[Deck] Jeskai Delver

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

This is the thread to discuss the Jeskai Delver archetype in Modern.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Hey Everyone!

I'm excited to start discussing Jeskai Delver again! What a cool new site. I will get some info together and we can make this one better than the last!

GofyTomcat1
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Post by GofyTomcat1 » 4 years ago

I'm looking forward to continuing the discussion here! :)

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

Hi guys :)
I am sad that we're under "Developing" again.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Hi everyone! Glad to see some of you guys have made it over here already. I also feel like jeskai delver is an established deck in terms of modern's history, but lately it hasn't had a lot of finishes. As soon as we start putting up some 5-0 finishes online I will request that the deck be moved back to the established tier.

I am still working on updating the primer and figuring out this new site. I will likely get it done over the weekend.

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

Meanwhile I'll post my current deck here so that anyone who didn't knew our old thread on MTGSalvation sees what a Jeskai Delver deck can look like :)
Image

I know that there are no results because almost no one is playing Jeskai Delver but I have a consistent win rate of 65-75% over the last two years and I think that's at least as good as any of the "Tier 1" decks. Anyways, maybe I'll get far enough in Barcelona to make this deck more known...

Cholenberg
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Post by Cholenberg » 4 years ago

So glad i found you guys again :) Iv been looking allot at StevomatUWR list and its so cool and ofc suggestions made by CurdBros and hers what i came up with for my budget list

Creatures 16
4 x Delver of Secrets
4 x Monastery Swiftspear
2 x Young Pyromancer
2 x Geist of Saint Traft
4 x Soul-Scar Mage


Spells 26
1 x Faithless Looting
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Lightning Helix
3 x Path to Exile
4 x Serum Visions
3 x Opt
2 x Spell Pierce
2 x Mana Leak
2 x Remand
1 x Jeskai charm

sideboard
3 x Mantis Rider
1 x Bedlam Reveler
1 x Dispel
1 x Wear // Tear
3 x Tormod's Crypt
1 x Celestial purge
1 x Stony silence
1 x Ashiok, Dream Render
1 x Echoing Truth
1 x Abrade
1 x Chandra, Pyromaster
Maybe:
Smash to Smithereens
Dovin's vito
Anger of the Gods

The reason why iv put Mantis riders and bedlam in sideboard is couse im still not sure, maybe i should take out the giest and main Mantis and then see how it goes and have geist in sideboard, i just think its cool win con if my other creatures die that can be targeted, since i dont have Snapcaster, anyways thanks everyone for help, ofc if u have any suggestion please tell me, and also if someone could help me with list of budget manabase i would really appreciate it!

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Cholenberg wrote:
4 years ago
So glad i found you guys again :) Iv been looking allot at StevomatUWR list and its so cool and ofc suggestions made by CurdBros and hers what i came up with for my budget list

Creatures 16
4 x Delver of Secrets
4 x Monastery Swiftspear
2 x Young Pyromancer
2 x Geist of Saint Traft
4 x Soul-Scar Mage


Spells 26
1 x Faithless Looting
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Lightning Helix
3 x Path to Exile
4 x Serum Visions
3 x Opt
2 x Spell Pierce
2 x Mana Leak
2 x Remand
1 x Jeskai charm

sideboard
3 x Mantis Rider
1 x Bedlam Reveler
1 x Dispel
1 x Wear // Tear
3 x Tormod's Crypt
1 x Celestial purge
1 x Stony silence
1 x Ashiok, Dream Render
1 x Echoing Truth
1 x Abrade
1 x Chandra, Pyromaster
Maybe:
Smash to Smithereens
Dovin's vito
Anger of the Gods

The reason why iv put Mantis riders and bedlam in sideboard is couse im still not sure, maybe i should take out the giest and main Mantis and then see how it goes and have geist in sideboard, i just think its cool win con if my other creatures die that can be targeted, since i dont have Snapcaster, anyways thanks everyone for help, ofc if u have any suggestion please tell me, and also if someone could help me with list of budget manabase i would really appreciate it!
I think you may be correct that Geist would be a better sideboard option with mantis rider in the main deck. That way you could be very aggressive in game 1 and then if you play against a removal heavy deck you can side in Geist. That would likely be a better fit for the maindeck. I would probably cut one soul-scar mage and move two Geist to the board. Then you could add the mantis riders to the main deck and have an additional open slot in the sideboard. 12 one drop creatures may be too many so I would suggest cutting one soul-scar mage anyways. Otherwise, this deck looks awesome. I can't wait to see it in action.

