I just got back from a Modern PPTQ in which I was able to make Top 8. I was really unsure about the deck and considered switching to straight U/R delver with some white sideboard or possibly Tresure Cruise burn. I'm glad I stuck with it though, as the deck performed pretty well for me! Here's the list I used:
There were about 50 people so there were six rounds of swiss. I got the 7th seed in the Top 8 after finishing 4-1-1. Matchups were as follows:
Rd. 1) WUR Burn
I don't think I cast a single Delver in either of these games just to keep Searing Blaze without a target. Luckily for me Geist of Saint Traft was able to seal the deal. My opponent kept a 2-mana heavy hand with one land which lead to a particularly slow start on his part. The cheap counters were great here.
An early Probe revealed what I was up against. He kept a fairly clunky hand game 1 and I was able to close things out quickly enough. Game 2 went poorly as I was unable to apply a lot of pressure. I left shields down for the big boy Siege Rhino to come in. Back-to-back turns of Lingering Souls with flashback made it impossible to overcome. Game 3 was about the best ride Delver to victory game you could have. T1 with T2 flip plus bolt, helix, and spell pierces that were able to time walk him. Good thing he didn't have the Abrupt Decay!
Win 2-1 In: 2 Mind Censor , Flashfreeze (sided back out for G3) Out: 2 Spell Snare, Forked Bolt
Rd. 3) U/R Delver
This guy was running the stock U/R list and he appeared to be a very solid player. I lost G1 on the draw so I wasn't feeling too hot about my chances. Game 2 was very close but the helices and Gesit were too much for him to deal with. G3 was very interesting and was a pretty tight contest. We both resolved Cruises, but once again Geist was saving the day. Turning point of the match was winning the fight over his Blood Moon with Flashfreeze and Spell Snare. He was able to draw more cards and cruise once more than me, but this deck's card quality is simply higher.
The first of these games was very back and forth as were both able to stick a geist earlier. He went on the offensive first but Helix let me take over in the race. Young pyromancer tokens were helpful here in deterring Geist attacks and trading. My hand was loaded with lightning while he was flooding out. With only one card in his hand I went for a lethal barrage of Bolt Helix Helix on his upkeep so that if he had the counter he be unable to activate colonnade for the crackback KO. He didn't have it.
Game 2 we played draw-go for a while as neither of us wanted to tap out only to have our Geist countered. I was beginning to worry as his late game should be better than mine and he was ahead on land drops. I finally peel off a Probe and cast it only to find the coast is clear (he only had Snapcasters Path and a Bolt with no counters in the yard). I immediately slammed Geist and Tresure cruise on the same turn. Things got a little bit interesting when he landed his own Geist with Shinka, the Bloodsaoked Keep backup. I had enough burn with a redundant Geist though, and Spell Snare + Mana Leak + Counterflux ensured that the damage would get through.
This player would wind up as the number 2 seed and had not lost a game yet when I played him. My luck with opening hands ran out in G1 forcing a mull to five that was a little light. Siege Rhino and Tarmogoyf make short work of me. Game 2 I had a little bit of pressure, but was able to 'get 'em' on T3 with a mindcensor blanking his T3 fetch. This set back was enough for me to just take the game in short order. I keep on ok hand for G3, but it just can't handle a resoled Rhino as I can't find path in time. I actually make a play to take out his rhino and Geist with 2 Swiftspears and a Bolt, but he shows me a Tribal flames in hand for more than lethal. Dang.
Rd. 6) Intentional Draw -- My opponent and I have the best breakers over the other players at 12 pts so we take the draw. We wind up as the 6 and 7 seeds.
