Draft:
Pack 1:
Durkwood Baloth, Coral Trickster, Ivory Giant, Deathspore Thallid, Errant Ephemeron, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Haunting Hymn, Barbed Shocker, Careful Consideration, Ancestral Vision, Conspiracy, Dark Withering
Pick: Errant Ephemeron
Pack 2:
Strangling Soot, Gemhide Sliver, Mindstab, Gaze of Justice, Glass Asp, Prismatic Lens, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Krosan Grip, Brine Elemental, Nightshade Assassin, Vesuva, Tormod’s Crypt
Pick: Strangling Soot
Pack 3:
Chromatic Star, Looter il-Kor, Gorgon Recluse, Herd Gnarr, Children of Korlis, Sangrophage, Viashino Bladescout, Mystical Teachings, Thrill of the Hunt, Fury Sliver, Aspect of Mongoose, Cavalry Master, Mindless Automaton
Pick: Looter il-Kor
Pack 4:
Fortify, Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, Benalish Cavalry, Orcish Cannonade, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, D’Avenant Healer, Haunting Hymn, Stormcloud Djinn
Pick: Coal Stoker
Pack 5:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Aether Web, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Drudge Reavers, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Thunder Totem, Paradox Haze, Moonlace, Consecrate Land
Pick: Urborg Syphon-Mage
Pack 6:
Goblin Skycutter, Assassinate, Aetherflame Wall, Pit Keeper, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Vampiric Sliver, Quilled Sliver, Sengir Autocrat
Pick: Assassinate
Pack 7:
Thallid Germinator, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Tendrils of Corruption, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Volcanic Awakening, Nether Traitor
Pick: Tendrils of Corruption
Pack 8:
Mogg War Marshal, Ashcoat Bear, Urborg Syphon-Mage, Ancient Grudge, Flickering Spirit, Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Assembly-Worker
Pick: Urborg Syphon-Mage
Pack 9:
Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Haunting Hymn, Barbed Shocker, Conspiracy
Pick: Haunting Hymn
Pack 10:
Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Krosan Grip, Vesuva
Pick: Vesuva
Pack 11:
Children of Korlis, Sangrophage, Viashino Bladescout, Mystical Teachings, Aspect of Mongoose
Pick: Mystical Teachings
Pack 12:
Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, D’Avenant Healer, Haunting Hymn
Pick: Haunting Hymn
Pack 13:
Drudge Reavers, Detainment Spell, Paradox Haze
Pick: Drudge Reavers
Pack 14:
Aetherflame Wall, Mindlash Sliver
Pick: Aetherflame Wall
Pack 15:
Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Pack 16:
Spitting Sliver, Stingscourger, Saltfield Recluse, Uktabi Drake, Blightspeaker, Aquamorph Entity, Evolution Charm, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Sunlance, Mana Tithe, Dormant Sliver, Sulfur Elemental, Damnation, Vorosh, the Hunter, Mesa Enchantress
Pick: Damnation
Pack 17:
Veiling Oddity, Midnight Charm, Battering Sliver, Whitemane Lion, Pallid Mycoderm, Brain Gorgers, Dust Corona, Prodigal Pyromancer, Simian Spirit Guide, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Riftmarked Knight, Venarian Glimmer, Shrouded Lore, Imp’s Mischief
Pick: Prodigal Pyromancer
Pack 18:
Mire Boa, Utopia Vow, Veiling Oddity, Ridged Kusite, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Aquamorph Entity, Shade of Trokair, Healing Leaves, Sunlance, Prodigal Pyromancer, Treacherous Urge, Harmonize
Pick: Prodigal Pyromancer
Pack 19:
Erratic Mutation, Midnight Charm, Needlepeak Spider, Utopia Vow, Pallid Mycoderm, Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Revered Dead, Fa’adiyah Seer, Hammerheim Deadeye, Sophic Centaur, Braids, Conjurer Adept
Pick: Erratic Mutation
Pack 20:
