Borrowing Gaudenis' list for Open in DC but have not touched Legacy out side of it. Can someone give me a quick rundown on where you want to be sideboard wise? I have very little knowledge of the format as is.
I wouldn't give up on Delver too soon. I went 0-3 drop my 1st tournament with Delver, but I had some confidence because each match was 1-2, all 3 opponents drew pretty amazing, I got mana flooded or screwed a bunch, and I probably should have taken some mulls down to 5 instead of keeping at 6. Since that 0-3 drop, I am 25-5-2 with the deck. Give it some time.
Agreed. I was going 1-2 at my local FNM for a couple of weeks when I first started playing the deck. My most recent finishes are 2nd at a PTQ and 66th at GP Minn. It takes awhile but the deck is very strong but there are so many decisions that you really need to play the deck a lot.
I like Gerry's method of using Hero of Bladehold. It's another card that they MUST deal with and is great in other matchups too.
He doesn't always do this. He's generally just siding in Phantasmal Images, and maybe a Divine Offering/Surgical. He sides a lot based on his opponent, Mana Leaks come out if he sees Caverns and Swords normally always come out.
I'm more afraid of UG Infect then Delver. A lot more time to react to Delver, UG Infect you only get 3 turns usually. So, what's the point of saying that? Play UG Infect, crushes Delver in most instances. You will need to basically draw the cards that hard-counter Infect, else it's gg.
Vapor Snag? Gut Shot? Dismember? Mana Leak? I have played against the deck quite a few times and none of the games have been particularly close. Its fairly easy to have any of these cards in your opener.
I Swing with Everything, so a 8/8 Wolfir, 4/4 Ravager, 2/1 Thalia, 2/2 Wolf, 4/5 Bird. You block Ravager with Delver and thats it. I don't pump. You snap caster vapour Snag Wolfir. I restoration angel it, rebound it with bird you take 8. you go to 1.
Attacking with Bird has to be 100% wrong here. It doesn't speed up your clock and it leaves you dead to another sword, which while may be a small percentage you really shouldn't leave yourself dead to something when you have the game.
-2 Gut Shot -1 Cavern of Souls -1 Vapor Snag -2 Mana Leak -2 Gitaxian Probe -1 something
[On Draw]~
*Extra Comments: Gutshot is obviously bad and Cavern is just replaced by Ghost Quarter. Mana Leak isn't exactly where you want to be at because they have Cavern and you just want to copy their stuff anyways.
Mirror:
[On Play]
+2 Phantasmal Image (If I see SoWaP in game 1 I will bring in Diving Offering)
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine
[On Draw] +3 Timely Reinforcements +2 Ratchet Bomb +3 Phantasmal Image
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -3 Mana Leak -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Vapor Snag
*Extra Comments:
This may not be totally correct, as my meta isn't too full of Delver. On the draw you really aren't going to be able to Mana Leak much unless its in your opener and its probably better to just have removal for geist anyways.
*Extra Comments:
Both will probably be the same for me. You really end up having to race them so Timely Reinforcements is very good to change combat math. Ratchet Bomb is going to be your best removal vs their main threat, which ends up being Invisible Stalker with a Pike
Esper Delver:
[On Play] +2 Ratchet Bomb +4 Phantasmal Image
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -2 Gitaxian Probe -2 Mana Leak
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -2 Gitaxian Probe -3 Mana Leak -1 Dismember -1 Gut Shot
*Extra Comments: This match up is probably very similar to Pike Delver. Ratchet Bomb is your best removal, and Phantasmal Image can be your biggest threat if you copy their Captains. You want removal to blow out their plan on Imaging a Captain, and Mana Leak is particularly bad against Lingering Souls
-4 Geist of Saint Traft -2 Mana Leak -2 Vapor Snag
[On Draw]~
*Extra Comments:
This is pretty stock Sideboarding. Geist of Saint Traft is absolutely terrible vs Strangleroot and Mana Leak really can't catch much. Vapor Snag isn't very good vs Haste, though it works to blow them out if they attempt to equip a Sword. Timely is 100% where you want to be and Consecrated Sphinx is bigger than anything they could attempt to kill.
Solar Flare: I haven't played this matchup in a long time. Also its very dependent if they have removal or not.
[On Play] +2 Ratchet Bomb +2 Phantasmal Image +2 Consecrated Sphinx
-2 Gut Shot -2 Dismember -2 Mana Leak
[On Draw] ~
*Extra Comments:
I don't know if you want Consecrated Sphinx in this match up or not. My guess is that is pretty good vs non-removal, but they also have Phantasmal Image. I have not played vs this deck in a month or two.
I side out 3 Geist of Saint Traft, 1 Gitaxian Probe, and 2 Sword of Feast and Famine.
I put in 3 Phantasmal Image and 3 Timely Reinforcements.
I put in 2 Ghost Quarter and 2 Consecrated Sphinx on the play. I take out Some Thought Scour and the last Geist of Saint Traft.
You definitely don't want to be siding out Geist of Saint Traft and Consecrated Sphinx loses fairly badly to Vapor Snag.
In the mirror you want to be killing their Geist or having them attempt to kill your Geist.
