“Izzet Delver is a tempo-based aggro-control deck that uses cheap cantrips (Brainstorm, Ponder, Preordain) to fuel Delirium on Dragon's Rage Channeler and grow a fast Murktide Regent, threatening lethal damage in just a few turns. The deck protects its threats and disrupts the opponent with free counterspells like Force of Will and Daze while using Lightning Bolt and Cori-Steel Cutter to close games efficiently. Wasteland provides additional disruption by denying the opponent's mana, keeping them off-balance while the deck's threats apply relentless pressure.”
Missing sideboard cards? The full 15-card sideboard runs about $126.
Buy sideboard on ManapoolThis is a mirror-style tempo battle against another Brainstorm/Ponder/Force of Will/Daze shell, so Surgical Extraction is excellent to answer their own graveyard-based threats like Nethergoyf and Bilbo's recursion. Force of Negation adds a free counterspell to stop their noncreature spells like Thoughtseize, Ponder, or Flow State on their turn. Spell Pierce is a weaker version of effects we already have plenty of, and Into the Flood Maw is only a tempo bounce against a deck that will just recast its threat. Keep the full core engine intact since this matchup is decided by who protects their threats better and wins the Wasteland/mana-denial race.
Eldrazi is almost entirely colorless — Reality Smasher, Thought-Knot Seer, Glaring Fleshraker, Eldrazi Linebreaker, Chalice of the Void, Lotus Petal, and Kozilek's Command are all colorless spells, making Consign to Memory an excellent answer that also stops Kozilek's Command as a colorless spell. Meltdown answers Chalice of the Void to unlock our one-drops, and also destroys Lotus Petal. Spell Pierce is weak since Chalice of the Void at X=1 counters it, and Into the Flood Maw is a poor rate against their 4/4s and 5/5s since it only bounces rather than answers permanently. Prioritize deploying Dragon's Rage Channeler and Murktide Regent under Chalice before they land it, and use Wasteland aggressively on their nonbasic-heavy manabase.
Ocelot Pride Midrange casts essentially no blue or red spells, so Pyroblast and Hydroblast stay in the sideboard. The second Unholy Heat gives us a cheap, efficient answer to Ajani, Nacatl Pariah (1/2 before it transforms) and the 1/2 Guide of Souls, both of which snowball their token engine if left alone. Surgical Extraction can strip a troublesome Ocelot Pride or Ajani once one hits the graveyard, disrupting their token-generation loop. Spell Pierce is weak since their key threats (Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Ajani) are cheap creatures it can't target, and Preordain is the easiest cut to make room while keeping our full core engine. Race them with Dragon's Rage Channeler, Murktide Regent, and Cori-Steel Cutter before their token board turns sideways, using Force of Will and Daze to protect our clock.