For the mana base I have a few questions. Are you planning on getting any of the Khan's fetchlands? Fetches aren't exactly budget, but they are somewhat necessary. I will make a mana base without them for the time being.

4 Spirebluff Canal
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Island
1 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Clifftop Retreat
2 Shivan Reef
1 Adarkar Wastes

If you can get a second copy of each shock land that would be best and you could cut the buddy lands (sulfur falls, clifftop retreat, glacial fortress) because those can come in tapped too often. This is just a first attempt at a mana base so keep us posted on how it goes for you.

Without fetches you may want to run a second copy of Faithless Looting (maybe cut a serum visions] to ensure you don't flood too often. You can make that decision if flooding becomes an issue. With opts, serum visions, and the 1 faithless looting you are probably fine already.

Good luck!

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

Hi Cholenberg, I am glad you like my deck. Thanks.
I think your deck looks very good and explosive. However, you listed up 42 spells which would only leave room for 18 lands.
I recommend that you follow CurdBros' recommendation and use 19 lands. Cutting one Soul-Scar Mage to make room for one more land sounds fine.
I'd also put Mantis Riders main and move Geist to the SB if you want to have both. If not I'd replace the Riders in the SB for more specific hate cards. I'd definitely add Anger.
With so many 1-drops I'd also try Light up the Stage. It's good even in my deck so it should be awesome in yours. With Jund on the rise again you'll want card advantage. Maybe it's even okay to put Flashfreeze in the SB now, not sure.

I am still contemplating about 2 cards in regards to the Bolt the Bird tournament tomorrow.
Should I play Resto or Elspeth? Should I play Looting or Light up? I can't decide... -_-

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

StevomatUWR wrote:
4 years ago
Hi Cholenberg, I am glad you like my deck. Thanks.
I think your deck looks very good and explosive. However, you listed up 42 spells which would only leave room for 18 lands.
I recommend that you follow CurdBros' recommendation and use 19 lands. Cutting one Soul-Scar Mage to make room for one more land sounds fine.
I'd also put Mantis Riders main and move Geist to the SB if you want to have both. If not I'd replace the Riders in the SB for more specific hate cards. I'd definitely add Anger.
With so many 1-drops I'd also try Light up the Stage. It's good even in my deck so it should be awesome in yours. With Jund on the rise again you'll want card advantage. Maybe it's even okay to put Flashfreeze in the SB now, not sure.

I am still contemplating about 2 cards in regards to the Bolt the Bird tournament tomorrow.
Should I play Resto or Elspeth? Should I play Looting or Light up? I can't decide... -_-

My vote are is for Restoration Angel. Resto is just an awesome card that I really want to include in my deck, but can't find room I may have to cut a card to get a copy in.

For myself the meta will make a huge difference between light up the stage and looting. If you are going to see a lot of midrange then Light up the stage maybe a better choice than faithless looting. Looting is great for consistency, but light of the stage is much better against the value heavy midrange decks that take a lot of card advantage. On the other hand, if you plan on seeing a lot of neoform, griselbrand, infect, and other hyper linear combo decks than faithless looting would likely be better because you can get to your answers more consistently. Do you have any information regarding the meta? If not, I would probably default to faithless looting. I like additional cantrips/deck manipulation in tournament play especially of it is 4+ rounds..

Good luck at the tournament StevomatUWR!

