Delve is a well-designed mechanic that I hope we'll be seeing in a future expansion. It's simultaneously powerful and restrictive in that you need to find a way to get lots of cards in the graveyard, much like Threshold strategies, only you lose those cards permanently to help cover the additional cost of the demon. It also comes in black, which encourages a player to use strategies other than Threshold and Reanimator to complement this card in their deck.
SavageBrain89
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
This demon is a beast (or super-demon) in Golgari dredge decks (demon beast subtype? Wizards are you reading this comment?). Nothing says awesome like casting a 5/5 demon for nothing in a deck that already boasts strong creatures and mana acceleration. I also want to say that it would be amazing if the Delve mechanic came back in a future set.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
How do you get this guy out on your first turn? First, play a swamp. Then play Dark Ritual to get {B}{B}{B}. Play a Memory Sluice on yourself so you now have six cards in your graveyard. Use the remaining two mana to play Tombstalker and delve your entire graveyard. Ta-da! 5/5 flier!
KrosanGardener
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(5 votes)
That sequence seems like a risky one: a sufficient removal spell will give the remover a 3-for-1.
Volcre
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Delve is such an amazing mechanic. Future Sight was such a brilliant expansion. It's a pity they didn't make the entire set Future-Shifted.
getz19
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
A great card for casual play indeed. A possible first-turn 5/5 is always good.
makochman
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
This guy is extremely powerful in Legacy monoblack aggro decks. A Dark Ritual effectively gives you 4 mana to cast him, and a Lotus Petal gives you 2.
One day there will be a dredge deck based around him, Bloodghast and probably also Ichorid, with Unmask and possibly Force of Will for support. Fetchlands will provide mana, unearth Bloodghast and lower the cost of Tombstalker.
Actually I think I'll now start making proxies for testing.
Tommy9898
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
Hey, Alara has lots of demons, maybe they will reprint him. What? No? Ok. Hey, Zendicar has lots of demons, maybe they will reprint him. What? No? Ok. Hey...
spectermonger
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
fetch, crop rotation, fetch, swamp, dark ritual...there, if you really wanted to get it out turn one without expunging too much of your mana accel...there's also some nice landfall triggers in there is your're running ob nixilis or lotus cobra. However, definitely duress and tourach your opponent's hand first. Did I mention that those disruption spells also shave 1CC each off stalker's CC?
This is also a nice answer to tarmogoyf. It can come into play just as quickly in the right deck, and it can eat up your graveyard, so that tarmogoyf can't use it. Run this guy w/ bojuka bog and you effectively have a response to the goyf.
Etregan
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
The best I've done with this guy is dropping him in 2nd turn with 2 Dark Rituals.
Personally, I can't wait to see Delve as a set mechanic. Maybe they'll pair it with Gravestorm (Bitter Ordeal).
majinara
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I have him in some casual control decks. That way I can get a large creature with evasion for two mana, and still have enough mana left for counterspells to protect him or disrupt the opponent.
Omenchild
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
i like this with infernal tutor and dredge. just build up a large hand of tombstalkers (haha two) and then play them all at once, and maybe give haste with anger
don_miguel
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
why people is so focused on playing this guy on turn one? that's stupid. is much more better to use cheap discard spells to avoid defenses and then play him on turn 3 or 4
Sugga
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Craziness once again. Realistically a 3rd or 4th turn drop and wipes out your graveyard which is pretty handy nowadays. Tastes a bit overpowered? Luckily I own a set ^^
klauth
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
a more realistic situation would be
turn1 and 2: play swamps and cast whatever you want turn3: drop an island Tome Scour yourself and you got this guy in play
Chrome_Coyote
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Awesome black creature, gotta worship the demons!
AmericanVigor
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Fits perfectly with the graveyard-central theme of Black
iaiji
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Here's a safer way to drop the balrog's nasty cousin
First turn: Play bloodstained mire: sacrifice to play a swamp. cast dark ritual. cast duress/ thoughtseize then cabal therapy to knock out any permission in his hand. cast another dark ritual with the last B in the pool. Play Tombstalker and proceed to beat face till desired effect is achieved >:)
No acceleration, no god draw going on here. Just regular old awesome. If you need threshold or stuff in your graveyard for other reasons use the above with Cabal Ritual and you'll only need to exile 1 cards from the graveyard (the other being cabal ritual)
BlackAlbino
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Great card? Yes But I play white And there's nothing I love more than noming this guy with dust elemental
Also, anyone else think delve ( and this guy ) might show up in innestrad? It is liliana's set, and delve would fit the flavor. Who knows, ya know?
NeoKoda
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If he's in Innistrad,I'll be thrilled.
