RUG Delver splits Top 4 at Cash Tourney (Columbus, Ohio)

[Mark Sun]

This is the last one, I swear.

I've been very short on GP Indy testing time lately with the a new job over the horizon and potential graduate school stuff. Luckily, for the third week in a row, there was a Legacy tournament close to me.

First one.

Second one.

As my final tune-up before next weekend, I got to sleeve up RUG Delver one more time. I had one question from last weekend's thread, about the 2/1 split of Krosan Grip/Ancient Grudge and what changes I would make. I'm still sticking with the 2/1 split for now because I feel like 2 Krosan Grip is needed for the mirror and other Counterbalance decks, but Ancient Grudge is still strictly better against artifact-focused decks. I like the extra copy to help supplement the two Grips. The only changes I made for this tournament was -3 Tormod's Crypt, +3 Surgical Extraction. No Dredge in sight, but Life from the Loams and Punishing Fires spotted during deck registration.


// Lands
3 [R] Tropical Island
3 [R] Volcanic Island
4 [TE] Wasteland
4 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
4 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
1 [UNH] Island

// Creatures
4 [ISD] Delver of Secrets/Insectile Aberration
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
3 [ISD] Snapcaster Mage
3 [OD] Nimble Mongoose

// Spells
4 [MM] Brainstorm
2 [DIS] Spell Snare
4 [JGC] Lightning Bolt
4 [AL] Force of Will
3 [NE] Daze
4 [M10] Ponder
3 [ZEN] Spell Pierce
2 [LG] Chain Lightning
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top

// Sideboard
SB: 2 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
SB: 3 [NE] Submerge
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [CS] Counterbalance
SB: 1 [MI] Mind Harness
SB: 1 [ISD] Ancient Grudge
SB: 3 [NPH] Surgical Extraction


I had originally expected around 30-35 for this event, but a store in Dayton randomly had a Legacy event today as well for some reason, and stole everyone who had planned on coming from Cincinnati. I think our final number was 23. 5 rounds.


Round 1) Craig playing UWr Tempo, Loss-Win-Win

I know Craig from my LGS and he's been picking up UW stuff lately, so I figure he's on Stoneblade. I lose the die roll and he leads off with just a fetchland. Pretty standard. I draw, fetch, and get blown out by a Stifle. Turns out he's playing UWr Tempo and not Stoneblade. All it takes is the Stifle for me to fall behind as I can't answer his Geist of Saint Traft, and when his mid-game Delver shows me a Daze and I'm stuck on one land, I decide to scoop it up and save time for Games 2 and 3.

Sideboarding: -4 Force of Will, -1 Ponder, +2 Sensei's Divining Top, +3 Counterbalance

I keep in Daze because my curve ends at 2 and he's playing Geist. I'm on the offensive this game and I get the first turn Delver of Secrets. His hand doesn't have blue in it, just a Plateau and Mountain, so I easily Daze his first turn Lavamancer, Waste him off white, and play some Goyfs. Goyf math takes me to victory. I'm on the draw in Game 3, and I get a hand with double Nimble Mongoose. I play around potential Dazes and I get to stick both Nimble Mongeese. He does have the Geist, but as it turns out, a 2/2 Geist looks pretty silly once I've reached Threshold. A naked Counterbalance keeps him off his cantrips while I finish him off.

Games 2-1, Matches 1-0.


Round 2) Dillon playing Burn, Win-Loss-Loss

Same Dillon from last weekend at the SCG IQ, so this is a potential rematch of our Top 8 playoff. It looks like Dillon's playgroup is going to be sticking around Columbus for a while, so he'll be permanent fixture. I won the die roll and get a pretty good start with Delver and Mongoose, but he surprises me with a turn three Volcanic Fallout. Maindeck. Turns out Dillon has been making some changes to his deck, and I need to adjust a little bit. I do find Tarmogoyf, and finish the job.

Sideboarding: -3 Snapcaster Mage, -2 Chain Lightning, +2 Sensei's Divining Top, +3 Counterbalance

I mull to 6 on the draw but I had a solid hand with threats and some removal in case of an early Goblin Guide. He has it, and I have to waste a turn killing it instead of playing a thread. The lag carries over to the late game, where a Volcanic Fallout when I'm at 2 life and he's at 4 life ends the game. I'm on the play for Game 3 but I'm a little more threat light with the sideboarding plan. I don't see any Tarmogoyfs and I just get 1-for-1'ed on threats with Volcanic Fallout and Flamebreak, one after the other. Frustratingly lose the game with my opponent at 8. Possibly should have sideboarded differently, but did not see so many 3cc cards in Game 2 so I hoped Counterbalance would still be okay. I would board in the package against a generic burn deck, but probably not this one in the future.

Games 3-3, Matches 1-1.


Round 3) Rocky playing Hive Mind, Loss-Win-Win

I know what Rocky's on and I keep a hand that gets wrecked by Force of Will protection. Rocky goes for the t2 Show and Tell, I Force, it gets Forced back, and I have a Pact I can't pay for. No respect for Daze or Spell Pierce at all!

