Drafting With Olivier - Shards/Conflux/Reborn #5

Pack 1 pick 1:

My Pick:

Woolly Thoctar may be very good but it commits you to a three0color archetype I don’t like a lot while Gargoyle fits in UW Esper and Five-Color.

Pack 1 pick 2:

My Pick:

In this format which is super fast you can’t hope for any creature better than Squire. Capsule would be good too but it is just a little slow in ACR.

Pack 1 pick 3:

My Pick:

Great with the Blades.

Pack 1 pick 4:

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Pack 1 pick 5:

My Pick:

If I was sure to be just UW I’d take the Drake slightly above the GUide. But I probably will have a couple of cards to splash or at least Darklit Gargoyle so a Black mana source won’t hurt.

Pack 1 pick 6:

My Pick:

I think that’s what they call a signal.

Pack 1 pick 7:

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Pack 1 pick 9:

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Cancel would be better for me but passing Salvage Titan could be a pretty bad signal. Also considering how the draft is going for now I’d be very surprised to end up short on playables.

Pack 1 pick 10:

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Pack 1 pick 15:

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Pack 2 pick 1:

My Pick:

With Reborn in the mix Outlanders get a lot better. Strider is a little too Black and Court Homonculus should wheel. Actually Strider could wheell as well it surprisingly often does online.

Pack 2 pick 2:

My Pick:

I may not have removal spells but -3/-3 doesn’t kill all threats and my deck is so good at the moment that I have the feeling mana problems is the only thing that could prevent the deck from winning.

Pack 2 pick 3:

My Pick:

Do you guys read/watch the manga “Fullmetal Alchemist”? I am reading the latest chapter at the same time as I am drafting and the State Alchemist Roy Mustang is fighting the Homonculus Envy.
The MTGO window is blinking so I open it and discover a pack in which I must choose between an Homonculus and an Alchemist.

The pick is not easy. Of course the Black uy is amazing but it is Black and Homonculus is fantastic in my curve. I think both picks are okay but I go for the stability.

Pack 2 pick 4:

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Pack 2 pick 6:

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Unsummon would be good too but I am now sure I can splash Tower Gargoyle without affecting my manabase.

Pack 2 pick 7:

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Pack 2 pick 9:

My Pick:

A tough pick again but once again I pick the one-drop over the Black card.

Pack 2 pick 10:

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Pack 3 pick 1:

My Pick:

Close with Shieldmage but I hope the 2/2 will come back and I didn’t have a removal spell at this point.

Pack 3 pick 2:

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Pack 3 pick 3:

My Pick:

Hulk and Falcons are great too… I’m not sure what was the correct pick was to be honest.

Pack 3 pick 4:

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Pack 3 pick 5:

My Pick:

Nothing I would play here.

Pack 3 pick 6:

My Pick:

A third copy of the best common I could get in the draft? Sure…

Pack 3 pick 7:

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Pack 3 pick 9:

My Pick:

Sure.

Pack 3 pick 10:

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Pack 3 pick 11:

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Sure.

Pack 3 pick 12:

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Sure.

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Pack 3 pick 15:

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6 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Arcane Sanctum
6 Island
1 Ancient Ziggurat

1 Akrasan Squire
2 Court Homunculus
3 Esper Stormblade
1 Deft Duelist
1 Bant Sureblade
2 Vedalken Outlander
1 Aven Squire
1 Aven Trailblazer
2 Ethersworn Shieldmage
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Parasitic Strix
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Tower Gargoyle
1 Arsenal Thresher
1 Glassdust Hulk
1 Steelclad Serpent
1 Crystallization
1 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Excommunicate
1 Traumatic Visions

Sideboard
1 Filigree Sages
1 Plains
1 Plains
1 Demonic Dread
1 Constricting Tendrils
1 Mountain
1 Wargate
1 Angel’s Herald
1 Esper Sojourners
1 Forest
1 Forest
1 Quenchable Fire
1 Infectious Horror
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Jhessian Lookout
1 Island
1 Salvage Titan
1 Magefire Wings
1 Vectis Silencers
1 Spell Snip

My deck is the nut high. It is by far the best I have seen in the format. Mana is great curve is great and even if I’m stuck on two lands I should be able to beat most decks. If I keep away from mass removal spells I probably can’t lose.

Round 1: Jund

I win both games on turn 7 as he can’t stop the Blade army.

Round 2: Five-Color Aggro

Live from Tacoma Washington a match that will make me forget how disappointed I was not to make Day 2 in the GP the day before by making me about ten times more mad. I usually don’t get angry about Magic in particular when playing Magic Online but it took me hours to calm down from losing this match.

In game 1 I mulligan to five and keep a one-land Squire/Homonculus/double Blade hand on the draw. I’m pretty sure I would have won that game if I had drawn an Island by turn 4. It took me five turns to find a second land and six to draw an Island and it was already too late as his five-color deck with no fixers had already hit me too much.

In game 2 I mulligan again don’t play a guy in the first two turns but still win on turn 8.

In the last game I mulligan and keep a one-land Squire hand on the draw. My first draw is Ziggurat and I’m pretty sure the game is over. That’s until he plays his fouth different basic land (I have seen only one landcycler in the match so far) and Retaliator Griffin.

I can’t attack anymore but the game is not hopeless as I have Strix in hand to stop it if I draw a third land and Excommunicate so I can attack a few turns later. On turn 7 I’m still stuck on two lands while he has already played Goblin Outlander Leonin Armorguard and several other cards that should just never appear in the same deck. I did put up a fight for 13 turns and even hoped for a comeback for quite a while but in the end I could never overcome my early game delay.

Until Friday…

Oli