Draft:
Pack 1:
Mogg War Marshal, Temporal Isolation, Think Twice, Ashcoat Bear, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Thunder Totem, Sporesower Thallid, Locket of Yesterdays, Draining Whelk, Thornscape Battlemage, Firewake Sliver
Pick: Draining Whelk
Pack 2:
Terramorphic Expanse, Drudge Reavers, Temporal Isolation, Crookclaw Transmuter, Empty the Warrens, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Undying Rage, Yavimaya Dryad, Norin the Wary, Witch Hunter
Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter
Pack 3:
Flamecore Elemental, Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Coral Trickster, Benalish Cavalry, Watcher Sliver, Thrill of the Hunt, Plunder, Skulking Knight, Aspect of Mongoose, Skittering Monstrosity, Knight of the Holy Nimbus, Whirling Dervish
Pick: Coral Trickster
Pack 4:
Grapeshot, Scarwood Treefolk, Slipstream Serpent, Gaze of Justice, D’Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Mystical Teachings, Two-Headed Sliver, Yavimaya Dryad, Plated Pegasus, Premature Burial, Yavimaya Dryad
Pick: Premature Burial
Pack 5:
Drudge Reavers, Temporal Isolation, Empty the Warrens, Strength in Numbers, Errant Doomsayers, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Foriysian Totem, Firewake Sliver, Fungus Sliver
Pick: Foriysian Totem
Pack 6:
Benalish Cavalry, Orcish Cannonade, Mindstab, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Paradox Haze, Firewake Sliver, Vesuva
Pick: Orcish Cannonade
Pack 7:
Grapeshot, Gaze of Justice, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, D’Avenant Healer, Mystical Teachings, Plated Pegasus, Truth or Tale, Swamp
Pick: Grapeshot
Pack 8:
Zealot il-Vec, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Mindlash Sliver, Havenwood Wurm, Flickering Spirit, Aspect of Mongoose, Weathered Bodyguards, Dragonstorm
Pick: Weathered Bodyguards
Pack 9:
Mindlash Sliver, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Thunder Totem, Locket of Yesterdays, Firewake Sliver
Pick: Jhoira’s Timebug
Pack 10:
Drudge Reavers, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Norin the Wary
Pick: Norin the Wary
Pack 11:
Mana Skimmer, Plunder, Skulking Knight, Aspect of Mongoose, Skittering Monstrosity
Pick: Mana Skimmer
Pack 12:
Scarwood Treefolk, Gaze of Justice, D’Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad
Pick: Gaze of Justice
Pack 13:
Drudge Reavers, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver
Pick: Divine Congregation
Pack 14:
Sidewinder Sliver, Viashino Bladescout
Pick: Viashino Bladescout
Pack 15:
Pick: Sangrophage
Pack 16:
Mana Skimmer, Durkwood Baloth, Fathom Seer, Chromatic Star, Looter il-Kor, Gorgon Recluse, Thrill of the Hunt, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, Ignite Memories, Paradox Haze, Griffin Guide, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Jasmine Boreal
Pick: Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Pack 17:
Viscerid Deepwalker, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Search for Tomorrow, Icatian Crier, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Ancient Grudge, Flickering Spirit, Phyrexian Totem, Telekinetic Sliver, Pull from Eternity, Nether Traitor, Momentary Blink
Pick: Viscerid Deepwalker
Pack 18:
Goblin Skycutter, Cancel, Penumbra Spider, Pentarch Ward, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Calciform Pools, Assembly-Worker, Trickbind, Honorable Passage
Pick: Goblin Skycutter
Pack 19:
Tendrils of Corruption, Think Twice, Errant Doomsayers, Rift Bolt, Aether Web, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Paradox Haze, Dralnu, Lich Lord, Avatar of Woe
Pick: Rift Bolt
Pack 20:
Flamecore Elemental, Feebleness, Castle Raptors, Two-Headed Sliver, Prismatic Lens, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Saltcrusted Steppe, Primal Forcemage, Avatar of Woe, Candles of Leng
Pick: Prismatic Lens
Pack 21:
Flamecore Elemental, Castle Raptors, Chromatic Star, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Paradise Plume, Paradox Haze, Enduring Renewal
Pick: Chromatic Star
Pack 22:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Savage Thallid, Momentary Blink, Ancient Grudge, Outrider en-Kor, Calciform Pools, Paradise Plume, Scion of the Ur-Dragon, Avoid Fate
Pick: Momentary Blink
Pack 23:
Gaze of Justice, Ivory Giant, Ophidian Eye, Molder, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Moorish Cavalry
Pick: Ivory Giant
Pack 24:
Mana Skimmer, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, Ignite Memories, Paradox Haze, Jasmine Boreal
Pick: Bogardan Rager
Pack 25:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Icatian Crier, Jedit’s Dragoons, Ancient Grudge, Flickering Spirit, Pull from Eternity
Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Pack 26:
Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Sprout, Assembly-Worker
Pick: Assembly-Worker
Pack 27:
Chameleon Blur, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Paradox Haze
Pick: Bewilder
Pack 28:
Flamecore Elemental, Two-Headed Sliver, Clockspinning
Pick: Flamecore Elemental
Pack 29:
Pick: Clockspinning
Pack 30:
Pick: Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Pack 31:
Assassinate, Thallid Germinator, Zealot il-Vec, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Tendrils of Corruption, Aetherflame Wall, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Celestial Crusader, Might Sliver, Smallpox, Deep-Sea Kraken, The Rack, Sangrophage
Pick: Deep-Sea Kraken
Pack 32:
Icatian Crier, Dark Withering, Goblin Skycutter, Crookclaw Transmuter, Strength in Numbers, Greenseeker, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Thick-Skinned Goblin, Fury Sliver, Greater Gargadon, Hail Storm
Pick: Greater Gargadon
Pack 33:
Tolarian Sentinel, Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Fortify, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Fury Sliver, Harmonic Sliver, Voidmage Husher, Sedge Sliver, Goblin Snowman
Pick: Flowstone Channeler
Pack 34:
Flowstone Channeler, Herd Gnarr, Wormwood Dryad, Clockspinning, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, Fallen Ideal, Ignite Memories, Celestial Crusader, Magus of the Jar, The Rack, Screeching Sliver
Pick: Magus of the Jar
Pack 35:
Deathspore Thallid, Flowstone Channeler, Herd Gnarr, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, Venser’s Sliver, Clockspinning, Skittering Monstrosity, Conflagrate, Thallid, Swamp
Pick: Conflagrate
Pack 36:
Goblin Skycutter, Strength in Numbers, Urborg Syphon-Mage, Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Havenwood Wurm, Basal Sliver, Dreadship Reef, Conflagrate, Undead Warchief
Pick: Conflagrate
Pack 37:
Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, D’Avenant Healer, Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Plated Pegasus, Haunting Hymn
Pick: Coal Stoker
Pack 38:
Temporal Eddy, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Aetherflame Wall, Haunting Hymn, Angel’s Grace, Tribal Flames
Pick: Tribal Flames
Pack 39:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Aetherflame Wall, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Smallpox, Sangrophage
Pick: Temporal Eddy
Pack 40:
Goblin Skycutter, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Thick-Skinned Goblin
Pick: Thick-Skinned Goblin
Pack 41:
Tolarian Sentinel, Two-Headed Sliver, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Voidmage Husher
Pick: Tolarian Sentinel
Pack 42:
Clockspinning, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, Ignite Memories
Pick: Bogardan Rager
Pack 43:
Dream Stalker, Clockspinning, Swamp
Pick: Dream Stalker
Pack 44:
Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal
Pick: Drifter il-Dal
Pack 45:
Pick: Ground Rift
Final Decklist:
Maindeck:
1 Coral Trickster
1 Crookclaw Transmuter
1 Deep-Sea Kraken
1 Draining Whelk
1 Dream Stalker
1 Magus of the Jar
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Temporal Eddy
1 Viscerid Deepwalker
1 Tribal Flames
1 Coal Stoker
2 Conflagrate
1 Flowstone Channeler
1 Goblin Skycutter
1 Grapeshot
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Orcish Cannonade
1 Rift Bolt
1 Thick-Skinned Goblin
1 Foriysian Totem
1 Jhoira’s Timebug
1 Prismatic Lens
8 Island
9 Mountain
Sideboard:
1 Assembly-Worker
1 Bewilder
2 Bogardan Rager
1 Chromatic Star
1 Clockspinning
1 Divine Congregation
1 Drifter il-Dal
1 Flamecore Elemental
1 Gaze of Justice
1 Ground Rift
1 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
1 Island
1 Ivory Giant
1 Mana Skimmer
1 Momentary Blink
1 Norin the Wary
1 Premature Burial
1 Sangrophage
1 Scion of the Ur-Dragon
1 Tolarian Sentinel
1 Viashino Bladescout
1 Weathered Bodyguards
Despite what might appear to be some terrible drafting, my deck ended up being quite good thanks to the numerous rares. In the first pack, each time I considered taking a White or Green card, I figured that ship had sailed since I had passed packs that would put the two people behind me into Green and White. Therefore it was a bit frustrating seeing so many late, good Green and White cards, but I stuck to my guns, and eventually got rewarded for it.
In the first round I played against an excellent Black/Red deck, featuring about five cards I’d rate as bombs or better such as Firemaw Kavu, Suffocating Blast, Avatar of Woe… I won the first game because he never drew a Mountain. He was still in the game until the one turn he didn’t have a creature untapped, so I played Teferi, and then brought in my Greater Gargadon to play around the Dark Withering I was fairly certain was in his hand. In the second game I stumbled on mana a little and he had a pretty good draw, playing a bunch of creatures and killing all of mine. The third game was pretty close until I Draining Whelked his Corpulent Corpse, and Conflagrated his Triskelavus.
In the second round I played against a good Blue/Black deck (I guess the card quality was very high in this draft). In the first game we traded creatures and removal until he ran out of gas, while I had Draining Whelk backup when he died. In the second game he had Pirate Ship which killed my Crookclaw Transmuter before trying to trade with Teferi, but I had Dream Stalker with damage on the stack. This put the tenth creature in the graveyard, letting him play Avatar of Woe on the cheap. Fortunately I had gotten him low enough before the Avatar came in that I was able to burn him out with Rift Bolt and Conflagrate.
Neither my opponent nor I really wanted to split round 3, therefore we battled. He mulliganed the first game, and my draw was pretty good, but he played a mere four spells that were enough to defeat me. They were in order: Gemhide Sliver, Spinneret Sliver, Might Sliver, and Squall Line. His draw was a little worse in the second game, and he wasn’t able to put any early pressure on, so I sat back with Draining Whelk, and eventually he played a Might Sliver, and couldn’t handle the 6/6 flyer. His draw was once again ridiculous in game 3, while I was short on lands. His curve went Durkwood Baloth, Spinneret Sliver, Griffin Guide, Moorish Cavalry, Zealot il-Vec, and Amrou Scout. I was able to keep up though, trading a Viscerid Deepwalker for the Baloth, and holding off the Cavalry with Timebug and Coral Trickster, killing the Zealot and Scout with a Grapeshot, and drawing Goblin Skycutter for the Guided Spinneret Sliver the turn before I died to it. Just when I thought I was going to steal the game, he showed up with two more creatures, while I was still stuck on four lands. C’est la vie.
Until tomorrow,
Rich
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!