Hey Sourcers!

I've been noticing that over the last few months RUG Delver has taken a loss in popularity especially with cards like Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay making their way into the meta. Understandably so, as well, because those two cards can be devastating if you aren't prepared for them.

I've been developing my RUG Delver deck over several weeks and trying new things. Among them is the reduction of Stifle to one copy, the addition of Standstill, and a few others. With things the way they are I wanted to make RUG regain a little bit of its power since I love the archetype.

My current build is as follows.

CREATURES-------

4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Tarmogoyf
1 Scavenging Ooze

SORCERIES--------

3 Ponder
2 Chain Lightning
1 Green Sun's Zenith

INSTANTS----------

3 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Tarfire
1 Stifle

ENCHANTMENTS---

3 Standstill

LANDS--------------

4 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Island
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Taiga
2 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland

SIDEBOARD--------

2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Sufluric Vortex
3 Submerge
2 Cursed Totem
1 Seal of Removal
2 Krosan Grip
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Tormod's Crypt


I'm fully aware of how weird this list may look. My explanations for some of the unconventional cards are as follows -

* Stifle - I reduced this to 1 copy because I believe Stifle is one of those cards that really sucks when it sucks, and along with Daze it's one of the worst nonland topdecks in the deck. Oftentimes I would rather people think I have them so that I can still "control" in some way.

* Tarfire - Tarmogoyf food. It doesn't even have to resolve in order for it to matter.

* Dryad Arbor - It's good for any responses to Standstill that threaten a Delver of Secrets I have out that would have given me board advantage. Even if it's a 1/1, it's still advantage until my opponent has a reason to let me have three cards. I may also try Treetop Village or Faerie Conclave if I feel as if they're better options down the road.

* Counterspell - I've seen virtually no RUG lists that include plain Counterspells. I've gotten much much more use out of them than, say, a Spell Snare. It's also infinitely better than any other countermagic mid-to-late game as well.

* Seal of Removal - Bounce and more Tarmogoyf food. I also consider Germ tokens as well.

* 3 FoW, 4 Pierce - I'm only choosing to run 3 Forces due to the fact that in most cases against decks that aren't creature heavy, a Spell Pierce does a better job at being Force of Will than Force of Will itself. It also saves me cards I would otherwise have to pitch.

* Cursed Totem - Not the most popular option, but Deathrite Shaman, Knight of the Reliquary, and Stoneforge Mystic hate them. It also makes Elf Combo cry in the corner as well. This matters because I see a good bit of it.

* No Rough / Tumble - I really hate the idea of using this card. It's only good if you're clearing boards of Goblins, really, and that's about it. I've hardly ever cast this card and don't think I will most of the time. If I'm going to use board wipe, I would rather go for tempo edge or faster clock and cast Earthquake.

Again, I know the list looks strange but I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions on it. I've tested it and I've gotten pretty good results, but let me know what you think!

Happy New Year everyone! Be safe!