It’s become quite the tradition for me to miss the Prerelease due to traveling out of town. As usual, though, there was a draft waiting for me as soon as I walked back into my house on Monday. We usually try to assembly three-versus-three team drafts, but a new semester of school has just started and so some of my roommates wanted to sit this one out. Our backup drafters were all busy doing other things (or stuck without a ride over), so we eventually decided on a two-versus-two. After all, any draft is better than no draft at all.
The teams were determined randomly, and the table ended up with Andres feeding Steve feeding Kevin feeding me. I recorded the draft, despite the real world not having the convenience of DraftCap. Here are the picks:
Lash Out, Kithkin Greatheart, Oakgnarl Warrior, Hornet Harasser, Deeptread Merrow, Goldmeadow Harrier, Amoeboid Changeling, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Shields of Velis Vel, Mournwhelk, Boggart Harbinger, Glarewielder, Seedguide Ash, Hoofprints of the Stag
Tossing out the obvious chaff, my first pick of the draft is between Lash Out, Goldmeadow Harrier, Boggart Harbinger, Glarewielder, and Seedguide Ash. I’m going to wind up going with the removal spell, for a couple of reasons. First of all, I think that it’s just more powerful than the other options. Second, I think that there’s a decent chance that I’ll manage to table the Glarewielder. Even if that doesn’t happen, or if I otherwise move out of Red, Lash Out is a fine splash option.
I want to talk about Seedguide Ash, too. I really liked it a lot in triple Lorwyn, but at that point it was only competing with Nath’s Elite for your five-slot, and the Elite often got picked off by the Elf drafter. Morningtide gives you Game-Trail Changeling and Everbark Shaman for that slot, and I’m pretty sure that the Changeling is better than the Ash. With those five-drops waiting in the third pack, it’s probably not worth picking the Seedguide as highly as you used to.
My pick: Lash Out
Kithkin Mourncaller, Eyeblight’s Ending, Heal the Scars, Forced Fruition, Ingot Chewer, Soulbright Flamekin, Goldmeadow Harrier, Boggart Birth Rite, Glarewielder, Fistful of Force, Inkfathom Divers, Springjack Knight, Deeptread Merrow, Glimmerdust Nap
Again, it’s pretty easy to narrow this pack down to the relevant cards. I’m looking at Eyeblight’s Ending, Forced Fruition, Goldmeadow Harrier, Fistful of Force, and my two on-color options in Glarewielder and Soulbright Flamekin. I just passed a Harrier, and I really don’t like Red/White, so that was the first one I threw out. Forced Fruition and Fistful of Force are both less powerful off-color options than Eyeblight’s Ending; I like removal. That makes the pick come down to the removal spell versus the two Red creatures, and it should be clear that I’m willing to take the good removal over the good men.
My pick: Eyeblight’s Ending
Warren Pilferers, Vivid Marsh, Soulbright Flamekin, Glimmerdust Nap, Faerie Trickery, Blades of Velis Vel, Lowland Oaf, Goldmeadow Dodger, Ego Erasure, Kithkin Daggerdare, Nightshade Stinger, Caterwauling Boggart, Surge of Thoughtweft
Warren Pilferers is much stronger than the rest of the pack, so it’s pretty clear that it will wind up being my pick. I’m pretty happy about my position in this draft, though, because I’m expecting to wheel two Glarewielders and this pack’s Soulbright Flamekin. I haven’t drafted Morningtide yet at this point, so I don’t exactly know where I’m heading, but setting myself up for Shamans in the third pack seems like a good idea right now.
My pick: Warren Pilferers
Wren’s Run Vanquisher, Leaf Gilder, Lys Alana Huntmaster, Mournwhelk, Aquitect’s Will, Wellgabber Apothecary, Zephyr Net, Neck Snap, Runed Stalactite, Vivid Crag, Boggart Shenanigans, Inner-Flame Acolyte
Andres had been talking pretty much non-stop about how he’d opened an extremely annoying pack, and with Vanquisher, Huntmaster, and Leaf Gilder all still lurking in it, I’m willing to believe him. The question, then, is whether or not I’m willing to get involved in this specific debacle, and I decide pretty quickly that I’m not. Even if I try to cut the Huntmaster, it doesn’t go well with what I have, and whoever is drafting Green right now will still get a very good pick from the pack.
