Two friends and travel partners meet in a destination match to send one player to the Battle for Byes pool and one to the Play to Stay pool. Danny is on Temur Delver and Jim is on Sultai Delver. Which Delver strategy will come out on top?
Game 1
Jim looks into his friend's soul.
Danny, on the play, opened on a Ponder while Jim hit the board first with Delver+of+Secrets. Danny had his threat on the second turn, in Tarmogoyf, and resolved it after using a Daze on Jim's Daze. Jim failed to flip his Delver and simply passed the turn after replaying his Tropical+Island. Danny attacked for three and Pondered again, keeping the top three, and played a Wasteland before passing the turn. Jim fired off a Brainstorm on the end step, and lost his Tropical+Island to Danny's Wasteland before getting to untap.
Jim's Delver+of+Secrets did flip thanks to a Brainstorm reveal and it came across in the air for three, dropping Danny to 16. Jim's land drop was a Wasteland, which he chose not to use, and he passed. Danny pointed Forked+Bolt at the Insectile Aberration and attacked for four with his Tarmogoyf, putting Jim at 13. Danny ended his turn with a Nimble+Mongoose, tapping out, so Jim landed his own Tarmogoyf on the next turn. Danny refueled with a Brainstorm and found a Delver+of+Secrets to play, but Jim used a Force+of+Will, pitching Brainstorm, to keep it off the board.
Jim attempted to fetch with a Flooded+Strand, but Danny responded by fetching his own land and Stifling the activation. Jim didn't mind losing the land as he was able to resolve a second Tarmogoyf before shipping the turn back. Danny used another Brainstorm to find a Wasteland and hit Jim's Tropical+Island and passed, but Jim used a Scalding+Tarn on his next turn to fetch an Underground+Sea and played a Delver+of+Secrets.
Danny had no play for his turn and Jim's Delver remained a 1/1 so he played a Dark+Confidant, but Danny had the Daze to keep the powerful 2/1 off the table. Danny whiffed on action once again, but Jim's Delver flipped off a Ponder, which he played, but was countered with a Spell+Pierce. Jim settled for attacking for three in the air and passed. Danny hit another Brainstorm and went searching for more action and cleared the top of his deck with a fetch, finding a Volcanic+Island. Danny considered his options, but decided on passing with two mana available.
Jim's flyer came across to knock Danny to 8 and Jim was happy passing back. Danny looked at three more cards from another Brainstorm and went to 7 with another fetch land. Danny passed after fetching and opted to use a Lightning+Bolt on the flyer in Jim's upkeep, succeeding in clearing the evasive threat. Jim went to 9 to fetch a Tropical+Island and resolved True-Name+Nemesis, naming "Danny Jessup."
Danny knew the clock was on and could only add another Tarmogoyf to his board as Jim knocked him to 4 with the Merfolk and had a third Tarmogoyf for his own side. Danny took a look at three more cards with a Ponder, but had no answer to the Nemesis and scooped up his cards.
Jim 1, Danny 0
Game 2
Danny figures out his next line.
Jim was the first to the board first once again with Delver+of+Secrets after Danny led with a Scalding+Tarn. Danny played a Volcanic+Island and quickly answered the Delver with a Forked+Bolt, sending one point at Jim's face. Jim opted for a Ponder, keeping the top three, and passed after adding a Scalding+Tarn to his mana base. Danny had a cantrip of his own in Brainstorm, so Jim fetched an Underground+Sea before it resolved. Danny found a Wasteland and pointed at Jim's Tropical+Island before passing the turn back.
Jim used his next turn to Brainstorm and played another Underground+Seas before passing, as neither play had a threat on board. Danny played a fetch land and a Delver+of+Secrets, but Jim looked to Disfigure it at the end of the turn, but Danny Dazed it, returning his Volcanic+Island. Jim found a Tropical+Island and resolved a Tarmogoyf and said "go." A force of Will flipped Danny's Delver and he decided to draw it before getting in for three. Jim rumbled in with his Tarmogoyf for four and passed, pausing Danny in his upkeep to target the Delver with a Murderous+Cut, but Danny looked to counter it with Force+of+Will, pitching Stifle. Jim didn't back down, however, and used his own Force, pitching Brainstorm, to get rid of the flyer. Danny had no play for his turn after drawing and shipped the action back to Jim.
Jim knocked Danny to 11 with his Tarmogoyf and sat back on his mana. Danny did find another Delver+of+Secrets and passed the turn. Jim Pondered and kept shoving the Tarmogoyf into the red zone, this time dropping Danny to 7. Jim followed up combat with a Deathrite+Shaman and passed, where Danny flipped his Delver with a Stifle, but chose to fetch a Tropical+Island to draw a different card. Danny got in for three, putting Jim at 11, and killed the Deathrite+Shaman with a Forked+Bolt before playing a Nimble+Mongoose.
Jim attacked with his Tarmogoyf and Danny went for Submerge, but Jim had Divert to point it at the flipped Delver, so Danny fetched in response. Danny's Delver went to the top of his deck and he chumped the Tarmogoyf with his Mongoose. Danny tried to kill the Tarmogoyf with a Lightning+Bolt, but Jim had the Spell+Pierce. Danny replayed his Delver+of+Secrets, but Jim had an Abrupt+Decay and attacked in putting Danny to 1. Danny looked at his next card and offered the handshake.
Jim 2, Danny 0
