What you guys think about my take on UWR Delver? Went 5-0 last time at my lgs. Meta is Jund, Faeries, UWR Control, Twins, Pods.
WOW. This list is really really cool. I had Spellskite in my mainboard and loved it. With 4 swords in the deck spellskite gets that much better. I have fond that most delver players love swords. I love to see unique builds in this archetype and this is one of them.
You can't argue with the results either. You don't have your sideboard listed, but sideboards are always changing, sideboards are meta specific, and UWR has access to the best sideboard cards in magic.
The only problem I would see is that with only 20 spells it's tougher to flip your delvers, but your build is also not as dependent upon an early threat because you have so many swords and steelshaper's gifts that make any threat a deadly one. Also, kudos on adding Mask of Memory. That seems to fit very nicely in this deck.
I will be giving this one a try. Very cool deck. Thanks for sharing. If you test the deck or have notes about good/bad matchups, we would love to hear them.
Sorry guys, I've been meaning to come back with an update, had a busy couple of weeks though.
I've just got back from PTQ Manchester where I went 6-3, it's pretty late so I'll probably do some sort of write up with the list I took tomorrow, I just wanted to note down my games really quick to remind me of key events when I come back to this.
My win-loss is as follows;
UWR Control 2-0
Mono green Tron 1-2
Spellstorm 1-2
UWR (No Sphinx's Revelation) 2-0
UWR Control homebrew (He had a few unusual cards but was using a stock list) 2-1
Splinter Twin with Tarmagoyf 2-0
Some weird monoblue deck using a bunch of Time Warps and Laboratory Maniac 2-1
4/5 Colour Kiki Pod 1-2
RG Tron 2-1
Sorry guys, I've been meaning to come back with an update, had a busy couple of weeks though.
I've just got back from PTQ Manchester where I went 6-3, it's pretty late so I'll probably do some sort of write up with the list I took tomorrow, I just wanted to note down my games really quick to remind me of key events when I come back to this.
My win-loss is as follows;
UWR Control 2-0
Mono green Tron 1-2
Spellstorm 1-2
UWR (No Sphinx's Revelation) 2-0
UWR Control homebrew (He had a few unusual cards but was using a stock list) 2-1
Splinter Twin with Tarmagoyf 2-0
Some weird monoblue deck using a bunch of Time Warps and Laboratory Maniac 2-1
4/5 Colour Kiki Pod 1-2
RG Tron 2-1
That is a very impressive record. Well done! I love seeing the breakdown of opponents. Mono Green Tron is one I haven't seen before and from the results it appears to be one we won't like playing against.
I would love to see a more detailed breakdown as well as the cards that you felt over achieved and under achieved during the PTQ. I have to say again, kudoes for the 6-3 finish. It's always nice to see the UWR delver lists do well in a truly competitive environment.
What you guys think about my take on UWR Delver? Went 5-0 last time at my lgs. Meta is Jund, Faeries, UWR Control, Twins, Pods.
I personally don't like the low amount of threats (only 12), the low amount of instants and sorceries (which make 8 of your threats much worse), only 2 Serum Visions, 21 lands, or maindeck Spellskites. I'd cut Spellskite for Geist of Saint Traft, Tectonic Edge and Academy Ruins for Serum Visions, and Sword of War and Peace (my least favorite sword that sees play in Modern) for the 4th Remand. Also, the lack of Path to Exiles is very concerning. If your opponent plays a Tarmogoyf and you don't have one of your 2 answer cards, you basically can't win.
@ CurdBros Thanks, I didn't really know what to expect as it was my first ptq, I usually play online a lot more, most of my friends I played with moved to another city and my store only does one Modern FNM a month. (Couldn't quote you I don;t have enough posts yet haha).
I did test Chandra in the Restoration Angel slot, but ended up not liking it, originally I had the Paths in the sideboard and Spell Snare in the main, but literally swapped them around as I was registering my deck. I used to have a Lightning angel in here but Stormbreath is a lot better
My win-loss is as follows;
Match 1
UWR Control 2-0
I remember I completely dominated this game, I landed a turn 4 Geist with Spell Pierce up then started going to town on him, I equiped it with Sword of Feast and Famine as well,
Game 2 was similar, I sided in 2 Combust 2 Counterflux Sword of Fire and Ice and Batterskull, Took out Delvers, Sword of War and Peace and a Remand, I tried to Bait out a counter using my Sword but he let it resolve, when I got to turn 6 I played Geist with Counterflux up which I used. He played Sphinx's Revelation for two/three leaving him at 17 life. I hit with Geist/Sword and had a bunch of Lightning Bolts in hand to kill him.
