R1: Eldrazi and Taxes
Win 2-1
I lose game one after a mull finishing the game with 4 mana an amulet and 4 Titans in hand.
I win games 2 and 3 on the back of some solid dismembers and some sick thragtusk action. Oh and a double amulet draw in game three.
R2: Gw value town
Loss 0-2
Well, he's the ghost quarter excavator deck with mindcensor main. He won a long first game after casting all 4 collected company. He wins game 2 off of a major misplay on my part. Pacted for a tracker when I only had 2 green sources. Mindcensor and gq is GG.
R3: Kiki Chord
Loss 1-2
I keep amulet, scout, azusa, stirrings and lands. Didn't draw a spell the entire game. Drew literal 12 lands before my opp killed me. Game 2 is grindy. I fought through three magus of the moon but ground him out. Vesuva becoming an additional forest was huge. He wins game three off of a reveillark returning all sorts of nasty stuff. I definitely got punished for not playing bog.
R4: Affinity
Win 2-1
He crushed me game one. Games two and three I cleaned up with k return. He went all in on nexus and allowed me to tutor up gq. It was GG after that.
R5: Mono white taxes
Win 2-0
Got out ahead early with tribe scout and was able to use it defensively to dodge his LD. 4/1-ed him with a walking ballista and won easy after that. Game 2 involved a 6/1 with k return. Courser also gained a lot of life.
R5: Grixis Shadow
Win 2-0
Double relic game one slows him down a lot. Eventually I found a courser which found me two groves. I was able to kill two of his shadows with the groves. Hell yeah. Game 2 was Titan finding tolaria west to tutor for hornet queen. GG.
The relics and groves were a meta call that wound up biting me big time. Serum visions would have been outstanding today. Solid first run with the deck though!
Personally,I've loved the clique. Taking pyro out of your deck allows you to maximize your business spells. I'm trying to decide whether lavamancer should replace the angler to give the deck some additional reach. I've been impressed with cut, but unimpressed with angler.
I'm trying to decide whether or not the cut is necessary. That flex slot could also be occupied by lavamancer, izzet charm or electrolyze. The 20th land is also a consideration. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
So, what's the consensus on serum visions, sleight of hand and sylvan scrying in a GBx meta? I've just finished infect for next December's RPTQ and I anticipate a lot of GBx. My other choices are UR delver, blue moon, Grixis and RuG something.
Has anybody given any thought to Engulf the shore? It seems insane in this deck.
4x serum visions
4x ancestral visions
4x snapcaster
4x lightning bolt
3x remand
2x mana leak
1x izzet charm
2x electrolyze
1x jace, unraveler
1x engulf the shore
2x spell snare
2x cryptic command
2x pia and kiraan
3x blood moon
3x spreading seas
That's my starting point I think. There will be a lot of K command running around post ban, making traditional win conditions like batterskull or shackles a liability.
Anybody notice the three Mainboard spell pierce in Todd Anderson's list? Perhaps a hedge towards Tron and Eldrazi. Also, spreading seas vs. Blood moon? I was hoping this deck would be kept under wraps until after regionals.
I've been tweaking UR Delver on and off for the better part of a year now, and this is the iteration I've been most happy with. The addition of stoke the flames has been huge. Not only does it give you wins out of nowhere, but it also allows you to kill problematic creatures such as restoration angel and deceiver exarch. Side note, when flashing back stoke the flames, snapcaster mage can be used for convoke.
I've won 3 consecutive local events with this list against a field of affinity, pod, ub tezzeret, storm, burn and infect .
//Creature (15)
4 Delver of Secrets
1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
4 Young Pyromancer
My buddy recently top 8'ed a PTQ with mono black splash green. I'm pretty confident he would have won the whole thing if not for a sketchy keep and some sideboarding errors. Since the PTQ we've made some adjustments and arrived at the following list:
Over the past few months I've tried a range of modern decks. I tried hatebears, UWR control, UWR twin, UR Storm, BWR Midrange, UR Delver and BW midrange. For whatever reason, UR Delver keeps me coming back. The entire shell of the deck is just an absolute blast! Recently, I took the deck to GP Minneapolis. The deck played to a 6-2-1 finish, barely missing day 2.
//Creature (14)
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Young Pyromancer
I played UR Delver at GP Minneapolis to a 6-2-1 finish. I'm considering splashing black for Bob's, rakdos charm and discard. In Minneapolis I played against affinity three times without dropping a match, and in my opinion your best cards are without a doubt spell snare, Grim Lavamancer and electrolyze. Splashing a stomping ground is also a consideration as ancient grudge is an absolutely insane card.
