I thought I would post up my current delver deck and see the communities thoughts on refining it. The deck runs very stale, I don't really have much fun playing it anymore. I will say I made the switch from Phantasmal Bear to Zephyr Sprite and that made a difference for the better.
So the deck still performs well, but you are just getting bored with it? Is there anything specific that's making it stale or is it a general consistency that's making it that way?
I guess you could always add in obscure cards for a while and see if that helps.
Try Sunken City! Add some global pump to all of your guys. Give it an aggro feel while running the tempo plan.
Unstable Mutation could be a fun addition too! Try and finish the game before the creature ends up dying from it. It could be like a challenge or achievement to try and win a game like that.
snap. Nothing feels better than "lighting bolt", response snap my spellstutter, cast, counter bolt. Extra good feels.
Also Pestermite seemed like a fun addition to my deck. It was in my one flex spot for awhile. Up the filter count, Ponder and Preordain do serious work. frostburn weird is a cool card that stops the aggro dudes a bit, while also being very aggro when the coast is clear.
Lastly, I know delver has trouble with threats that don't get countered, so I may recommend some number of quicksand as removal on a land. Or Desert.
Not sure what you mean with "stale" - it's mono blue, so you bounce, counter and attack with flyers. What would you like to do differently?
Your list is a bit non-standard. Zephyr Sprite is usually not run, for 1-drops, people seem to prefer more cantrips or even a couple of Bonesplitters. Also, Boomerang is an odd choice for bounce - Snap or Curfew are generally better since you'll be bouncing your own guys as often as not. Have you considered Thornwind Faeries over Serrated Arrows?
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I'm running this exact list and played a couple games yesterday.
Boomerang-ing their lands on their upkeep or at the end of turn can be a beating early on. Also, boomerang hits auras in the hexproof decks, making blocks better and setting up some nice spellstutter plays.
Not sure what you mean with "stale" - it's mono blue, so you bounce, counter and attack with flyers. What would you like to do differently?
Your list is a bit non-standard. is usually not run, for 1-drops, people seem to prefer more cantrips or even a couple of Bonesplitters. Also, Boomerang is an odd choice for bounce - Snap or Curfew are generally better since you'll be bouncing your own guys as often as not. Have you considered over ?
Zephyr Sprite is ideal for enabling a turn 2 , (almost) regardless of their own 1 drops. 2 dmg and card advantage starting on turn 2? Yes please.
Bonesplitter is definitely on my mind for cards to test, maybe as a two-of.
Serrated Arrows dodges the cheap creature removal in the format, at least pre-board. Do people usually side-board artifact destruction?
Zephyr Sprite is ideal for enabling a turn 2 , (almost) regardless of their own 1 drops. 2 dmg and card advantage starting on turn 2? Yes please.
That's one damage on turn 2 and how is it card advantage?
Zephyr Sprite is pretty good especially if you plan on using Spellstutter Sprite and I feel it's a better choice than Phantasmal Bear. Bonesplitter is definitely a great addition too. I speeds up your clock and makes each of your creatures a threat, which is good since your Faeries are pretty weak.
I think Jandro is referring to sprite enabling a t2 ninja (2 damage and CA), but the main reason to run ninja is to reuse Spellstutter Sprite - using it to bounce a vanilla flyer is a lost opportunity. This deck already runs a 3/2 flyer for U, a 1/1 flyer for 0 that cycles, a 2/4 flyer for 2 or less and a 2 cmc counter with an extra flyer on top. A 1/1 flyer for U isn't really interesting IMO.
I think 8 faeries scale well with most tuned casual/pauper lists. There are quite a few good targets even at 1 cmc, and the wee folk rack up fast when needed with 8 or so cantrips.
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I think Jandro is referring to sprite enabling a t2 ninja (2 damage and CA), but the main reason to run ninja is to reuse Spellstutter Sprite - using it to bounce a vanilla flyer is a lost opportunity. This deck already runs a 3/2 flyer for U, a 1/1 flyer for 0 that cycles, a 2/4 flyer for 2 or less and a 2 cmc counter with an extra flyer on top. A 1/1 flyer for U isn't really interesting IMO.
I think 8 faeries scale well with most tuned casual/pauper lists. There are quite a few good targets even at 1 cmc, and the wee folk rack up fast when needed with 8 or so cantrips.
Sorry, yes. When you edit a post, it gets rid of linked cards (bug?) so it ate my mention of NoDH. I think having an evasive one-drop pretty consistently on turn 1 to set up a t2 ninjitsu is just too good to pass up, but that's just me. I guess you could side them out when you're on the draw, though. I'm going to test Bonesplitter and Frostburn Weird next and see how I like it.
Serrated Arrows dodges the cheap creature removal in the format, at least pre-board. Do people usually side-board artifact destruction?
