Modern - Grixis Delver

When I first discovered and started "delving" (bad pun I know) into Modern I was instantly drawn towards Grixis. Dimir (Blue/Black) is easily my favorite color combination and splashing/adding in red makes for a lot more fun. So if I had to choose, I really enjoy the Grixis colors the most out of any other color combination. So what about Grixis Delver made me choose this deck to build? First and foremost it is not a linear deck, it is very reactive and always making sure you have the upper hand and ready for anything coming at you. It's also a thinker's deck, what I mean by that is, sometimes the lines of play are not always clear and sometimes you may have to sacrifice something in order to get ahead. It's definitely not an easy deck to master.

So today we are going to go over the deck and why you put in certain cards. Know this, the deck I have is still ever changing, especially the sideboard so I will not be going over that. Sideboards, especially in Modern, should be based on your local meta unless you are going to a Comp REL event and prepare for top tier decks at that point. The decklist is shown below:

Creatures:

Delver of Secrets- A most inconspicuous 1/1 creature. At face value it doesn't seem that threatening. What makes this card great is not only can you get a 3/2 with flying by potentially turn 2 you also get to kind of, somewhat Scry 1 on your next turn even though you have to reveal the card to flip the Delver. If you flipped your Delver by Turn 2 you're already pressuring your opponent into making a decision of whether to keep at their plan or dispose of this Delver as quickly as possible. 

Gurmag Angler- Since this card has come out I've found it to be a surprising addition to the list but I completely understand why it was added. A 5/5 is nothing to scoff at in Modern, the fact you can get this 5/5 by Turn 2 or maybe even Turn 3 makes it that much better. 

Snapcaster Mage- Probably one of the most iconic cards in Modern (besides Island *wink wink*) and for good reason. It's ability to add any instant or sorcery in your graveyard flashback makes it extremely valuable. Need that kill spell you used a few turns back or that counter? Snapcaster is there for you!

Tasigur, the Golden Fang- Similar to Gurmag Angler, you can manage to get Tasigur by turn 2 or 3 if you're lucky enough. Even a 4/5 is nothing to laugh at as well. Tasigur's ability is perfect for a deck like this cause even if you put something in the graveyard that your opponent doesn't choose, your Snapcaster can save you and give you what you need!

Young Pyromancer- If this card goes unanswered for long your board can get rather big and uncontrollable.  I would normally try and play this card if you have something to protect it with on the same turn because this creature normally doesn't live for long.

Spells:

Electrolyze- A more expensive Forked Bolt that has a major advantage. It allows you to draw cards which is a blue player's favorite thing.

Forked Bolt- A shock spell that has the advantage of being able to split the damage among creatures or players, perfect for when your opponent is trying to swarm you.

Gitaxian Probe- Card advantage is always going to be something you want in any format. Knowing what your opponent has helps you even more.

Kolaghan's Command- Probably the best Command card to come from Dragons of Tarkir. You're able to choose 2 out of the 4 modes and it's all pure value for you. 

Lightning Bolt- The classic smash in your face or creature's face card. One of the best burn spells in Modern at your disposal.

Mana Leak- Another classic counter. Since we have no access to Counterspell this is one of our better options.

Remand- While it has the downside of putting the spell back in your opponents hand, it does give you a card as well.

Serum Visions- The best draw card spell we have in this format. Being able to draw a card and then Scrying 2? Yes please all day!

Spell Pierce- This card has always been a hit or miss for me. Sometimes I may not even mainboard it that night or if I do mainboard it, I never see a use for it. Perhaps it is my local meta but it's still a noteworthy card.

Spell Snare- Since the CMC of most Modern cards can be 2 this card fits perfectly. You normally will never want a full playset of this in your deck it's still a very valuable card to have.

Terminate- Destroy Target Creature. What more could we want? Can't regenerate? Ok!

Thought Scour- Our delving engine. You'll normally want to target yourself with this card as it can provide delve fuel for Gurmag and Tasigur as well as more spells in your graveyard for Snapcaster to use.

So there's the deck in a nutshell. What I like about this variant of Grixis Delver, if I want to switch it to Midrange or Control it's relatively inexpensive to do so since most of the cards you'll need you'll already have. You would have to invest in Flip Jace and some Pia and Kiran's if you go that route but it's worth it in the long run.

As I've said before I enjoy this deck and the non linearity of it. The Top Tier decks of Modern as of right now are mainly linear beat 'em down type decks. While reactive decks such as this are not exactly in the spotlight right now it does not mean they are not viable. In the right hands this deck can be very nasty. Thanks for reading!