Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/5atppc/grixis_delver_primer/


Grixis Delver Primer self.ModernMagic

submitted 5 hours ago * by Finch518

Wrote a primer on Grixis Delver (decklist by Kevin Jones) that I've gone 9-2-1 with in paper the last week, in addition to at least hundred or so games online. So anyway, here's the wall of text as I typed it on mobile.

Grixis Delver: Delver has had a love-hate relationship with modern to say the least. But with the linearity of the current format, and with that, the importance of mana efficiency, Delver along side friends Pyromancer, and Tasigur have once again found a niche in modern.

Here's the list:

Grixis Delver

Kevin Jones

1st place USA WMCQ

4 Scalding Tarn

4 Polluted Delta

2 Steam Vents

1 Blood Crypt

1 Watery Grave

1 Darkslick Shore

1 Spirebluff Canal

1 Bloodstained Mire

2 Island

1 Mountain

1 Swamp

4 Delver

4 Snapcaster Mage

3 Young Pyromancer

3 Tasigur

1 Gurmag Angler

4 Thought Scour

4 Serum Visions

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Gitaxian Probe

2 Mana Leak

2 Terminate

1 Murderous Cut

1 Collective Brutality

2 Spell Snare

2 Electrolyze

1 Kolaghans Command

Side:

2 Magma Spray

2 Dispel

2 Painful Truths

1 Countersqual

1 Kolaghans Command

1 Spell Pierce

1 Engineered Explosives

1 Vandalblast

1 Izzet Staticaster

1 Desolate Lighthouse

2 Surgical Extraction

While some can simply dismiss Delver as "too unreliable in modern", interaction is at a fairly low point in the format, enabling the wizard to transform and get in damage with consistency. Every threat in this deck is must answer, and a source of card advantage. This gives the deck a few axis to grind out games. Often times a counter spell on removal can put you firmly in the driver's seat. With the delve mechanic, all the creatures are essentially 1-2 drops, allowing us to focus on playing a reactive game while still getting on board and playing interaction, While only having 19 lands. Prioritizing land drops early on pays off late game when were drawing all gas and our opponent found a land pocket. Kolaghans Command is extremely powerful, giving you plenty of options and recurring a Snapcaster or Tasigur is a great ticket to value town.

In this next section well discuss card choices.

Creatures:

4 Delver of Secrets

The namesake of the deck, Delver can come down right on 1 and if it flips right away, can steadily clock an opponent, punishing lack of interaction harshly. Untapping with this flipped and counter magic in hand is one of our strongest lines.

3 Young Pyromancer

The red shaman is a great battlefield value engine, and will quickly take over a game when not immediately answered. Great protection from Lili -2 and can buy drawsteps generating chump blockers.

4 Snapcaster Mage

One of if not the most powerful 2 drop in modern, Snapcaster is a house. There are many games where opponents will just get buried in the card advantage engine, bolt snap bolt has been closing games since moderns inception and it's not about to change.

3 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

Coming down fairly consistently turn 2 in this deck, the banana king can get beating quick. Consistently comparable size to Tarmogoyf, and not being boltable makes him a sticky threat great that can switch roles at a drop. Remember to always seek out opportunities to shrink Goyfs when delving out this threat.

1 Gurmag Angler

Good for all the same reasons Tasigur is good with that extra point of power being relevant every once in awhile. Slightly harder to power out then Tasi, but having both is a beating.

Spells:

4 Serum Visions

The best cantrip available in Modern, Sculpts our hands. The scry is great for assuring a Delver flip.

3 Gitaxian Probe

Draw Spell that can be played for life to nullify the loss in tempo. Information is always powerful, and going Delver into YP with a git Probe is a strong opener to punish an opponent off to a slow start, or to overload removal.

4 Thought Scour

Instant speed draw that fuels our yard for delve, and puts cards in the bin for Snapcaster. Don't like the card you reveal on Delver? Push it away. Another cute play is when your opponent tops 2 with Serum Visions, you can target them and deny those cards. I've definitely cheesed a land screwed opponent or denied them the out they had next turn. Good sequencing with Serum Visions can alleviate some of the variance involved with this card also.

2 Spell Snare

Blighted Agent, Arcbound Ravager, Tarmogoyf, Eidolon of Great Revel, Cranial Plating. I could go on, but suffice to say modern is congested with power in the 2 slot. Snare preys on these threats and always trades up in mana. Very easy to leave up and Snapback, this card is rarely dead.

2 Mana Leak

Good in tempo based matchups, but can fall off lategame. The flexibility can be helpful, and it can be great against fast combo or decks that are consistently tapping out.

2 Terminate

Great hard removal with no drawback, The regeneration clause can be relevant in some corner cases like vs the experiment zoo deck.

4 Lightning Bolt

Not much to say about this one. The efficiency and flexibility is defining in every format it's legal in.

2 Electrolyze

A concession to the strength of Lingering Souls, it also frequently can 2 for 1 little creatures like Elves, most affinity threats, soul sisters, Pyromancer and token. I play 2 and 1 Kolaghans, but I could see the case for swapping those numbers, either is fine.

