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Drafting With Olivier – Zendikar #35


SCG Open Richmond!
Thursday, February 18th – 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!

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Pack 1 pick 1:

















My Pick:

There is a discussion I have had several times with my brother Antoine. He says he’s getting his best results with White while I rarely feel like I even have a window to go for it. As I feel like White shouldn’t be so bad and as I value Antoine’s opinion a lot I pick Lightcaster over Harrow. I have drafted Green enough so let’s try something else. My goal will be to pick as much White as I can. Even though I think White is a little short of quality cards it should make them easier to cut in order to get a good feedback in pack 2.

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

I wanted to pick any good White card here but I can’t really pick Bold Defense. Not only is it much worse than Timermaw Larva or Into the Roil it’s also too bad to be considered a signal by anyone close to me. Then the Larva is better than the bounce spell but only the Blue card can fit in the same deck as my first pick.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

An extremely underrated card which wins a lot of games on its own.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

My deck is pretty much going where I want it to go. Decent for now while not passing much of a signal.

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

This is a tough one. I don’t consider Ondu Cleric an option as it doesn’t fit an aggro strategy.

Then I must make a decision between Brave the Elements and Adventuring Gear. I love both cards and whatever I pick should be the second best card in my deck after pack 1 (after Kazandu Blademaster). If I was considering myself UW I’d go for the equipment but I don’t. I think staying on mono White won’t be hard and Brave the Elements will be the best trick my deck could get. In this spot it seems a bit better than Adventuring Gear whose impact depends a lot on the moment when it’s drawn when a mid-game Brave the Elements will always be strong.

Pack 1 pick 7:











My Pick:

I’m unlikely to play it at least in game 1 (it could make a good sideboard card versus a Red deck) but having passed Ondu Cleric I don’t want to give any bad ideas to anyone who would receive this pack.

Pack 1 pick 8:










My Pick:

When you have Brave the Elements and Windborn Charge you need a maximum number of creatures even if some of them are mediocre.

Pack 1 pick 9:









My Pick:

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:

Pack 2 pick 1:

















My Pick:

With Spidersilk Net I already have one equipment and it is very likely Kor Duelist will make the wheel.

Pack 2 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Brave the Elements is strictly better than the 2/2 but I’m very confident it will come back 7 picks from now. I don’t even consider Pitfall Trap an option. The card may be good but it just doesn’t fit the deck’s global strategy. With hopefully 2 Brave the Elements and Windborne Charge but also because of the Armament Master I need a maximum number of guys and if possible kors (and cheap ones).

Pack 2 pick 3:















My Pick:

And once against Kor Duelist could wheel.

Pack 2 pick 4:














My Pick:

Cheap Kor good guy. Perfect! I would pick it over Journey to Nowhere without a doubt at this point.

Pack 2 pick 5:













My Pick:

I’d like my non-creature non-finisher (BtE Windborne Charge) to be equipment. But the impact of the Nimbus Wings / Kazandu Blademaster combo could make me consider running the aura.

Pack 2 pick 6:












My Pick:

I won’t play two Wings while Blessing could be a helpful sideboard card against Red decks.

Pack 2 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 8:










My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 9:









My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 11:







My Pick:

The three cards I wanted back did make the wheel.

Pack 2 pick 12:






My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 13:





My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 14:




My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 15:



My Pick:

The whole pack 2was an illustration that White even though it doesn’t have many playables can be pretty good when you manage to cut it in pack 1. It is even clearer when I don’t see a good card from picks 5 to 7 but get Steppe Lynx in pick 8 followed by playables until pick 14.

Pack 3 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Not exactly the equipment I was dreaming of first-picking but it’s still fine as my two Duelist as well as the Master require more than I have at the moment.

Pack 3 pick 2:
















My Pick:

More equipment but World Queller is World Queller: a cheap big guy and often a game breaker.

Pack 3 pick 3:















My Pick:

I was thinking of being Mono-White only but the Loremaster would be a fantastic reason to splash. I’d rather pick a bomb I’ve 50% chance of playing (and 0% chance of killing if I was to face it) than a Puma which doesn’t even benefit my pair of Brave the Elements. However in a deck which can’t deal with Surrakar Marauder or Bladetusk Boar the artifact guy should not be underestimated and the pick was actually not so obvious.