Match 2
Mono green Tron 1-2
He was basicly using more tutors and colourless board wipes in place of the red splash.
I remember this being really hard, he got turn 3 Tron twice and the other game it was turn 4/5, the game I won he had Karn in play and if he had killed my Clique instead of targeting my hand he might have won it. I did make a mistake at one point and Shattering Spree'd a turn early as he dropped Defense Grid the next turn. There was also a game where I got stuck on two lands and had both Counterflux in hand.
Match 3
Spellstorm 1-2
Game one I beat him down before he could combo off using a Delver and some Bolts, Game two he got a turn 3 Blood Moon which just kept me out of the game, I spent about 7 turns waiting to draw my 3rd land hoping it would be an island so I could play cards again. Game 3 he beat me before I could beat him down, I didn't have the counterflux. I sided in all the counters and Engineered Explosives.
Match 4
UWR (No Sphinx's Revelation) 2-0
I don't remember much about this, but one of the games I won I had Geist and Batterskull in play, the other I won with Stormbreath I would have sided the same as I did in match 1
Match 5
UWR Control homebrew (He had a few unusual cards but was using a stock list) 2-1
He had some Blade Splicers and Restoration Angels and Geists, no Sphinx's Revelation's, I remember looking at his deck after the match because he was saying it was a brew, but it seemed very similar to most of the other ones out there.
I lost game one to Blade Splicer I think, Game Two I was in a bad mood because I mulled to 5 on the play I had 3 lands a Bolt and a Stormbreath, he got the turn 3 Geist and I got the turn 5 Stormbreath, I spent a few turns waiting to monstrosity it so I could race Geist (I was at around 12 life to his full 20) then won. Game 3 an early Geist Carried me through. I Sided the same at the other two USA decks I played.
Match 6
Splinter Twin with Tarmagoyf 2-0
Game one he played a Goyf and not much else, I played a Geist and killed the Goft a bit later on.
Game Two was a lot harder, he landed Deceiver Exarch Early on so I had to keep Counterflux up for the entire game, I Cliqued him and saw remand and Anger of the Gods (He had bolted Clique) I was still worried about the combo so I got rid of remand. On my turn I played Geist leaving Counterflux open, he top decked a Tectonic Edge and destroyed my red source laving me two hallowed fountains untapped, he played Anger of the Gods, I deprived it, I could tell he wasn't expecting it because he had to actually read deprive. I won fairly easily from then. I sided in a lot for the second game, bring in Path, Combust, Counterflux, Spellskite, Threads of Disloyalty and Sword of Fire and Ice
Match 7
Some weird monoblue deck using a bunch of Time Warps and Laboratory Maniac 2-1
His game plan is to use cantrips to chain cards that give you an extra turn, he also had Jace Beleren, Dictate of Kruphix and Howling Mine, once he has labratory maniac in play he uses Jace to mill the rest of his own Library.
I heard someone talking about this deck so once I saw the first Temporal Mastery I started throwing lightning bolts at his face, not knowing how he won, just that he got a lot of turns. He won game one at 8 life.
Game Two I brought in all the counters and beat him down with a delver, I countered him a lot until I killed him.
Game 3 there was a bit more pressure, I didn't have a guy until Clique, I saw 3 Time Warp variants and a Howling Mine, I got rid of the mine to stop him drawing the 5th land he needed, he eventually got a draw engine online but I had enough counters to stop him by that point, the turn I won I played all the helixs I'd drawn from his Dictate.
He was playing a lot of mind games that worked on me, managing to convince me to make some silly mistakes, there was also a point where I accidentally didn't draw from a dictate, I later found out it's his responsibility to make me draw and if I'd called a judge he would have atleast gotten a warning.
Match 8
4/5 Colour Kiki Pod 1-2
I didn't enjoy playing against this person, it was a girl who tried flirting with me the second I sat down, she was a pretty serious player too, although she was a good pilot. Game one and two are interchangeable here I can't rememberer which one I won.
Game one I lost to the kiki combo, I didn't have an answer to it. There was a point where I attacked with Geist and after some combat tricks I said "So you take six yeah?"
"No you didn't make the token"
"Really" I said this with a pretty foul undertone
She ended up taking the damage, but it kind of set how the game was going to be played, I thought it was a bit underhand considering a win at this point meant the difference between 6 or 8 packs it wasn't that big of a deal.
Game 2
I won with a Stormbreath.
Game 3 was long, I was in the tank for the whole thing, I got he down to 8 life I had two delvers, Spellskite and Clique in play to her Pod and Resto, both top decking, She drew a second Pod and a Kitchen Finks and was able to combo off through that. I thought Spellskite stopped Kiki because I didn't know the wording was 'Creature you Control'
Match 9
RG Tron 2-1
I actually really enjoyed playing this but I think I was lucky to win.
