Aaaaaaand we’re back.
For those of you who don’t know me, or didn’t follow the ‘Talent Search at all, I entered myself into the Limited portion of
StarCityGames.com’s Talent Search for writers for no other reason than I like drafting, and I like to think things and write them down. I
submitted a 1,500-word article with about fifty words dedicated to actual strategy. My buddy @bradleyforrest later compared this piece to the movie Adaptation, which I haven’t seen
because it failed my strict “is Nicolas Cage in it” screening process.
Against all odds, I made the Top 8 and got voted off in the round before the money. Life is always imitating Magic, and I suggest you write that down
and slip it in your wallet or fanny pack because it’s going to be the last remotely poignant thing you read about Magic until Jeff Cunningham
loses another bet. So, I didn’t get a guaranteed contract, but at the prompting of a handful of people I respect, I didn’t give up on my
dream to be paid for being an amateur at Magic.
Approximately 327 neurotic, validation-seeking e-mails to Steve Sadin later, and boom, I’m on the payroll.
To everyone with whom I competed in the ‘Search: Guys, for better or for worse, we’re all linked together forever. Good luck to all of you.
Time to Magic cards.
Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
Not the kinda pack you wanna crack your first draft on the payroll. In cases like this, I like to just keep whatever keeps me open, which puts me on either Strandwalker or Burn the Impure, and maybe Silverskin Armor. The verdict on Burn the Impure by better players than I has been “kinda crappy,” but it’s still removal.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
The Lumengrid Gargoyle immediately catches my attention; I dig that guy ‘cause he keeps your options flexible, and you’ll just play him in whatever you end up drafting. However, Blightwidow is just awesome, and I just like infect.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
SLAM DAT ASS
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Blisterstick Shaman and Tangle Hulk are tempting, but I like where the infect deck is heading.
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
God, I love Virulent Wound. The first time I ever cast Virulent Wound, I was killing my opponent’s Inkmoth Nexus in the release tourney. It’s been a sordid love affair ever since.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Phyrexian Rager would be awesome for me, but Patrick Chapin is right — Ichor Wellspring is crazy. It’s just a card you have to play with in order to get an idea of how good it is. It’s probably the weakest in infect, and it’s still crazy.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
Bleh. I should’ve given white a better look here, but I’m stubborn.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
I could’ve had a great deck. Dross Ripper is certainly a very good Hill Giant, but… yeah. Leonin Relic-Warder doesn’t suck. A W/G deck with double Blightwidow would’ve been just fine, but it really never crossed my mind.
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Either infect is open or Flensermite blows!
(Hint: It’s the second one)
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
I really want to pick up Myr Sire here, just ‘cause I like that guy, but picking up the dinos is usually right. Fun fact: I saw zero Fangren Marauders. That guy is awesome.
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
I drove into New Jersey today. I’m staying in South Jersey at a friend’s (@bradleyforrest) for the StarCityGames.com Open in Edison, and to get to South Jersey, you have to drive through Philadelphia. I do not recommend driving through Philadelphia ever.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
To get across the bridge over the Delaware into Jersey, I had to first drive through the heart of the city and share a road with a trolley. It sucked.
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Also, my car’s stereo shorted out on the drive. I had no music for three hours of a four-and-a-half-hour drive. This is a great way to think that you’re going crazy because you end up talking to yourself a lot.
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
You talk to yourself about all sorts of things. You arrange the cards in your deck into a smiley face and talk to it. You talk about maybe running Cunning Sparkmage maindeck in your Boros deck. It agrees with you.
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
So, make sure your stereo works before you go on a long drive. Also, Pennsylvania drivers are the worst. New Jersey drivers have a bad reputation, but they have nothing on drivers from Pennsylvania. I’m pretty sure they do their permit tests in crayon in that state.
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
It’s a pretty good pack, but my pick is very clear.
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
I hate Carrion Call, but… I have no real other options here.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
I actually agonized over this pick. I have double Flensermite, so I’m set at two-drops… but I’m pretty sure I made the right pick here.
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
Needed this guy really badly.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
Still need that backup plan. If I couldn’t get Fangren Marauder, then I’ll hope to see some Alpha Tyrranax in Scars.
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
I probably should’ve rare-drafted the Cranial Extraction here, but I could maybe still run Turn to Slag at this point.
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
This run of picks is just a bummer. Infect cards, then not infect cards… bleh. There’s still a pack of Scars with which to make Throne of Geth good.
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
I always liked this card, because I suck.
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
Scars packs dry up quick.
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
And this is where the wheels really fall off the wagon. Are the guys on either side of me on infect? Is there a God? Will Charlie Sheen make it to April??
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
No, he won’t.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
My birthday is on Thursday. I’ll be 22. I thought you all should know.
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
It’s a shiny one!
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
I bought an iPhone a couple of weeks back. Pro Tip: Don’t Tweet and drive.
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
On saying “good luck” before a game: I don’t say it because obviously I don’t want my opponent to get some nutty draw. I’m all about saying “have fun,” but when someone tells me “good luck,” I just say “thanks,” and if you have a problem with that, then I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that I don’t care what you think.
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Agonizing. Both Tumble Magnet and Sylvok Replica are great picks here, but Mimic Vat pushes Sylvok Replica over the top.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
I needed that really bad. I’m passing some pretty good stuff here, but removal is awesome.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
I hate my deck. Not that Acid Web Spider is bad, but, yeah. I don’t care for my deck.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
I don’t remember who it was, but I think it was Geordie Tait who posed the question, “is it kosher to ‘like’ your own articles on Facebook?” I vote that it is. And I’m going to make a fan page for myself when I’m not lazy. See you in 2013, Jon Corpora fan page!
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
Whatever. My heart isn’t even in it anymore. All the infect cards are gone.
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
Goodbye, soul.
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Okay, this is just infuriating.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
I briefly consider Prototype Portal, but I went with Vector Asp. Also, I’m dead inside at this point.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
BAH HUMBUG
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
P.S. I watched a 6-man draft happen whilst writing this up. There was a Top 4. Oooonly in South Jersey.
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
I should’ve been drafting. A dude opened two Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. Those kinds of awesome things never happen to me.
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
This draft is evidence of that.
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
This draft converter created by Benjamin Peebles-Mundy.
Visit the draft converter today!
1 Acid Web Spider
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm
2 Blightwidow
1 Copper Myr
1 Dross Ripper
2 Flensermite
1 Iron Myr
1 Plague Myr
1 Plague Stinger
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Tangle Hulk
1 Accorder’s Shield
1 Burn the Impure
1 Carrion Call
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Ichor Wellspring
1 Instill Infection
1 Mimic Vat
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Throne of Geth
1 Virulent Wound
Guh.
My games were very anticlimactic. Round one I played against a dude that straight up scooped to Sylvok Replica on Mimic Vat game one and mulled to
three (!) game two. Round two, I got blown out by a Furnace Celebration deck with lots of Ferrovores in two games.
Jon Corpora
Pronounced Ca-pora
@feb31st