Drafting with Wagz (and Andy) #5 - Being Responsive

By Wagz

Tonight I had Andy Edwards round for some draft action. We did a draft where we 2-0'd twice then got the old screw-flood in the final. We had a Malfegor for kicks which we topdecked at precisely the right time, and during the draft I called a 4th pick Armillary Sphere and the exact slot it was going to appear in before the booster showed so we felt that whatever is the source of luck was being pretty nice to us. We therefore decided to go into another draft, one which was much more fraught with decisions.

In reports on drafting we often hear about 'signals'. These are important but it is never really made clear why. For the most part it is a matter of course of being responsive and seeing that our desired strategy is being taken, such as not getting any good fat creatures for a fatty Naya deck. Rather than pig-headedly carrying on with the picks we have, we need to exercise more self-control and respond to the signals. This can involve abandoning your previous picks completely (I once abandoned my first 6 picks to take the deck being shipped to me and won the draft) or simply altering your strategy to cope with the situation - such as taking WG weenie when the RG fatties are drying up.

The draft presented here is an extreme example - taking cards which fit in multiple strategies and being aware of those strategies and what we can easily abandon, so as to be completely aware of what's being shipped in time to salvage our picks:

------ ALA ------

Pack 1 pick 1:

Naturalize, Obelisk of Grixis, Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Knight of the Skyward Eye, Cavern Thoctar, Shore Snapper, Waveskimmer Aven, Coma Veil, Soul's Grace, Rockslide Elemental, Necrogenesis, Swerve, Clarion Ultimatum, Island

Nothing obvious here. When you have an unobvious opening pack there are two choices really - take something okay and force it, or take the best card and pretend the booster you get passed was the first. Knight of the Skyward Eye, Rockslide Elemental and Necrogenesis are the only cards worth considering here.

GW aggro is always terrible for me due to a lack of removal and bad exalted creatures in Alara Reborn, which means Knight is forcing Naya aggro = 1 strategy.

Rockslide Elemental fits in any deck playing red and most befits an aggro deck. Goes well in unearth, devour and weenie decks = 3 strategies.

Necrogenesis is a powerhouse, but is in an awkward colour combination. It looks like it fits only in Jund but secretly (don't tell anyone) you can splash it in a deck with only one of the colours main. Hence, this fits in control decks playing black and/or green = lots of stratgies, all of which are control.

We take the Necrogenesis after a lot of discussion and were prepared to abandon it but it is powerful, turning off Unearth and working wonders against Exalted.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Vectis Silencers, Resounding Silence, Deathgreeter, Kederekt Creeper, Cancel, Obelisk of Jund, Volcanic Submersion, Rakeclaw Gargantuan, Onyx Goblet, Spell Snip, Fatestitcher, Qasali Ambusher, Kiss of the Amesha, Plains

No card here clearly goes with the 'genesis, but we are prepared to change. The best cards are Resounding Silence, Fatestitcher and Kiss of the Amesha. Qasali Ambusher used to be great but has lost lustre recently as if you're not attacking in GW then you're not doing it right which means you generally have to hardcast the guy. So it therefore falls to the three blue-white cards. These all want to be in control decks and Kiss is the best in that role, so we take it. A GB and a UW card so far, great..

Pack 1 pick 3:

Cancel, Rakeclaw Gargantuan, Bloodthorn Taunter, Naturalize, Angelsong, Blister Beetle, Sighted-Caste Sorcerer, Tortoise Formation, Coma Veil, Skeletonize, Corpse Connoisseur, Jhessian Infiltrator, Plains

Best card here is Red.. We notice the second Rakeclaw Gargantuan and realise we are probably shipping Naya, which means some kind of UB based deck is mostly likely to be rewarding. At this point a 5-colour control deck could be the order to use all our picks and we're certainly not being shown a good aggro deck. Take Skeletonize.

Pack 1 pick 4:

Skeletal Kathari, Goblin Deathraiders, Mosstodon, Dragon Fodder, Gift of the Gargantuan, Filigree Sages (FOIL), Outrider of Jhess, Grixis Panorama, Infest, Scourge Devil, Behemoth's Herald, Mountain

Before this booster came up Andy and I were just saying how a 5cc deck really needs a mass removal spell. If you don't get Jund Charm this usually means opening Volcanic Fallout or Martial Coup. We get passed an Infest here and are very happy with it. 5 colour control with a black base is being presented to us here if 3 people passed Infest (which got better with the Blades).

Pack 1 pick 5:

Sanctum Gargoyle, Rip-Clan Crasher, Lush Growth, Gift of the Gargantuan, Obelisk of Bant, Incurable Ogre, Grixis Panorama, Carrion Thrash, Grixis Battlemage, Scourglass, Swamp

This booster is a very curious one. Clearly the person that opened it wanted to pass Esper signals by shipping Sanctum Gargoyle and Scourglass. However, the next 3 people didn't want to know about it. Therefore, it's decision time. If we take a Scourglass (Gargoyle is not an option due to power and decktype reasons) then we may put the guy to our left in Esper but we have already shipped some mediocre Naya and the guys to our right will pass us Esper in pack 3 (the better control cards are in pack 3, the better aggro ones in pack 2). If we take Grixis Panorama then we get a better manabase but are losing out on a fantastic card. We take the Scourglass and are tempted by 5-colour Esper control.

Pack 1 pick 6:

Cylian Elf, Lightning Talons, Naya Panorama, Onyx Goblet, Obelisk of Esper, Godtoucher, Gustrider Exuberant, Esper Battlemage, Scourge Devil, Mountain

Esper Battlemage is a great Esper control card and helps us ship Naya more.

Pack 1 pick 7:

Yoked Plowbeast, Kederekt Creeper, Savage Hunger, Coma Veil, Shadowfeed, Waveskimmer Aven, Tidehollow Sculler, Exuberant Firestoker, Forest

Tidehollow Sculler is a very good card for us. I always wondered when this guy gets taken, and now I know.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Ridge Rannet, Courier's Capsule, Akrasan Squire, Dispeller's Capsule, Godtoucher, Cathartic Adept, Lightning Talons, Plains

That's a very late Akrasan Squire, but the Courier's Capsule is for us. We have found our stategy and are going with it - hooray for being responsive to the cards!

Pack 1 pick 9:

Obelisk of Grixis, Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Shore Snapper, Coma Veil, Swerve, Island

Obelisk of Grixis is a card which is very good in 5cc decks.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Kederekt Creeper, Cancel, Volcanic Submersion, Onyx Goblet, Spell Snip, Plains

This pick isn't automatic but we took Kederekt Creeper as a sideboard card (deathtouch, you see).

Pack 1 pick 11:

Bloodthorn Taunter, Naturalize, Tortoise Formation, Coma Veil, Plains

One less Naturalize to face.

Pack 1 pick 12:

Filigree Sages (FOIL), Grixis Panorama, Behemoth's Herald, Mountain

Tabled the Panorama, nice.

Pack 1 pick 13-15

Carrion Thrash, Godtoucher, Forest

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Sedraxis Alchemist, Beacon Behemoth, Darklit Gargoyle, Unsummon, Armillary Sphere, Kranioceros, Valiant Guard, Grixis Illusionist, Yoke of the Damned, Vectis Agents, Hellspark Elemental, Elder Mastery, Viashino Slaughtermaster, Mark of Asylum, Forest

Nothing hugely exciting here, but Armillary Sphere is an auto-include in 5cc. It'll certainly help us splash anything off-colour if we want to. We are on the lookout for manafixing in Conflux, as always.

Pack 2 pick 2:

Absorb Vis, Kranioceros, Mana Cylix, Gleam of Resistance, Wild Leotau, Goblin Outlander, Constricting Tendrils, Tukatongue Thallid, Asha's Favor, Dragonsoul Knight, Spore Burst, Skyward Eye Prophets, Sigil of the Empty Throne, Island

Absorb Vis is manafixing and a decent control card. The pack is a bit light though, we don't expect to wheel anything significant.

Pack 2 pick 3:

Beacon Behemoth, Darklit Gargoyle, Unsummon, Armillary Sphere, Kranioceros, Valiant Guard, Grixis Illusionist, Yoke of the Damned, Vectis Agents, Gluttonous Slime, Fusion Elemental, Sludge Strider, Swamp

Decision time - think fast! Armillary Sphere, Fusion Elemental or Sludge Strider? Sphere removes our mana worries, Fusion Elemental is a huge creature and Sludge Strider pushes for Esper. Though we are resolved to be 5-colour, a stable manabase and on-colour spells is a good thing to have, splashing only for the best cards. If we are to take a creature, I much prefer Sludge Strider here as it stops leaking Esper control signals and Fusion Elementals do sometimes table.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Esper Cormorants, Aven Trailblazer, Kaleidostone, Toxic Iguanar, Scattershot Archer, Yoke of the Damned, Nacatl Savage, Wandering Goblins, Corrupted Roots, Fusion Elemental, Skyward Eye Prophets, Swamp

Another Fusion Elemental is good, sure, but Esper Cormorants is so on colour and a very big flier.

Pack 2 pick 5:

Zombie Outlander, Matca Rioters, Darklit Gargoyle, Asha's Favor, Nacatl Outlander, Grixis Illusionist, Exploding Borders, Lapse of Certainty, Paragon of the Amesha, Controlled Instincts, Island

At this point we are satisfied with the Esper strategy and take Darklit Gargoyle. We would still like to splash the off-shard bombs but a more solid spellbase is the key to 5cc really. He has evasion and allows us to play aggro if we need to.

Pack 2 pick 6:

Absorb Vis, Kranioceros, Mana Cylix, Gleam of Resistance, Constricting Tendrils, Tukatongue Thallid, Asha's Favor, Paragon of the Amesha, Aerie Mystics, Forest

Absorb Vis or Gleam of Resistance? Both are fine but we go Absorb Vis for the black focus to the deck (Infest etc).

Pack 2 pick 7:

Pestilent Kathari, Matca Rioters, Bone Saw, Constricting Tendrils, Court Homunculus, Molten Frame, Infectious Horror, Manaforce Mace, Forest

I want to take Court Homonculus, but Andy convinces me to take Matca Rioters. Both are unlikely to make the deck but I concede we have more support for a 4/4 or 5/5 Rioters.

Pack 2 pick 8:

Traumatic Visions, Zombie Outlander, Kaleidostone, Brackwater Elemental, Maniacal Rage, Nacatl Savage, Countersquall, Mountain

Traumatic Visions, Zombie Outlander or Brackwater Elemental? All require us to play blue, in which event manafixing is very much needed so we take the Visions.

Pack 2 pick 9:

Sedraxis Alchemist, Unsummon, Kranioceros, Valiant Guard, Grixis Illusionist, Elder Mastery, Forest

Sedraxis Alchemist. Some cards don't need thinking about.

Pack 2 pick 10:

Kranioceros, Constricting Tendrils, Tukatongue Thallid, Asha's Favor, Skyward Eye Prophets, Island

Skyward Eye Prophets. It's looking a bit slow now, hope Reborn is alright for us.

Pack 2 pick 11-15:

Vectis Agents, Scattershot Archer, Controlled Instincts, Constricting Tendrils, Forest

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Wildfield Borderpost, Sewn-Eye Drake, Mistvein Borderpost, Glassdust Hulk, Bant Sureblade, Terminate, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Naya Hushblade, Mask of Riddles, Wall of Denial, Etherwrought Page, Knight of New Alara, Swamp

We take Wall of Denial. An excellent control card. We would still like some kind of creature with which to win but are in some kind of decent shape.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Winged Coatl, Deadshot Minotaur, Veinfire Borderpost, Esper Stormblade, Deny Reality, Rhox Brute, Sigiled Behemoth, Zealous Persecution (FOIL), Grixis Sojourners, Ethercaste Knight, Kathari Remnant, Mage Slayer, Anathemancer, Island

Esper Stormblade is a fine creature with which to swing. We could occasionally aggro with it too, but just having a 3/2 flier is good.

Pack 3 pick 3:

Wildfield Borderpost, Architects of Will, Terminate, Cerodon Yearling, Deny Reality, Grizzled Leotau, Valley Rannet, Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Shield of the Righteous, Sigil Captain, Tainted Sigil, Plains

*enter Dalek mode* TERRMINATE!!

