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Thread: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

  1. #1

    Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Yesterday I played a small tournament (17 players) with the new meta and the new mulligan rule. For this first tournament with DTT banned, I decided to take it back to my personal favorite deck starring Bobs and Hymns. BUG Delver! I ended up winning it.

    I loved the meta in this tournament, as well as the new mulligan rule. It really does what it was intended for: play an interesting game of Magic, even when mulliganning down to a low number of cards. In the 7 rounds I played (including the top 4) I mulliganed 4 times in 4 games and my opponents mulliganed 10 times in 8 games.

    Here's the 75 I decided playing:

    4 Wasteland
    3 Tropical Island
    4 Underground Sea
    2 Polluted Delta
    2 Misty Rainforest
    2 Verdant Catacombs
    1 Flooded Strand
    1 Scalding Tarn

    4 Brainstorm
    4 Ponder
    4 Abrupt Decay
    4 Daze
    3 Force of Will
    4 Hymn to Tourach
    2 Sylvan Library

    4 Delver of Secrets
    4 Deathrite Shaman
    4 Tarmogoyf
    4 Dark Confidant

    Sideboard
    1 Force of Will
    3 Stifle
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Disfigure
    1 Marsh Casualties
    1 Golgari Charm
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Flusterstorm
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Surgical Extraction

    A little rationale: I love playing Bob in BUG Delver and decided to test 2 Sylvan Library to go with that. It's great to be able to stack the top of your deck before Bob triggers the next turn. Actually, choosing between the top 3 cards of your deck every turn is insane.

    Hymn to Tourach is great again with DTT gone. A t1 Deathrite and t2 Hymn + Wasteland is often backbreaking. And it's not that rare with all those cards being 4-of's.

    The 3 Stifle in the SB are excellent when we want to go for a tempo game. This build allows us to play heavy tempo on the play with Stifle, Wasteland and Daze (taking out Sylvan Library & Bob), while also being able to go control when we're on the draw with Bob, Sylvan and lots of hate from the SB.

    Golgari Charm is versitile, but a mistake in the SB with the full playset Dark Confidant. I'll replace that for a second Marsh Casulties for the Elves match-up.

    Here's the match-ups:
    r1 ANT:
    g1 I have some pressure, but he goes off through PiF
    in:
    3 Stifle
    1 FoW
    2 Grafdiffer's Cage
    1 Null Rod
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Flusterstorm
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Surgical Extraction
    out:
    4 Dark Confidant
    2 Sylvan Library
    4 Abrupt Decay
    1 Tarmogoyf
    g2 I have a quick flipped Delver, a V Clique and a Null Rod rod to top it off.
    g3 He mulls to 4. He tells me his deck contains 14 lands. He clearly tried to take advantage of the new mulligan rule. We still end up playing an interesting game with him playing Ad Nauseum and me holding a Stifle, hoping he wouldn't be able to Duress and storm. When he stops flipping he plays a Brainstorm and concedes.

    1-0

    r2 Miracles:
    The guy is manascrewed twice, with me helping him a bit by applying Wasteland and playing a Null Rod g2 to stop him from using Top.

    2-0

    r3 RUG Delver:
    Again an easy win because I manage to hit Goyf with a Hymn, Decays take care of his Delvers, etc.

    3-0

    r4 Maverick:
    This deck might be pretty good again in this meta. I beat him 2-1 tho, mostly due to Decay being such awesome removal.

    4-0

    r5 Grixis delver:
    From the previous meta, with the 2 Dig replaced by who knows what. I didn't expect this deck to do well, but he managed to beat me and join us in the top 4.

    4-1

    Semi-finals against Sylvan Plug:
    I lose the first game, but win the second and third by playing the tempo game with Stifles and Decaying the Chalice on 1's.

    Finals against Miracles:
    The same playing I met r2. This was an interesting match that took close to 2 hours.
    g1 I have a t2 Sylvan library, but end up losing it due to many Swords and Snapcaster Mage beatdown. Terrible.

    g2 on the draw:
    in:
    3 Stifle
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Flusterstorm
    1 Vendilion Clique
    out:
    4 Dark Confidant
    1 Sylvan Library
    3 FoW
    I'm not sure that this boarding is optimal, especially the Sylvan Library. I play disciplined, putting not too many treats on the board. Not more than one, so he ends up having to spend a card to deal with every one of my threads, except for the final shodown, which is between a Snap and 3 Angels vs 3 Flipped Delvers and a 6/7 Goyf. For a moment it looked like a Deathrite Shaman was going to rob him of his last point of life, but eventually it's a couple of Decays that clear the way for my creatures.

    g3 on the play:
    I board completely differently, taking out Stifles and Daze and boarding back in FoW and Grafdigger's Cages. I feel Dark Confidant isn't big enough of the threat to keep him in. I might be wrong.
    in:
    1 FoW
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Surgical Extraction
    1 Null Rod
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Pithing Needle
    out:
    4 Dark Confidant
    4 Daze

    This game it was Sylvan Library that took it. I played disciplinedly and it paid off. The victory is sweet.

