Adam Yurchick
5/29/2012 11:28:00 AM
>>> June 2nd - TCGplayer.com MaxPoint Diamond Event - Edison, NJ
I have something to report: UW Delver is STILL the best deck in Standard. It plays the cheapest, most powerful, and efficient cards in the format. The namesake, Delver of Secrets, is one of the best creatures EVER printed. A one mana blue creature is a dangerous, dangerous thing indeed. The fact that it's a 3/2 flying Insect is simply ludicrous. I couldn't be happier than playing this card at every opportunity, and everyone competitive should share that enthusiasm. Results speak for themselves. Since Avacyn Restored has entered Standard, UW Delver is still putting up crushing results around the world. It's Top 8'ing Grand Prix and winning PTQs and World Magic Cup Qualifiers alike. The deck is too powerful for a handful of new cards to knock it from the throne. After all, the most important card in Standard, Mana Leak, counters just about everything.

With Avacyn Restored came many new powerful cards earmarked for Standard. Bonfire of the Damned may be the best card in the entire set, and it's given red a breath of fresh air in Standard. Other decks, like RG Aggro, have risen to the top of the metagame and put up solid results against Delver decks. Birthing Pod has been handed plenty of new tools as well. A human based Boros deck has been making some waves in Standard, and it's not exactly poor against Delver decks.

Yet UW Delver is still at the top, and it's because it wasn't left out of the new card party. It too gained access to some powerful cards. Delver adapts like anything else, and the way the deck is designed means it can adapt easier than any other deck. It's a streamlined, fluid machine capable of nearly anything. When new cards are printed, and the game changes, it adapts to the opposition while harnessing the new tools available to it. One new card is particularly devastating when unleashed upon the opposition. Those unsuspecting will play right into the card and meet destruction. Those conscious will fear and respect the card to a degree that exceeds reason. It puts the opponent into a nightmare scenario. This creature does it all, and I certainly want it on my team. The creature which I'm referring to is none other than...

High Mid Low

Restoration Angel

$20.00

$14.04

$8.99

Store QTY Price   NickSL 1 $8.99 FlyingHippo 1 $9.99 BetaRayRyan 1 $10.00 Time Vault Games 6 $10.45 Top Deck Treasures 2 $10.47 Rathier 1 $10.48 OMGCardShop 1 $10.48 Comic Book Store 3 $10.48 Mikes Magic Mart 1 $10.48 >> View all Prices for Restoration Angel << Store.TCGplayer.com allows you to buy cards from any of our vendors, all at the same time! Shop, Compare & Save with TCGplayer.com! - [Store FAQ]

(Note: There is a known issue with the high price of Restoration Angel; it is being corrected. -Frank)

Let me break it down:

Four mana for a 3/4 flier is very solid. The body plays well against the creatures in this format, and it actually stands up to a huge majority of popularly played creatures. It's really good against cards like Strangleroot Geist and Wolfir Avenger that would otherwise give Delver problems. I think lately players have been spoiled by the huge numbers on popular creatures. It turns out 3/4 is just huge, and flying means it's quite an efficient clock. The slew of other abilities bring it over the top. Compare Restoration Angel to Air Elemental and see what I mean...

The real power of this creature is in it's most powerful keyword ability: FLASH.

Flash turns this white card into a virtual blue card. It's instant speed, which means it avoids the clunky sorcery problem most creatures face. Restoration Angel is a tactical tool that can be deployed at any stage of the game. It's as good as both a surprise blocker and an end of turn clock.

Flash is particularly valuable because it gives this deck access to the one-two punch of end of turn Restoration Angel followed by a Sword of War and Peace or Sword of Fest and Famine on the following turn. Delver can have no presence one moment yet be attacking for lethal on the very next turn. Brutal.