I also don’t think that it’s worth hopping off my Shaman plan for Neck Snap, so I settle on Inner-Flame Acolyte. I feel a little silly taking him over the much stronger off-color cards, but I think that sticking to my plan is going to pay off.
My pick: Inner-Flame Acolyte
Glarewielder, Hornet Harasser, Deeptread Merrow, Mournwhelk, Goldmeadow Harrier, Shields of Velis Vel, Oakgnarl Warrior, Exiled Boggart, Spring Cleaning, Hoofprints of the Stag, Kithkin Greatheart
And it looks like sticking to my guns was the right call, since the Glarewielder has made the lap back to my pile. Of note is the fact that the Amoeboid Changeling is missing, which tells me that someone has seriously staked out Blue and is willing to fight for it. It also makes me think that this person is Kevin (who is feeding me), since anyone second- or third-picking Amoeboid Changeling would blow my mind.
My pick: Glarewielder
Soulbright Flamekin, Glimmerdust Nap, Boggart Birth Rite, Springjack Knight, Heal the Scars, Goldmeadow Harrier, Forced Fruition, Deeptread Merrow, Ingot Chewer, Kithkin Mourncaller
Unfortunately, the second Glarewielder didn’t make the lap. There’s still a Soulbright Flamekin for me, though, and I do like him quite a lot. I’m a little bit worried about the Goldmeadow Harriers that are going sixth and seventh pick (or later), but I’m thinking that the three powerful Green cards in the fourth pack made sure that Andres is in Green, and I’m not expecting him to pair that with White. That means that the cards are either going to my teammate or going eighth and ninth, which I just don’t think is going to happen.
My pick: Soulbright Flamekin
Vivid Marsh, Nightshade Stinger, Goldmeadow Dodger, Blades of Velis Vel, Kithkin Daggerdare, Lowland Oaf, Ego Erasure, Surge of Thoughtweft, Glimmerdust Nap
Now I’m starting to get worried, because there was supposed to be a second Soulbright Flamekin waiting for me here. There was also a Caterwauling Boggart in the pack, and he fit my Shaman plan, but he’s missing too. That leaves me a random Hill Giant, which isn’t that bad, but it’s not a Shaman and therefore doesn’t go with my plan. Still, it’s better than Blades of Velis Vel.
I’m pretty sure that there are people around these parts that would want me to take the Vivid land, but I just don’t like them as much as other people do. Having your fourth turn land come off the top and come into play tapped is just too much of a drawback for me, and I don’t expect to need it to splash anything at this point.
My pick: Lowland Oaf
Aquitect’s Will, Wellgabber Apothecary, Zephyr Net, Neck Snap, Leaf Gilder, Vivid Crag, Runed Stalactite, Boggart Shenanigans
With two of the three Green cards missing, Leaf Gilder and Neck Snap are the two considerations in this pack. I had earlier put the person I’m feeding on Green, but I’m now worried that I might be wrong about that because I was wrong about the Red cards I expected to see wheel. I figure that I’d really rather not play against two tappers and Neck Snap, and if I was right earlier, Leaf Gilder isn’t the worst card to gift late.
My pick: Neck Snap
Mournwhelk, Hoofprints of the Stag, Oakgnarl Warrior, Spring Cleaning, Shields of Velis Vel, Kithkin Greatheart, Exiled Boggart
The only playable on-color card here is Mournwhelk, so I snap it up. I just hate-drafted Neck Snap, but Kithkin Greatheart doesn’t frighten me, especially since I haven’t passed anything that powers it up.
My pick: Mournwhelk
Ingot Chewer, Boggart Birth Rite, Glimmerdust Nap, Springjack Knight, Kithkin Mourncaller, Heal the Scars
Again, I take the card in my colors.
My pick: Boggart Birth Rite
Surge of Thoughtweft, Glimmerdust Nap, Vivid Marsh, Blades of Velis Vel, Goldmeadow Dodger
A Vivid land this late isn’t exactly something I’m thrilled about, but I’m not sad about it either.