People generally have some artifact destruction in their sideboards (affinity is a thing) but rarely will they board it in to deal with serrated arrows, you need a higher target density to make it worth including, generally. I have boarded it against MUC when it was running spire golems and serrated arrows, but you should note that 1: I was playing burn, 2: the removal was smash to smithereens which is also a damage spell. And 3 it was replacing searing blaze which would not kill the golems, and they were the only target that I needed removal for.
I played some more with this deck today (against my own modern Affinity deck, even). I let a friend pilot the pauper deck and while looking through it he was surprised I was running Serrated Arrows and Spire Golem. What do people usually play in the Spire Golem spot? It seemed really good against my Affinity deck (I went 0-2, btw, and not from misplays or particularly bad draws. That much bounce just wrecks the affinity gameplan) in that I had to either stick an Etched Champion/Steel Overseer (not likely with so much countermagic) or use Ravager to sack and add modular counters in order to swing in profitably. A 4 butt is hard to swing through! I was able to kill one with a Galvanic Blast, but that was about it.
I didn't sideboard because I don't have a sideboard for the this deck.
I played some more with this deck today (against my own modern Affinity deck, even). I let a friend pilot the pauper deck and while looking through it he was surprised I was running Serrated Arrows and Spire Golem. What do people usually play in the Spire Golem spot? It seemed really good against my Affinity deck (I went 0-2, btw, and not from misplays or particularly bad draws. That much bounce just wrecks the affinity gameplan) in that I had to either stick an Etched Champion/Steel Overseer (not likely with so much countermagic) or use Ravager to sack and add modular counters in order to swing in profitably. A 4 butt is hard to swing through! I was able to kill one with a Galvanic Blast, but that was about it.
I didn't sideboard because I don't have a sideboard for the this deck.
I see Spire Golem in almost every Mono U Delver deck. It's a no-brainer!
I think I might want to try and add some Lotus Petals to speed the deck up a bit. Delver is already fast but I think a bit more speed might make me enjoy it a bit more. As for Zephyr Sprite, I got sick of nearly everything taking out my Phantasmal bears so that is why I made the swap.
Spire golem goes right into delver just as much as muc. Here's how you decide whether or not to play spire golem: am I playing mostly islands? If yes sleeve him up, he's good to go.
I think I might want to try and add some Lotus Petals to speed the deck up a bit. Delver is already fast but I think a bit more speed might make me enjoy it a bit more. As for Zephyr Sprite, I got sick of nearly everything taking out my Phantasmal bears so that is why I made the swap.
Oh man! Lotus Petal sounds so EVIL for Delver! Dropping one first turn would be ridiculous!
I think I might want to try and add some Lotus Petals to speed the deck up a bit. Delver is already fast but I think a bit more speed might make me enjoy it a bit more. As for Zephyr Sprite, I got sick of nearly everything taking out my Phantasmal bears so that is why I made the swap.
Oh man! Lotus Petal sounds so EVIL for Delver! Dropping one first turn would be ridiculous!
If you have Delver and Brainstorm in hand you could set up a guaranteed flip on T2, provided you don't totally brick with Brainstorm. Pretty good.
Not sure I see the greatness of Petal in this deck. Brainstorm lets you flip t2 regardless, and while petal lets you do the same with ponder/preordain, that's a three card combo for a rather marginal effect. Unless you use it to replace land, you reduce the odds overall for a delver flip, and if you can spare the lands, maybe you'd still want something without card disadvantage? If acceleration is needed, what about Springleaf Drum? Seems pretty bonkers with the bounce and free dudes.
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Having a 3/2 flier swinging by T2 is pretty good. With Ponder and Brainstorm in the deck, it isn't that shaky of a 'combo' to pull off. If you happen to get Daze in your opener as well, that's a pretty big game as you can start the permission train rolling to protect your delver immediately.
That being said, I haven't noticed a significant need for pedal in my testing. Going to try Thrornwind Faeries to replace Serrated Arrows and see how I like it. Being able to kill indestructible weenies is nice, though.
Having a 3/2 flier swinging by T2 is pretty good. With Ponder and Brainstorm in the deck, it isn't that shaky of a 'combo' to pull off. If you happen to get Daze in your opener as well, that's a pretty big game as you can start the permission train rolling to protect your delver immediately.
That being said, I haven't noticed a significant need for pedal in my testing. Going to try Thrornwind Faeries to replace Serrated Arrows and see how I like it. Being able to kill indestructible weenies is nice, though.
The advantage of the arrows is clearly the "haste", with it not being a creature (as a mono blue player you never want to pass the turn without any options), as well as the fact that it can kill stronger creatures over multiple turns.
It also reduces power, so it can simply shrink creatures to a level were they can't hurt you/your creatures anymore.
Thornwind Faeries on the other hand are also a source of damage to the face.
