Is there a guide on how to sideboard with this deck? I don't have spellskites unfortunately, are they absolutely necessary? I guess against aggressive decks you board out gitaxian probes and counterspells, is a batterskull good in the board here? Against Pod, is it a good idea to board pithing needle? What about relic of progenitus?
Spellskite is not necessary. In fact I prefer not to run it. I bring in Combust for Twin and Hibernation for Boggles, the two main decks I'd be bringing in Spellskite for.
Batterskull is an acceptable one-of in the board to bring in against aggressive decks or UWR control.
Pithing Needle is not very good in this deck. I prefer more direct answers in the form of instants and sorceries so I don't dilute the spell count for Young Pyromancer and Delver of Secrets. There's also the downside of your Needle eating a removal spell. Pod in particular can take care of it easily.
You definitely don't want Relic in your Snapcaster deck.
If Thalia is a concern you may want 1-2 Gut Shot in the side. It's instant speed and can be cast for free or one colorless with Thalia out. It's also a reasonable card against Affinity, Soul Sisters, Fae, and the mirror. I don't like more than one Forked Bolt main because it can be a bit clunky.
What are the good and bad match ups of Pyrodelver?
From my experience,
Good Matchups:
Burn
Affinity
Merfolk
Twin
Scapeshift
50/50 Matchups
Pod (we're better against Melira than Kiki imo)
UWR Midrange
Bad Matchups
Bogles
Jund
UWR Control
Martyr Proc (though of course not played much any longer)
This list seems fine except for UWR control as a bad matchup. I find it quite favorable.
Mind posting your thoughts on the matchup? That list was just from my experience in the tournaments in which I've played UR PyroDelver. The NorthEast is a hotbed for Control players and they're typically pretty good. I just haven't been able to punch through the matchup.
Sure. Keep in mind when I talk about the matchup I'm referring to my 75. I can see that others could have problems against the deck without the proper sideboard.
Game one tends to be an uphill battle, but it's best to play it slow. Use Vapor Snag to counter opposing removal spells. Don't run out creatures with no open mana available for counters. Knowing when to participate in a counter war is pivotal. I've found the key card in the matchup to be Young Pyromancer as they have no real sweeper in the deck. Resolve one, make a few tokens, and ride them to victory. If you get late enough in the game and still have a Vapor Snag in hand, a big power play is bouncing a Colonnade with it.
Postboard this matchup becomes a lot better because you can side out your low impact cards like Electrolyze and Pillar of Flame for Dispel, Combust, and Counterflux. Combust is particularly nasty against them as it kills Colonnade and Resto Angel uncontested. Dispel is great for counter wars, and Counterflux lines up perfectly with Sphinx's Revelation or any other high impact spell they try to cast.
In short, the key to the matchup is patience. This sounds counterintuitive, but I actually feel like the control deck against UWR control postboard. I play more efficient spells and more aggressive threats that require answers while they're busy sitting on Cryptic Commands and Sphinx's Revelations that have no hope of winning a counter war. I just don't run out my threats early just for them to get Bolted out of the sky. I wait for the correct opportunity, then play my cards when an opening presents itself and I have the right set of answers in my hand.
For those wondering about the maindeck Incinerates, those are a concession to my local meta where Gruul decks are very popular. I need access to two extra burn spells that deal three damage in a world where Kird Ape, Flinthoof Boar, Stormblood Berserker, etc run rampant.
Match 1 vs UB Mill (1-2 loss): this was the strangest match of Magic I ever played. My opponent was on a deck with no removal and cards like Mind Funeral, Breaking / Entering, Archive Trap, Surgical Extraction, and Extirpate maindeck. I lost game one after keeping a slow hand and my opponent milling 30 off a Mind Funeral.
Game two was much easier as I got an aggressive start and ended the game quickly. Game three I mull to six and snap keep a hand with two Delvers and four lands. I proceed to topdeck lands for five (!) straight turns in unbelievable fashion.
Match 2 vs Tempered Steel (2-1 win): He's running Puresteel Paladin, Precinct Captain, Mirran Crusader, and lots of equipment. I win game one off the back of an early Delver while holding off his guys with removal.
I lose game two after he gets a fast start and find multiple Puresteel Paladins. Game three is long and grindy but I win after resolving a Grim Lavamancer later in the game and he goes to town on his dudes.
