I drafted a lot this week on Magic Online, and I also played about five drafts at the local shop. It definitely felt good to get back into the Limited version of the game after testing so much Constructed for Block and Standard.
Keep an eye out in this walkthrough to see if you would’ve switched colors, or if you would’ve made some different choices at any point, because I felt that a lot of the decisions were very close during the actual draft.
Time Spiral – Pack 1
Pack 1
Durkwood Baloth, Coral Trickster, Ivory Giant, Deathspore Thallid, Errant Ephemeron, Flowstone Channeler, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Tectonic Fiend, Smallpox, Urza’s Factory, Sudden Spoiling, Undead Warchief
Already with the first pick there is a big decision to make. I believe Ephemeron and Spoiling are pretty close in power level, probably mainly due to the fact that I prefer Blue to Black. That being said, Spoiling is just a complete blowout in some games, and it is also more unexpected now than it was back in TTT when you had more chances to get it.
As much as I’d love to take the Blue card here, I think Spoiling is the right pick.
My Pick: Sudden Spoiling
Pack 2
Search for Tomorrow, Corpulent Corpse, Cancel, Icatian Crier, Bonesplitter Sliver, Greenseeker, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Dreadship Reef, Krosan Grip, Reiterate, Whirling Dervish, Benalish Cavalry
The reasonable choices from this pack are taking Corpulent Corpse and staying in Black, or taking Search to see where Green leads me. I’m probably biased on this pick, as I’m sure I like Search more than most people. I also believe Corpse to be somewhat overrated. There is still something to be said for not picking a second color just yet, so I couldn’t fault anyone who took Corpse here.
I went with the Search, as I feel it is by far the better card.
My Pick: Search for Tomorrow
Pack 3
Bonesplitter Sliver, Viscerid Deepwalker, Ashcoat Bear, Amrou Seekers, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Phyrexian Totem, Scryb Ranger, Stormcloud Djinn, Wurmcalling, Goblin Snowman
This pack presents three really strong options, all of which are on color at this point. Of the three, I feel that the Totem is the worst choice. The two Green cards are both excellent, but I’m pretty sure that Wurmcalling is just a bomb if it ever gets going. As much as I like Scryb Ranger, I took the Sorcery.
It’s worth noting that I’d still take Search second and Wurmcalling third even if I’d first-picked the Ephemeron. Had I taken the Corpse with my second pick though, I’d stay on color again here and take the Totem to keep my options open for as long as possible.
My Pick: Wurmcalling
Pack 4
Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, Orcish Cannonade, D’Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Mystical Teachings, Two-Headed Sliver, Yavimaya Dryad, Barbed Shocker, Ghostflame Sliver
Unfortunately, the online population seems to have figured out that Deathspore Thallid is really good now. This means there’s little chance of tabling the one from the booster I opened, since it wasn’t that deep anyway. You could still make a case for taking the Thallid here, but I’m a huge fan of Yavimaya Dryad in this format, and it also helps out the Wurmcalling and whatever other big mana spells I may get in future boosters. I think it would be reckless to take Coal Stoker here and switch into Red when there are two very playable on-color options.
My Pick: Yavimaya Dryad
Pack 5
Herd Gnarr, Grapeshot, Scarwood Treefolk, Amrou Scout, Dream Stalker, Jhoira’s Timebug, Shadow Sliver, Mindlash Sliver, Truth or Tale, Restore Balance, Sindbad
From this pack I can take either Herd Gnarr, Grapeshot, or Amrou Scout. Herd Gnarr is far better than the Scarwood Treefolk so I wouldn’t even give him a second thought. I think any of the three options are fine picks here, with Amrou Scout being the worst option in my opinion. I decided to gamble a little bit and take the Grapeshot here, as I haven’t seen much Black and Red open at this point. If it ends up not working out, I’m not sacrificing a whole lot by passing up on the Herd Gnarr.
