Pushing for BUG Delver in Modern
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 11, 2017, 7:38 a.m. by Sneal
Fatal Push seems like the card to put BUG on the map in Modern.
I've put together this deck BUG Delver to test it out.
I feel like there are some parts missing. Any and all advice would be appreciated!
Also you're running delve creatures which inherently do not work with delirium, in fact it actively works against it by exiling cards from your graveyard.
January 11, 2017 10:50 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #4
I agree with the above, you can't be running grim flayer without at least 6 different card types in your deck. Even with Collective Brutality, you're still going to be hard pressed to get delirium before turn 5. Just play Tarmogoyf because it's infinitely better in that slot as it is right now.
And as with all sultai builds in modern, the blue just seems forced. Like, there's no real reason to be playing blue here when white or red are just inherently better. Blue adds a game plan that's entirely off axis to what the GB shell wants to be doing and it just doesn't mesh well. It's not a very efficient strategy against the rest of the format.
Like, the only reason to play blue, realistically, is for counterspells to help against combo decks. But you already have the best defense against combo in the format via inquisition / TS. If it's just because you want to play snapcaster, dark confidant is actually just better because you aren't limited to card advantage via cards that you've already played. And while Delver is an efficient threat, the deck has no real way to protect it efficiently. IMHO, Stubborn Denial is the only real reason to have blue in your deck at all, and I just don't feel like that's worth having over like K command or lingering souls.
So while Fatal push is a fine card, I don't think that it's enough to make sultai a thing in modern. an efficient black spell isn't what the deck was missing, it's missing cheap efficient blue spells to back up the delver with, like Brainstorm and Flusterstorm.
January 11, 2017 11:32 a.m. Edited.
TheDuggernaught says... #5
I have toyed with Sultai Delver, but I found that It just feels like an unnecessarily grindy version of other delver lists.
I initially thought that Grim Flayer would be the card that makes Sultai Delver work -- he filters your draw for Delver and is a fair beater himself. But what I found is that Delver and Flayer do not actually play nice together. Not because while in play they do not have synergy; but rather because they require a different deck construction. Delver wants almost all instants and sorceries, while Flayer was a little bit of everything. I found you could circumvent this a little bit by using tribal instants like Nameless Inversion, and tribal sorceries like Warren Weirding, but it just felt clunky. As such, I think they belong in two different lists.
The Delver list I feel would have to be more of a "Miracle-Gro" deck to make up for its lack of red reach. Here is a good outline of Miracle-Gro in regards to Delver. The article was printed a while ago, but it gives you a good idea of what to look for. One card I would definitely try to squeeze into the list is Blossoming Defense, and of course Fatal Push (but then again, what black deck is gonna want to make room for push? :P).
Flayer on the other hand seems to slot in nicely with more of a Jund or Abzan style'd deck. Midrangy with the ability to strip your opponent of their ability to do anything while you repeatedly win the top deck war. Sultai is nice for Grim Flayer in this sort of shell as Snapcaster Mage can flashback all the spells you intentionally milled with Flayer.
January 11, 2017 11:59 a.m.
Goyf instead of Flayer. You're right the Flayer filters your draws but your delve cards makes it more likely you risk turning off delirium than it is to shrink a goyf. This is because goyf checks both graveyards. At the very least test both heavily against a gauntlet of different decks.
Cut all 3 Mana Leak for a Darkslick Shore, Stubborn Denial, and either Disfigure or Murderous Cut.
Swap one island for another Misty or Delta.
Move Pulse to board and run 4 Push main.
January 11, 2017 12:47 p.m.
This is one that I have recently put together, check it out, play test it let me know what you think.
BUG Delver Modern
Modern*
29 VIEWS
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ArmyJM07 says... #2
The first thing I noticed is that you are running Grim Flayer, but you don't have any Tribal, Enchantments or Artifacts, so it will be somewhat more difficult to reach delirium before turn 4 or 5. Leaving Grim Flayer highly susceptible to Lightning Bolts! , additionally you don't have any other cards that use delirium so he feels out of place.
January 11, 2017 10:48 a.m.