Dawn Charm, Whitemane Lion, Wistful Thinking, Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Citanul Woodreaders, Vampiric Link, Skirk Shaman, Healing Leaves, Dismal Failure, Mycologist
Pick: Skirk Shaman
Pack 21:
Synchronous Sliver, Utopia Vow, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Fury Charm, Gossamer Phantasm, Bog Serpent, Revered Dead, Psychotrope Thallid, Oros, the Avenger
Pick: Oros, the Avenger
Pack 22:
Ridged Kusite, Dawn Charm, Wistful Thinking, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Seal of Primordium, Healing Leaves, Simian Spirit Guide, Tidewalker
Pick: Simian Spirit Guide
Pack 23:
Saltfield Recluse, Needlepeak Spider, Poultice Sliver, Uktabi Drake, Ghost Tactician, Firefright Mage, Primal Plasma, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Primal Plasma
Pack 24:
Spitting Sliver, Saltfield Recluse, Uktabi Drake, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Mana Tithe, Dormant Sliver, Mesa Enchantress
Pick: Spitting Sliver
Pack 25:
Midnight Charm, Dust Corona, Simian Spirit Guide, Venarian Glimmer, Shrouded Lore, Imp’s Mischief
Pick: Midnight Charm
Pack 26:
Ridged Kusite, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Aquamorph Entity, Healing Leaves
Pick: Aquamorph Entity
Pack 27:
Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Fa’adiyah Seer, Sophic Centaur
Pick: Sophic Centaur
Pack 28:
Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Mycologist
Pick: Reality Acid
Pack 29:
Vitaspore Thallid, Revered Dead
Pick: Revered Dead
Pack 30:
Pick: Dash Hopes
Pack 31:
Cutthroat il-Dal, Gift of Granite, Quiet Disrepair, Foresee, Rift Elemental, Vedalken Aethermage, Blade of the Sixth Pride, Sporoloth Ancient, Grinning Ignus, Whip-Spine Drake, Mass of Ghouls, Haze of Rage, Riftsweeper, Spirit en-Dal, Steamflogger Boss
Pick: Foresee
Pack 32:
Fatal Attraction, Petrified Plating, Judge Unworthy, Leaden Fists, Quiet Disrepair, Grave Scrabbler, Lumithread Field, Mesmeric Sliver, Deepcavern Imp, Flowstone Embrace, Dryad Arbor, Bonded Fetch, Snake Cult Initiation, Darksteel Garrison
Pick: Bonded Fetch
Pack 33:
Knight of Sursi, Leaden Fists, Gift of Granite, Augur of Skulls, Lost Hours, Grave Scrabbler, Henchfiend of Ukor, Whip-Spine Drake, Lymph Sliver, Homing Sliver, Boldwyr Intimidator, Centaur Omenreader, Quagnoth
Pick: Grave Scrabbler
Pack 34:
Kavu Primarch, Oblivion Crown, Emberwilde Augur, Fatal Attraction, Lymph Sliver, Blind Phantasm, Virulent Sliver, Ghostfire, Mass of Ghouls, Delay, Festering March, Soultether Golem
Pick: Ghostfire
Pack 35:
Bogardan Lancer, Venser’s Diffusion, Oblivion Crown, Saltskitter, Lumithread Field, Grinning Ignus, Edge of Autumn, Fomori Nomad, Spirit en-Dal, Pooling Venom, Nix
Pick: Fomori Nomad
Pack 36:
Augur il-Vec, Grave Peril, Marshaling Cry, Lucent Liminid, Thornweald Archer, Frenzy Sliver, Mesmeric Sliver, Mystic Speculation, Minions’ Murmurs, Tolaria West
Pick: Tolaria West
Pack 37:
Emberwilde Augur, Putrid Cyclops, Augur il-Vec, Petrified Plating, Patrician’s Scorn, Sarcomite Myr, Blind Phantasm, Char-Rumbler, Sword of the Meek
Pick: Blind Phantasm
Pack 38:
Saltskitter, Unblinking Bleb, Llanowar Augur, Venser’s Diffusion, Sarcomite Myr, Homing Sliver, Skizzik Surger, Chronomantic Escape
Pick: Sarcomite Myr
Pack 39:
Gift of Granite, Quiet Disrepair, Rift Elemental, Grinning Ignus, Mass of Ghouls, Haze of Rage, Steamflogger Boss
Pick: Mass of Ghouls
Pack 40:
Petrified Plating, Quiet Disrepair, Mesmeric Sliver, Deepcavern Imp, Snake Cult Initiation, Darksteel Garrison
Pick: Deepcavern Imp
Pack 41:
Gift of Granite, Augur of Skulls, Lost Hours, Lymph Sliver, Homing Sliver
Pick: Augur of Skulls
Pack 42:
Emberwilde Augur, Virulent Sliver, Mass of Ghouls, Soultether Golem
Pick: Mass of Ghouls