Pack 3 pick 4:

Sanity Gnawers, Island, Grixis Sojourners, Valley Rannet, Sanctum Plowbeast, Igneous Pouncer, Demonspine Whip, Singe-Mind Ogre, Bant Sureblade, Pale Recluse, Stormcaller's Boon, Brainbite

This pick took a while, but we settled on the UW 2-drop in Bant Sureblade. There are a few manafixers in here which would have been nice, but you need spells to cast with all this fixed mana.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Unbender Tine, Forest, Godtracker of Jund, Igneous Pouncer, Esper Sojourners, Grizzled Leotau, Ardent Plea, Jhessian Zombies, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Naya Sojourners, Gorger Wurm

I wish Shieldmage had Fear so he would truly be the Spanish Inquisition SURPRISE! What a guy.

Pack 3 pick 6:

Architects of Will, Deny Reality, Grizzled Leotau, Valley Rannet, Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Skyclaw Thrash, Drastic Revelation, Mind Funeral, Swamp

Andy makes me take Skyclaw Thrash. Very good pick, we are splashing anyway and he's an artifact.

Pack 3 pick 7:

Wildfield Borderpost, Architects of Will, Valley Rannet, Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Enlisted Wurm, Double Negative, Flurry of Wings, Forest

I repeat - "Pack 3 pick 7:". Enlisted Wurm...

Pack 3 pick 8:

Offering to Asha, Vithian Renegades, Mountain, Putrid Leech, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Arsenal Thresher, Glassdust Hulk

Putrid Leech...

Pack 3 pick 9:

Wildfield Borderpost, Mistvein Borderpost, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Mask of Riddles, Etherwrought Page, Swamp

Just the droid we were looking for, GW borderpost.

Pack 3 pick 10:

Deny Reality, Sigiled Behemoth, Kathari Remnant, Mage Slayer, Anathemancer, Island

Kathari Remnant is a solid control card, keeping dirt away all game and fetching up a creature to make up for the fact that you're playing a wall.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Shield of the Righteous, Tainted Sigil, Plains

Sanctum Plowbeast helps us fix our mana.

Pack 3 pick 12-15:

Grixis Sojourners, Esper Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Forest

Another Plowbeast helps us fix the manas if we needs it. We came through with a good control deck in the end. We got a 4-11 one match with the Scourglass. Blew out a 12/9 First Strike creature with Shieldmage in the same game. One guy Unsummoned our Enlisted Wurm too, when he was in approximately zero danger, much appreciated.

With this article we make special mention to say goodbye to Damage on the Stack. Magic Online's update tomorrow brings with it the new rules. Farewell old friend, R.I.P. xxx

Drafting with Wagz #4 - With added Fu

By Wagz

Tonight's draft was in conjunction with Fu. It is a good idea to draft with other people because you get to discuss picks and plays. If you cannot justify your pick/play to another person then maybe it isn't the best idea anyway. It also means you both might find new cards you otherwise wouldn't play with and such. I have drafted with Rik, Joe Churcher, Martin, Ben Heath, Andy Edwards and Mick Edwards at various points and it's always more fun in numbers :). Note that this is illegal in real life Magic but unenforcable online. Onto the picks:

------ ALA ------

Pack 1 pick 1:

Sigil Blessing, Court Archers, Viashino Skeleton, Call to Heel, Excommunicate, Viscera Dragger, Carrion Thrash, Vithian Stinger, Gift of the Gargantuan, Outrider of Jhess, Blood Cultist, Dragon's Herald, Corpse Connoisseur, Tezzeret the Seeker, Mountain

We take the Mythic Rare. Online you are more prone to take cards worth Tix since you can more easily get your money back, but Planeswalkers are nearly always great anyway. Tezzeret is IMO by far the weakest Planeswalker, at least in Draft, but you can build a deck around him and is an excellent start to an Artifact deck.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Cancel, Obelisk of Jund, Volcanic Submersion, Rakeclaw Gargantuan, Onyx Goblet, Spell Snip, Guardians of Akrasa, Goblin Mountaineer, Shore Snapper, Qasali Ambusher, Demon's Herald, Sangrite Surge, Quietus Spike, Island

I am always happy to abandon Tezzeret after picking him and want to take Qasali Ambusher but Fu convinces me to go with the Quietus Spike since UB and UW have good fliers you can equip it to. I don't like paying 3 to equip stuff unless it's a Hammer since it is not good tempo until late late game.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Viashino Skeleton, Call to Heel, Excommunicate, Viscera Dragger, Druid of the Anima, Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Soul's Grace, Mosstodon, Waveskimmer Aven, Elvish Visionary, Jund Battlemage, Angel's Herald, Forest

The green drafter in me again wants me to take Waveskimmer Aven but we take the Viscera Dragger. It's a fairly solid card anyway and helps us to pass a lot of Green cards for signals.

Pack 1 pick 4:

Kederekt Creeper, Resounding Roar, Jhessian Lookout, Welkin Guide, Undead Leotau, Obelisk of Grixis, Blister Beetle, Cavern Thoctar, Angelic Benediction, Sphinx's Herald, Gather Specimens, Swamp

Still good Naya cards in here, but Blister Beetle is good - better than it used to be even, so we take the little critter. We are wary of having too few artifacts - not many getting passed is not a good sign.

Pack 1 pick 5:

Tortoise Formation, Coma Veil, Sanctum Gargoyle, Etherium Sculptor (FOIL), Outrider of Jhess, Grixis Panorama, Obelisk of Bant, Seaside Citadel, Bant Battlemage, Scourge Devil, Mountain

Or is it? We obv take Sanctum Gargoyle but are not sure what's going on. Was there a better artifact in there? We just need to buckle down and cut our colours heavily now since there's not really anything to move into.

Pack 1 pick 6:

Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Yoked Plowbeast, Banewasp Affliction, Rakeclaw Gargantuan (FOIL), Soul's Grace, Kathari Screecher, Scavenger Drake, Dawnray Archer, Immortal Coil, Plains

I convince Fu to take the Kathari Screecher now as it curves well and has Unearth but he wanted the Scavenger Drake. I like that guy as well but it just doesn't do enough quick enough any more.

Pack 1 pick 7:

Steelclad Serpent, Marble Chalice, Viscera Dragger, Obelisk of Grixis, Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Cavern Thoctar, Sunseed Nurturer, Plains

A second Viscera Dragger is much better than a Steelclad Serpent and gives us a better Black deck. We are losing the artifact focus and may just be splashing Sanctum Gargoyle, we'll see.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Goblin Mountaineer, Carrion Thrash, Glaze Fiend, Gift of the Gargantuan, Obelisk of Bant, Esper Charm, Cunning Lethemancer, Forest

Esper Charm isn't a bad pick here, it means the guys a couple to our right probably aren't in Esper, or that the shard is under-drafted around the table.

Pack 1 pick 9:

Viashino Skeleton, Carrion Thrash, Gift of the Gargantuan, Outrider of Jhess, Dragon's Herald, Corpse Connoisseur, Mountain

Corpse Connoisseur is not as good as he used to be. Having said that, we have 3 Unearth cards already so we do take it.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Volcanic Submersion, Onyx Goblet, Shore Snapper, Demon's Herald, Sangrite Surge, Island

Onyx Goblet might combo with Tezzeret?

Pack 1 pick 11-15

Excommunicate, Undead Leotau, Coma Veil, Soul's Grace, Plains

Leotau is fine, not much to see here.

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Esper Cormorants, Unsummon, Rhox Meditant, Vedalken Outlander, Absorb Vis, Brackwater Elemental, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Rotting Rats, Goblin Outlander, Vagrant Plowbeasts, Gluttonous Slime, Esperzoa, Rakka Mar, Island

I have come to the conclusion that Esperzoa is a trick, he's far too slow in real life. Doesn't work without several Moxen. Esper Cormorants is obviously fine but I make us take Rakka Mar. She is an absolute bomb if we are willing to splash Red and it doesn't look like artifacts are working out for us.

Pack 2 pick 2:

Matca Rioters, Darklit Gargoyle, Wretched Banquet, Esper Cormorants, Quenchable Fire, Tukatongue Thallid, Lapse of Certainty, Rupture Spire, Suicidal Charge, Ancient Ziggurat, Nacatl Hunt-Pride, Viashino Slaughtermaster, Exotic Orchard, Plains

Shame to pass a second Esper Cormorants, but Exotic Orchard is really great in the format.

Pack 2 pick 3:

Dark Temper, Frontline Sage, Aven Squire, Wretched Banquet, Sylvan Bounty, Canyon Minotaur, Constricting Tendrils, Tukatongue Thallid, Asha's Favor, Corrupted Roots, Spore Burst, Dreadwing, Island

Dark Temper is a fine removal spell if we are increasing our Red quotient with so many Black creatures already.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Pestilent Kathari, Valeron Outlander, Armillary Sphere, Aven Trailblazer, Brackwater Elemental, Exploding Borders, Maniacal Rage, Nacatl Outlander, Sludge Strider (FOIL), Cumber Stone, Reliquary Tower, Plains

Armillary Sphere will obviously help our mana, but Sludge Strider is what we take, hoping to revive our artifact theme.

Pack 2 pick 5:

Bone Saw, Sedraxis Alchemist, Vedalken Outlander, Rhox Bodyguard, Wandering Goblins, Valiant Guard, Salvage Slasher, Jhessian Balmgiver, Nacatl Hunt-Pride, Elder Mastery, Mountain

We take Sedraxis Alchemist, and excellent creature in UB.

Pack 2 pick 6:

Absorb Vis, Valeron Outlander, Sylvan Bounty, Aven Squire, Pestilent Kathari, Asha's Favor, Grixis Illusionist, Lapse of Certainty, Shard Convergence, Forest

We'll need this Absorb Vis to cast our splashed spells.

Pack 2 pick 7:

Darklit Gargoyle, Wretched Banquet, Quenchable Fire, Tukatongue Thallid, Lapse of Certainty, Rupture Spire, Suicidal Charge, Gluttonous Slime, Mountain

Ditto about Rupture Spire

Pack 2 pick 8:

Absorb Vis, Unsummon (FOIL), Asha's Favor, Grixis Illusionist, Lapse of Certainty, Ancient Ziggurat, Controlled Instincts, Swamp

I think I put together a decent case for Ziggurat but we go with the more consistent Absorb Vis, which will help cast any Thopter Foundries or Terminates we see in pack 3.

Pack 2 pick 9:

Unsummon, Rhox Meditant, Vedalken Outlander, Brackwater Elemental, Rotting Rats, Goblin Outlander, Island

Can't argue with an Outlander. We take the Goblin one but I can see Fu's not keen. Probably should have taken the artifact one as it's fetchable, but pro: white is much more relevant in shards limited.

Pack 2 pick 10:

Wretched Banquet, Quenchable Fire, Tukatongue Thallid, Lapse of Certainty, Ancient Ziggurat, Plains

Wretched Banquet is a removal spell, which we sorely need.

Pack 2 pick 11-15:

Corrupted Roots, Cumber Stone, Salvage Slasher, Asha's Favor, Mountain

Cumber Stone is a good sideboard card. I like to play it main if I have 2 or more.

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Vithian Renegades, Meddling Mage, Mountain, Bant Sojourners, Sigiled Behemoth, Etherium Abomination, Esper Sojourners, Enlisted Wurm, Marrow Chomper, Sewn-Eye Drake, Mistvein Borderpost, Glassdust Hulk, Bant Sureblade, Terminate, Igneous Pouncer

A quick check reveals Meddling Mage is going for 1.2 Tix, so we take the Terminate.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Sanity Gnawers, Sages of the Anima, Forest, Godtracker of Jund, Igneous Pouncer, Esper Sojourners, Grizzled Leotau, Stun Sniper, Singe-Mind Ogre, Deadshot Minotaur, Talon Trooper, Grixis Grimblade, Soul Manipulation, Offering to Asha

Grixis Grimblade is one of my preferred Blades and is welcome in our early-drop-light deck.