Sideboarding: -4 Lightning Bolt, -2 Chain Lightning, -3 Nimble Mongoose, +1 Ancient Grudge, +2 Sensei's Divining Top, +3 Counterbalance, +3 Surgical Extraction

I board in Ancient Grudge for Grim Monolith and possible artifact based hate (Defense Grid/Chalice of the Void/etc). I get a decent hand that deals with combo this game but no Force of Will, just Dazes and Spell Pierces. This is fine, since Daze interacts positively for me against Hive Mind, which becomes relevant later in the game. I draw double Surgical Extraction this game, but each one gets countered, and I opt to save countermagic for his combo pieces. I don't find a threat though, and Rocky resolves a Grim Monolith and has 6 mana from his lands in play. He goes for the hardcast Hive Mind. I have to let it resolve. I have 1 mana open, he has 3 mana open. Rocky then slams down a Pact of the Titan and Pact of Negation and says, "game?" But I'm more stubborn than that. I ask him to explain what he's doing and what the stack contains right now. Rocky tells me the stack looks like this:

(Top)
Hive Mind trigger #2 - My Pact of Negation (Yet to resolve)
His Pact of Negation (Targeting his Pact of the Titan)
Hive Mind trigger #1 - My Pact of the Titan (Copy is on the stack)
His Pact of the Titan
(Bottom)

I snap pounce. I announce that my copy of Pact of Negation will target my copy Pact of the Titan which is on the stack. Rocky tries to Spell Pierce my Pact of Negation, which is fine, and I simply copy targeting his Spell Pierce. I have a Daze in my hand, so with all that stuff happening, I Daze my Pact of the Titan. Rocky sees my 1 mana open and understands that he has to survive for the next chance to Pact, so his copy of Daze targets his own Pact of Negation, a major misplay as he should have also gone for his own Pact of the Titan. The stack starts to clear, and my copy of Pact of the Titan goes away, which fizzles my copy of Pact of Negation from the Hive Mind (no targets). I've been sandbagging a Wasteland, thinking it was irrelevant. He tries another Pact of the Titan two turns later. I Spell Pierce, he copies, I pay. I untap, hit his only red source, and pass the turn. Game 3 I start on the draw, but my hand is: fetchland, fetchland, Wasteland, Daze, Goyf, Spell Pierce, Force of Will. I draw a Ponder to have three pieces of countermagic. My Goyf goes all the way behind my hand, which eventually becomes insane: 2x Spell Pierce, 2x Daze, 3x Force of Will. When Rocky tries to go off this time, he doesn't get very far.

Games 5-3, Matches 2-1.


Round 4) Nick Leali playing UR Delver, Win-Loss-Win

The tournament is rather small so I'm the highest 2-1 going into this round. Nick is 3-0 and was hoping to double draw into Top 8, but we'll be playing it out. He beat a friend of mine earlier on the day and all I heard between rounds was complaining about a maindeck Magus of the Moon. I figured Nick is playing the UR deck that he Top 16'ed SCG Cinci with. I lose the die roll and am stuck on one fetchland that I don't want Stifled, so I sandbag it until the last possible minute. Oddly his deck doesn't have pressure and my late Delver and Goyf beats get there. I give him three turns to draw a bolt and kill me but it never comes.

Sideboarding: -3 Snapcaster Mage, -2 Chain Lightning, -1 Ponder, +2 Sensei's Divining Top, +3 Counterbalance, +1 Mind Harness

I side out one mana intensive package (Snapcaster Mage) for the other mana intensive package, and the Chain Lightnings as well in case he has mana to bounce them back at me. I start on the draw and have a Mongoose heavy draw, which I figure is okay. I have to counter his Jitte, and his Vendilion Clique in the mid-game reveals some lands and a Mind Harness in my hand, which he chuckles at, and the following turn his Delver flips on a revealed Hibernation. Whoops. My Mongeese get bounced next turn, I get double Wasted off of green, and all of the sudden I'm on a three turn clock. I can't recover in time.

I realize in the middle of Game 2 and Game 3 that I've seen a lot of 3cc cards in his deck, and that Counterbalance might not be the correct answer here. I board out the Counterbalance package and the third Top for the Snapcaster Mages, Chain Lightnings, and the 1 Ancient Grudge. I'm on the play again and this time I get a first turn Mongoose with a handful of burn. I hit Threshold fairly quickly, and have the Spell Pierce for his attempted Hibernation.