My Pick: Grapeshot
Pack 6
Gemhide Sliver, Mindstab, Gaze of Justice, Coal Stoker, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Gustcloak Cavalier, Fungal Reaches
Another Coal Stoker here, but there is also a Gemhide Sliver. Mindstab is also an option, but taking the Gemhide would allow me to splash Grapeshot potentially, and I’m really not sure where I’m going with a second color yet. As I’m sure most of you know by now, I tend to keep my options open when possible during a draft, and am very likely to favor a guaranteed playable over something in a color I’m unsure about. Sometimes this may cost me, as I might put the decision off for too long and lose card quality in the process. This time, however, I believe Gemhide is just as good, if not better, than the other options present.
My Pick: Gemhide Sliver
Pack 7
Think Twice, Errant Doomsayers, Subterranean Shambler, Premature Burial, Wipe Away, Fool’s Demise, Molten Slagheap
Here’s a pick I’m not sure about. I could easily justify taking Molten Slagheap, Havenwood Wurm, or Premature Burial from this pack. Each of these cards fits with what I have so far, and each could be the right pick for a different reason. While it may sound stupid, I ended up taking the Havenwood Wurm largely because I couldn’t make up my mind about whether I wanted to be in Black or not. If you can decide on Black for sure, then I think Burial is the right pick. Slagheap opens up splashing options for either the Spoiling or the Grapeshot, so it wouldn’t be a terrible pick.
My Pick: Havenwood Wurm
Pack 8
Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Dreadship Reef, Evil Eye of Urborg, Lim-Dul the Necromancer, Enduring Renewal, foil Swamp
This pack is pretty weak for me. I know I’m going to get flamed for this one in the forums, as the right pick is almost definitely Lim-Dul, but I really just don’t like him unless I’m in B/R and I have a bit of an obsession with charge lands. I went with the Dreadship Reef here for future potential splash options, as well as to possibly power up Wurmcalling. My defense for this pick is that there was no way I was ever putting Lim-Dul in this deck, and I may end up playing the charge land.
My Pick: Dreadship Reef
On the lap I get Smallpox over Blazing Blade Askari, Krosan Grip, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Savage Thallid, and somehow Mystical Teachings twelfth! For some reason Magic Online players have figured out Deathspore Thallid, but they still don’t understand how insane Teachings is. I regularly get it late, and I now have a reason to run that Dreadship Reef.
I definitely liked the way my deck was shaping up after pack 1.
Planar Chaos – Pack 2
Pack 1
Needlepeak Spider, Mire Boa, Aven Riftwatcher, Cradle to Grave, Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Uktabi Drake, Vampiric Link, Brute Force, Prodigal Pyromancer, Deadwood Treefolk, Mantle of Leadership, Hedge Troll, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Mesa Enchantress
If you’ve ever played with Deadwood Treefolk before, you’ll know that this pick wasn’t difficult for me. It’s probably one of my favorite cards to have, and lots of things combo with it to make it even sicker.
My Pick: Deadwood Treefolk
Pack 2
Whitemane Lion, Erratic Mutation, Aquamorph Entity, Shade of Trokair, Uktabi Drake, Ghost Tactician, Firefright Mage, Sunlance, Vampiric Link, Gossamer Phantasm, Phantasmagorian, Hunting Wilds, Dunerider Outlaw, Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
I considered not using this draft for a walkthrough, because of the above pick and this one. In the end, I felt that there were still more tough decisions than most drafts I do, especially in pack 1, where I feel someone could justify going a number of different ways with the picks.
My Pick: Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Pack 3
Aven Riftwatcher, Saltfield Recluse, Shade of Trokair, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Fury Charm, Wistful Thinking, Brute Force, Piracy Charm, Auramancer’s Guise, Waning Wurm, Gaea’s Anthem, Retether
This was the first pick where I was regretting not taking the Amrou Scout over the Grapeshot. Since I didn’t though, it’s kind of hard to justify picking the Saltfield Recluse here, which is by far the best card in the pack. The only Green option is the Anthem, and right now it looks like I’m going to be ramping up to fatties rather than casting a bunch of small guys.