Pack 3 pick 3:

Colossal Might, Jhessian Zombies, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Naya Sojourners, Gorger Wurm, Vedalken Ghoul, Violent Outburst, Naya Hushblade, Vectis Dominator, Firewild Borderpost, Demonspine Whip, Etherwrought Page, Plains

We want to take the Shieldmage, but Fu's brother (a national team member) won a draft with 3 Etherwrought Pages so we take it to try it out.

Pack 3 pick 4:

Fieldmist Borderpost, Putrid Leech, Colossal Might, Pale Recluse, Naya Sojourners, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Arsenal Thresher, Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

Fieldmist Borderpost helps us a lot.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Singe-Mind Ogre, Soul Manipulation, Stormcaller's Boon, Veinfire Borderpost, Jund Sojourners, Breath of Malfegor, Etherium Abomination, Gloryscale Viashino, Mage Slayer, Anathemancer, Island

As does Veinfire Borderpost.

Pack 3 pick 6:

Gorger Wurm, Leonin Armorguard, Architects of Will, Fieldmist Borderpost, Arsenal Thresher, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Morbid Bloom, Mountain

As does Fieldmist Borderpost. We now have good mana, possibly.

Pack 3 pick 7:

Swamp, Godtracker of Jund, Igneous Pouncer, Esper Sojourners, Grizzled Leotau, Zealous Persecution, Singe-Mind Ogre, Jhessian Zombies (FOIL), Offering to Asha

Fu wants Esper Sojourners, I want Igneous Pouncer. We take Zealous Persecution as it is really strong.

Pack 3 pick 8:

Jhessian Zombies, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Naya Sojourners, Vedalken Ghoul, Violent Outburst, Vectis Dominator, Fight to the Death, Mountain

I think we just got flashed by a Shieldmage. This guy is the nuts.

Pack 3 pick 9:

Mountain, Bant Sojourners, Esper Sojourners, Mistvein Borderpost, Glassdust Hulk, Bant Sureblade, Igneous Pouncer

The good thing about few people drafting Esper is that you get stuff like Glassdust Hulk tabling.

Pack 3 pick 10:

Sages of the Anima, Forest, Godtracker of Jund, Igneous Pouncer, Esper Sojourners, Offering to Asha

Got my Igneous Pouncer. I love this guy. I've swung for the win out of nowhere for no reason with him a few times.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Ethersworn Shieldmage, Vedalken Ghoul, Violent Outburst, Vectis Dominator, Plains

2nd Shieldmage is very welcome.

Pack 3 pick 12-15:

Unbender Tine, Etherium Abomination, Demonic Dread, Swamp

We won the draft with more than a bit of luck. We didn't play optimally (I had the mouse, so it was mostly my fault) but curved out pretty well and didn't get manascrewed. We managed to Shieldmage our opponents first guy game one all 3 matches, but one of them had Call to Heel for his own guy. We never did draw Rakka Mar but always had the mana for her, which never interfered with playing our other guys. Tezzeret was less than awesome for us, getting us 3 Borderposts and 1 Etherwrought Page. He did save us some damage and fix our mana though, so he was probably worth it. I drew the right lands at the right time a lot too, Fu had a face of disbelief :).

Anyway, the moral is: draft with other people because you will get a new experience out of it. If anyone wants to draft with me (and has a draft set on MTGO) then let me know and I'll try to find some time. Cheers guys, Wagz

Drafting with Jim - #11

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the huuuge delay in uploading this draft, every time it takes a lot longer to do the draft articles and something kept coming up, but i got in from work just now so i thought this was much more useful than sleep.

P1,p1 - Infest

Kiss of the amesha is a quite narrow second, with sculler and punish ignorance going left too. I much prefer infest to amesha right now, as my favourite w/u deck is the artifact aggo w/u, and in 5 colour i rate infest over the kiss.

P1,p2 - fatesticher

Grixis/esper are some of my favourite achetypes, and i think this is much better to support a more controlling build, although it pains me to pass both an executioners capsule (which may have been the pick here) and a vithian stinger

p1,p3 - corpse connoisseur

works well i guess, although i would like the blister beetle back, passing ranger of eos is fine.

P1, p4 - dregscape zombie

Is this the pick over souls fire, i guessed as i am pretty unearthy it was fine.

P1,p5 - fatesticher

yus!!!!

P1, p6 - blightning

hopefully the obelisk of grixis will table, but blightning is better than that i think as i am in the best colours for landcycling, plus even without multiples its great at stripping the last few cards from hands, which are usually either bombs or the land to play the bombs.

P1,p7 - scourge devil

i think this is fine over bloodpyre elemental, is my deck looking pretty good or is it me?

Remaining picks - lightning talons, spell snip, incurable ogre, onyx goblet, jhessian infiltrator, shadowfeed, plains, mountain

P2, p1 - rupture spire

Not a ridic pick 1 but scepter of fugue isnt mind boggling plus i dont think i have enough blue permanents to first pick sedraxis alchemist over the spire

P2,p2 - armilery sphere

this is pretty good, i dont need a great deal of mana fixing but allow splashes should i need to make some.

p2,p3 - Absorb vis

more mana fixing, this is almost all the fixing i really need, and im not taking it over anything exciting which is just fine.

P2, p4 - sedraxis alchemist

this time i give the alchemist the nod over the rupture spire, half because i have a decent amount of fixing, but also because i like the tempo he gives, and with the mana fixing i can pick more blue permanents. not sure if this is correct

P2,p5 - elder mastery

possibly the goblin outlander is the pick here, but im tempted by the blue permanent, plus when this gets active its really ridiculous

P2,p6 - molten frame

Remaining picks - pestilent kathari, vagrant plowbeast, scepter of fugue, vectis agents, valeron outlander, asha's favour, mountain, asha's favour, island

P3,p1 - Terminate

solid

P3,p2 - sewn eye drake

nothing else here, blue permanant

P3,p3 - grixis grimblade

see above

P3,p4 - kathari bomber

P3,p5 - Lorescale coatl (foil)

not sure why i picked this, i want it in real life but that doesnt really help me, but i havent got what else was in the pack

P3, p6 - kathari bomber

P3, p7 - demonic dread (foil)

Remaining picks - monstrous carabid, double negative, godtracker of jund, monstrous carabid, double negative, vedalken ghoul, magefire wings, forest.


OVerall the draft went a little worse than my first 7 or 8 picks indicated, maybe i misdrafted, but i was pretty sure i was in the right archetype but i just didnt see much after my first 5 picks in packs 2 and 3, o well, i guess it just happens like that sometimes.

Here's my deck

1 x amilery sphere
1 x grixis grimblade
1 x terminate
1 x scepter of fugue
1 x blightning
1 x infest
1 x dregscape zombie
2 x kathari bomber
1 x pestilent kathari
2 x fatesticher
1 x spell snip
1 x sedraxis alchemist
1 x sewn eye drake
1 x corpse connoiseur
2 x monstrous carabid
1 x elder mastery
1 x absorb vis
1 x molten frame
1 x vectis agents
1 x demoni dread (shudder, but at least it finds either terminate, a-sphere, grimblade or drgscape)

1 x rupture spire
8 x swamp
2 x island
6 x mountain

I went out in round 2 of this event (not sure if it as 4-3-2-2 or 8-4), so not all bad considering the deck wasnt too great, which is a shame when your talking about a deck with infest, corpse connoiseur and 2 fatestichers.


O well,

See everyone at Nats.


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

Challenge: Draft a better deck than this

By Wagz

Not really an article, more a playful boast. Fu came round to mine (Wagz') tonight for some drafting. We took down the first draft with a slick Esper deck quite quickly so fancied some more action. This is our decklist, followed by our picks in order. Please show me a better deck than this because we can make a decent deck out of our sideboard.

Wild Nacatl

Jund Charm

Predator Dragon

Bone Splinters

Algae Gharial

Drumhunter

Jungle Weaver

Rip-Clan Crasher

Relic of Progenitus

Sangrite Surge

Viashino Skeleton

Archdemon of Unx

Carrion Thrash

Plains

Mountain

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

Banefire (he took foil Martial Coup, we beat him)

Volcanic Fallout

Drag Down

Dark Temper

Viashino Slaughtermaster

Armillary Sphere

Charnelhoard Wurm

Fleshformer

Dragonsoul Knight

Goblin Outlander

Canyon Minotaur

Exploding Borders

Canyon Minotaur

Maniacal Rage

Uril, the Miststalker

Sangrite Backlash

Bituminous Blast

Igneous Pouncer

Firewild Borderpost

Putrid Leech

Sanctum Plowbeast

Putrid Leech

Terminate (tabled)

Veinfire Borderpost

Jund Sojourners

Valley Rannet

Morbid Bloom

Morbid Bloom

Plains

Drafting with Wagz #3 - When it goes a bit wrong

By Wagz

Today we look at what happens when a draft isn't going so well. Here it's because we quite clearly were passing too many cards in our colours and weren't getting cards in other colours to move into. You can probably make up your own morals and apply them to other situations, but it's worth knowing when things aren't working out and what you can do to remedy it, even if it involves taking a gamble.

------ ALA ------

Pack 1 pick 1:

Dreg Reaver, Cylian Elf, Resounding Thunder, Call to Heel, Yoked Plowbeast, Naturalize, Obelisk of Grixis, Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Knight of the Skyward Eye, Drumhunter, Grixis Battlemage, Rockcaster Platoon, Crucible of Fire, Island

I take Resounding Thunder here as it's by far the best card, but I take note of Knight of the Skyward Eye and Drumhunter and consider that Naya might not be the shard to go for, depending on what I can cut.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Knight of the Skyward Eye, Resounding Scream, Naya Panorama, Cancel, Rakeclaw Gargantuan, Bloodthorn Taunter, Druid of the Anima (FOIL), Soul's Grace, Mosstodon, Waveskimmer Aven, Naya Charm, Grixis Battlemage, Invincible Hymn, Plains

I know what I just said, but Naya Charm is much stronger than anything else in the pack. However, I am passing another Knight, Rakeclaw, Mosstodon and Druid. I am in the middle of sending "Naya is open" signals but have nothing good to move into. This is dangerous territory. The best way to combat it is to ignore one colour in the shard completely and hope that the person sticks to that side of things. So I am moving into Red if this continues.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Dregscape Zombie, Cylian Elf, Soul's Fire, Vectis Silencers, Welkin Guide, Bone Splinters, Shadowfeed, Rip-Clan Crasher, Lush Growth, Arcane Sanctum, Blood Cultist, Angel's Herald, Swamp

Arcane Sanctum is the best card here, but it's just a good card, not a signal. I take Soul's Fire as I don't want the guy seeing Red Removal and it's a decent card anyway. Hoping if he is in Naya then he'll take the Welkin Guide (I would).

Pack 1 pick 4:

Court Archers, Viashino Skeleton, Call to Heel, Excommunicate, Viscera Dragger, Soul's Grace, Mosstodon, Waveskimmer Aven, Angelic Benediction, Exuberant Firestoker, Salvage Titan, Swamp

I consider the Viscera Dragger as it is a good card but a part of me doesn't want to abandon Naya Charm so I take Mosstodon. Not sure about this one, but it reinforces my I'm Red-Green signals by cutting the best cards in those colours each time. Don't try to pretend the Court Archers is better than Mosstodon btw, 1/3's do not block the 3/2's that are attacking due to Alara Reborn.

Pack 1 pick 5:

Excommunicate, Viscera Dragger, Druid of the Anima, Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Yoked Plowbeast, Bloodpyre Elemental, Soul's Grace, Kathari Screecher, Naya Battlemage, Rockcaster Platoon, Mountain

Bloodpyre Elemental is a clear sign that Red is open now, but Naya Battlemage is dangerous. We take the Elemental as it is a good removal spell, but we very much believe now that Blue-Black is being taken heavily to our right and the guys to our left are going to read us as passing Green-White. This is not ideal for us as having only 1 defined colour can lead to getting passed rubbish in the 3rd pack. We want to continue taking Red and cut another colour, preferably Green,

Pack 1 pick 6:

Welkin Guide, Bone Splinters, Deft Duelist, Savage Hunger, Hissing Iguanar, Steelclad Serpent, Tortoise Formation, Shadowfeed, Dawnray Archer, Mountain

Iguanar is a fine card which we take. A late Deft Duelist will hopefully persuade the guy on our left to go Bant Colours with his White-Green.

