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Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Delver


Legacy, Strategy, TES, The EPIC Storm, Theory
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Hey! We're back with another Matchup Mulligan! This series goes over 10 opening hands, 5 pre-board and 5 post-board opening hands. The hands are not random, they've been sculpted by me for the purpose of these exercises.

Pre-board

Hand 1: (on the draw)

Bloodstained Mire Duress Rite Of Flame BurningWish Ad Nauseam Infernal Tutor Cabal Therapy
Mulligan

This hand has a few things wrong with it: The first being that you're incredibly light on mana, even if your Bloodstained Mire isn't hit by Stifle, you can't cast anything other than discard spells! The second thing wrong with a hand like this is that you spend your first few turns shredding your opponents hand, but if they have any reasonable clock, Empty the Warrens and Ad Nauseam will be shut off by the time you draw into more mana and/or lands.

 

Hand 2: (on the play)
DarkRitual Lions Eye Diamond Rite Of Flame Lotus Petal Swamp Scalding Tarn Chrome Mox
Mulligan

While this hand has tons of mana (which is great in this matchup), it doesn't do anything. By the time you find a business spell, your opponent has used draw spells to find Force of Will, meaning that you will now have to find a discard spell. When all of this happens, what's your life total now? High enough for Ad Nauseam? Not likely. Probably too low for Empty the Warrens as well.

 

Hand 3: (on the draw)
Duress Ponder Gitaxian Probe Scalding Tarn Bloodstained Mire DarkRitual Lotus Petal
Keep

This hand is decent, a good mixture between mana and action. You even have the option of searching up both basic lands to play around Wasteland!

 

Hand 4: (on the play)
Infernal Tutor Island Bloodstained Mire Underground Sea Polluted Delta DarkRitual Rite Of Flame
Mulligan

While this hand has a "tutor effect" and rituals, the amount of lands is actually very bad here as you can't become hellbent until turn four by the earliest. Hands like this always feel bad to mulligan, but it's the correct choice.

 

Hand 5: (on the draw)
Lotus Petal DarkRitual Cabal Therapy Infernal Tutor Lions Eye Diamond Ad Nauseam Gitaxian Probe
Keep

Hands like this are much better on the play, but I think this is a snap keep. You have two opportunities to hit a land between your draw step and Gitaxian Probe. If you do, if your opponent has interaction you have mana for Cabal Therapy and then generating a horde of Goblins. You're shut off from Ad Nauseam, but Grixis Delver doesn't play sweepers in the main deck and you're generating enough Goblins to out-race Young Pyromancer.

 

Post-board

Website recommendation for sideboarding

-1 Burning Wish, -1 Infernal Tutor, -1 Ponder
+2 Empty the Warrens, +1 Cabal Therapy

 

Hand 6: (on the play)

Rite Of Flame Rite Of Flame Polluted Delta Infernal Tutor Cabal Therapy Chrome Mox Empty The Warrens
Keep

BOOM! Turn one Cabal Therapy? Followed by a horde of Goblins? AND THEN ANOTHER CABAL THERAPY?! If you considered sending this back, there's something wrong with you.

 

Hand 7: (on the draw)
Polluted Delta Scalding Tarn Duress Lions Eye Diamond Gitaxian Probe Ponder Empty The Warrens
Keep

This hand is good, it has business, mana and interaction. What it's lacking is a "ritual effect" to power out Empty the Warrens. Hopefully the Ponder will find out. I would keep this all-day!

 

Hand 8: (on the play)
Duress Cabal Therapy Cabal Therapy Gitaxian Probe Empty The Warrens BurningWish Scalding Tarn
Mulligan

A trap hand, all the disruption in the world off a fetchland that doesn't get the basic Swamp. You can't cast anything other than disruption and it's weak to Wasteland, this is a no-brainer for me.

 

Hand 9: (on the draw)
Empty The Warrens Polluted Delta Swamp Badlands Rite Of Flame Chrome Mox Chrome Mox
Mulligan

This hand is soooooo close. Very close. The closest. But ultimately, I would send it back. It's a little too slow for how few Goblins it makes.

 

Hand 10: (on the play)
Rite Of Flame Chrome Mox Lions Eye Diamond Infernal Tutor Empty The Warrens DarkRitual Gitaxian Probe
Stay tuned for the next article!

I'll provide my answer in the next article, but for now, make sure to post your thoughts!