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Drafting With LSV – Shards of Alara #10

Draft with Luis Scott-Vargas every day... At StaCityGames.com!
Friday, January 2nd – Canadian maestro Rich Hoaen has downed tools for good, as work and real life intrudes apace. As a replacement, we have Luis Scott-Vargas, who shares each pick from a Magic Online 8-4 queue. He talks us through the difficult decisions in the forums… do you agree with his choices?

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1 Court Archers
2 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Bull Cerodon
1 Soul’s Fire
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Obelisk of Naya
1 Skeletonize
1 Welkin Guide
3 Wild Nacatl
1 Mosstodon
1 Drumhunter
1 Resounding Thunder
1 Rakeclaw Gargantuan
2 Cavern Thoctar
1 Gift of the Gargantuan
1 Naya Charm
2 Branching Bolt
1 Exuberant Firestoker
1 Savage Lands
1 Seaside Citadel
5 Mountain
6 Forest
4 Plains

Sideboard
1 Resounding Wave
1 Lush Growth
1 Mountain
1 Waveskimmer Aven
1 Naturalize
1 Godtoucher
1 Bloodthorn Taunter
1 Goblin Mountaineer
1 Soul’s Grace
1 Sunseed Nurturer
1 Steward of Valeron
1 Savage Hunger
1 Sangrite Surge
1 Excommunicate
1 Island
1 Kederekt Creeper
1 Demon’s Herald
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Incurable Ogre

P1p1 Like I said before I would rather not draft Bant. Seaside Citadel on the other hand is good in Naya or Esper.
P1p2 I still don’t want Bant and of the Naya options I think Branching Bolt is the best.
P2p2 I really love Nacatl in Naya as he contributes to some of your most broken draws. Turn1 Nacatl always just seems so unfair. Skeletonize in a deck that won’t have much Black mana is also not insane although still decent.

This deck ended up quite insane. Two trilands (although sadly not completely on-color) three Nacatls some accelerants good five-power guys and a ton of removal.

Round 1 versus Bant
G1 I keep a hand with Nacatl Firestoker Resounding Thunder Mosstodon and Plains and Mountains. I draw Forest turn 2 and curve out with turn 4 Mossy turn 5 Thoctar which pretty easily gets the job done even through his Bant Charm and Resounding Silence.
G2 His deck comes out rapidly with turn 1 Squire turn 3 Spell Snip my Obelisk turn 4 Rhox War Monk turn 5 Battlegrace. I can’t kill the Angel and just die to it.
G3 We both have reasonable draws with his turn 3 War Monk against my turn 4 Mosstodon. I play Bull Cerodon on turn 6 but don’t attack with Cerodon plus Mosstodon because he left up Silence mana. Unfortunately he has Bant Charm not Silence so I just missed five points of damage. I would still probably do the same but it wasn’t great for me. Luckily he doesn’t have Angel once he hits five mana and I still have a bunch of Plowbeast and Thoctar type guys. The turn before I am going to win he goes for the kill with Sigil Blessing and I Skeletonize. He then Resounding Roars but I also have the Thunder to trump it.

Round 2 versus Jund
G1 I think I am really good shape this game with Rakeclaw in play and Bull Cerodon soon to land but an opposing Broodmate Dragon then Sprouting Thrinax quickly disabuses me of this notion. I have all three-damage spells and just die to the double dragon.
G2 I keep a hand with all removal spells and a Firestoker which is kind of awkward when he Blightnings me on turn 3. I discard Branching Bolt and Soul’s Fire from a five-card hand since the other cards are Resounding Thunder Skeletonize Naya Charm. Luckily I peel a Mosstodon and him plus removal spells go the distance.
G3 We both mull to 6 and he never draws Swamps or a 5th land so my double Cavern Thoctar plus Firestoke are able to kill him. One way to beat the Violent Ultimatum Thrinax Broodmage deck is manascrew I guess.

Round 3 versus Four-Color Esper
G1 I mulligan a one-land Nacatl hand into Firestoker Drumhunter lands. I rip Bull Cerodon on turn 5 and two attacks from the Bull a Soul’s Fire and 2 Firestoker triggers meant we were on to game 2.
G2 I have a pretty sick draw with turn 2 Nacatl turn 3 Obelisk turn 4 Mosstodon. He Grixis Charms the Nacatl and plays a Windwright Mage which I Naturalize. I then Soul’s Fire his Tower Gargoyle and bash with Mosstodon for the second time. A cycled Resounding Thunder off my Savage Lands finishes it although I probably didn’t even need it.

Until Monday…

LSV