This deck lets you grind so hard, I usually play Jeskai Saheeli but picking up the pieces and playing this version has been so much fun. You can really feel the accruement of at least virtual card advantage when the interactions pan out, and usually real card advantage as well. Both decks are fun but Jeskai does play a pretty controlling game with a flurry of bounces every so often, but this deck seems to have an interesting line at every turn. I play the one-of Sun Titan in the Jeskai version and I tried it here which has already won me two games with the Sun Titan loop. Lotus Cobra also really does potentiate the plays, I've only played about 10 games so far but it seems to run smooth enough with 4 BoP + 2 Lotus Cobra, but I'm sure the awkward draws are yet to come my way.
I've activated Tasigur a bunch in games, most of the time it will get you a thought scour because no opponent will give you those lightning bolts or Kommands. You can strategically exile when casting him but you usually flip something like a scour or visions when activating it over several turns.
I'm running 1 Blood Moon in my sideboard. I've been considering adding a second, but I'm wondering if the 2 decks most hindered by it (Tron, Eldrazi) losing Eye of Ugin makes adding another Blood Moon a bad idea.
Instead of a second Blood Moon I'd probably first think about other options like Molten Rain (that 2 dmg is relevant, especially nice flashbacked), Fulminator Mage (recursion with Kommand) or Crumble to Dust.
Tooth Collector is cute. There's always lots of little dude aggro decks in my meta so it will be fun to test.
There's something I like about To The Slaughter as a potential SB card. I've run Tribute to Hunger SB a few times for those pesky untouchable and indestructible creatures and I think we can easily get delirium turned on. You could do things like get rid of a Goyf + Liliana / Ulamog + Karn / Celestial Colonnade + Elspeth, etc. etc. Obviously we have access to so many good versatile sideboard cards it's always tricky to know what is completely optimal.
In terms of other SOI cards for the SB I only really see Invasive Surgery which is obviously more narrow than Spell Pierce so.. probably not.
I think they may have been referring to visions of serum instead of visions of ancestors.
Tron was always my worst match-up at FNM and artifact decks were pretty easy to take down. I think atleast on an FNM level Delver got a nice little boost with the change in the ban list.
I would wager that our control match ups got a bit worse though because I assume most of those decks will be able to run Ancestral Visions and out CA us. But 4 suspend counters is a long time.
Affinity has a huge share of the meta right now right? So I can see the reasoning behind 3 Kolaghan's Command and SB Shattering Spree. I chose to run Vandalblast awhile ago over Spree because I thought overloading it would be a nice blow-out possibility but in all the hours of playing this deck I have yet to do that. So I think it's time to look into Spree.
I've been a fan of Tribute to Hunger as an unexpected sideboard strategy. I think it's a nice addition to a lot of different sideboard plans, great against Bogles.
I think this has been mentioned a lot in this thread, but if you cut the Pyromancer's then there is the question of how many Gitaxian Probes are needed/relevant. I do really like Gitaxian Probe even w/o a YP on board because it lets me decide between the play of Delver vs. leaving up Lightning Bolt/Spell Snare. I currently dance between 1 or 2 Young Pyromancer's and 3 Git. Probes. I guess if you get rid of Young Pyros you can run more sweepers in the side. There's a lot of little creature decks running around so there is definite value in having a constant flow of tokens.
What kind of meta calls for Remand? Especially as a 2 of? Grixis Delver lists seem to be all over the place in terms of this card.
Another question is the number of Terminate vs. Murderous Cut. Murderous cut is really taxing on graveyard resources and is quite difficult to flashback, obviously it's gravy to kill a creature for 1 but having enough cards in the GY late game can be tricky.
@xnorth how do you feel about mainboarding the Blood Moons? Most keep them in the side but I've considered maining them also.
This was mainly an addition to hedge against the environment I knew I would face at the store, I believe Blood Moon mainboard is a safe bet if you're playing at a known meta.
Maindeck Batterskull, Blood Moon, and V Clique makes me think you're playing the wrong deck. You are diluting the deck by playing with so many reactive, non spell cards, you have to have a critical mass of instants and sorceries with Delvers, Young Pyromancers, and Snapcasters. Blue Moon/UR Control just seems straight up better if that what you want to do.
Lots of decks play a 1-of swords, I chose Batterskull because it's what I had and I have yet to be convinced through play testing alternatives that I want a sword instead. When I play online I don't mainboard Blood Moon but as I said previously the deck was being played at a known meta.. and you should try out V Clique - it is a huge tempo play.
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But I do agree that I don't want to play stock U/R delver lists. I enjoy having my own spin on the deck and feel like if I play the same list too often my actually enjoyment level when playing is hindered. I guess that opens up the question, where do people see the deck going in the future?
Here's the decklist I'm playing at the moment, I've top 4'd the last two modern tournaments in my area (although they are fairly small). The deck list has the one-of Vendilion Clique that helps lock up matches like Tron where I just need to pull out an Expedition Map after a Spreading Seas or stop them from slamming Wurmcoil Engine if they reach 6 lands after a successful Blood Moon. It seems wrong to only play 3 Young Pyromancer but double Pizzy hands are too clunky, and a draw of Pyro+Clique (instead of the 4th Pyro) allows me to take a hold of the game.
