Comments on: Know What You Play: Why Expertise Matters

By: Nat Crosman

Nat Crosman — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 04:07:27 +0000

Hey great article, thanks. However I hope you’ll edit in a link to the source for your PhD graphic, because that guy’s site turns out to be all kinds of (non-MtG) awesome.

By: Aaron Elias Newbom

Aaron Elias Newbom — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 22:40:37 +0000

In reply to Jordan Boisvert.

So I have a question.
(I have and am not very good at, a grixis delver deck although it’s not as perfectly tuned as yours would obviously be)
How do you analyze what a good hand is vs rw prison and skred? and how do you sideboard?

By: Jesse Bammann

Jesse Bammann — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 19:30:57 +0000

Great article, I feel the same way about affinity, with good play and understanding of what’s important and the script of the matchup so to speak you can really make the deck top tier competitive and highly successful even in poor matchups or hostile metagames.

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:34:19 +0000

Delver strategies in general have such a low curve and such a high business-to-land ratio, especially when combined with spell flexibility (Snapcaster, Bolt) and card selection/cantripping (Serum, Probe), that they can prove very difficult to master. Conversely, Modern is packed with linear decks that are close to auto-pilot and require relatively little skill to learn (Bant Eldrazi, RG Valakut, etc.). Given these factors, it’s no wonder format dabblers and pros alike generally favor the simpler decks, as they have limited time to spend on Modern.

It seems like you agree that if Modern continues on its linear trajectory for a few years, Legacy regulars gravitate towards Modern as their own format loses support, and competent players dedicate more time to learning Modern’s intricacies, Delver will eventually pull a respectable metagame share. This is good news for any of us who like decision-heavy, skill-intensive games and trouble for the out-of-touch “Ban Blood Moon and Manamorphose” crowd who loved having access to a clear Tier 0 deck at GP Detroit.

Thanks for a great reference article in defense of READING THE EXISTING LITERATURE!