Grafdigger's Cage
One of them could be replaced with a Surgical Extraction to help against Punishing Fire, Life from the Loam, Dark Depths Decks.
True-Name Nemesis
Mongoose number 5. Also helps with stopping opposing Jitte counters and Batterskull Lifegain. Acts as a Moat, and allows you to keep swinging when the opponent plays their own True-Name. Often I found myself ahead on board with a Goose + Goyf but couldn't swing in against their 1 True-Name unless I had 2 Goyf's. There would be a standstill until they got some equipment and won.
Sulfuric Vortex
Good against Jitte/Batterskull lifegain. Amazing against Miracles, which is a bad matchup for us. Miracles only has Council's Judgement to get rid of it. It can be a psuedo Goose in that matchup.
Krosan Grip
A concession to Miracles. Counterbalance lock wrecks us. Setting up a board state where we have some 0/1 Tarmogoyf's vs a Rest in Peace for a sudden: kill your RiP EoT, cast some spells, end the game is a thing.
Pyroblast
3 is the correct number here. Better than REB for Thresh in a pinch. Counters True-Name, Counterbalance, Treasure Cruise. Efficient answer for most of the format.
Other cards I like:
Simic Charm: This card is the tech. Counters 1 Mana removal, psuedo Bolts, and bounces Goyf. If Goose had hexproof, I would definitely have this as a one of in the main/board.
Vendilion Clique: A beater + disruption vs combo and good vs Stoneforge/True-Name decks to take the equipment and go over the top.
Sulfur Elemental: I go back and forth on this. Death and Taxes is rough, and he helps a lot. It seems they've moved more to Serra Avengers to go over the top of True-Name so I've recently cut it. Good vs Miracles too, as it forces removal because it can't be countered.
Note: I like to take out Force of Will in fair matchups; the card disadvantage is too brutal.
/* CONTROL */
Shardless BUG
I haven't played against this deck much, but Stifle/Waste vs all nonbasics seems good.
Out:
4x Force of Will
1x Daze
In:
1x Ancient Grudge (Make that Baleful Strix a little less painful. Also kills Shardless Agent)
1x Rough // Tumble (Can unclog the ground in a pinch)
1x True-Name Nemesis (A nice, hard to kill, clock)
2x Submerge (Mainly played for tempo. Submerging is painful in this matchup, but free)
UW(r) Miracles
This matchup is rough, and very very favored for Miracles. Post board Rest In Peace is brutal. Stifle those Miracle triggers, try to counter Top, and stop the counterbalance at all costs. Terminus is a blowout, but you have to be aggressive and commit threats to the board to win.
Out:
4 Force of will
1 Tarmogoyf
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Pithing Needle (for Top/Jace, but usually Top)
1 Krosan Grip (for RiP and Counterbalance, Batterskull if they're on that plan)
1 True-Name Nemesis (stretch Terminus/Council's Judgement to the max. We need lots of threats in this matchup)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (A durdle deck's worst nightmare)
3 Pyroblast (Counter target Jace/Counterbalance)
Stoneblade
Stop the Batterskull/True-Name at all costs. Stifle/Waste/Goose your way to victory. They have a lot of removal, so Goose is MVP here.
Out:
4 Force of Will
2 Forked Bolt
1 Tarmogoyf (They usually play RiP and Goyf is dead in that case)
In:
3 Pyroblast (Counters True-Name Nemesis, which we kinda auto-lose to)
1 True-Name Nemesis (Can't beat 'em, join 'em)
1 Krosan Grip (Equipment is bad for us)
1 Ancient Grudge (See above)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (Nice lifegain ya got there)
Lands
This matchup is almost a bye for them. Just try to be as fast as possible. You can't really play around much here, just try to kill them before they lock you out.
Out:
1 Force of Will
2 Daze
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Pithing Needle (For Maze of Ith/Thespian's Stage. Generally better to name the Stage.)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (They run Zuran Orb. If they don't Dark Depths you, they durdle forever.)
2 Submerge (A Time Walk vs Marit Laige)
1 True-Name Nemesis (They can't Punishing Fire/Decay/Maze this guy. It can be hard to get to 3 mana though.)
/* COMBO */
Storm
A good player can make this matchup rough. Brainstorm to hide your countermagic from Duress/Cabal Therapy can be correct a lot of the time. We're still favored here.
Out:
2x Forked Bolt
3x Lightning Bolt (I leave one in to shorten my clock + kill Xantid Swarm)
In:
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Stops Past in Flames, their best way to go off)
1x Flusterstorm (Read the card)
2x Pyroblast (Counter's cantrips to slow them down)
Show and Tell
I honestly believe the best gameplan in this matchup is Stifle/Wasteland. Either way, we're RUG; we're going to beat the combo deck like we should.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Flusterstorm
3 Pyroblast
1 Krosan Grip (Good vs Sneak Attack and OK vs Blood Moon. With Daze + Spell Pierce you can make sure they don't have enough mana to activate the Sneak Attack and hopefully blow it up.)
1 Ancient Grudge (If you suspect Defense Grid. They probably have it.)
Elves
I play this differently from most I think. I will almost always Force of Will a turn 1 any elf ever. Their gameplan is to get to turn 3-4 ASAP, and all they have to do to do that is play a mana accelerant creature. They get double value for Gaea's cradle.
Out:
4x Stifle
2x Spell Pierce
In:
2x Submerge (Submerging their turn 1 elf is the tempoest tempo play ever.)
2x Rough // Tumble (Nice board ya got there, shame if something happened to it.)
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Shuts down Green Sun's Zenith and Natural Order)
Dredge
Stifling Narcomeoba's is the nuts. Daze is good here; even better if they're Manaless Dredge. Try to race, and don't be afraid of bolting your own Delver to clear Bridge From Below.
Out:
1x Forked Bolt
2x Gitaxian Probe (It doesn't matter what's in their hand and the rest of our deck is good vs them.)
In:
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Duh)
1x Rough // Tumble (Hedge against a big Zombie board. A lot of Dredge lists are missing Flame-Kin Zealot for the combo kill)
Reanimator
Better hope they don't go off turn 1. This matchup can be rough, as they are fast and have a lot of disruption. Try to be aggressive by countering things that put bodies in the graveyard, because they have tons of reanimation spells that Pyroblast doesn't hit. Countering cantrips is good too; this deck mulligans a lot because of janky hands.
They're fast. Don't try to get fancy with 2 for 1's. Kill their threats ASAP. Try to save Bolt/Wasteland for Inkmoth Nexus.
Out:
2 Force of Will (Infect doesn't have a turn 1 kill, even though its a combo deck. I felt safe taking out 2 Forces to avoid the card disadvantage)
2 Stifle
In:
1 Pithing Needle (Inkmoth is a problem)
1 Ancient Grudge (Inkmoth is a problem that Forked Bolt doesn't hit)
1 Rough//Tumble
1 Flusterstorm
/* AGGRO */
RUG Delver
Hope you draw more lands + Tarmogoyfs
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
2x Submerge (Get your Goyf outta here)
1x True-Name Nemesis (This may be wrong, as 3 mana is hard in a Stifle/Wasteland mirror. Definitely a trump card if it hits though.)
1x Flusterstorm (better than Spell Pierce vs Stifle)
2x Pyroblast (Kills Delver, counters Stifle)
UR Delver
We are favored in this matchup. Play control and kill their threats. Our Goose + Goyf is a beating. Watch for Swiftspear tricks and kill Pyromancer on sight.
Out:
4 Force of Will
1 Gitaxian Probe
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Rough//Tumble
UWR Delver
We're faster than them, and have a lower curve. Stop the Bskull and True-Name and you should come out on top.
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
1x True-Name Nemesis (Trump their True-Name, stop Jitte and Bskull)
1x Ancient Grudge (Kill their equipment)
1x Krosan Grip (See Ancient Grudge)
3x Pyroblast (Kill Delvers, win counter wars, counter True-Name and Treasure Cruise)
Jund
Punishing Fire/Abrupt Decay is rough. Wasteland is your friend in this matchup. Try to protect Goose from edicts by having other creatures out. Daze is bonkers vs Bloodbraid as they often have to tap out for it, allowing you to counter either spell.
Out:
4x Force of Will
1x Spell Pierce
In:
1x Pithing Needle (For Liliana mostly. Maybe Jitte if they bring it in.)
1x True-Name Nemesis (Punishing Fire doesn't hit this guy)
2x Submerge (They run Tarmogoyf)
Death & Taxes
I really hate this matchup. If they turn 1 Aether Vial you might as well scoop. Try to be as aggressive as possible. Use Stifle to protect your lands/stop the Germ token/stop Flickerwisp shenanigans. Kill Mother of Runes and Mirran Crusader. Good luck if they run Brimaz.