Brute Force is certainly an option here, though I’m not sure how great it is since I honestly have no clue what I’m doing about colors that aren’t Green at this point in the draft. I currently have Teachings, Grapeshot, and Sudden Spoiling, and no idea whether some or all of them will end up making my deck. I almost timed out with this pick, and ended up taking the Anthem since it could possibly be good if I get a Sprout Swarm or get more guys.
My Pick: Gaea’s Anthem
Pack 4
Reflex Sliver, Poultice Sliver, Aquamorph Entity, Evolution Charm, Pallid Mycoderm, Brain Gorgers, Fa’adiyah Seer, Revered Dead, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Cautery Sliver, Lavacore Elemental, Null Profusion
I briefly considered the Pallid Mycoderm in this booster before remembering what awesome synergy Deadwood Treefolk has with Evolution Charm. Oh, and yeah, I’d like to get my Jedit back if he gets killed, or search for mana for a splash color. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you can possibly consider taking the Null Profusion here, as Evolution Charm is exactly what the deck wants.
My Pick: Evolution Charm
Pack 5
Ridged Kusite, Battering Sliver, Reflex Sliver, Whitemane Lion, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Sinew Sliver, Bog Serpent, Riftmarked Knight, Pongify, Serra’s Boon
Like I said, I wish I’d taken that Amrou Scout, as it would make this pick easy: I’d just take Whitemane Lion. As it stands, I took Pongify from this pack as it is the only thing I would consider playing in this deck, with the exception of a sideboarded in Bog Serpent.
My Pick: Pongify
Pack 6
Midnight Charm, Synchronous Sliver, Wistful Thinking, Dash Hopes, Pallid Mycoderm, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Sinew Sliver, Waning Wurm, Frozen Aether, Heroes Remembered
If I were in White, I’d definitely take the Mycoderm here in hopes of Sprout Swarm or Sporoloth Ancients. There really aren’t any options again, and it must just be a bad run of packs because the guy feeding me passed Jedit and certainly isn’t in Green. I took the Midnight Charm here, and was annoyed that I hadn’t moved into White earlier. I could still play the Charm with Teachings, and possibly Sudden Spoiling.
My Pick: Midnight Charm
Pack 7
Veiling Oddity, Synchronous Sliver, Dawn Charm, Dust Corona, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Seal of Primordium, Dismal Failure, Tidewalker
Yeah, another nice pack.
I considered taking Dawn Charm, but decided against it. I already have Krosan Grip, so taking the Seal is pointless. I went with the Veiling Oddity, and felt like I was all over the place in this pack. I should mention that I didn’t even consider the Dismal Failure as an option, since if I played Blue it was only going to be Teachings and possibly Pongify, and I didn’t want anything double Blue.
My Pick: Veiling Oddity
Pack 8
Midnight Charm, Spitting Sliver, Wistful Thinking, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Seal of Primordium, Mana Tithe, Vitaspore Thallid
Besides my first two picks, this has been the worst set of Planar Chaos packs I’ve ever seen. Granted, I should’ve been in White and would have gotten a few other picks, but the packs overall have been horrendous. There aren’t any solid options here, so I just took another Midnight Charm.
My Pick: Midnight Charm
On the lap I picked up an Uktabi Drake, Hunting Wilds, Fury Charm, Bog Serpent, and Fa’adiyah Seer.
Pretty funny that my picks on the lap were actually better than picks 4-8. Overall, I wish I was in White, and I felt like my picks were all over the place in the second set of packs. Anyone with thoughts on this should definitely post in the forums, as I had that feeling that I was making bad picks but I wasn’t sure exactly what I could do differently based on how the draft went.
