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Drafting With Olivier – Zendikar #32


Grand Prix: Oakland!
Thursday, January 28th – 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:

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Disfigure is clearly worse than Kor Skyfisher and Shepherd of the Lost. However if I do play Green as I am planning early removal is something I’ll be happier having as support than flyers.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

I’d rather pass the Surivalist and waste one of my first three picks than pass a card of this level. From now on I’ll just pick the best of the Blue Black and Green cards coming and decide in the next few picks.

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

Of course kicking a Mosquito is much stronger than kicking a Spider. However when they are not kicked the 1/3 is a lot better.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

Giant Scorpion is a little better than Harrow but as I’ve three Green cards for only one Black and one Blue I’d rather strengthen my main color for now. Also when I’m Green I often like to be mono-colored.

Pack 1 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 8:










My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 9:









My Pick:

Glad I can counterdraft it. Played on Terra Stomper it means pretty much instant GG.

Pack 1 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 11:







My Pick:

I’d be very surprised to end up running the wurm and passing it when I haven’t passed any Green yet can’t be considered a signal.

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:





Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>











My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 2:













Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>


My Pick:

This pick may not be dreamy but it is not as bad as it seems. It is even excellent if I can get passed more Landfall cards and in particular Gladeharts.

Pack 2 pick 3:















My Pick:

I’d love to pick Nissa’s Chosen but the Larva in mono Green is probably the best common in the format close with Spire Barrage in mono Red.

Pack 2 pick 4:














My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 5:













My Pick:

It’s bad but it is still an early drop which can deal with one of the most problematic card for the deck: Surrakar Marauder. Also the 2 Expedition and the Harrow can make it a surprisingly dissuasive blocker.

Pack 2 pick 6:












My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 7:











My Pick:

I’m unlikely to play it but I’m not running two Scrabbler.

Pack 2 pick 8:










My Pick:

With these two picks I keep my options open between mono Green and UG.

Pack 2 pick 9:


Blessing
” “ZEN”);’>






My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 11:







My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 12:






My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 13:





My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 14:




My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 2:
















My Pick:

I open this third pack with two of the best three commons I could get.

Pack 3 pick 3:















My Pick:

And here is the third one. Baloth Woodcrasher would be great in the deck but I only need early drops right now.

Pack 3 pick 4:














My Pick:

If I was UG I’d pick Gomozoa here to lighten my curve. However as far as synergy is concerned I’d rather stay mono-color. Even if I were to splash I would be playing so few Islands that I could miss casting Gomozoa on turn 3.

Pack 3 pick 5:













My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 6:












My Pick:

So far this last pack is going incredibly well.

Pack 3 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 8:










My Pick:

If I didn’t have a Relic Crush yet I would pick it but I would pretty much never want to board two in. Except maybe if I do face an Armament Master deck.

Pack 3 pick 9:









My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 11:







My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 12:






My Pick:

The biggest advantage of drafting Green is to compensate for the random early picks with pretty good picks later on. There is no color in which you can get cards of Chosen and Gladehart’s level at pick 5 and 6 and Khalni Heart Expedition at pick 12.

Pack 3 pick 13:





My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 14:




My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 15:



My Pick:

A card I like in this type of deck.

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16 Forest
2 Island
2 Nissa’s Chosen
1 Hedron Scrabbler
3 Grazing Gladehart
1 Greenweaver Druid
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
1 Mold Shambler
1 Living Tsunami
2 Timbermaw Larva
3 Territorial Baloth
1 Terra Stomper

1 Primal Bellow
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Tanglesap
1 Harrow

The Tsunami almost doesn’t cost a thing in the deck and 16 Forest and four land searchers are more than enough for Timbermaw Larva and Primal Bellow to be efficient.

In the quarters I face a GB deck and game 1 is pretty long. I finish him with a Terra Stomper attack pumped by Primal Bellow and 9 Forest. In game 2 I keep a two lander and can’t do better than Khalni Heart Expedition with no land on turn 3. Luckily his start is not spectacular as his first play is Hagra Crocodile with only four Swamps on the board. I find a third land and drop Greenweaver Druid. On the next turn he plays Mind Sludge for 5 and I don’t feel so confident about that game anymore. However he doesn’t play a Forest or a spell in the next three turns and I gradually take the advantage until the moment when he eventually finds a Green mana but it is already too late for him to recover by then.

In game 1 of my semis I win with my pick 45. Not because I’ve Fogged him but because I have prevented all the damage except for damage that Terra Stomper deals to his three blockers. I lose the second despite a turn 5 Stomper as he plays the feared Mark of Mutiny on it. In the last one we trade early drops until the moment when the board is clear and my hand is triple Territorial Baloth on turn 5. He can’t do much to race but still tries a Mark of Mutiny plus Goblin Bushwacker attack which puts me on 5. Nice but not enough to stop my two 6/6 Baloths from finishing him on next turn.

In the finals I’m playing against what seemed to be the worst deck I’ve faced in a while as he was WBR allies. I took game 1 once more thanks to my Terra Stomper/Tanglesap combo. In game 2 he plays Marsh Casualties to kill Timbermaw Larva and Grazing Gladehart but I have Primal Bellow to pump my Larva which attacks as a 9/9 until he doesn’t have anything left to chump block with and must concede. He did try a Vampire’s Bite attack a little earlier but I had once again Tanglesap to ensure the control of the race. It was surprising to see how much work a 45th pick can do sometimes.

Until next time…

Oli