The Many Flavors of Grixis: Which One is Superior?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on July 10, 2015, 1:26 a.m. by BoromirOfGondor
I come to the forum today with the following issue.
I am attending an SCG 5K in Washington D.C. soon (the format being modern). For the past few months, I have played Grixis Delver, a deck which I believe is very powerful but also extremely fragile. I am good at playing my list and understand all of its intricate sequencing better than most people in my area. However, with Abrupt Decay, Lightning Bolt, and other such spot removal being nigh universal, I can't help but worry about playing a deck packed with clunky answers and weak threats. With Grixis Twin and Chapin's Grixis Control also being options, I present these 3 questions:
Is Chapin's Grixis Control actually good, or is it just a novelty that will soon blow over? Why? I tested the deck a little bit, and found that it felt lacking. While Cryptic Command is certainly powerful, the shell of the deck often failed to pull through in resource races, whereas Delver could present more threats. The difference is that Delver is more soft to burn and the like.
Is Grixis Delver playable in large tournaments, or is its near exclusive success on MTGO reflective of its potential inadequacy? If the general opinion is that Delver is playable, it will likely be my preferred option.
With the tournament drawing near, which deck would be the best choice?
Currently, I am leaning toward Twin. The only factors keeping me from pursuing that plan entirely are budgetary concerns and the fact that I have more experience with Delver (and control, which is quite similar).Also, if anyone can point me towards a good Grixis Twin primer, I would appreciate it.Thanks.
If you want to play twin, grixis is not the way to go. Plain U/R has been having much more success than the grixis counter part. Honestly i don't understand why that is as i do not play either much but that is what i have seen.
As for grixis delver i love the deck and yes it is tournament viable. You may feel as you understand all the ins and outs of the deck, which you may, and if so it would definatley be the best bet to play with the deck you know and understand. As for it being filled with cluncky removal spells please do elaborate. Terminate kills everthing. Bolt kills most and when it doesn't it can be used with Snapcaster Mage to win games. Especially since the decks that bolt will often be bad against will be using there life as more of a recourse than most other decks. (i.e. jund) Against you, bolt and decay hit Snapcaster Mage, Young Pyromancer and Delver of Secrets Flip. Of these cards all of them but delver will already have given you a profit before they are removed, that is if you are using Young Pyromancer correctly.
Patrick chapins list is good, but you must play it conservatively to a certain point since it is a control list. You also need to know when a turn two tasigur is the right play and when it isn't.
July 10, 2015 1:59 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #4
I have played twin and delver in the grixis flavors.
Personally, I really liked Delver with a couple of Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver main'd and one sided. It attacks your opponent on an angle that they aren't expecting out of your deck, and most builds have a very difficult time with it. I don't know how well you feel about becoming more threat dense, but if you want to play Grixis delver, that's how i'd make it better.
As for if twin is better or not, twin is just as fragile as delver is, with everyone and their step mother packing hate for it. Delver is just the superior meta choice because it is harder to hate.
In regards to chapin's control list, I don't see the luster in it, but Chapin can win with practically any deck. I wouldn't play it in an event unless you are very comfortable with the deck, it's not something that i'd switch to in two weeks.
So in my competitive view, you play delver, and mix it up a bit to strengthen the areas in which you feel you are weak. I've seen the deck do well in paper multiple times this season taking first in 2 PreTQs - Top 8ing another one, and I have personally taken down a 50 man side-event with it after switching from twin that I used in the main event (this event is where I found that ashiok is the tits).
July 10, 2015 2:06 a.m. Edited.
Ashiok sounds cool but your problem with becoming more threat dense is Delver of Secrets Flip. Keep that in mind as you tweak it.
July 10, 2015 2:17 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #6
Chapin's Grixis. It beats Jund more consistently, and crushes every Twin deck.
July 10, 2015 6:51 a.m.
JexInfinite says... #7
I think that the Grixis control lists are not that great when compared to Delver and Twin. I'd say that Twin is the best deck of Grixis just because you've got 3 ways to win, and they all work together. Twin decks also just have a good matchup against a lot of the field.
Kingofsouls says... #2
Honestly, I do not play Grixis nor Twin. But my advice is to play what makes you comfy. If Grixis Delver is your happy place, then play Grixis Delver. If not, then don't.
Simple as that.
July 10, 2015 1:35 a.m.