Paleopaladin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The temptation is to cheat him into play with rituals, tutors, and delve on turn one or two. Sounds nice, but can yield horrible card disadvantage if he's bounced or removed. Good creature, but play him intelligently or you'll self-pwn. My vote is splash black in a red burn deck or a blue counterspell/bounce/control deck to play him.
EvincarCrovax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He's basically black's version of Tarmogoyf. Really good creature, I run 3 in my B/U/G control list.
So, no Delve...yet. With Delver of Secrets, though, I'm betting on a comeback in Dark Ascension!
LordRandomness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Hang on a sec. The three Delve cards (Tombstalker, Logic Knot, Death Rattle) are all in {U}/{B}. Innistrad has demonstrated {U}/{B} self-mill decks. Could we be seeing Delve as a later block mechanic designed to fit well for those decks? It would allow self-mill to make use of milled land by throwing it out to cast Tombstalkers...
I saw a DailyMTG article somewhere that mentioned this artwork was supposed to be a guess at what future Demon cards in Magic would look like.
Kind of reminds me of Withengar Unbound. Coincidence? Not likely!
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Potentially a 5/5 Flyer for .
Requires a bit of an investment, but hey, Demons are a cool tribal and this guy's big without any major disadvantages aside from cost.
JackTheStripper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I think that Delve could be totally awesome as a guild mechanic in Gatecrash. Perhaps... Oh... I don't know... With the Dimir! Flavorful, with the Dimir wanting to burn the bridges so nobody can track them down. Powerful, because they can self mill really well. And just plain beautiful!
Smileyfaceist
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card, currently using it in B/U Modern self mill. Since there's no Dark Ritual my achievement is T1 Thought Scour, something with dredge in the graveyard, T2 dredge and cast Tombstalker. Problem is, you need a hand that can give you a blue turn one and two black on turn two on top of hitting a dredge card off of Thought Scour. It'd be nice if it worked more often, but even when it doesn't there's a good chance of either it or Skaab Ruinator coming out turn three. It really is a black Goyf.
SkyknightXi
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
We really need them to introduce delve into a future block. And I'm not seeing it in Theros block. Well, maybe the second or third parts, but not Theros proper.
That said, you'll get to meet it again in Modern Masters with a typical frame. Not sure if the art will be the same, though.
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
shoulda released this guy in innistrad as a mythic. would've been glorious with self mill in limited and golgari in standard.
Kodanshi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@spectermonger: how do you cast a Crop Rotation with only a Fetchland on the battlefield? Saccing the land is an additional cost。You still need one green mana to cast the Crop Rotation。
Comments (34)
One day there will be a dredge deck based around him, Bloodghast and probably also Ichorid, with Unmask and possibly Force of Will for support. Fetchlands will provide mana, unearth Bloodghast and lower the cost of Tombstalker.
Actually I think I'll now start making proxies for testing.
Hey, Zendicar has lots of demons, maybe they will reprint him. What? No? Ok.
Hey...
This is also a nice answer to tarmogoyf. It can come into play just as quickly in the right deck, and it can eat up your graveyard, so that tarmogoyf can't use it. Run this guy w/ bojuka bog and you effectively have a response to the goyf.
Personally, I can't wait to see Delve as a set mechanic. Maybe they'll pair it with Gravestorm (Bitter Ordeal).
turn1 and 2: play swamps and cast whatever you want
turn3: drop an island Tome Scour yourself and you got this guy in play
First turn: Play bloodstained mire: sacrifice to play a swamp. cast dark ritual. cast duress/ thoughtseize then cabal therapy to knock out any permission in his hand. cast another dark ritual with the last B in the pool. Play Tombstalker and proceed to beat face till desired effect is achieved >:)
T2 - Discard Stinkweed Imp and dredge, swamp, Tombstalker
No acceleration, no god draw going on here. Just regular old awesome. If you need threshold or stuff in your graveyard for other reasons use the above with Cabal Ritual and you'll only need to exile 1 cards from the graveyard (the other being cabal ritual)
But I play white
And there's nothing I love more than noming this guy with dust elemental
Also, anyone else think delve ( and this guy ) might show up in innestrad? It is liliana's set, and delve would fit the flavor. Who knows, ya know?
Turn 2: Swamp, Dark Ritual, delve your graveyard, Tombstalker
And they said that card was useless ;)
I saw a DailyMTG article somewhere that mentioned this artwork was supposed to be a guess at what future Demon cards in Magic would look like.
Kind of reminds me of Withengar Unbound. Coincidence? Not likely!
Requires a bit of an investment, but hey, Demons are a cool tribal and this guy's big without any major disadvantages aside from cost.
Powerful, because they can self mill really well.
And just plain beautiful!
That said, you'll get to meet it again in Modern Masters with a typical frame. Not sure if the art will be the same, though.