Delver of Secrets
Delver of Secrets
Insectile Aberration
Insectile Aberration

Delver of Secrets / Insectile Aberration
– Set

Date Reviewed:
November 13, 2017

Ratings:
Constructed: 4.50
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 3.50
Multiplayer: 3.00
Commander [EDH]: 3.00

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale.
1 is bad. 3 is average.  5 is great.

Reviews Below: 


David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Delver of Secrets awakens a lot of pleasant memories of the Innistrad block, and of how surprising and inspiring a lot of its cards were. Back in the 90s, if you had told me there would one day be a card specifically inspired by The Fly, I most likely would have said you were crazy. If you had told me it would also be one of the best blue creatures of all time, I probably would have told you to get back in your DeLorean and get out of here. It’s not a conventional aggro creature in any way – it requires a high concentration of spells in your deck, and it’s not a creature-type tribal card like a lot of blue’s older aggro creatures, but that fact of working so well with spells makes it arguably the most quintessentially blue creature of all time.

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 2/5
EDH/Commander: 2/5   

King Of Hearts
King Of
Hearts

This week we are going to look at some of the more notable cards in “From the Vaults: Transform.” I went to the Innistrad pre-release eager to get my hands on some brand new double-faced cards. I was ready to rip into my opponents with my Green Red Werewolf deck. My excited cooled a bit after I fought 3 decks in a row that used this now infamous card. 

Is Delver broken? Hardly. You still need a high percent of spells in your deck. This makes Delver perfectly at home in blue, but hard to splash in other decks. A turn 2 3/2 flyer is still incredibly good, especially considering all the ways to keep it safe. It’s cool that they brought this character back in the form of  “Aberrant Researcher.” For those who didn’t know, the concept of this card was inspired by “The Fly.”

Constructed: 5
Limited: 4
Casual: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander (EDH): 4

 James H. 

Looks like this week is Transform cards week, in honor of From the Vault: Transform. Seems a bit weird to do a From the Vault on a card type that’s been around for only six years (since Innistrad) and has only shown up in six sets so far, but I don’t make the decisions.

 
Delver of Secrets is probably the most notorious transform card from Innistrad, and it’s easily in contention for one of the most powerful commons ever printed. The flip condition is very easy to meet in a deck he’d slot into (usually some Izzet or Grixis shell), and your reward is a 3/2 with flying, oft on turn 2. Attacking with 3 power on turn 2, especially 3 evasive power, is very good, and he’s been a powerhouse in any constructed format he’s been a part of. He’s not a great card to put on turn 10 or so, once the board gets nice and congested, since he’s pretty useless until he flips, but he’s a formidable early powerhouse and a good part of why the infamous “Delver deck” is still a format-defining monstrosity.
 
Constructed: 4.75
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.25

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