play since. I’ve played events as large as Nationals and as small as 4-man budget deck pods. While traveling for competitive play is something I enjoy very much, I really love teaching players and sharing experiences with my local community.

Before I get started, I’d like to thank The Gamer’s XP for sharing their platform with me and you for taking time to read about my experience. My goal long-term will be to share weekly articles with this community and hopefully share useful knowledge about the game we love. That being said, today I’m going to gush about playing my favorite modern deck at my favorite annual event! I will do my best to explain everything in detail that a newer player should be able to understand. If anything needs further explanation, feel free to reach out. It’s very rare I turn down an opportunity to talk about Merfolk. For more seasoned players, sorry if I over-explain a bit. I’m wanting to approach this from an angle that  most benefits a fresh face.

The Event

Players file in before event kicks off

Two weekends ago the Dallas Metroplex hosted the annual Hunter Burton Memorial Open. For those new to following competitive Magic play, this is a Modern-format tournament that benefits a charitable foundation aimed at suicide prevention. While traveling for competitive play has taken a bit of a backseat for me as I’ve gotten older, this tournament is the exception I make every year. It’s for a very good cause, the players are typically in very good spirits, and there are a ton of other events firing. They’ve even expanded the event to include other games as well. Flesh and Blood, Lorcana, and Pokémon all have representation on top of the casual play room for cube and commander, and tournaments for legacy, standard, pioneer, and commander formats. I would highly recommend you follow their group on facebook or their website and mark your calendar for the event next year.

The main event is and will always be the Modern format as it was the favorite of the foundation’s name-sake. This year the modern format revolved primarily around Grinding Breach, the proverbial “boogeyman” deck for the time being. It is a Blue-Red(with very light green splash) deck that primarily sets up kills by looping 0 mana artifacts that produce mana with the combo of Grinding Station and Underworld Breach. It recently put 6 copies into the top 8 of the Regional Championship(Magic’s equivalent to Nationals) and had a pretty large target on it’s head. Other common decks in the format include Boros Energy(a red-white aggressive strategy), Eldrazi Ramp(Green-Red ramp deck that aims to power out 7/7’s and 13/13’s), and Orzhov Blink(Black-White aggressive deck that gets the most value it can out of enter the battlefield triggers by its creatures).

This would normally be the time where a great columnist would describe to you all the hard work they put in preparing for this tournament. I didn’t do that at all. I had not even played the format since this same event the year prior(a top 16 effort with Merfolk in 2024). A great and prepared columnist might also describe how they carefully selected the deck they chose after carefully narrowing down which decks exploited a great weakness the other decks present in the format. Truth was I played the deck I owned and, more importantly, enjoyed playing. In a 13-round Swiss tournament with a cut to top 8 it is very easy to over meta-game and get paired against matchups you may not be prepared for. I am a firm believer in playing what you know well and enjoy and simply catering that list to what you expect so there were some card decisions I made based on what I thought the format was. More than anything, I just love being the Merfolk-guy. It’s a ton of fun and gives me the opportunity to play games from several different angles since it can walk the line between aggro and control depending on the matchup.

The Deck

Complete Decklist - Modern Merfolk

For players not insanely familiar with Merfolk, it is an aggressive strategy using cheap, blue creatures that interact with your opponent and backs them up with countermagic and lords(other creatures that increase their power). There are staples to this deck that will always be included. Master of the Pearl Trident is probably the figurehead of Merfolk staples. One former staple is Silvergill Adept which I chose not to play as a concession to potential matchups that include Orcish Bowmasters. Most lists tend to stick to 4-ofs, but I instead decided to run a collection of 2-ofs in spots to diversify the types of interaction I have access to.

Some notable differences in my list to other current lists is the decision to include Merfolk Trickster as a 3-of due to it being useful in matchups I normally might struggle in and I knew I wanted to lean into the flash mechanic while I got my bearings on the format. In general, I knew Boros Energy and Orzhov Blink were decks I would most likely struggle with and having something that interacted favorably with them was something I was interested in. Other changes to my list included Gloomlake Verge as a free black source to cast Dismember without having to pay the full 4 life, Mindspring Merfolk role-playing as almost a Silvergill and almost a lord, and 4 Floodpits Drowner for similar reasons as Merfolk Trickster.

Sideboard choices matter quite a bit as matches tend to slow down post-board. 4 Consign to Memory are a staple at this point due to the popularity of Eldrazi Ramp in addition to uses elsewhere. 4 Stern Scolding and an extra Dismember are included primarily for the Boros Energy matchup. Soul-Guide Lantern is my graveyard hate of choice simply due to being able to activate while also being able to tap out , whereas Relic of Progenitus can sometimes depend on you holding up a single mana constantly. Subtlety is a nod to potential Amulet matchups and decks that play Solitude as their primary removal. The extra Force of Negation primarily is brought in against decks that have non-creature based combo and March of Swirling Mist is sort of a catch all against decks running Wrath of the Skies and can also be played both defensively and proactively against Boros Energy and other creature-heavy decks.