TOP 8
Quarterfinal - UW Tron
This was an unexpected matchup that I expected to have an advantage in. Game 1 is going well with Pyromancer and Delver applying pressure with Geist coming in to really put him in dire straits the next turn. I leave up Pierce for protection and he proceeds to cast Gifts on my end step. I find this pretty frightening so I catch it with the pierce. He then untaps and slams a Day of Judgment which is a set back I just couldn't overcome before Iona came to party. Game 2 is pretty standard and I'm able to aggro him out pretty quickly. He does manage to wipe the board again, but a topdeck Forked Bolt is enough to kill him before he can Rev. Game 3 goes like G1 and I lose my squad to Wrath of God. I know I can't come back but I play it out and take some small satisfaction as he makes a huge misplay with his Thirst for Knowledge. I can't seem to topdeck anything useful so I go ahead and conceded after double Helixing a batterskull germ token.
Loss 1-2 In: 2 Mindcensor, Dispel , Negate Out: 3 Path (should have kept some in), Spell Snare
All in all I had a pretty good time and wound up with 18 Khans packs for my trouble. The deck performed much better than I had expected from my playtesting against my friend playing Merfolk. I feel like having the aggro plan with Probe, Pyromancer and Swiftspear is very solid. It felt much better than when I had tried a slower approach with a higher top-end. Should Cruise get banned in a week, then I'm not sure I would want to stick to this style, but it is good right now.
As far as changes to the list go, I was debating between Snapcaster and a 2nd Leak for a while before the tournament. Still not sure which I'd rather have. I definitely think I would want the 4th path in the sideboard as there were games when I absolutely needed it. I think there were times where I probably should have sided in Wear // Tear but simply decided not to as it could have easily been dead. I was fortunate that I as able to counter the Blood Moon from UR Delver as otherwise I had no outs.
How do you all see the deck changing should Cruise get banned? Will you switch to something else or just modify your current strategy? Thanks for reading!
I've been on a Young Pyromancer build recently, but I feel like maybe I should try a different version of the deck. I don't have any Figure of Destiny, so I thought I might try Steppe Lynx as a different 1-drop threat. I like not being forced into Gitaxian Probe. Here's the list:
First time posting in this thread. My most my modern experience has been in burn, but I recently started playing U/R delver. I seemed to be having trouble with the deck and decided to add White for more versatility. I recently ran this list below to 2-2 at modern night at the LGS. I was wondering if any of you that have more experience might have some recommendations.
This is actually my deck that I let my friend borrow, and it can be very difficult to beat with delver due to its high concentration of cheap kill spells and a near impossible to deal with threat Phyrexian Crusader. I wound up winning the match due to a flashed-in snapcaster blocking a Phyrexian Crusader that was swinging for lethal. Giving ole snappy double strike with Boros charm let them trade, huzzah! This deck isn't very common (except when my friend keeps borrowing it!), so I don't think I really need to warp my deck around dealing with it.
Rd 2: Bogles (2-0)
I was able to race game 1 due to his slow start and lack of finding a lifelink enchantment. Boros charm really helped with added reach here. I plan on bumping up to 2 Engineered Explosives in the SB just for this matchup and few other problematic permanents I might encounter. Game 2 I find myself unable to deal with a 13/13 Kor Spiritdancer since I sided out Path to Exile. I'm able to lay down the beats pretty efficiently in game 3. A well timed Tear prevents his Bogle from growing to big to be an issue.
Rd 3: Merfolk (2-1)
In G1 I am simply unable to clear enough of the Lords to prevent things from spiraling out of control. I lacked sufficient pressure to get him in burn range. G2 I have to mull to 5 cards, but double Delver and Geist allow me to get enough damage through the air to nab the win. In G3 I make a terrible error in choosing to destroy an untapped Aether Vial instead of a Lord of Atlantis. For some reason I thought the vial was tapped, but that wound up costing me the game as he was able to sneak in another Lord. I still have no idea what I was thinking.
I think I have a good handle on what I need to do against Mefolk overall, but I'm curious how other WUR delvers have found this matchup. From what I can tell, it seems pretty even.