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
1x Pithing Needle (Aether Vial, an equipment if they don't have the Vial)
1x True-Name Nemesis (Stops Bskull and Jitte; essentially a Moat)
1x Ancient Grudge (Kill Vial/equipment)
1x Krosan Grip (See above)
2x Rough // Tumble (lol I wrath U)
Merfolk
Same thing as Aether Vial with Death and Taxes. Merfolk is a little faster, and may or may not attack your manabase. Don't let them resolve True-Name.
Out:
4x Force of Will
4x Stifle
In:
1x Pithing Needle (name Vial or Mutavault)
2x Rough // Tumble (Wrath's are good vs swarm decks)
1x True-Name Nemesis (A beater)
1x Ancient Grudge (They run Jitte sometimes. Good vs Vial)
3x Pyroblast (BEST SPELL EVER VS MONOBLUE)
Burn
This match can be rough. Force of will only 4 damage spells, and race like crazy. Watch out for Price of Progress. Play only 2 lands and save your Wastelands to waste yourself.
Out:
2x Gitaxian Probe
3x Stifle
In:
1x Flusterstorm (counter a burn spell)
1x Pithing Needle (Grim Lavamancer is a thing)
1x Krosan Grip (Sulfuric Vortex is a beating when you've clogged the ground with Goyf, but can't end the game)
1x Rough // Tumble (Sometimes they have to commit a few creatures to the board, this helps with that so your Lightning Bolts can help you race)
SCG Open Atlanta 11/30/2014 Tournament Report by Daniel Olivieri
I'm Daniel Olivieri, the guy who played a classic RUG Delver list to second place in the SCG Open in Atlanta this past weekend.
Usually, I wouldn't write a tournament report like this, and I figure I'm amateur enough that no one will care, but second is my best finish in an open. I'm happy to be continuing to pilot RUG Delver to victory (somewhat)!
Anyway, list for reference:
Creatures (12)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
Spells (30)
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Spell Pierce
4 Stifle
2 Forked Bolt
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
Lands (18)
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
2 Wooded Foothills
I've played RUG(not Temur) Delver for about 2 years or so now, and I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp of the deck. Although in my on camera matches, my play was a little, admittedly, a little sloppy in hindsight, I feel as if I have enough experience to perhaps give some insight into how I made it into the top 8 in a Treasure Cruise meta.
Some ideas of how I approach the deck:
1) Griselbrand Playmat: I think something like this speaks to the small edges we're trying to gain with RUG. Don't underestimate the power of mind games at a big tournament like an Open. I had a lot of opponents comment that they thought I was on Reanimator/Show and Tell because of the play mat. Not sure if that made a difference in their play or keeps, but, I'll take any edge I can get. I might get some Griselbrand Sleeves for any other tournament I go to.
2) Scalding Tarn/Wooded Footlands, fetching into Volcanic Island - The Fetchlands were to signal UR Delver/Reanimator/Show and Tell/Jund. I blew out a lot of people hit by an unexpected Stifle a lot of the time because they're expecting one of those decks. I would specfically play those Fetchlands and fetch into a Volcanic if I had the option (which is typically the correct play anyway) to try to hide it and signal UR Delver or SnT.
I think I might switch to 4 Scalding Tarn, 4 Polluted Delta, but 4 Wooded Foothills instead of the Deltas might be good too. I'm not sure, but it seems if you go Foothills then pass, it looks weird. I think decks like that will usually have a one drop. Going Foothills -> Tarn or vice-versa puts you on RUG for sure. I think Delta is correct.
3) Stifle/Wasteland/Daze: These cards are good, and people aren't expecting them in the current format. Once they see them, they become afraid of them. As you all know, this is essentially a combo in this deck. I personally won't play a deck with Daze in it unless it has the Stifle/Wasteland package. It doesn't matter if they have cards that straight up end the game if they can't play them. This is what makes RUG so good against so much of the field. 95% of decks cannot win without 2-3 lands in play and we can win with one or two.
4) Once your opponent knows about it, play as if you have Stifle: A lot of people say Stifle is bad once your opponent knows about it. That's somewhat true, but Stifle allows you to wins games you shouldn't and gives you the opportunity to play mind games. If I have dual/fetch in play, I'll do things like Brainstorm at the end of their turn (if my hand needs sculpting of course; I'm not encouraging you to play bad Brainstorms), and then fetch on my upkeep. Keep them on guard.
5) All your cards are Time Walks: Stifle your fetch/Wasteland so you can't play your 2 drop? Daze you so you can't play a second relevant spell with the one mana you have open? Lay a threat, bolt your creature turn 2? All Time Walks. RUG Delver should play a threat, and then Time Walk to victory. Winning with no cards in hand is how we operate.
6) Losing to combo is for chumps.
7) Patience, patience, patience. I play this deck very patiently. You do not need to go all out all the time. Know your role. The late game is still the early game if you both have 2 lands. Your topdecks are better than any other decks'. Your Brainstorms are better because you are brainstorming into interaction that you can usually cast. You can see me do so in the match vs Show and Tell.
8) The Seven Bolt Theory: It only takes 7 Lightning Bolts to end the game. Even less with fetchlands being prevalent in the format. Your creatures are recurring Lightning Bolts. Sometimes top-decking the Bolt is your only out, and I've got there tons of times. The thing that separates this deck from BUG Delver and UWR Delver is the ability to Lightning Bolt the face, and in the case of UWR, not gain them life with Swords to Plowshares.
9) Small Synergies: Rough//Tumble and your threats. Stifle/Waste/Daze. All 1 drops and free spells allowing multiple interactions on 2 lands. Brainstorming away any lands in excess of 2. These things allow us to win games we shouldn't.
10) NIMBLE MONGOOSE IS BETTER THAN TREASURE CRUISE: He is. I'm sorry, but it does not matter how many cards you draw, no amount of Swords to Plowshares/Lightning Bolts/Abrupt Decay will kill it. What you lose in speed (as opposed to Monastery Swiftspear out of UR Delver), you make up for with not having to "protect" your threat. Don't discount this kind of card advantage. Mongoose is a beating, and was definitely the MVP of the day. If you cut Goose, just go ahead and play UR Delver. Tarmogoyf isn't worth the green splash (and is the worst creature in the deck IMO).
Notes on flex slots:
I think the 2 Spell Pierce is always correct, and is not, in reality, a flex slot.
Gitaxian Probe on the play is pretty sick. There are numerous times where you have Stifle and a threat; so when you look at their hand and see 3 Fetchlands, you know to hold up the Stifle. Helps with Threshold/Sorcery for Goyf too.
Forked Bolt I think is the correct choice in the current meta. It kills every one of UR Delver's threats, is a good vs Elves (which is good in the current meta), and helps vs Death and Taxes/Infect which seems to be on the rise. If it weren't for UR Delver/Burn being a thing right now, I would be on 2 Chain Lighting, which is better in my "7 Bolt" game plan. Fire//Ice can be tech, but 2 mana is too much in a Daze meta.
Without further ado, the report:
M1 UWR Control
This deck was a bit of a brew. I asked to look at his deck after the match and it looked like he only had Snapcaster/Jace/Vendilion Clique as win conditions. No Top/Counterbalace/Stoneforge.
G1: I win the roll, so I open with a Scalding Tarn I leave uncracked. He plays a Flooded Strand and goes for a fetch, and I Stifle it. "Ouch" he says. Turn 2 I play a Tarmogoyf which promptly gets Swords to Plowshares'd the next turn, but I have no way to stop it. It's fine though, as I play the Mongoose I was sandbagging, and Stifle/Waste my way to victory.
G2: I wasn't sure if he was playing UWR Stoneblade/Miracles, but I sideboarded like he was:
Out (on the draw):
4 Force of will, 1 Daze, 2 Forked Bolt
A sort of repeat of Game 1, but this time I play a Sulfuric Vortex and ride it to victory. I Gitaxian Probe at some point and see a hand of Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares x2, Dig Through Time, Snapcaster Mage. I was worried about him Bolting me for the victory at some point, but I sculpted my hand and finished him off with a Bolt of my own.
Win: 2-0
Record: 1-0-0
M2 UG Infect
I'll admit, I haven't played much of this matchup, but my theory is: Kill all their stuff, and kill them before they can go Infect Guy, kill you next turn. They are similar to us in their disruption, and their clock is shorter. Unlike us, they don't have reach through burn spells. Inkmoth Nexus is their psuedo reach, so play removal with that in mind.
G1: I keep him off a Tropical and then a Inkmoth Nexus after going turn 1 Mongoose/Daze your Glistener Elf. We go back and forth, and I have him at 4 life before he Beserk + Invigorates an Inkmoth Nexus all the way to 10 poision.
G2 & 3:
Out:
2 Force of Will (Infect doesn't have a turn 1 kill, even though its a combo deck. I felt safe taking out 2 Forces to avoid the card disadvantage)
2 Stifle
In:
1 Pithing Needle (Inkmoth is a problem)
1 Ancient Grudge (Inkmoth is a problem that Forked Bolt doesn't hit)
1 Rough//Tumble
1 Flusterstorm
I don't remember much about these games, but Mongoose and Delver got there both times. Game 2, I know I Stifle/Wastelanded him until all he had was 2 Noble Hierarchs, but a timely Rough forced him to play out his pumps to save them. Game 3 a forked bolt hit 2 Infect creatures and that sealed the deal.
