Let’s just jump straight into this one.
Pack 1, Pick 1
The Pack:
The Pick:
Undercity Troll is an extremely powerful card. Last time we saw it, it was a first pick out of a majority of packs.
The problem here is that green is so much better as a ramp deck in this format. Every time I’ve seen an aggressively slanted green deck, I have not liked it at all. But these ramp-style decks will certainly still play Undercity Troll; it’s just not as crucial of a card as it usually is. Because of this, I’m going to pass on it here, but note it very well could be the correct pick. But my preferences in this format lead me away from green, and that may be clouding my judgment here.
Claustrophobia is a solid card. Unfortunately, there are multiple ways to interact with the enchantment, which makes it less premium than usual. Don’t get me wrong, because it’s still solid, but I would take both Mana Leak and Elusive Spellfist over it most of the time.
When in doubt, take the mana rock. This is my mantra of this format. Almost every deck will play multiple mana rocks, so when there isn’t an obvious pick, especially early on in the packs, I just snap up a card like Star Compass. And that’s what I’m going to do here.
Pack 1, Pick 6
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Furnace Whelp has overperformed. Late in the game it can work as a mana sink to finish the opponent quickly. Add in the Dragon synergy, and this card can be a complete house. I recently got destroyed by a player who went “mana rock into Furnace Whelp into Crucible of Fire.” That game didn’t last long!
If I were guaranteed to be red (and I’m leaning that way due to the bouncelands), this pick would be closer, but I’m not committed to that color. I would rather take a card that’s more likely to make my deck.
Moonglove Extract has impressed me. I kept passing the card, but then it kept beating me. The initial prowess triggers followed by a free Shock for the rest of the game combine into a solid card. It’s maximized in blue tempo decks, which it seems like we are on the road towards. So while the pick is unexciting, I actually like picking up Moonglove Extract here!