Drafting With Olivier – Zendikar #16

  Pack 1 pick 1:

















  My Pick:

1) Obsidian Fireheart
2) Umara Raptor
3) Surrakar Marauder
4) Kor Skyfisher
Four possible picks in this very open pack: Obsidian Fireheart Kor Skyfisher Umara Raptor. and Surrakar Marauder. Fireheart is the best card in this pack but that pack has Torch Slinger and Bladetusk Boar which is dangerous as it could push my neighbors into Red. Out of the other three cards I like Surrakar Marauder a little better but I’ve found it pretty hard to draft Black online lately as the color is getting more and more popular. Then Umara Raptor is a better card than Kor Skyfisher if you can make it work but much worse if you can’t. I’d still pick the Ally over the Kor as the archetype is a lot funnier to draft than any random white deck.

In the end I still pick the Fireheart as I’m pretty curious to see the true power of the card. I mean I know it’s pretty good I just don’t know if it’s “only” very good or if it is a true bomb.

  Pack 1 pick 2:
















  My Pick:

By far the best card in the pack and I’ve started to like drafting Green. The color is obviously weak but it is becoming so underdrafted that it makes it interesting again.

  Pack 1 pick 3:















  My Pick:

  Pack 1 pick 4:














  My Pick:

With a 4/4 and a regenerator already Predatory Urge should be pretty good.

  Pack 1 pick 5:













  My Pick:

1) Vines of Vastwood
2) Goblin Ruinblaster
The first big decision of the draft. I like Ruinblaster and would usually be glad to pick it but I know most people don’t like the card much so it seems like Red is not coming at all. On the other hand by picking the Green card I reinforce my Green basis but forget about my deck’s best card. This decision seems to be the wisest.

  Pack 1 pick 6:












  My Pick:

Zektar Shrine Expedition is a better card than Slaughter Cry in general but it may not be if I end up running it here. Therefore both picks are okay. Hedron Scrabbler is also an option as the best “Green” card in that pack.

  Pack 1 pick 7:











  My Pick:

Green is probably not so open either; this draft is looking pretty mediocre.

  Pack 1 pick 8:










  My Pick:

Nice with Predatory Urge.

  Pack 1 pick 9:









  My Pick:

The pack was pretty good but still it seems like all the Green cards are back. Meaning that maybe Green could be totally open in which case only the first 8 packs are weak.

  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:

I don’t know where this is going but it is not looking so bad. I’ve several combos (Urge/Boa Urge/Slihouette Silhouette/Basilisk) and am open to any second color at the moment.

  Pack 2 pick 1:

















  My Pick:

Baloth Woodcrasher is probably better but the card still looks pretty good. I know that’s a lot of suppositions but I’ve only played Lotus cobra once in draft and it’s far from enough to get a precise opinion on it. And well it’s 12.5 tix.

  Pack 2 pick 2:
















  My Pick:

Not brilliant when you don’t have another ally but Green is often short on early drops so it won’t hurt.

  Pack 2 pick 3:















  My Pick:

This pick is what I needed to consider drafting Mono Green in which it is top class.

  Pack 2 pick 4:














  My Pick:

Vines of Vastwood would be pretty good but I don’t have many late drops and the Baloth is not any random 4/4 anyway.

  Pack 2 pick 5:













  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 6:












  My Pick:

Summoning Trap looks quite cool too but it’s far too random while Harow is always good.

  Pack 2 pick 7:











  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 8:










  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 9:









  My Pick:

And it even wheeled; I may be the only Green mage at the table.

  Pack 2 pick 10:








  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 11:







  My Pick:

Yeeeees!

  Pack 2 pick 12:






  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 13:





  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 14:




  My Pick:

  Pack 2 pick 15:



  My Pick:

With 2 Larva and 1 Primal Below I’d like to play Mono Green. However with 1 Harrow already I should be open minded about a possible splash for a pack three card.

  Pack 3 pick 1:

















  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 2:








Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>







  My Pick:

I’m of course not considering splashing it but I don’t think I am playing anything here except possibly for the Expedition which could wheel anyway. The bounce is pretty annoying for my deck so I’d rather not pass it.

  Pack 3 pick 3:















  My Pick:

Guess I had to counterdraft something again. Not exactly the kind of pack 3 I was imagining so far

  Pack 3 pick 4:














  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 5:













  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 6:












  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 7:











  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 8:










  My Pick:

With two of them I could consider splashing Red post board against RB decks.

  Pack 3 pick 9:









  My Pick:

  Pack 3 pick 10:


Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>





  My Pick:

And it did wheel. Good news.

  Pack 3 pick 11:







  My Pick:

  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!

2 Grazing Gladehart
1 Zendikar Farguide
1 Mold Shambler
1 Turntimber Basilisk
1 Oran-Rief Survivalist
2 Savage Silhouette
1 River Boa
2 Timbermaw Larva
1 Lotus Cobra
18 Forest
2 Primal Bellow
1 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Predatory Urge
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Harrow
2 Baloth Woodcrasher
2 Nissa’s Chosen

Sideboard
3 Seismic Shudder
1 Shoal Serpent
1 Zektar Shrine Expedition
1 Into the Roil
1 Swamp
1 Landbind Ritual
1 Mountain
1 Spire Barrage
1 Runeflare Trap
1 Forest
1 Relic Crush
1 Scythe Tiger
1 Trailblazer’s Boots
1 Lethargy Trap
1 Expedition Map
1 Kabira Crossroads
1 Sunspring Expedition
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Obsidian Fireheart
1 Tanglesap

The deck looks pretty good but it’s hard to have an objective opinion without testing it. Let’s get things started!

Having 12 lands on the table and 1 left in hand on turn 9 is annoying. When you played Grazing Gladehart on turn 3 versus an almost Mono Red opponent (I saw three black spells in the whole match) it can help. At some point my life total is too big for him to race and Baloth Woodcrasher ends up taking the game. Game 2isn’t much of a problem either as my turn 5 Silhouette on Gladehart will keep him from blocking for a while until it forces him to chump block at some point until he can’t and he dies.

Second round second RB deck. Things don’t go as well as I lose the first one to Bladetusk Boar which was quietly dealing me over 18 damage while he was killing all my guys (Inferno Trap Hideous End Marsh Casualties). Game 2 is much better as turn 2 Chosen and turn 4 Silhouette on Cobra make the game rather easy in this match-up. For the decisive game I chose to bring in 3 Seismic Sudder and 3 Mountain. I don’t draw lands for a while and he doesn’t draw spells in the meantime making the game terribly boring. We’re both having a draw which 90% decks would have but I start playing spells at some point (and kill two guys with my sideboard card) when he never draws any (nor lands apparently). Whatever I give up on trying to figure what he’s doing. For the best. He dies on turn 10 after casting only 5 spells.

I have a glorious moment in the finals when after casting Glazehart on turn 3 and Larva on turn 4 and attacking for the first time on turn 5 (he has a 2/2 in defence) I take the game despite being blocked. Indeed I had a first main phase Harrow and double Primal Below to pump my unblocked big guy which deals him a total of 20 damage exactly. In the second he misses his land drop on turn 2 and concedes.

Until Wednesday…

Oli