Win 2-1
Record: 2-0-0
M3 Reanimator
As much as this is a combo deck and it should be a good matchup for us, I feel like it is very swingy. If they're on the play, turn 1 Griselbrand with Daze + Force back up is a thing. It's brutal. Doesn't help that I got a game loss here for accidentally forgetting to write my 4 Wastelands on my registration sheet. Oops.
G1: Since I got a game loss, they allow me to choose who plays first. I obviously do. Opening hand I'm pretty sure I had these cards: Goose, Probe, Stifle, Spell Pierce, Land, Land, Wasteland. Turn 1 Probe after playing a Volcanic Island showed me a hand full of fetchlands and Griselbrands. I hold up Stifle, and hit his first fetch. Next turn he plays fetches a dual which gets Wasted along with me dropping the Goose. Goose beats for the win when I counter his Ponder after he shows weakness after missing land drops with only an Island in play.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Flusterstorm
(There's an argument for Krosan Grip for Animate Dead, and Submerge because I saw Bayou/Trop game 1. Seems durdly/marginal though. Typically when Griselbrand or any other threat gets out, you're dead anyway.)
G2: Same as the first. I don't see any hate cards, but Goose gets there. I played a Delver at one point even though I knew he had Abrupt Decay because I wanted him to spend a turn killing it. He took the bait, and I rode Goose to victory, with the dead Delver giving me Threshold.
M4 UWR Stone-Top
This was a UWR Stoneblade list featuring Stoneforge/True-Name Nemesis + Counterbalance/Sensei's Divining Top package.
G1: I'm on the play and drop a Turn 1 Delver. He Ponder's and passes. Delver doesn't flip. He plays a naked Counterbalance. Delver doesn't flip again. Next turn he drops Stoneforge Mystic, and although I Stifle the search trigger, he has the Batterskull in hand. It comes down next turn, along with a Top and the game is soon over.
G2: I'm on the play again and I hold up Stifle. He drops a fetch and is afraid to crack it. Good. Next turn I drop a Goose. He say's ok and takes his turn Pondering. Next turn I play a Delver and he StP's it. Still holding up his Fetch, he Brainstorms. I keep the beatdowns going and eventually he gets to 3 lands after being Stifle/Wasted. I play another Goose with threshold and he Force of Will's. Cool. I'll play another Goose. Got there.
G3: Turn 1 he Ponders. I play a Ponder with no other relevant plays. Next turn he plays cantrips but does nothing else. Bad news. I get a Mongoose in play and start beating with Stifle up. Eventually, he's at 4 lands; one of them being a fetchland. I have a 2 Lands tapped and a Wasteland untapped in play. I belive the next play helps me win the game (and has been relevant other times playing this deck). He casts a True-Name Nemesis, so I wasteland his fetch in response. In response to the Wasteland he fetches, and I Daze the Nemesis. Over the next few turns, I keep beating down and he resolves: Counterbalance, Stoneforge Mystic, and True-Name Nemesis. He's at 3 life, with the Jitte coming down next turn. I go to my last draw step and... Lightning Bolt! I cast the Bolt, Counterbalance hits a Flooded Strand, and my opponent has to watch his Sodium intake.
Win 2-1
Record: 4-0-0
M5 UG Infect
I played this similar to the first time I matched against it. I lose the first game, but come out on top the second and third. Mongoose gets there, with a timely Pithing Needle in the 3rd game naming Inkmoth Nexus, which stopped his Crop Rotation for a block; he would have killed me the next turn.
Win 2-1
Record: 5-0-0
M6 UWR Stoneblade (vs Kory McDuffie who also made Top 8)
G1: I play a Volcanic and pass. He plays a fetch and gets stifled. Next turn I drop a Delver and another land. He plays a Tundra and StP's my Delver. Next turn, I Wasteland + Goose. The game ends soon after while he has 2 lands in play and I Stifle/Waste/Daze him out of the game.
G2: I open up a double Wasteland, Stifle, Mongoose, Daze hands. The RUG Gods are smiling upon me. Turn one I drop the Goose, and Stifle/Waste him onto triple Island in the turns after. I remember Gitaxian Probing him and seeing Swords, Swords, Bolt, Vendilion Clique, Dig Through Time. He plays the Clique block conservatively, and when he attempts it, I Daze it away.
I think in both games he only resolved a StP in the first game, and a Snapcaster and Dig Through Time in the second. My girlfriend was watching and she mentioned after that although she didn't really understand what was going on, she could tell I was winning by how violently he was shuffling his deck and how upset he seemed.
Win 2-0
Record: 6-0-0
M7 Reanimator (vs Jesse Inman who also made Top 8)
G1: I lose the roll and his turn 2 Griselbrand wins the game for him. He was smart enough not to draw 7 cards "Just Because".
See above for sideboard.
G2: I draw no hate cards, but turn 2 reanimation on Griselbrand gets countered. Turn 3 Griselbrand into Elesh Norn turn 4 seals the deal. Well played, sir.
Loss 0-2
Record: 6-1-0
M8 UR Delver
Contrary to the Finals, I believe we have the advantage in this matchup. Goose/Goyf is better than all their threats, and if we focus our removal on Pyromancer, we can stay ahead on board. They also play a lot of fetches, so our Daze's are a lot better along with our Stifle/Wasteland. Treasure Cruise is good at recovering, but remember: you can only play 1 land a turn. Unlike RUG, UR wants 3+ lands out to be able to chain spells to pump up their Swiftspears/make Elementals. Play control, kill their threats, win the game.
G1: Stifle/Wasteland/Goose gets there. I play control and kill all his threats, while not having to spend cards protecting Goose. He resolves Treasure Cruise, but he's at 6 life with 1 land. Can't stop the Goose.
Out:
4 Force of Will
1 Daze
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Rough//Tumble
G2: Repeat of the first game. He resolves Treasure Cruise, gets blown out by Rough//Tumble and still dies to the Goose.
Win 2-0
Record: 7-1-0
M9 Intentional Draw
Record: 7-1-1
Top 8
Lands
This is a bad matchup for us; and I also haven't played it too much. Goose is what allows us to get there vs Maze and Punishing Fire.
G1: I beat down, but Maze of Ith slows things down and a turn 4 Marit Laige wins the game.
G2: I keep a double Delver hand and get aggressive. I know my only chance at winning is to kill him fast. I have both Delvers out, and with the triggers on the stack, I aggressively Brainstorm to flip them. I find another Delver and True-Name Nemesis and eventually have 3x Delver + True-Name out. He kills one, but it's replaced by a Mongoose. I Stifle a Thespian's Stage trigger for a Time Walk, and then on the next turn when he resolves it, I Submerge Marit Laige to take the game.
G3: The footage comes into this about half way through the match. The only notable thing before this is Force of Willing a turn 1 Explore (or whatever the enchantment is called that lets them play more than 1 land a turn). At one point he even said "do I go after your creatures or your lands?". He Punishing Fire'd my Delver. Wrong choice. Next turn I drop the True-Name in hand and he says "Oh wow, again? You only have one of those, right?". Yep, sure do.
Because it's the Top 8, I saw his deck list, and knew that his only win condition was Dark Depths and Punishing Fire. I doubted he would bring in Seismic Assault, so Pithing Needle naming the Thespian's Stage was me attempting to Time Walk him as much as possible. I have double Submerge in hand and I Daze the Loam(?) to stop him from playing other stuff that turn and also get a Volcanic in hand to be able to Submerge/Bolt if I need to. Tabernacle didn't really matter because he wasn't Wastelanding aggressively (he couldn't with all that pressure out) and I only needed True-Name alive.
Win 2-1
Record: 8-1-1
Show and Tell
There isn't much to say here as everything is on camera.
G1: I keep double Force, Waste, Stifle, and a single land. This is where patience comes in. I just play draw-go-you-better-not-fetch-oops-now-you-have-no-lands-I-told-you-so until I get a threat and then kill him.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Flusterstorm
3 Pyroblast
1 Krosan Grip
1 Ancient Grudge (he had Defense Grid in the board)
G2: I'll have to look at the footage but I remember my hand being decent. I should have Wastelanded the City of Traitors. A timely 3rd card on the Brainstorm Krosan Grip saves the day.
Win 2-0
Record: 9-1-1
UR Delver
Oh man I'm still kicking myself about this match. I should have won. I believe if there were a game 3 I would have had it.
G1: I mull to 5. I don't Spell Pierce the Ponder because I wanted to protect my Delver. It costs me the game. I almost had him though, had that Delver not flipped, he was dead.
G2: Double Price of Progress blow-out ouch. Sometimes they have it. You can see me considering playing around it, but I needed to end the game ASAP.
