Mermail awareness

Putting up this post because I think most people don't know what is going on with Mermail and often I see people getting sharked by Megalo. No pun intended.

A standard Mermail deck are made up of  Atlantean, Deepsea Diva and Genex Undine.

You can skip ahead if you know what all the cards do





The Atlanteans

Heavy Infantry - Destroy Face up, Additional normal summon for Sea Serpent
Marksman - Destroy Face down, Special summon another Atlantean from deck when deals damage
Dragoon - Searches Megalo, Moulinglace and Deepsea Diva. Enable direct attacks for the smaller Atlanteans, usually Marksman

These monsters are all triggered when send to the grave for activation of an effect of a water type monster.

The Genex

Genex Undine - Sends a water monster from the deck as a cost to search for Controller
Genex Controller - Does nothing of importance in the deck other than being an Allure food.

Even though the text don't look like it, the sending of water monster is a cost for activation of Undine, therefore triggering all the Atlanteans.

The Mermails

Abysslinde -The recruiter of the deck. Gets any mermail from the deck.
Abysspike - The Stratos of the deck, searches for any Lv 3 Water from the deck such as Marksman and Undine
Abyssmegalo - Special summons by discarding 2 water monster, searches for an Abyss Spell/Trap and can attack twice by tributing a face up water monster you control.
Abyssphere - Continuous trap that summons any Mermail from the deck which will be destroyed at the next opponent's end phase.

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Ok let's break down  the most common plays.

1) Abyssphere into Abysslinde

Aside from using it as a defense from attacks, there are some advanced tricks when playing with this card. Activating it before your opponent's end phase, it will destroy itself in the same end phase of the turn it is activated. So when your opponent is entering the End Phase, you open this and get Abysslinde. If your opponent has no further plays, you go into the End Phase, Sphere destroys itself and Abysslinde, you can get Abysspike from the deck.

With the combination of any of the Atlantean, you can discard any of them and get a search from Spike effect and any additional effect the Atlantean cards has to offer. The most common play is discarding Marksman which works like an End Phase MST.

Counters: Learn how to read set Spheres and save your MST for its activation or you can put Nightbeam like me cos it takes no skill to activate one. ^^

Maxx C is also an excellent counter to this as your opponent has to special summon 1 more monster if he chooses to summon Abysslinde or lose a monster if he chooses any other Mermail. Whatever it is, you get a +1 advantage anyway.

2) Sending the Atlanteans as a cost

They work when tributed for Megalo effect for the double attack. They also work when detached as an XYZ Material. Just remember that you have to resolve the current chain before starting a new one for the Atlanteans.

For example, you send Atlantean Marksman from your hand to the grave for the effect of Abysspike. You resolve Abysspike first, searching for a LV3 water monster. Then Atlantean Marksman starts a new chain which your opponent can respond to with Herald of Orange Light or something.

Do note that even if the effect of the water monster is negated, the effect of the Atlanteans will still take place.

Counters: Having Thunderking Raioh will prevent Spike and Undine from ever activating their effect so they can't discard any of the Atlanteans.

Another popular card is Soul Drain as it prevents the activation of the Atlanteans entirely. Remember that they all start a new Chain, so chaining Soul Drain to the activation of the Water Monster that sends them to grave will prevent the activation of the Atlantean when it tries to start a new chain.

For the confused, Abysspike discard Atlantean Marksman as a cost, you chain Soul Drain. Soul Drain resolves, Abysspike searches. It's a new chain for the Atlantean! But because there is a Soul Drain, you can't even activate it now, sadface.

3) Megalo and Atlanteans

Another most common play is discarding 2 Atlantean to special summon Megalo. Not many know how the chain resolves.

Megalo special summon effect is activated unlike other most boss monsters which does not use the chain. You first reveal Megalo from your hand and send 2 water monster from your hand as a cost. This means you can Mind Crush it away as it activates. It also means you can't use Thunderking to negate the summon since it is summoned as a result of an effect.

If there are no response to the activation of the summon, then it resolves successfully and is special summoned. Then Megalo search effect take place together with any of the Atlanteans. Edit: Since the Atlanteans are mandatory effect they will go on Chain 1 and 2 followed by Megalo search effect as Chain 3. Many people are lost here and there were random Marksman destruction and searches claiming that some things misses the timing and whatever resulting in massive pluses for the Mermail player and the opponent crying "imba"!

Just remember that Marksman and Heavy Infantry has to select a target on the field during the activation so if you have a set Torrential Tribute, you still can activate it in response to the same Megalo summon as Chain 4.

Counters: Mind Crush or any effect negator like Herald of Orange Light in response to the summon effect. If you are crazy you can also put Vanity's Call since Megalo and 2 Atlanteans are easy 3 Chains. Half your LP for 3 cards!

4) Ice Elemental Lord - Moulin Glace

This card has a drawback! You might actually live for another turn!

Counters: Read the damn card!

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For those who don't get it, you can try and get rid of it so that your opponent doesn't have a battle phase next turn. You might just make a come back.

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There are other creative plays involving Dewloren and Deepsea Diva but I don't think I need to cover them since they are not exactly as complicated to counter.