Future Sight – Pack 3
Pack 1
Quiet Disrepair, Foresee, Rift Elemental, Augur il-Vec, Llanowar Empath, Grave Peril, Sarcomite Myr, Death Rattle, Homing Sliver, Edge of Autumn, Lymph Sliver, Yixlid Jailer, Storm Entity, Nacatl War-Pride, Nix
I guess if the packs aren’t going to cooperate, I’m just going to open on color bombs and win anyway. War-Pride is one of the few cards I’d take over Sprout Swarm (as long as I didn’t have good Thallids to abuse Swarm with). Yeah, he’s that good.
My Pick: Nacatl War-Pride
Pack 2
Infiltrator il-Kor, Putrid Cyclops, Rift Elemental, Llanowar Empath, Marshalling Cry, Unblinking Bleb, Sarcomite Myr, Henchfiend of Ukor, Thornweald Archer, Death Rattle, Blind Phantasm, Street Wraith, Storm Entity, Darksteel Garrison
It was at this point in the draft that I decided I was going to be G/B/u splashing for Mystical Teachings. Death Rattle is an excellent removal spell, and an even better Teachings target . I am lacking in the early creatures department, but I think I have to take the removal spell here and hope to get guys in the later picks.
My Pick: Death Rattle
Pack 3
Gift of Granite, Lost Hours, Fatal Attraction, Petrified Plating, Judge Unworthy, Lucent Liminid, Vedalken Aethermage, Virulent Sliver, Frenzy Sliver, Ghostfire, Witch’s Mist, Boldwyr Intimidator, Spellwild Ouphe
This pack sucks for my deck.
While I wasn’t sure if it would end up making the cut, I don’t see anything I can take here besides the Ghostfire. I do have Search for Tomorrow, Gemhide Sliver, and Evolution Charm, so I suppose I could splash it and search it up with Teachings. I really wish there was a better pick for me here, but there just isn’t. I’d love to take one of the White cards.
My Pick: Ghostfire
Pack 4
Riddle of Lightning, Wrap in Vigor, Leaden Fists, Lumithread Field, Grinning Ignus, Deepcavern Imp, Fomori Nomad, Logic Knot, Spellwild Ouphe, Aven Mindcensor, Zoetic Cavern
It looks to me like I’m entering the mono-Green triple splash plan. The only reasonable option besides Edge of Autumn here is the Cavern, and I don’t see why I’d ever want that. I’m splashing all of these colors, and I also need mana acceleration to get to my bombs and Wurmcalling and Havenwood Wurm.
My Pick: Edge of Autumn
Pack 5
Quiet Disrepair, Saltskitter, Unblinking Bleb, Fomori Nomad, Patrician’s Scorn, Logic Knot, Nessian Courser, Grave Scrabbler, Henchfiend of Ukor, Phosphorescent Feast, Narcomoeba
Exactly what I was looking for, a good early creature. Not much else to talk about here as I instantly picked “Of Course” from this booster.
My Pick: Nessian Courser
Pack 6
Emberwilde Augur, Fatal Attraction, Cutthroat il-Dal, Gift of Granite, Lumithread Field, Mesmeric Sliver, Deepcavern Imp, Nessian Courser, Dryad Arbor, Daybreak Coronet
Of Course!
These packs are going much better for me than the Planar Chaos ones. There’s really no other option here, except possibly splashing Fatal Attraction, which seems terrible to me.
More guys it is.
My Pick: Nessian Courser
Pack 7
Llanowar Augur, Kavu Primarch, Oblivion Crown, Lymph Sliver, Homing Sliver, Grave Scrabbler, Fleshwrither, Skizzik Surger, Centaur Omenreader
This pack is unreal for seventh pick. The choice is between the Primarch and the Omenreader here, obviously. I’m not sure which is better in a vacuum, but I really like the Omenreader and it seems much better in a deck with a bunch of six drops like this one. Every time I’ve had Omenreader it’s been a blowout, but Primarch is very versatile and can easily be 7/7, which is a problem for most decks. Opinions?