I played in GP Minneapolis this past weekend on a version of UR Aggro. I ended up going 6-2-1. My draw that kept me from making day 2 was against Blue Moon with him dead on board. (Still a little salty about that one)
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Bye
Round 3: Affinity W:2-0 (Recall and electrolyze in conjunction is insane.)
Round 4: UWR Control L:0-2 (This is a difficult match up which was made way worse by never making it past 3 lands with a hand full of snapcasters.)
Round 5: Blue Moon D: 1-1 (Had him dead on board when we went to time. Especially proud of game one as I had to navigate around a shackled grim lavamancer)
Round 6: Twin W: 2-0 (I playtested against twin more than any other deck. Felt like I was running circles around the fellow. Vapor snag for days!)
Round 7: Twin W: 2-0 (See above.)
Round 8: Affinity W: 2-0 (Triple electrolyze in game one made this round a breeze.)
Round 9: Affinity L: 0-2 (Kept a few sketchy hands that gone ran over pretty hard.)
I couldn't see Grim Lavamancer enough. That card is absolutely insane in some match ups!
//Creature (14)
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Young Pyromancer
If I were to make changes to the deck, I'd consider splashing green for ancient grudge out of the sideboard. Or maybe splashing black for rakdos charm. Either way, I feel the need to diversify the sideboard a bit.
Played in a 50 man pptq today, finishing in tenth. Close!
I anticipated most of the meta being shadow and gbx. Boy was I wrong...
4 scout
4 Titan
3 azusa
1 courser
1 ballista
4 relic
4 stirrings
4 amulet
4 summoner's pact
1 pact of negation
1 explosives
2 explore
Flex slots were 3 grove and a cavern for my lands.
Sb:
2 tracker
2 k return
2 swan song
3 dismember
1 hornet queen
1 ghost quarter
1 thragtusk
1 chameleon colossus
1 nature's claim
1 Rec sage
R1: Eldrazi and Taxes
Win 2-1
I lose game one after a mull finishing the game with 4 mana an amulet and 4 Titans in hand.
I win games 2 and 3 on the back of some solid dismembers and some sick thragtusk action. Oh and a double amulet draw in game three.
R2: Gw value town
Loss 0-2
Well, he's the ghost quarter excavator deck with mindcensor main. He won a long first game after casting all 4 collected company. He wins game 2 off of a major misplay on my part. Pacted for a tracker when I only had 2 green sources. Mindcensor and gq is GG.
R3: Kiki Chord
Loss 1-2
I keep amulet, scout, azusa, stirrings and lands. Didn't draw a spell the entire game. Drew literal 12 lands before my opp killed me. Game 2 is grindy. I fought through three magus of the moon but ground him out. Vesuva becoming an additional forest was huge. He wins game three off of a reveillark returning all sorts of nasty stuff. I definitely got punished for not playing bog.
R4: Affinity
Win 2-1
He crushed me game one. Games two and three I cleaned up with k return. He went all in on nexus and allowed me to tutor up gq. It was GG after that.
R5: Mono white taxes
Win 2-0
Got out ahead early with tribe scout and was able to use it defensively to dodge his LD. 4/1-ed him with a walking ballista and won easy after that. Game 2 involved a 6/1 with k return. Courser also gained a lot of life.
R5: Grixis Shadow
Win 2-0
Double relic game one slows him down a lot. Eventually I found a courser which found me two groves. I was able to kill two of his shadows with the groves. Hell yeah. Game 2 was Titan finding tolaria west to tutor for hornet queen. GG.
The relics and groves were a meta call that wound up biting me big time. Serum visions would have been outstanding today. Solid first run with the deck though!
4 thoughtscour
4 serum visions
4 bolt
4 termimate
3 snare
3 leak
2 k command
2 remand
1 murderous cut
1 collective brutality
28
4 delver
4 snap
3 tasigur
1 clique
1 angler
13
4 delta
4 mire
3 spirebluff
2 steam vents
1 watery grave
1 blood crypt
2 island
1 swamp
1 mountain
Sb:
2 duress
2 countersquall
3 surgical extraction
1 magma spray
1 dispel
1 rakdos charm
1 lavamancer
1 dreadbore
1 collective brutality
1 painful truths
1 darkblast
I'm trying to decide whether or not the cut is necessary. That flex slot could also be occupied by lavamancer, izzet charm or electrolyze. The 20th land is also a consideration. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
4x serum visions
4x ancestral visions
4x snapcaster
4x lightning bolt
3x remand
2x mana leak
1x izzet charm
2x electrolyze
1x jace, unraveler
1x engulf the shore
2x spell snare
2x cryptic command
2x pia and kiraan
3x blood moon
3x spreading seas
That's my starting point I think. There will be a lot of K command running around post ban, making traditional win conditions like batterskull or shackles a liability.