Game 1 I got double delver and then got pyroclasmed, then a Karn sealed the game. I over extended to try and get hikm in kill range before he played a Karn
Game 2 I Sided in 2 counter flux and 2 shattering spree, I drew both shattering sprees, the first one killed a cantrip artifact, wormcoil engine and defence grid, the second on killed the wurm tokens next turn, I used a couple of counters along with a Restoration Angel to kill him.
Game 3 I drew all the counters and a Clique, I Cliqued away a karn Leaving Emrakul in hand with him on 9 mana, I countered every other threat and killed him before he could play Emrakul, I also Shattering Spree'd an Oblivion Stone this game.
I'm pretty happy with my results overall (6-3), I think I could have done better if I hadn't made some of the mistakes I did (Spellskite not stopping kiki was humiliating, there were like ten people watching)
I think the main issues with the deck I suffered were in sideboard planning, I didn't have anything dedicated to Torn which seems like a bad match up, I also was struggling to find stuff to bring in against Pod, I think I was lucky to only play it once. I also know that planeswalkers are an absolute nightmare for this deck.
I also had some issues with a lack of lands, but that might be because I will often keep two land hands if they are powerful, I also keep one land hands if I have Turn 1 Serum Visions.
America is a very easy match up, I'd play against that all day long if I could
All Stars
1 Stormbreath Dragon, every game I played this I won, it absolutely destroys America and it was useful in other match ups as well, I think I sided it out once in the whole day.
2 Both Swords, again whenever I landed them they put in serious work and won me at least 5 Games between them
3 Deprive, there was more than one occasion when this caught people off guard and sealed the game by stopping an important threat/answer
4 Shattering Spree, any time I cast this I didn't wish it was any other kind of artifact removal
5 Combust, although I didn't draw it often, I brought it in against a lot of decks.
Let downs
1 Spellskite, I only brought it in in three games all day and two of them were because of a mistake, I'd still play it just incase I run into twin, but I don't think it would ever be more than a one of
2 Batterskull, I didn't bring this in as much as I thought I would, and the few times I did play it I wished it was another Strombreath
3 Grim Lavamancer, I only got him online once, but he did eat a lot of removal and I was sad about it, there were also some times when I didn't want to exile cards because of Snapcasters, there was a game against Trom where I attack with him dealing around 5 damage in total.
Honorary mentions; Magma Jet, it allowed me to win a game via burn and flipped delver a couple of times which is what I wanted it to do, this is still a card I wonder if should be something else.
Tectonic Edge, last minute addition, ruined my mana in one game and was useless against the mono blue deck, but also kept Colonnade at bay in game one once.
Geist over preformed for me, snapcaster also pulled it's weight.
That's pretty much all I can remember, sorry some parts aren't more in depth.
UWR with Delver of Secrets, Geist of Saint Traft and Young Pyromancer just won a PTQ in Japan (I think it was Tokyo). I watched the finals on the livestream of happymtg. It won vs Affinity in the finals.
yeah I think Affinity has to get really lucky to beat UWR Delver. Having played the matchup a lot, UWR Delver feels heavily favored.
I was just about to post about the Japan PTQ. I also watched it. I was super excited to see the WUR Delver list being played. Actually multiple players were playing a WUR Delver variant. I agree with rcwraspy. I have been testing against affinity a lot lately and it seems to be a very favorable matchup. Especially post board. It is great to see some good results popping up for this archetype. Hopefully it will start to pop up in more tournaments!
Coolbeans39-
Thanks for posting your tourney notes. Those are great too see. It does make sense that Grim Lavamancer was not stellar given the decks you played against. He is an allstar in creature heavy or aggro matchups, but is not a great draw against tron, control, combo. It looks like there was no aggro where you played. That is unusual.
Tron is definitely a tough matchup. I play a Sowing Salt and, two Wear/Tear, and two Stony Silence in my sideboard to help with the tron matchup. If it gets really popular (which is it gaining in popularity right now), I will probably add another Sowing Salt.
It is great to see a win for our archetype. Hopefully WUR delver takes its rightful place in Tier 1 :).
Thanks for posting your tourney notes. Those are great too see. It does make sense that Grim Lavamancer was not stellar given the decks you played against. He is an allstar in creature heavy or aggro matchups, but is not a great draw against tron, control, combo. It looks like there was no aggro where you played. That is unusual.
