Drafting With Olivier - Zendikar #17

Pack 1 pick 1:

My Pick:

If the Cobra wasn’t worth so much I’d still pick it. Indeed it is probably about as good as Oran-Rief Survivalist or Kor Hookmaster but you don’t get the opportunity to try a mythic nearly as often as you get to play a common. I know both commons are pretty good but I yet have to figure how good I can make Lotus Cobra.

Pack 1 pick 2:

My Pick:

Kor Hookmaster could be an option but GW is not my cup of tea. Therefore only Mosquito Shambler and Recluse are option. I won’t take the first one as I’d rather stay open for now. Then the two Green cards are pretty close and I think both picks are okay.

Pack 1 pick 3:

Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>

My Pick:

Pretty great turn 3 play after casting the Cobra.

Pack 1 pick 4:

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Pack 1 pick 5:

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Pretty bad pick here. The card may be excellent I’ve been too influenced by the result of my previous drafts and I should have taken the 2/3 over another four-drop.

Pack 1 pick 6:

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Pack 1 pick 7:

My Pick:

Paralyzing Grasp is rarely in tempo so I’d rather just focus on my beating.

Pack 1 pick 8:

My Pick:

Time to lighten the curve a little.

Pack 1 pick 9:

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Pack 1 pick 10:

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Better when you have many early drops but still good when it comes to racing.

Pack 1 pick 11:

Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 12:

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Pack 1 pick 15:

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Pack 2 pick 1:

Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>

My Pick:

Hedron Crab would be good in this type of deck but I just like to get something more consistent. I’m not willing to go all in on allies though and I won’t force anything from now on.

Pack 2 pick 2:

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Pack 2 pick 3:

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Pack 2 pick 4:

My Pick:

Now that I’ve two it would be nice to get a Seacliff.

Pack 2 pick 5:

My Pick:

I love Primal Below in a deck in which I play 10 or 11 Forests but Baloth Woodcrasher is just strictly better.

Pack 2 pick 6:

My Pick:

Pretty useful when it comes to racing even if Reckless Scholar seems pretty good too. The reason why I don’t feel like I need the 2/1 that much is that Looters usually aim at fixing the mana when my deck’s goal is to be land flooded.

Pack 2 pick 7:

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Pack 2 pick 8:

My Pick:

Seems more useful to counterdraft than Arrow Volley Trap when that should hardly kill two of my guys.

Pack 2 pick 9:

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Pack 3 pick 1:

My Pick:

One more big drop but one more Landfall card. And not just any card…

Pack 3 pick 2:

My Pick:

I almost picked the Scope here even if it hurts to say it. With so many landfalls the equipment is pretty close to Larva and Into the Roil here. I still pick the guy as I’ve been playing much Green lately and I love the card more and more but Into the Roil is pretty close.

Pack 3 pick 3:

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Pack 3 pick 4:

My Pick:

Should be magic in the deck. Well not as magic as a pick 5 Marsh Casualties for my neighbor but still

Pack 3 pick 5:

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Pack 3 pick 6:

My Pick:

Hard to pick between the card I’m unlikely to play but I could end up running and the always annoying Bladetusk Boar. I’ll go with the first as I could end up short of playables.

Pack 3 pick 7:

My Pick:

I like Savage Silhouette with lots of early drops but in my deck it’s a bit heavy.

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9 Island
10 Forest
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Hedron Scrabbler
1 Turntimber Basilisk
1 Grazing Gladehart
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
2 Umara Raptor
1 Mold Shambler
4 Windrider Eel
1 Timbermaw Larva
1 Territorial Baloth
1 Baloth Woodcrasher
1 Roil Elemental
1 Explorer’s Scope
2 Vines of Vastwood
1 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Harrow
1 Whiplash Trap

Sideboard
1 Island
1 Zendikar Farguide
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
1 Cancel
1 Bold Defense
1 Summoner’s Bane
1 Expedition Map
1 Island
1 Joraga Bard
1 Timbermaw Larva
1 Relic Crush
1 Brave the Elements
1 Forest
3 Lethargy Trap
1 Turntimber Grove
1 Khalni Gem
1 Sunspring Expedition
2 Graypelt Refuge
1 ther Figment
1 Tanglesap

With 11 Landfall spells running 19 lands shouldn’t hurt. The deck seems solid but probably not good enough to win the draft. Its curve is just too high so I’d be glad with a final.

My quarterfinal kicks off with a slow start immediately punished as my opponent plays turn 3 Cancel turn 4 Summoner’s Bane turn 5 Shepherd of the Lost and turn 6 Sphinx of Lost Truth. In the second game I have turn 2 Cobra to accelerate into Eel and Oran-Rief Recluse with Kicker. Seen this way the 2/1 does seems very good. In the third game I have to play guys into his counters as he passes on turn 3 4 and 5 with his mana open. But my Basillisk and 2 Eels make it through as his hand seems to be empty… so empty that I even consider playing around Day of Judgment. However to keep such a hand he probably is simply holding the Sphinx. And indeed the 5/5 shows up on turn 6 too late to stop my pumped flyers as I have played an early Expedition.

My semi-final isn’t much trouble despite a double Nighthawk in the second game as I have too many big guys and a turn 3 Glazehart which keep my life from going down. God bless 19-land decks.

In the finals I can’t really battle as a Lynx triple Geopede Emeria Angel draw is waiting for me there. At least I’m glad I survived long enough to see that and I’ve lost to a deck which was just superior.

Until Monday…

Oli