Rd 4: RUG Delver (2-2)
I simply get blown out in both of these games. I'm unable to find a path for Tarmogoyf which leads to my ultimate demise. What few answers I did have were stopped by his cheap interaction (Spell Pierce, Dispel). This match was leading me to believe that I should probably make some room for pierces of my own in the MB and definitely add a Dispel to the side.
I know the fetches aren't quite perfect, but until Zen fetches get reprinted I'll probably be working with what's available from KTK. I know I'll be adding 2 Aven Mindcensor to the SB to replace Squelch and Molten Rain most likely. There might be a better land configuration, but I don't think that's a major issue.
Have any of you had much success running Boros Charm? I found it pretty useful, but it's taking up real estate that could be occupied by spell pierce. I'm also wondering if the full 4 Lightning Helix are a good idea MB. I DO think Geist is really strong right now, but I'm open to suggestions on trying different creatures in the Young Pyromancer or Snapcaster Mage slots. Any advice or constructive criticism is welcome.
I'm really liking the use of Perplex in a toolbox setup for a borderpost list. It can grab your cascaders, utility spells, or even a specific post. However, my wincons right now are higher than 3 cmc. I'm wondering if there are some good 3 CMC cards that could be useful to either win or to put ourselves in a stronger position after a resolved Restore Balance.
Hi all. I'm thinking about taking this fetchless R/B list to my LGS' Modern night this week. I've never played modern there, so the meta is unknown. I think the cards I'm least sure about mainboard are Magma Jet, Searing Blood, and Shard Volley. Any suggestions on sideboard cards? I've thought of these as possible includes
Hi all! This is my first time posting in this thread, but I've lurked for quite a while. For a while I had switched over to a no-post list, but I found it to be way too 'all-in' and too reliant on Greater Gargadon for my taste. This is the list I'm currently using:
The original plan was to use Ajani Vengeant, but since I don't own any as of yet I substituted in the Haunted Plate Mail. It's been surprisingly good! It hits about as hard as the average belcher activation and still dodges all sorcery speed removal which is nice. I'd recommend at least trying it out. Hopefully I'll get to try this version out at the next modern night and provide some feedback. Cheers!
EDIT: Forgot to mention that during playtesting with a friend I managed to live the dream of equipping Greater Gargadon with the plate mail for lethal! Totally worth it.
I just got back from a Modern PPTQ in which I was able to make Top 8. I was really unsure about the deck and considered switching to straight U/R delver with some white sideboard or possibly Tresure Cruise burn. I'm glad I stuck with it though, as the deck performed pretty well for me! Here's the list I used:
3 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
Creatures (14)
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Snapcaster Mage
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Young Pyromancer
1 Forked Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
1 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
2 Spell Pierce
3 Treasure Cruise
4 Serum Visions
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Wear // Tear
2 Counterflux
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Combust
1 Dig Through Time
1 Flashfreeze
Cards that performed very well: Geist of Saint Traft , Spell Snare , Spell Pierce , Lightning Helix
Cards that underperformed: Nothing really sticks out here. Some of the sideboard cards I never had chance to use I suppose Combust , Dig Through Time
There were about 50 people so there were six rounds of swiss. I got the 7th seed in the Top 8 after finishing 4-1-1. Matchups were as follows:
Rd. 1) WUR Burn
I don't think I cast a single Delver in either of these games just to keep Searing Blaze without a target. Luckily for me Geist of Saint Traft was able to seal the deal. My opponent kept a 2-mana heavy hand with one land which lead to a particularly slow start on his part. The cheap counters were great here.
Win 2-0 In: 2 Timely , Dispel , Negate , Flashfreeze Out: 3 Probe, Forked Bolt
Rd. 2) 4-color Gifts
An early Probe revealed what I was up against. He kept a fairly clunky hand game 1 and I was able to close things out quickly enough. Game 2 went poorly as I was unable to apply a lot of pressure. I left shields down for the big boy Siege Rhino to come in. Back-to-back turns of Lingering Souls with flashback made it impossible to overcome. Game 3 was about the best ride Delver to victory game you could have. T1 with T2 flip plus bolt, helix, and spell pierces that were able to time walk him. Good thing he didn't have the Abrupt Decay!