Games 7-4, Matches 3-1


I ID with my buddy Scott (who Top 4'ed SCG Cinci) in Round 5, as we don't want to be playing an unnecessary mirror match, so we simply draw and wait it out for Top 8. Standings get announced and it's:

1. RUG Delver
2. Pox
3. Nick Leali playing UR Delver
4. ANT
5. GW Maverick
6. Me playing RUG Delver
7. Reanimator
8. GWB Stoneblade



Top 8) Rematch with Nick Leali playing UR Delver, Win-Win

After our match earlier, Nick revealed that he was on a UR Tempo plan and not on the burn plan. His deck is playing Stifle and Wastelands today. I get a very strong hand in this match, with a t1 Mongoose, Daze his Force of Will, and ride it to victory on the back of burn, very similar to Game 3 of Round 4. Without having to worry about the burn heavy element of his deck and focusing on beating the more clunky, mid-range side of his deck with Daze and cheap countermagic, this game went a lot smoother.

Sideboarding: -1 Sensei's Divining Top, +1 Ancient Grudge

I still have to respect Jitte a little from earlier, so I do still board in the Ancient Grudge out of the board. So far, Nick has shown me Magus of the Moon, but not Blood Moon, so I don't feel as inclined to bring in the Krosan Grips. I open with a control heavy hand, which is fine for this matchup now, and I keep the board clear with burn and Snapcaster mage. I find the Basic Island to stay Magus proof, and he has no business. A pair of Mongeese go the distance here.

9-4 Games, 4-1-1 Matches.


There were only 23 in attendance. The prize structure basically gave 5-8 their money back, so Top 4 split a very small sum of $288. Taking home $74 isn't the worst thing for a $20 entry fee and five rounds of Magic.

This looks to be the deck that I'll be sporting for next weekend, as I have been pretty happy with the results in the past three weeks; even if the events were minor, 3 for 3 on Top 8s gives me a bit of confidence that I can function with RUG Delver in a random metagame, much like the GP. The challenge will be replicating enough success with it to hopefully Day 2 and go beyond. That said, see you next week, starting at the grinders on Friday, and of course at the main event.


Thanks for reading,


--Mark

[lordofthepit]

Congrats!

Just out of curiosity, did you make a typo on your sideboard strategy against Hive Mind? You mentioned Counterbalance, which doesn't seem super useful in this matchup (except to hit their cantrips), and your report references some Surgical Extractions which you didn't mention in your sideboard notes.

[Mark Sun]

Congrats!

Just out of curiosity, did you make a typo on your sideboard strategy against Hive Mind? You mentioned Counterbalance, which doesn't seem super useful in this matchup (except to hit their cantrips), and your report references some Surgical Extractions which you didn't mention in your sideboard notes.

Oh, you're correct. I did have in the Counterbalance package, but I also took out 3 Nimble Mongoose for 3 Surgical Extraction. My plan was to use Counterbalance to affect their cantrips, but never actually drew it. It also helps against their protection, like Spell Pierce. It was probably the only matchup where I missed REB a little. The strategy against that deck was to play the control deck, stop his initial attempt to go off (if you stop the first attempt, their hand is likely a pile of garbage).

[XcaliberZ]

Just switched to this deck myself TA, so reading your reports have been good insight. Good luck at the GP!

[toor]

Great series of reports (especially the sideboarding rationales).

a)
was wondering how you sb against the mirror (do u bring in any submerges/mind harness?)
b)
How you sb against maverick?

Thanks

[Mark Sun]

Great series of reports (especially the sideboarding rationales).

a)
was wondering how you sb against the mirror (do u bring in any submerges/mind harness?)
b)
How you sb against maverick?

Thanks

Thanks!

The way I look at the mirror is attrition based. I also think Spell Pierce, while not awful, is the first card out when I'm preparing for it.

-4 Force of Will
-3 Spell Pierce
-1 Ponder
+2 SDT
+3 Counterbalance
+3 Submerge

Would be the way that I would board, although it can change if you know they're bringing in their own Counterbalances. I'm seeing some lists with it, some without it. I board out the fourth Ponder a lot when I'm boarding in the Sensei's Divining Tops, mainly because you want to maintain your card quality, but you don't want to overload on cantrips; I consider it negative redundancy in this case. You should be able to maintain deck velocity fairly easily still with 4 Brainstorm/3 Ponder/3 SDT. Mind Harness can only hit 4 Tarmogoyf, so I am less inclined to bring that in against the Mirror.

Against Maverick, which is probably this deck's worst matchup, I would consider:

-4 Force of Will
-3 Nimble Mongoose
+3 Submerge
+1 Mind Harness
+1 Ancient Grudge
+2 Krosan Grip

Mongoose is the worst card against them, since they're a creature deck playing Knight of the Reliquary. You're unlikely to get Threshold before they resolve something that can easily block it. If they have something like Punishing Fire, I would probably be boarding in Surgical Extraction at that point, but it would depend on the build. Spell Pierce has been nothing short of spectacular against them, hitting early Swords to Plowshares and having a mid game answer to Zenith/Planeswalkers/Equipment. I have a short article that I want to write to cover most of this, though, so I'll link it here when I'm finished with it.

[toor]

Normally I would take out FoW against tempo decks (since trading for a Daze/spell pierce can be game losing, but in this case you have a trump (CB), so it seems like it might make sense to keep them in. Since disadvantaging yourself is fine as long you resolve the CB.