Flash puts pressure on opponents at the end of their turns. This is the best time in Magic to cast spells and use abilities, because it forces their action at the worst possible time. An opponent forced to deal with an end of turn threat will be extremely vulnerable on the following turn, facing untapped mana and a hand full of options. If they don't react to the end of turn play, you can Threaten to win the tempo race by tricking them into not getting value from their mana at all. They may be clutching a Mana Leak in preparation for a card that never comes, allowing you to pass and leave up a Mana Leak of your own.

One very useful ability on Restoration Angel is the Cloudshift effect. It creates nightmares for the opponent while creating tactical and card advantage for you. The uses for this in Delver are numerous:

• It saves creature from targeted removal and poor combat outcomes.
• It resets Snapcaster Mage for fun and profit.
• Untaps a creature to be used as a surprise blocker.

Delver is always leaving up mana to cast tricks. It's so hard to play against because it has such a large toolbox of spells at its disposal. Restoration Angel is yet another instant card that's been added to the toolbox. It must be played around at every stage of the game. Walking into a Restoration Angel can be a BLOWOUT that loses a game outright. It puts fear into the opponent, and a scared opponent is prone to make mistakes. Players may play scared and hold back attackers or removal when it would be the ostensibly correct play. They also may become frustrated and decide “if they've got it, they've got it,” and play like you don't have the card. In this situation you can find easy ways to gain value with Restoration Angel.

Restoration Angel is most akin to Mistbind Clique from Faeries way back in Lorwyn block. The card gives the deck an additional element that's just hard to quantify: the card is just plain good, and it's super well positioned against this format. It brings this deck to another level.

To accommodate Restoration Angel, the deck has to make some changes from the lists people grew accustomed to before. One card I like cutting down on is Geist of Saint Traft. This is the most powerful card in the deck, but it can be clunky, especially with the addition of a 4-drop card. It's also not very effective against the aggressive green decks that make up a huge portion of the metagame. Restoration Angel is a suitable proxy for Geist of Traft. It plays well against the card in combat, so it's not really cutting answers to opposing Geist of Saint Traft. It's also a very effective proxy on the aggressive side; the large flying body is hard to deal with and ends game quickly.

I've also cut back on the Phantasmal Image/Dungeon Geist package. The maindeck simply cannot support so many 4-drop creatures. Dungeon Geist is still great and actually pairs well with Restoration Angel, it just needs to sit on the sideboard if anywhere. Phantasmal Image loses a lot of value without Dungeon Geists, and Restoration Angel plays the role of threat, so Phantasmal Image can stay in the sideboard as well. Restoration Angel also gets the same value from Snapcaster Mage as Phantasmal Image so often creates.

Restoration Angel also changes the game because of options it provides in the deckbuilding arena. Traditional Delver decks aren't really built to abuse Restoration Angel. The card is just a perfect fit into the deck, and Delver is happy to play it. Over time I could see Delver decks evolving to abuse Restoration Angel even further.

Cards like Blade Splicer have certainly risen in value, for example. My mind has also been racing with even crazier ideas...the synergy with AEther Adept is very real and potentially powerful. Anything that costs 3 or less that has a nice come into play ability or less may be a valid option.

Another card I really like in this new metagame is Faith's Shield. This is another white card that could very well be blue. It very often counters target spell, and with Fateful Hour it completely counters Bonfire of the Damned. At the very least, it can save the solo best creature. The card is also extremely useful in combat scenarios that occur nearly every game. It can also be used as a simple burn spell in the form of a Falter effect, particularly useful for forcing through a free attack with Geist of Saint Traft. When it comes down to it, Faith's Shield is an over performer.

The card has always been a fringe player in Delver, showing up as a one of in the occasional maindeck, more often filling a sideboard slot or two. Some cards take time to catch on as their intricacies and true power are revealed. There's also something to be said for the fact that as a metagame and players grow more complex and mature, games come down to thinner and thinner margins. Delver mirrors are truly epic mind battles. A great way to win an edge and steal games is through cards like Faith's Shield. Everyone I've been talking to has nothing but great things to say about the card, and it's certainly a mainstay in Delver. I expect it to be very popular in coming weeks and grow into a staple of the archetype.

