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Drafting With Olivier – Zendikar #25


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Wednesday, December 30th – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

By

Pack 1 pick 1:

















My Pick:

A difficult pick to begin. I have three cards that are clearly above everything else: Kazandu Blademaster Kor Skyfisher and Living Tsunami.

The first two are the same color not giving great indications to my neighbor and the last one which is probably also the best by a little belongs to the color I like drafting the least in Zendikar.
I think there’s a good chance Ondu Cleric wheels and an even higher chance Kraken Hatchling does. That’s what makes me go with the 4/4 in the end.

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Neither Sky Ruin Drake nor Hedron Crab is good enough to be an option here meaning I already have to go into a second color. Three options are left to me: Vampire Hexmage Predatory Urge and Grazing Gladehart.

I’ve had a hard time drafting Black lately as the color is quite popular on MTGO. On the other hand I’ve been playing Green a lot and doing rather well. Also I think both Green cards are a little better than the Vampire. Then I choose to go with the 2/2 because I don’t really feel like starting with two high drops and also because of its interaction with my first pick.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

It apparently seems like Green is once again open. However being open doesn’t necessarily mean it will be good (unlike it would for Red Black or White). It only means that it meets its first requirement to be playable.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

UG may be the only deck in which I would run the mana artifact but it is still not good enough for me to pick it over any good card.

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

In the early stages of a draft when not being fixed on a second color I’d pick the Raptor over the Eel. However UG is a deck which should try and rely as much as possible on the Landfall mechanic. And there is no better deck for Windrider Eel to shine.

Pack 1 pick 7:











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Pack 1 pick 8:










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Pack 1 pick 9:









My Pick:

Not the one I had expected to come back but yet another illustration of how easy drafting Green can be especially lately on MTGO.

Pack 1 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 11:







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Pack 1 pick 12:






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Pack 1 pick 13:





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Pack 1 pick 14:




My Pick:

I think Green is indeed rather open.

Pack 1 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 1:

















My Pick:

If being more than unpopular would be the most common reason for Green to be drafted this pack is an illustration of why UG is not a very recommanded archetype. Its commons are so weak that you often end up with such disappointing first picks as this.

Pack 2 pick 2:
















My Pick:

If my Blue and my Green end up being balanced the Merfolk is clearly better than the pump spell. However from the moment I decide to go Green I supposed I’d be running a minimum of 11 Forests. If I did Primal Below would become one of my deck’s top cards.

Pack 2 pick 3:















My Pick:

From now on – because I have one Timbermaw Larva one Primal Below and also because I expect to get more of those – I’ll draft green cards over blue ones when they have the same level. However there is not a single Green card I’m interested in here.

Considering the Seastalkers their ability is quite nice and I’d love to be able to benefit from it but it takes it quite a while to be useful and time is what UG – one of the slowest archetypes in ZZZ – is missing the most.

Pack 2 pick 4:














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Pack 2 pick 5:













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Pack 2 pick 6:












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Pack 2 pick 7:











My Pick:

I may want to run Tanglesap or Lethargy Trap but not more than one of either and I don’t doubt I’ll receive one before the draft ends.

Pack 2 pick 8:





Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>




My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 9:









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Pack 2 pick 11:







My Pick:

As I have Tsunami I would probably have taken the UW Refuge over the Crush but having a Green one is not recommended in a Primal Below deck.

Pack 2 pick 12:






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Pack 2 pick 13:





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Pack 2 pick 15:



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Pack 3 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 2:
















My Pick:

I’m not playing any of these anyway. Not even the Druid should make the cut as my first 17 picks gave me only one drop over four mana.

Pack 3 pick 3:















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Pack 3 pick 4:














My Pick:

Nice combo with the Basilisk.

Pack 3 pick 5:













My Pick:

I just didn’t notice the Expedition in this pack otherwise I’d have picked it.

Pack 3 pick 6:












My Pick:

I won’t run the Gorge a second Scholar or Lorthos. Therefore the logical play would simply be to counterdraft Hideous End. However the 8/8 is excellent against all the crap and/or slow decks and it can be an great sideboard weapon.

Pack 3 pick 7:











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Pack 3 pick 8:










My Pick:

No this is not a raredraft. I actually think it is the most annoying card here.

Pack 3 pick 9:









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Pack 3 pick 10:








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Pack 3 pick 11:







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Pack 3 pick 15:



My Pick:

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12 Forest
6 Island

1 Oran-Rief Survivalist
1 Welkin Tern
2 Nissa’s Chosen
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
1 Turntimber Basilisk
1 Reckless Scholar
2 Grazing Gladehart
1 Mold Shambler
1 Windrider Eel
2 Timbermaw Larva
1 Living Tsunami
1 Baloth Woodcrasher

1 Primal Bellow
3 Vines of Vastwood
1 Tanglesap
1 Harrow
1 Savage Silhouette
1 Whiplash Trap

Sideboard
1 Armament Master
1 Shoal Serpent
1 Into the Roil
1 Molten Ravager
2 Spell Pierce
1 Savage Silhouette
1 Plains
2 Trapmaker’s Snare
1 Hagra Crocodile
1 Tempest Owl
1 Goblin Shortcutter
1 Island
1 Relic Crush
1 Lethargy Trap
1 Turntimber Grove
1 Seascape Aerialist
1 Lorthos the Tidemaker
1 Goblin War Paint
1 Bladetusk Boar
1 Unstable Footing

My clock said 26:23 when I conceded the match. I had not even drawn badly but I was destroyed. In the first game he opened with Vampire Hexmage Gatekeeper of Malakir with kicker and then followed up with Disfigure and Giant Scorpion on turn 4 Aether Figment on turn 5 and eventually Sorin Markov on turn 6.

I boarded in one of my two Spell Pierces and had it on turn 6 right after playing a Living Tsunami and a pair of Timbermaw Larva (with 4 Forests). However he destroyed me once again without his planeswalker this time. His deck was simply a lot better than mine.

I’m pretty sure I’d have lost this match with 90% of my decks. Still this draft illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of drafting green pretty clearly. The color is so open that you are often the only player interested in it at the table but at the same time the average quality of the cards is so low that it will sometimes not be enough.

Until Friday…

Oli