Match 3 vs Ninja Bear Delver (2-0 win): I was just poking fun at a friend for running this deck, so of course I get paired against him. We always have interesting games and I consider him one of the best players in the area. That said, this matchup was probably the easiest win I've had over him, no doubt because Ninja Bear Delver is a ***** deck and stands no chance against UR Delver. He's on the play game one and gets an early start with Delver but it doesn't flip for two turns and I am able to even the board state with a Delver and Young Pyromancer. The turning point in the game comes when he plays a Snapcaster Mage on turn four to Vapor Snag my Young Pyromancer and I respond with an Electrolyze the following turn for the three for one. Grim Lavamancer joins the party soon after and that's all she wrote.
The postboard plan against any Delver deck is to play more mana efficient spells and play the control role early, attempting to land a Young Pyromancer or Grim Lavamancer and ride it to victory. Electrolyze is a bit mana intensive and counter wars are important postboard so I take it out here despite it being awesome against Phantasmal Bear and Snapcaster Mage. Brining in the third Lavamancer makes up for the potential loss in card advantage Electrolyze offers. Game two is similar to game one except I get ahead a lot earlier due to playing Grim Lavamancer, then casting Probe and seeing Disrupting Shoal, Cryptic Command, Remand, and lands. I play around his Shoal for awhile and keep his board clear with Lavamancer and slowly whittle away at his life total until I overwhelm the board and he loses.
Match 4 vs White Weenie (2-0 win): easiest match of the night. I'm pretty sure this guy brought his Standard deck to a Modern event because I saw no non-Standard cards in the deck. I won't even go into the match.
Match 5 vs Mono Green Beatdown (draw): I was in 8th place with 9 points with everyone below me having 6, so I was safe to draw into top 8. He's on a deck with Experiment One, Dryad Militant, Scavenging Ooze, Strangleroot Geist, Leatherback Baloth, Vines of Vastwood, Aspect of Hydra, Rancor, and a fun-of Hurricane he's been owning people with all night. We play three preboard games for fun and I go 1-2, but I imagine this matchup is much more favorable to me postboard with access to three Hibernation, two Flashfreeze, and two Dispel.
Top 8 match vs Living End (2-0 win): this is about as close to a bye as you can get as UR Delver without actually getting a bye. Living End has real problems with Remand decks or any deck with countermagic for that matter. This was actually my first time playing against Living End, but I knew the basic strategy of the deck. The key to the match is not to get too greedy when the opponent has open mana to ensure he can't cast Violent Outburst at instant speed. Game one I present an early clock and ride my countermagic to victory.
Game two is a bit slower than game one. I keep a hand with a Delver, Grim Lavamancer and a lot of countermagic. He evokes Shriekmaw and I attempt to counter it but he has Ricochet Trap to change the target of the counter to itself. He kills my Delver with the Shriekmaw after I get 3 damage off it. He tries to resolve a couple of cascade spells but I take care of them with a Remand followed by a couple of counterspells. I continue getting damage in with Grim Lavamancer and he starts hardcasting some of his creatures which I take care of with burn spells and Grim Lavamancer. He is facing lethal next turn and is forced to cast Demonic Dread. I allow it to resolve with a Remand and a Dispel in hand. He cascades into Living End, I Remand it, he casts Ricochet Trap, and I Dispel it for the win.
ALL STAR OF THE NIGHT: Grim Lavamancer. This is the first time I've had the pleasure of playing Grim Lavamancer, and boy do I love this card. He did SO MUCH WORK! It's borderline unfair in my meta and I sided it in so much (every game actually) that I'm considering moving the third to the main, probably at the expense of an Electrolyze.
WORST CARD OF THE NIGHT: nothing. Every card performed well. The only card I didn't board in was Hibernation which I would have boarded in against the mono green deck I drew with.
PROPOSED CHANGES: I think the 75 here is pretty solid for my meta, though it's beginning to develop quite a bit as more people have started to fill their decks out with fetchlands and are moving toward more recognized decks like Splinter Twin, Pod, Storm, etc. As such I'm considering the addition of Spell Snare to the main and taking out either two Incinerates or one Incinerate and another card (maybe a Remand). I like having what's effectively a fifth Lightning Bolt in the deck to hedge against x/3s but I could be paranoid. I'm seriously considering the third Lavamancer in the main because of just how good he was for me this night. I was always happy to see him in my opener and it gives me another solid turn one play which this deck needs help with.
What is your sideboard strategy in the mirror? You should be siding out your Coursers for more aggressive threats if you are Gr. You don't have the luxury of Reaper and removal spells like Jund Monsters so you can't lean on Courser in GRx matchups like they can (and even some still side them out).
We're either going to have to run Devour Flesh or increase our number or Abrupt Decay and Golgari Charm in the board for that match. That feels terrible though so I hope the deck is just a fad. It's not a very good deck.