Loss 0-2
Record: 9-2-1
It was a good day overall! I had a lot of fun playing Magic and met some cool people. I think I did pretty good on 4 hours of sleep and a hangover (had to entertain the lady friend the night before for putting up with the upcoming 12 hours of Magic).
Anyway, I could go on and on forever about the intricacies of the deck, but I'm assuming you guys all know that. When I get some more time, I'll post my sideboard guide that I've had written for a long time, with some notes on the cards and various matchups.
Prognostic Sphinx + Dig Through Time is also very good, with Sphinx allowing you to scry garbage away for better hits, as well as being a discard outlet for the Delve. Typically, I play out about 8-9 lands and then either discard them to protect Sphinx, while holding up counters or don't draw them at all because of Sphinx + Dig.
Sideboard needs more testing, so right now its mostly a guessing game. Not sure about Empty the Pits.
The only thing I question is not running Dismember. I've played a lot in my local meta, and Dismember has never really impressed me... I've killed Goyf's and stuff with it, but I don't know... Especially with the life loss from Gitaxian Probe. Am I just missing the point with this card? Is it really worth running? I'd probably replace Spell Snare... even though it's solid at countering Goyfs, Bobs, Stonforges, Rest in Peace, Counterbalance, Infernal Tutor. All cards which can be a problem.
Hi,
I am getting some troubles siding out against elves deck.
I am running a really classic tempo thresh list (4 daze / 2 spell pierce / 1 spell snare / 2 forked bolt).
What I have at my disposal in side:
- 2 Rough Tumble
- 3 submerge
- 1 grim lavamancer
The problem I have is that elves deck feel more like a combo deck than an agro deck but still you want to side in burn spells and side out counters.
Elves likes to go off around turn 3-5, and you have to do everything you can to delay them. I tend to always try to stop their turn 1 play, such as Lanowar Elves, because it accelerates them into turn 3 on their turn 2. Elf players WILL keep a hand with 1 land, and 1 mana dork, so you have to punish their greediness. I will Daze, Bolt, and Submerge that sucker to keep them from using it for mana, I have even Force of Willed a Lanowar Elf (not recommended).
Hands with a threat and cards that keep them off getting to those turns early are best. In my last Legacy tournament, I won the last game by Submerging a turn 1 Nettle Sentinel two times, while laying down Mongoose and Tarmogoyf. I drew the bolt, bolted his Sentinal and swung for the kill. The Submerge kept him drawing Nettle Sentinel, and he couldn't do anything before he was dead.
Hey guys. Pretty new to modern here... but I do love playing Delver in every format!
I have been testing my list, below, and it seems pretty solid. It can play a tempo game of riding a turn 1 Delver of Secrets to victory, or play a drawn out grinding game until we land a Runechanter's Pike and swing big. This deck is all about synergy, and that synergy mostly comes from Thought Scour filling our graveyard with resources. The only thing that can't be used from the graveyard is Runechanter's Pike.
For the creatures, its a pretty standard affair...
Delver of Secrets... What more can I say? This guy is an awesome turn 1 play.
Vendilion Clique is an effective flying beater, and helps in the Tron/Combo matchup.
Geist of Saint Traft closes out games quickly, and puts a lot of pressure on the board.
Snapcaster Mage is good in this list, especially with thought scour. He allows us to flash back our counterspells/removal all day long. Especially nice to flash back Cryptic Command
Restoration Angel is our curve topper, and a pretty good one at that. I started running it as a 1 of because all of my threats die to Pyroclasm. She can blank some removal, surprise block, and beat for 3. She also does not die to [CARD]Lightning Bolt
[/CARD], which is nice.
Instants
Thought Scour is the card most other cards revolve around. A cheap cantrip that can help find land drops/gas, it dumps resources into the grave for use with Snapcaster Mage, Moorland Haunt, and Runechanter's Pike. Allows us to let the game drag out while we play control, and then alpha strike with our Pike. Almost everything in the list is usable from the graveyard... this card is virtual card advantage.
Remand is a good counterspell which allows some tricks and cantrips... Could definitely find room for more
Mana Leak is probably one of the best counterspells in modern. Gets weaker later in the game, but combined with remand you can still get value out of it by making them cast the same spell twice, hopefully the second time they wont have 3 to pay.
Cryptic Command... This card is bonkers. Tap down blockers for Geist of Saint Traft to get through, bounce permanents, counter spells, draw... Does everything we want to do. Its a little expensive with a CMC of 4, but it does work. Could probably try to fit 1 more, but sometimes mana is an issue.
Path to Exile is our removal. Hits everything, but also ramps them. Ramping the other player can be a problem with all of our tax counters, but often it's not TOO much of an issue.
Deprive is the only other hard counter other than Cryptic Command. The land bounce isn't too much of an issue unless you're forced to bounce a Seachrome Coast at >3 lands, but most of the time you can avoid it hurting you. This list needs a cheap hard counter, and this is one of the cheapest.
Psionic Blast is my secret tech! Gives us some reach to close out games, as well as being extra removal. Burn in blue? Yes please.
Runechanter's Pike is one of the biggest differences from most tempo lists... Most run Vedalken Shackles which is really good, but we want to counter/remove everything anyway. Pike allows us to grind out games, and has synergy with Thought Scour. A lot of games come down to grinding until we get this card, and then alpha strike with a flash flyer or a Moorland Haunt token.
Land
Moorland Haunt works well with Thought Scour. Gives us blockers to stay in the game, beaters to equip Runechanter's Pike to, and allows us to reuse our creature cards from the grave.
On shocklands/fetches and why I don't run them: I can see the benefit of the two, but a lot of the time you can be punished for paying life for your mana base... fetching for an untapped shock is essentially Lightning Bolting ourselves. Let everyone else do that, we'll save our life to stay in the game. Also, as a two color deck, where White is almost just a splash, we aren't too susceptible to color screw. Most people won't side in Blood Moon for us, considering we're only 2 colors with plenty of basics.
Sideboard
Sideboard is still a work in progress... Not too sure of the metagame right now, but we are prepared for Tron, which is popular where I play. Haven't played much against Jund, but its a very grindy matchup from what I've experienced.
Detention Sphere: Extra removal for problem permanents like Planeswalkers/Artifacts/Enchantments. Nice catch-all.
Surgical Extraction graveyard/combo hate that can be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage? Very nice. I could see where maybe some more graveyard hate is needed in the board, but I don't see too many grave reliant decks in my meta.
Supreme Verdict: Uncounterable sweeper, what more needs to be said? Good against aggro, and even aggro-control. I've killed Emrakrul off Summoning Trap more than once with it.
Timely Reinforcements: Burn/Aggro can be a rough matchup and I always try to expect to go against at least one of the two in Modern. I could go with Kitchen Finks, but double white turn 3 can be difficult, and we only run 1 Restoration Angel
Disenchant: Efficient Enchantment/Artifact hate. I think I need another one in the board, but Detention Sphere hits the same stuff... Can be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage which is a plus.
Spreading Seas: Land hate that cantrips, and in a format full of greedy manabases, can lead to some blowouts. Good vs Tron and reasonable against Jund considering they need all their colors. It doesn't flip Delver of Secrets, which kind of sucks, but its a small price to pay.
Thanks!
For sure! Ask away.
Here's the sideboard guide I promised:
RUG Delver Sideboard Guide
Standard RUG 54 with
2 Spell Pierce
2 Gitaxian Probe
2 Forked Bolt
Sideboard:
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Flusterstorm
1 Krosan Grip
3 Pyroblast
2 Submerge
2 Rough
Some Card Explanations:
Grafdigger's Cage
One of them could be replaced with a Surgical Extraction to help against Punishing Fire, Life from the Loam, Dark Depths Decks.
True-Name Nemesis
Mongoose number 5. Also helps with stopping opposing Jitte counters and Batterskull Lifegain. Acts as a Moat, and allows you to keep swinging when the opponent plays their own True-Name. Often I found myself ahead on board with a Goose + Goyf but couldn't swing in against their 1 True-Name unless I had 2 Goyf's. There would be a standstill until they got some equipment and won.
Sulfuric Vortex
Good against Jitte/Batterskull lifegain. Amazing against Miracles, which is a bad matchup for us. Miracles only has Council's Judgement to get rid of it. It can be a psuedo Goose in that matchup.
Krosan Grip
A concession to Miracles. Counterbalance lock wrecks us. Setting up a board state where we have some 0/1 Tarmogoyf's vs a Rest in Peace for a sudden: kill your RiP EoT, cast some spells, end the game is a thing.
Pyroblast
3 is the correct number here. Better than REB for Thresh in a pinch. Counters True-Name, Counterbalance, Treasure Cruise. Efficient answer for most of the format.
Other cards I like:
Simic Charm: This card is the tech. Counters 1 Mana removal, psuedo Bolts, and bounces Goyf. If Goose had hexproof, I would definitely have this as a one of in the main/board.
Vendilion Clique: A beater + disruption vs combo and good vs Stoneforge/True-Name decks to take the equipment and go over the top.
