This is the last Pimp My Draft before Pro Tour: Yokohama. I have to say that I don’t think I’m ready for the upcoming event. I do know the decks, but have no clue which one to play. In the few hours separating me from the first round, I hope some kind of illumination hits me, and that I’ll manage to pull out a couple of wins! But don’t worry about me, I’m feeling confident about it. For some Constructed action, stay tuned next week!
I realized that writing interesting draft reviews is a lot harder than I expected. Out of all the drafts I played, only a couple of them were actually worth talking about. This week I have drafted with “iceageforlife.” I am aware the draft we did together may not bring enough satisfaction to the reader, and that’s why I decided to include one of the drafts I played later on my own. That one has a lot of interesting choices and was one of the most demanding I’ve played in a while.
Here we go!
Draft:
Pack 1:
Icatian Crier, Bonesplitter Sliver, Tendrils of Corruption, Think Twice, Penumbra Spider, Errant Doomsayers, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug, Celestial Crusader, *, Sporesower Thallid, Scion of the Ur-Dragon, The Rack
Pick: Tendrils of Corruption
Iceageforlife: Sporesower Thallid and Tendrils of Corruption were the best cards, while Tendrils is easier to use.
Raph: Sporesower Thallid
Tendrils of Corruption is a very good card in the right deck. I disagree with the fact that it’s easier to use than Sporesower Thallid. Tendrils requires plenty of Black to be efficient, while Sporesower Thallid will always be good if you run Forests. With the Green guy as your first pick, you will want to pick Thallid Germinators over other playable cards in your colors to make the Sporesower even better.
Pack 2:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Thallid Germinator, Terramorphic Expanse, Snapback, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Havenwood Wurm, *, *, Basalt Gargoyle, Harmonic Sliver, Academy Ruins
Pick: Urborg Syphon-Mage
Iceageforlife: Syphon-Mage and Basalt Gargoyle are the cards I like the most. Gargoyle isn’t very good. Syphon-Mage can be good.
Raph: Urborg Syphon-Mage
The pack isn’t offering much. With a first pick Sporesower, I would have taken the Germinator. But with a first pick Tendrils, Syphon-Mage is the pick. Basalt Gargoyle is not a card I like at all, and if there hadn’t been any Black card in this pack, I would have gone for the Snapback. The only Blue card in the pack, a cheap trick… that would have been the pick.
Pack 3:
Pentarch Ward, Bonesplitter Sliver, Dark Withering, Viscerid Deepwalker, Ashcoat Bear, Flickering Spirit, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Ghostflame Sliver, Skittering Monstrosity, *, Dragonstorm
Pick: Dark Withering
Iceageforlife: Dark Withering… a clear pick after the first two picks.
Raph: No doubt about it.
Pack 4:
Mogg War Marshal, Terramorphic Expanse, Drudge Reavers, Crookclaw Transmuter, Drifter il-Dal, Havenwood Wurm, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Might of Old Krosa, Fury Sliver, Weathered Bodyguards
Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter
Iceageforlife: Terramorphic Expanse
Raph: Crookclaw Transmuter
Had one of our first picks been a Strangling Soot, I would have considered the Expanse. We haven’t had a signal telling us that Blue is cut, so we might as well grab a few Blue playables just in case we go U/B. Except for these two cards, there’s nothing you really want to take.
Pack 5:
Tendrils of Corruption, Mogg War Marshal, Think Twice, Ashcoat Bear, Ancient Grudge, Greenseeker, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver
Pick: Tendrils of Corruption
Pack 6:
Corpulent Corpse, Cancel, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Pit Keeper, Sage of Epityr, Plated Pegasus, Norin the Wary
Pick: Corpulent Corpse
Pack 7:
Aether Web, Assassinate, Temporal Eddy, Jedit’s Dragoons, Savage Thallid, Ancient Grudge, Flickering Spirit, Call to the Netherworld, Quilled Sliver
Pick: Assassinate
Pack 8:
Assassinate, Zealot il-Vec, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Screeching Sliver, Plated Pegasus
Pick: Assassinate
From pack 5 to pack 8, there’s no real questions to answer. The Black is clearly open, and we just take the best card in each pack.