My pick: Vivid Marsh
My pick: Aquitect’s Will
My pick: Hoofprints of the Stag
My pick: Ingot Chewer
My pick: Goldmeadow Dodger
…
Pestermite, Leaf Gilder, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Thieving Sprite, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Whirlpool Whelm, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Shields of Velis Vel, Mournwhelk, Needle Drop, Hoarder’s Greed, Guardian of Cloverdell, Tar Pitcher, Mistbind Clique
I’m pretty sure that the Mistbind Clique is going straight into Kevin’s deck, but there’s not much that I can do about it. If I hate-draft it, he’ll just take the Pestermite, which is clearly not as bad for my team, but still good for his deck. Besides, there’s a Tar Pitcher here. That guy is both good and a Shaman, so I’m happy to take him and just tell my teammate to watch out for the Clique.
My pick: Tar Pitcher
Soulbright Flamekin, Kithkin Daggerdare, Tideshaper Mystic, Rootgrapple, Triclopean Sight, Nightshade Stinger, Faultgrinder, Kithkin Stalwart, Hoarder’s Greed, Drowner of Secrets, Mulldrifter, Glimmerdust Nap, Incendiary Command, Surge of Thoughtweft
When I first picked up the pack, I was mentally preparing myself to take Soulbright Flamekin over both Drowner and Mulldrifter. This lasted until I realized that I’d been passed Incendiary Command, and I didn’t waste any time adding it to my deck.
My pick: Incendiary Command
Lash Out, Jagged-Scar Archers, Ingot Chewer, Amoeboid Changeling, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Lammastide Weave, Makeshift Mannequin, Hornet Harasser, Deeptread Merrow, Goldmeadow Harrier, Fistful of Force, Protective Bubble, Lash Out
After a series of Red cards going missing when I didn’t expect them to, I’m now getting sent Red cards later than I would expect to. Fistful of Force, Goldmeadow Harrier, and Makeshift Mannequin all get noted, but I take the Lash Out.
My pick: Lash Out
Hearthcage Giant, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Harpoon Sniper, Faerie Trickery, Merrow Commerce, Fire-Belly Changeling, Skeletal Changeling, Shields of Velis Vel, Elvish Branchbender, Nath’s Elite, Amoeboid Changeling, Paperfin Rascal
Hearthcage Giant is one of my favorite big guys, especially if I have Soulbrights to power him out ahead of time. He’s not technically a Shaman, but he brings two of them along, and his eleven power is always something I enjoy playing with.
My pick: Hearthcage Giant
Thieving Sprite, Whirlpool Whelm, Guardian of Cloverdell, Shields of Velis Vel, Spring Cleaning, Exiled Boggart, Hoarder’s Greed, Needle Drop, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Mournwhelk
There wasn’t much for me in this pack after I took the Tar Pitcher, and there still isn’t, even though two Blue cards and a Green card were taken. Thieving Sprite could theoretically go into my deck, but mostly I don’t want to give Kevin all the tools he needs to really go wild with Faeries. He’ll still get Whirlpool Whelm, but this pseudo-hate-draft might make the cut in my deck.
My pick: Thieving Sprite
Drowner of Secrets, Tideshaper Mystic, Surge of Thoughtweft, Glimmerdust Nap, Faultgrinder, Kithkin Daggerdare, Hoarder’s Greed, Goldmeadow Stalwart, Rootgrapple, Triclopean Sight
I have to admit that I was resigned to the fact that the Soulbright wouldn’t table, but I really wanted it to. If it were in the pack, I would have taken it over the Drowner without thinking too much about it, but given that it’s not there, I snapped up the Merfolk engine.
My pick: Drowner of Secrets
Fistful of Force, Ingot Chewer, Goldmeadow Harrier, Amoeboid Changeling, Spring Cleaning, Protective Bubble, Lammastide Weave, Deeptread Merrow, Exiled Boggart
I’m still in hate-draft mode, and grab the pump spell. Everything other than the Harrier doesn’t frighten me, and I am sure that it’s not going in Kevin’s deck.
My pick: Fistful of Force
Amoeboid Changeling, Elvish Branchbender, Shields of Velis Vel, Merrow Commerce, Boggart Sprite-Chaser, Skeletal Changeling, Fire-Belly Changeling, Paperfin Rascal
Changelings are Changelings, and while the Fire-Belly isn’t my favorite, he’ll still do what I need him to do.