Cholenberg
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Post by Cholenberg » 4 years ago

Hey everyone, thx so much for all the help and after allot of thinking i decided to go for:

4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Young Pyromancer
2 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Mantis Rider

1 Faitless looting
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
2 Opt
2 Spell Pierce
2 Mana Leak
2 Remand
1 Jeskai charm

4 Spirebluff Canal
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Island
1 Mountain
2 Plains
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Clifftop Retreat
2 Shivan Reef
1 Adarkar Wastes

and sideboard:
3 Tormod's Crypt
1 Celestial purge
1 Wear // Tear
2 Dispel
1 Echoing Truth
2 Abrade
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Dovin's Veto
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

And then il go from there, here at my place there isnt really big MTG community, so i might have problems even getting the these cards, but i really like the colors and idea of this deck and cant wait to start playing it, how ever long it takes gonna try and get them all and work from there, eventually i'm planning to go for some fetchlands and snappy but im sure il have much more questions when it comes to that! :D
Thank you all again :)

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Hi everyone. I wanted to say congrats on having the single most active thread on the developing modern tab! We have the most replies and views of any of the decks. I love having a vibrant and active jeskai community. Keep it up everyone!

I will be starting the matchup of the week post again on Monday. For those of you who were with us on the prior website you will already be accustomed to the matchup of the week. For newer members the matchup of the week is a post each week where I bring up a matchup that is currently popular or has been popular in modern. Then each member can talk about how they gameplan against that matchup, how they sideboard against said matchup, and whether they feel the overall matchup is favorable or unfavorable for their build. I have found this is a great way to learn new sideboard strategies, new gameplay lines, and new insights into given matchups. It also helps those players who don't get to play against a specific deck very often to have some experience against the deck.

I always like to ask a day or two before if there are any matchups that anyone want to discuss. So if there are any matchups that anyone wants to discuss please just post and let me know.

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

Looks like MtGSalvation isn't going to disappear after all. Now we have the problem that we have even more threads to check for updates :(
Are we going back to MtGSalvation and only post there? I'd vote for it because it's easier with only one forum.

Btw, the tournament didn't go well at all. I beat Infect pretty easily 2-0 (one game with removal and one game stalling my opponent with Gideon of the Trials) but I lost against Grixis Control 1-2 (one mull to 5 and missed land drops, one clear Geist win, one very close game which one tiny mistake might have cost me), against Eldrazi Tron 1-2 (one close loss, one clear win with Geist, Gideon and Deflecting Pam, one clear loss where I was behind from start till finish, opp had his 1-of Cavern so I couldn't Disdainful Stroke his Smasher) and against UW Control 0-2 (one close loss where I dealt 27 damage but opp resolved Timely Reinforcements twice, one clear loss where he had all his 1-of answers, Detention Sphere for my Teferi, Celestial Purge for my Ashiok... what are the odds. I couldn't find a Path for his Colonnade. When I tried to kill it with Magmatic Sinkhole with FoN backup of course he had Dovin's Veto). Sorry if this sounded a bit salty.
Anyways, I realized that Elspeth is much better in this deck than Resto Angel. In two games I would have won with Elspeth instead of Angel in my hand. I also realized that the deck needs more power. Today I ordered 2x Dreadhorde Arcanists. I'll have to tweak again before I take it to Barcelona.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

StevomatUWR wrote:
4 years ago
Looks like MtGSalvation isn't going to disappear after all. Now we have the problem that we have even more threads to check for updates :(
Are we going back to MtGSalvation and only post there? I'd vote for it because it's easier with only one forum.

Btw, the tournament didn't go well at all. I beat Infect pretty easily 2-0 (one game with removal and one game stalling my opponent with Gideon of the Trials) but I lost against Grixis Control 1-2 (one mull to 5 and missed land drops, one clear Geist win, one very close game which one tiny mistake might have cost me), against Eldrazi Tron 1-2 (one close loss, one clear win with Geist, Gideon and Deflecting Pam, one clear loss where I was behind from start till finish, opp had his 1-of Cavern so I couldn't Disdainful Stroke his Smasher) and against UW Control 0-2 (one close loss where I dealt 27 damage but opp resolved Timely Reinforcements twice, one clear loss where he had all his 1-of answers, Detention Sphere for my Teferi, Celestial Purge for my Ashiok... what are the odds. I couldn't find a Path for his Colonnade. When I tried to kill it with Magmatic Sinkhole with FoN backup of course he had Dovin's Veto). Sorry if this sounded a bit salty.
Anyways, I realized that Elspeth is much better in this deck than Resto Angel. In two games I would have won with Elspeth instead of Angel in my hand. I also realized that the deck needs more power. Today I ordered 2x Dreadhorde Arcanists. I'll have to tweak again before I take it to Barcelona.
I noticed that last night. It looks like MTG Salvation is staying. I will just keep an eye on both sites. The more the merrier I guess! I will likely do most of my posting here now given that I think a majority of the people will be coming over here. However, I will definitely be posting on both sites so anyone who doesn't know about the other site has a place to go.