Tron is definitely a tough matchup. I play a Sowing Salt and, two Wear/Tear, and two Stony Silence in my sideboard to help with the tron matchup. If it gets really popular (which is it gaining in popularity right now), I will probably add another Sowing Salt.
There were a few aggro decks knocking about, I saw some affintiy players, I guess I just missed them all, I was expecting GBx to be a big thing and I didn't see any of that either. I'm going to another one this weekend, I'll probably change up the sideboard a little to give me some dedicated cards for Tron and Pod.
What about one main deck sowing salt, it also gets manlands so it's not terrible G1 when you aren't playing against Tron?
Other options we can sideboard are Blood moon and Molten Rain although I did not particularly like either of these in my sideboard.
A great option to beat tron is to just race faster. Burn them out, counter their Wurmcoil Engine and Karn Liberated. Path to Exile is a critical card in this matchup as well because it deals with Wurmcoil.
That list is definitely more of a creature oriented/aggro build. It has very little permission. I don't particularly like Delver lists with only 19 lands with a higher top end, but you can't argue with the results. Here is the list for those who don't want to use the link.
The deck does have a slayer's stronghold in the list which has been suggested by Black_Dog. I found that to be interesting as Black_Dog has had success in local tournaments and this list has been successful.
I personally prefer a more tempo oriented build with moer permissions/counter spells, but this lists works well for more aggressive players or in a more creature oriented meta. If your meta includes a lot of combo/control this build may not be the best. However, the sideboard seems to be built to make up for the deck's weakness to combo/control. Overall, the deck is really well built. It takes an aggressive line in game one and fills the holes in game two and three. It will be interesting to test this deck and see how it plays against the "gauntlet" of modern decks.
Has anyone tried countryside crusher as a threat? Seems like it could be good to filter away late lands and help consistently flip delvers--nevermind get potentially huge if not dealt with.
Has anyone tried countryside crusher as a threat? Seems like it could be good to filter away late lands and help consistently flip delvers--nevermind get potentially huge if not dealt with.
Giving your opponents complete information over every card that we draw is not something that I am a fan of. Him being a 3 mana creature with no etb effect that dies to bolt doesn't help.
Who's we? You play every deck? Quit posting in every thread.
UWR Delver players, anyone tried it?
I've tested him briefly so perhaps take my words with a grain of salt. I've found him to be mostly too slow and not quite strong enough. When I tap out for 3 mana I expect a Geist level threat. Crusher did however perform quite well in a RUG delver list a put together that abused Life From the Loam and sac lands.
Who's we? You play every deck? Quit posting in every thread.
UWR Delver players, anyone tried it?
I actually have been testing with this deck. If you actually had cared enough to post before this deck became featured, you would have seen that I was the one trying to keep the thread alive. I was the one messaging former players to play this again, responding to new posters, and redirecting WUR Delver decks from WUR Midrange to here. I am also the one who got it Featured. So why should I get out of this thread when I have done much more for it than you?
P.S. By we I meant the players of the deck. Revealing our topdecks to the opponent is something that I think we all can agree should be avoided when possible.
UKFMACCYD- Black_Dog said it perfectly. The advantage to the WUR Delver list is that you get to play the aggressive role in nearly every game. Path to Exile is the main difference. There is simply no better removal spell in modern. Vapor Snag wishes it were Path to Exile.. In addition, Geist of Saint Traft is like having a hexproof Young Pyromancer with four flying tokens that can't block. They are really no comparable in power level.
The biggest difference that often gets overlooked is that white offers the best sideboard options in modern.
I would highly suggest changing to WUR and at least giving it a try.
BatHickey- I haven't tried Countryside Crusher in this deck, but I agree that it is a very underrated card. I also understand where your going with this idea. My build has Chandra, Pyromaster who offers a similar effect to Countryside Crusher by helping to filter through late land draws. I do agree that Geist of Saint Traft is most likely a better option for this deck at the three drop spot, but I assume there is a way to build a delver list with Crusher as your beater. As with all cards, I like to test every card before saying it shouldn't be in my deck so I will definitely give it a try. If we don't think outside of the box we would never brew another deck.
Sorry I haven't listed a testing result this week. I have been busy moving. I will try to list my testing notes from my recent testing session against UR Twin and GR Tron sometime before Friday evening. It's awesome to see all of the interest in the WUR delver lists!
BobMcFail- I actually watched Hoogland's twitch stream last night. I thought he was on a UR Delver/Fae deck or UWR Stormbreath/Brimaz deck. I wasn't aware he went to a straight WUR Delver deck. Thank you for posting this article.