Pack 1 pick 7:

Shore Snapper, Incurable Ogre, Windwright Mage, Cloudheath Drake, Obelisk of Naya, Esper Panorama, Behemoth's Herald, Sacellum Godspeaker, Swamp

I consider the Incurable Ogre but I fancy trying Sacellum Godspeaker. We are likely to splash for random bombs as we are so colour ill-defined and they might have large powers. While we have to find the colour for them, this guy will bring them down earlier. Note the Red-Green and Red-Black basic landcycle creatures in Alara Reborn have 5 or 6 power. Forward planning is a must in drafts because you can tell the context of a card and what to draft around it. You don't have Jam, Meat and Icecream in one dish despite them being all tasty - you draft the cards which work well with one another. Knowing what will be available in the future affects what cards are good to take now.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Shore Snapper, Waveskimmer Aven, Coma Veil, Soul's Grace, Jund Panorama, Obelisk of Bant, Thoughtcutter Agent, Island

Panorama is much-needed Manafixing. We take.

Pack 1 pick 9:

Dreg Reaver, Cylian Elf, Yoked Plowbeast, Obelisk of Grixis, Bloodthorn Taunter, Crucible of Fire, Island

Take the 2-drop Grizzly Bear for curve. If you have to resort to 5 colour big stuff then fitting it around a creature curve will help.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Soul's Grace, Waveskimmer Aven, Invincible Hymn, Plains

I can never deal with Waveskimmer Aven so I take it out, even though that's not being friendly with my neighbour. But i'm not sending bad signals anyway.

Pack 1 pick 11:

Cylian Elf, Shadowfeed, Lush Growth, Angel's Herald, Swamp

Bear!

Pack 1 pick 12:

Viashino Skeleton, Soul's Grace, Angelic Benediction, Swamp

Uncommondraft

Pack 1 pick 13:

Soul's Grace, Rockcaster Platoon, Mountain

Platoon is a fine movie / sideboard card, but with too much white for us to consider it seriously.

Pack 1 pick 14:

Tortoise Formation, Mountain

I take the playable card, Mountain.

Pack 1 pick 15:

Swamp

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Esper Cormorants, Parasitic Strix, Aven Trailblazer, Kaleidostone, Ember Weaver, Exploding Borders, Lapse of Certainty, Scattershot Archer, Yoke of the Damned, Nacatl Savage, Fusion Elemental, Hellspark Elemental, Volcanic Fallout, Extractor Demon, Swamp

Interesting pick. Volcanic Fallout is clearly strong, but Extractor Demon is humungous. We take him and consider going more Jund, splashing Naya Charm.

Pack 2 pick 2:

Toxic Iguanar, Faerie Mechanist, Wall of Reverence (FOIL), Gleam of Resistance, Sedraxis Alchemist, Vedalken Outlander, Wandering Goblins, Brackwater Elemental, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Paragon of the Amesha, Elder Mastery, Sacellum Archers, Mountain

The best on-colour card here is Sacellum Archers, but that's only good if we're playing a bunch of white mana. But then why wouldn't we play Wall of Reverence? Take the foil rare.

Pack 2 pick 3:

Beacon Behemoth, Zombie Outlander, Matca Rioters, Darklit Gargoyle, Wretched Banquet, Rotting Rats, Asha's Favor, Grixis Illusionist, Gluttonous Slime, Skyward Eye Prophets, Fleshformer, Font of Mythos, Island

Beacon Behemoth is the pick, we need solid creatures to fit the curve, and a couple more bombs.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Canyon Minotaur, Traumatic Visions, Zombie Outlander, Kaleidostone, Salvage Slasher, Brackwater Elemental, Exploding Borders, Maniacal Rage, Controlled Instincts, Skyward Eye Prophets, Scepter of Fugue, Mountain

Canyon Minotaur is not a strong card. It is the correct pick here as it fits a curve nicely. Traumatic Visions is the strongest card here but we cannot afford to change to such strong Blue. Maybe the guys on our right will appreciate it and pass us more Green & Red in pack 3.

Pack 2 pick 5:

Faerie Mechanist, Bone Saw, Gleam of Resistance, Sedraxis Alchemist, Wandering Goblins, Brackwater Elemental, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Countersquall, Filigree Fracture, Forest

The best Green or Red card here is Filigree Fracture. There are no other good Red or Green cards in the pack. This is worrying because it probably means the guys to our left were confused about the signals we sent. Filigree Fracture is a fine card in a world of Borderposts and might make main deck or great sideboard card so we take it and hope.

Pack 2 pick 6:

Toxic Iguanar, Bone Saw, Sedraxis Alchemist, Wandering Goblins, Brackwater Elemental, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Dreadwing, Scarland Thrinax, Island

Finally, a card to favour Jund - Scarland Thrinax. This guy is the pimp.

Pack 2 pick 7:

Canyon Minotaur, Traumatic Visions, Zombie Outlander, Salvage Slasher, Brackwater Elemental, Maniacal Rage, View from Above, Unstable Frontier, Plains

Canyon Minotaur is curvy. We note the number of Zombie Outlanders going around, 3 so far is it? Another Traumatic Visions there too. Shame the blue was lacklustre in pack 1.

Pack 2 pick 8:

Pestilent Kathari, Asha's Favor, Vectis Agents, Molten Frame, Knotvine Mystic, Voices from the Void, Inkwell Leviathan, Forest

I take Molten Frame for sideboarding. If the deck isn't ace then having a good sideboard will help a lot. Leviathan is good and Pestilent Kathari is fine, but we're not changing colours now, just splashing good cards if we get any more in Reborn (who doesn't get good cards in Reborn??).

Pack 2 pick 9:

Kaleidostone, Lapse of Certainty, Scattershot Archer, Yoke of the Damned, Nacatl Savage, Hellspark Elemental, Swamp

Nacatl Savage might seem like the obvious pick, but it's for more reasons than that. We want to be free to draft the best cards in Reborn and not take 2-drops, so we want our early defence now in order to take big cards later.

Pack 2 pick 10:

Wandering Goblins, Brackwater Elemental, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Elder Mastery, Mountain

Suicidal Charge is a fine sideboard card.

Pack 2 pick 11:

Rotting Rats, Asha's Favor, Grixis Illusionist, Fleshformer, Island

Fleshformer could still make the deck.

Pack 2 pick 12:

Maniacal Rage, Controlled Instincts, Skyward Eye Prophets, Mountain

Prophets is the strongest card.

Pack 2 pick 13:

Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Forest

2 Charges gives us game against weenie hordes.

Pack 2 pick 14:

Suicidal Charge, Island

3 gives us reassurance.

Pack 2 pick 15:

Plains

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Bant Sureblade, Terminate, Leonin Armorguard, Cerodon Yearling, Jhessian Zombies, Grixis Grimblade, Vedalken Ghoul, Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst, Grixis Sojourners, Zealous Persecution, Reborn Hope, Illusory Demon, Nemesis of Reason, Island

Now that's what I'm talking about! If we had a good deck we'd take Terminate. Luckily, we've been setting ourselves up for taking bombs and manafixing in Reborn so we take Nemesis of Reason since it randomly wins games you have no reason to be playing in. It's like Cascading the exact right spells sometimes - gets you games you weren't in.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Bant Sojourners, Zealous Persecution, Vithian Renegades, Nulltread Gargantuan, Knotvine Paladin, Swamp, Mistvein Borderpost, Monstrous Carabid, Talon Trooper, Trace of Abundance, Grizzled Leotau, Stormcaller's Boon (FOIL), Architects of Will, Fieldmist Borderpost

Possibly the wrong pick. I wanted to splash that last guy so I took the Mistvein (Blue Black) Borderpost. Trace of Abundance may have been better as acceleration as well as splashing the colours.

Pack 3 pick 3:

Fieldmist Borderpost, Mistvein Borderpost, Monstrous Carabid, Talon Trooper, Sangrite Backlash, Trace of Abundance, Grizzled Leotau, Valley Rannet, Bant Sojourners, Demonspine Whip, Skyclaw Thrash, Morbid Bloom, Plains

Sangrite Backlash is good removal so we take it. Good removal makes bad decks tick better than they should.

Pack 3 pick 4:

Colossal Might, Jhessian Zombies, Naya Sojourners, Firewild Borderpost, Jund Sojourners, Captured Sunlight, Trace of Abundance (FOIL), Etherium Abomination, Lorescale Coatl, Reborn Hope, Mayael's Aria, Swamp

Tempting as Jund Sojourners is, Firewild Borderpost is the dual land of choice for this deck. Colossal Might is good in a different deck.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Architects of Will, Mistvein Borderpost, Monstrous Carabid, Grizzled Leotau, Valley Rannet, Bant Sojourners, Ardent Plea, Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Sovereigns of Lost Alara, Mountain

Valley Rannet will help us fix our mana and is good with that Sacellum Godspeaker we talked about earlier. Plans, together, come?

Pack 3 pick 6:

Terminate, Leonin Armorguard, Cerodon Yearling, Vedalken Ghoul, Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst, Grixis Sojourners, Vengeful Rebirth, Nulltread Gargantuan, Swamp

Terminate is #1 removal. However, I am going to take more landcyling guys so Vengeful Rebirth is the pick for me. I love the card a lot. I've talked to Mick and he disagrees with me on this but I didn't give him the full draft as context - what do people think?

Pack 3 pick 7:

Naya Sojourners, Singe-Mind Ogre, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Giant Ambush Beetle, Reborn Hope, Illusory Demon, Island

I get passed Giant Ambush Beetle every draft and I don't know why. Is it too hard to cast or something? Do I overestimate 4 power of haste and removal spells? I sincerely doubt it. I take it.

Pack 3 pick 8:

Pale Recluse, Singe-Mind Ogre, Brainbite, Grixis Sojourners, Valley Rannet, Shield of the Righteous, Marrow Chomper, Forest

Valley Rannet would be good. We want to splash Naya Charm and possibly Wall of Reverence. We take Pale Recluse.

Pack 3 pick 9:

Jhessian Zombies, Vedalken Ghoul, Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst, Grixis Sojourners, Reborn Hope, Island

Jhessian Zombies might help us to splash our bombs. Not un-worth taking.

Pack 3 pick 10:

Bant Sojourners, Nulltread Gargantuan, Swamp, Monstrous Carabid, Trace of Abundance, Stormcaller's Boon (FOIL)

Got my chance to amend for my earlier mistakes. I take Trace of Abundance.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Monstrous Carabid, Bant Sojourners, Demonspine Whip, Morbid Bloom, Plains

Demonspine Whip is good against slow controlly decks. I've lost to it before.

Pack 3 pick 12:

Naya Sojourners, Jund Sojourners, Reborn Hope, Swamp

Tabling Jund Sojourners? Okay.

Pack 3 pick 13:

Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

I seem to get this pick a lot. I had more Unbender Tines before this pick.

Pack 3 pick 14:

Sigiled Behemoth, Swamp

Take the unplayable 5/4 for 6 with a relevant ability...

Pack 3 pick 15:

Island

I won't bore you with a decklist as there aren't tonnes of playables and it hardly seems relevant. Instead, a couple of play moments / quizzes.

What is the play here?

.

.

.

.

I elected to unearth the Demon and attack for 10. If I had a removal spell then I would have killed the Outlander and kept a guy back to block, so I looked desperate. Jund Sojourners was the only card I could have to win in this situation as far as I could tell, but is that more likely than me having a non-green guy to play, in which case not blocking gives him the win? Hard to tell.

He didn't block and I cheekily cyled my Sojourners for the last point, but I don't think he misplayed.

Game 3 of that match I made turn 4 Extractor Demon off turn 3 Sacellum Godspeaker. It got immediately Crystallizationed but he had no other way of targeting it (I kept milling his Agony Warps and Alchemists, rather rude of me). That game I drew 6 non-land cards: Godspeaker, Demon, Valley Rannet, Soul's Fire, Resounding Thunder (which cycled into) and Vengeful Rebirth (I could get the Thunder back and have RGW untapped). Actually, his turn 3 Puppet Conjuror looked pretty comedic opposite the Demon.

