Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
This is a risky pick as it will push me to force a clear archetype while it’s always better to keep your options opened when possible. But even though I don’t want to be committed the rare is just amazing in Esper.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
Not a pick I will make very often. However the Gargoyle is better than Capsule in the right archetype. With those two picks I definitely am committed.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
I love Covenant of Minds but only in a control deck. In an aggro deck Fatestitcher is more efficient as it is cheaper.
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Akrasan Squire may be tempting in an aggro deck but I am planning on attacking with several guys on every turn and Courier’s Capsule makes my Gargoyle a lot better.
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Very nice in this archetype.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Resounding wave is too expensive for an aggro deck as it only becomes very good once you can cycle it. I like Deft Duelist but I’d prefer most of my guys to be artifacts and I don’t have a non-creature spell yet.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
I’d rather counterdraft the card I dislike the most than take one that won’t make the cut.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
The Plowbeast is good but there is no way it makes the cut here so I like picking the sideboard card.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
I received almost no Black from the first pack so I have to consider playing White as my second color. However even if Oblivion Ring is a better card the Capsule is more synergic with Master of Etherium Sanctum Gargoyle and Faerie Mechanist )which usually shows up in the last pack).
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
A poor pack for me with only one card I’m interested in.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
Obelisk of Esper is the other option but the Conjurer is great with Master of Etherium and Astrolabe has good chance to show up as there is almost one of each Alara uncommon per draft and that one is not very popular.
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
I am not a huge fan of this card in the archetype but there is not much for me to pick here anyway.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
The best uncommon in the set for pick 5… just sweet.
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
A fixer finally.
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
I don’t play fetch lands when they only fetch two of my colors but I may have a Bant Charm plus Resounding Silence.
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
A second Sculptor would be nice but it pumps Master of Etherium at instant speed and generates card advantage in particular with Puppet Conjurer.
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
So many Black cards in pack 2… it is now definitely my second most important color.
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
Always try and pick an Angelsong when you pass Titanic Ultimatum.
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
This pick 11 makes my deck much more stable and therefore much better.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
A 14th pick very likely to make the cut!
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Combo with Sanctum Gargoyle and with possibles Strix and Mechanist. Drag Down is good too but between two good cards I always take the most synergic one.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
And there is the Mechanist…
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
And there… wait… never mind only Darklit Gargoyle. It’s a pretty good card though in particular combined with Master of Etherium. Court Homunculus is probably wheeling too even though I doubt I can splash it.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
It is very tempting to pick the Homonculus as I can probably get at least two of them but White will only be a splash in the end so I go with a safe pick.
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
The last thing the deck needed to be really good maybe with a Ziggurat.
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
To be honest I think the Gargoyle is a better card but I’ve neve played this card and feel like trying it.
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Now my deck should not suffer from mana problems.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
Now my deck will not suffer from mana problems. I rather like picking Ziggurat over the 2/2 now knowing I’ll probably get one Homunculus back.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
Actually decent in the deck as I don’t have any late drops.
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
There it is!
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
There they are!!
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
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DECKLIST
6 Island
4 Plains
4 Swamp
1 Esper Panorama
2 Ancient Ziggurat
2 Court Homonculus
1 Glaze Fiend
1 Puppet Conjurer
1 Darklit Gargoyle
1 Etherium Sculptor
2 Tidehollow Strix
1 Esperzoa
1 Master of Etherium
1 Parasitic Strix
1 Faerie Mechanist
1 Fatestitcher
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Tower Gargoyle
1 Vectis Agent
1 Executioner’s Capsule
1 Courier’s Capsule
1 Obelisk of Esper
1 Etherium Astrolabe
1 Excommunicate
1 Cancel
1 Scepter of Insight
I can’t play Resounding Wave because there is no way I’ll ever cycle it with two Ziggurat in my deck. I also chose not to play Traumatic Visions because of the Ziggurat. And for the same reason I shouldn’t have run Scepter of Insight as it is very difficult to activate. I wanted to give it a try but Welkin Guide was the best option with Resounding Silence being a sideboard card versus good fatties.
ROUND 1: JUND (Limited Rating: 1766)
In the first game my draw was fine but the only Black mana I can draw is Ancient Ziggurat which won’t help me much when trying to play Executioner’s Capsule on a turn 7 10/10 Apocalypse Hydra. I did try to put up a fight but the combat was uneven. In the second game I drew great and killed him before he could do anything as there is no way the flyer / flyer / Master draw can be stopped by mere creatures.
The third game was the most interesting of all. I had a great draw and started playing three guys in the first five turns which were all killed by Caldera Hellion. I was drawing more spells than lands and was therefore still in the game. I played Glaze Fiend and Courier’s Capsule but he followed with Vithian Stinger. Luckily my deck gave me all the cards with which I could make card advantage (Sanctum Gargoyle Courier’s Capsule Faerie Machinist). And in the end even though I was afraid I’d lose because of the early game Hellion I turned out to be the one overwhelming my opponent by drawing many more spells than he did.
ROUND 2 (1827)
Puppet Conjurer plus Court Homunculus… I had actually never thought of that anti-combo until Magic online asked me to sacrifice a Homunculus in game 1. Before that the game hadn’t been easy. His only guy was a Drumhunter and I was starting to build my army of flyers when he played Might of Alara and Soul’s Majesty on his guy drawing six cards. Jungle Weaver came shortly after along with a bunch of removal spells and when I ended up making my Homonculus mistake he still had 6 lands on the board despite having draw 24 cards!
The second game is pretty easy for me as he conceded right after playing his only spell of the game a turn 4 Drumhunter. It is true that a 2/2 would have hard time dealing with Master of Etherium and another three artifact guys.
The final game ended in a very embarrassing way. There was no way I could lose basically without making a huge mistake. And I unfortunately did. Life totals were 7 to 7 and I had Tidehollow Strix Parastic Stix (tapped) Fatestitcher and Puppet Conjurer while he had no cards in hand Ridge Ranner Knight of the Skyward Eye and Akrasan Squire on the board. I was likely to win when he entered his attack and I tapped his big guy. As I saw the 2/2 coming in I made a token and blocked it when he played Soul’s fire for 6 targeting me. It was only then that I realized he had attacked with the Squire as well. If I had noticed I would have blocked the Knight with my deathtouch guy and the 1/1 with either Conjurer or the token. But I didn’t and I lost pretty sadly.
Until Wednesday…
Oli