Pack 3 pick 4:














My Pick:

I may need equipment but I also need a few more cheap guys to make them good. And talking about cheap guys I could hardly get better than Kor Aeronaut.

Pack 3 pick 5:













My Pick:

I’ve had bad experiences with the card but my brother lately told me how much he liked this card and how underrated he thought it was. Once again I’ll listen to my elders.

Pack 3 pick 6:












My Pick:

I may not like the card a lot but when I’m missing removal and equipment it becomes pretty good.

Pack 3 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 8:










My Pick:

I’ve enough playable guys so Pillarfield Ox won’t make it. Also I won’t run two Into the Roil (and probably not even one) if I am to play Blue.

Pack 3 pick 9:









My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 10:








My Pick:

I don’t like the card that much but it can be an excellent sideboard card versus Red decks.

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:

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18 Plains
2 Steppe Lynx
2 Kor Duelist
1 Kor Aeronaut
2 Kor Outfitter
1 Armament Master
1 Kazandu Blademaster
1 Devout Lightcaster
1 Kor Hookmaster
2 Kor Cartographer
1 Pillarfield Ox
1 World Queller

1 Spidersilk Net
2 Brave the Elements
1 Explorer’s Scope
1 Blazing Torch
1 Nimbus Wings
1 Windborne Charge
1 Celestial Mantle

Sideboard
1 Seismic Shudder
2 Caller of Gales
1 Shoal Serpent
1 Into the Roil
2 Bold Defense
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Spell Pierce
1 Noble Vestige
1 Hedron Scrabbler
1 Merfolk Wayfinder
1 Shieldmate’s Blessing
1 Scythe Tiger
1 Pillarfield Ox
1 Arrow Volley Trap
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Makindi Shieldmate
1 Baloth Woodcrasher
1 Sunspring Expedition
1 Ondu Cleric
1 Nimbus Wings

My first match opponent is playing GB. After seven turns of trading guys and removal I eventually find Armament Master with Kor Outfitter and a pair of equipment on the board. My guys stay in defense to keep Hagra Crocodile from racing as I know I simply need to find a Kor when he needs a removal spell to unlock the situation. On the following turn I draw Celestial Mantle which I play on my Master forcing him to chumpblock every turn without having a removal to fight back. Two turns later with no more blockers on the board he must concede.

In the second we both draw pretty well and race until the moment he’s on 8 life and I can finish him off with Windborne Charge.

In the second round I’m facing a RB mage. I take the advantage thanks to my Kazandu Blademaster/Nimbus Wings combo which I’m pretty sure will go all the way through as I have Brave the Elements in hand. Not even his Vampire Nighthawk can do a thing about it. At some point he blocks with the Vampire and plays Slaugthter Cry on it forcing me to use my Shield. On the following turn he draws a second straight answer to my guy Hideous End and gradually takes the advantage until I draw Windborne Charge with him on four leaving me one turn to find a second creature. I draw Explorer’s Scope and concede.

The second game is much faster as I play Kor Cartographer on turn 4 and enchant it with Celestial Mantle on the next turn. As he’s unable to deal with it he concedes two turns later.

Game 3’s action really starts when he stops my beating by killing my only flyer with life totals being 17-4 in my favor. Seven turns and a couple of suicide attacks from him later I’m able to finish him off despite not drawing anything special in the meantime.

The final against UG ended up being the easiest match of the whole draft as it is the one in which my draws were the best. My turn 1 Steppe Lynx turn 2 Kazandu Blademaster turn 3 Nimbus Wings and Steppe Lynx turn 4 Kor Cartographer turn 5 World Queller draw was not something anyone could have easily stopped in the first game. In the second I opened with three kors and followed up with Armament Master and Spidersilk Net which he could never deal with allowing me to take the third match quite quickly.

The deck did work out pretty well and I’d like to thank my brother for the Celestial Mantle advice as the card did win me two close games.

Until next time…

Oli