Draft:
Pack 1:
Chromatic Star Tolarian Sentinel Flowstone Channeler Trespasser il-Vec Spinneret Sliver Shadow Sliver Ophidian Eye Watcher Sliver Thrill of the Hunt Plunder Fury Sliver Harmonic Sliver Vampiric Sliver Squall Line Lightning Angel
Pick: Squall Line
Pack 2:
Ivory Giant Deathspore Thallid Flowstone Channeler Herd Gnarr Trespasser il-Vec Bogardan Rager Sangrophage D’Avenant Healer Wormwood Dryad Fallen Ideal Ignite Memories Phthisis Ixidron Spined Sliver
Pick: Phthisis
Pack 3:
Gorgon Recluse Herd Gnarr Fortify Coal Stoker Deathspore Thallid Eternity Snare Skulking Knight Sidewinder Sliver Mwonvuli Acid-Moss Viashino Bladescout Aspect of Mongoose Fungal Reaches Jolrael Empress of Beasts
Pick: Jolrael Empress of Beasts
Pack 4:
Errant Doomsayers Corpulent Corpse Viscerid Deepwalker Ironclaw Buzzardiers Subterranean Shambler Mindlash Sliver Havenwood Wurm Chameleon Blur Flickering Spirit Thunder Totem Dread Return Living End
Pick: Corpulent Corpse
Pack 5:
Bonesplitter Sliver Tendrils of Corruption Errant Doomsayers Subterranean Shambler Cyclopean Giant Screeching Sliver Psychotic Episode Premature Burial Fool’s Demise Ib Halfheart Goblin Tactician Funeral Charm
Pick: Tendrils of Corruption
Pack 6:
Drudge Reavers Goblin Skycutter Cancel Pentarch Ward Ghitu Firebreathing Bewilder Detainment Spell Psychotic Episode Faceless Devourer Magus of the Candelabra
Pick: Faceless Devourer
Pack 7:
Gaze of Justice Glass Asp Traitor’s Clutch Plunder Eternity Snare Truth or Tale Aspect of Mongoose Vampiric Sliver Resurrection
Pick: Vampiric Sliver
Pack 8:
Errant Doomsayers Ironclaw Buzzardiers Brass Gnat Savage Thallid Screeching Sliver Ancient Grudge Faceless Devourer Haunting Hymn
Pick: Haunting Hymn
Pack 9:
Shadow Sliver Ophidian Eye Watcher Sliver Thrill of the Hunt Plunder Fury Sliver Harmonic Sliver
Pick: Fury Sliver
Pack 10:
Flowstone Channeler Trespasser il-Vec Sangrophage D’Avenant Healer Fallen Ideal Ignite Memories
Pick: Trespasser il-Vec
Pack 11:
Eternity Snare Skulking Knight Mwonvuli Acid-Moss Aspect of Mongoose Fungal Reaches
Pick: Skulking Knight
Pack 12:
Ironclaw Buzzardiers Chameleon Blur Flickering Spirit Living End
Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers
Pack 13:
Cyclopean Giant Screeching Sliver Psychotic Episode
Pick: Psychotic Episode
Pack 14:
Pick: Bewilder
Pack 15:
Pick: Glass Asp
Pack 16:
Icatian Crier Dark Withering Goblin Skycutter Crookclaw Transmuter Strength in Numbers Zealot il-Vec Greenseeker Foriysian Interceptor Basal Sliver Drifter il-Dal Ghostflame Sliver Tromp the Domains Firewake Sliver Spike Tiller Unstable Mutation
Pick: Spike Tiller
Pack 17:
Amrou Scout Grapeshot Scarwood Treefolk Slipstream Serpent Gaze of Justice Mystical Teachings Two-Headed Sliver Clockspinning Sidewinder Sliver Yavimaya Dryad Plated Pegasus Phantom Wurm Triskelavus Orgg
Pick: Triskelavus
Pack 18:
Aether Web Amrou Seekers Temporal Eddy Mogg War Marshal Jedit’s Dragoons Sprout Foriysian Interceptor Aetherflame Wall Detainment Spell Phyrexian Totem Quilled Sliver Draining Whelk Arena
Pick: Phyrexian Totem
Pack 19:
Tolarian Sentinel Benalish Cavalry Orcish Cannonade Errant Ephemeron Ophidian Eye Children of Korlis Viscid Lemures Paradise Plume Dread Return Telekinetic Sliver Pandemonium Mountain
Pick: Errant Ephemeron
Pack 20:
Fortify Spiketail Drakeling Flamecore Elemental Coral Trickster Skulking Knight Brass Gnat Dream Stalker Aspect of Mongoose Skittering Monstrosity Opaline Sliver Squire
Pick: Skulking Knight
Pack 21:
Pentarch Ward Viscerid Deepwalker Ashcoat Bear Amrou Seekers Sage of Epityr Ghitu Firebreathing Celestial Crusader Truth or Tale Demonic Collusion *