I've won 3 consecutive local events with this list against a field of affinity, pod, ub tezzeret, storm, burn and infect .
//Creature (15)
4 Delver of Secrets
1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
4 Young Pyromancer
//Instant (18)
2 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mana Leak
3 Remand
1 Spell Snare
2 Stoke the Flames
2 Vapor Snag
//Sorcery (9)
1 Forked Bolt
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
//Land (18)
6 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
SB: 2 Blood Moon
SB: 1 Combust
SB: 1 Counterflux
SB: 2 Dispel
SB: 1 Electrickery
SB: 1 Forked Bolt
SB: 1 Keranos, God of Storms
SB: 2 Magma Spray
SB: 1 Negate
SB: 1 Twisted Image
SB: 2 Vandalblast
My buddy recently top 8'ed a PTQ with mono black splash green. I'm pretty confident he would have won the whole thing if not for a sketchy keep and some sideboarding errors. Since the PTQ we've made some adjustments and arrived at the following list:
//Creature (21)
4 Bloodghast
3 Fulminator Mage
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Gravecrawler
2 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Tarmogoyf
//Instant (6)
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Darkblast
1 Dismember
1 Victim of Night
//Planeswalker (3)
3 Liliana of the Veil
//Sorcery (8)
1 Drown in Sorrow
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Thoughtseize
//Land (22)
1 Blood Crypt
4 Marsh Flats
3 Overgrown Tomb
7 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Woodland Cemetery
SB: 1 Abrupt Decay
SB: 2 Ancient Grudge
SB: 1 Drown in Sorrow
SB: 2 Duress
SB: 1 Fulminator Mage
SB: 1 Golgari Charm
SB: 2 Lifebane Zombie
SB: 1 Phyrexian Obliterator
SB: 1 Slaughter Pact
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 1 Thrun, the Last Troll
We've also been playing around with small pox as a potential combo with bloodghast and crawler.
//Creature (14)
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Young Pyromancer
//Instant (18)
2 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mana Leak
3 Remand
1 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
3 Vapor Snag
//Sorcery (9)
1 Forked Bolt
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
//Land (19)
6 Island
1 Mountain
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
SB: 3 Blood Moon
SB: 2 Combust
SB: 1 Counterflux
SB: 1 Dispel
SB: 1 Engineered Explosives
SB: 2 Hibernation
SB: 2 Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1 Magma Spray
SB: 1 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 1 Spellskite
The toughest match up in my mind is UWR control. Any ideas on improving it?
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Bye
Round 3: Affinity W:2-0 (Recall and electrolyze in conjunction is insane.)
Round 4: UWR Control L:0-2 (This is a difficult match up which was made way worse by never making it past 3 lands with a hand full of snapcasters.)
Round 5: Blue Moon D: 1-1 (Had him dead on board when we went to time. Especially proud of game one as I had to navigate around a shackled grim lavamancer)
Round 6: Twin W: 2-0 (I playtested against twin more than any other deck. Felt like I was running circles around the fellow. Vapor snag for days!)
Round 7: Twin W: 2-0 (See above.)
Round 8: Affinity W: 2-0 (Triple electrolyze in game one made this round a breeze.)
Round 9: Affinity L: 0-2 (Kept a few sketchy hands that gone ran over pretty hard.)
I couldn't see Grim Lavamancer enough. That card is absolutely insane in some match ups!
//Creature (14)
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Young Pyromancer
//Instant (19)
3 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mana Leak
3 Remand
1 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
3 Vapor Snag
//Sorcery (8)
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
//Land (19)
6 Island
1 Mountain
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
SB: 1 Anger of the Gods
SB: 2 Blood Moon
SB: 2 Combust
SB: 2 Counterflux
SB: 1 Engineered Explosives
SB: 2 Hibernation
SB: 2 Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1 Magma Spray
SB: 1 Shatterstorm
SB: 1 Spellskite
If I were to make changes to the deck, I'd consider splashing green for ancient grudge out of the sideboard. Or maybe splashing black for rakdos charm. Either way, I feel the need to diversify the sideboard a bit.