Draft:
Pack 1:
Cloudchaser Kestrel, Drudge Reavers, Goblin Skycutter, Cancel, Penumbra Spider, Pentarch Ward, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Havenwood Wurm, Clockwork Hydra, Fledgling Mawcor, Return to Dust, Wheel of Fate, Swamp Mosquito
Pick: Clockwork Hydra
Pack 2:
Zealot il-Vec, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Tendrils of Corruption, Lightning Axe, Mogg War Marshal, Jhoira’s Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Subterranean Shambler, Cyclopean Giant, Celestial Crusader, Careful Consideration, Assembly-Worker, Wurmcalling
Pick: Lightning Axe
Pack 3:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Thallid Germinator, Terramorphic Expanse, Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug, Dreadship Reef, Chronatog Totem, Mangara of Corondor, Arena
Pick: Mangara of Corondor
Pack 4:
Aether Web, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Drudge Reavers, Goblin Skycutter, Drifter il-Dal, Havenwood Wurm, Sage of Epityr, Scryb Ranger, Aspect of Mongoose, Fungus Sliver, Fire Whip, Trickbind
Pick: Fire Whip
Pack 5:
Thallid Germinator, Zealot il-Vec, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Volcanic Awakening, Fungus Sliver, Might of Old Krosa
Pick: Flickering Spirit
Pack 6:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Screeching Sliver, Psychotic Episode, Jedit’s Dragoons, Sprout, Foriysian Interceptor, Fallen Ideal, Academy Ruins, Nicol Bolas
Pick: Cloudchaser Kestrel
Pack 7:
Ashcoat Bear, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Aetherflame Wall, Pit Keeper, Phyrexian Totem, Moonlace, Funeral Charm, Fungal Reaches
Pick: Aetherflame Wall
Pack 8:
Pentarch Ward, Thallid Germinator, Ghitu Firebreathing, Greenseeker, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Paradise Plume, Nether Traitor
Pick: Thallid Germinator
Pack 9:
Drudge Reavers, Pentarch Ward, Drifter il-Dal, Mindlash Sliver, Return to Dust, Wheel of Fate, Swamp Mosquito
Pick: Pentarch Ward
Pack 10:
Zealot il-Vec, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Jhoira’s Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Cyclopean Giant, Assembly-Worker
Pick: Zealot il-Vec
Pack 11:
Sage of Epityr, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug
Pick: Thallid Shell-Dweller
Pack 12:
Aether Web, Drifter il-Dal, Sage of Epityr, Aspect of Mongoose
Pick: Aether Web
Pack 13:
Chameleon Blur, Ghitu Firebreathing, Volcanic Awakening
Pick: Volcanic Awakening
Pack 14:
Foriysian Interceptor, Fallen Ideal
Pick: Foriysian Interceptor
Pack 15:
Pick: Sprout
Pack 16:
Tolarian Sentinel, Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Spinneret Sliver, Fortify, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, Venser’s Sliver, Chronatog Totem, Spirit Loop, Voidmage Husher, Pardic Dragon, Pandemonium
Pick: Pardic Dragon
Pack 17:
Grapeshot, Scarwood Treefolk, Slipstream Serpent, Gaze of Justice, Strangling Soot, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Fury Sliver, Smallpox, Premature Burial, Withered Wretch
Pick: Grapeshot
Pack 18:
Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Coral Trickster, Benalish Cavalry, Feebleness, Looter il-Kor, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Fungal Reaches, Conflagrate, Outrider en-Kor
Pick: Conflagrate
Pack 19:
Flamecore Elemental, Feebleness, Castle Raptors, Chromatic Star, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Molder, Children of Korlis, Brine Elemental, Primal Forcemage, Phantom Wurm, Jolrael, Empress of Beasts
Pick: Castle Raptors
Pack 20:
Spinneret Sliver, Spiketail Drakeling, Flamecore Elemental, Traitor’s Clutch, D’Avenant Healer, Glass Asp, Prismatic Lens, Ground Rift, Spirit Loop, Truth or Tale, Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore
Pick: Prismatic Lens
Pack 21:
Slipstream Serpent, Nantuko Shaman, Castle Raptors, Scarwood Treefolk, Ground Rift, Wormwood Dryad, Venser’s Sliver, Pendelhaven Elder, Quilled Sliver, Scragnoth
Pick: Castle Raptors
Pack 22:
Ivory Giant, Grapeshot, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Molder, Children of Korlis, Dread Return, Fool’s Demise, Gaea’s Liege
Pick: Grapeshot
Pack 23:
Nantuko Shaman, Benalish Cavalry, Clockspinning, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, D’Avenant Healer, Evil Eye of Urborg, Barbed Shocker
Pick: Benalish Cavalry
Pack 24:
Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Venser’s Sliver, Chronatog Totem, Spirit Loop, Voidmage Husher, Pandemonium
Pick: Pandemonium
Pack 25:
Scarwood Treefolk, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Smallpox
Pick: Sidewinder Sliver
Pack 26:
Eternity Snare, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Fungal Reaches, Outrider en-Kor
Pick: Outrider en-Kor
Pack 27:
Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Molder, Children of Korlis
Pick: Molder
Pack 28:
Traitor’s Clutch, Glass Asp, Ground Rift
Pick: Ground Rift
Pack 29:
Ground Rift, Pendelhaven Elder
Pick: Pendelhaven Elder
Pack 30:
Pick: Children of Korlis
Pack 31:
Cradle to Grave, Reflex Sliver, Dreamscape Artist, Poultice Sliver, Dead / Gone, Shade of Trokair, Fury Charm, Vitaspore Thallid, Sinew Sliver, Rathi Trapper, Simian Spirit Guide, Ana Battlemage, Darkheart Sliver, Blood Knight, Volcano Hellion
Pick: Dead / Gone
Pack 32:
Mire Boa, Dreamscape Artist, Aven Riftwatcher, Cradle to Grave, Reality Acid, Deadly Grub, Citanul Woodreaders, Brain Gorgers, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Sinew Sliver, Auramancer’s Guise, Rough / Tumble, Malach of the Dawn, Intet, the Dreamer
Pack 33:
Synchronous Sliver, Giant Dustwasp, Dawn Charm, Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Citanul Woodreaders, Revered Dead, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Brute Force, Necrotic Sliver, Stonecloaker, Serendib Sorcerer, Fatal Frenzy
Pick: Stonecloaker
Pack 34:
Reflex Sliver, Poultice Sliver, Veiling Oddity, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Wistful Thinking, Brute Force, Prodigal Pyromancer, Fa’adiyah Seer, Circle of Affliction, Deadwood Treefolk, Retether
Pick: Prodigal Pyromancer
Pack 35:
Synchronous Sliver, Dawn Charm, Spitting Sliver, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Shade of Trokair, Vitaspore Thallid, Piracy Charm, Revered Dead, Pouncing Wurm, Cautery Sliver
Pick: Shade of Trokair
Pack 36:
Midnight Charm, Saltfield Recluse, Synchronous Sliver, Ghost Tactician, Fury Charm, Evolution Charm, Bog Serpent, Skirk Shaman, Essence Warden, Rebuff the Wicked
Pick: Saltfield Recluse
Pack 37:
Whitemane Lion, Midnight Charm, Keldon Marauders, Dust Corona, Uktabi Drake, Melancholy, Timebender, Circle of Affliction, Mesa Enchantress
Pick: Whitemane Lion
Pack 38:
Ridged Kusite, Battering Sliver, Reflex Sliver, Deadly Grub, Firefright Mage, Blightspeaker, Fa’adiyah Seer, Psychotrope Thallid
Pick: Blightspeaker
Pack 39:
Cradle to Grave, Reflex Sliver, Dreamscape Artist, Poultice Sliver, Vitaspore Thallid, Sinew Sliver, Simian Spirit Guide
Pick: Sinew Sliver
Pack 40:
Aven Riftwatcher, Reality Acid, Deadly Grub, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Auramancer’s Guise, Malach of the Dawn
Pick: Malach of the Dawn
Pack 41:
Synchronous Sliver, Dawn Charm, Dash Hopes, Revered Dead, Merfolk Thaumaturgist
Pick: Revered Dead
Pack 42:
Reflex Sliver, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Wistful Thinking
Pick: Ghost Tactician
Pack 43:
Dawn Charm, Keldon Marauders, Revered Dead
Pick: Revered Dead
Pack 44:
Ghost Tactician, Essence Warden
Pick: Essence Warden
Pack 45:
Pick: Keldon Marauders
Final Decklist:
Maindeck:
1 Dead // Gone
1 Lightning Axe
1 Fire Whip
1 Benalish Cavalry
2 Grapeshot
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Rough // Tumble
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Aetherflame Wall
1 Cloudchaser Kestrel
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Outrider en-Kor
1 Prodigal Pyromancer
1 Saltfield Recluse
1 Stonecloaker
1 Malach of the Dawn
1 Shade of Trokair
2 Castle Raptors
1 Clockwork Hydra
1 Pardic Dragon
1 Conflagrate
8 Mountain
9 Plains
Sideboard:
1 Aether Web
1 Blightspeaker
1 Children of Korlis
1 Essence Warden
1 Flickering Spirit
1 Foriysian Interceptor
1 Ghost Tactician
1 Ground Rift
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Molder
1 Pandemonium
1 Pendelhaven Elder
1 Pentarch Ward
2 Revered Dead
1 Sidewinder Sliver
1 Sinew Sliver
1 Sprout
1 Thallid Germinator
1 Thallid Shell-Dweller
1 Volcanic Awakening
1 Zealot il-Vec
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since the last installment Drafting With Rich I’ve been to Geneva, Dallas, Indianapolis, Amsterdam, and am now finally home in Toronto… For just over a week before I head out again for Grand Prix not Boston. I took a break from Drafting With Rich for two reasons. First, I simply didn’t have time, and second, triple Time Spiral draft was getting pretty stale. Hopefully both of those things have now changed. After Boston I’ve got a relaxing month coming up with the next tournament in Yokohama in late May. And Planar Chaos is now available in 8 man drafts on Magic Online. For Geneva I was pretty confident in my ability to draft the format, having dominated the preparatory drafts in Toronto. I finished a very disappointing 59th in Geneva, and haven’t been very successful since then. So starting now I’m going to take a new approach. I will discard my current color preferences and simply draft the best cards and see where that leads me. So here we go…
Last week I definitely would have been Red/Green in this draft, but since I’m no longer ignoring White cards, I took Mangara early and stuck with White through some weak packs, being rewarded with a very late Outerider En-kor and Malach of the Dawn.
In round 1 I double mulliganed and he suspended Mindstab on turn 2. I was never in the game. Game 2 I kept a hand without a Plains, being frustrated about the mulligans from the last game. This game looked bad for a while since I never drew a Plains, but I was able to remove three of his creatures with a combination of Conflagrate and Grapeshot before he could get me too low. I was then able to cast two Castle Raptors and a Pardic Dragon off five Mountains and a Prismatic Lens. Game 3 he had a poor draw for a change and I was able to Conflagrate him out before he got into the game.
I had a pretty good draw for game 1 of round 2, but couldn’t beat his Penumbra Spider, Spectral Force, Firemaw Kavu draw. Game 2 he had the same draw minus the Penumbra Spider, and it was simply too slow, despite my being stuck on three Plains for most of the game. Game 3 he again had all three but this time I was able to Mangara the Spider, and outrace the Firemaw Kavu and Spectral Force. I won this game when I stacked damage, and returned my dying Kestrel with Stonecloak, then replayed it to destroy his Utopia Vow.
Until tomorrow,
Rich
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!