Win 2-1 In: 2 Mind Censor , Flashfreeze (sided back out for G3) Out: 2 Spell Snare, Forked Bolt
Rd. 3) U/R Delver
This guy was running the stock U/R list and he appeared to be a very solid player. I lost G1 on the draw so I wasn't feeling too hot about my chances. Game 2 was very close but the helices and Gesit were too much for him to deal with. G3 was very interesting and was a pretty tight contest. We both resolved Cruises, but once again Geist was saving the day. Turning point of the match was winning the fight over his Blood Moon with Flashfreeze and Spell Snare. He was able to draw more cards and cruise once more than me, but this deck's card quality is simply higher.
Win 2-1 In: 1 Timely, Flashfreeze, Dispel, Negate Out: 1 Path, 3 Probe
Rd. 4) UWR Geist
The first of these games was very back and forth as were both able to stick a geist earlier. He went on the offensive first but Helix let me take over in the race. Young pyromancer tokens were helpful here in deterring Geist attacks and trading. My hand was loaded with lightning while he was flooding out. With only one card in his hand I went for a lethal barrage of Bolt Helix Helix on his upkeep so that if he had the counter he be unable to activate colonnade for the crackback KO. He didn't have it.
Game 2 we played draw-go for a while as neither of us wanted to tap out only to have our Geist countered. I was beginning to worry as his late game should be better than mine and he was ahead on land drops. I finally peel off a Probe and cast it only to find the coast is clear (he only had Snapcasters Path and a Bolt with no counters in the yard). I immediately slammed Geist and Tresure cruise on the same turn. Things got a little bit interesting when he landed his own Geist with Shinka, the Bloodsaoked Keep backup. I had enough burn with a redundant Geist though, and Spell Snare + Mana Leak + Counterflux ensured that the damage would get through.
Win 2-0 In: Dispel, Negate, 1 Counterflux, Combust Out: Forked Bolt , 1 Path , 2 Spell Pierce
Rd. 5) 5-color Zoo
This player would wind up as the number 2 seed and had not lost a game yet when I played him. My luck with opening hands ran out in G1 forcing a mull to five that was a little light. Siege Rhino and Tarmogoyf make short work of me. Game 2 I had a little bit of pressure, but was able to 'get 'em' on T3 with a mindcensor blanking his T3 fetch. This set back was enough for me to just take the game in short order. I keep on ok hand for G3, but it just can't handle a resoled Rhino as I can't find path in time. I actually make a play to take out his rhino and Geist with 2 Swiftspears and a Bolt, but he shows me a Tribal flames in hand for more than lethal. Dang.
Loss 1-2 In: Flashfreeze, 2 Mindcensor Out: 2 Spell Pierce, 1 Probe
Rd. 6) Intentional Draw -- My opponent and I have the best breakers over the other players at 12 pts so we take the draw. We wind up as the 6 and 7 seeds.
TOP 8
Quarterfinal - UW Tron
This was an unexpected matchup that I expected to have an advantage in. Game 1 is going well with Pyromancer and Delver applying pressure with Geist coming in to really put him in dire straits the next turn. I leave up Pierce for protection and he proceeds to cast Gifts on my end step. I find this pretty frightening so I catch it with the pierce. He then untaps and slams a Day of Judgment which is a set back I just couldn't overcome before Iona came to party. Game 2 is pretty standard and I'm able to aggro him out pretty quickly. He does manage to wipe the board again, but a topdeck Forked Bolt is enough to kill him before he can Rev. Game 3 goes like G1 and I lose my squad to Wrath of God. I know I can't come back but I play it out and take some small satisfaction as he makes a huge misplay with his Thirst for Knowledge. I can't seem to topdeck anything useful so I go ahead and conceded after double Helixing a batterskull germ token.