Lotus petal sounds pretty jank in MU delver. It will flip delver early every once in a great while, but most of the time it's just going to clog up your hand and basically be inherent card disadvantage. Outside of pauper it might be worth your time to try that hard to manipulate your delver flips, but that is just not going to be worth the effort in pauper. And it is definitely card disadvantage, especially considering most delver builds have a 50/50 chance at flipping delver turn2 without contrivance due to the high spell count that the decks it goes into have. Waste your time and card slots if you like, but do note that it is a giant waste.
When I think of using Lotus Petal for Delver, I'm not thinking about using it to flip Delver. I think of it as an ensured turn 1 counter spell. Obviously we already have Daze for that, but Lotus Petal can make sure we can play any of our counters in our opening hand regardless. Is it worth it? Probably not. Is there any harm in testing it? Not at all. I won't include it in my decklist as mine is already packed with everything I need, but Lotus Petal can make for an interesting addition in the OP list.
4 Cloud of Faeries
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Spire Golem
4 Zephyr Sprite
4 Boomerang
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
2 Daze
2 Echoing Truth
2 Ponder
2 Serrated Arrows
16 Island
W White Weenie
I guess you could always add in obscure cards for a while and see if that helps.
Try Sunken City! Add some global pump to all of your guys. Give it an aggro feel while running the tempo plan.
Unstable Mutation could be a fun addition too! Try and finish the game before the creature ends up dying from it. It could be like a challenge or achievement to try and win a game like that.
Also Pestermite seemed like a fun addition to my deck. It was in my one flex spot for awhile. Up the filter count, Ponder and Preordain do serious work. frostburn weird is a cool card that stops the aggro dudes a bit, while also being very aggro when the coast is clear.
Lastly, I know delver has trouble with threats that don't get countered, so I may recommend some number of quicksand as removal on a land. Or Desert.
Your list is a bit non-standard. Zephyr Sprite is usually not run, for 1-drops, people seem to prefer more cantrips or even a couple of Bonesplitters. Also, Boomerang is an odd choice for bounce - Snap or Curfew are generally better since you'll be bouncing your own guys as often as not. Have you considered Thornwind Faeries over Serrated Arrows?
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Boomerang-ing their lands on their upkeep or at the end of turn can be a beating early on. Also, boomerang hits auras in the hexproof decks, making blocks better and setting up some nice spellstutter plays.
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Zephyr Sprite is ideal for enabling a turn 2 , (almost) regardless of their own 1 drops. 2 dmg and card advantage starting on turn 2? Yes please.
Bonesplitter is definitely on my mind for cards to test, maybe as a two-of.
Serrated Arrows dodges the cheap creature removal in the format, at least pre-board. Do people usually side-board artifact destruction?
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That's one damage on turn 2 and how is it card advantage?
Zephyr Sprite is pretty good especially if you plan on using Spellstutter Sprite and I feel it's a better choice than Phantasmal Bear. Bonesplitter is definitely a great addition too. I speeds up your clock and makes each of your creatures a threat, which is good since your Faeries are pretty weak.
I think 8 faeries scale well with most tuned casual/pauper lists. There are quite a few good targets even at 1 cmc, and the wee folk rack up fast when needed with 8 or so cantrips.
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Sorry, yes. When you edit a post, it gets rid of linked cards (bug?) so it ate my mention of NoDH. I think having an evasive one-drop pretty consistently on turn 1 to set up a t2 ninjitsu is just too good to pass up, but that's just me. I guess you could side them out when you're on the draw, though. I'm going to test Bonesplitter and Frostburn Weird next and see how I like it.
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People generally have some artifact destruction in their sideboards (affinity is a thing) but rarely will they board it in to deal with serrated arrows, you need a higher target density to make it worth including, generally. I have boarded it against MUC when it was running spire golems and serrated arrows, but you should note that 1: I was playing burn, 2: the removal was smash to smithereens which is also a damage spell. And 3 it was replacing searing blaze which would not kill the golems, and they were the only target that I needed removal for.
I didn't sideboard because I don't have a sideboard for the this deck.
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I see Spire Golem in almost every Mono U Delver deck. It's a no-brainer!
W White Weenie
Oh man! Lotus Petal sounds so EVIL for Delver! Dropping one first turn would be ridiculous!
If you have Delver and Brainstorm in hand you could set up a guaranteed flip on T2, provided you don't totally brick with Brainstorm. Pretty good.
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That being said, I haven't noticed a significant need for pedal in my testing. Going to try Thrornwind Faeries to replace Serrated Arrows and see how I like it. Being able to kill indestructible weenies is nice, though.
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Indestructibility isn't really a problem in pauper, as can be seen here: http://magiccards.info/query?q=o:indestructible r:common&v=card&s=cname
The advantage of the arrows is clearly the "haste", with it not being a creature (as a mono blue player you never want to pass the turn without any options), as well as the fact that it can kill stronger creatures over multiple turns.
It also reduces power, so it can simply shrink creatures to a level were they can't hurt you/your creatures anymore.
Thornwind Faeries on the other hand are also a source of damage to the face.
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