Pick: Ashcoat Bear
Pack 22:
Aether Web Temporal Eddy Mogg War Marshal Brass Gnat Savage Thallid Screeching Sliver Ancient Grudge Spirit Loop Hypergenesis
Pick: Aether Web
Pack 23:
Ivory Giant Deathspore Thallid Molder Children of Korlis Sangrophage Conflagrate Paradise Plume Cockatrice
Pick: Cockatrice
Pack 24:
Icatian Crier Crookclaw Transmuter Zealot il-Vec Foriysian Interceptor Basal Sliver Drifter il-Dal Ghostflame Sliver
Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter
Pack 25:
Scarwood Treefolk Slipstream Serpent Gaze of Justice Mystical Teachings Clockspinning Plated Pegasus
Pick: Scarwood Treefolk
Pack 26:
Aether Web Mogg War Marshal Jedit’s Dragoons Foriysian Interceptor Detainment Spell
Pick: Mogg War Marshal
Pack 27:
Ophidian Eye Children of Korlis Viscid Lemures Mountain
Pick: Viscid Lemures
Pack 28:
Brass Gnat Dream Stalker Squire
Pick: Squire
Pack 29:
Pentarch Ward Ghitu Firebreathing
Pick: Pentarch Ward
Pack 30:
Pick: Brass Gnat
Pack 31:
Urborg Syphon-Mage Snapback Aether Web Lightning Axe Cloudchaser Kestrel Subterranean Shambler Mindlash Sliver Havenwood Wurm Chameleon Blur Thick-Skinned Goblin Sporesower Thallid Pull from Eternity Gemstone Caverns Stupor Forest
Pick: Sporesower Thallid
Pack 32:
Terramorphic Expanse Drudge Reavers Temporal Isolation Crookclaw Transmuter Empty the Warrens Strength in Numbers Bewilder Call to the Netherworld Cyclopean Giant Tromp the Domains Urza’s Factory Paradox Haze Weathered Bodyguards Darkness
Pick: Tromp the Domains
Pack 33:
Mindstab Gaze of Justice Durkwood Baloth Coral Trickster Ground Rift Dream Stalker Wormwood Dryad Venser’s Sliver Clockspinning Assembly-Worker Pendelhaven Elder Fledgling Mawcor Wall of Roots
Pick: Wall of Roots
Pack 34:
Tolarian Sentinel Benalish Cavalry Orcish Cannonade Brass Gnat Dream Stalker Watcher Sliver Blazing Blade Askari Dread Return Conflagrate Nightshade Assassin Gaea’s Blessing Swamp
Pick: Nightshade Assassin
Pack 35:
Cancel Empty the Warrens Icatian Crier Greenseeker Pit Keeper Divine Congregation Jhoira’s Timebug Chameleon Blur Sporesower Thallid Conflagrate Dodecapod
Pick: Sporesower Thallid
Pack 36:
Flamecore Elemental Viscid Lemures Mwonvuli Acid-Moss Two-Headed Sliver Blazing Blade Askari Paradise Plume Paradox Haze Dreadship Reef Magus of the Mirror Drudge Reavers
Pick: Magus of the Mirror
Pack 37:
Mana Skimmer Chromatic Star D’Avenant Healer Glass Asp Ground Rift Conflagrate Spirit Loop Saffi Eriksdotter Withered Wretch
Pick: Withered Wretch
Pack 38:
Terramorphic Expanse Drudge Reavers Empty the Warrens Strength in Numbers Foriysian Interceptor Basal Sliver Drifter il-Dal Unyaro Bees
Pick: Terramorphic Expanse
Pack 39:
Aether Web Cloudchaser Kestrel Mindlash Sliver Chameleon Blur Pull from Eternity Gemstone Caverns Forest
Pick: Gemstone Caverns
Pack 40:
Drudge Reavers Crookclaw Transmuter Bewilder Call to the Netherworld Cyclopean Giant Paradox Haze
Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter
Pack 41:
Gaze of Justice Ground Rift Wormwood Dryad Clockspinning Assembly-Worker
Pick: Wormwood Dryad
Pack 42:
Benalish Cavalry Brass Gnat Dream Stalker Swamp
Pick: Benalish Cavalry
Pack 43:
Divine Congregation Jhoira’s Timebug Chameleon Blur
Pick: Chameleon Blur
Pack 44:
Flamecore Elemental Paradox Haze
Pick: Flamecore Elemental
Pack 45:
Pick: Ground Rift
Final Decklist:
9 Forest
8 Swamp
1 Wall of Roots
1 Withered Wretch
1 Ashcoat Bear
1 Corpulent Corpse
1 Magus of the Mirror
1 Nightshade Assassin
1 Phthisis
1 Phyrexian Totem
1 Psychotic Episode
2 Skulking Knight
1 Spike Tiller
