Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Yorion, Sky Nomad

Mishra's Bauble

However, Lurrus does not only open up possibilities for ongoing brew efforts but also gives older, well know Modern shells a significant kick in the a**. One of these decks seems to be good ol‘ Grixis Delver, piloted by Discord user and „Magic Mage Masters“ (Link to Discord community) competitor KevinKurac. Congratulations on your third place!

Actually, I was suprised to see this deck back in Modern – or Grixis at all. I remember the times when I faced Grixis Delver pilots with my Jund Midrange. These were good times. Real Magic for real people. Based on intense interactions and tied results. Midrange vs. tempo. Love it! Cosequently, I liked the deck before it was „unplayable“ and I am glad to see this All-Star back in the game. Nevertheless, next to Lurrus, there are some spicy novelties due to the release of Ikoria. Let‘s have a closer look to the decklist:

Companion (1)

1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Creatures (10)

2 Snapcaster Mage

4 Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration

4 Sprite Dragon

Instants (18)

1 Cling to Dust

1 Kolaghan's Command

2 Drown in the Loch

2 Fatal Push

2 Force of Negation

2 Mana Leak

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Opt

Sorceries (9)

1 Inquisition of Kozilek

2 Thoughtseize

2 Unearth

4 Serum Visions

Artifact (3)

3 Mishra's Bauble

Lands (20)

1 Blood Crypt

1 Spirebluff Canal

1 Swamp

2 Bloodstained Mire

2 Island

2 Scalding Tarn

2 Steam Vents

2 Watery Grave

3 Darkslick Shores

4 Polluted Delta

Sideboard (14)

1 Mystical Dispute

1 Nihil Spellbomb

2 Aether Gust

2 Collective Brutality

2 Disdainful Stroke

2 Grim Lavamancer

2 Plague Engineer

2 Tormod's Crypt

What’s the big deal? First of all, the amount of cheap spells immediately caught my eyes. This is not e new thing for Grixis Delver but I love to see this kind of „I draw more than only the first quarter of my cards“-deck. The deck is pure action from the start of the game. Discard spells (such as Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek), cantrips (such as Serum Visions, Opt), countermagic (such as Mana Leak, Force of Negation, Drown in the Loch) or even removals (such as Fatal Push, Lightning Bolt, Kolaghan's Command, Drown in the Loch) are checking and slamming the battlefield. They make sure that the deck‘s pilot is never out of gas and can increase the pressure on the opponent turn by turn. But also in between, as the deck is an arsenal of Instants (18 in numbers). However, let‘s focus on some spicy novelties in this Grixis Delver shell:

Hello kitty cat. By the way, did you also spot the baby Lurrus next to the big one? Anyway, Lurrus is the big star of Ikoria. And after bannings in Legacy and Vintage, the cat shines bringhter than ever in the ‚Modern‘ Sky. Bringing back, of course, Mishra's Bauble is a big deal and keeps the engine running. Beyond that, there is also the possibilty to bring back another new addition from Ikoria: Sprite Dragon! Let‘s take a closer look at the faerie dragon:

A faerie dragon? To be honest, this sounds a little bit crazy. But we are in crazy times in a crazy Magic universe. It is not a joke, Wizards printed flying sharks (Shark Typhoon). It is what it is. Hence, faerie dragons seem OK. Anyway, I really like this small boy. Hitting the battlefield on turn two to create some furor and then immediately start attacking due to haste. This seems to be legit. In the best case with the support of crossformat All-Star Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration. In the next turns, one can continue with cheap cantrips, discard spells, removals or even ‚baubling‘ around (with Mishra's Bauble) while simultaneaously pumping Sprite Dragon. It is really a big deal, especially in this built around deck such as Grixis Delver. If the faerie dragon‘s fairytale doesn‘t get handled, he will close the game in just two or three hits. Smack down at it‘s best! However, another card in the decklist also raised my attention. I had to rub my eyes first but I like this wacky idea:

I could not believe my eyes, when I saw Cling to Dust in the first 61 cards. I know this card from Theros Beyond Death Limited. And it was crap! Anyway, escape can be a big deal, as many of the cheap cantrips are rotting away at the cementery. This can be really useful, if one is facing some Dredge strategies and other graveyard decks. But this is not the only upside. The card is like a (very) small version of a Swiss army knive by also providing some lifegain if needed. Just in case one is paired against some Burn strategies, which basically happens during every tournament – sooner or later.

To sum up, I like this deck. Well, I am not a big fan of these new things called ‚Companions‘ for constructed play. Nevertheless, such a spicy tempo playstile, as seen in this article, makes me wanna give it a try as soon as possible. I like the early pressure with Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration and Sprite Dragon topped with effective cheap Instants and Sorceries, which clear out the way for the flyers and their companion Lurrus of the Dream-Den.

I hope you had an interesting read with this short deck presentation. Many thanks and congratulations to „Magic Mage Masters“ competitor KevinKurac. All the best with this deck during the next matches at the „Magic Mage Masters“. See you next time and if you want to join some Modern action , don‘t forget to register to the „Magic Mage Masters“ tournaments and the Discord channel. Best wishes and see you soon, Magic Nuss

Der Beitrag Welcome Back My Dear – Modern Grixis erschien zuerst auf Aareboge Magic Bern.