My pick: Fire-Belly Changeling
Mournwhelk, Spring Cleaning, Shields of Velis Vel, Guardian of Cloverdell, Hoarder’s Greed, Exiled Boggart, Needle Drop
Mournwhelk is the only on-color playable for me.
My pick: Mournwhelk
My pick: Triclopean Sight
My pick: Ingot Chewer
My pick: Paperfin Rascal
My pick: Shields of Velis Vel
My pick: Glimmerdust Nap
My pick: Lammastide Weave
…
Door of Destinies, Violet Pall, Warren Weirding, Weed-Pruner Poplar, Stream of Unconsciousness, Burrenton Shield-Bearers, Elvish Warrior, Ballyrush Banneret, Blightsoil Druid, Forfend, Mudbutton Clanger, Deglamer, Ink Dissolver, Diviner’s Wand, Recross the Paths
Before the draft, I was talking to Steve about the Prerelease and he mentioned that the Door had been extremely good for him in a draft where he’d been the Kithkin drafter. I was still fixated on my Shaman plan, and so I figured that it would be pretty good in my deck too. Unfortunately, I was looking at three Black cards that I wanted to take, and I wasn’t sure what to do.
I’m fairly certain that Violet Pall is the best common in the new set. It’s your standard Dark Banishing with tribal benefits, and even manages to give you a small threat while avoiding Faerie Trickery. The Warren Weirding seems to me like a Cruel Edict that I could regrow with Boggart Birth Rite and that might randomly give me two 1/1s when it’s not good at what it usually does. Weed-Pruner Poplar is, I think, worse than the two cards I mentioned earlier, but it seems extremely good against Faeries, and since I think Kevin’s drafting that deck, I’d really like to take it.
Still, I eventually decide on the Door. It’s hard to get a feel for rares without playing with them, and I’ll have plenty of chances to take the commons in future drafts. Additionally, something very strange would have to happen to stop one of the three from coming back around to me.
My pick: Door of Destinies
Everbark Shaman, Moonglove Changeling, Changeling Sentinel, Floodchaser, Rivals’ Duel, Shard Volley, Pulling Teeth, Taurean Mauler, Mosquito Guard, Sage’s Dousing, Kithkin Zephyrnaut, War-Spike Changeling, Ambassador Oak, Ballyrush Banneret
Rivals’ Duel and Shard Volley both seem like fine removal spells to me, but I’ve been told that I like both of them too much. The Duel clearly takes a little bit of work to set up, and can never kill a Changeling, but Elementals and Giants are both good tribes for this Contested Cliffs effect. There are also the times when you’ll have a chance to choose two of your opponent’s creatures, and get the old two-for-one. On the other side of things, Shard Volley takes almost no work to set up beyond making sure that you don’t manascrew yourself with it.
However, neither of these seem close to the Mauler. A 2/2 Changeling for three is already something that people would play and be relatively happy about, but he’s going to be much bigger than that most of the time. If your opponent doesn’t remove him right away, he’ll grow out of the reach of most Red spells, and if they don’t remove him at all then he’s probably going to go a long way towards winning you the game.
My pick: Taurean Mauler
Shard Volley, Rivals’ Duel, Forfend, Kindled Fury, Lys Alana Bowmaster, Weed-Pruner Poplar, Frogtosser Banneret, Veteran’s Armaments, Dewdrop Spy, Floodchaser, Fire Juggler, Kithkin Zephyrnaut, Earthbrawn
This is the pick that prompted Steve to tell me I liked the Volley more than I should. I think that a Lightning Bolt is a Lightning Bolt, but Steve argues that the Poplar’s ability to dominate entire archetypes makes it a better pick in most situations. If it were a Shaman, I think that I would have taken it for tribal synergies, but since it’s an Assassin instead, I took the removal spell.