In all decks decisions to take out in matchups matter as much as what is brought in, but I believe this is doubly true in Merfolk as some of the board-outs I use are a little uncommon to see. AEther Vial is a cut in a lot of matchups for me as it can lead to trap hands in matchups where turn 1-2 Flare of Denial is necessary. Svyelun tends to be a common cut in matchups where more interaction is necessary on the play, but better on the draw as she recoups a lot of resources lost through using Flare and Force of Negation early. In general, the only cards that never get cut are Tide Shaper and Master of the Pearl Trident as the main aggressive pieces of the deck and tend to be necessary to close games early.

Another important factor in how you play this deck can be the pace at which you deploy threats which is why I tend to like playing more flash creatures than the average Merfolk list. Players tend to be eager to dump lords into play and aggressively start beating down without regard to how the game plan might change if they are stunted in any way. Merfolk is at its best in this format when you are able to conceal information and minimize the effect playing so many 2-for-1 counters can have on your game plan. Leaning on Force of Negation and Flare of Denial aren’t without their costs and pacing threats are important to winning games. This can be a bit of a tightrope walk as it’s possible to accidentally over-extend or accidentally give your opponents an extra turn. This is actually part of the reason I enjoy this deck so much. Decision-making can impact the end-game very drastically and if you enjoy making decisions you can look back on and see how they affected the outcome then I would highly recommend giving the deck a spin.

Swiss Rounds

"The Cheese Stands Alone" Illus. Randy Elliott

I would rather not go into turn-by-turn game play for such a long event. I will be going through board-ins and describing what is important and unimportant in the matchups I faced, specifically. I wouldn’t take these suggestions as the end-all-be-all of advice, but this is the direction I went with building at this event to the best I can remember. Also, I will briefly be giving basic info on the decks not covered above and hopefully this paints a pretty good picture of the format as it was at this event.

Rd 1 - Domain Zoo - 2-0

+2 Subtlety, +1 Dismember, +1 March of Swirling Mist

-4 AEther Vial

Domain Zoo is a 5-color midrange strategy that plays several different cards that gain or give bonuses based on the amount of basic land types they control. On the draw, Vial is a bit of a liability with 4 Leyline Binding they run main as answers and quickly become bad top decks. The matchup revolves around whether or not they have Leyline of the Guildpact and a Scion of Draco to follow up. Harbinger of the Seas and Merfolk Trickster have very favorable interactions and most hands that can cast them are keepable.

Rd 2 - Eldrazi Ramp - 2-0

+4 Consign to Memory, +2 Subtlety, +1 March of Swirling Mist, +1 Force of Negation

-4 AEther Vial, -2 Svyelun of Sea and Sky, -2 Vodalian Hexcatcher

AEther Vial can also be bad on the draw here as they can regularly cast Karn, the Great Creator on turn 2. The matchup revolves around sticking Tide Shapers and Harbinger of the Seas and protecting them from Kozilek’s Return. This matchup is one of the reasons to play Merfolk in this format.

Rd 3 - Eldrazi Ramp - 2-0

See above

Rd 4 - SamCat Combo - 2-1

+4 Stern Scolding, +2 Subtlety, +2 Soul-Guide Lantern, +1 Dismember, +1 March of Swirling Mist

-4 AEther Vial, -2 Vodalian Hexcatcher, -3 Harbinger of the Seas, -1 Force of Negation

SamCat combo is a creature deck that can combo as early as turn 3 with a Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and Viscera Seer. This matchup is definitely not great and Delighted Halfling + Veil of Summer make counters unreliable. Unfortunately, you still need to lean on them due to lack of other options. I think I would typically cut some Force of Negation and rework board-ins to allow AEther Vial to stay in on the play, but my opponent showed me main deck Collector Ouphe which affected my decision somewhat.

Rd 5 - Grinding Breach - 2-0

+1 Force of Negation, +2 Soul-Guide Lantern, +2 Consign to Memory, +1 March of Swirling Mist

-4 AEther Vial, -1 Dismember, -1 Lord of Atlantis

This matchup is fine overall. There are several favorable interactions with Floodpits Drowner stunning Emry, Tide Shaper destroying Urza’s Saga, Trickster killing Constructs, and Breach being relatively light on removal. This is the main matchup where AEther Vial becomes a liability as you need to protect against a turn 2 Grinding Station. Overall, Merfolk is one of the only decks that I feel boasts an advantage over Breach in the type of interactions it feels favorable with.

Rd 6 - Orzhov Blink - 2-0

+1 Dismember, +2 Subtlety, +1 Marchof Swirling Mists, +4 Stern Scolding

-2 Vodalian Hexcatcher, -3 Harbinger of the Seas, -2 Tishana’s Tidebinder, -1 Force of Negation

Match seems bad on paper, but is probably closer than I give it credit. Solitude is the card we fear the most and the sheer amount of value they generate can overwhelm us. Keeping their board clean is the single most important part of the match. Tishana’s Tidebinder can be a trap as Ephemerate can reset the card you tag.