Pack 9:
Icatian Crier, Think Twice, Divine Congregation, Mindlash Sliver, Jhoira’s Timebug, Faceless Devourer, Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Pick: Think Twice
Iceageforlife : Faceless Devourer. I think I like this guy too much, and Blue does not seem open.
Raph: Think Twice
We haven’t seen much Blue so far. In fact, except for Black, we haven’t seen anything else. I don’t like Faceless Devourer at all. Passing it will not have any influence on our left neighbor, as we haven’t passed any Black so far. Instead of drafting a mediocre Black card, we’re picking a good Blue card that would fit the deck if we’re passed good Blue in pack 2.
There’s a concept I haven’t talked much about, and that you don’t hear much about anywhere. I guess we can call it “double cut.” When you know, or suspect, that your right neighbor in on a particular color, but you want some of it too, you take the cards left in this color from the packs so your left neighbour won’t see any of them. This way, you use the “cutting” work of your right neighbor to your advantage. This only works if you’re the last one doing that, meaning that if your left neighbour had the same idea (or is very stubborn) it won’t work at all. If you want to fight for a color, bear in mind that fighting for it with your right neighbor is usually a bad idea. You should only consider this strategy when you’re strong in a color and sure the second color you’re in will end up being a support color only.
I’m simply introducing the concept for later. This is “almost” what’s happening here. You haven’t passed any Blue, you’ve picked seven Black cards out of eight picks, and you haven’t passed any Black. You’re very strong in Black and you’ve left youself open to any other color. So why not Blue?
Plus, as we’ll see with the Skittering Horror pick 11, and the two playable Black cards in pack 12, you’re probably the only Black drafter at the table.
Pack 10:
Drifter il-Dal, Mindlash Sliver, Chameleon Blur, Faceless Devourer, Harmonic Sliver, Academy Ruins
Pick: Faceless Devourer
Pack 11:
Pentarch Ward, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Skittering Monstrosity
Pick: Skittering Monstrosity
Pack 12:
Drudge Reavers, Drifter il-Dal, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr
Pick: Drudge Reavers
Iceageforlife: Basal Sliver. I dont like Drudge Reavers. This goes double in removal heavy decks: a Sliver I wouldn’t main deck, but decent out of the board.
Raph: Drudge Reavers is one card you don’t really like to play in most decks, but in heavy removal decks, such as mono Black, it buys you a lot of time in the mid-game, and is a fine way to deal some damage.
Pack 13:
Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Paradox Haze
Pick: Basal Sliver
Pack 14:
Pick: Psychotic Episode
Pack 15:
Pick: Call to the Netherworld
Pack 16:
Gaze of Justice, Strangling Soot, Fathom Seer, Flamecore Elemental, Gemhide Sliver, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, *, Locket of Yesterdays, Foriysian Totem, Saffi Eriksdotter, Conspiracy
Pick: Strangling Soot
Pack 17:
Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, Benalish Cavalry, Sangrophage, Viashino Bladescout, Mystical Teachings, Thrill of the Hunt, Shadow Sliver, Firewake Sliver, Fury Sliver, Phantom Wurm, Triskelavus, Pirate Ship, Glass Asp
Pick: Triskelavus
Pack 18:
Chromatic Star, Gorgon Recluse, Herd Gnarr, Fortify, Coal Stoker, Eternity Snare, Molder, Venser’s Sliver, Children of Korlis, Haunting Hymn, Paradise Plume, Phthisis, Vesuva
Pick: Phthisis
Pack 19:
Strangling Soot, Mindstab, Gaze of Justice, Bogardan Rager, Traitor’s Clutch, D’Avenant Healer, Pull from Eternity, Aspect of Mongoose, Dreadship Reef, *, Moorish Cavalry, Forest
Pick: Strangling Soot
Pack 20:
Feebleness, Castle Raptors, Chromatic Star, Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Venser’s Sliver, Clockspinning, Sangrophage, Dread Return, Paradox Haze, Nightshade Assassin
Pick: Nightshade Assassin
Pack 21:
Keldon Halberdier, Mana Skimmer, Watcher Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Glass Asp, Traitor’s Clutch, Plunder, Paradox Haze, Yavimaya Dryad
Pick: Mana Skimmer
Iceageforlife: Mana Skimmer. Looking back, Halberdier would have gotten played, and it’s a stronger card overall.