I have yet to play Rw devotion with this deck but I can imagine it being difficult. Jund certainly offers a better postboard game bit that's pretty mich the case with all of Jund's postboard matches which is why I think that's the next evolution of the deck.
I liked Boon Satyr so much in my testing that I cut Ooze completely and put two Satyr in the main. I even have another two in the sideboard for the mirror and UW control.
Playing Fanatic of Xenagos or Boon Satyr instead of Courser really tilts the mirror match in your favor but at the expense of all your other matchups. I'm personally not a fan of three Scoozes and feel like he ciild just be running Courser alongside Boon Satyr in some number.
Spellskite is not necessary. In fact I prefer not to run it. I bring in Combust for Twin and Hibernation for Boggles, the two main decks I'd be bringing in Spellskite for.
Batterskull is an acceptable one-of in the board to bring in against aggressive decks or UWR control.
Pithing Needle is not very good in this deck. I prefer more direct answers in the form of instants and sorceries so I don't dilute the spell count for Young Pyromancer and Delver of Secrets. There's also the downside of your Needle eating a removal spell. Pod in particular can take care of it easily.
You definitely don't want Relic in your Snapcaster deck.
Sure. Keep in mind when I talk about the matchup I'm referring to my 75. I can see that others could have problems against the deck without the proper sideboard.
Game one tends to be an uphill battle, but it's best to play it slow. Use Vapor Snag to counter opposing removal spells. Don't run out creatures with no open mana available for counters. Knowing when to participate in a counter war is pivotal. I've found the key card in the matchup to be Young Pyromancer as they have no real sweeper in the deck. Resolve one, make a few tokens, and ride them to victory. If you get late enough in the game and still have a Vapor Snag in hand, a big power play is bouncing a Colonnade with it.
Postboard this matchup becomes a lot better because you can side out your low impact cards like Electrolyze and Pillar of Flame for Dispel, Combust, and Counterflux. Combust is particularly nasty against them as it kills Colonnade and Resto Angel uncontested. Dispel is great for counter wars, and Counterflux lines up perfectly with Sphinx's Revelation or any other high impact spell they try to cast.
In short, the key to the matchup is patience. This sounds counterintuitive, but I actually feel like the control deck against UWR control postboard. I play more efficient spells and more aggressive threats that require answers while they're busy sitting on Cryptic Commands and Sphinx's Revelations that have no hope of winning a counter war. I just don't run out my threats early just for them to get Bolted out of the sky. I wait for the correct opportunity, then play my cards when an opening presents itself and I have the right set of answers in my hand.
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
Spells (28)
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Pierce
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Vapor Snag
2 Incinerate
4 Remand
3 Mana Leak
2 Electrolyze
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Breeding Pool
4 Island
2 Mountain
1 Grim Lavamancer
2 Magma Spray
2 Dispel
2 Flashfreeze
2 Combust
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Hibernation
1 Counterflux
For those wondering about the maindeck Incinerates, those are a concession to my local meta where Gruul decks are very popular. I need access to two extra burn spells that deal three damage in a world where Kird Ape, Flinthoof Boar, Stormblood Berserker, etc run rampant.
Match 1 vs UB Mill (1-2 loss): this was the strangest match of Magic I ever played. My opponent was on a deck with no removal and cards like Mind Funeral, Breaking / Entering, Archive Trap, Surgical Extraction, and Extirpate maindeck. I lost game one after keeping a slow hand and my opponent milling 30 off a Mind Funeral.
OUT: 1 Electrolyze, 3 Vapor Snag
IN: 2 Dispel, 1 Grim Lavamancer, 1 Counterflux
Game two was much easier as I got an aggressive start and ended the game quickly. Game three I mull to six and snap keep a hand with two Delvers and four lands. I proceed to topdeck lands for five (!) straight turns in unbelievable fashion.
Match 2 vs Tempered Steel (2-1 win): He's running Puresteel Paladin, Precinct Captain, Mirran Crusader, and lots of equipment. I win game one off the back of an early Delver while holding off his guys with removal.
OUT: 2 Electrolyze, 3 Vapor Snag, 2 Spell Pierce
IN: 1 Grim Lavamancer, 2 Magma Spray, 2 Ancient Grudge, 2 Combust
I lose game two after he gets a fast start and find multiple Puresteel Paladins. Game three is long and grindy but I win after resolving a Grim Lavamancer later in the game and he goes to town on his dudes.
