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Drafting With Olivier – M10 #7

The StarCityGames.com $10K Open Comes to Charlotte!
Thursday, September 3rd – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

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Pack 1 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

1) Sparkmage Apprentice
2) Razorfoot Griffin
3) Illusionary Servant
4) Ice Cage
Sparkmage Apprentice is the fourth best card here but it is also the one I’ve the highest chance to run. As the other three are good but not amazing I’d rather stay on one color for now.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

1) Pyroclasm
2) Merfolk Looter
Once again I think the best card is not Red here but picking the Looter would be a big mistake here as not only it would send me on a second color but passing a second Pyroclasm to my left would be an awful signal and get me problems in pack 2. There are few enough Red playables so I don’t want to share them with a neighbor. Also Looter is not much better than Pyroclasm anyway.

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

1) Stone Giant
2) Stampeding Rhino
3) Jackal Familiar
This time the best card in the pack is Red which make the pick easier. I’d pick Jackal Familiar over the Rhino if my previous pick had not been Pyroclasm.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

We’ll call that a signal!

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

1) Canyon Minotaur
2) Ignite Disorder
Disorder is a good sideboard card but there are too few decks against which it’s efficient to consider running it in the main. It’d still be a decent pick but I rather like taking the main deck card. If I keep on going for mono red I may be a little short in the end otherwise.

Pack 1 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 8:










My Pick:

Well well well!

Pack 1 pick 9:









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Pack 1 pick 11:







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Pack 1 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 1:

















My Pick:

1) Doom Blade
2) Snapping Drake
3) Rise from the Grave
4) Borderland Ranger
5) Lightning Elemental
The best (and only) Red card is at best decent and it’s definitely a pick I’d not consider. Doom Blade and Snapping Drake seem to be the best cards in synergy with the rest of the deck. As I miss removal and as Doom Blade is strictly a better card I go for the removal. Even if Borderland Ranger is better than Rise from the Grave I like the Black card here both because it returns the powerful guys (Whelp x2 and Siege-Gang) able to win by themselves and because the Ranger is not really a splash card.

Pack 2 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 3:















My Pick:

Nothing I want but one very annoying card. Anyway I can afford to counterdraft as I got lots of playables in pack 1.

Pack 2 pick 4:














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Pack 2 pick 6:












My Pick:

I love Panic Attack but Ball Lightning seems a little better. I don’t even have a Fiery Hellhound yet.

Pack 2 pick 7:











My Pick:

Wrong call here… Oakenform is very annoying for my deck.

Pack 2 pick 8:










My Pick:

1) Jackal Familiar
2) Fiery Hellhound
Too bad those two are in the same pack. Quite a close one but I go for the earlier drop for a matter of curve even though the Hellhound/Stone Giant combo is quite sweet.

Pack 2 pick 9:









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Pack 3 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Too bad about the Master but I can’t really refuse a second Pyromancer.

Pack 3 pick 2:
















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My Pick:

Fantastic with double Pinger.

Pack 3 pick 5:













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Pack 3 pick 9:









My Pick:

I know have two good combos with the 2/2 (Giant + Panic Attack) and I don’t really want a six-drop in that deck anyway.

Pack 3 pick 10:








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Pack 3 pick 15:



My Pick:

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17 Mountain
3 Jackal Familiar
Goblin Piker
Sparkmage Apprentice
Ball Lightning
2 Prodigal Pyromacer
2 Viashino Spearhunter
Fiery Hellhound
Wall of Fire
Stone Giant
Canyon Minotaur
2 Lightning Elemental
2 Dragon Whelp
Siege-Gang Commancer

Kindled Fury
Gorgon Flail
Pyroclasm
Panic Attack

Walll of Fire is not synergic in the deck but I still chose to run it over Doom Blade to keep Ball Lightning and the pumpable guys 100% efficient. Also the Wall is quite good against the decks that don’t mind my Pingers and Pyroclasm so it should never be bad.

Quite a good deck and quite an interesting first match. In the first game I’ve a good start and put him down to 6 I’ve 5 power and Panic Attack in hand. By the time I draw a third guy he has 7 blockers. I don’t topdeck Whelp or Siege-gang when they would have made a comeback possible so let’s go to game two. In the second I open with one Mountain on the play and keep. The problem is I was convinced the Lightning Elemental standing next to it was a second land! Brilliant isn’t it? The second land didn’t come up and I lost feeling a little stupid.

Until tomorrow…

Oli