Raph: At this pace, we’ll only be playing four Mountains at most. Halberdier wouldn’t have been played.
Picks 16-22:
I don’t think any of the picks need an explanation. You’ve drafted almost mono Black cards, and you’ve taken two Strangling Soots. At this point, you have forgotten about the plan to go Blue, and you will want to play a few Mountains in your deck. So you’ll keep an eye open for Red cards from now on.
Pack 22:
Trespasser il-Vec, Scarwood Treefolk, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Molder, Smallpox, Opaline Sliver
Pick: Trespasser il-Vec
Pack 23:
Flowstone Channeler, Ground Rift, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Assembly-Worker, Vampiric Sliver, Thallid
Pick: Flowstone Channeler
Iceageforlife: Vampiric Sliver. The only Red so far is for Soot flashback, and a 3/3 is bigger than a 2/2. I also like other Black slivers, as there’s not a lot of “splash damage” in helping other sliver decks with those.
Raph: The reason why I wanted the Channeler was that we won’t get any more Madness enablers. I like the fact that it can kill critters, helping save your removal for more important threats. The Red mana in the cost will not be a problem either. The Sliver sure is nice, but I believe the Channeler is better.
Pack 24:
Gaze of Justice, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Ground Rift, Wormwood Dryad, Locket of Yesterdays, Conspiracy
Pick: Viscid Lemures
Pack 25:
Sangrophage, Mystical Teachings, Thrill of the Hunt, Shadow Sliver, Firewake Sliver, Glass Asp
Pick: Thrill of the Hunt
Pack 26:
Gorgon Recluse, Eternity Snare, Children of Korlis, Haunting Hymn, Paradise Plume
Pick: Gorgon Recluse
Pack 27:
Traitor’s Clutch, Pull from Eternity, Aspect of Mongoose, Forest
Pick: Pull from Eternity
Pack 28:
Clockspinning, Sangrophage, Paradox Haze
Pick: Clockspinning
Pack 29:
Traitor’s Clutch, Paradox Haze
Pick: Traitor’s Clutch
Pack 30:
Pick: Smallpox
As we end pack 2, the Gorgon over Haunting Hymn is the only arguable pick. I’m a huge fan of the Gorgon. We’ll have enough spells, and we may be missing creatures to hold the ground.
The last pick Smallpox is a nice gift too.
Pack 31:
Erratic Mutation, Midnight Charm, Needlepeak Spider, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Wistful Thinking, Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Sinew Sliver, Rathi Trapper, Simian Spirit Guide, Enslave, Hammerheim Deadeye, Serendib Sorcerer, Fungal Behemoth
Pick: Enslave
Iceageforlife: Enslave almost makes up for the disappointment of Planar Chaos Black.
Raph: We couldn’t open a better card
Pack 32:
Needlepeak Spider, Poultice Sliver, Giant Dustwasp, Dreamscape Artist, Ghost Tactician, Firefright Mage, Wistful Thinking, Revered Dead, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Brute Force, Saltblast, Muck Drubb, Dunerider Outlaw, Vorosh, the Hunter
Pick: Dunerider Outlaw
Iceageforlife: Muck Drubb. A 3/3 body is nice, and the deck had plenty of madness outlets.
Raph: Dunerider Outlaw
We don’t have that many madness outlets, and even then, the Outlaw is better in our deck. This guy is underrated, especially in a deck with tons of removal, as he can do the job all by himself.
Pack 33:
Cradle to Grave, Stingscourger, Synchronous Sliver, Utopia Vow, Fury Charm, Wistful Thinking, Citanul Woodreaders, Vampiric Link, Gossamer Phantasm, Prodigal Pyromancer, *, *, Shrouded Lore
Pick: Stingscourger
Iceageforlife: Stingscourger. I think this was a bad call on our part. The deck can remove creatures already, and I lost a game in the first round becuase of it… if the Stingscourger I drew was a Pyromancer, it would have been easy win.
Raph: I agree that this was the wrong pick. For the same reason I took the Channeler over the Vampiric Sliver, we should have taken the Pyromancer.