Sulfur Elemental: I go back and forth on this. Death and Taxes is rough, and he helps a lot. It seems they've moved more to Serra Avengers to go over the top of True-Name so I've recently cut it. Good vs Miracles too, as it forces removal because it can't be countered.
Note: I like to take out Force of Will in fair matchups; the card disadvantage is too brutal.
/* CONTROL */
Shardless BUG
I haven't played against this deck much, but Stifle/Waste vs all nonbasics seems good.
Out:
4x Force of Will
1x Daze
In:
1x Ancient Grudge (Make that Baleful Strix a little less painful. Also kills Shardless Agent)
1x Rough // Tumble (Can unclog the ground in a pinch)
1x True-Name Nemesis (A nice, hard to kill, clock)
2x Submerge (Mainly played for tempo. Submerging is painful in this matchup, but free)
UW(r) Miracles
This matchup is rough, and very very favored for Miracles. Post board Rest In Peace is brutal. Stifle those Miracle triggers, try to counter Top, and stop the counterbalance at all costs. Terminus is a blowout, but you have to be aggressive and commit threats to the board to win.
Out:
4 Force of will
1 Tarmogoyf
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Pithing Needle (for Top/Jace, but usually Top)
1 Krosan Grip (for RiP and Counterbalance, Batterskull if they're on that plan)
1 True-Name Nemesis (stretch Terminus/Council's Judgement to the max. We need lots of threats in this matchup)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (A durdle deck's worst nightmare)
3 Pyroblast (Counter target Jace/Counterbalance)
Stoneblade
Stop the Batterskull/True-Name at all costs. Stifle/Waste/Goose your way to victory. They have a lot of removal, so Goose is MVP here.
Out:
4 Force of Will
2 Forked Bolt
1 Tarmogoyf (They usually play RiP and Goyf is dead in that case)
In:
3 Pyroblast (Counters True-Name Nemesis, which we kinda auto-lose to)
1 True-Name Nemesis (Can't beat 'em, join 'em)
1 Krosan Grip (Equipment is bad for us)
1 Ancient Grudge (See above)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (Nice lifegain ya got there)
Lands
This matchup is almost a bye for them. Just try to be as fast as possible. You can't really play around much here, just try to kill them before they lock you out.
Out:
1 Force of Will
2 Daze
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Pithing Needle (For Maze of Ith/Thespian's Stage. Generally better to name the Stage.)
1 Sulfuric Vortex (They run Zuran Orb. If they don't Dark Depths you, they durdle forever.)
2 Submerge (A Time Walk vs Marit Laige)
1 True-Name Nemesis (They can't Punishing Fire/Decay/Maze this guy. It can be hard to get to 3 mana though.)
/* COMBO */
Storm
A good player can make this matchup rough. Brainstorm to hide your countermagic from Duress/Cabal Therapy can be correct a lot of the time. We're still favored here.
Out:
2x Forked Bolt
3x Lightning Bolt (I leave one in to shorten my clock + kill Xantid Swarm)
In:
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Stops Past in Flames, their best way to go off)
1x Flusterstorm (Read the card)
2x Pyroblast (Counter's cantrips to slow them down)
Show and Tell
I honestly believe the best gameplan in this matchup is Stifle/Wasteland. Either way, we're RUG; we're going to beat the combo deck like we should.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Flusterstorm
3 Pyroblast
1 Krosan Grip (Good vs Sneak Attack and OK vs Blood Moon. With Daze + Spell Pierce you can make sure they don't have enough mana to activate the Sneak Attack and hopefully blow it up.)
1 Ancient Grudge (If you suspect Defense Grid. They probably have it.)
Elves
I play this differently from most I think. I will almost always Force of Will a turn 1 any elf ever. Their gameplan is to get to turn 3-4 ASAP, and all they have to do to do that is play a mana accelerant creature. They get double value for Gaea's cradle.
Out:
4x Stifle
2x Spell Pierce
In:
2x Submerge (Submerging their turn 1 elf is the tempoest tempo play ever.)
2x Rough // Tumble (Nice board ya got there, shame if something happened to it.)
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Shuts down Green Sun's Zenith and Natural Order)
Dredge
Stifling Narcomeoba's is the nuts. Daze is good here; even better if they're Manaless Dredge. Try to race, and don't be afraid of bolting your own Delver to clear Bridge From Below.
Out:
1x Forked Bolt
2x Gitaxian Probe (It doesn't matter what's in their hand and the rest of our deck is good vs them.)
In:
2x Grafdigger's Cage (Duh)
1x Rough // Tumble (Hedge against a big Zombie board. A lot of Dredge lists are missing Flame-Kin Zealot for the combo kill)
Reanimator
Better hope they don't go off turn 1. This matchup can be rough, as they are fast and have a lot of disruption. Try to be aggressive by countering things that put bodies in the graveyard, because they have tons of reanimation spells that Pyroblast doesn't hit. Countering cantrips is good too; this deck mulligans a lot because of janky hands.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
3 Pyroblast (Counter cantrips, win counter wars)
2 Grafdigger's Cage (Duh)
1 Flusterstorm (See Pyroblast)
Infect
They're fast. Don't try to get fancy with 2 for 1's. Kill their threats ASAP. Try to save Bolt/Wasteland for Inkmoth Nexus.
Out:
2 Force of Will (Infect doesn't have a turn 1 kill, even though its a combo deck. I felt safe taking out 2 Forces to avoid the card disadvantage)
2 Stifle
In:
1 Pithing Needle (Inkmoth is a problem)
1 Ancient Grudge (Inkmoth is a problem that Forked Bolt doesn't hit)
1 Rough//Tumble
1 Flusterstorm
/* AGGRO */
RUG Delver
Hope you draw more lands + Tarmogoyfs
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
2x Submerge (Get your Goyf outta here)
1x True-Name Nemesis (This may be wrong, as 3 mana is hard in a Stifle/Wasteland mirror. Definitely a trump card if it hits though.)
1x Flusterstorm (better than Spell Pierce vs Stifle)
2x Pyroblast (Kills Delver, counters Stifle)
UR Delver
We are favored in this matchup. Play control and kill their threats. Our Goose + Goyf is a beating. Watch for Swiftspear tricks and kill Pyromancer on sight.
Out:
4 Force of Will
1 Gitaxian Probe
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Rough//Tumble
UWR Delver
We're faster than them, and have a lower curve. Stop the Bskull and True-Name and you should come out on top.
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
1x True-Name Nemesis (Trump their True-Name, stop Jitte and Bskull)
1x Ancient Grudge (Kill their equipment)
1x Krosan Grip (See Ancient Grudge)
3x Pyroblast (Kill Delvers, win counter wars, counter True-Name and Treasure Cruise)
Jund
Punishing Fire/Abrupt Decay is rough. Wasteland is your friend in this matchup. Try to protect Goose from edicts by having other creatures out. Daze is bonkers vs Bloodbraid as they often have to tap out for it, allowing you to counter either spell.
Out:
4x Force of Will
1x Spell Pierce
In:
1x Pithing Needle (For Liliana mostly. Maybe Jitte if they bring it in.)
1x True-Name Nemesis (Punishing Fire doesn't hit this guy)
2x Submerge (They run Tarmogoyf)
Death & Taxes
I really hate this matchup. If they turn 1 Aether Vial you might as well scoop. Try to be as aggressive as possible. Use Stifle to protect your lands/stop the Germ token/stop Flickerwisp shenanigans. Kill Mother of Runes and Mirran Crusader. Good luck if they run Brimaz.
Out:
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
In:
1x Pithing Needle (Aether Vial, an equipment if they don't have the Vial)
1x True-Name Nemesis (Stops Bskull and Jitte; essentially a Moat)
1x Ancient Grudge (Kill Vial/equipment)
1x Krosan Grip (See above)
2x Rough // Tumble (lol I wrath U)
Merfolk
Same thing as Aether Vial with Death and Taxes. Merfolk is a little faster, and may or may not attack your manabase. Don't let them resolve True-Name.
Out:
4x Force of Will
4x Stifle
In:
1x Pithing Needle (name Vial or Mutavault)
2x Rough // Tumble (Wrath's are good vs swarm decks)
1x True-Name Nemesis (A beater)
1x Ancient Grudge (They run Jitte sometimes. Good vs Vial)
3x Pyroblast (BEST SPELL EVER VS MONOBLUE)
Burn
This match can be rough. Force of will only 4 damage spells, and race like crazy. Watch out for Price of Progress. Play only 2 lands and save your Wastelands to waste yourself.
Out:
2x Gitaxian Probe
3x Stifle
In:
1x Flusterstorm (counter a burn spell)
1x Pithing Needle (Grim Lavamancer is a thing)
1x Krosan Grip (Sulfuric Vortex is a beating when you've clogged the ground with Goyf, but can't end the game)
1x Rough // Tumble (Sometimes they have to commit a few creatures to the board, this helps with that so your Lightning Bolts can help you race)
I'm Daniel Olivieri, the guy who played a classic RUG Delver list to second place in the SCG Open in Atlanta this past weekend.