In terms of his build, I am not a huge fan, but that's my personal preference. I have never loved Young Pyromacer in the build. Also I think Path to Exile is too good to leave out of the main deck. I realize he takes a more burn oriented view to the deck, but I just prefer Geist of Saint Traft builds of UWR Delver. Although all Delver of Secrets lists are inherently aggro/tempo, I also think that he doesn't have enough power in the late game. If a game does get grindy you really want a Chandra, Pyromaster, Batterskull, Sword of Fire and Ice, Slayer's Stronghold, etc. It feels like it has the same weakness as the UR Delver list. If you don't start off and maintain the lead early, you can never turn the game in your favor unless you can tempo the game long enough to burn them out. With that said, this list is made to make sure it doesn't fall behind. I think his list will suit some players much better than the Geist builds though. If you are more of an Izzet Player than Jeskai and like to play mostly at instant/flash speed with cards in your hand, then this list will be great for you. The Geist lists (like mine) like to land a threat and then play from your hand and keep the coast clear. Obviously he has been very successful with the deck so I can't argue with that.
With the support recently, I think it is a matter of time before the WUR Jeskai Delver list takes off. One of the best things about this build is that it can adjust to any change in the meta. If the meta goes more combo you can go to more of a control build to stop them or aggro to kill them before they can go off. If the meta goes more aggro you can utilize your removal and go over the top.
Let me know what you guys/gals think. Do you take a burn, aggro, tempo, or more control oriented path when building your delver list for your meta? Also do you have any late game options, if so, what is the best option in your opinion?
I am! It looks amazing.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
WOW. This list is really really cool. I had Spellskite in my mainboard and loved it. With 4 swords in the deck spellskite gets that much better. I have fond that most delver players love swords. I love to see unique builds in this archetype and this is one of them.
You can't argue with the results either. You don't have your sideboard listed, but sideboards are always changing, sideboards are meta specific, and UWR has access to the best sideboard cards in magic.
The only problem I would see is that with only 20 spells it's tougher to flip your delvers, but your build is also not as dependent upon an early threat because you have so many swords and steelshaper's gifts that make any threat a deadly one. Also, kudos on adding Mask of Memory. That seems to fit very nicely in this deck.
I will be giving this one a try. Very cool deck. Thanks for sharing. If you test the deck or have notes about good/bad matchups, we would love to hear them.
I've just got back from PTQ Manchester where I went 6-3, it's pretty late so I'll probably do some sort of write up with the list I took tomorrow, I just wanted to note down my games really quick to remind me of key events when I come back to this.
My win-loss is as follows;
UWR Control 2-0
Mono green Tron 1-2
Spellstorm 1-2
UWR (No Sphinx's Revelation) 2-0
UWR Control homebrew (He had a few unusual cards but was using a stock list) 2-1
Splinter Twin with Tarmagoyf 2-0
Some weird monoblue deck using a bunch of Time Warps and Laboratory Maniac 2-1
4/5 Colour Kiki Pod 1-2
RG Tron 2-1
That is a very impressive record. Well done! I love seeing the breakdown of opponents. Mono Green Tron is one I haven't seen before and from the results it appears to be one we won't like playing against.
I would love to see a more detailed breakdown as well as the cards that you felt over achieved and under achieved during the PTQ. I have to say again, kudoes for the 6-3 finish. It's always nice to see the UWR delver lists do well in a truly competitive environment.
I personally don't like the low amount of threats (only 12), the low amount of instants and sorceries (which make 8 of your threats much worse), only 2 Serum Visions, 21 lands, or maindeck Spellskites. I'd cut Spellskite for Geist of Saint Traft, Tectonic Edge and Academy Ruins for Serum Visions, and Sword of War and Peace (my least favorite sword that sees play in Modern) for the 4th Remand. Also, the lack of Path to Exiles is very concerning. If your opponent plays a Tarmogoyf and you don't have one of your 2 answer cards, you basically can't win.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
So the PTQ, here's my list;
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Restoration Angel
1 Stormbreath Dragon
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
3 Spell Pierce
1 Deprive
4 Lightning Helix
1 Magma Jet
3 Remand
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Glacial Fortress
3 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Sulfur Falls
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Steam Vents
1 Path to Exile
2 Shattering Spree
2 Spell Snare
2 Combust
1 Spellskite
2 Counterflux
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Batterskull
I did test Chandra in the Restoration Angel slot, but ended up not liking it, originally I had the Paths in the sideboard and Spell Snare in the main, but literally swapped them around as I was registering my deck. I used to have a Lightning angel in here but Stormbreath is a lot better
My win-loss is as follows;
Match 1
UWR Control 2-0
I remember I completely dominated this game, I landed a turn 4 Geist with Spell Pierce up then started going to town on him, I equiped it with Sword of Feast and Famine as well,
Game 2 was similar, I sided in 2 Combust 2 Counterflux Sword of Fire and Ice and Batterskull, Took out Delvers, Sword of War and Peace and a Remand, I tried to Bait out a counter using my Sword but he let it resolve, when I got to turn 6 I played Geist with Counterflux up which I used. He played Sphinx's Revelation for two/three leaving him at 17 life. I hit with Geist/Sword and had a bunch of Lightning Bolts in hand to kill him.