Pack 34:
Veiling Oddity, Ridged Kusite, Saltfield Recluse, Vitaspore Thallid, Dash Hopes, Aquamorph Entity, Uktabi Drake, Fa’adiyah Seer, Aether Membrane, Kavu Predator, Mesa Enchantress, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Kavu Predator
Iceageforlife: Nothing getting played out of this pack. I would have rare drafted Enchantress, not thinking to hate the Kavu with our double Tendrils…
Pack 35:
Ridged Kusite, Dawn Charm, Keldon Marauders, Dash Hopes, Shade of Trokair, Vitaspore Thallid, Brain Gorgers, Melancholy, Seal of Primordium, Tidewalker, Hedge Troll
Pick: Hedge Troll
Iceageforlife: I agree with the Hedge Troll
Raph: The Troll would have been a real pain against us… I don’t really want to play Melancholy.
Pack 36:
Veiling Oddity, Midnight Charm, Dust Corona, Blightspeaker, Aquamorph Entity, Bog Serpent, Skirk Shaman, Essence Warden, Riftmarked Knight, Riptide Pilferer
Pick: Blightspeaker
Pack 37:
Pallid Mycoderm, Brain Gorgers, Dust Corona, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Vampiric Link, Venarian Glimmer, Treacherous Urge, Imp’s Mischief, Tidewalker
Pick: Imp’s Mischief
Iceageforlife: Imp’s Mischief over Urge, as this deck has a lot of tricks and a lot of removal.
Raph: I don’t think we’d play any of the two cards. And I don’t really want to play around Imp’s Misschief, even though we’re probably the only Black drafter.
Pack 38:
Spitting Sliver, Pallid Mycoderm, Keldon Marauders, Piracy Charm, Fa’adiyah Seer, Sophic Centaur, Dormant Sliver, Serendib Sorcerer
Pick: Serendib Sorcerer
Pack 39:
Midnight Charm, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Wistful Thinking, Dash Hopes, Reality Acid, Simian Spirit Guide
Pick: Midnight Charm
Iceageforlife: I agree with the pick as our draft stood. If the Vampiric Sliver had been picked up before, I might have gone with Spitting Sliver.
Raph: I agree… but we’re not playing the Sliver here anyway…
Pack 40:
Poultice Sliver, Ghost Tactician, Firefright Mage, Wistful Thinking, Revered Dead, Merfolk Thaumaturgist
Pick: Poultice Sliver
Pack 41:
Synchronous Sliver, Wistful Thinking, Vampiric Link, Gossamer Phantasm, Shrouded Lore
Pick: Shrouded Lore
Pack 42:
Ridged Kusite, Dash Hopes, Fa’adiyah Seer, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Ridged Kusite
Pack 43:
Ridged Kusite, Dash Hopes, Tidewalker
Pick: Ridged Kusite
Pack 44:
Pick: Bog Serpent
Pack 45:
Pick: Venarian Glimmer
The first picks put us in mono Black, and we ended up being the only Black drafter at the table. With more than thirty playables drafted, we sure had a few choices during deck construction:
Deck submitted by Iceageforlife:
Shrouded Lore
Corpulent Corpse
Imp’s Mischief
Blightspeaker
Durerider Outlaw
Stingscourger
Assassinate
2 Stangling Soot
Faceless Devourer
Flowstone Channeler
Trespasser Il-Vec
Urborg Syphon-Mage
2 Tendrils of Corruption
Mana Skimmer
Gorgon Recluse
Skittering Monstrosity
Dark Withering
Enslave
Phthisis
Triskelavus
Left in the sideboard, that I would consider:
Smallpox, Call to the Netherworld, Midnight Charm, Assassinate, Drudge Reavers
There are a couple of cards I don’t like in his deck:
Blightspeaker, Faceless Devourer, and Imp’s Mischief.
Blightspeaker isn’t exaclty exciting with only one other rebel, and I already said what I thought about the Devourer and Imp’s Mischief.
I would take out those three, for Drudge Reavers and Midnight Charm for sure. The last would either be Assassinate or Smallpox. With only twelve creatures and not many early drops, and without a Rathi Trapper to be able to kill a creature right away with Assassinate, it seems that Smallpox is superior here.