  2. #2
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    say no to scurvy's Avatar
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    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Bobs and libraries are pretty much the last thing to board out against miracles.

    I agree with taking out the dazes, they'll play around them. I disagree with cages, esp now that miracles might be bringing back rest in peaces to combat your goyfs. If they do I would -1 a goyf and +1 golgari charm, which kills their enchantments and x/1 creatures.

  3. #3

    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Quote Originally Posted by say no to scurvy View Post
    Bobs and libraries are pretty much the last thing to board out against miracles.

    I agree with taking out the dazes, they'll play around them. I disagree with cages, esp now that miracles might be bringing back rest in peaces to combat your goyfs. If they do I would -1 a goyf and +1 golgari charm, which kills their enchantments and x/1 creatures.
    (edited)
    The reason for taking out Bobs is that I want to focus on the early game as much as possible. Going into the late game usually isn't optimal against Miracles, since that deck is designed for the late game. I'd rather have played some games like in r2, where I crushed him with the resource denial plan. Unfortunately, I had Stifle in hand, Wasteland on the board and he drew basic lands :P

    If we were to keep in Bobs, what should be the correct sideboard on the draw?
    in:
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Vendilion Clique

    out:
    4 Daze
    1 Tarmogoyf
    1 FoW


    And on the play:
    in:
    3 Stifle
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod

    out:
    3 FoW
    1 Tarmogoyf
    ...

    It's hard to say what's optimal, especially on the play.

  4. #4
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    Quasim0ff's Avatar
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    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Quote Originally Posted by balthasar View Post
    (edited)
    The reason for taking out Bobs is that I want to focus on the early game as much as possible. Going into the late game usually isn't optimal against Miracles, since that deck is designed for the late game. I'd rather have played some games like in r2, where I crushed him with the resource denial plan. Unfortunately, I had Stifle in hand, Wasteland on the board and he drew basic lands :P

    If we were to keep in Bobs, what should be the correct sideboard on the draw?
    in:
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Vendilion Clique

    out:
    4 Daze
    1 Tarmogoyf
    1 FoW


    And on the play:
    in:
    3 Stifle
    2 Grafdigger's Cage
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod

    out:
    3 FoW
    1 Tarmogoyf
    ...

    It's hard to say what's optimal, especially on the play.
    Why would you want Cage, Snapcaster?

    It's a 3-off, and I guess he'd be more happy than not if you actually cut relevant cards for garbage like that.

  5. #5
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    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    First off congrats, nice to see BUG Delver doing well.

    Regarding SBing against miracles. As others have said, Bob and Library are probably the best cards in the deck, no way I'd ever cut them.

    'Unfortunately, I had Stifle in hand, Wasteland on the board and he drew basic lands :P' - this is why the mana denial plan isn't viable against miracles, the only way that's ever happening is if they brick on lands (like what happened R2).

    VS Miracles with your config I'd go

    +
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Flusterstorm
    1 Vendilion Clique

    -
    4 Daze

    You're already pretty well set up in the matchup actually. If you want to bring in Stifles, I'd cut some amount of Hymns. These two cards are working on different angles of attack (board/hand).
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  6. #6

    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Quote Originally Posted by Dissection View Post
    First off congrats, nice to see BUG Delver doing well.

    Regarding SBing against miracles. As others have said, Bob and Library are probably the best cards in the deck, no way I'd ever cut them.

    'Unfortunately, I had Stifle in hand, Wasteland on the board and he drew basic lands :P' - this is why the mana denial plan isn't viable against miracles, the only way that's ever happening is if they brick on lands (like what happened R2).

    VS Miracles with your config I'd go

    +
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Null Rod
    1 Flusterstorm
    1 Vendilion Clique

    -
    4 Daze

    You're already pretty well set up in the matchup actually. If you want to bring in Stifles, I'd cut some amount of Hymns. These two cards are working on different angles of attack (board/hand).
    Thanks for this constructive feedback. I generally agree and will make some sb plans based on this.

  7. #7
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    Re: Win with BUG Delver at 17 player tournament

    Is there a particular reason why you didn't play Liliana of the Veil?

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