Wednesday 13 May 2009

Drafting with Jim - #2

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry it has been so long since i did one of these articles, because they are always my favourite ones from SCG, basically because you can see all the pros make mistakes and laugh, im looking at you Eisel. For that reason i decided to record my picks, deck and mathes from an online 8-4 draft queue, here's how it went.

Pack 1, pick 1 - Agony Warp

Jund battlemage, naya panorama and death baron were the only other notables in perhaps the worst shards pack ever.

Pack 1, pick 2 - Fatesticher

There was a rhox charger and court archers in here too, and i figured i would follow up the agony warp considering the guy to my left probably took the battlemage and could therefore push him right out of my colours, which i could leave open as far as grixix/esper.

Pack 1, pick 3 - magma spray

Seaside citadel was the only other notable, and im happy enough with the removal here

Pack 1, pick 4 - dragon fodder

A little underpowered for 4th pick, but not awful.

Pack 1, pick 5 - viscera dragger

Pack 1, pick 6 - Cavern thoctar

This was a misclick, i was meant to take the volcanic submersion in the pack, but hating the thoctar is not terrible anyway

Pack 1, pick 7 - thorn thrash viashino

Pack 1, pick 8 - Kederekt creeper

I love getting these guys late, and this is a sign grixis is open

Pack 1, pick 9 - lightning talons

Remaining picks - volcanic submersion, shadowfeed, swerve, viashino skeleton, forest and island

Pack 2, pick 1 - Fatesticher

The other picks were ranger of eos and tidehollox strix, i think fatesticher is probs the most powerful here.

Pack 2, pick 2 - Vithian stinger

This pack was insane, i passed and oblivion ring, sharuum the hegemon and a sanctum gargoyle. In a vacuum the stinger is not the best but with double fatesticher and not enough fixers to support the splashes, im quite happy with the pick.

pack 2, pick 3 - Vithian stinger

passing a viscera dragger is annoying but double stinger with double fatesticher is awesome

Pack 2, pick 4 - Blightning

Not great, but only a esper charm and knight of the white orchid are worth playing in the pack

Pack 2, pick 5 -dregscape zombie

a bit early for this pick, but its a playable

Pack 2, pick 6 - blister beetle

I love this guy and he's very underated.

Pack 2, pick 7 - fire-field ogre

Pack 2, pick 8 - Grixis panorama

Finally some fixing

Remaining picks - resounding scream, cloudhearth drake, etherium astrolabe, shadowfeed, coma veil, banewasp affliction, mountain

Pack 3, pick 1 - drag down

Voices from the void and parasitic strix were close, but the removal trumps them

Pack 3, pick 2 - Voracious dragon

This is cool, a bit of a bomb, i have a dragon fodder, some goblin outlanders would be nice too.

Pack 3, pick 3 - brackwater elemental

This isnt the best 3rd pick ever, but a shallow booster with only a faerie mechanist means it is ok, and in my deck it will be just fine

Pack 3, pick 4 - Traumatic vision

I really love this card, fixing and a counterspell.

Pack 3, pick 5 - parasitic strix

i picked it over a wretched banquet, not sure here.

Pack 3, pick 6 - goblin outlander

good card, plus my dragon can eat him if necessary

Pack 3, pick 7 - dark temper

This is clearly a late pick, and seeing as there is anothr goblin outlander and a hellspark elemental in the pack it must have been a good pack

Pack 3, pick 8 - pestilent kathari

Remaining picks - rhox bodyguard, kranioceros, wandering goblins, spore burst, mana cylix, forest.

I was pretty happy with the draft, i quite like grixis, certainly better than esper or bant in my opinion. Here's the deck i made

1 x magma spray
1 x dragon fodder
1 x agony warp
1 x blister beetle
1 x dregscape zombie
1 x goblin outlander
1 x parasitic strix
1 x drag down
1 x blightning
1 x brackwater elemental
1 x dark temper
1 x kederekt creeper
2 x vithian stinger
1 x pestilent kathari
2 x fatesticher
1 x fire-field ogre
1 x viscera dragger
1 x cloudhearth drake
1 x volcanic submersion
1 x traumatic visions
1 x voracious dragon

1 x grixis panorama
6 x swamp
5 x island
5 x mountain


Sorry guys but i couldnt be bothered to do reports on the matches i played, but basically to put a long story short i 3-0'ed with the deck and took down a sweet 8 boosters for my troubles.

its getting pretty late now but for some reason i decided to fire a couple of 4-3-2-2's after this, and am currently playing the final of the second one having 3-0'ed the first....so thats pretty much 8-0 for the night at least, woot!


Hope you found the draft enjoyable, see everyone on thursday, there will be more articles going up in the time being.



Until then,



Jim



As always, feel free to comment on anything about this article, or anything unrelated to magic whatsoever. If you would like to contribute to the TLM blog, please email any ideas, articles, pictures or anything else to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk

3 comments:

  1. Nice work on (probably) 9-0.

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  2. Sick deck btw, well drafted

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  3. aww 8-1, shame. My martial coup for 9 5-1'ing my opp was met with kresh, then infest...his last to cards in hand.


    i would have liked a 3rd QP,i might even have a bash at getting into the online championship season, but i have absolutely no cards of constructed value online.

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