Match 2
Mono green Tron 1-2
He was basicly using more tutors and colourless board wipes in place of the red splash.
I remember this being really hard, he got turn 3 Tron twice and the other game it was turn 4/5, the game I won he had Karn in play and if he had killed my Clique instead of targeting my hand he might have won it. I did make a mistake at one point and Shattering Spree'd a turn early as he dropped Defense Grid the next turn. There was also a game where I got stuck on two lands and had both Counterflux in hand.
Match 3
Spellstorm 1-2
Game one I beat him down before he could combo off using a Delver and some Bolts, Game two he got a turn 3 Blood Moon which just kept me out of the game, I spent about 7 turns waiting to draw my 3rd land hoping it would be an island so I could play cards again. Game 3 he beat me before I could beat him down, I didn't have the counterflux. I sided in all the counters and Engineered Explosives.
Match 4
UWR (No Sphinx's Revelation) 2-0
I don't remember much about this, but one of the games I won I had Geist and Batterskull in play, the other I won with Stormbreath I would have sided the same as I did in match 1
Match 5
UWR Control homebrew (He had a few unusual cards but was using a stock list) 2-1
He had some Blade Splicers and Restoration Angels and Geists, no Sphinx's Revelation's, I remember looking at his deck after the match because he was saying it was a brew, but it seemed very similar to most of the other ones out there.
I lost game one to Blade Splicer I think, Game Two I was in a bad mood because I mulled to 5 on the play I had 3 lands a Bolt and a Stormbreath, he got the turn 3 Geist and I got the turn 5 Stormbreath, I spent a few turns waiting to monstrosity it so I could race Geist (I was at around 12 life to his full 20) then won. Game 3 an early Geist Carried me through. I Sided the same at the other two USA decks I played.
Match 6
Splinter Twin with Tarmagoyf 2-0
Game one he played a Goyf and not much else, I played a Geist and killed the Goft a bit later on.
Game Two was a lot harder, he landed Deceiver Exarch Early on so I had to keep Counterflux up for the entire game, I Cliqued him and saw remand and Anger of the Gods (He had bolted Clique) I was still worried about the combo so I got rid of remand. On my turn I played Geist leaving Counterflux open, he top decked a Tectonic Edge and destroyed my red source laving me two hallowed fountains untapped, he played Anger of the Gods, I deprived it, I could tell he wasn't expecting it because he had to actually read deprive. I won fairly easily from then. I sided in a lot for the second game, bring in Path, Combust, Counterflux, Spellskite, Threads of Disloyalty and Sword of Fire and Ice
Match 7
Some weird monoblue deck using a bunch of Time Warps and Laboratory Maniac 2-1
His game plan is to use cantrips to chain cards that give you an extra turn, he also had Jace Beleren, Dictate of Kruphix and Howling Mine, once he has labratory maniac in play he uses Jace to mill the rest of his own Library.
I heard someone talking about this deck so once I saw the first Temporal Mastery I started throwing lightning bolts at his face, not knowing how he won, just that he got a lot of turns. He won game one at 8 life.
Game Two I brought in all the counters and beat him down with a delver, I countered him a lot until I killed him.
Game 3 there was a bit more pressure, I didn't have a guy until Clique, I saw 3 Time Warp variants and a Howling Mine, I got rid of the mine to stop him drawing the 5th land he needed, he eventually got a draw engine online but I had enough counters to stop him by that point, the turn I won I played all the helixs I'd drawn from his Dictate.
He was playing a lot of mind games that worked on me, managing to convince me to make some silly mistakes, there was also a point where I accidentally didn't draw from a dictate, I later found out it's his responsibility to make me draw and if I'd called a judge he would have atleast gotten a warning.
Match 8
4/5 Colour Kiki Pod 1-2
I didn't enjoy playing against this person, it was a girl who tried flirting with me the second I sat down, she was a pretty serious player too, although she was a good pilot. Game one and two are interchangeable here I can't rememberer which one I won.
Game one I lost to the kiki combo, I didn't have an answer to it. There was a point where I attacked with Geist and after some combat tricks I said "So you take six yeah?"
