Hello! Not a whole lot to report here, just thinking about bringing another 4-colour Delver list to the table. This time no red which means no Bolt which is very odd! However a friend of mine has had limited success with the list below so far. Seems like it has a lot to do each turn playing the aggro, tempo, or control game depending on the opening hand. That mana base is definitely pushing it but with some tweaking it could work. Overall the deck idea needs a little more focus I think. Has anyone else taken a serious look at Witch-Maw in modern?
Just thought I would share what I've been playing recently. Obstructionist has been a test and so far I've been pleasantly surprised with its uses, easy to cast. I'm not sold on the Snares, could be some better option there. Shoal does a lot of work in this build! Cutting Snapcaster from the main has so far helped relieve the graveyard tension between the creatures but I still like boarding him in when I need it.
When Hostage Taker exiles a creature then subsequently leaves the battlefield,
does the exiled creature return to its previous controller or to its original owner?
The ovinize creature is neat. Small body but evasive and makes any creature die to tarfire. Most decks we would bring this in against remove this too easily I think. Though against a low removal deck like Eldrazi, it would be a nightmare for them all game.
Curious Obsession is an interesting way to make A flipped Delver trigger Ferocious. Seems good on a mandrills too.
Jordan suggested running a single copy of Curiosity a while back in one of his articles, Obsession seems like a straight upgrade if the inclusion of an aura is worth it. I personally don't like equipment or aura's because I find it's easy to get 2-for-1'd. That said, this new enchantment not only makes Delver trigger ferocious but also helps Mandrills fight through Tasigur and the Fish! I think we're more likely to cast Obsession on Mandrills than Delver because of Trample. I'd keep this card in our back pocket!
I've been using a list like this online to some success. Interested in hearing opinions. The deck velocity is very consistent so Young Pyromancer gets a lot of mileage and when the early plays get taken out Enigma Drake sees a benefit to all those cast spells. An important card in this build is Disrupting Shoal which I know people have mixed feelings on, but it is such a crucial card to the strategy as it lets us tap out safely and maintain early game tempo. We can run enough cantrips to have extra lands to help hardcast Shoal in the late game. Paired with Logic Knot, no card goes to waste. Anything Shoal doesnt counter, Knot will. Chart a Course is where we can make up for any card disadvantage and most games I'll see over half the deck so finding it isn't often an issue. Anyway, here is the deck and the sideboard is still in testing.
I started out using 2 Cryptic Serpent and quite hilariously it can counter Karn Liberated when paired with Disrupting Shoal. With a hand full of cantrips it's possible to dig until we hit one and still be able to cast it because of the reduced cost. It may see a return in the future but for now the flying and cmc on Enigma Drake is more relevant in terms of late game beaters.
I can't get enough of Disrupting Shoal!
In the right build this counter is totally devastating and always feels totally out of left field.
Feels like cheating and late game its a great use of extra mana.
How do we feel about a mono coloured fetch land cycle?
I feel like it could either be super helpful or simply just not necessary
Mono Blue Fetch Land
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Mono Blue Fetch: Search your library for an island card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
I'm glad that we'll still see you around here Your Zoo primer was actually the first thread that I ever read here on MTG Salvation! I often credit your work as the reason that I felt comfortable diving into Modern and competitive magic at all. So a huge THANK YOU from me for all the support you've given us and the content that you've provided. Although I haven't been playing Zoo for quite some time now, you've been a huge influence on me as a magic player and I wish you all the best in the really real world!
Old-Growth Dryads, at a first glance I see it as potentially playable here if given shoal backup. Is Wild Nacatl the go-to comparison? If so, hard to say why counter-cat wouldn't just run both and still kick our ass. Though perhaps Death and Taxes will pick this up instead of us due to the synergy between OG Dryads and Leonin Arbiter. What's the take? I'm curious. 3/3 for 1 mana is pretty bonkers but the downside seems really awful unless you can power through it somehow.
On the topic of Bauble, I've been running 4 in the main and I've been loving it. I find that it really helps flip Delver, get out Mandrils, and power up Tarmogoyf just like we've already discussed. Notably I don't have the Traverse in the mainboard though, I think I like it better in the side. My reasoning is that I like a focused list and I feel like Traverse leans towards a Midrange strategy when we are playing Tempo. Plus I'm keeping non-blue spells to a minimum in the main. I switch to traveerse game 2 if needed but I think I prefer having a streamlined deck for game 1.
Any thoughts on running Bauble main without Traverse?
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Spell Queller
2 Tombstalker
Instant (14)
2 Fatal Push
4 Path to Exile
4 Thought Scour
2 Spell Pierce
2 Mana Leak
4 Thoughtseize
4 Serum Visions
4 Chart a Course
Land (18)
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Island
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Godless Shrine
1 Breeding Pool
1 Watery Grave
2 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Hooting Mandrills
2 Nimble Obstructionist
Instant (18)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Disrupting Shoal
4 Thought Scour
4 Stubborn Denial
2 Spell Snare
Sorcery (8)
4 Serum Visions
4 Chart a Course
2 Mishra's Bauble
Land (18)
3 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Forest
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Blood Moon
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Negate
does the exiled creature return to its previous controller or to its original owner?
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Young Pyromancer
2x Snapcaster Mage
4x Enigma Drake
Instant/Sorcery (28)
2x Faithless Looting
4x Serum Visions
4x Chart a Course
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Thought Scour
4x Opt
2x Logic Knot
4x Disrupting Shoal
6x Island
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Spirebluff Canal
4x Steam Vents
3x Blood Moon
1x Bonfire of the Damned
2x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Negate
2x Pyroclasm
1x Roast
3x Shattering Spree
2x Vapor Snag
I started out using 2 Cryptic Serpent and quite hilariously it can counter Karn Liberated when paired with Disrupting Shoal. With a hand full of cantrips it's possible to dig until we hit one and still be able to cast it because of the reduced cost. It may see a return in the future but for now the flying and cmc on Enigma Drake is more relevant in terms of late game beaters.
In the right build this counter is totally devastating and always feels totally out of left field.
Feels like cheating and late game its a great use of extra mana.
I feel like it could either be super helpful or simply just not necessary
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Manamorphose
4x Opt
4x Thought Scour
Sorcery (12)
4x Serum Visions
4x Sleight of Hand
4x Slip Through Space
2x Cryptic Serpent
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Young Pyromancer
Artifact (4)
4x Mishra's Bauble
2x Island
4x Misty Rainforest
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Steam Vents
Any thoughts on running Bauble main without Traverse?
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Hooting Mandrills
2x Snapcaster Mage
4x Tarmogoyf
Artifact (4)
4x Mishra's Bauble
Sorcery (6)
4x Serum Visions
2x Sleight of Hand
Instant (18)
4x Disrupting Shoal
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Mana Leak
4x Stubborn Denial
4x Thought Scour
1x Breeding Pool
1x Forest
3x Island
4x Misty Rainforest
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Steam Vents
1x Stomping Ground
2x Wooded Foothills
2x Ancient Grudge
3x Blood Moon
2x Engineered Explosives
2x Huntmaster of the Fells
2x Pyroclasm
1x Surgical Extraction
3x Traverse the Ulvenwald