Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
Passing Jungle Shrine and Wild Nacatl I’m probably not willing to go Naya.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
I was hesitating between Welkin Guide and Grixis Charm but actually I’m gonna try something out. I’ve never ever played this card and you don’t often get the opportunity to playtest rares in draft! Also even though I did say drafting Naya didn’t seem like a brilliant idea things are a little different here as I probably don’t want the same cards as they do. Finally I assume the 5/1 is wheeling here.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
The Battlemage is close but I need to be able to deal with early drops as my deck has a good chancs of being pretty slow.
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Stick to the plan stick to the plan!
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Just seems brilliant in the archetype.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Apparently people are trying to make me understand that the “draft all the crap cards” archetype is not open… Anyway I guess a few early drops won’t hurt.
PS: Yes I am aware that the Reflector/Where Ancients Thread combo is super cool but I am very unlikely to play expensive spells that are not big guys.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
It’s not the enchantment but I still have a second key card now.
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
Slightly over the Obelisk because I need only one more early drop to make it really good. And because Antoine is gonna hit me if he reads this and sees I’ve passed him again.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
Topan Ascetic is probably the best card for the deck but I want to make Godspeaker as much of a key card as Where Ancients Tread.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
I’m not playing any of these and the big early drop has to be the card I’m the least willing to face.
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
Counterdrafting Spell Snip would have been the right choice here. Even though it’s probably only a sideboard option the card is extremely powerful against me.
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
One more card I don’t want to face.
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
I’m disappointed I didn’t get a Mighty Emergence. In the last pack I hope I can receive a Knotvine Mystic to support my heavy curve and give me a second alternative to Godspeaker for explosive draws.
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
The best Conflux common for the deck.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
Rupture Spire is tempting but the Plowbeasts are fantastic in my deck.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
Fatties alone won’t do… they need a little early game support.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
Eventually an archetype in which this card shines as much as in Five-Color.
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Counterdrafting the pretty annoying Alchemist would be good but Ranger of Eos needs a second guy to recruit.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
I already have enough fixers and playables Borders won’t make the cut and the 2/2 is a pain.
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
Another friend for Antoine.
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
This draft converter created by Benjamin Peebles-Mundy.
Visit the draft converter today!
None of the two crappy uncos I wanted almost no removal a little short in fixers that experience doesn’t seem to be a success. But the deck still looks fun let’s see how things go!
7 Plains
7 Forest
4 Mountain
Akrasan Squire
Toxic Iguanar
Elvish Visionary
Aven Squire
Sacellum Godspeaker
Incurable Ogre
Ranger of Eos
Wild Leotau
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Beacon Behemoth
Bull Cerodon
Yoked Plowbeast
Jungle Weaver
Vagrant Plowbeasts
Rockcaster Platoon
Magma Spray
Armillry Sphere
Obelisk of Naya
Gift of the Gargantuan
Oblivion Ring
Where Ancient Treads
Gleam of Resistance
ROUND 1: Naya (Limited rating: 1818)
My opening hand is 4 lands Gift Leotau Treads. My heart starts racing. He takes a mulligan then another. As he can’t play a spell before a turn 4 Akrasan Squire I decide to slowroll a bit and not play my Leotau on the same turn so I can play my Enchantment on the next turn. In the meantime I have to refrain from cycling Yoked Plowbeast. Man almost forgot this guy could be hard-cast it has been such a long time since I made it! On the next three turns I played a five-power guy shooting everything he had played and even misclicked an attack phase. I usually hate playing without a mouse but here it gave me another 20 seconds to enjoy that game. But let’s not get too excited about it my opponent had the worst draws and I’m only up one.
My start is pretty fine in game two as I’ve turn 2 Visionary turn 3 Obelisk of Naya and Ranger of Eos and Ring in backup. My next draw is Where Ancients Tread. Of course you could think “obv” or “skills” but can you just wait for the next two turns to make the assumption I am being lucky please? So I draw Bull Cerodon turn 5 and kill his Sigiled Paladin. He plays Cavern Thoctar and I draw and play Beacon Behemoth to destroy his 5/5 on turn 6 when he concedes.
Okay now you may say whatever you want about my high level of skills in this game. I won’t get offended.
ROUND 2: Grixis (1707)
In the first game he takes a double mulligan which isn’t as much of a big deal as it seems considering he has Island–Mountain–Swamp–Rupture Spire on turn 4 and five lands total eight turns later while I have the double. He opens with a pretty annoying Kederekt Creeper quickly followed by Resounding Thunder on Sacellum Godspeaker. Thankfully even though his next plays are pretty annoying as well (Zombie Outlander Fire-Field Ogre) he will never be able to deal with my t5/t6 combo: Rakeclaw Gargantuan/Bull Cerodon.
In the second game he takes a mulligan but once again draws the exact number of lands for the whole game and he starts off with the Creeper and Sedraxis Alchemist. More annoyingly he plays a pair of Blightnings. If the first one is not very annoying (double land) the second one played on his turn 7 is pretty amazing as I’ve 6 lands on the board and a hand made of Yoked Plowbeast Jungle Weaver and Vagrant Plowbeasts. I have to discard the two cycling guys but I also instantly draw the land that allows me to play my bigger guy. A few turns later as Zombie Outlander hasn’t showed up I take the game and the match. If I hadn’t played Gift of the Gargantuan in that game I would simply have gotten destroyed.
A friend of mine gives me a phone call just before the match ends and reminds me we were suppose to meet. I ask her to come to my place and she starts watching the game while Manu B is sleeping on the couch a few feet from us. Considering what I am doing right then is not exactly correct I gladly accept the draw my opponent offers me.
The archetype seemed pretty fun. Even though the draft didn’t go very well (the signals I received in pack 1 would have pushed me in a sanctioned event to forget about Naya) the draw ended up solid with an absolute game-breaker. My first time playing the card was pretty interesting and I’ll definitely try and give it another go.
Until Monday…
Oli