The History of Delver Decks | MTG Deck History #16

[@TheEmeraldboy100]

Delver: "Who are you?" Dragon's Rage Channeler: "I'm you but better."

[@FormOfAllTerror]

Thats a laugh.

[@bugsySA]

Surprisingly it took about a month for people to figure out that delver was good. The standard deck that eventually became delver, was mono blue illusions. 4 x lord of the Unreal, 4x Phantasmal Bear, 4x Phantasmal Image, and 4x Phantasmal Dragon were the core illusions and most of the lands and spells were the same. Then the dragons were cut for delvers, and the illusion count kept going down.

[@assault410]

"The reprint of delver flipped things" Bu Dum Tiss

[@AqueleGamer]

13:35 Delver decks HAVE changed lot in Legacy, Modern horizons 2 has added both Dragon's Rage Channeler and Murktide Regent as powerful cheap threats, DRC being essentially a second early threat and Murktide an insane finisher. No idea how you missed this but I guess there have been no premier paper events with those cards legal, amazing video as always otherwise.

[@HangingFreud]

Also Arcanist got banned. And let's not forget Ragavan.

[@xavisiobluttemberg5563]

tbh those lists are sometimes called "delver" because they share the same gameplan, but have mostly dropped DoS from the 75

[@AqueleGamer]

@@xavisiobluttemberg5563 That is true, but the lists that do still use Delver almost universally also have these other threats within them.

[@charyou3167]

They haven’t done anything in tournaments yet.

[@TheEmeraldboy100]

@@xavisiobluttemberg5563 Ah, yes, the affinitiless Affinity plan.

[@2424Lars]

I feel like you maybe glossed over the importance of Daze in Legacy a little bit, it's one the key cards in the deck among the cantrip cartel because it lets you protect your one-drop on the same turn you play it. It's one of the key reasons why Delver has been so good for so long, which is exemplified by the fact that legacy UR decks are now moving away from Delver and playing Ravagan and Dragon's Rage Channeler with Daze as protection. Without Daze I don't think Legacy Delver would exist

[@rattlesnek3847]

What a great video. I like how comparisons are drawn between the formats and there's some more analysis of each deck's strategies

[@Nukesnipe]

Damn the new Delver art sucks. Like, it fits with modern magic aesthetics better, but the old one had this surreal, artistic edge to it that made it so much better. Also the monster looked better.

[@starduststriker8792]

idk it looks worse in some ways but it also looks like he's having a fun time and i can respect that

[@seilaoquemvc2]

I’ve been messing around with delver in historic and I’m pretty sure we’re revisiting the list soon to include historic

[@charyou3167]

It’s been completely nuts Darci and Delver are going to be a very real part of the metagame

[@eldonerc2524]

You think the triome's from icorea are going to make the mana base more stable. A choice of 3 colors an the ability to cycle late game to feed the graveyard. 🤔

[@seilaoquemvc2]

​@@eldonerc2524 I don't think you can run a ton of taplands on a Delver deck.... Delver excels on Tempo deck, you definitively can't afford to lose tempo. So far, the best Delver list I've been running is a Izzet Phoenix Delver Chaneller list with a ton of cheap cantrips and burn spells that seems quite consistent. I also tried some more control-ish lists with Delver and a ton of counterspells.... Tried Grixis Dreadhord Arcanist Delver.... Phoenix version seems stronger, though.

[@Generic42]

No more Brainstorm makes Delver much worse

[@charyou3167]

@@Generic42 ahahahahahababahahahahahah

[@1ntelligentDiscourse]

I don't know about anyone else, but I greatly miss being reminded that if we use the link then they'll know you sent us.

[@weegeelinguini3704]

Same

[@darriusskyler8493]

Delver of secrets got a reprint and makes me happier I'm an EDH player

[@picassodilly]

I wouldn’t think delver’s that good in EDH because of the starting life total.

[@picassodilly]

Oh, wait- now I see what you mean.

[@evanczthehunter57]

I don't get it. Delver is garbage in EDH

[@darkshot741]

@@evanczthehunter57 thats the point.. 🤣

[@evanczthehunter57]

@@darkshot741 ....I read that wrong ngl 🤣

[@brainpower45]

I'm a bit surprised there was no mention of potential Delver decks in Pioneer going forward.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that.

[@Red-Tower]

Also, I know Pauper isn't really a pro tournament format, but even a little mention of it's impact there would be kinda nice.

[@TheEvolver311]

7:57 Nizzahon explains why TC and DTT will be shadow banned in Historic

[@danielwappner1035]

Was there an announcement to remaster khans of tarkir or something?

[@oldmanfivetimes]

I really really hope not

[@felipepereira214]

My favorite archetype in Modern!

[@redrider578]

Delver is nuts in the historic phoenix decks

[@catoticneutral]

I wonder if any modern players have ever been confused as to whether the deck was named after Delver of Secrets or the delve mechanic.

[@obadala]

Finally! Delver decks!

[@FRAAANKYSUUUPER]

Let's not joke about here, Splinter lost because we have to make sure the meme stays alive.