My Pick: Centaur Omenreader
Pack 8
Kavu Primarch, Marshalling Cry, Emberwilde Augur, Putrid Cyclops, Virulent Sliver, Vedalken Aethermage, Arcanum Wings, Street Wraith
It looks like the Omenreader was certainly right now. Not that this factors into the actual decision, but I’d much rather have one of each than two Primarchs. My deck looks great, thanks to all the help from Future Sight.
My Pick: Kavu Primarch
To round out the draft I got a Yixlid Jailer, Unblinking Bleb, Spellwild Ouphe, and Logic Knot. None of which are probably making the cut.
The Deck
Midnight Charm
Uktabi Drake
Gemhide Sliver
Evolution Charm
Grapeshot
Edge of Autumn
Yavimaya Dryad
2 Nessian Courser
Sudden Spoiling
Ghostfire
Search for Tomorrow
Kavu Primarch
Centaur Omenreader
Mystical Teachings
Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
Hunting Wilds
Nacatl War-Pride
Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Deadwood Treefolk
Death Rattle
Havenwood Wurm
Wurmcalling
2 Mountain
Dreadship Reef
2 Swamp
Island
11 Forest
Relevant Sideboard:
Pongify
Veiling Oddity
Logic Knot
Fa’adiyah Seer
Gaea’s Anthem
Midnight Charm
Bog Serpent
I ended up cutting the Anthem due to being more of a control deck and not having a ton of guys overall. The rest of the deck should be pretty self explanatory, except that I went with two Mountains instead of one so that I could have Grapeshot mana early or be able to search up the Ghostfire at will. I really liked how the deck turned out, but I was lucky in my opens and I did get the pair of Nessian Coursers late, which really helped the curve a lot.
Round 1 I mulliganed, and my opponent started with a fast draw involving a couple of guys and Tarmogoyf. My draw was slower, and he also cycled Edge of Autumn to blow out my Acid Moss as well as pump his Tarmogoyf. I tried to stabilize with Deadwood Treefolk, but he eventually played two fliers and beat me. Game 2 I got a strong draw, with turn 3 Gemhide, turn 4 Acid Moss, turn 5 Jedit… but my opponent luckily killed it with Judge Unworthy. At least I got a token on the way out. I made an Omenreader, and then emptied my hand of guys on the next turn and beat him down before he could get in the game. Game 3 I had turn 2 Edge of Autumn and then stuck on three lands for a while, and cast Courser, Gemhide, and Uktabi Drake while my opponent had Mistmeadow Skulk and wasn’t doing a whole lot. The game went on for a while, until I blew him out with Sudden Spoiling, killing his Mire Boa and Skulk in a big attack. I got Jedit online on the next turn, and he stuck this time.
Round 2 I mulliganed to five, and lost a landslide game 1 against my opponent’s B/W Rebel deck. He had Blightspeaker, Rathi Trapper, Mirri the Cursed, and Deepcavern Imp. Game 2 I drew the nuts, with turn 1 Search, turn 2 Gemhide, turn 3 Hunting Wilds with Deadwood, Wurmcalling, and Havenwood Wurm in hand. I won that game easily. Game 3 my opponent came out of the gates slow, but he had a Errant Doomsayers to disrupt my Gemhide. I ended up having to burn Wurmcalling to make a 4/4, before playing out War-Pride to keep his Trapper busy. He tried to race me in the air, but he was just too far behind and my fatties got to him eventually.
I split the finals because I was running late on submitting my article this week, and I wanted to start writing instead of playing another match.
I’m looking forward to hearing what people say about some of my picks in the forums, and I’m interested to see if anyone else would’ve moved into White with the Scout over Grapeshot.
Nick Eisel
[email protected]
Soooooo on MTGO