I’ve finally gotten to the point in this format where I’ve drafted every deck multiple times. I’ve had the most success in the Grixis colors, and my experience confirms that blue is the best color by a reasonable margin. The top four blue commons are all first-pickable (although I’m only happy to first-pick two of them). This is not something I can say about any of the other colors.
The last archetype that has impressed me is four- or five-color green. You draft this deck by picking green as your main color, have some secondary color, and then splash whatever necessary! There’s a ton of fixing and the deck is very powerful. For those curious, here is a good example of the deck:
Let’s see what we can do with this draft today. But remember, I am biased toward the above archetypes.
Pack 1, Pick 2
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Khenra Scrapper is a very solid Magic card. Menace is an underrated keyword, and this unassuming three-drop always gets in more damage than I expect. But this set is flooded with three-drops, and while this card is better than most, the delta between it and another is not that large. I think both the other options are enough better cards that I would not take the Scrapper here.
Unquenchable Thirst has impressed me. I take Deserts fairly highly, and hence always have them to make this card great. It is a good, clean answer to eternalize creatures and happens to be in the best color. Also, after taking a red card, blue cards go up just a little more, given my preference for U/R. But the best Desert in the set is in the pack, and I can’t really pass that one up.
I am always happy to first-pick Ifnir Deadlands. I keep seeing this card around fifth pick and am of the firm opinion that it should never go that late. A land that can remove multiple creatures is absolutely busted, and don’t you forget it. I’m slamming Ifnir Deadlands here. The fact that it’s a Desert to go with Sand Strangler is a nice bonus, but it also just happens to be the best card in this pack.
Pack 1, Pick 5
The Picks So Far:
I’m pretty solidly B/R at this point, but should some huge signal come up, I’m willing to pass up on one of these colors. Note that a green card is a bit more enticing because the red cards I have are splashable.
The Pack:
The Pick:
Manticore Eternal is a very powerful card but suffers from its own converted mana cost. There is only so much room for five-mana creatures, and there are many in this color combination. I’m not even convinced the card is better than Gilded Cerodon or Manticore of the Gauntlet.
Firebrand Archer is a pestering little two-drop. This creature has done an absurd amount of work for me in U/R, but in other combinations, the card is just fine. You have to be careful with one-toughness creatures in this format, but this one is worth playing. I think the other cards are better picks, but given that the red cards we have are better than the black ones, I could see an argument for the Archer here.
Desert of the Glorified goes great with everything we have. The third Desert is the one that makes all the math work out for the Deserts-matter cards. And with Ifnir Deadlands, I often will want four or more Deserts so that the land can take care of multiple creatures. I wouldn’t fault you for taking this card, but I really prioritize two-drops, and there is a very good one in this pack.
I love Wretched Camel. The card always impresses me. It trades for plenty of creatures and is hence almost always a two-for-one. I would take this and prioritize Deserts to a very high degree now that I have picked up three Deserts-matter cards. But the choice between this and Desert of the Glorified is pretty close.