"No you didn't make the token"
"Really" I said this with a pretty foul undertone
She ended up taking the damage, but it kind of set how the game was going to be played, I thought it was a bit underhand considering a win at this point meant the difference between 6 or 8 packs it wasn't that big of a deal.
Game 2
I won with a Stormbreath.
Game 3 was long, I was in the tank for the whole thing, I got he down to 8 life I had two delvers, Spellskite and Clique in play to her Pod and Resto, both top decking, She drew a second Pod and a Kitchen Finks and was able to combo off through that. I thought Spellskite stopped Kiki because I didn't know the wording was 'Creature you Control'
Match 9
RG Tron 2-1
I actually really enjoyed playing this but I think I was lucky to win.
Game 1 I got double delver and then got pyroclasmed, then a Karn sealed the game. I over extended to try and get hikm in kill range before he played a Karn
Game 2 I Sided in 2 counter flux and 2 shattering spree, I drew both shattering sprees, the first one killed a cantrip artifact, wormcoil engine and defence grid, the second on killed the wurm tokens next turn, I used a couple of counters along with a Restoration Angel to kill him.
Game 3 I drew all the counters and a Clique, I Cliqued away a karn Leaving Emrakul in hand with him on 9 mana, I countered every other threat and killed him before he could play Emrakul, I also Shattering Spree'd an Oblivion Stone this game.
I'm pretty happy with my results overall (6-3), I think I could have done better if I hadn't made some of the mistakes I did (Spellskite not stopping kiki was humiliating, there were like ten people watching)
I think the main issues with the deck I suffered were in sideboard planning, I didn't have anything dedicated to Torn which seems like a bad match up, I also was struggling to find stuff to bring in against Pod, I think I was lucky to only play it once. I also know that planeswalkers are an absolute nightmare for this deck.
I also had some issues with a lack of lands, but that might be because I will often keep two land hands if they are powerful, I also keep one land hands if I have Turn 1 Serum Visions.
America is a very easy match up, I'd play against that all day long if I could
All Stars
1 Stormbreath Dragon, every game I played this I won, it absolutely destroys America and it was useful in other match ups as well, I think I sided it out once in the whole day.
2 Both Swords, again whenever I landed them they put in serious work and won me at least 5 Games between them
3 Deprive, there was more than one occasion when this caught people off guard and sealed the game by stopping an important threat/answer
4 Shattering Spree, any time I cast this I didn't wish it was any other kind of artifact removal
5 Combust, although I didn't draw it often, I brought it in against a lot of decks.
Let downs
1 Spellskite, I only brought it in in three games all day and two of them were because of a mistake, I'd still play it just incase I run into twin, but I don't think it would ever be more than a one of
2 Batterskull, I didn't bring this in as much as I thought I would, and the few times I did play it I wished it was another Strombreath
3 Grim Lavamancer, I only got him online once, but he did eat a lot of removal and I was sad about it, there were also some times when I didn't want to exile cards because of Snapcasters, there was a game against Trom where I attack with him dealing around 5 damage in total.
Honorary mentions; Magma Jet, it allowed me to win a game via burn and flipped delver a couple of times which is what I wanted it to do, this is still a card I wonder if should be something else.
Tectonic Edge, last minute addition, ruined my mana in one game and was useless against the mono blue deck, but also kept Colonnade at bay in game one once.
Geist over preformed for me, snapcaster also pulled it's weight.
That's pretty much all I can remember, sorry some parts aren't more in depth.
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Coolbeans39-
Thanks for posting your tourney notes. Those are great too see. It does make sense that Grim Lavamancer was not stellar given the decks you played against. He is an allstar in creature heavy or aggro matchups, but is not a great draw against tron, control, combo. It looks like there was no aggro where you played. That is unusual.
Tron is definitely a tough matchup. I play a Sowing Salt and, two Wear/Tear, and two Stony Silence in my sideboard to help with the tron matchup. If it gets really popular (which is it gaining in popularity right now), I will probably add another Sowing Salt.
It is great to see a win for our archetype. Hopefully WUR delver takes its rightful place in Tier 1 :).
There were a few aggro decks knocking about, I saw some affintiy players, I guess I just missed them all, I was expecting GBx to be a big thing and I didn't see any of that either. I'm going to another one this weekend, I'll probably change up the sideboard a little to give me some dedicated cards for Tron and Pod.
What about one main deck sowing salt, it also gets manlands so it's not terrible G1 when you aren't playing against Tron?
What do we do against Pod?
Other options we can sideboard are Blood moon and Molten Rain although I did not particularly like either of these in my sideboard.
A great option to beat tron is to just race faster. Burn them out, counter their Wurmcoil Engine and Karn Liberated. Path to Exile is a critical card in this matchup as well because it deals with Wurmcoil.
