delver | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com Play More, Win More, Pay Less Thu, 22 Jun 2023 05:08:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/favicon.png delver | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com 32 32 Did Middle-Earth Break Legacy in Baltimore? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2023/06/how-middle-earth-broke-legacy-in-baltimore/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2023/06/how-middle-earth-broke-legacy-in-baltimore/#respond Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=131303

This weekend we experienced Tales of Middle Earth and its effect on Legacy. Mapson takes us through what we saw in Baltimore before looking at what comes next.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2023/06/how-middle-earth-broke-legacy-in-baltimore/feed/ 0 An Abundant Harvest from Historic https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/05/abundant-harvest-historic/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/05/abundant-harvest-historic/#respond Tue, 18 May 2021 16:00:01 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=22971

I don't get Wizards's decision making. So many calls over the past few years just leave me scratching my head. I'm sure I'm not alone in this, and there have been editorials aplenty on every possible issue already. Instead, today I want to examine one very specific decision and its consequences. Specifically, Wizards made the […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/05/abundant-harvest-historic/feed/ 0 July ’20 Brew Report, Vol. 2: Bird in the Bush https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/july-20-brew-report-vol-2-bird-bush/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/july-20-brew-report-vol-2-bird-bush/#respond Fri, 31 Jul 2020 16:00:21 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21984 Last week I unveiled Delirium Delver, my latest pile featuring Tarmogoyf and Serum Visions. It was Stormwing Delver that got me brewing again, and apparently I wasn't alone. Today, we'll explore Modern's latest spell-attack renaissance by looking at what the tempo heads are slinging online. Clearly, there's no shortage of options! Flipping the Table That's […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/july-20-brew-report-vol-2-bird-bush/feed/ 0 Delver Delivers: Flipping Out in 2020 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/delver-delivers-flipping-out-2020/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/delver-delivers-flipping-out-2020/#respond Fri, 24 Jan 2020 17:00:38 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21241 A scratching at the window. A fluttering of tiny wings. A grating of jagged teeth. Does anyone else hear what I hear? Perhaps 2020 is Delver's year! Okay, so maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit. But there sure is a lot of Delver in the recent dumps. Today, we'll look at the different varieties […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/delver-delivers-flipping-out-2020/feed/ 0 Lightning, London, Linguine: ‘Manders and Mulls https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/manders-mulligans-lightning-london-linguine/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/manders-mulligans-lightning-london-linguine/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2019 17:00:49 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19631 Four weeks after proposing a UR Delver shell with Ptermanader, I've got some insights to share. And I also have more than a few words on Wizards' newly-proposed mulligan rule, which has considerable implications for Modern—and for Colorless Eldrazi Stompy. 'Manders As soon as "Salamander Drake" was spoiled, I set to work on UR Delver, […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/manders-mulligans-lightning-london-linguine/feed/ 11 Old Dogs, New Tricks: January Tech Report, Pt. 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/old-dogs-new-tricks-january-tech-report-pt-1/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/old-dogs-new-tricks-january-tech-report-pt-1/#comments Fri, 25 Jan 2019 17:00:19 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19493 Krark-Clan Ironworks is now banned in Modern. Despite its dominance on the tournament scene, though, the deck failed to stamp out the format's trademark diversity and innovation. Plenty of decks and deckbuilders brought exciting new tech to the tables this month, and we'll ring in the new year right by unearthing some of it today. Tempo: […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/old-dogs-new-tricks-january-tech-report-pt-1/feed/ 4 Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em #21 (Free Giveaway #1) https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/hold-em-fold-em-21-free-giveaway/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/hold-em-fold-em-21-free-giveaway/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:37:16 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90568

So much value this week! Eddie goes deep on the implications of UMA. Plus, a giveaway!

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/hold-em-fold-em-21-free-giveaway/feed/ 2 Brew Report: Spell-Attack Renaissance, Pt. 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2018 17:00:23 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19173 New aggro decks in Modern tend to be streamlined synergy machines full of critters. But "goodstuff"-style creature decks à la Jund, which wield Modern's known best cards, do slip through occasionally. Perhaps the best-known example of this phenomenon is Traverse Shadow, a deck that blew Modernites away when it first reared its head over a […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/feed/ 2 Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em #6 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/hold-em-fold-em-6/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/hold-em-fold-em-6/#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2018 22:14:24 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=89051

Eddie presents the latest price movements and advises on what to hold, what to get rid of, and the reasoning behind it.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/hold-em-fold-em-6/feed/ 2 The New Crackback: Introducing Miracle Bo https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/new-crackback-introducing-miracle-bo/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/new-crackback-introducing-miracle-bo/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2018 16:00:42 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=18431

