This Modern Deck is based off the Legacy U/R Delver deck, which is a great deck based on the speed and disruption of cards like Ponder, Delver of Secrets
, and Force of Will. My deck here is an attempt to port that into a Modern form.
Card Choice
Lands:
Scalding Tarn: Fetches for both our colors, it is probably the best land in the deck besides Steam Vents.
Misty Rainforest: The reason I used this over Arid Mesa was because being able to fetch for a blue source is much more important in this deck than being able to fetch a red scource.
Steam Vents: A shock that taps for Izzet colors, and is fetchable by both our fetches. Perfect for the deck.
Sulfer Falls
: A check land for Islands and mountains that will generally be untapped after your Turn 1.
Cascade Bluffs: This takes spots from
Sulfer Falls
and only because it can help you hit double blue or double red when you have it and a basic. Another land that is bad on Turn 1.
Island and Mountain: These lands are part of a cycle of litterally the best lands ever printed.
Creatures
Delver of Secrets
: Not even green can match his power after the banning of Wild Nactle. He is the most powerful 1 drop creature in Modern.
Goblin Guide: Second, we have the second most powerful 1 drop in Modern. With all your counters, this guy will usually net you 6 damage for 1 mana, especially in the early turns. Despite his drawback, he manages to make the cut because of his sheer speed and efficiency.
Snapcaster Mage: This Innistrad addition adds value to the deck unlike any other card. BAM, your Lightning Bolts! become 2-for-1's, BAM, Remand actually nets you a card! Not only that, but his agressively costed 2/1 body make him helpful in a pinch even without cards in your graveyard.
Young Pyromancer: This latest addition to the deck is proving to be very powerful, as he manages to make every single spell give you even more value. Suddenly, your innocent little Serum Visions creates a chump blocker or attacker. Further testing will show whether he deserves his spot over Grim Lavamancer (Who was omitted due to his non-bo with Snapcaster Mage)
Instants & Sorceries
Serum Visions: This is the last unbanned cantrip in modern that can set up a Delver of Secrets
transformation, and it is easy to see why Ponder and Preordain were always used over this before their bans.
Pillar of Flame
: Four words, This, Deck, Hates, Voice. Seriously. It is very hard for this deck to keep going on with its game plan if it doesn't get blown up right away.
Electrolyze: There is only one reason that this deck runs only two Electrolyzes, and that is that it will never be easy to save three mana up. It has a lot of value though, with it's amazing ability to 3-for-1, it's a shoe in to our deck of attration where such amazing advantage is highly difficult to come by.
Lightning Bolt: The first, cycle of cards, ever, were the 1 drop instant cycle in ABUR. It was very unbalanced. One of them got banned in every format. Two went on to be Modern and Legacy staples. One became considered the epitome of a "fair" card. The other was... Lacking... Anyway, the bolt is by far the best removal spell in Modern, and it gives the deck reach with the, "Bolt, Snapcaster, Bolt," play.
Mana Leak: The deck includes a singleton copy of this card because of a few reasons. I would add more if it had more, value. It really lacks in the card advantage department, and though it may be the closest thing to a hard counter that's playable in Modern, it really costs too much for what it does.
Remand: This baby is the best Counterspell in Modern for us tempo players. Without Daze or Force of Will we can still get a good counter. One may be thinking that returning to it's controller's hand is inherently weak, however, it cantrips. This spell isn't supposed to stop the play, it's supposed to stall it, and it does a great job at what it does.
Spell Pierce: When you really have to protect that Delver, he makes sure that that stupid Path to Exile spends its time crying in a corner instead of transforming Delvers into Islands. Not only that, but Birthing Pod is non-creature...
Spell Snare: This addition to the deck was included when I realized that bolting a 2/3 Tarmagoyf causes it to become 3/4 due to state based actions, my bolt gets basically blanked. This also stops Dark Confidant and opposing Snapcaster Mages.
Trickbind: This is not a replacement for Stifle. Just kidding. Whether you're countering persist triggers on Kitchen Finks or fetch triggers on Marsh Flats, this card makes for lots of disrupted plays.
Equipment
Sword of Light and Shadow: I've found this to be the best sword simply because it blanks almost all removal, ever. Also, it gives you your dead Delvers back.
Strategy:
Step 0: Mulligan until you get a turn one or two creature that is not Snapcaster Mage.
Step 1: Play a Delver of Secrets
, or other quick aggresor.
Step 1.5: Protect Delver at all costs! (Flip him while your at it.)
Step 2: Break their face in with Delver, and bolt their dudes.
Step 2.5: Continue protecting Delver.
Step 3: Repeat from step 2.
Eventually, you either disrupt them until you can deal lethal, or you run into top-deck mode, from which things go downhill very quickly.
Finally, I want to thank you from reading this and taking your time to learn about my little fringe strategy. Remember to +1 and comment