Lost in the final to a good deck. Ah well, think we did the best we could.

Guest Column: Drafting with Mick #2

By Mick Edwards

After spending a week of winning shadowmoor nix-tix draft it was back to silly formats this where I was certain to draft all my shadowmoor winnings away. I started with the incredably silly format of OLS making a random goblin/beast mish-mash that got beat by a very good soldier deck (turns out Rock Jockey is not an amazing morph beater but a bad hill giant with a drawback).

I then decided to try an equally silly format - ACR draft

Pack 1 pick 1:

Jungle Shrine

Over Viscera Dragger, Druid of the Anima, Knight of the Skyward Eye

I like the Knight alot and took some time over this decision but solid mana fixing is never a bad start to a draft.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Bull Cerodon

Over Rockslide Elemental, Rip-Clan Crasher, Bloodpyre Elemental

There was a common missing as the rare was lich's mirror, I can only imagine a foil was taken

The only common I can think of is oblivion ring and I dont think it was that print run.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Topan Ascetic

Over Ridge Rannet, Courier's Capsule, Akrasan Squire, Bone Splinters, Qasali Ambusher, Naya Panorama

Very Solid creature,

Pack 1 pick 4:

Naya Panorama

Over Tidehollow Sculler, Dawnray Archer

Maybe this is a signal that esper is open, but taking mana fixing is also ok I think.

Pack 1 pick 5:

Scourge Devil

Windwright Mage, Esper Charm, Esper Panorama

Definately a sign that esper is open, but I think my bomb (bull cerodon) is strong enough for me to stay naya

Pack 1 pick 6:

Dragon Fodder

Over Rip-Clan Crasher, Metallurgeon, Corpse Connoisseur, Cavern Thoctar

Posibly the wrong call but Dragon fodder is a niche card in what it does and i might be able to pick up some good devour creatures/dragons

Pack 1 pick 7:

Drumhunter

Over Carrion Thrash, Jungle Weaver

Jungle Weaver is good but drumhunter is key to this archtype.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Soul's Fire

Over Resounding Roar, Resounding Silence,Kederekt Creeper

Wow, strong pack!

Late Picks: Rip-clan crasher!

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Path to Exile (FOIL)

Over Aven Trailblazer, Brackwater Elemental, Exploding Borders, Filigree Fracture, Spore Burst, Esperzoa, Blood Tyrant,Fiery Fall, Pestilent Kathari, Valeron Outlander, Armillary Sphere

I thought about splashing for the bomb blood tyrant but decided foil path was good enough

Pack 2 pick 2:

Aerie Mystics

Over Kranioceros, Darklit Gargoyle, Faerie Mechanist, Rhox Bodyguard, Scattershot Archer

A much less impressive pack for my deck.

Pack 2 pick 3:

Gleam of Resistance

Over Goblin Outlander, Might of Alara, Ignite Disorder, Sludge Strider

Gleam is both fixing and a combat trick, I rate it very highly.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Aven Trailblazer

Over Filigree Fracture, Rupture Spire

Maybe the wrong choice as rupture spire is one of the best manafixers in the set, but i needed answers to fliers.

Pack 2 pick 5:

Knotvine Mystic

Over Skyward Eye Prophets, Kederekt Parasite, Esper Cormorants, Unsummon, Absorb Vis, Brackwater Elemental

Pack 2 pick 6:

Viashino Slaughtermaster

Over Esper Cormorants, Unsummon, Absorb Vis, Brackwater Elemental

Same print run, feels like I should have gone esper for these late comorants

Pack 2 pick 7:

Vagrant Plowbeasts

Over Grixis Slavedriver,Unsummon, Absorb Vis, Brackwater Elemental

same print run again

Pack 2 pick 8:

Exploding Borders

Over Cumber Stone, Knotvine Mystic, Pestilent Kathari,Wretched Banquet (FOIL), Brackwater Elemental

Late picks: Toxic Iguanar

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Enlisted Wurm

Over Crystallization, Karrthus Tyrant of Jund, Terminate, Grixis Grimblade, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Wildfield Borderpost

I went for the very strong cascade card overthe removal or the crazy bomb, I probably could have splashed for the 7/7 but Enlisted wurm is a great fit for this deck.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Behemoth Sledge

Over Naya Hushblade, Rhox Brute

Perfect!

Pack 3 pick 3:

Crystallization

Over Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst

Much Needed Removal

Pack 3 pick 4:

Bant Sureblade

Over Pale Recluse, Valley Rannet, Naya Sojourners, Gorger Wurm, Sigiled Behemoth, Messenger Falcons

This may have been the wrong pick but my deck was lacking early drops and bant sureblade is a very good early drop.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Wildfield Borderpost

Over Cerodon Yearling, Lorescale Coatl, Ethersworn Shieldmage

Pack 3 pick 6:

Stun Sniper

Over Mayael's Aria, Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst, Fieldmist Borderpost

Pack 3 pick 7:

Sigiled Behemoth

Pack 3 pick 8:

Leonin Armorguard

Over Thopter Foundry! wow thats late!

Pack 3 pick 9:

Wildfield Borderpost

Pack 3 pick 10:

Sigil of the Nayan Gods

Over Wildfield Borderpost, Firewild Borderpost

Late picks: 2 Sigiled Behemoth!!!

GAMES:

Round 1: after making my deck I lose my internet connection and frantically run around trying to get back online. I manage to reconnect seconds before I get kicked for inactivity and 3 minutes later I have won the round. Game one I go: t1 borderpost, t2 land cycle, t3 knotvine mystic, t4 Bull Cerodon, t5 Vagrant PLowbeast, t6 Sigiled Behemoth

Round 2: I got mana screwed twice while he made t2 pro-red dude, t3 pro red dude, t4 punish ignorance my 1st play in one game and a turn 4 esperzoa (after more pro-red guys of course) in the other game that kept bouncing his borderpost while I kept replayinga Stun Sniper that he kept unsummoning.

EXTRA:

For people wondering how my game against marco in the ptq quarter finals went, I made a mistake which cost me the game, it went something like this:

I made figure and made it 4/4 while he made bitterrblossom then i made ramgang and he tried to agony warp to -3/-0 the ramgang and -0/-3 to kill the figure (with his faerie token) but i have gutteral response next turn he tries the same trick, only this time I have 4 mana up, I gutteral response his agony warp again but he has spell stutter for the gutteral response I forget that I can just make my figure a 4/4 again after the agony warp and it dies

I then realise but think it doesnt matter as I can force through enough damage with ramgang + ghitu encampment to put him in lethal banefire range (I have banefire in my hand) so i put him to 6 (and he has bitter blossom) he then topdecks mistbind clique tapping me out before I can play banefire and then topdecks loxodon warhammer to gain himself 7 life

Drafting with Wagz #2 - 5 Colour Control: An Example

By Wagz

Hey guys, I've just completed a draft and have won the first round. This article is designed as a guide for drafting 5 colour control in shards block. The important thing to know is that the deck is a misnomer - you should aim to draft 2 colours and splash the other 3. I chose Red and White for this deck, but the actual 2 colours depend on your draft picks. One should try to draft this deck when you get a few bombs and some good removal early, that sort of thing. As an example:

------ ALA ------

Pack 1 pick 1:

Cathartic Adept, Lightning Talons, Naya Panorama, Onyx Goblet, Obelisk of Esper, Godtoucher, Forest (FOIL), Elvish Visionary, Bloodpyre Elemental, Soul's Grace, Tower Gargoyle, Skeletonize, Puppet Conjurer, Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Island

Obviously take the Planeswalker - Elspeth rocks.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Ridge Rannet, Steelclad Serpent, Excommunicate, Banewasp Affliction, Jungle Weaver, Hissing Iguanar, Carrion Thrash, Jund Panorama, Glaze Fiend, Rhox War Monk, Scavenger Drake, Etherium Astrolabe, Hellkite Overlord, Swamp

Very interesting. There's a common or a foil rare missing. Most likely it's a common and he's taken Oblivion Ring, so Elspeth isn't looking as mono-white as she could do. We take the Mythic and consider 5 colour RW.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Dreg Reaver, Sigil Blessing, Druid of the Anima, Gustrider Exuberant, Resounding Wave, Magma Spray, Blightning, Naturalize, Obelisk of Grixis, Fire-Field Ogre, Sunseed Nurturer, Cunning Lethemancer, Plains

We briefly consider Druid to cast our spells, but Magma Spray is solid removal and a high pick with all the blades about, and fits in the potential RW plan beautifully. I say RW because you can pick up Stun Snipers and Intimidation Bolts really late in Alara Reborn and enemy colours makes splashing easier due to the borderposts. We are looking to get more cheap removal, manafixing and big bombs if possible now.

Pack 1 pick 4:

Viashino Skeleton, Call to Heel, Excommunicate, Druid of the Anima, Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Jund Panorama, Obelisk of Bant, Hindering Light, Drumhunter, Demon's Herald, Skill Borrower, Swamp

Druid is fine, but if we want to leave open the option of going Naya with bombs I would prefer to take Drumhunter, so I do. Jund Panorama is probably the correct pick here though.

Pack 1 pick 5:

Vectis Silencers, Deathgreeter, Resounding Roar, Soul's Fire, Mosstodon, Waveskimmer Aven, Elvish Visionary, Dragon Fodder, Esper Battlemage, Covenant of Minds, Forest

Soul's Fire - one of the less good removal spells in a control deck but removal spells are exactly what they say they are so we take it.

Pack 1 pick 6:

Welkin Guide, Dreg Reaver, Cylian Elf, Volcanic Submersion, Onyx Goblet, Spell Snip, Gustrider Exuberant, Jhessian Infiltrator, Dragon's Herald, Plains

Welkin Guide is alright, but the only other possible card is Volcanic Submersion. Not too happy with the draft so far as we're not getting the nuts but there isn't anything great here anyway. Don't even think about Dragon's Herald.

Pack 1 pick 7:

Marble Chalice, Deathgreeter, Spell Snip, Dispeller's Capsule, Volcanic Submersion, Relic of Progenitus, Sphinx's Herald, Invincible Hymn, Plains

Relic is good against Unearth Decks who are good against decks with lots of removal (the deck we are trying to be). Take it and smile a little.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Jhessian Lookout, Dreg Reaver, Cancel, Volcanic Submersion, Filigree Sages, Kiss of the Amesha, Ooze Garden, Island

Everybody loves a Kiss. It's a control players dream, we are suddenly a bit happier - RWu is a good deck.

Pack 1 pick 9:

Cathartic Adept, Lightning Talons, Onyx Goblet, Obelisk of Esper, Godtoucher, Soul's Grace, Island

Need to splash the Kiss and Hellkite somehow, great for us.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Ridge Rannet, Steelclad Serpent, Banewasp Affliction, Carrion Thrash, Etherium Astrolabe, Swamp

Guess Mick wasn't in this draft - Take the Ridge Rannet as a cycling finisher.

Pack 1 pick 11:

Dreg Reaver, Obelisk of Grixis, Sunseed Nurturer, Cunning Lethemancer, Plains

Another Obelisk makes us happy, need more removal but we're on track.

Pack 1 pick 12:

Viashino Skeleton, Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Demon's Herald, Swamp

Viashino

Pack 1 pick 13:

Vectis Silencers, Deathgreeter, Forest

Silencers

Pack 1 pick 14:

Onyx Goblet, Dragon's Herald

Herald

Pack 1 pick 15:

Sphinx's Herald

Ignore computer.

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Darklit Gargoyle, Fiery Fall, Wretched Banquet, Esper Cormorants, Parasitic Strix, Aven Trailblazer, Vectis Agents, Molten Frame, Elder Mastery (FOIL), Scattershot Archer, Ignite Disorder, Unstable Frontier, Grixis Slavedriver, Kederekt Parasite, Island

Fiery Fall is removal and manafixing, wonderful!!