My pick: Shard Volley
Pyroclast Consul, Ambassador Oak, Earthbrawn, Frogtosser Banneret, Order of the Golden Cricket, Ink Dissolver, Thieves’ Fortune, Blightsoil Druid, Forfend, Mothdust Changeling, Murmuring Bosk, Disperse
I happen to be trying to draft the Shaman deck, and it happens to be moving in an Elementals direction too, so I don’t think Pyroclast Consul gets much better than this. A 3/3 for five isn’t exactly exciting, but a possible repeating Pyroclasm that I don’t have to trigger if I don’t want to sounds like a good deal to me. I think it’s even better given that I’ll be setting my Door to Shamans, and so my little men might even manage to avoid the storm.
My pick: Pyroclast Consul
Weed-Pruner Poplar, Mudbutton Clanger, Recross the Paths, Ballyrush Banneret, Ink Dissolver, Burrenton Shield-Bearers, Stream of Unconsciousness, Blightsoil Druid, Forfend, Diviner’s Wand, Deglamer
At this point, I’ve decided that simply no one is drafting the White deck, so I don’t worry about the Banneret at all. That makes the only relevant card in the pack the Poplar, and I happily take it, despite the fact that the two other removal spells were taken.
My pick: Weed-Pruner Poplar
Shard Volley, Rivals’ Duel, Mosquito Guard, Kithkin Zephyrnaut, Ballyrush Banneret, Sage’s Dousing, Floodchaser, Changeling Sentinel, Pulling Teeth, Everbark Shaman
We’re back to the Volley and the Duel, and I take the Lightning Bolt. The only other cards worth thinking about are the Blue ones, and I can’t start hate-drafting Kevin from three seats away.
My pick: Shard Volley
Fire Juggler, Forfend, Veteran’s Armaments, Earthbrawn, Floodchaser, Frogtosser Banneret, Rivals’ Duel, Kindled Fury
Fire Juggler seems a little bit awkward to me. Early on, people won’t want to risk losing their 3/3s and 4/4s to a simple clash, so they’ll let him through. Later though, they’ll just toss a little man in front of him and you might not get there. However, his early-game disincentives for blockers make him a good fit for my Shaman deck. I again find myself putting a lot of value on the Shaman type; if he were, say, a Warrior, I would probably have taken the Duel.
My pick: Fire Juggler
Earthbrawn, Blightsoil Druid, Murmuring Bosk, Thieves’ Fortune, Order of the Golden Cricket, Mothdust Changeling, Forfend, Ink Dissolver
I’m confident I don’t need to worry about the White cards, so the only relevant card in the pack is Earthbrawn. I’m getting the feeling that I’m taking it off of my teammate, but if I am then it will just get hate-drafted anyway.
My pick: Earthbrawn
My pick: Ballyrush Banneret
My pick: Pulling Teeth
My pick: Rivals’ Duel
My pick: Order of the Golden Cricket
My pick: Recross the Paths
My pick: Kithkin Zephyrnaut
My pick: Forfend
Things went about as well as I could have hoped given that I had to share Red with one other drafter and Black with two. Still, I was pretty confident that my deck was good enough to take down two matches and the tiebreaker if it needed to. Luckily, Steve had a deck including two Chandras and Chameleon Colossus, so I didn’t expect to need to 3-0.
As an aside, I seem to draft Red in triple Lorwyn differently from most people. The other Pittsburgh drafters, and most people online, seem to like going for the Smokebraider/Faultgrinder plan, but I like to go for a more low-curve aggressive deck. Soulbright Flamekin and Inner-Flame Acolyte are two of my favorite cards for this style of deck, and I try to get my hands on multiple copies of Giant’s Ire to finish the job the weenies start. This deck has elements of that type of deck, but I don’t really know whether or not it will stay good in LLM. Off the top of my head, I think it will, since War-Spike Changeling, Seething Pathblazer, and Sunflare Shaman all fit in well.
1 Door of Destinies
1 Eyeblight’s Ending
1 Fire Juggler
1 Fire-Belly Changeling
1 Glarewielder
1 Hearthcage Giant
1 Incendiary Command
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Inner-Flame Acolyte
2 Lash Out
1 Lowland Oaf
2 Mournwhelk
1 Pyroclast Consul
2 Shard Volley
1 Soulbright Flamekin
1 Tar Pitcher
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Warren Pilferers
1 Weed-Pruner Poplar
12 Mountain
6 Swamp
Sideboard
1 Ballyrush Banneret
1 Boggart Birth Rite
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Pulling Teeth
1 Rivals’ Duel
1 Thieving Sprite
1 Vivid Marsh
First up was my match against Andres. He was complaining pretty vocally during the draft that his deck was complete trash, but I was relatively sure that he was just putting on a show since I figured he had a lot of good Green and Black cards. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t.
