Welcome to MONO BLUE SECRET THING!
This is a variation of the typical Delver of Secrets
list that aims to prove mono-blue can be viable in modern. The deck would be better in certain match ups if we were to go the typical delver route and add cards like Lightning Bolt, Electrolyze, and/or Young Pyromancer... but again that's not what I was shooting for when I made the deck. The goal of the deck is simple, play a Delver of Secrets
, or Thing in the Ice
turn 1 or turn 2 and protect it while never letting up on the opponent with attacks. This deck is a budget deck, and as such keep in mind some choices are less than optional but I will include what I intend the upgrade to be once I aqcuire those cards in the description.
The 75
Lands
17x Island The land base is very simple. With all of our cards only being colorless or blue only Island's are really needed. I only run Islands because 17 islands is the bare minimum I could keep while not hindering the performance of the deck. For the same reason, I have opted to not use utility lands, as the deck cannot afford to hit a colorless land early in the game. Sometimes I keep a hand with only 1 Island, and often this turns out to be the right play as I am able to Opt or Serum Visions into another land next turn. Also, the 3 of Vedalken Shackles needs an Island heavy mana base to be effective.
2x Faerie Conclave I have only 8 creatures in the deck as my winconditions. These 2 are creatures 9-10 incase I can't find the any of the other 8, in case all of my stuff keep's dying from removal, or I just need more attackers, whatever, they are in there for that reason.
1 Drops
4x Serum Visions and 4x Opt are used for digging through our deck to get to whatever we need; may it be a land, creature, or some disruption spells. Both spells can help set up a Delver of Secrets
flip or help tick down a Thing in the Ice
. Opt is an instant and often allows the deck to hold out counter spells to the opponent's end step and still be able to use some unused mana if we don't counter spell that turn.
4x Vapor Snag The snag helps us against any opposing creatures giving us trouble or in a pinch, save on of our own creatures. Also, the 1 damage it deals is not irrelevant. I have won a couple games where 2 or 3 casts of this has won me the game outracing an opponent. This card bounces back creatures which can buy us a lot of time against their threats. Against non-haste creatures it can buy us a couple turns before they can use that creature to swing at us.
4x Delver of Secrets
The card that inspired the entire deck is delver. He can be a 3/2 beater on turn 2 and often is. This combined with the slew of counter magic in the deck make it very difficult to answer and it usually does at least 6 damage before taken off of the board. If you are able to blank all of your opponent's answers for it, it can and has won the deck plenty of games.
4x Dispel this card lives in the sideboard as it is boarded in to help stop kill spells, help win counter wars, or when it just helps stall a critical mass of opposing instants like when the deck plays against a burn deck.
2 Drops
2x Unsubstantiate and 2x Echoing Truth These are the deck's answer to any nonland permanent's that got through our counterspells. Honestly, these can be replaced with any mix of Boomerang, Unsubstantiate, Cyclonic Rift or Echoing Truth. Basically, whichever combination of these spells you run, they are just 4 2 mana bounce spells each with their own unique upside. Personally, I prefer 2/2 split of Unsubstantiate and echoing truth as token decks are in my local meta and Unsubstantiate to me is a pet card of mine as it is reminiscent of remand but more flexible. However, depending on personal taste and your meta, Boomerang or Cyclonic Rift are definitely dependable and useful options for this slot.
4x Remand Ah, Classic remand. This is one of the key cards of the deck. In the early game it literally is an extra turn spell with no card disadvantage as it cantrips. Late game it is still helpful at stalling bigger plays as it effectively doubles the cost to play any spell. With this deck the fact that it digs as well as stops a spell is extremely relevant as we really cannot afford to run out of gas.
4x Disrupting Shoal This is the Force of Will of the modern format and one of the few obvious payoffs for being mono-blue. Turn 1 on the draw we can counter things for free. After that, we can still counter things for 0 mana while tapped out later in the game. No one expects a counterspell while being tapped out in modern and often can lead to very advantageous positions.
4x Spreading Seas This is the deck's land hate. At worst case this is just an over priced draw spell(which in this type of deck is just fine) and at best it will hit something like Urza's Power Plant or even temporarily punish a greedy mana-base.
4x Thing in the Ice
This is the deck's big beater and board wipe in a small, neat little package. Early game he keeps you alive by eating attacks, and when he flips he bounces everything to their owner's hands and swings for 7. Many times I have flipped the thing and won 2 turns later because the opponent couldn't make any spells stick to hinder it.
2x Deprive 1 in the main and one in the sideboard. This card is literally an alternate Counterspell. It behaves exactly like the OG Counterspell does as well. However, the land bouncing cost it has can be disadvantageous at times. This is the reason it is a 1 of mainboard. It does it's job very well, but I do not want to be bouncing lands and losing the tempo I have already gained early game as well. As such at 4 lands and after this card effectively doesn't have a downside.
3x Isochron Scepter This card is in the sideboard for when I really need some lategame plays or mid-late game card advantage. Game 2 should usually be free of artifact hate as the deck runs only 6 artifacts and all of them are in the sideboard. The scepter has great synergy in the deck as it just so happens to hit a majority of our cards and pinning a Remand, Opt, Vapor Snag, or an Unsubstantiate can be very useful in a variety of situations. It isn't amazing by any means, but it has janked a couple of games enough for me to run.
3+ Drops
4x Exhaustion This card is used as a psuedo Time Walk and a way to just buy time/ stall a board full of creatures. The fact that it locks lands for an entire turn makes this card extremely relavant as often times opponents tap out during some point in the game and if you can cast this after you can capitalize on an almost second turn. There have been games where I have casted this with a Thing in the Ice
out at 2 or 3 counters and casted either cantrips or Flood of Recollection on Exhaustion to stall and bounce an entire field pf creatures. Very underrated and underused card.
3x Vedalken Shackles This card is another obvious payoff for being mono blue. It is in the side to help shore up our weaknesses to creature heavy match ups. Often, when this is sided in it allows me to stabilize against a faster deck as it buys me a lot of valuable time and continuously allows me to steal their best creature. Even on an empty board it is great as I will steal whatever they try to cast. Beating someone with their own creature is a very funny and fun way to win in magic.
4x Imprisoned in the Moon this card is what mono blue has lacked for many years. A Permanent way of dealing with creatures, lands, or planeswalkers. It is mono-blue removal.
Potential Spice
This section is about cards that I would be interested in trying in the deck. These cards may not be exactly competitive... but I think they'd be worth playing at casual tables or even just for the fun of it. If you have any experience or thoughts about these cards please comment them!
1 Chasm Skulker This card has always been one of my favorite blue creatures that I just couldn't find a home for. In this deck he has Opt, Serum Visions, Spreading Seas, and Remand that cantrip. That is 16 cards that synergize extremely well with this little guy. Spreading Seas is an amazing support card for him as well that the deck is already running without him. He also is a HORROR! Meaning, he doesn't get bounced by Thing in the Ice
. He synergizes EXTREMELY well with the rest of the deck. I just feel like if there is a home for him in a modern list, it would be this one at probably a two of.
2 Cryptic Serpent just a really big butt for 2 mana somewhat early in the game. This deck doesn't really have a beater except Awoken Horror and that is a lot harder to get flipped than this guy.
Please comment your opinions of the deck below! I love to hear feedback as it helps improve the deck. Also, if you know of any cards I could run in this deck that I have failed to mention, that seem to work well in a list like this please comment that card below. Thank you for your feedback.
