fbpx

Drafting With Rich – TPF #16

Draft With Rich Hoaen every day... at StarCityGames.com!
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!


Draft:

Pack 1:










Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Coral Trickster, Benalish Cavalry, Feebleness, Looter il-Kor, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Watcher Sliver, Thrill of the Hunt, Fallen Ideal, Ignite Memories, Celestial Crusader, Magus of the Disk, Psionic Blast

Pick: Psionic Blast

Pack 2:










Trespasser il-Vec, Spinneret Sliver, Fortify, Spiketail Drakeling, Flamecore Elemental, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Blazing Blade Askari, Assembly-Worker, Pendelhaven Elder, Undying Rage, Orgg, Aspect of Mongoose

Pick: Spiketail Drakeling

Pack 3:










Icatian Crier, Bonesplitter Sliver, Think Twice, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Momentary Blink, Greenseeker, Might Sliver, Weatherseed Totem, Conflagrate, Norin the Wary, Arena

Pick: Conflagrate

Pack 4:







Errant Doomsayers, Rift Bolt, Aether Web, Assassinate, Amrou Seekers, Temporal Eddy, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Jhoira’s Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Fool’s Demise, Darkness

Pick: Rift Bolt

Pack 5:







Ashcoat Bear, Cancel, Flickering Spirit, Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Havenwood Wurm, Calciform Pools, Telekinetic Sliver, Truth or Tale, Living End, Island

Pick: Cancel

Pack 6:







Gaze of Justice, Flamecore Elemental, Clockspinning, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, D’Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Aspect of Mongoose, Fungal Reaches, Sindbad

Pick: Flamecore Elemental

Pack 7:







Gemhide Sliver, Chromatic Star, Tolarian Sentinel, Mystical Teachings, Two-Headed Sliver, Paradise Plume, Dread Return, Spined Sliver, Clockspinning

Pick: Tolarian Sentinel

Pack 8:




Drudge Reavers, Subterranean Shambler, Cyclopean Giant, Psychotic Episode, Calciform Pools, Quilled Sliver, Restore Balance, Plains

Pick: Subterranean Shambler

Pack 9:




Mana Skimmer, Coral Trickster, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Thrill of the Hunt, Fallen Ideal, Ignite Memories

Pick: Coral Trickster

Pack 10:




Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Assembly-Worker, Pendelhaven Elder, Aspect of Mongoose

Pick: Assembly-Worker

Pack 11:




Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Greenseeker, Norin the Wary

Pick: Norin the Wary

Pack 12:

Jhoira’s Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Fool’s Demise, Darkness

Pick: Fool’s Demise

Pack 13:

Drifter il-Dal, Truth or Tale, Island

Pick: Truth or Tale

Pack 14:

Sangrophage, Aspect of Mongoose

Pick: Aspect of Mongoose

Pack 15:

Clockspinning

Pick: Clockspinning

Pack 16:










Stingscourger, Synchronous Sliver, Utopia Vow, Dawn Charm, Spitting Sliver, Uktabi Drake, Deadly Grub, Dust Corona, Primal Plasma, Skirk Shaman, Mana Tithe, Muck Drubb, Tidewalker, Damnation, Fungal Behemoth

Pick: Damnation

Pack 17:










Ridged Kusite, Erratic Mutation, Battering Sliver, Reflex Sliver, Aquamorph Entity, Firefright Mage, Blightspeaker, Ghost Tactician, Bog Serpent, Rathi Trapper, Healing Leaves, Mantle of Leadership, Jodah’s Avenger, Imp’s Mischief

Pick: Jodah’s Avenger

Pack 18:










Battering Sliver, Aven Riftwatcher, Erratic Mutation, Reality Acid, Blightspeaker, Evolution Charm, Vampiric Link, Rathi Trapper, Piracy Charm, Shivan Meteor, Psychotrope Thallid, Shrouded Lore, Fatal Frenzy

Pick: Shivan Meteor

Pack 19:







Midnight Charm, Synchronous Sliver, Needlepeak Spider, Fury Charm, Evolution Charm, Reality Acid, Mana Tithe, Melancholy, Simian Spirit Guide, Waning Wurm, Shivan Meteor, Heroes Remembered

Pick: Shivan Meteor

Pack 20:







Dawn Charm, Cradle to Grave, Wistful Thinking, Citanul Woodreaders, Firefright Mage, Pallid Mycoderm, Gossamer Phantasm, Rathi Trapper, Kavu Predator, Ovinize, Mirri the Cursed

Pick: Ovinize

Pack 21:







Veiling Oddity, Ridged Kusite, Saltfield Recluse, Needlepeak Spider, Wistful Thinking, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Revered Dead, Venarian Glimmer, Dichotomancy

Pick: Veiling Oddity

Pack 22:







Ridged Kusite, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Vampiric Link, Piracy Charm, Treacherous Urge, Aether Membrane, Mycologist, Benalish Commander

Pick: Piracy Charm

Pack 23:




Cradle to Grave, Fury Charm, Vitaspore Thallid, Deadly Grub, Skirk Shaman, Revered Dead, Seal of Primordium, Fa’adiyah Seer

Pick: Skirk Shaman

Pack 24:




Spitting Sliver, Uktabi Drake, Deadly Grub, Dust Corona, Mana Tithe, Muck Drubb, Tidewalker

Pick: Tidewalker

Pack 25:




Ridged Kusite, Firefright Mage, Ghost Tactician, Bog Serpent, Healing Leaves, Mantle of Leadership

Pick: Healing Leaves

Pack 26:




Reality Acid, Vampiric Link, Piracy Charm, Psychotrope Thallid, Shrouded Lore

Pick: Piracy Charm

Pack 27:

Midnight Charm, Reality Acid, Melancholy, Waning Wurm

Pick: Reality Acid

Pack 28:

Wistful Thinking, Firefright Mage, Gossamer Phantasm

Pick: Gossamer Phantasm

Pack 29:

Dash Hopes, Revered Dead

Pick: Revered Dead

Pack 30:

Vampiric Link

Pick: Vampiric Link

Pack 31:










Putrid Cyclops, Augur il-Vec, Ichor Slick, Petrified Plating, Bogardan Lancer, Venser’s Diffusion, Death Rattle, Homing Sliver, Edge of Autumn, Lymph Sliver, Spin into Myth, Yixlid Jailer, Storm Entity, Baru, Fist of Krosa, Grinning Ignus

Pick: Spin into Myth

Pack 32:










Sprout Swarm, Oblivion Crown, Saltskitter, Infiltrator il-Kor, Cutthroat il-Dal, Blind Phantasm, Virulent Sliver, Mass of Ghouls, Vedalken Aethermage, Blade of the Sixth Pride, Nacatl War-Pride, Ramosian Revivalist, Arcanum Wings, Imperial Mask

Pick: Infiltrator il-Kor

Pack 33:










Bogardan Lancer, Knight of Sursi, Grave Peril, Wrap in Vigor, Thornweald Archer, Flowstone Embrace, Frenzy Sliver, Mesmeric Sliver, Patrician’s Scorn, Sarcomite Myr, Mistmeadow Skulk, Zoetic Cavern, Bonded Fetch

Pick: Bonded Fetch

Pack 34:







Unblinking Bleb, Lost Hours, Riddle of Lightning, Wrap in Vigor, Grinning Ignus, Edge of Autumn, Fomori Nomad, Logic Knot, Lucent Liminid, Goldmeadow Lookout, Narcomoeba, Nix

Pick: Fomori Nomad

Pack 35:







Samite Censer-Bearer, Infiltrator il-Kor, Putrid Cyclops, Rift Elemental, Marshaling Cry, Thornweald Archer, Blind Phantasm, Lumithread Field, Witch’s Mist, Emblem of the Warmind, Phosphorescent Feast

Pick: Infiltrator il-Kor

Pack 36:







Llanowar Augur, Samite Censer-Bearer, Aven Augur, Grinning Ignus, Whip-Spine Drake, Mass of Ghouls, Lucent Liminid, Bloodshot Trainee, Spellwild Ouphe, Whetwheel

Pick: Whip-Spine Drake

Pack 37:







Grave Peril, Marshaling Cry, Kavu Primarch, Emberwilde Augur, Lumithread Field, Mesmeric Sliver, Blade of the Sixth Pride, Mistmeadow Skulk, Dryad Arbor

Pick: Emberwilde Augur

Pack 38:




Gift of Granite, Quiet Disrepair, Foresee, Rift Elemental, Augur il-Vec, Lymph Sliver, Homing Sliver, Narcomoeba

Pick: Foresee

Pack 39:




Putrid Cyclops, Augur il-Vec, Petrified Plating, Bogardan Lancer, Venser’s Diffusion, Homing Sliver, Lymph Sliver

Pick: Lymph Sliver

Pack 40:




Oblivion Crown, Saltskitter, Blind Phantasm, Virulent Sliver, Ramosian Revivalist, Arcanum Wings

Pick: Blind Phantasm

Pack 41:




Wrap in Vigor, Frenzy Sliver, Mesmeric Sliver, Patrician’s Scorn, Sarcomite Myr

Pick: Sarcomite Myr

Pack 42:

Unblinking Bleb, Lost Hours, Wrap in Vigor, Logic Knot

Pick: Logic Knot

Pack 43:

Samite Censer-Bearer, Emblem of the Warmind, Phosphorescent Feast

Pick: Phosphorescent Feast

Pack 44:

Llanowar Augur, Samite Censer-Bearer

Pick: Llanowar Augur

Pack 45:

*

Pick: *

Final Decklist:

Maindeck:

1 Piracy Charm
1 Coral Trickster
1 Emberwilde Augur
2 Infiltrator il-Kor
1 Ovinize
1 Psionic Blast
1 Blind Phantasm
1 Bonded Fetch
1 Cancel
1 Rift Bolt
1 Spiketail Drakeling
1 Foresee
1 Tolarian Sentinel
1 Veiling Oddity
1 Fomori Nomad
2 Shivan Meteor
1 Spin into Myth
1 Whip-Spine Drake
1 Jodah’s Avenger
1 Conflagrate
10 Island
8 Mountain

Sideboard:

1 Aspect of Mongoose
1 Assembly-Worker
1 Clockspinning [FOIL]
1 Damnation
1 Flamecore Elemental
1 Fool’s Demise
1 Gossamer Phantasm
1 Healing Leaves
1 Llanowar Augur
1 Logic Knot
1 Lymph Sliver
1 Mesmeric Sliver
1 Norin the Wary
1 Phosphorescent Feast
1 Piracy Charm
1 Reality Acid
1 Revered Dead
1 Sarcomite Myr
1 Skirk Shaman
1 Subterranean Shambler
1 Tidewalker
1 Truth or Tale
1 Vampiric Link


This draft was pretty simple. The only time I thought about getting out of Red/Blue was the seventh pick Gemhide Sliver, but since that was the only Green card I’d seen I decided to stay in Blue/Red and take the Tolarian Sentinel. I don’t normally raredraft when doing Drafting With Rich, but it’s hard to pass a Damnation online while they’re going for 15 tickets. If the Damnation wasn’t there I’d have taken Stingscourger. From there I did better than usual in Planar Chaos, with two Shivan Meteors and the bomb of Jodah’s Avenger. Pack 3 was great as usual, with a bunch of good creatures to fill out my curve, a Foresee which I badly needed, and another five mana removal spell in Spin Into Myth. The deck turned out pretty good, but not overly spectacular. But you can’t ask for much more when you get 20 tickets worth of rares and timeshifts.


Round 1 I played against a quick Black/Red deck. In the first game he played turn 2 Skirk Shaman with the help of a Simian Spirit Guide, then had removal for a few of my creatures, but I eventually found a sixth land to cast Jodah’s Avenger, and it did it’s best Morphling imitation. Game 2 he played Skizzik Surger while my board was six land, and my hand was four land. I didn’t draw a spell next turn, so I was dead. Game three I once again drew lands and Jodah’s Avenger, so once I stopped his early attacks with Gray Ogres it wasn’t much of a game.


Round 2 I played against a good White/Red deck. In the first game I fell behind early, but I eventually stabilized with Jodah’s Avenger, and hit for four a turn using the Vigilance and Double Strike abilities, since I needed to hold of his Red creatures. He made a 4/4 Celestial Crusader with Undying Rage, so I had to use all of my mana and cards to Conflagrate it since I was at four. From there I would win with the Avenger in two turns, but if he draws a spell and I don’t I lose. He drew a spell, but fortunately so did I. Game 2 he had a much slower start, so I was able to stabilize the board, then cast Foresee. They were all spells, so I kept them all. It doesn’t seem like you should ever lose a game if you cast Foresee with a stable board and keep all of the cards, and I certainly didn’t lose this one.


I split the finals of this draft.


Until tomorrow,


Rich

Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!