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Drafting With Nick – Shards of Alara #8

Draft with Nick every day... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, November 5th – That’s right, folks… it’s back! While Canadian draft maestro Rich Hoaen battles it out at Pro Tour: Berlin, we have Nick Eisel bringing us a Shards of Alara 8-4 draft walkthrough each day, from pick 1 to pick 45. Nick supplies draft analysis in the forums! Rich Hoaen returns soon, to battle Nick head to head… watch this space!

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P1P1 – I decided since I’m covering these drafts that I should mix it up a bit and take Oblivion Ring over Cruel. Normally I think I’d take Cruel but I’ve already done two five-color drafts.
P1P3 – I considered Sanctum here.
P1P6 – I wanted to take Waveskimmer here but I also felt keeping my options open was probably better.
P1P8 – Wow this must’ve been a sick pack and it’s also a pretty close pick I think.

P2P4 – I really wanted to splash Bull Cerodon here but I think Excommunicate is likely better in this type of deck and I already have the option to splash for Green (Skyward Eye) or Black .
P2P11 – This was a goof grab/misclick and I definitely would’ve taken Court Archers here. I randomly clicked something else and the pick came up and took the wrong card.

P3P1 – This guy is a bomb and all I needed to move into WGr.
P3P2 – Even more reason.
P3P9 – Only 20 playables so I couldn’t take the Land.

1 Sigiled Paladin
1 Gift of the Gargantuan
1 Knight of the White Orchid
2 Welkin Guide
2 Steward of Valeron
1 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Lightning Talons
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Cavern Thoctar
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Excommunicate
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Bant Battlemage
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Knight of the Skyward Eye
1 Dispeller’s Capsule
1 Realm Razer
1 Angelic Benediction
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Obelisk of Jund
8 Plains
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Mountain
6 Forest
1 Jungle Shrine

Sideboard
1 Soul’s Grace
1 Outrider of Jhess
1 Marble Chalice
1 Courier’s Capsule
1 Mountain
1 Tidehollow Strix
1 Brilliant Ultimatum
1 Deathgreeter
1 Forest
1 Forest
1 Angelsong
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Kathari Screecher
1 Island
1 Protomatter Powder
1 Obelisk of Esper
1 Onyx Goblet
2 Jhessian Lookout
1 Bloodthorn Taunter
1 Banewasp Affliction

This deck came up a couple short (should’ve been one less if I didn’t misclick on the Court Archers). The deck still looked alright and it had some chance of winning with aggressive guys and a couple of bombs thanks to pack 3.

Round 1 I played against the mirror. We both mulliganned and I had to keep a land-heavy draw. Game 1 I got wrecked by Qasali Ambusher and then Drumhunter into Bull Cerodon with my only real spell being Ajani Vengeant that died instantly. Game 2 he mulled to five and I got a quick draw and beat him pretty easily despite him managing to draw perfectly for a few turns to stay alive. Game 3 we both got kind of flooded and he wrecked me with a Resounding Silence that I didn’t think he could have (read: RGW doesn’t usually play that card). I continued to draw lands and he Oblivion Ringed my Oblivion Ring which got back his Naya Battlemage against my empty board. When I drew yet another land I was forced to concede in frustration.

All in all this draft didn’t go as well as it probably could have and the misclick certainly didn’t help.

Until tomorrow…

Nick