jroharo
12-12-2014, 07:38 PM
http://magiccards.info/scans/en/wwk/57.jpghttp://magiccards.info/scans/en/fnmp/151.jpghttp://magiccards.info/scans/en/mma/70.jpghttp://magiccards.info/scans/en/lw/145.jpg
What is Dark Delver?
Dark Delver is a delver tempo list that is supported by an excellent disruption, removal, and control package and that has the added advantage of utilizing late-game Death’s Shadow, black’s most efficient beater.
Why should I play Dark Delver?
The combo & control matchup for Dark Delver is almost laughable – it’s nearly impossible to lose to combo due to your fast clock and plentiful disruption/control. Dark Delver also has a very good burn matchup, as their spells only aim to fuel the size of your Death’s Shadow, and you have plenty of disruption & control to keep you alive (especially post-board).
What are the worst matchups for Dark Delver?
Zoo and Affinity are definitely the most difficult matchups. Post-sideboard these deficiencies can be rectified, though the matchups remain the most difficult. Splashing a third color can also help to alleviate the problems these decks pose.
Why play a Suicide deck in a meta filled with burn?
Excellent question. The answer is simple: don’t suicide against burn-heavy decks. Allow them to utilize their resources to lower your life total, and disrupt/counter whatever is necessary to retain your threats and keep you alive. Be mindful of your life total always, and don’t be frivolous when it comes to spending life. Against non-red decks, you can throw caution to the wind and slam a massive Death’s Shadow as early as T2.
Deck Breakdown
Threats & Beaters
I have found 12 to be the golden number in regards to threats in Dark Delver. You can get away with less, though I wouldn’t run fewer than 10. Running too many lowers your spell count and therefore the likelihood of a blind delver flip.
Delver of Secrets - You will want 4 of these. Play them as early as you can, and set up the top of your deck with Serum Visions whenever possible. Even if you can't cast a Serum Visions, there are enough instants & sorceries in the deck that there is a fairly high likelihood that delver will flip.
Death's Shadow - You will want 4 of these. Death's Shadow is the main finisher for the deck, since each life point loss buffs him.
Tombstalker - Tombstalker is a very strong creature, though you will usually only be able to cast it a few times throughout the game. With the recent prevalence of UR Delver (read: vapor snag & remand) and Scapeshift (read: Cryptic Command), I have benched Tombstalker for the time being in favor of more reliable threats.
Snapcaster Mage - This slot is variable. I like to run 2 SCM's because I enjoy the utility they provide and the fact that they can beat for 2 power or flash in to block.
Vendilion Clique – I like having 2 of these in my deck, as they provide essentially a delver clock later on in the game, as well as giving the added benefit of the ETB ability.
Oona’s Prowler – While I have not personally tested this card, I have heard good things about it. It is certainly a viable option (especially on a budget) as your threats 9-12.
Dark Confidant - This slot is variable. When people first think of suicide, they immediately think of Bob. He grants a large amount of card advantage and also damage's your life total -- both good things for Dark Delver. However, the downside is that Bob is not good at keeping your life total low, once it gets there. He has the possibility to straight up kill you, when you want to sit at about 5 life. To stop him, you have to burn one of your removal spells. Additionally, you can’t run Treasure Cruise or Tombstalker if you run Bob. For these reasons, I do not run him in my lists.
Spellskite - This slot is variable. It has great synergy with Death's Shadow and keeps your other threats alive, lives through bolts, and can jump in the way of a Path to Exile. I typically keep it in my sideboard.
Cantrips
You should run at least 8 cantrips.
Gitaxian Probe - You will want 4 of these. Allows you to see your opponent's hand and draw a card while causing you to lose 2 life--and all for free! This can also be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage and cast for 2 life (phyrexian mana is not an alternate cost).
Serum Visions – I like running 4 of these, because they increase the consistency of the deck and help ensure an early Delver flip.
Thought Scour – This is a very popular card right now because of the fact that it increases your graveyard by 3 cards, allowing you to cast Treasure Cruise more frequently. However, it does not help you sculpt future draws, and for that reason I am not convinced it is better than Serum Visions.
Disruption
I have found that 6 pieces of 1cmc disruption is the ideal amount. A certain mix of Thoughtseize and Inquisitions seems best. For an unknown meta I usually run 3/3, for a burn-heavy meta I run 2/4, and against a control/combo heavy meta I run 4/2.
Thoughtseize - The best one-drop card disruption against combo/control lists.
Inquisition of Kozilek – The best one-drop card disruption against tempo/aggro lists.
Removal
Vendetta - You will want 1-2 of these. Costing only 1 black mana, Vendetta is a great cheap removal card at instant speed. It causes you to lose life equal to the destroyed creature's toughness. The only downside here is that it cannot hit black creatures.
Dismember - You will want 2-4 of these. Costing a variable cmc of 1-3, Dismember can take out all but the largest of threats. It can also be cost for only a single U mana, which is nice, if you are running low on B. Dismember is also at instant speed.