Loss 1-2 In: 2 Mindcensor, Dispel , Negate Out: 3 Path (should have kept some in), Spell Snare
All in all I had a pretty good time and wound up with 18 Khans packs for my trouble. The deck performed much better than I had expected from my playtesting against my friend playing Merfolk. I feel like having the aggro plan with Probe, Pyromancer and Swiftspear is very solid. It felt much better than when I had tried a slower approach with a higher top-end. Should Cruise get banned in a week, then I'm not sure I would want to stick to this style, but it is good right now.
As far as changes to the list go, I was debating between Snapcaster and a 2nd Leak for a while before the tournament. Still not sure which I'd rather have. I definitely think I would want the 4th path in the sideboard as there were games when I absolutely needed it. I think there were times where I probably should have sided in Wear // Tear but simply decided not to as it could have easily been dead. I was fortunate that I as able to counter the Blood Moon from UR Delver as otherwise I had no outs.
How do you all see the deck changing should Cruise get banned? Will you switch to something else or just modify your current strategy? Thanks for reading!
I've been on a Young Pyromancer build recently, but I feel like maybe I should try a different version of the deck. I don't have any Figure of Destiny, so I thought I might try Steppe Lynx as a different 1-drop threat. I like not being forced into Gitaxian Probe. Here's the list:
3 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
Creatures (13)
1 Restoration Angel
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Steppe Lynx
1 Forked Bolt
1 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Helix
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
1 Deprive
2 Remand
2 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
2 Spell Pierce
3 Treasure Cruise
4 Serum Visions
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Wear // Tear
2 Counterflux
2 Kor Firewalker
1 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Path to Exile
1 Celestial Purge
1 Flashfreeze
Is Steppe Lynx viable enough to give this a try or should I just stick with YP and the Gitaxian Probe plan?
First time posting in this thread. My most my modern experience has been in burn, but I recently started playing U/R delver. I seemed to be having trouble with the deck and decided to add White for more versatility. I recently ran this list below to 2-2 at modern night at the LGS. I was wondering if any of you that have more experience might have some recommendations.
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Young Pyromancer
2 Snapcaster Mage
Sorcery (10)
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
3 Treasure Cruise
Instant (18)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Path to Exile
4 Remand
2 Spell Snare
2 Boros Charm
2 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
60 Cards
2 Flashfreeze
2 Wear // Tear
1 Negate
2 Path to Exile
1 Dismember
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Counterflux
1 Squelch
1 Molten Rain
Some match notes:
Rd 1: Mono-black Infect (1-0)
This is actually my deck that I let my friend borrow, and it can be very difficult to beat with delver due to its high concentration of cheap kill spells and a near impossible to deal with threat Phyrexian Crusader. I wound up winning the match due to a flashed-in snapcaster blocking a Phyrexian Crusader that was swinging for lethal. Giving ole snappy double strike with Boros charm let them trade, huzzah! This deck isn't very common (except when my friend keeps borrowing it!), so I don't think I really need to warp my deck around dealing with it.
Rd 2: Bogles (2-0)
I was able to race game 1 due to his slow start and lack of finding a lifelink enchantment. Boros charm really helped with added reach here. I plan on bumping up to 2 Engineered Explosives in the SB just for this matchup and few other problematic permanents I might encounter. Game 2 I find myself unable to deal with a 13/13 Kor Spiritdancer since I sided out Path to Exile. I'm able to lay down the beats pretty efficiently in game 3. A well timed Tear prevents his Bogle from growing to big to be an issue.
I think matchup's like this is wear the white splash really shines. Some number of Wear // Tear, Engineered Explosives, and/or Hibernation make a very winnable fight.
