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Drafting With Oli – Zendikar #24


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Monday, December 28th – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

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Today in order to illustrate my latest Reflecting Ruel column I’m going to try and draft Green.

Pack 1 pick 1:

















My Pick:

The pick order for this pack should go as follows:

1) Plated Geopede
2) Kor Skyfisher
3) Disfigure
4) Lotus Cobra

As I want to draft Green both to illustrate my previous article and because I think it’s a good choice on Magic: Online these days the Cobra becomes the second best card to pick in the pack (as there is still too much difference no matter what your draft preferences are between a Geopede and a Cobra). Then again today is the 24th of December and if I want to put presents beneath the Christmas tree 11 tix won’t hurt.

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Burst Lightning is a better card than River Boa without a doubt. However the 2/1 is still one of the best Green cards you can get and there is much more chance that I’ll end up running my first two picks by picking the snake here.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

After passing Geopede and Burst Lightning I obviously would like to avoid going into Red. However this pack doesn’t feature a single Green card I would want to run.

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

Not only do I like the deer better than the Trap I also don’t consider myself Red at the moment.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

If I end up running 13 Forests the Larva should be better than Burst Lightning and I think I should be able to do so. It’s also good than I haven’t passed a single Green card so far as it should mean a pretty great pack 2 for me.

And yes I’m aware my deck would be nuts if I had first picked the Geopede. Let’s now see if this draft strategy can prove to be good too.

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

Even if splashing Red is still an option Torch Slinger is not a card I like to splash.

Pack 1 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 8:










My Pick:

Maybe I should have picked the Gorger here. Not that I like the card but Cobra Trap is just too bad. I don’t feel like counterdrafting any of the other cards as they are not so dangerous and as I want to make it clear for my neighbors that anything but Green is open.

Pack 1 pick 9:









My Pick:

I’m not sure which is the best of the two Green cards here. One is constantly good but rarely phenomenal (Shambler). The other is often one of the weaker cards in your deck but excellent in some matchups and at least a great sideboard option. I would have taken the 1/3 if I didn’t have one yet but I go with the Shambler for a change.

Pack 1 pick 10:








My Pick:

Slow but I already have two Gladehart and Timbermaw Larva with 35 picks to go.

Pack 1 pick 11:







My Pick:

This time it’s clearly a mistake as one of each would offer me more flexibility.

Pack 1 pick 12:






My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 13:





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Pack 1 pick 14:




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Pack 1 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 2:













Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>


My Pick:

I probably am going to end up mono Green but still Inferno Trap is the card in this pack I’ve the highest chance to end up running.

Pack 2 pick 3:













Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 4:














My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 5:













My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 6:








Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>



My Pick:

These first six picks show very clearly why you want Green to be super-open to go for it. When you see how few good cards are coming to me despite the Green probably being wide open it doesn’t make you want to force it under any circumstance. The best Green cards are probably being passed to me. Simply put there are only a few high level cards in the color meaning you can’t always get Timbermaw Larva Grazing Gladehart or Nissa’s Chosen.

Pack 2 pick 7:











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Pack 2 pick 8:










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Pack 2 pick 9:









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Pack 2 pick 10:








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Pack 2 pick 11:







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Pack 2 pick 12:






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Pack 2 pick 13:





My Pick:

I should clearly have picked Tanglesap in this pack. I just can’t get used to the idea that a two mana Fog can be good.

Pack 2 pick 14:




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Pack 2 pick 15:



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Pack 3 pick 1:

















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Pack 3 pick 3:















My Pick:

Pretty good even in a monocolored deck thanks to all the Landfall guys.

Pack 3 pick 4:














My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 5:













My Pick:

Nothing I mind… I’ll just have the two tickets.

Pack 3 pick 6:












My Pick:

The first close pick in a while! I’m short on spells and I probably won’t receive a Savage Silhouette to combo with the 2/1 anymore.

Pack 3 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 8:










My Pick:

I’ve enough late drops now. I’d rather pick a second Expedition to combo with my landfall guys.

Pack 3 pick 9:









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Pack 3 pick 11:







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18 Forest

1 Oran-Rief Survivalist
1 River Boa
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Frontier Guide
1 Nissa’s Chosen
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
1 Greenweaver Druid
3 Grazing Gladehart
1 Mold Shambler
2 Timbermaw Larva
3 Territorial Baloth
1 Baloth Woodcrasher

2 Vines of Vastwood
1 Quest for the Gemblades
2 Khalni Heart Expedition

Sideboard
1 Cobra Trap
1 Grim Discovery
1 Cancel
1 Bog Tatters
1 Forest
1 Cobra Trap
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Plains
1 Hagra Diabolist
1 Tajuru Archer
1 Trapfinder’s Trick
1 Forest
1 Relic Crush
1 Kabira Crossroads
1 Turntimber Grove
1 Mindless Null

2 Makindi Shieldmate
1 Inferno Trap
1 Kor Outfitter
1 Bladetusk Boar
1 Ondu Cleric
1 Nimbus Wings

In my first round I face a pretty strong WR deck. However Nissa’s Chosen keeps him from dealing me much damage in the early stages of the first game. Even when he casts Skyfisher and Gear to try and reduce my life total it is almost annihilated by Gladehart and in the end Territorial Baloth deals him many damage and then pushes him to chumpblock three times and concede. In the next he kills my first Gladehart but then he is unable to stop Timbermaw Larva. Even though he has a strong start (Plated Geopede Burst Lightning Kor Hookmaster) he is soon unable to compete with my huge Larva and I take the match.

In the semis I face a UW deck. As he plays first and drops Steppe Lynx Welkin Tern and Umara Raptor I don’t stand a chance. In the second game as often in the format the player going first slaughters the other except that this time I’m the one beating down; my Chosen Gladehart Larva is unstoppable. In the third I compensate for going second thanks to Lotus Cobra. Turn 3 Larva followed up with a pair of Territorial Baloth makes my draw unstoppable.

In the finals I’m probably facing my left neighbor. His deck is definitely better than mine but there is no better matchup for mono Green than mono Red. He sees only one Geopede in the two games (and not before turn 4 of game 2) and tries and race my Deer despite killing only one in two games. And even when he kills it I have a second one on turn 4 which keep him from taking the advatange in the race. And from turn 4 to the end of each game pretty much every guy I cast is bigger than any of his making the end quite obvious. A pair of Baloths in game 1 and Timbermaw Larva in game 3 eventually take him down.

Until Wednesday…

Oli