[@brianhelmick1105]

UWR delver is mad it got left out. But then you might have to talk about Owen Turtenwald so its pretty understandable to omit the GP DC win shortly after true name nemesis came out

[@SpitefulAZ]

The newest modern delver deck: Izzet Delver? No it isn't.

[@TheFallenA]

Make a vídeo about manaless dredge🙏🏻

[@Kiddragon6]

I love how Delver Legacy decks are barely running Delvers anymore. Ragavan and Channeler nearly kicked them out of their own deck.

[@rfs8194]

Delver is a state of mind.

[@Kiddragon6]

@@rfs8194 Sounds like Affinity lol

[@spegynmerbles3993]

Delver decks were basically the only thing I saw at fnm. I was new and had a pretty average zombie deck and I HATED delver decks

[@jii-ro7083]

I just want snapcaster mage in historic and i will make delver work.

[@666Metalbassist]

The big question: Is Delver of Secrets Kafkaesque?

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yes

[@theliving1037]

It sucks the heavy played reprint in new innistrad was delver of secrets, was hoping for for parallel lives or snappy. Not bad commander card

[@gdiridium5525]

there are more formats beyond commander

[@JalebJay]

Remember: Vote for twin!

[@bobsuarez4364]

No W6, no Oko and no Ragavan DRC versions seems pretty bad imo. Those were and some are some of the strongest versions of the deck

[@PinguTuan]

More like Nizzaphoning it in

[@dromeurexe9636]

Delver, I barely know 'er

[@viniciusairton5731]

Pauper delver?

[@leotrollstoy2351]

Hymm to Tourach is better than Mind Twist?

[@chazzer5968]

Random can cause chaos and ruin the targets game plan completely.

[@Titanreaver616]

@@chazzer5968 mind twist is also random. What makes hymn better is that at two mana it's more efficient. While the ceiling on Mind Twist is higher you will rarely cast it for enough mana to make that matter.

[@rattlesnek3847]

In this kind of super-efficient deck yes

[@Titanreaver616]

@Vladimir I firmly believe it's position on thr banlist is mostly just historical at this point, and not because it actually needs to be on there. There was a time where it was better but I don't see that being true anymore.

[@Titanreaver616]

@Vladimir I'm not saying it isn't a powerful card, and the argument about it making non-games is true. Which I think is why people would rather it stay banned even if it isn't actually that oppressive of a card. If you have a dark ritual to get 3 mana on turn one you are both down two cards, same as with hymn but with one less mana. So you have to have two rituals in which case you are down three cards to their four, but that requires two of a specific card to do it, and since you had to play a land to do it you now both have three cards in hand. Now I'm not clamoring for it to be unmanned because as much as I like cards which make non-games like chalice and trinisphere we probably don't need more. So the argument is more what does it add by unbanning it, rather than would it be too strong.

[@danielwappner1035]

Has Darcy never been run together with delver?

[@maximuscesar]

How could you not talk about the monkey breaking legacy right now? When this video was written?

[@ThorsShadow]

Are you SBMTG's evil twin (you know, because of the moustache)?

[@demilembias2527]

the new innistrad sets have really disappointing artwork compared to the original block, and I feel like you can see that pretty clearly on the reprint of Delver, as well as (to a lesser extent) Thalia

[@danielpreciado3397]

Pauper???

[@louieluigi3914]

Pauper anyone?

[@LarsIsReal]

all these bans forced me out of mtg :-(

[@Red-Tower]

Really, it's the bannings that made you leave? So you'd rather have Eldrazi winter continue, or Hogaak, or Oko turning everything into elks, or Karn Lattice locks, or Temur Energy? Bannings are healthy for the game when either WotC makes a mistake/overlooks something or players find broken combos that dominate a format to the detriment of all other decks. There are a lot of valid reasons to leave the game, but bannings feels pretty weak.

[@miahmagick]

@@Red-Tower Except we had a long stretch of time where bannings weren't necessary because WotC cared more about the health of the game than pushing the power level to peddle overpowered cards they'd ban a short time later. It's very indicative of a change in design philosophy that has made the game worse since its inception.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

Wotc really wanted historic time be legacy with delver and brainstorm both being legal. Freaking lmao

[@maximuscesar]

I play this deck since it fell from standard. I love it but it have to go, it's killing the format.

[@tonitaipalus8722]

5:53 - 6:01 so delver dosen't have history or a deck in history

[@konstantinosdedes327]

The new delver art is trash compared to the old one and you cant change my mind

[@NizzahonMagic]

I agree.

[@CanadianBaconPwnage]

I do like the new art for it's over the top, caricature like style, but I agree. The original art was just far more regal and sinister.

[@chrisschweitzer5558]

The old one has this feeling of dread, like he made a grave error and is miserable now. The new one looks like he is happy he experimented on himself.

[@Nobody-zl3kk]

I think it is a nice contrast, the thin line between genius and madness and the like, in one he is more of a grim and introspective scientist yet he is unhinged, the new one looks obsessed, completely lost and reveling on the insanity that has come to innistrad, i think both arts can co-exist in the same game without one taking away from the other, since they offer different vibes and ideas, just with the same card.

[@danielwappner1035]

@@Nobody-zl3kk It's just that they don't look from the same plane. Midnight Hunt's delver could be from ravnica

[@bryansilva2697]

First