In this vein, there are many other cards available to catch opponents off guard. For example, Gerry Thompson piloted Delver to a 5k win this past Saturday in Nashville. He played a maindeck Divine Offering, a card that surely blew out opposing equipment in game one all tournament long. His finals opponent, Brian Eason, has an Act of Aggression in the sideboard. Talk about a blowout! This card is just nasty against green decks and will often win a game outright. It sure is high variance, but that's exactly what Brian was looking far in a card. It's rare that a card can completely swing a game from behind, but Act of Aggression is capable of it. I look forward to trying this one out!

Gerry played another really interesting card in the sideboard: Amass the Components. I've always been starved for a card advantage engine in Delver, but there haven't been very good options. Amass the Components is powerful enough, and it helps dig for the 2 Consecrated Sphinx and the lands to play them. I absolutely love this card against attrition matchups.

Ghost Quarter is another card I haven't seen from Delver decks, but the card is excellent. Without the ability to counter Primeval Titan, this deck fights it on a different front. Gerry uses his 4 shapeshifters and bounce to contain the large creatures, while Ghost Quarter can Stave Off Kessig Wolf Run and Inkmoth Nexus. This deck doesn't need to take over the game and run Wolf Run out of resources. In fact, it's a very tough feat. Instead this deck needs to stay aggressive and force through the win in face of tough opposition. Ghost Quarter is the glue to this plan.

On the topic of Consecrated Sphinx, it's time to dust off your copies. He fell by the wayside for a while, but he's back with a vengeance. Early in the season players were toying with one in the board, but now it's very strongly a two of. The newest Delver decks are well equipped to play the long game, so hitting 6 mana is very reasonable. This deck can also use Ponder to sculpt lines that ensure a turn 6 Consecrated Spinx. It gives this deck a powerful endgame and trump card. Having Sphinx in the deck allows Delver to play a more attrition style game yet still have ways to easily get ahead. I'm loving two copies and recommend every Delver player to do the same. The card is interesting in that it's actually pretty good in most every matchup that isn't hyper aggressive. It needs to be a part of a coherent sideboard plan designed to utilize the Sphinx, but these plans will differ in every situation. For example, it's not particularly exciting against a fast RG deck, but a RG player that fills his deck wit burn and Naturalize post sideboard will be very hard pressed to beat a Consecrated Sphinx. Just sideboard every game on a case by case basis, and always keep the Sphinx as an option.

Here's the list I'm playing now:

Mage-Blade by Adam Yurchick Main Deck Sideboard 4 Delver of Secrets 3 Geist of Saint Traft 3 Restoration Angel 4 Snapcaster Mage Creatures [14] 1 Dismember 1 Faith's Shield 4 Gitaxian Probe 2 Gut Shot 4 Mana Leak 4 Ponder 1 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace 1 Thought Scour 4 Vapor Snag Spells [24] 4 Glacial Fortress 9 Island 3 Moorland Haunt 2 Plains 4 Seachrome Coast Lands [22] Deck Total [60] 1 Batterskull 2 Celestial Purge 2 Consecrated Sphinx 2 Dissipate 2 Divine Offering 3 Phantasmal Image 3 Timely Reinforcements Sideboard [15] View a Sample Hand! Solitaire this Deck! Click for full deck stats & notes!

This sideboard is pretty traditional. It doesn't play any of the fancy cards Gerry runs, and instead is built for a broader metagame. If you expect a ton of Wolf Run, Gerry's build will be optimal. The correct sideboard is always changing and always adapting, so it's important to always change. For example, it's possible that the metagame is shifting towards one where Celestial Purge is unnecessary, opening up sideboard slots. Know your metagame, profit, repeat.

It's important for anyone playing Delver to try out different options and feel out the deck for themselves. Let me know in the forums any ideas or comments you may have!

-Adam