We won the first round against a R/G deck, starring Pardic Dragon and Jedit Ojanen of Efrava. He didn’t have many ways to get card advantage, and couldn’t really deal any damage once his guys were dead (or when Jedit chose to fight on our side). We lost in the semis to what seemed to be a mediocre W/U/g deck. Memory Blink was a real problem in game 1, as we couldn’t draw enough removal to take care of the threats, and couldn’t block his Amrou Seekers. In game 2, we were facing four creatures that got a huge boost thanks to Tromp the Domains.
This was a fine experience, but I’m sure you guys want something more for your money. Maybe that one was good enough, but as I’m more and more concerned about the relevancy of my stuff, and as I promised earlier, here is the report of a draft I played on my own. Lots of interesting decisions involved:
Draft:
Pack 1:
Ashcoat Bear, Amrou Seekers, Search for Tomorrow, Corpulent Corpse, Cancel, Momentary Blink, Greenseeker, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Jhoira’s Timebug, Basalt Gargoyle, Celestial Crusader, Harmonic Sliver, Greater Gargadon, Stormscape Familiar
Pick: Greater Gargadon
What is there to say about this pack? There are many viable choices. I wouldn’t be surprised with a first pick Corpulent Corpse if you’re a Black fanatic, or Momentary Blink or Celestial Crusader if you’ve been succesful with white weenie. I feel that the Gargadon is the best card – personal choice.
Pack 2:
Empty the Warrens, Strength in Numbers, Errant Doomsayers, Corpulent Corpse, Viscerid Deepwalker, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Screeching Sliver, Momentary Blink, Telekinetic Sliver, Knight of the Holy Nimbus, Gaea’s Blessing, Tectonic Fiend
Pick: Viscerid Deepwalker
This is another pack in which many options are viable, and this is what makes the drafts hard. It’s tough to send signals in the first couple of packs, and almost impossible to understand them. So you basically have to follow your intuition. In this pack there are at least five picks that could make sense. Corpulent Corpse sounds fine, as people seem to hate Black these days. Momentary Blink is probably the best card in the pack. Empty the Warrens would work fine, and it’s in the same color as the first pick. Strength in Numbers sounds great in a R/G deck with the Gargadon. However, I believe I like U/R best and therefore I went for the Deepwalker.
Pack 3:
Snapback, Rift Bolt, Pentarch Ward, Dark Withering, Viscerid Deepwalker, Havenwood Wurm, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Outrider en-Kor, *, Demonic Collusion, Tribal Flames
Pick: Rift Bolt
Another saucy pack. Rift Bolt is by far the best card in the pack, but we’re passing Tribal Flames, Dark Withering, Snapback, Outrider en-Kor, and Viscerid Deepwalker. What can we say about the draft so far? Blue, Red, and Black seems open, but that would mean my right neighbor is White/Green. Or maybe the packs were really juicy. The only thing we know is that Red is the most likely to be open.
Pack 4:
Temporal Eddy, Tendrils of Corruption, Mogg War Marshal, Temporal Isolation, Think Twice, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug, Jedit’s Dragoons, Careful Consideration, Thunder Totem, Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII
Pick: Careful Consideration
Careful Consideration, Tendrils of Corruption, and Temporal Isolation in the 4th pack. That’s interesting. The pick for us is obvious, as it follows the first plan of going U/R.
Pack 5:
Urborg Syphon-Mage, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Thallid Germinator, Savage Thallid, Ancient Grudge, Flickering Spirit, Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Vampiric Sliver, Chronatog Totem
Pick: Thallid Germinator
This is where it becomes confusing. No Red, no Blue, but decent cards in Black, White, and Green. Picking Black now sounds like the worst idea. There are not so many picks from the right remaining, and as you passed all the good Black you can’t expect it to be too good in the second pack. It’s about the same analysis for white, as you passed Celestial Crusader and double Blink. So you’re left with Germinator. Is there a chance the first four packs didn’t contain any Green cards at all? Or just better Green cards? But if you’re cut in both Blue and Red, then you would be left with Green in the third pack, and with either Blue or Red in the second pack.