1 Kolaghans' Command

An exceptional card, this spell from Tarkir block has quickly become a favorite of many RBx lists. Always a 2-1, this card can absolutely bury an opponent, and is nearly always a blowout vs affinity. Casting this, grabbing a Snapcaster, snapping it back and grabbing another threat is back breaking.

1 Murderous Cut

Often a instant speed kill spell for B with no drawback, also gets around Spell Snare, and doesn't trigger Eidolon of the Great Revel.

1 Collective Brutality

A fairly recent addition to the deck, it has performed well, easily 2-1 and sometimes 3-1 when you're holding a dead card or extra land to fuel delve, particularly performs well vs burn as it hits all their creatures and will rarely if ever whiff on discard. Any life gain can be relevant especially in colors that can't always access it.

The Sideboard:

2 Magma Spray

Great vs kitchen Fink's, Matter Reshaper, Voice of Resurgence and various other small creatures. I usually bring these in place of Cut and Terminate vs burn and other fast decks where you want to play conservative on your mana.

2 Painful Truths

Great vs decks that require you to 1 for 1, like GBx, the mirror, and vs other control decks. A great top deck in lategame, but save it for the slower matchups cause it does hurt a bit

2 Dispel

Protect your threats from removal and counter magic. Great at stopping infect from protecting their threats, and can make a solid speedbump vs burn and other spell heavy decks

Countersquall

A solid Counterspell that also gives us a bit of extra reach, great where Mana Leak easily falls off and just a solid inclusion in control matchups.

Izzet Staticaster

This card just crushes elves, goblins, soul sisters, tokens, and some affinity draws. Also good in the mirror matchup.

Engineered Explosives

a solid catch-all, can get around hard to deal with permanents like Geist, Etched Champion, boggles, and enchantments.

Desolate Lighthouse

in grindy matchups it's often correct to up our land count, and the card selection offered from this is never a bad thing. Our mana while painful at times, is still flexible making the drawback of being generic mana not as miserable as it looks in a 3 color deck.

Kolaghans command

See maindeck description, card is just a house.

Surgical Extraction

Got to respect dredge, hitting amalgam or Bloodghast and just watching them durdle is always fun. I think it's fine vs Eternal Witness decks and I see a case for Gbx particularly abzan because they have so many annoying cards to deal with (Souls, Liliana)

Vandalblast

just a nail in the coffin of an already good matchup, but outs to Etched Champions are always good. While I think we are favored, skilled players can close that gap.

Matchups

Many people refer to Grixis decks as "blue jund" and I think that's a fair assessment in the sense that were not particularly dominant in a matchup but also not atrocious in any either. Burn is pretty challenging, but i feel with tempo and solid removal options most matchups are skill intensive for both sides.

Infect

We have great removal options and ways around their protection spells. Don't be afraid to leave a flipped Delver on defense or take little bits of damage here and there. When it's time to interact with their board do so on your own turn to get them to waste pump spells or protection when you don't have to worry about them swinging in.

In: Izzet Staticaster Magma Spray Dispel Kolaghans

Out: 2 Electrolyze 3 Gitaxian Probe 1 Thought Scour

Affinity

Not to much to say here, our cards line up very well against theirs. Keep Cranial Plating off the board and Spell Snare does a ton of work here. If you can stick a threat and keep their board tame you should be fine.

In: Vandalblast Magma Spray Kolaghans Command Izzet Staticaster Engineered Explosives

Out: 3 Gitaxian Probe 1 Tasigur 1 Mana Leak 1 Murderous Cut

Abzan/Jund

This matchup is always a bit of a grind. Terminate, Spell Snare, and delve threats are good especially vs jund but watch out for Lilli and Lingering. Out: 4 Delver 1 Collected brutality

In: 2 Painful Truths 1 Kolaghans 1 engineered Last slot is flex, Spell Pierce, squall, and Staticaster (vs abzan) have all been decent.

UWx

Im still not 100% if we're favored here. I win much more often than not but I've been playing a ton of blue modern mirrors pre and post Twin. Overall, skill is highly relevant. It's important to slow roll threats, and be careful of wraths and sideboard hate. Prioritize land drops. you'll want at least 5-6 land to Snapcaster everything in your deck with Snare/dispel back up.

In: 1 Desolate Lighthouse 2 dispel 1 Countersqual 1 Kolaghan's 2 Painful Truths

Out On draw, -4 Delver is typically correct, i could see leaving it in on the play. -1 Murderous Cut -1 Lightning Bolt -1 Thought Scour

Burn

Easily our worst matchup. Hope to avoid it but with tight play and conservative fetching we can make it happen. It gets a little easier post board, if we can a get a blocker down a counter or 2 is usually enough to turn the corner

In 2 Dispel 2 Magma Spray 1 Spell Pierce

Out 3 Gitaxian Probe 2 terminate

Countersqual is kind of a trap here, because it's not good vs creature hands. Maybe vs RW burn it's better but id leave it out vs Nacatl decks.

And that about sums it up. If you enjoy decks with a repertoire of options, and can switch between aggro and control at the drop of a hat, give this list a try! The Grixis card pool is deep and there's plenty of options out there to tune to your metagame. Credit to Kevin Jones for the decklist.