Battle of the Delvers

[JPoJohnson]

So, I've played with quite a few different decks in Legacy, and it's always been interesting to me that people vary so much on what they like and what they don't like.... What is present in the meta for quite a while and what seems to die off. Anyways, I've noticed so many variations that work around a Delver core that it got my interested in wondering what people think.

1. Which of the following is the best deck and why? (both in current standing and how it is able to fair across different metas)?
2. What colors of Delver haven't been explored that should be given an opportunity?
3. Which is the weakest and why?

BUG Delver
RUG Delver
UWR Delver
UR Delver
BURG Delver

It'll be interesting to hear feedback (:

[AggroControl]

So, I've played with quite a few different decks in Legacy, and it's always been interesting to me that people vary so much on what they like and what they don't like.... What is present in the meta for quite a while and what seems to die off. Anyways, I've noticed so many variations that work around a Delver core that it got my interested in wondering what people think.

1. Which of the following is the best deck and why? (both in current standing and how it is able to fair across different metas)?
2. What colors of Delver haven't been explored that should be given an opportunity?
3. Which is the weakest and why?

BUG Delver
RUG Delver
UWR Delver
UR Delver
BURG Delver

It'll be interesting to hear feedback (:

One of the BUG Delver lists is likely the best list in the format right now.

Differences in play:

BUG - Deathrite Shaman, Abrupt Decay, Hymn to Tourach, Liliana of the Veil, Dark Confidant
RUG - Lightning Bolt, Stifle, Nimble Mongoose, Forked Bolt
UWR - Lightning Bolt, Stoneforge Mystic, various equipment, True-name Nemesis, Swords to Plowshares

The top list of differential cards is more powerful than the two lists below it. BUG has access to better early disruption and also better mid-game bombs.

[rlesko]

RUG is the most disruptive. Out of all the "delver" decks, it is the best tempo deck because it has the best mana denial package. Now, it is possible for the other variants to play stifle but it is not popular for whatever reason, so I am generalizing in that sense.

UWr and BUG are a little slower, with UWr being the slowest but sporting the best removal suite (7-8 1 cmc removal spells). Now that the format has "solved" the TNN boogeyman issue I actually think UWr is the weakest of the top 3 (RUG, BUG, UWr). Against the field BUG and RUG is a toss up but having access to Abrupt Decay could be the trump card.

[AggroControl]

I think the reason that BUG does not play Stifle is that they are already playing a bunch of conditional cards in the list in Abrupt Decay and Hymn to Tourach. Very powerful cards to be sure, just like Stifle, but also conditional in terms of their value at various points in the game. 12 cards like that is a lot in a list and makes the business aspect of the list more muddied, with more draws that are not business of the moment.

I guess the question is whether Hymn to Tourach or Stifle is better at what the list is trying to do?

[Dice_Box]

I think it depends on what you are expecting to have to deal with. I am gaming tonight with Patriot because I feel like if you can get to the mid game, your set against most fair decks and against unfair decks your solid too.

I have tested the others, I find BUG to be like Jund but less enjoyable. Punishing Fire just pushes all my buttons in just the right way. As for RUG, I hate it's play style. Yes, it is a good deck, but the moment the game slips away from you you need one of two things: A fetch and a Brainstorm NOW, or a box of Valium.

As for the other two, I think Burn is better positioned than UR and 4 colour Delver just looks too dam greedy to me. Your already running close to the wire, that's just too much greed imo.

[Manipulato]

You forgot Grixis Delver (With Young Pyromancer, Gitaxian Probe & Cabal Therapy).

I played all of the Delver variants (Exept for Grixis) and had the most succes with BUG. I just love DS & Decay because of they're flexibility & power level.
Beside that it is the perfect mixture of a delver tempo deck & a midrange/Control BGx deck.

[wcm8]

Having played all variants of Delver, BUG is definitely the best version and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. DRS + Abrupt Decay pushed the archetype into a higher tier where it has a fair chance at beating ANYTHING thrown its way. With a few minor exceptions, Team America can consistently beat any Legacy deck with a little bit of sideboard help. I don't even mind playing against decks that are supposedly good against TA, such as UWr Miracles, Merfolk, Burn, Death and Taxes, etc. as the sideboard and brute strength of the maindeck is still generally enough to win against these sort of decks with a little luck.

In my honest opinion, I think TA is on its Own Tier above Tier 1 since it's playing literally all of the best cards available in the Legacy card-pool and can be run at any tournament without needing much consideration for the metagame due to its inherent versatility (speaking both strategically and based on the versatility of its cards)... at least until some future printings can shake up the format again. This is not to say the deck is unbeatable, nor that it is necessarily the *best* choice for every given tournament. I'm simply stating this based on how all-around powerful it is and how it seemingly has something like a 60/40 matchup against the format at large.

Team America is probably the closest a deck will come to "solving" the format. The reasons are numerous:
-the most powerful/efficient control shell* (FoW, Daze, Hymn, Liliana + access to additional Blue and Black disruption)
-the most powerful/efficient midrange spells (DRS, Goyf, Liliana, Hymn, Sylvan Library, Abrupt Decay)
-the most efficient library manipulation/draw spells (Ponder, Brainstorm, Sylvan Library, access to Dark Confidant)
-the most versatile removal spell (Abrupt Decay)
-the most aggressive 1-drop creature (Delver of Secrets)
-the most powerful/efficient selection of Sideboard options (granted, there are a few White and Red options that TA would love to run, but with the BUG colors just about any opposing strategy can be dealt with.)
-the ability to "shift gears" depending on the matchup and sideboard into a different strategy if needed

*Hymn is generally a 4-of in most winning lists, but this could just as easily be Spell Pierce, Stifle, Thoughtseize, etc. depending on the metagame expectations.