Pack 6:
Temporal Eddy, Mogg War Marshal, Terramorphic Expanse, Drudge Reavers, Detainment Spell, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Voidmage Husher, Gustcloak Cavalier
Pick: Mogg War Marshal
This or Shell-Dweller. I like both, but the War Marshal works better with the Gargadon. Plus it sends the “give up on Red” signal
Pack 7:
Errant Doomsayers, Aether Web, Psychotic Episode, Jedit’s Dragoons, Sprout, Foriysian Interceptor, Phantom Wurm, Yavimaya Dryad, Undead Warchief
Pick: Phantom Wurm
Phantom Wurm and Yavimaya Dryad both in pack 7. That may mean something. In fact, with the packs containing no Blue or Red cards again, I’m even more sure that I won’t see much of these that way. It’s probably time to consider Green more seriously. I like Phantom Wurm better than the Dryad in this case. You don’t know how much Green you’re going to have, and it’s more likely that you get double Green in the late game if you’re not running more than eight Forests.
Pack 8:
Empty the Warrens, Icatian Crier, Penumbra Spider, Chameleon Blur, Subterranean Shambler, Cyclopean Giant, Screeching Sliver, Pull from Eternity
Pick: Penumbra Spider
Empty the Warrens or Penumbra Spider? The deck so far doesn’t take much advantage of the Warrens, but it might be good with the Gargadon… that’s not enough. The Spider definitely proves that Green is open. By picking the Spider now, you cut the color for good from your left neighbors.
Pack 9:
Ashcoat Bear, Search for Tomorrow, Greenseeker, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Jhoira’s Timebug, Harmonic Sliver
Pick: Search for Tomorrow
All four Green cards we opened are still in the pack. There’s no doubt left… Green is very open.
Pack 10:
Strength in Numbers, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Tectonic Fiend, Gaea’s Blessing
Pick: Strength in Numbers
Pack 11:
Havenwood Wurm, Basal Sliver, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Demonic Collusion
Pick: Havenwood Wurm
Pack 12:
Mogg War Marshal, Mindlash Sliver, Thallid Shell-Dweller, Jhoira’s Timebug
Pick: Thallid Shell-Dweller
The Mogg could have been a fine pick too. I’m just not sure how many I would have played. Picking the Thallid also strenghtens the “no Green for you, sir” signal.
Pack 13:
Savage Thallid, Call to the Netherworld, Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Pick: Savage Thallid
Pack 14:
Detainment Spell, Call to the Netherworld
Pick: Call to the Netherworld
Pack 15:
Pick: Sprout
The first pack went quite strangely. After not seeing Green cards for the first four packs, we realize that we’re the only Green drafter at the table (very likely). We’ll have to decide early in the third pack which color should support Green. With only two Blue cards, and Rift Bolt and Gargadon in Red, we’ll probably go for Green’s natural ally.
Pack 16:
Keldon Halberdier, Mana Skimmer, Durkwood Baloth, Fathom Seer, Chromatic Star, Traitor’s Clutch, D’Avenant Healer, Glass Asp, Prismatic Lens, Ground Rift, Barbed Shocker, *, Foriysian Totem, Sudden Spoiling, Sacred Mesa
Pick: Durkwood Baloth
Another stuffed pack, but no real choice for us. We are sure we’re going to run Green, so picking the Seer seems wrong if we end up leaving Islands in the sideboard.
Pack 17:
Coral Trickster, Benalish Cavalry, Feebleness, Looter il-Kor, Spinneret Sliver, Keldon Halberdier, Glass Asp, Traitor’s Clutch, Plunder, Eternity Snare, Barbed Shocker, Chronatog Totem, Nightshade Assassin
Pick: Keldon Halberdier
I guess I decided to go Red for good at that point. I could have gone for the Looter, but it’s time to choose my colors. By giving up Blue, I only abandon two cards.
Pack 18:
Grapeshot, Mindstab, Slipstream Serpent, Nantuko Shaman, Molder, Venser’s Sliver, Children of Korlis, Sangrophage, Viashino Bladescout, *, Truth or Tale, Careful Consideration, Sprite Noble
Pick: Grapeshot
The best pick for Red/Green here.
Pack 19:
Looter il-Kor, Gorgon Recluse, Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Fungal Reaches, Krosan Grip
Pick: Coal Stoker
If only I had known that much Blue would be open in pack 2! My right neighbors worked fine on cutting it from me, and that’s their reward.
