[Deck] U/R Delver?

[Zelderex]

The pitch: two 3/2s for 1 mana, other great 1 drops, bounce, burn and counterspells. Sounds like a deck, and something of a solution to the Mono U Delver problem we're suffering from.

Deck
//Creatures: 16 4 Delver of Secrets 4 Reckless Waif 4 Phantasmal Bear 4 Stitched Drake //Spells: 19 4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Rune Snag 3 Mana Leak 4 Vapor Snag 4 Brainstorm 4 Flame Slash 3 Firebolt	//Lands: 18 10 Island 8 Mountain	SIDEBOARD: 4 Hydroblast 4 Pyroblast 2 Echoing Truth 3 Steel Sabotage 2 Errant Ephemeron

Thoughts? I'm iffy on the mana base,

[CaffeineEnjambment]

Reckless Waif is an uncommon, unfortunately.
I'm playing UR Delver Burn in standard pauper (or I will be if I ever get to a PDC event), but I think in classic it just suffers from the 2-coloured aggro problem; that is, the second color slows it down enough that it can't compete with the mono-coloured aggro or be fast enough to beat control. Of course you can add fixing, but that dilutes your threat base, etc., etc.

I certainly think if I were playing UR Delver (sans Waif, of course) I would be playing Lightning Bolt or Brimstone Volley (some hard-doming burn) rather than Flame Slash. I think the mana base will kill you.

As for the U Delver problem, I think people/decks are catching up at this point.

[BonSequitur]

And now I feel stupid for suggesting this. Wizards keeps printing red counterparts to blue Innistrad commons at uncommon, and I keep assuming they're common...

Um, Plated Geopede?

[Zelderex]

That just makes no sense WotC. Now they're just telling us that U is the best color. A 3/2 flying is blue, with a worse drawback than the 3/2 with a drawback in Red? Really?

Eh. I uh...yeah. Without Waif, I think the mana base problem becomes significant enough that the deck stops being ideal.

[UnderwaterGuy]

I would run more sorceries/instants in a Delver deck and cut a few creatures.

UR decks like this seem pretty serious though. Delver is a crazy card.

[BonSequitur]

Originally Posted by Zelderex

That just makes no sense WotC. Now they're just telling us that U is the best color. A 3/2 flying is blue, with a worse drawback than the 3/2 with a drawback in Red? Really?

Eh. I uh...yeah. Without Waif, I think the mana base problem becomes significant enough that the deck stops being ideal.

It makes sense in that Waif is a lot better than delver in Limited, so they probably don't want it to show up in such high numbers.

[Zelderex]

Gonna try another shot at this.

Deck
//Creatures: 12 4 Delver of Secrets 4 Phantasmal Bear 4 Stitched Drake //Spells: 23 4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Rune Snag 3 Mana Leak 4 Vapor Snag 4 Brainstorm 4 Flame Slash 3 Firebolt 4 Lightning Bolt	//Lands: 18 10 Island 8 Mountain	SIDEBOARD: 4 Hydroblast 4 Pyroblast 2 Echoing Truth 3 Steel Sabotage 2 Errant Ephemeron

Literally the only change is -4 Waif, +4 L-Bolt. I'm considering putting Geistflame in there to further improve some matchups, but not sure what to cut.

I already have it assembled in Paper, but that's purely on accident (playing Illusions this season of STD, played RDW last season, had Ephemeron lying around, used Echoing Truth in Modern one, own the blasts for legacy), and I can only play in MODO. What would you guys price the deck at?

[BonSequitur]

If you already have the expensive staples (Brainstorm, Hydroblast, Pyroblast) this is a few tickets. If you don't, it's somewhere between ten and twenty tickets.

[Zelderex]

Originally Posted by BonSequitur

If you already have the expensive staples (Brainstorm, Hydroblast, Pyroblast) this is a few tickets. If you don't, it's somewhere between ten and twenty tickets.

...I was going to save money and use the Elemental Blasts instead...but those are uncommon. The exact same effect. From an EARLIER SET. Is an uncommon, and they decided to keep that for Masters Edition IV. God damnit Wizards.

Anyway, considering that 90% of the deck is staple-tier, it's a good investment anyway (since I could probably convert to 8post for what, another couple bucks? maybe 10?)

[BonSequitur]

Originally Posted by Zelderex

...I was going to save money and use the Elemental Blasts instead...but those are uncommon. The exact same effect. From an EARLIER SET. Is an uncommon, and they decided to keep that for Masters Edition IV. God damnit Wizards.

Anyway, considering that 90% of the deck is staple-tier, it's a good investment anyway (since I could probably convert to 8post for what, another couple bucks? maybe 10?)

The most expensive stuff you need to get an UR 8post deck that isn't in there is Prohibit (Just over 2 tickets). Cloudpost, since it was banned in Modern, is now holding at .40 tix.

Brainstorm is a legacy staple too, and hydro/pyro blast are identical to elemental blasts except for wording and rarity (And also Legacy sideboard cards) so it's alll gooood.

[_]

Isn't Chain Lightning legal online because of masters?

[BonSequitur]

It was a common in Legends, too, but it's in no way better than Lightning Bolt. You play it as extra Bolts in burn decks, really.

[Zelderex]

L-Bolt>Chain Lightning. Chain Lightning is STILL like the 2nd best burn spell ever, but there will come a day when some Red deck will kick your ass by paying the mana. Actually, probably not, but still.

[_]

Who the hell said instead of lightning bolt?!? Instead of Firebolt. Or Rune Snag.

The vast majority of the legacy UR delver burn suite is legal in Pauper. Play that. Even incinerate seems better than Stitched Drake/Flame Slash in here.

At the very least it's criminal to not be playing chain lightning and bolt.

[BonSequitur]

There are a lot of x/3s in Legacy that justify playing all the extra bolts for the removal, but in Pauper, Firebolt is pretty much better than Chain Lightning, just for the CA.