Today we’ll explore a competitive archetype that not only doesn’t need dual lands, it’s better off without them. I’ve played multiple Legacy decks (such as Reanimator while cosplaying as Stitcher Geralf), but only one that’s flourished without anything from the Reserved List. And none others half so slithery.

The synergistic symbiotes known as Slivers sometimes sneak around Modern tournaments, but they feel stronger in Legacy. You see, the eldest and most potent breeds come from Stronghold on the plane of Rath.

For the same reasons Nimble Mongoose is playable in Legacy, Crystalline Sliver is a glistening terror. It blanks everything from Swords to Plowshares to targeting abilities from equipment such as Sword of Fire and Ice. Leading with a Crystalline Sliver allows the rest of the hive to flourish into an unstoppable chittering swarm.

The only thing Crystalline Sliver won’t protect your undulating dears from is board wipes like Terminus. For that they’ll have to go into hibernation.

Hibernation Sliver, a few uses:

1. Slithering away from a board wipe, or targeted removal
2. Returning a Blue sliver to hand to pitch to Force of Will
3. Returning a chump blocker to save it
4. Returning a blocked sliver to save it, or to deny Jitte counters
5. Replaying said blocked sliver at once with Aether Vial to regain its bonuses
6. Returning an attacking lord after first-strike damage but before Tarmogoyf can kill it

Speaking of first strike, both these ancient slivers synergize splendidly with one of the newest. Striking Sliver was serviceable when I played it Modern. In Legacy, oddly enough, it excels.

Combining first strike and shroud from Crystalline Sliver creates an impenetrable wall on defense. Eldrazi fear to venture into the hive, and the matchup tips from even to favorable with the help of first strike and Venom Sliver. Tarmogoyfs look puny, and when the time is right for slivers to invade, no flimsy Baleful Strix can stop their first-striking claws.

Traditional lists of slivers in Legacy did not have the adaptation of Striking Sliver. The archetype was also called by another name (which I shan’t mention). Old strains of the deck played with duals from the Reserved List. As promised, this deck does without.

Slivers ? Legacy| Daniel Rodrigues Nunes

• Creatures (29)
• 2 Phantasmal Image
• 3 Predatory Sliver
• 4 Crystalline Sliver
• 4 Galerider Sliver
• 4 Hibernation Sliver
• 4 Muscle Sliver
• 4 Sinew Sliver
• 4 Striking Sliver

• Spells (10)
• 4 Force of Will
• 2 Chalice of the Void
• 4 AEther Vial

• Lands (21)
• 1 Gemstone Mine
• 1 Karakas
• 1 Tendo Ice Bridge
• 1 Undiscovered Paradise
• 2 Ancient Ziggurat
• 3 Mana Confluence
• 4 Cavern of Souls
• 4 Mutavault
• 4 Sliver Hive

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Chalice of the Void
• 1 Containment Priest
• 2 Darkheart Sliver
• 2 Ethersworn Canonist
• 2 Frenetic Sliver
• 1 Grafdigger's Cage
• 2 Harmonic Sliver
• 1 Karakas
• 1 Pithing Needle
• 2 Venom Sliver

Buy This Deck

Like Volrath, I’ve experimented with the composition of Slivers, but this original deck concept came from Daniel Rodrigues Nunes. My testing resulted in a similar conclusion. The tribe is better off without too many spells like Daze and Brainstorm. It’s not a matter of expense. I have the dual lands, but I’d rather play with Striking Sliver. (And Chalice of the Void.)

The decision to cut Brainstorm will leave many Legacy players scratching their noggins. That’s fine. Likely this deck won’t appeal to anyone with a Blue-mana symbol tattooed onto their skin or soul. Including Brainstorm in the deck would make it more consistent, but in my experience, it then becomes consistently not good enough.

With the above slivers list, I’ve even against the Legacy field. I am happy to play against Miracles, Eldrazi, Shardless, D&T, and Delver. As you might imagine, combo matchups like Storm and Elves are not advantageous, but Slivers are never helpless with Force of Will and a fast clock.

Sliver Strategies:

• The mana base is shaky, but AEther Vial makes it playable. It’s your best card against mana-denial and tempo strategies.
• Cavern of Souls is your most powerful land. Protect it from Wasteland as much as you can by keeping it in hand until you must deploy a key sliver. It can also power your 1-drop slivers through Chalice of the Void.
• Your key slivers come from Stronghold. Consider mulliganing any hand that doesn’t have Crystalline Sliver or Hibernation Sliver.
• Counting those Blue slivers, Galerider Sliver, and Phantasmal Image, the deck plays just enough cards (18) to pitch to Force of Will. Don’t side out any Blue cards unless Forces are also coming out.
• Phantasmal Image can copy Recruiter of the Guard to search for any sliver you need. Also fun: copying Emrakul or Marit Lage.

Sideboarding Strategies:

• Side out all Force of Will against fair decks. (Leave them in against Miracles.)
• Pithing Needle comes in against mana-denial decks like Death and Taxes, as well as against Miracles. The goal is to overwhelm Miracle’s artifact hate with Needle, Vials, and Chalices.
• Add Venom Slivers to the hive against Tarmogoyf and anything big, colorless, and ugly. If you have to fend off a scourge of Eldrazi in your meta, play the venom main deck over the Chalices.
• The second Karakas comes in against the obvious decks as well as Death and Taxes and Storm. I want to make certain I have two lands that can cast Chalice of the Void on turn two.
• Against Storm, if you’re on the draw, consider playing Chalice on turn one for zero. Also, side in both Darkheart Sliver, and if possible, Vial them in with ten Tendrils of Agony on the stack.
• Darkheart Sliver will often come in against fair decks when Forces come out. The sacrifice outlet is additionally good vs Dredge’s Bridge from Below.
• The Frenetic Sliver is primarily against Miracles, but you can also side it against Shardless for their Toxic Deluge.
• Harmonic Sliver slithers in against equipment-based decks like Death and Taxes (and against Exploration from Lands). Note that their triggered ability isn’t optional, and it can destroy your own artifacts.
• Feel free to change the hate-bears in the board depending on your meta.

Though Slivers eschews cards on the Reserved List, the deck is still not cheap. To name one obvious expense, you have to commission alters for all the new slivers. The ones you’ve seen in this article were by Scourge Alters.

For a budget version of the deck, you may possibly be able to do with the original art. The next thrift cuts would be in the multiple Karakas and Chalice of the Void. Substitute another Ancient Ziggurat and more hatebears.

If you do choose to join the hive, I wish you all the joy of winning with synergy and style. Not everyone knows this, but slivers grant an unwritten communal ability: smiles for all.

Long live the Sliver Queen!