Match 3 vs Ninja Bear Delver (2-0 win): I was just poking fun at a friend for running this deck, so of course I get paired against him. We always have interesting games and I consider him one of the best players in the area. That said, this matchup was probably the easiest win I've had over him, no doubt because Ninja Bear Delver is a ***** deck and stands no chance against UR Delver. He's on the play game one and gets an early start with Delver but it doesn't flip for two turns and I am able to even the board state with a Delver and Young Pyromancer. The turning point in the game comes when he plays a Snapcaster Mage on turn four to Vapor Snag my Young Pyromancer and I respond with an Electrolyze the following turn for the three for one. Grim Lavamancer joins the party soon after and that's all she wrote.
OUT: 3 Vapor Snag, 2 Incinerate, 2 Electrolyze
IN: 1 Grim Lavamancer, 2 Magma Spray, 2 Dispel, 2 Combust
The postboard plan against any Delver deck is to play more mana efficient spells and play the control role early, attempting to land a Young Pyromancer or Grim Lavamancer and ride it to victory. Electrolyze is a bit mana intensive and counter wars are important postboard so I take it out here despite it being awesome against Phantasmal Bear and Snapcaster Mage. Brining in the third Lavamancer makes up for the potential loss in card advantage Electrolyze offers. Game two is similar to game one except I get ahead a lot earlier due to playing Grim Lavamancer, then casting Probe and seeing Disrupting Shoal, Cryptic Command, Remand, and lands. I play around his Shoal for awhile and keep his board clear with Lavamancer and slowly whittle away at his life total until I overwhelm the board and he loses.
Match 4 vs White Weenie (2-0 win): easiest match of the night. I'm pretty sure this guy brought his Standard deck to a Modern event because I saw no non-Standard cards in the deck. I won't even go into the match.
Match 5 vs Mono Green Beatdown (draw): I was in 8th place with 9 points with everyone below me having 6, so I was safe to draw into top 8. He's on a deck with Experiment One, Dryad Militant, Scavenging Ooze, Strangleroot Geist, Leatherback Baloth, Vines of Vastwood, Aspect of Hydra, Rancor, and a fun-of Hurricane he's been owning people with all night. We play three preboard games for fun and I go 1-2, but I imagine this matchup is much more favorable to me postboard with access to three Hibernation, two Flashfreeze, and two Dispel.
Top 8 match vs Living End (2-0 win): this is about as close to a bye as you can get as UR Delver without actually getting a bye. Living End has real problems with Remand decks or any deck with countermagic for that matter. This was actually my first time playing against Living End, but I knew the basic strategy of the deck. The key to the match is not to get too greedy when the opponent has open mana to ensure he can't cast Violent Outburst at instant speed. Game one I present an early clock and ride my countermagic to victory.
OUT: 2 Electrolyze, 3 Vapor Snag
IN: 2 Dispel, 2 Flashfreeze, 1 Counterflux
Game two is a bit slower than game one. I keep a hand with a Delver, Grim Lavamancer and a lot of countermagic. He evokes Shriekmaw and I attempt to counter it but he has Ricochet Trap to change the target of the counter to itself. He kills my Delver with the Shriekmaw after I get 3 damage off it. He tries to resolve a couple of cascade spells but I take care of them with a Remand followed by a couple of counterspells. I continue getting damage in with Grim Lavamancer and he starts hardcasting some of his creatures which I take care of with burn spells and Grim Lavamancer. He is facing lethal next turn and is forced to cast Demonic Dread. I allow it to resolve with a Remand and a Dispel in hand. He cascades into Living End, I Remand it, he casts Ricochet Trap, and I Dispel it for the win.
ALL STAR OF THE NIGHT: Grim Lavamancer. This is the first time I've had the pleasure of playing Grim Lavamancer, and boy do I love this card. He did SO MUCH WORK! It's borderline unfair in my meta and I sided it in so much (every game actually) that I'm considering moving the third to the main, probably at the expense of an Electrolyze.
WORST CARD OF THE NIGHT: nothing. Every card performed well. The only card I didn't board in was Hibernation which I would have boarded in against the mono green deck I drew with.
PROPOSED CHANGES: I think the 75 here is pretty solid for my meta, though it's beginning to develop quite a bit as more people have started to fill their decks out with fetchlands and are moving toward more recognized decks like Splinter Twin, Pod, Storm, etc. As such I'm considering the addition of Spell Snare to the main and taking out either two Incinerates or one Incinerate and another card (maybe a Remand). I like having what's effectively a fifth Lightning Bolt in the deck to hedge against x/3s but I could be paranoid. I'm seriously considering the third Lavamancer in the main because of just how good he was for me this night. I was always happy to see him in my opener and it gives me another solid turn one play which this deck needs help with.
This list seems fine except for UWR control as a bad matchup. I find it quite favorable.