Usually, I wouldn't write a tournament report like this, and I figure I'm amateur enough that no one will care, but second is my best finish in an open. I'm happy to be continuing to pilot RUG Delver to victory (somewhat)!
Anyway, list for reference:
Creatures (12)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
Spells (30)
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Spell Pierce
4 Stifle
2 Forked Bolt
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
Lands (18)
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
2 Wooded Foothills
Sideboard (15)
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Flusterstorm
1 Krosan Grip
3 Pyroblast
2 Submerge
2 Rough
I've played RUG(not Temur) Delver for about 2 years or so now, and I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp of the deck. Although in my on camera matches, my play was a little, admittedly, a little sloppy in hindsight, I feel as if I have enough experience to perhaps give some insight into how I made it into the top 8 in a Treasure Cruise meta.
Some ideas of how I approach the deck:
1) Griselbrand Playmat: I think something like this speaks to the small edges we're trying to gain with RUG. Don't underestimate the power of mind games at a big tournament like an Open. I had a lot of opponents comment that they thought I was on Reanimator/Show and Tell because of the play mat. Not sure if that made a difference in their play or keeps, but, I'll take any edge I can get. I might get some Griselbrand Sleeves for any other tournament I go to.
2) Scalding Tarn/Wooded Footlands, fetching into Volcanic Island - The Fetchlands were to signal UR Delver/Reanimator/Show and Tell/Jund. I blew out a lot of people hit by an unexpected Stifle a lot of the time because they're expecting one of those decks. I would specfically play those Fetchlands and fetch into a Volcanic if I had the option (which is typically the correct play anyway) to try to hide it and signal UR Delver or SnT.
I think I might switch to 4 Scalding Tarn, 4 Polluted Delta, but 4 Wooded Foothills instead of the Deltas might be good too. I'm not sure, but it seems if you go Foothills then pass, it looks weird. I think decks like that will usually have a one drop. Going Foothills -> Tarn or vice-versa puts you on RUG for sure. I think Delta is correct.
3) Stifle/Wasteland/Daze: These cards are good, and people aren't expecting them in the current format. Once they see them, they become afraid of them. As you all know, this is essentially a combo in this deck. I personally won't play a deck with Daze in it unless it has the Stifle/Wasteland package. It doesn't matter if they have cards that straight up end the game if they can't play them. This is what makes RUG so good against so much of the field. 95% of decks cannot win without 2-3 lands in play and we can win with one or two.
4) Once your opponent knows about it, play as if you have Stifle: A lot of people say Stifle is bad once your opponent knows about it. That's somewhat true, but Stifle allows you to wins games you shouldn't and gives you the opportunity to play mind games. If I have dual/fetch in play, I'll do things like Brainstorm at the end of their turn (if my hand needs sculpting of course; I'm not encouraging you to play bad Brainstorms), and then fetch on my upkeep. Keep them on guard.
5) All your cards are Time Walks: Stifle your fetch/Wasteland so you can't play your 2 drop? Daze you so you can't play a second relevant spell with the one mana you have open? Lay a threat, bolt your creature turn 2? All Time Walks. RUG Delver should play a threat, and then Time Walk to victory. Winning with no cards in hand is how we operate.
6) Losing to combo is for chumps.
7) Patience, patience, patience. I play this deck very patiently. You do not need to go all out all the time. Know your role. The late game is still the early game if you both have 2 lands. Your topdecks are better than any other decks'. Your Brainstorms are better because you are brainstorming into interaction that you can usually cast. You can see me do so in the match vs Show and Tell.
8) The Seven Bolt Theory: It only takes 7 Lightning Bolts to end the game. Even less with fetchlands being prevalent in the format. Your creatures are recurring Lightning Bolts. Sometimes top-decking the Bolt is your only out, and I've got there tons of times. The thing that separates this deck from BUG Delver and UWR Delver is the ability to Lightning Bolt the face, and in the case of UWR, not gain them life with Swords to Plowshares.
9) Small Synergies: Rough//Tumble and your threats. Stifle/Waste/Daze. All 1 drops and free spells allowing multiple interactions on 2 lands. Brainstorming away any lands in excess of 2. These things allow us to win games we shouldn't.
10) NIMBLE MONGOOSE IS BETTER THAN TREASURE CRUISE: He is. I'm sorry, but it does not matter how many cards you draw, no amount of Swords to Plowshares/Lightning Bolts/Abrupt Decay will kill it. What you lose in speed (as opposed to Monastery Swiftspear out of UR Delver), you make up for with not having to "protect" your threat. Don't discount this kind of card advantage. Mongoose is a beating, and was definitely the MVP of the day. If you cut Goose, just go ahead and play UR Delver. Tarmogoyf isn't worth the green splash (and is the worst creature in the deck IMO).
Notes on flex slots:
I think the 2 Spell Pierce is always correct, and is not, in reality, a flex slot.
Gitaxian Probe on the play is pretty sick. There are numerous times where you have Stifle and a threat; so when you look at their hand and see 3 Fetchlands, you know to hold up the Stifle. Helps with Threshold/Sorcery for Goyf too.
Forked Bolt I think is the correct choice in the current meta. It kills every one of UR Delver's threats, is a good vs Elves (which is good in the current meta), and helps vs Death and Taxes/Infect which seems to be on the rise. If it weren't for UR Delver/Burn being a thing right now, I would be on 2 Chain Lighting, which is better in my "7 Bolt" game plan. Fire//Ice can be tech, but 2 mana is too much in a Daze meta.
Without further ado, the report:
M1 UWR Control
This deck was a bit of a brew. I asked to look at his deck after the match and it looked like he only had Snapcaster/Jace/Vendilion Clique as win conditions. No Top/Counterbalace/Stoneforge.
G1: I win the roll, so I open with a Scalding Tarn I leave uncracked. He plays a Flooded Strand and goes for a fetch, and I Stifle it. "Ouch" he says. Turn 2 I play a Tarmogoyf which promptly gets Swords to Plowshares'd the next turn, but I have no way to stop it. It's fine though, as I play the Mongoose I was sandbagging, and Stifle/Waste my way to victory.
G2: I wasn't sure if he was playing UWR Stoneblade/Miracles, but I sideboarded like he was:
Out (on the draw):
4 Force of will, 1 Daze, 2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Krosan Grip
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Sulfuric Vortext
3 Pyroblast
A sort of repeat of Game 1, but this time I play a Sulfuric Vortex and ride it to victory. I Gitaxian Probe at some point and see a hand of Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares x2, Dig Through Time, Snapcaster Mage. I was worried about him Bolting me for the victory at some point, but I sculpted my hand and finished him off with a Bolt of my own.
Win: 2-0
Record: 1-0-0
M2 UG Infect
I'll admit, I haven't played much of this matchup, but my theory is: Kill all their stuff, and kill them before they can go Infect Guy, kill you next turn. They are similar to us in their disruption, and their clock is shorter. Unlike us, they don't have reach through burn spells. Inkmoth Nexus is their psuedo reach, so play removal with that in mind.
G1: I keep him off a Tropical and then a Inkmoth Nexus after going turn 1 Mongoose/Daze your Glistener Elf. We go back and forth, and I have him at 4 life before he Beserk + Invigorates an Inkmoth Nexus all the way to 10 poision.
G2 & 3:
Out:
2 Force of Will (Infect doesn't have a turn 1 kill, even though its a combo deck. I felt safe taking out 2 Forces to avoid the card disadvantage)
2 Stifle
In:
1 Pithing Needle (Inkmoth is a problem)
1 Ancient Grudge (Inkmoth is a problem that Forked Bolt doesn't hit)
1 Rough//Tumble
1 Flusterstorm
I don't remember much about these games, but Mongoose and Delver got there both times. Game 2, I know I Stifle/Wastelanded him until all he had was 2 Noble Hierarchs, but a timely Rough forced him to play out his pumps to save them. Game 3 a forked bolt hit 2 Infect creatures and that sealed the deal.
Win 2-1
Record: 2-0-0
M3 Reanimator
As much as this is a combo deck and it should be a good matchup for us, I feel like it is very swingy. If they're on the play, turn 1 Griselbrand with Daze + Force back up is a thing. It's brutal. Doesn't help that I got a game loss here for accidentally forgetting to write my 4 Wastelands on my registration sheet. Oops.
G1: Since I got a game loss, they allow me to choose who plays first. I obviously do. Opening hand I'm pretty sure I had these cards: Goose, Probe, Stifle, Spell Pierce, Land, Land, Wasteland. Turn 1 Probe after playing a Volcanic Island showed me a hand full of fetchlands and Griselbrands. I hold up Stifle, and hit his first fetch. Next turn he plays fetches a dual which gets Wasted along with me dropping the Goose. Goose beats for the win when I counter his Ponder after he shows weakness after missing land drops with only an Island in play.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Flusterstorm
(There's an argument for Krosan Grip for Animate Dead, and Submerge because I saw Bayou/Trop game 1. Seems durdly/marginal though. Typically when Griselbrand or any other threat gets out, you're dead anyway.)