Grixis control is not a deck I would have prepaired for. That's what happens sometimes in tournament play. You could play tron all day long or you could get paired against soul sisters, boggles, grixis control, and mill in four consecutive rounds. It's a bit of a lottery.

The UW player sided in Celestial Purge! That seems like a very narrow decision. It paid off I guess, but that is much more likely to be a dead card for many turns than a hit. I would be a bit salty too. It sounds like this guy/gal had all of the perfect cards. It can be very hard to beat UW control when they draw all of the perfect answers. Often they don't have the correct answer and lose, but if they do they can be tough to take down.

I haven't had time to tinker enough with Dreadhorde Anarchist, but the card is off he charts awesome so I hope it works for you. It's right up my alley so when I have more time I can't wait to try it out.

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

Hi, I played two matches online against Jund and Dredge with my tweaked deck and won both... good start.
(I find it easier to win online though, during tournaments I am under too much stress and not calm enough. I just can't help it.)
I took out Angel, Teferi and 1 Force and added Elspeth and 2x Dreadhorde Arcanist. I also added 1 Pillar of Flame as another target for the Arcanists. Pillar of Flame is pretty good right now against Phoenix, Dredge creatures, Matter Reshaper, everything in Vizier decks... it has enough targets. Btw, Arcanist also is a good target for Elspeth's ability. Teferi wasn't as good as I hoped for. Maybe I'll keep him in my SB against Control. Not sure yet.
Last edited by StevomatUWR 4 years ago, edited 1 time in total.

StevomatUWR
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Post by StevomatUWR » 4 years ago

So, this is how the deck looks currently:
Image
I am not sure about the Pyromancers anymore.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

StevomatUWR wrote:
4 years ago
So, this is how the deck looks currently:
Image
I am not sure about the Pyromancers anymore.
Deck looks sweet. I'm glad anarchist is working so far. I really like the direction you are going. I agree with you about pyromancer. It seems a little out of place with the game one plan, especially with anarchist. I wonder if they wouldn't be better in the sideboard. It's worth trying it just as you have it for a little while to see how it goes. Sometimes things look a little weird on paper and end up playing very well so I would say test it out and see how it goes. If the pyromancers are a bit slow for game one then we can theory craft some different cards in those slots. Possibly just another archanist and another spell.

GofyTomcat1
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Post by GofyTomcat1 » 4 years ago

[mention]CurdBros[/mention]
Questions:
1. Is this thread specifically for Delver decks? Or will it be more like the Salvation thread that encompasses other forms of Jeskai tempo/aggro?
2. What's your current decklist?

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

GofyTomcat1 wrote:
4 years ago
@CurdBros
Questions:
1. Is this thread specifically for Delver decks? Or will it be more like the Salvation thread that encompasses other forms of Jeskai tempo/aggro?
2. What's your current decklist?
Hi GofyTomcat. I will keep this one similar to our old topic on Salvation. It will be for any jeskai tempo or aggro control style list. I wasn't able to make the topic name this time so it's jeskai delver. Once I figure out how to edit (if that is possible) I will change the name to jeskai delver/jeskai tempo. Feel free to post. The more the merrier.