Pack 2 pick 2:

Wild Leotau, Frontline Sage, Fiery Fall, Pestilent Kathari, Court Homunculus, Molten Frame, Infectious Horror, Rhox Bodyguard, Wandering Goblins, Reliquary Tower, Gluttonous Slime, Grixis Slavedriver, Telemin Performance, Forest

Fiery Fall is removal and manafixing, wonderful!!

Pack 2 pick 3:

Fiery Fall, Wretched Banquet, Drag Down (FOIL), Aven Trailblazer, Kaleidostone, Molten Frame, Rhox Bodyguard, Scattershot Archer, Infectious Horror, Manaforce Mace, View from Above, Volcanic Fallout, Swamp

Fiery Fall is removal and manafixing, wonderful!! However, we take the Volcanic Fallout as wraths make control decks a little better.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Wild Leotau, Frontline Sage, Fiery Fall, Pestilent Kathari, Court Homunculus, Molten Frame, Infectious Horror, Rhox Bodyguard, Wandering Goblins, Vagrant Plowbeasts, Corrupted Roots, Island

Fiery Fall is removal and manafixing, wonderful!!

Pack 2 pick 5:

Sylvan Bounty, Pestilent Kathari, Matca Rioters, Maniacal Rage, Nacatl Outlander, Nacatl Savage, Valiant Guard, Ancient Ziggurat, Fleshformer, Spore Burst, Mountain

Aw, looks like normal service has been resumed. I take the Fleshformer as it's a bomb in 5 colour.

Pack 2 pick 6:

Rhox Meditant, Vedalken Outlander, Kranioceros, Mana Cylix, Lapse of Certainty, Suicidal Charge, Constricting Tendrils, Nacatl Hunt-Pride, Elder Mastery, Plains

Nacatl Hunt-Pride is a very good card and one we need - big creature that can win us the game.

Pack 2 pick 7:

Sylvan Bounty, Maniacal Rage, Nacatl Outlander, Nacatl Savage, Valiant Guard, Dragonsoul Knight, Manaforce Mace, Cylian Sunsinger, Plains

We take Dragonsoul Knight as it's pretty fine.

Pack 2 pick 8:

Traumatic Visions, Rhox Meditant, Scattershot Archer, Nacatl Savage, Wandering Goblins, Brackwater Elemental, Dreadwing, Island

Traumatic Visions. Nothing really here and we probably won't play it, but there is the potential to go more Blue in Reborn. Most of the good cards there are aggro however.

Pack 2 pick 9:

Darklit Gargoyle, Vectis Agents, Molten Frame, Scattershot Archer, Ignite Disorder, Unstable Frontier, Island

Ignite Disorder is a mini-wrath against a lot of quick Blades starts, very happy. Why do these always table??

Pack 2 pick 10:

Court Homunculus, Infectious Horror, Wandering Goblins, Reliquary Tower, Telemin Performance, Forest

Raredraft

Pack 2 pick 11:

Kaleidostone, Scattershot Archer, Infectious Horror, View from Above, Swamp

Take Kaleidostone, won't play it.

Pack 2 pick 12:

Rhox Bodyguard, Wandering Goblins, Corrupted Roots, Island

Rhox Bodyguard might get played for the lifegain, have to see what Green we get in Reborn.

Pack 2 pick 13:

Maniacal Rage, Valiant Guard, Mountain

Maniacal Rage

Pack 2 pick 14:

Constricting Tendrils, Plains

Tendrils

Pack 2 pick 15:

Plains

On-colour bomb - Fixes our mana, windmill slam.

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Putrid Leech, Colossal Might, Pale Recluse, Naya Sojourners, Singe-Mind Ogre, Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Giant Ambush Beetle, Lorescale Coatl, Morbid Bloom, Fight to the Death, Mountain

The normal me would love the Ambush Beetle, but it's gonna be hard to play with little fixing. We take the Pale Recluse as fixing.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Breath of Malfegor, Thopter Foundry, Marrow Chomper, Flurry of Wings, Soulquake, Plains, Wildfield Borderpost, Etherium Abomination, Esper Sojourners, Ethercaste Knight, Godtracker of Jund, Jhessian Zombies, Grixis Grimblade, Ethersworn Shieldmage

We take the GW Borderpost and sigh a bit more about our mana.

Pack 3 pick 3:

Putrid Leech, Colossal Might, Pale Recluse, Singe-Mind Ogre, Bant Sojourners, Sanctum Plowbeast, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Gloryscale Viashino, Stun Sniper, Sigil Captain, Island

Stun Sniper - the man behind RW.

Pack 3 pick 4:

Mistvein Borderpost, Glassdust Hulk, Leonin Armorguard, Cerodon Yearling, Sanctum Plowbeast, Igneous Pouncer, Bant Sojourners, Sigiled Behemoth, Zealous Persecution, Intimidation Bolt, Unbender Tine, Forest

Intimidation Bolt - the spell behind it, wicked.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Mistvein Borderpost, Glassdust Hulk, Leonin Armorguard, Cerodon Yearling, Sanctum Plowbeast, Igneous Pouncer, Sigiled Behemoth, Stun Sniper, Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

2>1, so we take Stun Sniper.

Pack 3 pick 6:

Tainted Sigil, Plains, Jund Sojourners, Vedalken Ghoul, Sigiled Behemoth, Violent Outburst, Sigil Captain, Architects of Will, Deny Reality, Glassdust Hulk

ZAP

Pack 3 pick 7:

Winged Coatl, Grixis Sojourners, Ethercaste Knight, Captured Sunlight, Magefire Wings, Trace of Abundance, Messenger Falcons, Wall of Denial, Forest

Messenger Falcons is usually great, but Wall of Denial is necessary. Note that we should be looking at hybrid cards whose definite mana symbol is one of our main colours only. So Messenger Falcons, but not Trace of Abundance in RW for example.

Pack 3 pick 8:

Mind Funeral, Swamp, Arsenal Thresher, Offering to Asha, Godtracker of Jund, Demonspine Whip, Talon Trooper, Soul Manipulation

Took Talon Trooper, should probably take Demonspine Whip as I have no artifact removal and few cheap creatures. This bums me in round 2 when I draw all my mana.

Pack 3 pick 9:

Naya Sojourners, Bant Sojourners, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Lorescale Coatl, Morbid Bloom, Mountain

Bant Sojourners is on-colour but rubbish so I legacy-draft the Lorescale Coatl.

Pack 3 pick 10:

Breath of Malfegor, Soulquake, Plains, Etherium Abomination, Esper Sojourners, Godtracker of Jund

Raredraft. I have enough playables by now anyway.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Singe-Mind Ogre, Bant Sojourners, Magefire Wings, Sigil Captain, Island

Uncommondraft.

Pack 3 pick 12:

Sanctum Plowbeast, Sigiled Behemoth, Unbender Tine, Forest

Sanctum Plowbeast - I actually wanted one of these to fetch my blue.

Pack 3 pick 13:

Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

Tine

Pack 3 pick 14:

Tainted Sigil, Vedalken Ghoul

Ghoul

Pack 3 pick 15:

Forest

Untaps for free! Might make the cut as a one-of.

The decklist, for those interested very few:

1: magma spray

2: ignite disorder, 2 stun sniper, sanctum plowbeast, pale recluse

3: dragonsoul knight, fleshformer, jund sojourners, wall of denial, intimidation bolt, soul's fire, volcanic fallout

4: elspeth

5: 3 fiery fall, nacatl hunt-pride, kiss of the amesha

6: ridge rannet, hellkite

Mana: GW borderpost, esper and grixis obelisks, 1 Forest, 2 Islands, 1 Swamps, 5 Plains', 7 Mountains

FNM at Runik Games

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

I hope the PTQ testing is going swimingly, i am certainly ready to bring the rain come the 4th of July in Manchester, hopefully this time i can get a match win.

Anyway, i'v just this second walked in from a great night of draft at Runik Games in Bury St Edmunds. I keep forgetting to comment on my fnm's because i have been a bit busy so they seem to come and go before i get the chance to write, so i made a point to do a bit on tonights debacle.

The format, due to lack of conflux boosters (who the hell has been buying those), was in fact Shards/Shards/Reborn, which was a little unorthadox, but hey its all good draft fun i guess.

My first pick was a pretty easy decision, with nothing special in pack except a tower gargoyle, tidehollow strix and crumbling necropolise, with the gargoyle as the obvious pick here.

I then get passed a tezzeret the seeker....

The rest of pack seems a little quiet, im pretty sure im being cut, with resounding wave type cards filling out a few weak picks before i get a late tidehollow strix into an arcane sanctum, nice.

Second pack i first pick a sanctum gargoyle, then get a 4th pick tower gargoyle. Other highlights include a 13th pick couriers capsule.

Reborn was mostly filling in with borderposts, esper stormblades and the shieldmage dude.

Here's my deck.

2 x tower gargoyle
1 x sanctum gargoyle
2 x talon trooper
2 x cloudhearth drake
1 x glassdust hulk
1 x fatesticher
1 x esper battlemage
1 x puppet conjurer
1 x tidehollow strix
1 x esper stormblade
1 x ethersworn shieldmage

2 x resounding wave
2 x couriers capsule
1 x crystalization
1 x slave of bolas
1 x oblivion ring
1 x mistvein borderpost
1 x tezzeret the seeker

6 x island
6 x plains
3 x swamp
1 x grixis panorama
1 x arcane sanctum

I hope you all agree that the deck is a pretty sick puppy, and i managed to take down the draft with it.

My only disappointment of the evening is not winning 1 match by comboing off with fatesticher, puppet conjurer and tezzeret. i thought it was quite clever to make all the humunculous i make by untapping into 5/5's, but apparently 3 tower gargoyles are better than 2, even if 1 costs 4.


See you all on friday night for testing and drinking, if anyone wants to!


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

Drafting with Jim - #10

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Im sure you guys and gals can tell from the lack of articles produced that i am certainly enjoying mine, i was reconciled with my old friend alcohol this week, which was nice.

I was getting low on packs due to my chronic draft problem so i needed to start doing well again, but sadly i made a bit of a mess of this one, standard i guess.

Pack 1, pick 1 - Knight of the skyward eye

This was a pretty hard pick, it was between this, souls fire, esper battlemage, and sprouting thrinax. I am not too hot on the esper battlemage because i prefer to draft aggressive decks, and although i prefer jund to naya, i went with the essentially 2 colour card over 3

Pack 1, pick 2 - Court archers

Not a fantastic second pick, and maybe the steward of valeron would better to support signaling myself as base g/w, as it didnt table

Pack 1, pick 3 - Bloodpyre elemental

Possibly another bad pick by passing the naya battlemage, o well.

Pack 1, pick 4 - blightning

poo pack!

Pack 1, pick 5 - agony warp?

crumbling necropolis in here too, guess im going 5 colour with some kind of green base?

Pack 1, pick 6 - grixis panorama

Pack 1, pick 7 - blightning

Pack 1, pick 8 - jungle weaver

Remaining picks - cylian elf, deathgreeter, incurable ogre, godtoucher, forest, forest, swamp

Pack 2, pick 1 - Meglonoth

Its a bit annoying to pass an armilery sphere and a drag down, but im pretty sure this guy is a bomb, and i still want to be green based i think.

Pack 2, pick 2 - Dark temper

Pack 2, pick 3 - Ember weaver

Im not sure this is the pick over a rupture spire, when i need more mana fixing. O well.

Pack 2, pick 4 - Soul's Majesty

Harmonize this ain't, but i think its slightly better than voices from the void for my deck right now

Pack 2, pick 5 - nacatl outlander

Pack 2, pick 6 - rhox meditant

I like this guy, he has a fat ass and draws cards, and it doesnt look like im going to be aggressive anymore

Pack 2, pick 7 - wretched banquet

I overvalue this card

Pack 2, pick 8 - viashino slaughtermaster

Pack 2, pick 9 - Knotvine mystic (foil)

Pack 2, pick 10 - Pestilent Kathari

I undervalut this one!