Pack 43:
Oblivion Crown, Saltskitter, Pooling Venom
Pick: Saltskitter
Pack 44:
Pick: Mesmeric Sliver
Pack 45:
Pick: Putrid Cyclops
Final Decklist:
Maindeck:
1 Aquamorph Entity
1 Blind Phantasm
1 Bonded Fetch
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Erratic Mutation
1 Foresee
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Primal Plasma
1 Assassinate
1 Augur of Skulls
1 Damnation
1 Grave Scrabbler
1 Haunting Hymn
1 Midnight Charm
1 Strangling Soot
1 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Urborg Syphon-Mage
2 Prodigal Pyromancer
1 Ghostfire
7 Island
2 Mountain
8 Swamp
1 Tolaria West
Sideboard:
1 Aetherflame Wall
1 Coal Stoker
1 Dash Hopes
1 Deepcavern Imp
1 Drudge Reavers
1 Fomori Nomad
1 Haunting Hymn
1 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
2 Mass of Ghouls
1 Mesmeric Sliver
1 Oros, the Avenger
1 Putrid Cyclops
1 Reality Acid
1 Revered Dead
1 Saltskitter
1 Sarcomite Myr
1 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Skirk Shaman
1 Sophic Centaur
1 Spitting Sliver
1 Vesuva
This draft was interesting because it seemed that no matter what I did with my first couple picks, Planar Chaos was going to be terrible for me. I suppose I could have taken Durkwood Baloth or Dark Withering first, but Errant Ephemeron is just somuch better than those. With the second pick I could have tried to cut off Blue, but again Strangling Soot is so much better than Brine Elemental for me to do that. Then I got settled into Black with a few Blue cards, and a couple Red cards going into Planar Chaos. The Damnation was nice, but then as expected there no Blue or Black cards, so I took the Pyromancers planning on splashing Red. The Oros made me consider Red as a main color, but it would have ended up as too big a sacrifice, but I did keep the option open. Since I had so many discard outlets I was looking for Grave Scrabblers going into Future Sight, and took one over a Whip-Spine Drake, but I think the Bonded Fetch was more important to making my deck work than the other Scrabbler. I ended up with a deck that was decent, with some very good cards, but wasn’t great because it didn’t have a very good curve, and had a pretty bad manabase.
Round 1 I played Pro Tour Champion Farid Meraghni. Game 1 he had a fast draw, but it used up his entire hand. When I was about to recover I discovered that he drew four straight spells after emptying his hand. If any of them were lands then I’d have won. Game 2 his draw had a ton of removal, but no creatures. I took advantage of this by not playing my creatures until after I Haunting Hymned him, then I had Mystical Teachings to kill all of his creatures and eventually won with a couple dorks after he ran out of removal. Game 3 he didn’t draw a Swamp, and I was able Haunting Hymn away his hand again before playing anything of my own.
Round 2 I played against a very good Blue/White deck. I fell behind early, but was able to stabilise the board a couple times, but each time he drew out of it. First he drew Snapback to save his Riftmarked Knight and make another guy, and then he drew Spirit en-Dal to get through with his Ith. He kept using his Ith on my Errant Ephemeron, which would have allowed me to Assassinate Ith if I drew it, and shut down his offense, but it wasn’t in the cards. Game 2 I fell behind early again, but I was able to Haunting Hymn him, then Damnation. With a Soot in my graveyard to his no board and no hand, he drew Teferi to kill me the turn before I was going to kill him.
I was pretty frustrated after that loss, but looking at it now, there’s no way I should beat his deck.
Until tomorrow,
Rich
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!