Hi myo, I'm curious about the 3x Relic in your SB; what match up are you bringing in all 3? I think you could possibly shave 1 to fit in something like Hurkyl's Recall or Shatterstorm. I only say this because it doesn't look like you have much to bring in against affinity. Also I really like the idea of testing Mana Leak in the board.
I'll be testing some changes in my list inspired by what you've posted (Faerie Conclave and counterspell reconfiguration)
The toughest match up in my mind is UWR control. Any ideas on improving it?
I love your list and I'm glad to see you had some success with it! I'm especially fond the 1 of Forked Bolt which I personally think is a star in this deck. I think you should try to find room in your sideboard for a Batterskull which gives us a big hedge in grindy match-ups. I play 1 main and 1 in the sideboard and I'm never disappointed to see it (unless it's in my opening hand). Other options include swords; I think there is value in having some bombs to create disparity in later turns.
I've been running Fork Bolt in my mainboard as a 1-2 of for awhile now. It has been more useful than Pillar of Flame in terms of taking out two mana-dorks or allowing to finish off creatures and ping your opponent at the same time. I realize the exile benefit of Pillar so it is still played out of my sideboard, but I much prefer Fork as the burn spell alongside Lightning Bolt and Electrolyze. I have also considered Burst Lightning but have yet to see it cast as the scaled-up version.
1RR
+1: return target instant or sorcery from gy to your hand
-2: pyroclasm
-6: you gain an emblem: "instants and sorceries you cast has storm"
Loyalty: 3
Instead of a second Blood Moon I'd probably first think about other options like Molten Rain (that 2 dmg is relevant, especially nice flashbacked), Fulminator Mage (recursion with Kommand) or Crumble to Dust.
Tooth Collector is cute. There's always lots of little dude aggro decks in my meta so it will be fun to test.
In terms of other SOI cards for the SB I only really see Invasive Surgery which is obviously more narrow than Spell Pierce so.. probably not.
Tron was always my worst match-up at FNM and artifact decks were pretty easy to take down. I think atleast on an FNM level Delver got a nice little boost with the change in the ban list.
I would wager that our control match ups got a bit worse though because I assume most of those decks will be able to run Ancestral Visions and out CA us. But 4 suspend counters is a long time.
I've been a fan of Tribute to Hunger as an unexpected sideboard strategy. I think it's a nice addition to a lot of different sideboard plans, great against Bogles.
I think this has been mentioned a lot in this thread, but if you cut the Pyromancer's then there is the question of how many Gitaxian Probes are needed/relevant. I do really like Gitaxian Probe even w/o a YP on board because it lets me decide between the play of Delver vs. leaving up Lightning Bolt/Spell Snare. I currently dance between 1 or 2 Young Pyromancer's and 3 Git. Probes. I guess if you get rid of Young Pyros you can run more sweepers in the side. There's a lot of little creature decks running around so there is definite value in having a constant flow of tokens.
Another question is the number of Terminate vs. Murderous Cut. Murderous cut is really taxing on graveyard resources and is quite difficult to flashback, obviously it's gravy to kill a creature for 1 but having enough cards in the GY late game can be tricky.
This was mainly an addition to hedge against the environment I knew I would face at the store, I believe Blood Moon mainboard is a safe bet if you're playing at a known meta.
Lots of decks play a 1-of swords, I chose Batterskull because it's what I had and I have yet to be convinced through play testing alternatives that I want a sword instead. When I play online I don't mainboard Blood Moon but as I said previously the deck was being played at a known meta.. and you should try out V Clique - it is a huge tempo play.
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But I do agree that I don't want to play stock U/R delver lists. I enjoy having my own spin on the deck and feel like if I play the same list too often my actually enjoyment level when playing is hindered. I guess that opens up the question, where do people see the deck going in the future?
4 Remand
3 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
2 Vapor Snag
Cantrips (8)
4 Serum Visions
4 Gitaxian Probe
Burn (5)
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Electrolyze
Creatures (14)
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Young Pyromancer
2 Grim Lavamancer
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Blood Moon
1 Batterskull
Lands (19)
4 Steam Vents
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Shivan Reef
1 Sulfur Falls
7 Island
3 Mountain
2 Magma Spray
1 Batterskull
1 Dispel
2 Negate
2 Spreading Seas
1 Flame Slash
2 Combust
2 Flashfreeze
2 Vandalblast
The sideboard is incredibly soft to Bogles so I'm thinking of switching Flashfreeze for Hibernation.
I'll be testing some changes in my list inspired by what you've posted (Faerie Conclave and counterspell reconfiguration)
I love your list and I'm glad to see you had some success with it! I'm especially fond the 1 of Forked Bolt which I personally think is a star in this deck. I think you should try to find room in your sideboard for a Batterskull which gives us a big hedge in grindy match-ups. I play 1 main and 1 in the sideboard and I'm never disappointed to see it (unless it's in my opening hand). Other options include swords; I think there is value in having some bombs to create disparity in later turns.
Also I tried to make a primer banner, opinions?
Perfect
4x Fencing Ace
Having a card like Phytoburst in your deck can pay off big with disgusting hits for at least 12 with a Fencing Ace.