I certainly am switching to Mariner and seeing results. As for Force, I’d say no. That card can be very awkward to work with and the problem against Prowess is less creature size than speed. Also, Force is a trick that only works once. After the first time, if Prowess wants to kill creatures, they’ll do it on your turn and now you have a very expensive piece of card disadvantage.

The other issue is that Prowess doesn’t point its Burn at creatures unless it has to. Dart and Gut Shot are exceptions, but with the rest Prowess will usually just point the burn towards your face and let the triggers kill creatures. Force of Virtue is just too gimmicky and clunky for Humans. And doesn’t work with Thalia if you’re still running her.

Jokes aside though I do feel that Fish is a far better deck than your adverage FNM ranger gives it credit for. Despite feeling completely inadequate when I turn 2 a Silvergill and my opponent turn twos a Primeval Titan, I still feel confident that Fish can win games in 2020. Our worst match ups (elves and Affinity) have all but vanished. I feel we’re 60/40 in one way or the other in most match ups. That’s not the worst place to be.

The truth is that while we Wizards hasn’t printed a food Merfolk since Dominaria—correction, haven’t printed a good Merfolk that can actually be used in the Merfolk deck, Emry and Oracle don’t count–we have received a few great supplemental cards that have bouyed us through this extended rough patch. We’re one of the best decks for Force of Negation. Brazen Borrower was a great replacement for Echoing Truth, and Lurrus isn’t half bad in fish.

I think that Wizards R&D is really struggling with a design identity for Merfolk. What design philosophy whipped up Merfolk Secret Keeper? Or Dalakos? Or Jadelight Ranger? They’re not bad, in fact in the right shell, they can be good–great even, in the case of Oracle and Emry. But they’re not merfolk cards apart from their type-line. Benthic Biomancer is the best we got and its sooooo inadequate. It’s all a bit disheartening. But at least we’re better off than Elves players.

Ok, so, first of all, congratulations. This is genuinely the first comment that’s made me laugh out loud in years. Bravo!

Secondly, if you think we’ve got it bad, you should hear the lamentations of the goblin players in my life realizing that Snoop combo was overhyped. And that their deck isn’t and never will be as busted as the Legacy version. It’s like they’re going through multiple middle school break-ups in a single sentence, and me without my get-over-it boots.

And third, take heart. Ixalan was a step in the right direction. All things come in time.

You understand. You know our pain. Wizards already said everything they wanted to say about Merfolk when they printed Wishful Merfolk. Now they taunt us by going back to Zendikar; the last time we visited this plane we only got five Merfolk cards in the entire block! And we had to watch those filthy two-legged Reflector Mages–it should have Merfolk reflecting those spells!!!

And while we’re discussing slights against Merfolk, Munitions Expert is an egregious offense, as it was blatantly designed as an overly pushed rip off of Merfolk Trickster!! Oh, and now I’m recalling the pain of seeing Mausoleum Wanderer do the same thing to Cursecatcher.

But you are right, relevance is relative. And should we ever receive a one drop befitting our proud past, then the format will feel our fishy fury.

MissTrigger’s success was divine amalgamation of blessings from Thassa and keen insight. But I fear without the attention we need from R&D (the attention they don’t seem to mind giving Goblins lately), then it will be only a passing wave. A reminder that below the depths, languishing in near obscurity, we wait–and hope.

But for real though, can we be done with pushed Goblins now? Thanks.