Pack 20:
Chromatic Star, Tolarian Sentinel, Flowstone Channeler, Spinneret Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Thrill of the Hunt, Plunder, Primal Forcemage, Volcanic Awakening, The Rack, Spike Tiller
Pick: Primal Forcemage
Both Spiker Tiller and Primal Forcemage are good Green cards. Spike Tiller is probably better, and may have been the right pick here. However, I like the Forcemage’s potential with Planar Chaos. Being the only Green mage, I can expect Dustwasps and Uktabi Drakes. With Halberdiers and Baloth (and Gargadon), he can do quite a good job. Some may call it absurd, I think it’s a very fine pick.
Pack 21:
Flamecore Elemental, Feebleness, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Smallpox, Return to Dust, Weatherseed Totem
Pick: Weatherseed Totem
Any questions?
Pack 22:
Flamecore Elemental, Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Skulking Knight, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Watcher Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Spirit Loop
Pick: Nantuko Shaman
This might work fine with the Forcemage too.
Pack 23:
Scarwood Treefolk, Thrill of the Hunt, Shadow Sliver, Bogardan Rager, Locket of Yesterdays, Evil Eye of Urborg, Thelon of Havenwood, Whirling Dervish
Pick: Thelon of Havenwood
No White to flashback Thrill, so Thelon is the pick. Whirling Dervish is significantly inferior to Dunerider Outlaw. In a deck with only a couple of removal spells, this guy is quite the nut low.
Pack 24:
Mana Skimmer, Chromatic Star, Traitor’s Clutch, Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Barbed Shocker, Stormcloud Djinn
Pick: Chromatic Star
This could work fine with the Gargadon, and if we open Intet. We don’t have enough fixers to support the Djinn as a splash either.
Pack 25:
Coral Trickster, Glass Asp, Traitor’s Clutch, Plunder, Eternity Snare, Chronatog Totem
Pick: Coral Trickster
Such hate drafts.
Pack 26:
Molder, Venser’s Sliver, Sangrophage, Viashino Bladescout, Durkwood Tracker
Pick: Molder
Just in case.
Pack 27:
Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Leviathan
Pick: Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
We could bring it in.
Pack 28:
Flowstone Channeler, Plunder, Volcanic Awakening
Pick: Flowstone Channeler
A nice gift.
Pack 29:
Pick: Viscid Lemures
Pack 30:
Pick: Brass Gnat
So Red/Green it is. As planned, Green was abundant. The third pack should provide us with Green too…
Pack 31:
Utopia Vow, Spitting Sliver, Aven Riftwatcher, Reality Acid, Blightspeaker, Evolution Charm, Fury Charm, Seal of Primordium, Essence Warden, Brute Force, Big Game Hunter, Timecrafting, Riptide Pilferer, Voidstone Gargoyle, Frozen Aether
Pick: Brute Force
Brute Force over random Green cards. It’s very likely that if you want any of these, you will wheel them.
Pack 32:
Dreamscape Artist, Ridged Kusite, Dawn Charm, Cradle to Grave, Reality Acid, Citanul Woodreaders, Pallid Mycoderm, Simian Spirit Guide, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Healing Leaves, Rebuff the Wicked, Auramancer’s Guise, Serendib Sorcerer
Pick: Citanul Woodreaders
The only card you will play…
Pack 33:
Poultice Sliver, Giant Dustwasp, Brain Gorgers, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Wistful Thinking, Sunlance, Mana Tithe, Prodigal Pyromancer, Pouncing Wurm, *, Fungal Behemoth, Ana Battlemage
Pick: Giant Dustwasp
The choice comes down to Pouncing Wurm, Prodigal Pyromancer, and Giant Dustwasp. I believe the Dustwasp is strictly better than the Pouncing wurm, and I don’t think I would ever pick the Wurm over the Wasp. However, the Wasp/Pyromancer is a closer call. The Wasp fits in a Red/Green tempo deck. It also makes the Forcemage more efficient. The Pyromancer would fit a Red/Green control better (a deck with more removal).
Pack 34:
Whitemane Lion, Midnight Charm, Needlepeak Spider, Deadly Grub, Dust Corona, Simian Spirit Guide, Sinew Sliver, Gossamer Phantasm, Rebuff the Wicked, Necrotic Sliver, Mycologist, Deadwood Treefolk
Pick: Deadwood Treefolk
Questions?
