This draft starts with one of the best mythics in the set. Should you hold on for dear life or let it go and draft something else?
Pack 1, Pick 2
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Unfortunately, this pack has nothing that jumps out for Gruul.
Gravel-Hide Goblin and Rampaging Rendhorn are cards that you almost always play in your Gruul decks, but I never want to second-pick a card this filler. I think it would be a mistake to take one of these cards solely for the purpose of playing Ravager Wurm. Either Rakdos Guildgate or Blade Juggler can go in the same deck as Ravager Wurm. Jund is a well-supported archetype in the format.
If you’re playing it safe and want to take the card with the most straightforward plan to go with Ravager Wurm that’s also powerful, you should take Blade Juggler. Blade Juggler is one of, if not, the best commons. However, I don’t think it’s the pick if you’re familiar with drafting decks built around Dovin’s Acuity.
Dovin’s Acuity is one of the best uncommons in the set. Call me crazy, but I stand by that. The format is slow enough where a card draw engine is valuable, and against the faster decks, the two life matters a lot. It’s not difficult to draft a deck with seven or more instants that work well on your main phase. That number may sound low, but these decks often include cards like Shimmer of Possibility and Clear the Mind to increase the density of instants to go along with Dovin’s Acuity. Furthermore, Dovin’s Acuity works well in the multi-color gate deck. So if the deck ends up as a base Simic multicolor deck, Ravager Wurm will still work out!
Another important note here is that there’s a Clear the Mind that will likely wheel, which is a crucial aspect of the Dovin’s Acuity deck!
Pack 1, Pick 3
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Based on the logic for my last pick, I’m happy to follow this up with a second copy of Dovin’s Acuity. Just like Rampaging Rendhorn and Gravel-Hide Goblin, Burning-Tree Vandal and Scorchmark aren’t good enough to justify taking and marrying the Ravager Wurm.
I do think you could make an argument for Summary Judgment. It’s arguably the most important card for Dovin’s Acuity decks. A two-mana interactive spell that works with Dovin’s Acuity is not common in this format. However, I would rather solidify the second copy of the build-around enchantment.
Pack 1, Pick 4
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
If I’m taking either Open the Gates or Azorius Guildgate, it would be the Guildgate. While a Simic Gates deck is ideal here, it’s also possible to end up a straight Azorius base, in which case the Guildgate is extremely important.
The Dovin’s Acuity decks often want counterspells but they’re easy to come by. If I’m taking an instant here, it would be Arrester’s Admonition, as it goes so well with both copies of Acuity.
Between Arrester’s Admonition and Azorius Guildgate, I think the pick is close and could go either way. This deck wants good mana, yet also needs ways to trigger Acuity. However, Arrester’s Admonition loses some potency because it can’t be used offensively, as these decks rarely have many creatures. I’d still take the Admonition, but it can go either way.
Last, does Faerie Duelist beat Admonition here? One of the things these decks can struggle with is a wide battlefield. Faerie Duelist helps keep afterlife in check. The problem with Faerie Duelist is that the highest upside on that card requires other creatures such that you can kill a bigger creature in combat. Given that these decks rarely have that sort of architecture, I don’t take Faerie Duelist as high as usual and would take Arrester’s Admonition.
Pack 1, Pick 5
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
I believe this pick is incredibly difficult. Gruul Guildgate keeps the dream of Ravager Wurm alive, Arrester’s Admonition pairs well with Dovin’s Acuity, and Orzhov Enforcer with multiple commons missing out of the pack is a very strong signal that black is open. Furthermore, Orzhov Enforcer is a fine splash in these kinds of decks because you don’t need to cast it early. Casting an Enforcer and Acuity on Turn 5 is great too!
The obvious pick is Arrester’s Admonition because I have drafted two copies of Dovin’s Acuity. However, I already drafted a copy of Arrester’s Admonition and, as I mentioned previously, this deck won’t play enough creatures to capitalize on the tempo swing of a bounce spell. It’s not objectively incorrect to take Arrester’s Admonition, but I don’t think I’d play three in my deck, so taking a second copy this early is a bit disheartening.
I took the Gruul Guildgate. I had no reason to believe that I couldn’t keep the dream of a Simic base deck with Dovin’s Acuity and Ravager Wurm alive. And Gruul Guildgate really helps along that axis. I’ve thought about this pick for the last week and am still very much unsure. Let me know if you have a strong opinion about what’s correct here and why!
This draft yielded the strongest Dovin’s Acuity deck I’ve had so far. It felt like I was playing a different format, where whatever my opponent did was irrelevant. It was at the end of my twelve-hour stream last week (you can watch the draft and matches here). If you want to slowly look at every pick, here’s the draft log. And, most importantly, you can see the beautiful deck below!