My current decklist is the following
I currently have one flex slot that I am deciding on. It was Spell Pierce, but I don't want too much counter magic in my main deck so I can be aggressive in game 1. Right now I am testing Abrade, Spell Pierce, Boros Charm, Peek, Sleight of Hand, Distortion Strike, Izzet Charm and several others to see what feels best for me. I really wish we had a great 2-3 mana model spell in the jeskai colors like Kologhan's Command.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Well now that the modern mythic championship is over it's a good time to look at the state of our deck. The good news is that our deck would have been a very good choice for the mythic championship. The tempo and aggro-control versions of this deck have a great tron matchup and actually do very well against Hogaak.

Jund and Eldrazi Tron can be hard but are beatable. Humans is a great matchup and phoenix is about even. I think we would have done very well if team jeskai would have been at the pro tour. I haven't made any changes to my list in awhile. Here are a few things I have found lately:

Force of Negation has overperformed regularly. I think this card will really start to pick up soon, especially if Hogaak is banned. It's a game changer.

Path to Exile is amazing in the current meta. It kills hogaak, big threats from from tron, goyfs, etc. Its in a great place.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

WOW! That is a crazy Ban and Restricted announcement. We definitely need to try a jeskai stoneblade build with Delver. I will see if I can start a jeskai stoneblade topic separately so it doesn't get too muddled. This is a very exciting time for modern.

Also from my prior testing, Ojutai's Command was super great with Stoneforge Mystic

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Wow! The Royal Scions looks amazing for this style of deck. I can't wait to try it out. Especially in the lists that run Geist! What do you all think?

JeskaiMage
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Post by JeskaiMage » 4 years ago

I love the Scions as three drops that come in and tick up to 6! Imagine +1, targeting geist, a delver, a dreadhorde arcanist (casting a 2 or 3-drop spell) or even a lowly snapcaster! The loot ability is great on an empty board mid to late game to find a threat or answer. The ultimate has a HUGE impact, has drawing 4 often ends a game, coupled with 4, 5, or 6 points of damage. I will play it as a 1 or maybe a 2 of, replacing some Young Pyromancers.

My flex spots for the current slow format are a seasoned pyromancer and an izzet charm. I love my seasoned pyro, but am not satisfied with the charm. Maybe go old-school with Mana Tithe?

Contrary to some, I think SFM is great in some of the more midrange 21-land decks. Looking at stevomat's list, I would go:
-1 pillar of flame
-1 magmatic sinkhole
-1 gideon of the trials
-2 dreadhorde arcanist
-2 young pyromancer
+4 SFM
+1 batterskull
+1 sword of fire and ice
+1 teferi, time raveler

And possibly another sword in the sideboard, as well as big teferi and JTMS.
The one weakness with this is the low number of spells for delver. Cutting it and replacing it with quellers and adding 2 more t3feri in the place of a couple helixes makes a cool stoneblade deck, but not really a delver deck.

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

I think right now the meta is good for both a more midrange jeskai deck as well as a jeskai delver/tempo deck. Any deck with removal and disruption is well positioned right now. I like your ideas Jeskai Mage. I really feel like jeskai mages can go out and have some fun right now since path, bolt, and FON are all good right now so the rest is up to whatever game plan you like!

CurdBros
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Post by CurdBros » 4 years ago

Hi Everyone. I wanted to share what I have found so far with the new Eldraine cards.

The Royal Scions- Seriously great card. This has over performed every time I cast it. The high loyalty is everything. It just ticks up, filters, and makes our creatures all serious threats. I have ultimated this card multiple times and the ultimate has always been game winning. If you play a tempo or aggro-control build then play this card. I am running two copies now. I think this card will be awesome in temur delver as well.

Brazen Borrower- This card is pretty much exactly what it looks like. It has been underwhelming in a lot of matchups, but has been very good in grindy jund/abzan style matchups. It's never a bad draw, but it doesn't ever seem to be a great draw either. It's a versatile filler card and is a good value card, but nothing special.

Mystic Sanctuary- A great card for any deck that runs a later game plan. I tried it and couldn't run it at a low land count, but I do think this card will be valuable in the more midrange style builds.

I haven't tested any other cards yet. It looks like Emory Jeskai Ascendancy is going to be just as good as we thought it would be as well.

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