Remaining picks - absorb vis, vectis agents, asha's favour, wandering goblins, mountain

Pack 3, pick 1 - terminate

Only a jund sojourners to pick from

Pack 3, pick 2 - Kathari bomber

I like this guy, but 2nd pick isnt great

Pack 3, pick 3 - crystalization

Pack 3, pick 4 - Sangrite backlash

Pack 3, pick 5 - kathari bomber

Pack 3, pick 6 - igneous pouncer

Pack 3, pick 7 - Stun sniper

Looks like im base R/G splashing black and white here, borderposts would be nice

Pack 3, pick 8 - firewild borderpost

Not really the post im looking for

Pack 3, pick 9 - deny reality

Remaining picks - fieldmist borderpost, double negative, magefire wings, vedalken ghoul, swamp.


Here's the deck i built

1 x wretched banquet
1 x terminate
1 x sangrite backlash
1 x nacatl outlander
1 x stun sniper
1 x viashino slaughtermaster
1 x crystalization
1 x firewild borderpost
2 x blightning
1 x dark temper
1 x knight of the skyward eye
1 x court archers
1 x ember weaver
2 x kathari bomber
1 x pestilent kathari
1 x souls majesty
1 x bloodpyre elemental
1 x absorb vis
1 x jungle weaver
1 x meglonoth
1 x igneous pouncer
1 x incurable ogre

1 x grixis panorama
6 x mountain
5 x forest
3 x swamp
2 x plains

In the end i ended up 2-1 with this deck, which is probably fair for it's power level. I think i could have drafted better but it didnt go horribly, my mana just coming unstuck in the Last round, but i think that was to be expected of a deck like this with little mana fixing.

O well, see you all next time


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

Drafting with Jim - #9

By Jim Marlow

Hey Everyone,

Hopefully everyone in Leeds is ok, i was lucky enough to bump into a few guys at the PTQ in Leicester this weekend, ill have a report up for it in the nexty couple of days, because im waiting for Chris from Phoenix Games to send me some pictures he took at the event, so look out for that in the next couple of days (P.S - it wont be very long).

Anyways, i sold off a ton of rares i had accumulated from drafting over the last few weeks. I never seem to open anything valuable, but recently got some lucky rips with a foil jenara, ajani, sarkhan etc. I was going to try and redeem a set of shards, but i really cant be bothered, and selling off a load of stuff netted me like 65 tix, so i can get at least 5 drafts in hopefully.

Pack 1, pick 1 - flameblast dragon

Only a naya charm and tidehollow strix make up quite a weak pack, aside from the sick good bomb which is pretty good for me.

Pack 1, pick 2 - souls fire

Decent removal when you have a fat guy, and the only other picks are algae gharial and blood cultist, both which i have started to value less than i did (yes everyone, my love affair with algae gharial is over!)

Pack 1, pick 3 - souls fire

mise well nab another.

Pack 1, pick 4 - drumhunter

My love affair with drumhunter is certainly not over!

Pack 1, pick 5 - rakeclaw gargantuan

only a dregscape zombie of note

Pack 1, pick 6 - rakeclaw gargantuan

Pack 1, pick 7 - godtoucher

Remaining picks - souls might, viashino skeleton, cylian elf, welkin guide, behemoths herald, bloodthorn taunter, onyx goblet, island

Pack 2, pick 1 - Goblin razarunners

I love this guy, he works really well with naya sojourners too, which i will be picking higher with both this guy and drumhunter. Also, if i get stalled in late game he is problematic

Pack 2, pick 2 - dark temper

Im not sure whether this is better than the nacatl hunt pride that i passed, but i think so.

Pack 2, pick 3 - rhox meditant

I actually like this guy a lot now.

Pack 2, pick 3 - ember weaver

I need some more red permanents, but hopefully i can fill out my lower curver with blades etc, The gleam of resistance is tempting but a beaver is a beaver!

Pack 2, pick 4 - fiery fall

Pack 2, pick 5 - filigree fracture

love this card when everyone is bumming esper, but i would have liked the rhox meditant too, maybe it was the pick considering my low creature count.

Pack 2, pick 6 - filigree fracture (foil)

Sylvan bounty is tempting, but you can get them really late anyways.

Pack 2, pick 7 - scattershot archer

Pack 2, pick 8 - spore burst

Remaining picks - sylvan bounty, aerie mystics, kranioceros, rotting rats, plains, swamp

Pack 3, pick 1 - Lavalanche

is this really worth the splash?

Pack 3, pick 2 - madrush cyclops.

I think i partly made this pick because he has a funny face, but i dont know. The only other option was naya sojourners. I am in desperate need of 2-3 mana guys.

Pack 3, pick 3 - valley rannet

So i pick a 6 mana guy right, this pick should have been vithian renegades i think, never mind.

Pack 3, pick 4 - wildfield borderpost

Pack 3, pick 5 - giant ambush beetle

Pack 3, pick 6 - pale recluse

Pack 3, pick 7 - jund sojourners

Remaining picks - sigilled behemoth, putrid leech, valley rannet, wargate, nulltread gargantuan, sigilled behemoth, breath of malfegor, forest.

Here's the deck i made

1 x cylian elf
1 x putrid leech
1 x wildfield borderpost
1 x dark temper
2 x souls fire
1 x ember weaver
1 x filigree fracture
1 x drumhunter
1 x goblin razerunners
1 x madrush cyclops
1 x rhox meditant
1 x giant ambush beetle
1 x naya sojourners
2 x rakeclaw gargantuan
1 x welkin guide
1 x fiery fall
1 x sylvan bounty
1 x flameblast dragon
1 x pale recluse
1 x valley rannet
1 x lavalanche

5 x forest
6 x mountain
4 x plains
2 x swamp

Sadly i crapped out in the first match of this draft. The deck i drafted had very little resistance to early beats of any description, and turn 1 nacatl both games against me was good enough for 6 and 8 damage respectively, by which time i had more to deal with and my opponant had drawn the removal he needed anyway.

Its a shame because i think with a couple of steward of valerons or other creatures this deck could have been really sick, o well.

I might head to a couple more ptq's if i have the money and time off work ( very unlikely), so maybe ill see you there.


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

Drafting With Wagz #1

By Wagz

The girlfriend went to Rome today so we had to get up at half 5. Having got a taxi back to mine I figure I'll check what Premier Events are on so I can spend all day with a Sealed Pool. Online Champs today?? Bawww :(. So, I intrepidly enter an Alara Block 4-3-2-2 draft and here's what happened:

Pack 1 pick 1:

Druid of the Anima, Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Courier's Capsule, Yoked Plowbeast, Banewasp Affliction, Deft Duelist, Windwright Mage, Executioner's Capsule, Volcanic Submersion (FOIL), Outrider of Jhess, Fleshbag Marauder, Exuberant Firestoker, Topan Ascetic, Hell's Thunder, Island

I pick the Fleshbag Marauder. I was torn between it and the Executioner's Capsule. The Topan Ascetic is a close third but there are a few other Naya-type cards in there and Removal is goodness. Also, potential wheelers are the Druid, Firestoker and Volcanic Submersion so I'm setting myself up alright.

Pack 1 pick 2:

Ridge Rannet, Steelclad Serpent, Excommunicate, Banewasp Affliction, Jungle Weaver, Knight of the Skyward Eye, Cavern Thoctar, Cancel, Obelisk of Jund, Volcanic Submersion, Woolly Thoctar, Seaside Citadel, Puppet Conjurer, Forest

Woolly Thoctar all the way!! There's a rare missing but nothing comes close to this guy. Currently I might splash him in a Jund deck or give up on Black altogether, have to see what I get passed. The key is to take powerful cards but be open to not using them if you can get passed 22 other powerful cards.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Hissing Iguanar, Steelclad Serpent, Marble Chalice, Viscera Dragger, Resounding Roar, Viashino Skeleton, Coma Veil, Mountain (FOIL), Jund Charm, Scavenger Drake, Jhessian Infiltrator, Brilliant Ultimatum, Swamp

Keeping my options open I take the Jund Charm. It's a powerful card and between a wrath and a giant growth, I pick Wrath. Iguanar is good too but I don't want to take it.

Pack 1 pick 4:

Call to Heel, Kederekt Creeper, Savage Hunger, Ridge Rannet, Obelisk of Bant, Wild Nacatl, Incurable Ogre, Windwright Mage, Grixis Battlemage, Rockcaster Platoon, Hell's Thunder, Plains

Wild Nacatl is a solid card that is highly pickable. He makes for retardedly busted starts and pushes me towards RG splash white and black maybe.

Pack 1 pick 5:

Sighted-Caste Sorcerer, Bloodpyre Elemental, Tortoise Formation, Branching Bolt, Jund Panorama, Obelisk of Bant, Hindering Light, Incurable Ogre, Puppet Conjurer, Behemoth's Herald, Island

Branching Bolt? It must be my Birthday! So, solidly RG now 'cos the guys on my right are definitely not... or don't like killing dudes.

Pack 1 pick 6:

Blightning, Naturalize, Obelisk of Grixis, Resounding Scream, Bloodthorn Taunter, Soul's Grace, Lush Growth, Fire-Field Ogre, Swerve, Plains

I consider the Fire-Field Ogre but that's just too many colours. Blightning just isn't good enough any more as you can't pick up multiples and people get their hand down quite early nowadays. With this in mind I take the Naturalize as a solid sideboard card.

Pack 1 pick 7:

Skeletal Kathari, Tortoise Formation, Gift of the Gargantuan, Outrider of Jhess, Windwright Mage, Jund Panorama, Relic of Progenitus, Cradle of Vitality, Island

Jund Panorama helps muchly if I'm to splash Black.

Pack 1 pick 8:

Savage Hunger, Ridge Rannet, Jungle Weaver, Obelisk of Bant, Incurable Ogre, Mountain (FOIL), Scourge Devil, Island

Scourge Devil is the man, he swings for lots.

Pack 1 pick 9:

Thorn-Thrash Viashino, Yoked Plowbeast, Banewasp Affliction, Deft Duelist, Volcanic Submersion (FOIL), Outrider of Jhess, Island

Submersion tabled. Always welcome for the board and potentially the main deck.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Steelclad Serpent, Banewasp Affliction, Jungle Weaver, Cancel, Volcanic Submersion, Forest

Jungle Weaver is a late big guy. Looks like I'm in the right colours now but haven't seen much White. I'm happy to bang down on RG and splash for what I can using basic landcyclers (you can get lots of the green one in conflux easily) and borderposts. I always consider my manafixers to come during pack 1 because it is important to know what you can and can't do in a deck.

Pack 1 pick 11:

Marble Chalice, Viashino Skeleton, Coma Veil, Mountain (FOIL), Swamp

I consider the Mountain, but mise well get rid of removal.

Pack 1 pick 12:

Call to Heel, Savage Hunger, Grixis Battlemage, Plains

People don't like looters? I take it out.

Pack 1 pick 13:

Tortoise Formation, Behemoth's Herald, Island

Herald.

Pack 1 pick 14:

Lush Growth, Plains

Growth

Pack 1 pick 15:

Island

------ CON ------

Pack 2 pick 1:

Canyon Minotaur, Traumatic Visions, Rhox Meditant, Zombie Outlander, Kaleidostone, Wandering Goblins, Might of Alara, Valiant Guard, Salvage Slasher, Goblin Outlander, Dragonsoul Knight, Reliquary Tower, Fleshformer, Scepter of Dominance, Swamp

How boring. I think whoever packed this booster is in the same colours as me. I take the Might of Alara because it's fine in an aggro deck that can get up to 4 basic lands in play but I'm only expecting the Canyon Minotaur back.

Pack 2 pick 2:

Faerie Mechanist, Absorb Vis, Valeron Outlander, Sylvan Bounty, Matca Rioters (FOIL), Vectis Agents, Molten Frame, Rhox Bodyguard, Scattershot Archer, Infectious Horror, Nacatl Hunt-Pride, Fusion Elemental, Elder Mastery, Forest

Rioters is a solid dude. I have a lot at 3 mana at this point but he's badass. And shiny.

Pack 2 pick 3:

Pestilent Kathari, Dark Temper, Parasitic Strix, Matca Rioters, Bone Saw, Worldly Counsel, Rotting Rats, Asha's Favor, Ignite Disorder, Voices from the Void, Viashino Slaughtermaster, Worldheart Phoenix, Plains

Bleurgh. Erm, take the Shock. The Slaughtermaster can be tops with pump spells and is good against non-levelled-up Blades, but I can't reliably use his ability and removal is removal.

