Draft:
Pack 1:
Search for Tomorrow, Icatian Crier, Dark Withering, Goblin Skycutter, Crookclaw Transmuter, Strength in Numbers, Havenwood Wurm, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Ghitu Firebreathing, Nightshade Assassin, Might of Old Krosa, Return to Dust, Reiterate, Icatian Javelineers
Pick: Nightshade Assassin
Pack 2:
Cloudchaser Kestrel, Drudge Reavers, Goblin Skycutter, Cancel, Penumbra Spider, Pentarch Ward, Pit Keeper, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Sudden Shock, Thunder Totem, Dralnu, Lich Lord, Assault / Battery
Pick: Sudden Shock
Pack 3:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Thallid Germinator, Terramorphic Expanse, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Momentary Blink, Greenseeker, Opaline Sliver, Wipe Away, Evil Eye of Urborg, Nether Traitor, Consecrate Land
Pick: Urborg Syphon-Mage
Pack 4:
Strength in Numbers, Errant Doomsayers, Corpulent Corpse, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Krosan Grip, Restore Balance, Lord of Atlantis
Pick: Corpulent Corpse
Pack 5:
Zealot il-Vec, Urborg Syphon-Mage, Snapback, Aether Web, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Aetherflame Wall, Volcanic Awakening, Whispers of the Muse
Pick: Urborg Syphon-Mage
Pack 6:
Mogg War Marshal, Drudge Reavers, Empty the Warrens, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Greenseeker, Opaline Sliver, Fallen Ideal, Magus of the Candelabra, Zhalfirin Commander
Pick: Empty the Warrens
Pack 7:
Mogg War Marshal, Think Twice, Ashcoat Bear, Flickering Spirit, Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Ghostflame Sliver, Truth or Tale, Locket of Yesterdays
Pick: Ghostflame Sliver
Pack 8:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Ancient Grudge, Voidmage Husher, Angel’s Grace
Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Pack 9:
Icatian Crier, Havenwood Wurm, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Ghitu Firebreathing, Might of Old Krosa, Return to Dust
Pick: Icatian Crier
Pack 10:
Drudge Reavers, Cancel, Pentarch Ward, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver
Pick: Drudge Reavers
Pack 11:
Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Greenseeker, Evil Eye of Urborg, Consecrate Land
Pick: Evil Eye of Urborg
Pack 12:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Foriysian Interceptor, Drifter il-Dal, Mindlash Sliver
Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Pack 13:
Detainment Spell, Sprout, Volcanic Awakening
Pick: Volcanic Awakening
Pack 14:
Drudge Reavers, Ancient Grudge
Pick: Drudge Reavers
Pack 15:
Pick: Truth or Tale
Pack 16:
Orcish Cannonade, Errant Ephemeron, Strangling Soot, Gemhide Sliver, Mindstab, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Fury Sliver, Smallpox, Knight of the Holy Nimbus, Magus of the Jar, Spike Feeder
Pick: Strangling Soot
Pack 17:
Durkwood Baloth, Fathom Seer, Chromatic Star, Looter il-Kor, Gorgon Recluse, Thrill of the Hunt, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, Pendelhaven Elder, Tectonic Fiend, Jaya Ballard, Task Mage, Cockatrice, Island
Pick: Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Pack 18:
Gaze of Justice, Coal Stoker, Coral Trickster, Ivory Giant, Deathspore Thallid, Molder, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Brine Elemental, Primal Forcemage, Gauntlet of Power, Void
Pick: Void
Pack 19:
Fortify, Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, Benalish Cavalry, Glass Asp, Prismatic Lens, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Pull from Eternity, Molten Slagheap, Faceless Devourer
Pick: Coal Stoker
Pack 20:
Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Spinneret Sliver, Fortify, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Pull from Eternity, Locket of Yesterdays, Calciform Pools
Pick: Trespasser il-Vec
Pack 21:
Gaze of Justice, Sangrophage, D’Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Mystical Teachings, Evil Eye of Urborg, Barbed Shocker, Sudden Death, Sprite Noble, Coalition Victory
Pick: Sudden Death
Pack 22:
Trespasser il-Vec, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, Venser’s Sliver, Clockspinning, Chronatog Totem, Spirit Loop, Voidmage Husher, Return to Dust
Pick: Trespasser il-Vec
Pack 23:
Flamecore Elemental, Feebleness, Two-Headed Sliver, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Harmonic Sliver, Durkwood Tracker, Faceless Devourer
Pick: Feebleness
Pack 24:
Mindstab, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Smallpox
Pick: Mindstab
Pack 25:
Gorgon Recluse, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, Tectonic Fiend, Island
Pick: Gorgon Recluse
Pack 26:
Gaze of Justice, Coral Trickster, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift
Pick: Viscid Lemures
Pack 27:
Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Pull from Eternity, Faceless Devourer
Pick: Faceless Devourer
Pack 28:
Shadow Sliver, Pull from Eternity, Locket of Yesterdays
Pick: Locket of Yesterdays
Pack 29:
Pick: Barbed Shocker
Pack 30:
Synchronous Sliver, Utopia Vow, Dawn Charm, Brain Gorgers, Dust Corona, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Aquamorph Entity, Essence Warden, Bog Serpent, Primal Plasma, Shivan Meteor, Sophic Centaur, Mycologist, Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Pick: Shivan Meteor
Pack 31:
Dawn Charm, Shaper Parasite, Cradle to Grave, Giant Dustwasp, Stingscourger, Aquamorph Entity, Evolution Charm, Pallid Mycoderm, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Skirk Shaman, Sinew Sliver, Venarian Glimmer, Phantasmagorian, Vorosh, the Hunter
Pick: Stingscourger
Pack 32:
Dead / Gone, Ridged Kusite, Battering Sliver, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Fury Charm, Mana Tithe, Primal Plasma, Vampiric Link, Deadwood Treefolk, Mantle of Leadership, Mesa Enchantress, Magus of the Coffers
Pick: Dead / Gone
Pack 33:
Reflex Sliver, Dreamscape Artist, Firefright Mage, Wistful Thinking, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Seal of Primordium, Essence Warden, Brute Force, Waning Wurm, Hedge Troll, Braids, Conjurer Adept
Pick: Brute Force
Pack 34:
Ridged Kusite, Pallid Mycoderm, Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Uktabi Drake, Blightspeaker, Sunlance, Fa’adiyah Seer, Bog Serpent, Keen Sense, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Sunlance
Pack 35:
Ridged Kusite, Needlepeak Spider, Giant Dustwasp, Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Citanul Woodreaders, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Gossamer Phantasm, Dunerider Outlaw, Imp’s Mischief
Pick: Needlepeak Spider
Pack 36:
Wistful Thinking, Citanul Woodreaders, Firefright Mage, Uktabi Drake, Healing Leaves, Revered Dead, Lavacore Elemental, Frozen Aether, Benalish Commander
Pick: Citanul Woodreaders
Pack 37:
Spitting Sliver, Battering Sliver, Aven Riftwatcher, Shade of Trokair, Uktabi Drake, Ghost Tactician, Simian Spirit Guide, Riftmarked Knight
Pick: Shade of Trokair
Pack 38:
Brain Gorgers, Dust Corona, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Essence Warden, Sophic Centaur, Mycologist
Pick: Brain Gorgers
Pack 39:
Dawn Charm, Aquamorph Entity, Pallid Mycoderm, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Skirk Shaman, Venarian Glimmer
Pick: Skirk Shaman
Pack 40:
Ridged Kusite, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Mana Tithe, Vampiric Link
Pick: Brain Gorgers
Pack 41:
Firefright Mage, Wistful Thinking, Dash Hopes, Waning Wurm
Pick: Waning Wurm
Pack 42:
Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Heroes Remembered
Pack 43:
Pick: Reality Acid
Pack 44:
Pick: Firefright Mage
Final Decklist:
Maindeck:
1 Brute Force
1 Dead // Gone
1 Feebleness
1 Ghostflame Sliver
1 Stingscourger
1 Sudden Shock
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Skirk Shaman
1 Strangling Soot
1 Sudden Death
2 Trespasser il-Vec
2 Urborg Syphon-Mage
1 Coal Stoker
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Needlepeak Spider
1 Nightshade Assassin
1 Void
1 Gorgon Recluse
1 Shivan Meteor
1 Corpulent Corpse
1 Mindstab
8 Mountain
9 Swamp
Sideboard:
1 Barbed Shocker
2 Brain Gorgers
1 Citanul Woodreaders
1 Clockspinning
2 Drudge Reavers
1 Evil Eye of Urborg
1 Faceless Devourer
1 Firefright Mage
1 Heroes Remembered
1 Icatian Crier
2 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
1 Locket of Yesterdays
1 Reality Acid
1 Shade of Trokair
1 Sunlance
1 Truth or Tale
1 Viscid Lemures
1 Volcanic Awakening
1 Waning Wurm
This draft is from the Top 8 of an IPA QT (935634 if you’re interested in watching the replays). This draft was pretty simple, I got into Black/Red right away. I think that Penumbra Spider is superior to Sudden Shock, but the Shock is a much better fit with my first pick Nightshade Assassin. After that I was able to take the best card out of each pack and end up with quite a good deck.
Round 1 I played against a good Blue/Red deck. Game 1 was looking really good after I Mindstabbed him, with board advantage, but he drew Fathom Seer to get back into the game. After that we had a topdecking war with his Battering Wurm holding off my army of Goblins. Eventually I drew Strangling Soot to get rid of his other blockers and swarm for the kill. Game 2 was pretty close until I made six Goblins when my Corplent Corpse came in on turn 8.
Round 2 I played against what looked like a sealed deck. He was Green base, with a decent amount of both Red and White, which gave him lots of good cards, but a terrible manabase. Game 1 I had an awkward draw, and was a bit flooded while he drew his mana well and all his good cards. Game 2 I was ahead for most of it, but he kept drawing the right card just in time to save him. Eventually I drew Jaya when he was on two and he had nothing to stop her. Game 3 I played turn 3 Jaya and used her to cast Gorgon Recluse and Nightshade Assassin. I even had the Brute Force to save her from his one removal spell – a Grapeshot.
I split the finals with America’s last, best hope: Ben Lundquist.
Until Monday,
Rich
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!