You definitely want Ratchet Bomb and Phantasmal Image and depending on the play/draw some number of Timely Reinforcements and Divine Offering if you think he is keeping in his swords (You saw War and Peace game 1).
A lot of mirror sideboarding is based on the deck you are playing against so I don't want to give you something set.
Agreed. I was going 1-2 at my local FNM for a couple of weeks when I first started playing the deck. My most recent finishes are 2nd at a PTQ and 66th at GP Minn. It takes awhile but the deck is very strong but there are so many decisions that you really need to play the deck a lot.
Don't think its up anywhere. From what I know its similar to his Invitational deck but with FoF MB and WaP SB
And then he died to Lingering Souls. He still had War and Peace in his sideboard.
He doesn't always do this. He's generally just siding in Phantasmal Images, and maybe a Divine Offering/Surgical. He sides a lot based on his opponent, Mana Leaks come out if he sees Caverns and Swords normally always come out.
Vapor Snag? Gut Shot? Dismember? Mana Leak? I have played against the deck quite a few times and none of the games have been particularly close. Its fairly easy to have any of these cards in your opener.
Attacking with Bird has to be 100% wrong here. It doesn't speed up your clock and it leaves you dead to another sword, which while may be a small percentage you really shouldn't leave yourself dead to something when you have the game.
WRR Ramp:
[On Play]: +2 Consecrated Sphinx +4 Phantasmal Image +2 Ghost Quarter +1 Amass the Components
-2 Gut Shot -1 Cavern of Souls -1 Vapor Snag -2 Mana Leak -2 Gitaxian Probe -1 something
[On Draw]~
*Extra Comments: Gutshot is obviously bad and Cavern is just replaced by Ghost Quarter. Mana Leak isn't exactly where you want to be at because they have Cavern and you just want to copy their stuff anyways.
Mirror:
[On Play]
+2 Phantasmal Image (If I see SoWaP in game 1 I will bring in Diving Offering)
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine
[On Draw] +3 Timely Reinforcements +2 Ratchet Bomb +3 Phantasmal Image
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -3 Mana Leak -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Vapor Snag
*Extra Comments:
This may not be totally correct, as my meta isn't too full of Delver. On the draw you really aren't going to be able to Mana Leak much unless its in your opener and its probably better to just have removal for geist anyways.
UW Delver (Stalkers / Pikes):
[On Play] +2 Ratchet Bomb +1 Divine Offering +3 Timely Reinforcements +3 Phantasmal Image
-2 Dismember -2 Sword of Feast and Famine -2 Gitaxian Probe -3 Vapor Snag
[On Draw] ~
*Extra Comments:
Both will probably be the same for me. You really end up having to race them so Timely Reinforcements is very good to change combat math. Ratchet Bomb is going to be your best removal vs their main threat, which ends up being Invisible Stalker with a Pike
Esper Delver:
[On Play] +2 Ratchet Bomb +4 Phantasmal Image
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -2 Gitaxian Probe -2 Mana Leak
[On Draw] +2 Ratchet Bomb +3 Timely Reinforcements +4 Phantasmal Image
-2 Sword of Feast and Famine -2 Gitaxian Probe -3 Mana Leak -1 Dismember -1 Gut Shot
*Extra Comments: This match up is probably very similar to Pike Delver. Ratchet Bomb is your best removal, and Phantasmal Image can be your biggest threat if you copy their Captains. You want removal to blow out their plan on Imaging a Captain, and Mana Leak is particularly bad against Lingering Souls
R/G Aggro:
[On Play] +3 Timely Reinforcements +1 Divine Offering +2 Consecrated Sphinx +1 Amass the Components +1 Phantasmal Image
-4 Geist of Saint Traft -2 Mana Leak -2 Vapor Snag
[On Draw]~
*Extra Comments:
This is pretty stock Sideboarding. Geist of Saint Traft is absolutely terrible vs Strangleroot and Mana Leak really can't catch much. Vapor Snag isn't very good vs Haste, though it works to blow them out if they attempt to equip a Sword. Timely is 100% where you want to be and Consecrated Sphinx is bigger than anything they could attempt to kill.
Solar Flare: I haven't played this matchup in a long time. Also its very dependent if they have removal or not.
[On Play] +2 Ratchet Bomb +2 Phantasmal Image +2 Consecrated Sphinx
-2 Gut Shot -2 Dismember -2 Mana Leak
[On Draw] ~
*Extra Comments:
I don't know if you want Consecrated Sphinx in this match up or not. My guess is that is pretty good vs non-removal, but they also have Phantasmal Image. I have not played vs this deck in a month or two.
You definitely don't want to be siding out Geist of Saint Traft and Consecrated Sphinx loses fairly badly to Vapor Snag.
In the mirror you want to be killing their Geist or having them attempt to kill your Geist.
You definitely want Ratchet Bomb and Phantasmal Image and depending on the play/draw some number of Timely Reinforcements and Divine Offering if you think he is keeping in his swords (You saw War and Peace game 1).
A lot of mirror sideboarding is based on the deck you are playing against so I don't want to give you something set.