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Young Pyromancer
3x Grim Lavamancer
2x Blade Splicer
2x Restoration Angel
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
4x Serum Visions
4x Gitaxian Probe
3x Spell Snare
1x Dismember
2x Burrenton Forge-Tender
2x Vendilion Clique
2x Izzet Staticaster
2x Dispel
2x Magma Spray
1x Sower of Temptation
1x Phyrexian Unlife
19 lands
The deck does have a slayer's stronghold in the list which has been suggested by Black_Dog. I found that to be interesting as Black_Dog has had success in local tournaments and this list has been successful.
I personally prefer a more tempo oriented build with moer permissions/counter spells, but this lists works well for more aggressive players or in a more creature oriented meta. If your meta includes a lot of combo/control this build may not be the best. However, the sideboard seems to be built to make up for the deck's weakness to combo/control. Overall, the deck is really well built. It takes an aggressive line in game one and fills the holes in game two and three. It will be interesting to test this deck and see how it plays against the "gauntlet" of modern decks.
Giving your opponents complete information over every card that we draw is not something that I am a fan of. Him being a 3 mana creature with no etb effect that dies to bolt doesn't help.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
UWR Delver players, anyone tried it?
I've tested him briefly so perhaps take my words with a grain of salt. I've found him to be mostly too slow and not quite strong enough. When I tap out for 3 mana I expect a Geist level threat. Crusher did however perform quite well in a RUG delver list a put together that abused Life From the Loam and sac lands.
I actually have been testing with this deck. If you actually had cared enough to post before this deck became featured, you would have seen that I was the one trying to keep the thread alive. I was the one messaging former players to play this again, responding to new posters, and redirecting WUR Delver decks from WUR Midrange to here. I am also the one who got it Featured. So why should I get out of this thread when I have done much more for it than you?
P.S. By we I meant the players of the deck. Revealing our topdecks to the opponent is something that I think we all can agree should be avoided when possible.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
The biggest difference that often gets overlooked is that white offers the best sideboard options in modern.
I would highly suggest changing to WUR and at least giving it a try.
BatHickey- I haven't tried Countryside Crusher in this deck, but I agree that it is a very underrated card. I also understand where your going with this idea. My build has Chandra, Pyromaster who offers a similar effect to Countryside Crusher by helping to filter through late land draws. I do agree that Geist of Saint Traft is most likely a better option for this deck at the three drop spot, but I assume there is a way to build a delver list with Crusher as your beater. As with all cards, I like to test every card before saying it shouldn't be in my deck so I will definitely give it a try. If we don't think outside of the box we would never brew another deck.
Sorry I haven't listed a testing result this week. I have been busy moving. I will try to list my testing notes from my recent testing session against UR Twin and GR Tron sometime before Friday evening. It's awesome to see all of the interest in the WUR delver lists!
In terms of his build, I am not a huge fan, but that's my personal preference. I have never loved Young Pyromacer in the build. Also I think Path to Exile is too good to leave out of the main deck. I realize he takes a more burn oriented view to the deck, but I just prefer Geist of Saint Traft builds of UWR Delver. Although all Delver of Secrets lists are inherently aggro/tempo, I also think that he doesn't have enough power in the late game. If a game does get grindy you really want a Chandra, Pyromaster, Batterskull, Sword of Fire and Ice, Slayer's Stronghold, etc. It feels like it has the same weakness as the UR Delver list. If you don't start off and maintain the lead early, you can never turn the game in your favor unless you can tempo the game long enough to burn them out. With that said, this list is made to make sure it doesn't fall behind. I think his list will suit some players much better than the Geist builds though. If you are more of an Izzet Player than Jeskai and like to play mostly at instant/flash speed with cards in your hand, then this list will be great for you. The Geist lists (like mine) like to land a threat and then play from your hand and keep the coast clear. Obviously he has been very successful with the deck so I can't argue with that.
With the support recently, I think it is a matter of time before the WUR Jeskai Delver list takes off. One of the best things about this build is that it can adjust to any change in the meta. If the meta goes more combo you can go to more of a control build to stop them or aggro to kill them before they can go off. If the meta goes more aggro you can utilize your removal and go over the top.
Let me know what you guys/gals think. Do you take a burn, aggro, tempo, or more control oriented path when building your delver list for your meta? Also do you have any late game options, if so, what is the best option in your opinion?
I personally love a tempo style build with early action and then removal and permission. My late game preferences are Batterskull and Chandra, Pyromaster and I also play a Slayer's Stronghold and Celestial Colonnade to help with any floods or grindy matchups.