Rd 3: Merfolk (2-1)
In G1 I am simply unable to clear enough of the Lords to prevent things from spiraling out of control. I lacked sufficient pressure to get him in burn range. G2 I have to mull to 5 cards, but double Delver and Geist allow me to get enough damage through the air to nab the win. In G3 I make a terrible error in choosing to destroy an untapped Aether Vial instead of a Lord of Atlantis. For some reason I thought the vial was tapped, but that wound up costing me the game as he was able to sneak in another Lord. I still have no idea what I was thinking.
I think I have a good handle on what I need to do against Mefolk overall, but I'm curious how other WUR delvers have found this matchup. From what I can tell, it seems pretty even.
Rd 4: RUG Delver (2-2)
I simply get blown out in both of these games. I'm unable to find a path for Tarmogoyf which leads to my ultimate demise. What few answers I did have were stopped by his cheap interaction (Spell Pierce, Dispel). This match was leading me to believe that I should probably make some room for pierces of my own in the MB and definitely add a Dispel to the side.
I know the fetches aren't quite perfect, but until Zen fetches get reprinted I'll probably be working with what's available from KTK. I know I'll be adding 2 Aven Mindcensor to the SB to replace Squelch and Molten Rain most likely. There might be a better land configuration, but I don't think that's a major issue.
Have any of you had much success running Boros Charm? I found it pretty useful, but it's taking up real estate that could be occupied by spell pierce. I'm also wondering if the full 4 Lightning Helix are a good idea MB. I DO think Geist is really strong right now, but I'm open to suggestions on trying different creatures in the Young Pyromancer or Snapcaster Mage slots. Any advice or constructive criticism is welcome.
Cheers!
Card Draw / Selection / Board Control:
Staff of Domination
Jace Beleren
Crystal Ball
Thassa, God of the Sea
Scepter of Dominance
Win cons:
Mobilization seems slow...
Sands of Delirium also slow, seems bad
Stormbind Pulp mentioned this and it looks decent
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver This is pretty cool
So apparently there aren't many great win conditions at 3 CMC. Thoughts on any of these?
Satyr Firedancer
Blightning
Searing Blaze
Guerilla Tactics
Keldons Marauders
3x Blackcleave Cliffs
3x Sulfurous Springs
10x Mountain
4x Goblin Guide
3x Grim Lavamancer
3x Eidolon of the Great Revel
2x Hellspark Elemental
4x Lava Spike
4x Rift Bolt
4x Bump in the Night
4x Searing Blood
4x Skullcrack
2x Magma Jet
2x Shard Volley
3x Rakdos Charm
3x Volcanic Fallout
1x Vexing Shusher
3x Torpor Orb
3x Smash to Smithereens
2x Combust
Cheers!
4x Evolving Wilds
3x Terramorphic Expanse
2x Mountain
1x Swamp
1x Plains
1x Forest
1x Island
Cascade
4x Ardent Plea
4x Violent Outburst
4x Restore Balance
Wincons
3x Greater Gargadon
1x Goblin Charbelcher
2x Haunted Plate Mail
1x Vraska the Unseen
2x Lingering Souls
3x Beast Within
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Firewild Borderpost
4x Fieldmist Borderpost
4x Wildfield Borderpost
3x Veinfire Borderpost
2x Mistvein Borderpost
2x Dismember
1x Bow of Nylea
4x Ricochet Trap
3x Firespout
2x Boom // Bust
2x Patrician's Scorn
1x Krosan Grip
The original plan was to use Ajani Vengeant, but since I don't own any as of yet I substituted in the Haunted Plate Mail. It's been surprisingly good! It hits about as hard as the average belcher activation and still dodges all sorcery speed removal which is nice. I'd recommend at least trying it out. Hopefully I'll get to try this version out at the next modern night and provide some feedback. Cheers!
EDIT: Forgot to mention that during playtesting with a friend I managed to live the dream of equipping Greater Gargadon with the plate mail for lethal! Totally worth it.