Darkblast – Very good against token strategies and tempo lists. Also fuels Treasure Cruise. However, there are many threats it can’t deal with. This is definitely a meta choice.
Control
Spell Pierce - You will want 1-3 of these. At only 1 mana, Spell Pierce is cheap way to disrupt your opponent's spells. The downside is that it can be almost worthless in heavy aggro matchups.
Spell Snare - You will want 2-3 of these. An all-star 1 mana counterspell, Spell Snare hits any 2-cmc spell. It is useful against almost all matchups.
Remand - You will want 2-4 of these. Another all-star counterspell, Remand is the poster-child of tempo counterspells. Delays your opponent and also refills your hand.
Lands
If you are playing Treasure Cruise, you should run 8-10 blue fetches. You want as many blue sources in your land base as possible, as a 1-land opening 7 that includes blue source + delver is almost always keepable. For this reason, I only run 1 nonblue land in my lists (a basic swamp).
Blue Fetches - You will want 8-10 of these. Four of them (obviously) need to be Polluted Delta.
Watery Grave - You will want 4 of these.
Darkslick Shores - You might want 1-2 of these. It provides 2 colors of mana and will enter untapped during the most important turns for you. It does not cause any life loss, which is beneficial against certain matchups.
Underground River – I used to run these but found them to underperform in the current meta.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth – While it is an excellent card, I have chosen to stop running it because it does not provide blue mana, and I hate ripping an opening hand with no blue sources (it’s almost always a mulligan).
Sideboard Selection
Coming soon.
Color Splashes
Coming soon.
Tournament Results
SCG IQ 5-8th Place:
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=67561
Sample Decklists
Jroharo’s Dark Delver (U/B)
Creatures:12
4 Death's Shadow
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
Spells:30
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Pierce
3 Spell Snare
2 Thoughtseize
2 Vendetta
2 Remand
3 Dismember
4 Treasure Cruise
Lands:18
3 Island
1 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
6 Other Blue Fetches
4 Watery Grave
Sideboard:15
2 Darkblast
1 Repeal
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Countersquall
2 Smother
3 Spellskite
2 Drown in Sorrow
Acknowledgements
I originally got the idea for this deck from the Legacy version created and piloted by Wyatt Archer (http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=5991&d=234769). I loved the way it played when I took it to some local legacy tournaments and decided to adapt it to modern. There are other versions of Modern Death's Shadow, some are BUG, some are more combo, and many share similarities to this. I didn't notice any primers for this particular method, and so I went ahead and wrote it up since I love this deck so much. I hope you enjoyed reading! I will add more as it comes to me.
What is Dark Delver?
Dark Delver is a delver tempo list that is supported by an excellent disruption, removal, and control package and that has the added advantage of utilizing late-game Death’s Shadow, black’s most efficient beater.
Why should I play Dark Delver?
The combo & control matchup for Dark Delver is almost laughable – it’s nearly impossible to lose to combo due to your fast clock and plentiful disruption/control. Dark Delver also has a very good burn matchup, as their spells only aim to fuel the size of your Death’s Shadow, and you have plenty of disruption & control to keep you alive (especially post-board).
What are the worst matchups for Dark Delver?
Zoo and Affinity are definitely the most difficult matchups. Post-sideboard these deficiencies can be rectified, though the matchups remain the most difficult. Splashing a third color can also help to alleviate the problems these decks pose.
Why play a Suicide deck in a meta filled with burn?
Excellent question. The answer is simple: don’t suicide against burn-heavy decks. Allow them to utilize their resources to lower your life total, and disrupt/counter whatever is necessary to retain your threats and keep you alive. Be mindful of your life total always, and don’t be frivolous when it comes to spending life. Against non-red decks, you can throw caution to the wind and slam a massive Death’s Shadow as early as T2.
Deck Breakdown
Threats & Beaters
I have found 12 to be the golden number in regards to threats in Dark Delver. You can get away with less, though I wouldn’t run fewer than 10. Running too many lowers your spell count and therefore the likelihood of a blind delver flip.
Delver of Secrets - You will want 4 of these. Play them as early as you can, and set up the top of your deck with Serum Visions whenever possible. Even if you can't cast a Serum Visions, there are enough instants & sorceries in the deck that there is a fairly high likelihood that delver will flip.
Death's Shadow - You will want 4 of these. Death's Shadow is the main finisher for the deck, since each life point loss buffs him.
Tombstalker - Tombstalker is a very strong creature, though you will usually only be able to cast it a few times throughout the game. With the recent prevalence of UR Delver (read: vapor snag & remand) and Scapeshift (read: Cryptic Command), I have benched Tombstalker for the time being in favor of more reliable threats.
Snapcaster Mage - This slot is variable. I like to run 2 SCM's because I enjoy the utility they provide and the fact that they can beat for 2 power or flash in to block.
Vendilion Clique – I like having 2 of these in my deck, as they provide essentially a delver clock later on in the game, as well as giving the added benefit of the ETB ability.