There's a new Delver in town, and this one doesn't need delirium or a white splash to put the hurting on opponents as of turn one. All it requires is a single, generic mana and an appetite for attacking. Meet Bomat Courier, my latest addition to Temur Delver. Noah Walker's breakout Legacy performance with post-ban Grixis […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/new-crackback-introducing-miracle-bo/feed/ 3 Unlikely Artifacts: This Week’s Hot Tech https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/05/unlikely-artifacts-this-weeks-hot-tech/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/05/unlikely-artifacts-this-weeks-hot-tech/#comments Fri, 04 May 2018 16:00:23 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=17930 While I've been durdling around writing theory pieces on phases, Modern has been chugging right along... with a vengeance. The last week alone has showcased so much piping-hot technology I had to split this article down the middle while writing it. Today, we'll take a look at six of the most exciting decks to emerge […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/05/unlikely-artifacts-this-weeks-hot-tech/feed/ 4 Boremandos Enraged: Brewing Jeskai Delver https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/12/boremandos-enraged-brewing-jeskai-delver/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/12/boremandos-enraged-brewing-jeskai-delver/#comments Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:00:33 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=16515 Deep in the Modern annals lies a deck called Boremandos. This deck was the format's first to feature Delver of Secrets, and was wildly successful in its heyday. It paired Delver with Steppe Lynx, Remand, and a hearty dose of burn spells to gently disrupt opponents and kill them quickly, and eventually inspired the blueprint […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/12/boremandos-enraged-brewing-jeskai-delver/feed/ 3 Uncharted Waters: Gwixis Delver in Modern https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/10/uncharted-waters-gwixis-delver-modern/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/10/uncharted-waters-gwixis-delver-modern/#comments Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:00:31 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=15846 Ever since I wrote a piece on Chart a Course in Counter-Cat, I've conducted routine searches on decklist websites for the card. My motivation was to unearth some sweet new applications for Chart in Modern to further inspire my own brewing. After weeks of the card only appearing in Vintage Delver decks, it started showing […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/10/uncharted-waters-gwixis-delver-modern/feed/ 8 Pay to Play: Brewing Counter-Vamp https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/09/pay-play-brewing-counter-vamp/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/09/pay-play-brewing-counter-vamp/#comments Fri, 15 Sep 2017 17:16:45 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=15396

I've been a little distracted from Magic lately, and not even grinding the PPTQ season as planned. But all it takes for that to change is a well-timed spoiler from Wizards. Ixalan's been delivering plenty of those, and between the dripping-with-flavor new cards and the juicy-looking Magic: Arena, I'm back on the proverbial horse—the brewing […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/09/pay-play-brewing-counter-vamp/feed/ 8 A Curious Trend: GP Vegas Prep https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/06/curious-trend-gp-vegas-prep/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/06/curious-trend-gp-vegas-prep/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:00:14 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=14535 By the time this article goes live, it will be just over a week and a half until the Modern portion of Grand Prix Las Vegas. To close a previous thread, yes, I am going and yes, I did win two byes. Not because I actually won a GPT (I have a habit of getting […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/06/curious-trend-gp-vegas-prep/feed/ 0 Having Our Cake: Introducing Temur Shadow https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/03/introducing-temur-shadow/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/03/introducing-temur-shadow/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2017 16:00:14 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=13692

Goyf, Smasher, you name it—efficient beaters are really my thing. It shouldn't surprise that I've put in a lot of reps with Death's Shadow Jund, and the deck's namesake Avatar definitely rules. Since even before the Probe ban, I've wondered about Shadow's potential in fair blue shells, and my thoughts always come back to Delver. A threat […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/03/introducing-temur-shadow/feed/ 32 The Unusual Decks: A Beginner’s Guide https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/02/unusual-decks-beginners-guide/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/02/unusual-decks-beginners-guide/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2017 18:00:50 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=13505 Here we are, the final category of decks! Well, I say category but it is actually categories. You see, there are a number of archetypes that are either rare or derivative of the other ones and so don't really require separate articles. This is not to deride their value to Modern or their power. It is simply […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/02/unusual-decks-beginners-guide/feed/ 9 The State of Delver: Adjusting to Metagame Conditions https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/12/the-state-of-delver/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/12/the-state-of-delver/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2016 17:00:54 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=12614 Three of the sixteen players at the Star City Games Players' Championship piloted Grixis Delver for the Modern portion of the tournament. Kevin Jones was basically a lock to play it, but it's telling that he was able to get teammate Jim Davis onto the deck, and that the two were able to rope Brad […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/12/the-state-of-delver/feed/ 11 Almost Coptering Out: Searching for a Home https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/10/almost-coptering/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/10/almost-coptering/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2016 16:00:10 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=11901

The start of every spoiler season brings the promise of a shakeup in Modern. Whether it's Jund players speculating on Bloodbraid Elf (again), a new mechanic showing promise, or a single powerful-looking card, the Modern community always goes berserk trying to fit new cards into the format. And within a week of release most of that […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/10/almost-coptering/feed/ 15 Quelling in Jeskai Delver https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/09/quelling-jeskai-delver/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2016/09/quelling-jeskai-delver/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:00:08 +0000 http://34.200.137.49/?p=11515 When it comes to Delver decks in Modern, Snapcaster Mage is the most obvious second creature to feature, though over the years I've rounded out the threat base in a lot of different ways. Tasigur has been great for me as of late, though I've put Young Pyromancer, Monastery Swiftspear, and even Vedalken Shackles to […]

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