G2: Same as the first. I don't see any hate cards, but Goose gets there. I played a Delver at one point even though I knew he had Abrupt Decay because I wanted him to spend a turn killing it. He took the bait, and I rode Goose to victory, with the dead Delver giving me Threshold.
M4 UWR Stone-Top
This was a UWR Stoneblade list featuring Stoneforge/True-Name Nemesis + Counterbalance/Sensei's Divining Top package.
G1: I'm on the play and drop a Turn 1 Delver. He Ponder's and passes. Delver doesn't flip. He plays a naked Counterbalance. Delver doesn't flip again. Next turn he drops Stoneforge Mystic, and although I Stifle the search trigger, he has the Batterskull in hand. It comes down next turn, along with a Top and the game is soon over.
Out:
4 Force of Will
2 Forked Bolt
1 Tarmogoyf
In:
3 Pyroblast
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Krosan Grip
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Sulfuric Vortex
G2: I'm on the play again and I hold up Stifle. He drops a fetch and is afraid to crack it. Good. Next turn I drop a Goose. He say's ok and takes his turn Pondering. Next turn I play a Delver and he StP's it. Still holding up his Fetch, he Brainstorms. I keep the beatdowns going and eventually he gets to 3 lands after being Stifle/Wasted. I play another Goose with threshold and he Force of Will's. Cool. I'll play another Goose. Got there.
G3: Turn 1 he Ponders. I play a Ponder with no other relevant plays. Next turn he plays cantrips but does nothing else. Bad news. I get a Mongoose in play and start beating with Stifle up. Eventually, he's at 4 lands; one of them being a fetchland. I have a 2 Lands tapped and a Wasteland untapped in play. I belive the next play helps me win the game (and has been relevant other times playing this deck). He casts a True-Name Nemesis, so I wasteland his fetch in response. In response to the Wasteland he fetches, and I Daze the Nemesis. Over the next few turns, I keep beating down and he resolves: Counterbalance, Stoneforge Mystic, and True-Name Nemesis. He's at 3 life, with the Jitte coming down next turn. I go to my last draw step and... Lightning Bolt! I cast the Bolt, Counterbalance hits a Flooded Strand, and my opponent has to watch his Sodium intake.
Win 2-1
Record: 4-0-0
M5 UG Infect
I played this similar to the first time I matched against it. I lose the first game, but come out on top the second and third. Mongoose gets there, with a timely Pithing Needle in the 3rd game naming Inkmoth Nexus, which stopped his Crop Rotation for a block; he would have killed me the next turn.
Win 2-1
Record: 5-0-0
M6 UWR Stoneblade (vs Kory McDuffie who also made Top 8)
G1: I play a Volcanic and pass. He plays a fetch and gets stifled. Next turn I drop a Delver and another land. He plays a Tundra and StP's my Delver. Next turn, I Wasteland + Goose. The game ends soon after while he has 2 lands in play and I Stifle/Waste/Daze him out of the game.
Out:
4 Force of Will
1 Daze
2 Forked Bolt
In:
3 Pyroblast
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Krosan Grip
G2: I open up a double Wasteland, Stifle, Mongoose, Daze hands. The RUG Gods are smiling upon me. Turn one I drop the Goose, and Stifle/Waste him onto triple Island in the turns after. I remember Gitaxian Probing him and seeing Swords, Swords, Bolt, Vendilion Clique, Dig Through Time. He plays the Clique block conservatively, and when he attempts it, I Daze it away.
I think in both games he only resolved a StP in the first game, and a Snapcaster and Dig Through Time in the second. My girlfriend was watching and she mentioned after that although she didn't really understand what was going on, she could tell I was winning by how violently he was shuffling his deck and how upset he seemed.
Win 2-0
Record: 6-0-0
M7 Reanimator (vs Jesse Inman who also made Top 8)
G1: I lose the roll and his turn 2 Griselbrand wins the game for him. He was smart enough not to draw 7 cards "Just Because".
See above for sideboard.
G2: I draw no hate cards, but turn 2 reanimation on Griselbrand gets countered. Turn 3 Griselbrand into Elesh Norn turn 4 seals the deal. Well played, sir.
Loss 0-2
Record: 6-1-0
M8 UR Delver
Contrary to the Finals, I believe we have the advantage in this matchup. Goose/Goyf is better than all their threats, and if we focus our removal on Pyromancer, we can stay ahead on board. They also play a lot of fetches, so our Daze's are a lot better along with our Stifle/Wasteland. Treasure Cruise is good at recovering, but remember: you can only play 1 land a turn. Unlike RUG, UR wants 3+ lands out to be able to chain spells to pump up their Swiftspears/make Elementals. Play control, kill their threats, win the game.
G1: Stifle/Wasteland/Goose gets there. I play control and kill all his threats, while not having to spend cards protecting Goose. He resolves Treasure Cruise, but he's at 6 life with 1 land. Can't stop the Goose.
Out:
4 Force of Will
1 Daze
In:
3 Pyroblast
2 Rough//Tumble
G2: Repeat of the first game. He resolves Treasure Cruise, gets blown out by Rough//Tumble and still dies to the Goose.
Win 2-0
Record: 7-1-0
M9 Intentional Draw
Record: 7-1-1
Top 8
Lands
This is a bad matchup for us; and I also haven't played it too much. Goose is what allows us to get there vs Maze and Punishing Fire.
G1: I beat down, but Maze of Ith slows things down and a turn 4 Marit Laige wins the game.
Out:
1 Force of Will
2 Daze
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Submerge
1 True-Name Nemesis
G2: I keep a double Delver hand and get aggressive. I know my only chance at winning is to kill him fast. I have both Delvers out, and with the triggers on the stack, I aggressively Brainstorm to flip them. I find another Delver and True-Name Nemesis and eventually have 3x Delver + True-Name out. He kills one, but it's replaced by a Mongoose. I Stifle a Thespian's Stage trigger for a Time Walk, and then on the next turn when he resolves it, I Submerge Marit Laige to take the game.
G3: The footage comes into this about half way through the match. The only notable thing before this is Force of Willing a turn 1 Explore (or whatever the enchantment is called that lets them play more than 1 land a turn). At one point he even said "do I go after your creatures or your lands?". He Punishing Fire'd my Delver. Wrong choice. Next turn I drop the True-Name in hand and he says "Oh wow, again? You only have one of those, right?". Yep, sure do.
Because it's the Top 8, I saw his deck list, and knew that his only win condition was Dark Depths and Punishing Fire. I doubted he would bring in Seismic Assault, so Pithing Needle naming the Thespian's Stage was me attempting to Time Walk him as much as possible. I have double Submerge in hand and I Daze the Loam(?) to stop him from playing other stuff that turn and also get a Volcanic in hand to be able to Submerge/Bolt if I need to. Tabernacle didn't really matter because he wasn't Wastelanding aggressively (he couldn't with all that pressure out) and I only needed True-Name alive.
Win 2-1
Record: 8-1-1
Show and Tell
There isn't much to say here as everything is on camera.
G1: I keep double Force, Waste, Stifle, and a single land. This is where patience comes in. I just play draw-go-you-better-not-fetch-oops-now-you-have-no-lands-I-told-you-so until I get a threat and then kill him.
Out:
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
In:
1 Flusterstorm
3 Pyroblast
1 Krosan Grip
1 Ancient Grudge (he had Defense Grid in the board)
G2: I'll have to look at the footage but I remember my hand being decent. I should have Wastelanded the City of Traitors. A timely 3rd card on the Brainstorm Krosan Grip saves the day.
Win 2-0
Record: 9-1-1
UR Delver
Oh man I'm still kicking myself about this match. I should have won. I believe if there were a game 3 I would have had it.
G1: I mull to 5. I don't Spell Pierce the Ponder because I wanted to protect my Delver. It costs me the game. I almost had him though, had that Delver not flipped, he was dead.
G2: Double Price of Progress blow-out ouch. Sometimes they have it. You can see me considering playing around it, but I needed to end the game ASAP.
Loss 0-2
Record: 9-2-1
It was a good day overall! I had a lot of fun playing Magic and met some cool people. I think I did pretty good on 4 hours of sleep and a hangover (had to entertain the lady friend the night before for putting up with the upcoming 12 hours of Magic).
Anyway, I could go on and on forever about the intricacies of the deck, but I'm assuming you guys all know that. When I get some more time, I'll post my sideboard guide that I've had written for a long time, with some notes on the cards and various matchups.
Thanks guys, and LONG LIVE THE GOOSE.