I won the die roll, and he mulliganed to start game 1, and didn’t have a play until Hoarder’s Greed on turn 4. I started off with Inner-Flame Acolyte and Door of Destinies, naming Shaman. When I played Fire-Belly Changeling and Fire Juggler for two charge counters, we went to game 2.
He mulliganed again, and kept a pretty awful hand that had Nightshade Stinger and not much to back it up. My first play was Taurean Mauler, but it was good for three damage on turn 4. I followed it up with the Door (on Shamans again) and Pyroclast Consul. When I revealed a Shaman to the Consul, he conceded the match.
Next to me, Steve had lost his match to Kevin in three games. I didn’t see what happened in the first two, but I heard that Sage’s Dousing had won the first game and Colossus had won the second. Kevin started game 3 with double Oona’s Blackguard and a 4/4 Moonglove Changeling. After that, a Disperse on Colossus followed by an attack for Mind Twist was enough to win the game even in the face of a topdecked Chandra.
After switching seats, I won the roll and started off with Fire-Belly Changeling. He responded with a Blackguard, and declined to trade for my Changeling. I used Lash Out to make sure that things didn’t get out of hand, and he evoked Mulldrifter. I played Lowland Oaf and he passed the turn. I tried Inner-Flame Acolyte, but it got hit by Faerie Trickery. He played Inkfathom Divers, and I took the opportunity to cast Glarewielder and hit for seven, putting him to six. However, he had Amoeboid Changeling and an evoked Mournwhelk to clear out my last two cards, Taurean Mauler and Shard Volley. I drew a land and traded most of my board for his, putting him to three with the Fire-Belly. He passed the turn yet again, but had Makeshift Mannequin on my draw step to re-Mournwhelk me. I traded the Changeling for his Mournwhelk, and he had Faerie Harbinger for Pestermite on my end step. He attacked for his first two damage, and tapped a Mountain of mine on my upkeep. I ripped Shard Volley and he didn’t have anything to stop it.
I sideboarded out one of my two Mournwhelks, which I figured were too slow to do much against him, for a Thieving Sprite. The Sprite isn’t really very exciting in my deck, but it can at least Rats him and then discourage flying attacks.
My game 2 hand was two removal spells, Fire Juggler, and four lands, and I kept after consulting with Steve. I drew Soulbright Flamekin on turn two, and Kevin came back with Deeptread Merrow. We traded on turn 3, and I dropped Fire Juggler. Kevin played a land and passed, and I tried Door of Destinies, which (surprisingly) resolved. I named Shaman and attacked, and Kevin had an end step Harbinger for Pestermite. He attacked for two and tapped my only Swamp on upkeep, but I had Inner-Flame Acolyte to attack for eight. He had no plays and no attacks, so I just sent my two 3/3s in. Kevin blocked my Acolyte, and cast Mistbind Clique with damage on the stack. I used Eyeblight’s Ending on the Clique and his Harbinger hit the bin. Kevin had Shriekmaw for my Juggler, and I played Weed-Pruner Poplar and passed. I think that I actually messed up; I should have Shard Volley’d his Shriekmaw and attacked for three (putting Kevin to four) and then played the Poplar after combat. Because I played the Poplar before killing the Shriekmaw, I couldn’t make that play. If I did, Kevin would just block with the Pestermite since it would die on my upkeep anyway. He played Floodchaser and I killed his Pestermite with the Poplar trigger. I drew Incendiary Command, though, and simply burned Kevin out.
Andres took a fast game 1 against Steve, but Steve’s deck overpowered Andres in the other two. That left us the victors, and me the proud owner of a Murmuring Bosk. This was my first look at drafting LLM, and I’m betting that there are plenty of people out there that haven’t gotten the chance to draft it yet either. Hopefully this look into the format was informative and interesting, and helpful for those planning eight-man pods in the near future.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me in the forums, via email, or on AIM.
Benjamin Peebles-Mundy
ben at mundy dot net
SlickPeebles on AIM