2 Sporesower Thallid
1 Squall Line
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Trespasser il-Vec
1 Triskelavus
1 Vampiric Sliver
1 Aether Web
1 Cockatrice
1 Jolrael Empress of Beasts
Sideboard
1 Squire
1 Benalish Cavalry
1 Bewilder
1 Brass Gnat
1 Chameleon Blur
2 Crookclaw Transmuter
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Faceless Devourer
1 Flamecore Elemental
1 Fury Sliver
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Glass Asp
1 Ground Rift
1 Haunting Hymn
1 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Pentarch Ward
1 Scarwood Treefolk
1 Tromp the Domains
1 Viscid Lemures
1 Wormwood Dryad
I do love a good catastrophe. In general Green / Black sucks but I don’t see much else I could have done during the first pack. I took the Phthisis second despite knowing Green / Black was bad because I wasn’t married to my first-pick Squall Line; there’s no reason to insist unconditionally upon playing your first pick obviously. For pick 16 despite not looking particularly good with the cards I had amassed I think Tromp was still a better choice than Spike Tiller. The second pack as a whole was quite strange. In hindsight I could have moved into Blue / Black but I had no way of knowing that at the time. I assumed the Whelk was a fluke out of a good pack and I had no reason to believe I’d get Blue in the third pack. The eighth pick Cockatrice confounded matters further. For pick 33 Durkwood Baloth is ridiculous and you should almost never pass it but my deck REALLY wanted a Wall of Roots. It was actually the perfect card at that juncture. And what was Benalish Cavalry still doing in the pack with four cards left? In the end my deck was subpar and the main reason for this was the colored mana issue.
In the first round I mulliganed the first game (a one-lander — not related to deck composition) while my opponent suspended a turn 1 Greater Gargadon. He eventually Tromped me out the turn before I could Squall Line him out. Key play replay: On turn 3 he attacked me with his Gemhide Sliver I had the Ashcoat Bear (not something I fault him or anyone for not playing around) and he failed to sacrifice the dying Sliver to his Gargadon. (He would also miss a Gargadon sacrifice in the next game.) Game 2 saw him suspend the Gargadon on turn 1 again. After many turns on my opponent’s turn I had six tapped lands a tapped Phyrexian Totem a tapped Skulking Knight and Sporesower and an untapped Triskelavus; he had four untapped mana sources a Two-Headed Sliver a Spinneret Sliver and the Gargadon suspended with five counters. I was at thirteen life and he was at seven so unless he killed my Triskelavus I was going to win. This is obviously when MTGO crashed. After ten minutes it still hadn’t come back up and Cedric had woken up so I simply left to take him home. I checked my rating when I got back to see if I got a refund or a match loss; naturally it was the latter but that was pretty much what I expected.
I’m not going to pretend I don’t make mistakes. I make many that cost me matches (which are painful) and many that are completely irrelevant (which are embarrassing if I win in spite of them). My griping about mulliganing and losing to beautiful draws on my opponent’s part serves to plant the seed of doubt about whether my decks were outright bad these past few days. Maybe they were and maybe they weren’t but I don’t think the results were conclusive. I’d like to know what everyone thinks (especially any “professionals” who are reading) in the forums.
Until next time
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!