4 Sign in Blood
4 Dig Through Time
4 Thoughtseize
4 Dissolve
4 Hero's Downfall
2 Drown in Sorrow
2 Murderous Cut
2 Dissipate
2 Bile Blight
Artifacts
2 Perilous Vault
1 Pearl Lake Ancient
2 Prognostic Sphinx
Planeswalkers
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Lands
4 Island
3 Swamp
1 Evolving Wilds
4 Polluted Delta
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Dismal Backwater
4 Radiant Fountain
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Despise
2 Drown in Sorrow
2 Negate
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Pharika's Cure
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Clever Impersonator
1 Perilous Vault
1 Empty the Pits
Testing so far and the deck is extremely solid.
Radiant Fountain + Dismal Backwater is the real deal. They both allow you to Thoughtseize and Sign in Blood very aggressively.
Prognostic Sphinx + Dig Through Time is also very good, with Sphinx allowing you to scry garbage away for better hits, as well as being a discard outlet for the Delve. Typically, I play out about 8-9 lands and then either discard them to protect Sphinx, while holding up counters or don't draw them at all because of Sphinx + Dig.
Sideboard needs more testing, so right now its mostly a guessing game. Not sure about Empty the Pits.
3 Flooded Strand
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Volcanic Island
3 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ponder
4 Daze
4 Stifle
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Spell Pierce
2 Gitaxian Probe
1 Spell Snare
1 Forked Bolt
1 Zuran Orb
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Sulfur Elemental
2 Rough//Tumble
2 Flusterstorm
3 Submerge
1 Krosan Grip
The only thing I question is not running Dismember. I've played a lot in my local meta, and Dismember has never really impressed me... I've killed Goyf's and stuff with it, but I don't know... Especially with the life loss from Gitaxian Probe. Am I just missing the point with this card? Is it really worth running? I'd probably replace Spell Snare... even though it's solid at countering Goyfs, Bobs, Stonforges, Rest in Peace, Counterbalance, Infernal Tutor. All cards which can be a problem.
Opinions?
I have a friend who plays Combo Elves as well. He plays it with Natrual Order -> Progenitus Combo, as well as powering out Emrakrul.
Here's my list:
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Tarmogoyf
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Sylvan Library
4 Stifle
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
3 Tropical Island
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Wasteland
2 Grim Lavamancer
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Krosan Grip
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Spell Pierce
1 Simic Charm
3 Submerge
For board, I usually go:
-3 Stifle
-2 Spell Snare
+2 Grim Lavamancer
+3 Submerge
Elves likes to go off around turn 3-5, and you have to do everything you can to delay them. I tend to always try to stop their turn 1 play, such as Lanowar Elves, because it accelerates them into turn 3 on their turn 2. Elf players WILL keep a hand with 1 land, and 1 mana dork, so you have to punish their greediness. I will Daze, Bolt, and Submerge that sucker to keep them from using it for mana, I have even Force of Willed a Lanowar Elf (not recommended).
Hands with a threat and cards that keep them off getting to those turns early are best. In my last Legacy tournament, I won the last game by Submerging a turn 1 Nettle Sentinel two times, while laying down Mongoose and Tarmogoyf. I drew the bolt, bolted his Sentinal and swung for the kill. The Submerge kept him drawing Nettle Sentinel, and he couldn't do anything before he was dead.
Hope that helps!
I have been testing my list, below, and it seems pretty solid. It can play a tempo game of riding a turn 1 Delver of Secrets to victory, or play a drawn out grinding game until we land a Runechanter's Pike and swing big. This deck is all about synergy, and that synergy mostly comes from Thought Scour filling our graveyard with resources. The only thing that can't be used from the graveyard is Runechanter's Pike.
Here's my list for a modern UW delver:
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Restoration Angel
2 Vendilion Clique
Instant
4 Thought Scour
2 Remand
3 Mana Leak
2 Cryptic Command
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
1 Deprive
1 Psionic Blast
4 Serum Visions
Artifact
2 Runechanter's Pike
Land
2 Moorland Haunt
1 Eiganjo Castle
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Plains
8 Island
2 Detention Sphere
2 Spell Pierce
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Timely Reinforcements
1 Disenchant
3 Spreading Seas
Card Explanations:
Creatures
For the creatures, its a pretty standard affair...
Delver of Secrets... What more can I say? This guy is an awesome turn 1 play.
Vendilion Clique is an effective flying beater, and helps in the Tron/Combo matchup.
Geist of Saint Traft closes out games quickly, and puts a lot of pressure on the board.
Snapcaster Mage is good in this list, especially with thought scour. He allows us to flash back our counterspells/removal all day long. Especially nice to flash back Cryptic Command
Restoration Angel is our curve topper, and a pretty good one at that. I started running it as a 1 of because all of my threats die to Pyroclasm. She can blank some removal, surprise block, and beat for 3. She also does not die to [CARD]Lightning Bolt
[/CARD], which is nice.
Instants
Thought Scour is the card most other cards revolve around. A cheap cantrip that can help find land drops/gas, it dumps resources into the grave for use with Snapcaster Mage, Moorland Haunt, and Runechanter's Pike. Allows us to let the game drag out while we play control, and then alpha strike with our Pike. Almost everything in the list is usable from the graveyard... this card is virtual card advantage.
Remand is a good counterspell which allows some tricks and cantrips... Could definitely find room for more
Mana Leak is probably one of the best counterspells in modern. Gets weaker later in the game, but combined with remand you can still get value out of it by making them cast the same spell twice, hopefully the second time they wont have 3 to pay.
Cryptic Command... This card is bonkers. Tap down blockers for Geist of Saint Traft to get through, bounce permanents, counter spells, draw... Does everything we want to do. Its a little expensive with a CMC of 4, but it does work. Could probably try to fit 1 more, but sometimes mana is an issue.
Path to Exile is our removal. Hits everything, but also ramps them. Ramping the other player can be a problem with all of our tax counters, but often it's not TOO much of an issue.
Spell Pierce is our 1 mana combo/removal killer. Great for protection from removal when you turn 1 Delver of Secrets, and turn 2 Serum Visions/Thought Scour. Very nice tempo card.
Deprive is the only other hard counter other than Cryptic Command. The land bounce isn't too much of an issue unless you're forced to bounce a Seachrome Coast at >3 lands, but most of the time you can avoid it hurting you. This list needs a cheap hard counter, and this is one of the cheapest.
Psionic Blast is my secret tech! Gives us some reach to close out games, as well as being extra removal. Burn in blue? Yes please.
Sorcery
Serum Visions... I WISH this card was Ponder/Preordain but its not. Helps flip Delver of Secrets and sets up our draw. It's nice to put lands on the bottom because we curve out at 4 (6 if you want to flash back Cryptic Command with Snapcaster Mage.
Artifact
Runechanter's Pike is one of the biggest differences from most tempo lists... Most run Vedalken Shackles which is really good, but we want to counter/remove everything anyway. Pike allows us to grind out games, and has synergy with Thought Scour. A lot of games come down to grinding until we get this card, and then alpha strike with a flash flyer or a Moorland Haunt token.
Land
Moorland Haunt works well with Thought Scour. Gives us blockers to stay in the game, beaters to equip Runechanter's Pike to, and allows us to reuse our creature cards from the grave.
Eiganjo Castle allows us to protect Vendilion Clique/Geist of Saint Traft and force through damage. Legendary status keeps it as a 1 of.
On shocklands/fetches and why I don't run them: I can see the benefit of the two, but a lot of the time you can be punished for paying life for your mana base... fetching for an untapped shock is essentially Lightning Bolting ourselves. Let everyone else do that, we'll save our life to stay in the game. Also, as a two color deck, where White is almost just a splash, we aren't too susceptible to color screw. Most people won't side in Blood Moon for us, considering we're only 2 colors with plenty of basics.
Sideboard
Sideboard is still a work in progress... Not too sure of the metagame right now, but we are prepared for Tron, which is popular where I play. Haven't played much against Jund, but its a very grindy matchup from what I've experienced.
Detention Sphere: Extra removal for problem permanents like Planeswalkers/Artifacts/Enchantments. Nice catch-all.
Spell Pierce for the Combo/Control matchup. Helps us resolve our Geist of Saint Traft turn 4 instead of turn 5.
Surgical Extraction graveyard/combo hate that can be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage? Very nice. I could see where maybe some more graveyard hate is needed in the board, but I don't see too many grave reliant decks in my meta.
Supreme Verdict: Uncounterable sweeper, what more needs to be said? Good against aggro, and even aggro-control. I've killed Emrakrul off Summoning Trap more than once with it.
Timely Reinforcements: Burn/Aggro can be a rough matchup and I always try to expect to go against at least one of the two in Modern. I could go with Kitchen Finks, but double white turn 3 can be difficult, and we only run 1 Restoration Angel
Disenchant: Efficient Enchantment/Artifact hate. I think I need another one in the board, but Detention Sphere hits the same stuff... Can be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage which is a plus.
Spreading Seas: Land hate that cantrips, and in a format full of greedy manabases, can lead to some blowouts. Good vs Tron and reasonable against Jund considering they need all their colors. It doesn't flip Delver of Secrets, which kind of sucks, but its a small price to pay.