[DECK] Jeskai Delver

[Mr. Safety]

Hi Everyone,

I've been working on this deck a lot lately after watching some videos of Caleb Durward piloting the deck. I think this is about as close to a pure tempo deck as modern can get. Grixis delver is still a very good deck, and doing fairly well lately. What I like about Jeskai is the ability to race, which it can do quite well. Tons of removal that can double as burn, powerful threats, and a decent control game are all part of this deck. I am also using some cards that I think are underplayed in the format which can break some matchups open. The re-printing of Opt also gives this deck a little more leverage as well, providing a decent cantrip allowing for 5+ alongside Serum Visions. Some of the cards I'm using that are not traditional are:

1) Grim Lavamancer
2) Forked Bolt
3) Deprive

Beyond those, which do see some fringe play in modern, the deck consists mostly of good, aggressive jeskai cards. Deprive's drawback is negligible, and might even open the door for Steppe Lynx, but I don't think that's as good as it looks. Most times it is actual counterspell. Forked Bolt has really great uses against affinity, elves, death and taxes, collected company decks that use mana creatures, and it can just go to the dome for 2. Lavaman provides reach, keeps the smaller dudes in check, and is easy to feed even with Snapcaster in the mix.

I played the following list to a 4-2 finish on 9/16/17 at a local PPTQ, 57 players, I came in 14th. My matchups were 2x burn, genesis wave, Titan-shift, Elves, and Merfolk. My losses were to merfolk and genesis wave.

4x Delver of Secrets
3x Monastery Swiftspear
1x Grim Lavamancer
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Geist of Saint Traft
4x Serum Visions
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
1x Dispel
1x Peek
1x Forked Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
3x Remand
3x Deprive
2x Boros Charm
2x Spirebluff Canal
3x Arid Mesa
3x Flooded Strand
2x Scalding Tarn
2x Steam Vents
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Mountain

Sideboard
2x Meddling Mage
1x Vendilion Clique
2x Blessed Alliance
2x Spreading Seas
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Rest in Peace
2x Stony Silence
2x Wear/Tear
1x Detention Sphere


The deck is fundamentally really good, and tons of fun. I don't think Swiftspear is very good, not when trying to hold up countermagic. It is a much better card in burn where Lava Spike and Rift Bolt are constantly in the mix that make it a 2/3 without sacrificing any tempo or tapping lands needed for counterspells/removal. I think Grim Lavamancer is just way better at control and pressure. This list was also pre-Opt re-print, so that needs to get worked in at some number. I also think Geist is just a much better option as a threat that ends games faster. I am testing/proposing these changes:

-3 Swiftspear
-1 Peek

+1 Geist of Saint Traft
+1 Grim Lavamancer
+2 Opt

I look forward to discussion on this deck, because I think it has really great potential. It's nothing earth-shattering, or even new. I just think it is well placed in the metagame right now. A ton of other great sideboard/mainboard options also exist to shore up metagame specific issues, such as: Blood Moon, Negate, Eidelon of Rhetoric, Pyroclasm, Vryn Wingmare, Seeker of the Way, Soulfire Grandmaster, Monastery Mentor, and Pithing Needle.

The best part of the deck is that if a board position gets out of control, it can just race. It also has early, powerful answers to cards that it can lose to with Deprive and sideboarded Meddling Mages.

Let me know what you think, and bring on the discussion if you're interested in contributing! I'll post some video links soon that CDurward has done recently that got me into the deck.

Link to Caleb Durward's video, differs slightly with cryptic command, boros charm, etc.

https://youtu.be/J-sybLF_OTU