Last updated on March 12, 2025
Treasure Cruise | Illustration by Cynthia Sheppard
Delve is one of the most beloved (and controversial) mechanics from the original Khans of Tarkir (though it originates from Future Sight), so it wouldn't be surprising to see it return in some form for Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Thanks to some hints by Head Designer Mark Rosewater, we now know that delve will be returning in at least a limited form.
A Limited Form?
- “Spells you cast have delve.”
Based on Mark Rosewater's Dragonstorm teaser, we know that there will be at least one card in the set that includes the delve mechanic. Rather than having delve itself though, it will apparently give every single spell delve! This card seems likely to be a Sultai enchantment of some sort, and could potentially do some very broken things if it's cheap enough!
In fact, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths had basically this exact same card already. Titans' Nest was somewhat forgettable in the set, but it basically gave your spells delve, with many more words, and with a few restrictions. That didn't ruin Constructed or Limited by any stretch, but that doesn't mean a new delve enchantment won't push the boundaries.
Anything else?
- “A Hydra that uses a clan keyword”
No actually! At least not from the teaser directly. One card that could easily end up having delve is the hydra that was hinted at in the teaser. Since you can safely assume the hydra to be green, the existing green clan keywords available for it are:
Of these three, delve definitely makes the most sense, and would play exceptionally well on an X-cost hydra, though that would also mean that delve is a mechanic in the set proper. Without confirmation of that yet, it's fully possible that delve is just a callback mechanic on that one card. The set will also surely deliver some new clan keywords, so the hydra might have a new ability altogether.
What About Dragonstorm Commander?
While Teval, the Balanced Scale won't be appearing in actual Tarkir: Dragonstorm packs, it's worth noting that it plays very well with delve. If you care about “one or more cards leaving your graveyard” as Teval does, then it's hard to imagine a better mechanic for that than delve. Regardless of whether or not delve makes the main set (which feels like a true 50/50), there will almost certainly be delve cards in the Teval precon!
What's the Problem with Delve?
Delve itself is a fine cost reduction mechanic, which might be a bit of an oxymoron, since cheating on mana costs is one of the most powerful things to be doing in Magic. But if costed appropriately, delve cards can be fun to play and rewarding to build towards.
The issue with delve is that the Khans of Tarkir cards were not balanced appropriately for Eternal play. Treasure Cruise was immediately problematic in multiple formats, with Dig Through Time being just as powerful in decks that could stock the graveyard quickly. Some might argue Murktide Regent from Modern Horizons 2 is unbalanced as well, but that is a Modern Horizons card, after all.
Gurmag Angler continues to be a presence in Pauper to this day, and was a key part of Modern for quite some time, even usurping the rare Tasigur, the Golden Fang. And before those came about, Tombstalker was a force to be reckoned with.
Temporal Trespass, Become Immense, and Hooting Mandrills have all seen competitive success through different eras, and Soulflayer has been… well, it's been played a lot.
And who could forget Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis? It just goes to show that delves is a dangerous mechanic to be working with, regardless of how high you jack up the cost of a card.
How Would Delve Fare in Standard?
Dig Through Time | Illustration by Ryan Yee
Though delve is a powerful and often broken mechanic (see the past bans on Treasure Cruise, Dig Through Time, etc.), it was surprisingly well balanced in Khans of Tarkir Standard. This is likely because Standard decks lack the velocity of Eternal decks, which have access to fetch lands and superior cantrips like Preordain and Malevolent Rumble.
One problematic card in current Standard with delve would be Up the Beanstalk, as delve would be yet another way to break that overpowered card advantage engine. It's fully possible though that Beans are not long for this world, as WotC could take action to get rid of them in the upcoming Banned & Restricted Announcement (3/31).
You'll have to see how everything plays out! It would be nice to see delve in Standard again, so here's to hoping it's in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Between forage, descend, threshold, delirium, collect evidence, and more, there sure are a lot of graveyard mechanics in Standard!
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