Rd 7 - Boros Energy - 2-1

+1 Dismember, +1 March of Swirling Mist, +4 Stern Scolding, +2 Subtlety

-4 AEther Vial, -2 Vodalian Hexcatcher, -2 Force of Negation,

Probably our worst matchup which is why we are maindecking Trickster. The name of the game is playing defense and messing with their mana through Tide Shaper and Harbinger of the Seas. This is the main matchup you want to board Vials out against. Stern Scolding on turn 1 is a lot more important. Flare most likely needs saved for Goblin Bombardment and Phlage whenever possible. It’s possible you may want to cut some number of Harbinger of the Seas if they see it game 1 or seem like they are playing around it.

Rd 8- Grinding Breach - 2-1

See rd 5

Rd 9- Belcher -2-1

+1 Force of Negation, +4 Consign to Memory, +2 Soul-Guide Lantern

-2 Dismember, -3 Harbinger of the Seas, -2 Floodpits Drowner

Belcher is a combo deck that plays a lot of cards that are spells when face-up but can be played as lands on their backside in order to one-shot with the card Goblin Charbelcher. You want to really lean into the pressure plus interaction aspect of the deck. Harbinger makes their mana faster since it would allow their lands to enter untapped and Drowner gets blocked favorably on their end so they are 2 pretty easy cuts. They can jump-start their combo with the Tameshi + Lotus Bloom interaction so Soul-Guide Lantern comes in alongside the countermagic.

Rd 10- Boros Energy - 2-0

See rd 7

Rd 11- Grinding Breach - 2-1

See rd 8

Rd 12- Eldrazi Ramp- 2-1(Intentional Concession)

See rd 2 for sideboard

Adult decision time. I was already locked for 1st seed in the top 8. I decided to play the round to get familiar with this particular opponent’s construction and to fight off the urge to have no losses on my record. At the end of the matchup I decided I wanted the matchup in the top 8 so I conceded to my opponent to strengthen my top 8 matchups.

Rd 13- Orzhov Blink - Intentional Draw

See rd 6

Top 8

1-2 Grinding Breach

What can I say? Good deck is good. It is the boogeyman for a reason. I overran my opponent with merpeople in game 1 and probably should’ve re-boarded in Vials for game 3, but I’m not upset. Had a great time, got an invite to RC Minneapolis, and met some opponents who I really liked as people. I would definitely play the same 75 if presented the opportunity tomorrow and had easily the smoothest tournament I’ve had in years. Very rarely did it feel like I was out of a game entirely and I just had a blast playing my little group of blue men.

Overall, the deck is in a great spot and we are closing in on Modern RCQ season so if anyone is looking for a deck to get into the format with try it out. It’s fun and you get to feel like the good guy taking down all these big bad decks with your unassuming 2/2’s.

Ending on a High Note

"Merrow Commerce" Illus. Steve Ellis

A fun thing about events like this is playing someone you’ve never met before and after a few rounds you find yourselves checking in on each other and pulling for each other just because you had good interactions with them while playing. Any differences you might have melt away and for a weekend you’re bonded by just being 2 people who enjoyed playing the game we love with each other. As much as I love Magic, I think I love The Gathering a bit more. Every year at this open I leave with that same feeling and I feel most who attend do, as well. If you haven’t been to this annual open, I really recommend making it next year. If you just can’t wait that long, Regional Championship Qualifiers are happening almost all the time and some of the larger ones can give you a similar feeling.

You’ll meet people like Chuck: the older guy who comes across as intimidating but you get to know him and you’ll realize he has more confidence in you than you do. Some places have a Josh: the quiet guy who only speaks in derailing one-liners and has a personal relationship with your pets. Maybe you’ll meet an Ian: the guy who is easy to spot because he always has the same team jersey on and refers to you as "girlfriend". Possibly you meet a Todd: that goofy guy who is always trying to blow up your lands, but he’s nice so you give him a pass. Lastly, maybe you’ll meet a Marshall: that guy that beat the brakes off of you when you just got started, but you can’t take them seriously because of how infectious their laugh is. Then, after you’ve collected this Thanos-gauntlet of friends, you play at home, travel, go to weddings, play disc golf, play fantasy football with them, watch them have kids, watch their kids grow up and make time to play this game with them a handful of times a year without time ever feeling like it’s going by.

This got sappy, but this is what really makes these events. I know this was supposed to be a write-up about the deck I played this weekend, but looking back it’s probably more of a love-note to what this game means to my personal relationships. I honestly hope everyone can experience that part of the game and while having a digital format to play it is fun, it just doesn’t compare to the positives of meeting up with a bunch of nerds from everywhere and creating memories. While I might always remember this as the weekend I top 8’d a 400-ish person event, I will always remember this as a weekend I spent the whole time singing a Daisy cottage cheese jingle with some of my closest friends. I know it sounds dumb, but you just can’t replace that.

I hope to see all of you out at one of these soon!

"Farewell" Illus. Seb McKinnon