Oona’s Prowler – While I have not personally tested this card, I have heard good things about it. It is certainly a viable option (especially on a budget) as your threats 9-12.
Dark Confidant - This slot is variable. When people first think of suicide, they immediately think of Bob. He grants a large amount of card advantage and also damage's your life total -- both good things for Dark Delver. However, the downside is that Bob is not good at keeping your life total low, once it gets there. He has the possibility to straight up kill you, when you want to sit at about 5 life. To stop him, you have to burn one of your removal spells. Additionally, you can’t run Treasure Cruise or Tombstalker if you run Bob. For these reasons, I do not run him in my lists.
Spellskite - This slot is variable. It has great synergy with Death's Shadow and keeps your other threats alive, lives through bolts, and can jump in the way of a Path to Exile. I typically keep it in my sideboard.
Cantrips
You should run at least 8 cantrips.
Gitaxian Probe - You will want 4 of these. Allows you to see your opponent's hand and draw a card while causing you to lose 2 life--and all for free! This can also be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage and cast for 2 life (phyrexian mana is not an alternate cost).
Serum Visions – I like running 4 of these, because they increase the consistency of the deck and help ensure an early Delver flip.
Thought Scour – This is a very popular card right now because of the fact that it increases your graveyard by 3 cards, allowing you to cast Treasure Cruise more frequently. However, it does not help you sculpt future draws, and for that reason I am not convinced it is better than Serum Visions.
Disruption
I have found that 6 pieces of 1cmc disruption is the ideal amount. A certain mix of Thoughtseize and Inquisitions seems best. For an unknown meta I usually run 3/3, for a burn-heavy meta I run 2/4, and against a control/combo heavy meta I run 4/2.
Thoughtseize - The best one-drop card disruption against combo/control lists.
Inquisition of Kozilek – The best one-drop card disruption against tempo/aggro lists.
Removal
Vendetta - You will want 1-2 of these. Costing only 1 black mana, Vendetta is a great cheap removal card at instant speed. It causes you to lose life equal to the destroyed creature's toughness. The only downside here is that it cannot hit black creatures.
Dismember - You will want 2-4 of these. Costing a variable cmc of 1-3, Dismember can take out all but the largest of threats. It can also be cost for only a single U mana, which is nice, if you are running low on B. Dismember is also at instant speed.
Darkblast – Very good against token strategies and tempo lists. Also fuels Treasure Cruise. However, there are many threats it can’t deal with. This is definitely a meta choice.
Control
Spell Pierce - You will want 1-3 of these. At only 1 mana, Spell Pierce is cheap way to disrupt your opponent's spells. The downside is that it can be almost worthless in heavy aggro matchups.
Spell Snare - You will want 2-3 of these. An all-star 1 mana counterspell, Spell Snare hits any 2-cmc spell. It is useful against almost all matchups.
Remand - You will want 2-4 of these. Another all-star counterspell, Remand is the poster-child of tempo counterspells. Delays your opponent and also refills your hand.
Lands
If you are playing Treasure Cruise, you should run 8-10 blue fetches. You want as many blue sources in your land base as possible, as a 1-land opening 7 that includes blue source + delver is almost always keepable. For this reason, I only run 1 nonblue land in my lists (a basic swamp).
Blue Fetches - You will want 8-10 of these. Four of them (obviously) need to be Polluted Delta.
Watery Grave - You will want 4 of these.
Darkslick Shores - You might want 1-2 of these. It provides 2 colors of mana and will enter untapped during the most important turns for you. It does not cause any life loss, which is beneficial against certain matchups.
Underground River – I used to run these but found them to underperform in the current meta.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth – While it is an excellent card, I have chosen to stop running it because it does not provide blue mana, and I hate ripping an opening hand with no blue sources (it’s almost always a mulligan).
Sideboard Selection
Coming soon.
Color Splashes
Coming soon.
Tournament Results
SCG IQ 5-8th Place:
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=67561
Sample Decklists
Jroharo’s Dark Delver (U/B)
Creatures:12
4 Death's Shadow
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
Spells:30
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Pierce
3 Spell Snare
2 Thoughtseize
2 Vendetta
2 Remand
3 Dismember
4 Treasure Cruise
Lands:18
3 Island
1 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
6 Other Blue Fetches
4 Watery Grave
Sideboard:15
2 Darkblast
1 Repeal
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Countersquall
2 Smother
3 Spellskite
2 Drown in Sorrow
Acknowledgements
I originally got the idea for this deck from the Legacy version created and piloted by Wyatt Archer (http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=5991&d=234769). I loved the way it played when I took it to some local legacy tournaments and decided to adapt it to modern. There are other versions of Modern Death's Shadow, some are BUG, some are more combo, and many share similarities to this. I didn't notice any primers for this particular method, and so I went ahead and wrote it up since I love this deck so much. I hope you enjoyed reading! I will add more as it comes to me.