Pack 35:
Battering Sliver, Whitemane Lion, Mire Boa, Firefright Mage, Ghost Tactician, Fury Charm, Evolution Charm, Skirk Shaman, Healing Leaves, Revered Dead
Pick: Mire Boa
One of the best cards in Red/Green.
Pack 36:
Utopia Vow, Ridged Kusite, Needlepeak Spider, Reality Acid, Deadly Grub, Rathi Trapper, Fa’adiyah Seer, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Tidewalker
Pick: Utopia Vow
Might be fine against Corpulent Corpses, or big flyers that you can’t really deal with.
Pack 37:
Giant Dustwasp, Dawn Charm, Fury Charm, Citanul Woodreaders, Firefright Mage, Pallid Mycoderm, Essence Warden, Bog Serpent
Pick: Giant Dustwasp
Much better than the Woodreaders in a tempo deck.
Pack 38:
Midnight Charm, Vitaspore Thallid, Deadly Grub, Mana Tithe, Vampiric Link, Hunting Wilds, Timebender, Braids, Conjurer Adept
Pick: Hunting Wilds
The mana is usually an issue in “tempo decks.” You need seventeen lands, so you can cast all your spells from one to six mana. You want to reach the sixth land before turn 9, but you hate to draw too many. Hunting Wilds helps in both cases. You can reach six lands earlier and can use the excess of lands efficiently in the late game.
Pack 39:
Spitting Sliver, Blightspeaker, Evolution Charm, Fury Charm, Seal of Primordium, Essence Warden, Timecrafting
Pick: Fury Charm
While thus far we have a fine deck, we do lack spells. Fury Charm might be a very decent trick in a deck with five suspend spells (with more than three time counters on them), and also for the +1/+1 aspect.
Pack 40:
Ridged Kusite, Dawn Charm, Simian Spirit Guide, Healing Leaves, Auramancer’s Guise, Heroes Remembered
Pick: Dawn Charm
… Or Healing Salve? Not sure we’ll play the Leaves anyway…
Pack 41:
Poultice Sliver, Brain Gorgers, Keldon Marauders, Ghost Tactician, Fungal Behemoth
Pick: Fungal Behemoth
If I had a Jhoira’s Timebug, I would have tried this guy…
Pack 42:
Midnight Charm, Deadly Grub, Dust Corona, Simian Spirit Guide
Pick: Midnight Charm
Pack 43:
Firefright Mage, Ghost Tactician, Healing Leaves
Pick: Healing Leaves
Pack 44:
Pick: Fa’adiyah Seer
Pack 45:
Pick: Firefright Mage
We end up with more than thirty playables. There are many ways this draft could have gone, but I’m satisfied with what we have here:
Grapeshot
Rift Bolt
Fury Charm
Brute Force
Flowstone Channeler
Greater Gargadon
Keldon Halberdier
Mogg War Marshal
Hunting Wilds
Search for Tomorrow
Strength in Numbers
Citanul Woodreaders
Deadwood Treefolk
Durkwook Baloth
2 Giant Dustwasp
Havenwood Wurm
Mire Boa
Nantuko Shaman
Penumbra Spider
Phantom Wurm
Primal Forcemage
Weatherseed Totem
9 Forest
8 Mountain
Relevant sideboard cards:
Thallid Shell-Dweller
Thallid Germinator
Savage Thallid
Thelon of Havenwood
Utopia Vow
Chromatic Star
Coal Stoker
Healing Leaves
Molder
The remarkable thing about the build is that I left the Thallids in the board. The two-casting cost slot is full, and Thelon is the worst of them. The Germinator isn’t that exciting by itself. With a couple more Germinators, the Thallid package would have been a bit more attractive.
I lost the first round to Thomas Preyer, an old school austrian Pro, who got all the Black. That included two Corpulent Corpses, Sudden Death, Tendrils of Corruption, Stronghold Overseer, Avatar of Woe, with Gauntlet of Power to back it up. We split the first two games, but he took game 3 thanks to a turn 1 Mindstab on the play. And yes, this card is that good.
Wish me luck for the Pro Tour!
Raph
Draft recording done by Blargware‘s MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!