Pack 2 pick 4:

Canyon Minotaur, Rhox Meditant, Vedalken Outlander, Nacatl Outlander, Grixis Illusionist, Exploding Borders, Lapse of Certainty, Scattershot Archer, Dragonsoul Knight, Manaforce Mace, Skyward Eye Prophets, Mountain

Nacatl Outlander. Stupid Conflux... *grumble*. He's in my colours and fills my curve nicely, but where's the Banefire etc??

Pack 2 pick 5:

Zombie Outlander, Matca Rioters, Darklit Gargoyle, Wretched Banquet, Exploding Borders, Maniacal Rage, Nacatl Outlander, Nacatl Savage, Valiant Guard, Ignite Disorder, Plains

Ignite Disorder is a card I love nowadays. With Reborn in the mix this is a Branching Bolt usually. Yesterday I drafted with Rik and we splashed one in our Esper deck (:D). It killed a Tidehollow Strix and the Sewn-Eye Drake he had just cast on turn 4. We were worried he was going to get too far ahead of us ...

Pack 2 pick 6:

Frontline Sage, Wretched Banquet, Sylvan Bounty, Court Homunculus, Molten Frame, Infectious Horror, Filigree Fracture, Grixis Slavedriver, Soul's Majesty, Island

Bad Harmonise for me. Card draw is card draw and you don't get much in RG. The Filigree Fracture is also completely pimp right now with Borderposts and the fact that Esper got even better with Reborn (it was kinda poo in triple Shards unless you got like double Tower Gargoyle). The Sylvan Bounty will nearly always table from here because people don't like fixing their manabase consistently.

Pack 2 pick 7:

Bone Saw, Gleam of Resistance, Tukatongue Thallid, Lapse of Certainty, Constricting Tendrils, View from Above, Unstable Frontier, Telemin Performance, Plains

Unstable Frontier will help with the splashes but I'm starting to hate the deck a little bit. Can't see another open colour though so I'm in the right place I'm sure. Bet the dude to my left took the two Hell's Thunders and thought they were good.

Pack 2 pick 8:

Frontline Sage, Pestilent Kathari, Suicidal Charge, Maniacal Rage, Rotting Rats, Court Homunculus, View from Above, Plains

Maniacal Rage? People like to stick this on early drops but I'm too scared to 2-4-1 myself. Not that it doesn't ever work out, but I'm a control player and I don't like sending dudes to their doom or throwing away cards very much.

Pack 2 pick 9:

Canyon Minotaur, Kaleidostone, Wandering Goblins, Valiant Guard, Salvage Slasher, Reliquary Tower, Swamp

Canyon Minotaur is my first 4 drop apparently (I remember now that there were none in Shards of Alara - check the spoiler, you won't find any). He's also a creature and not terrible which my deck needs right now. By the way, Wandering Goblins is terrible and not a creature. I errata'd it to help people out.

Pack 2 pick 10:

Sylvan Bounty, Molten Frame, Scattershot Archer, Fusion Elemental, Elder Mastery, Forest

Manafixing woo! Molten Frame used to be good but now I hate to cascade into it - Leave them out of the main but be happy to get them late. There aren't any bad cards in here though, puzzling.

Pack 2 pick 11:

Bone Saw, Worldly Counsel, Rotting Rats, Voices from the Void, Plains

Voices is strong but unplayable for me so I take it.

Pack 2 pick 12:

Canyon Minotaur, Grixis Illusionist, Scattershot Archer, Mountain

Hill Giant yay. By the way, you may have seen me pass a few Scattershot Archers. Well noticed.

Pack 2 pick 13:

Darklit Gargoyle, Valiant Guard, Plains

No happy last pick for lefty.

Pack 2 pick 14:

Sylvan Bounty, Island

But happy last pick for me, super yays.

Pack 2 pick 15:

Constricting Tendrils

------ ARB ------

Pack 3 pick 1:

Winged Coatl, Lorescale Coatl (FOIL), Putrid Leech, Qasali Pridemage, Colossal Might, Jhessian Zombies, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Naya Hushblade, Marrow Chomper, Tainted Sigil, Anathemancer, Necromancer's Covenant, Island

2 drop please. Naya Hushblade is absolutely fine. Any draft deck in Alara block needs to be capable of busted starts. This will be happy after a Wild Nacatl. Colossal Might is also pimpy. I leave the RG Borderpost because I'm a 2 colour deck and I need 2 drops.

Pack 3 pick 2:

Jhessian Zombies, Grixis Grimblade, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Wildfield Borderpost, Crystallization, Architects of Will, Violent Outburst, Naya Hushblade, Vectis Dominator, Firewild Borderpost, Thopter Foundry, Bituminous Blast, Mind Funeral, Swamp

Cascade woo. Bituminous Blast is a slam-dunk.

Pack 3 pick 3:

Esper Sojourners, Vengeful Rebirth, Giant Ambush Beetle, Nulltread Gargantuan, Swamp, Naya Sojourners, Singe-Mind Ogre, Deadshot Minotaur, Bant Sojourners, Sigiled Behemoth, Putrid Leech, Colossal Might, Pale Recluse

I love Vengeful Rebirth. Get other removal spells back, kill a guy, dome you for lots. Love it.

Pack 3 pick 4:

Leonin Armorguard, Architects of Will, Fieldmist Borderpost, Crystallization, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Arsenal Thresher, Offering to Asha, Ardent Plea, Wall of Denial, Forest

Crystallization means I do have to splash white and black but it's so strong. I'm gonna look for WG and RB Borderposts now but I have some fixings already. Oh yeah, note the synergy of Vengeful Rebirth and Sylvan Bounty. I can get one back, cycle it next turn and then cast the other one the turn after *evil laughs*.

Pack 3 pick 5:

Winged Coatl, Putrid Leech, Colossal Might, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Naya Hushblade, Demonspine Whip, Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

Hushblade 2-drop please. These guys' abilities obviously makes them best in multiples. Also, is that 3 RG Borderposts and 3 Colossal Mights going round? Some have to table so I won't pick them until they do.

Pack 3 pick 6:

Monstrous Carabid, Talon Trooper, Deadshot Minotaur, Godtracker of Jund, Igneous Pouncer, Esper Sojourners, Grizzled Leotau, Vithian Renegades, Nulltread Gargantuan, Swamp

Vithian Renegades should be called Filthy Renegades, very strong card in this block and a 3/2 for 3 on-colour and another badly needed dude. I considered the Minotaur too but I need a lower curve, and the Igneous Pouncer isn't gonna get cast in this deck so I'll wait for my fixings.

Pack 3 pick 7:

Leonin Armorguard, Fieldmist Borderpost, Demonic Dread, Magefire Wings, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Offering to Asha, Shield of the Righteous, Dragon Appeasement, Swamp

UW Borderpost was a bad pick. I should take the Cycle of the Nayan Gods or the Leonin Armorguard if I'm taking a card I won't play.

Pack 3 pick 8:

Colossal Might, Pale Recluse, Naya Sojourners, Bant Sojourners, Etherium Abomination, Reborn Hope, Mind Funeral, Plains

A Might! This one hasn't even tabled. Naya Sojourners and Pale Recluse are also good cards but Might is Right.

Pack 3 pick 9:

Winged Coatl, Demonic Dread, Offering to Asha, Firewild Borderpost, Marrow Chomper, Tainted Sigil, Island

*sigh*, take the dual land.

Pack 3 pick 10:

Architects of Will, Violent Outburst, Vectis Dominator, Thopter Foundry, Mind Funeral, Swamp

My 2 drops are good so the Violent Outburst isn't terrible. Cascade makes it okay. I get closer to a removal spell this way but have to be careful with the Ignite Disorder. Probably shouldn't go in the same main deck.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Nulltread Gargantuan, Swamp, Naya Sojourners, Bant Sojourners, Putrid Leech

Late Leech or what? I take the Naya Sojourners. I might pay the kicker someday and get a 5/3 on it.

Pack 3 pick 12:

Fieldmist Borderpost, Magefire Wings, Offering to Asha, Forest

pfft

Pack 3 pick 13:

Unbender Tine, Dragon Appeasement, Mountain

blah

Pack 3 pick 14:

Godtracker of Jund, Swamp

burp

Pack 3 pick 15:

Swamp

mkay.

So the deck looked a little light on dudes but had solid solid spells and a good curve. Decklist:

Wild Nacatl

Nacatl Outlander

2x Naya Hushblade

Woolly Thoctar

Matca Rioters

Vithian Renegades

2x Canyon Minotaur

Scourge Devil

Naya Sojourners

Jungle Weaver

2x Sylvan Bounty

Ignite Disorder

Crystallization

Colossal Might

Violent Outburst

Branching Bolt

Dark Temper

Soul's Majesty

Bituminous Blast

Vengeful Rebirth

Firewild Borderpost

Unstable Frontier

Jund Panorama

2x Plains

Swamp

6x Forest

5x Mountain

Solid deck with a solid curve and a good manabase. How did it fare?

Match 1 vs. Grixis:

Game 1: I fix my mana and get some beatz down. He stabilises a Spellbound Dragon which I have to Crystallize. I have 3 Forests, Plains, Mountain, Swamp in play, Mountain and Bituminous Blast in hand. He has 7 lands and the Dragon. He untaps, lays a land and plays Nicol Bolas. I consider conceding but that's sissy stuff. In response to his attempt to kill my Mountain (bad - I would kill the Crystallize) with Bolas (Bolas up to 8 counters) I Bituminous Blast the Dragon to rfg it, the cascade giving me a Wild Nacatl. I untap, lay a mountain so the Nacatl is once more a 3/3, unearth my Scourge Devil and attack Bolas for 8. Woot, as they say. He gets a Tezzeret and another Spellbound Dragon into play but I'm swinging a lot and pull it off.

Game 2: I draw all the manas and he gets the 2 walkers into play.

Game 3: I keep Forest, Mounain, Unstable Frontier, Wild Nacatl, Nacatl Outlander, Branching Bolt and Naya Sojourners... of course. Turn 1 Nacatl, turn 2 make another Nacatl and swing for 2, turn 3 swing for 4 and Branching Bolt the Pestilent Kathari he made (I could use Unstable Frontier to make my Wild Nacatl bigger but I had nothing to do with 2 mana so I was saving my mana for if he did nothing to cycle the Sojourners to pump my guy. The Sojourners is also a good answer to Wreched Banquet here). Turn 4 I draw Mountain, cycle sojourners and use Unstable Frontier to swing for 6, puts him on 8. He untaps and plays a Vedalken Outland. I have drawn the Colossal Might by this point so with him having Red and Black untapped I goes for the win on my Wild Nacatl, Might it and use Unstable Frontier, swinging for exactly lethal. Busted starts I tells you.

Match 2 vs. Bant:

Game 1: I get a few dudes and he gets a Topan Ascetic so neither of us swing. He makes Pale Recluse and then Knight of New Alara. He swings with the 6/7 Reculse and I block with a 2/2, a 2/2 and a 3/3 since he is tapped out. He assigns 4 damage to the 3/3 and 2 damage to the Wild Nacatl 2/2 so I cycle Naya Sojourners to save it. I have a Colossal Might in hand I can pump the Minotaur with but I want to save a trick to try to deal with that stupid Liege. I make a guy and he makes Skyward Eye Prophets and a Naya Hushblade, which are both silly big. I make a Matca Rioters and pass. He plays Cycle of the Nayan Gods (you can hardcast it?) on his Knight of New Alara and swings with all 3 multicolour guys. Seizing the opportunity I block with enough to keep a 4/4 in play and kill his dudes after the Liege has gone away. "Oh, I'll know that for next time" he says.. I can't draw many more dudes so I lose after my 2/1 races his 2/3 flier and 2/4 ground guy but it was a close one after his big mistake.

Game 2: I mull to 5 and keep a 1 land, landcycler, cycle hand but don't draw anything relevant (a land) so he wins.

I'll probably do another couple of drafts today but don't expect reports. See you on Wednesday

Wagz xxx