Hey all!
I’ve played this game for so long that I usually have a tough time enjoying the casual games I play. I have to say that I have been discovering new things and having fun every draft I played in Rise of the Eldrazi, which is quite a good sign, since I can put some heart in what I am writing!
This new format is a lot harder to understand than previous ones, but I can feel I took off a little on my learning curve. I understand the signals better, and can see which strategies are simply best to leave behind, and which ones I should work more in depth.
I have drafted a few times in order to prepare for Grand Prix: Lyon, and ended up with new insights. I found out a lot about cards I thought had some potential when they actually didn’t, and cards that are much better than I expected.
Without further introduction, let’s get down to business. I have drafted a few interesting decks, and I’d like to discuss them with you, along with some of the cards and conclusions I’ve reached.
ROE Draft Experiment: #3.1
Caravan Escort
Wall of Omens
3 Knight of Cliffhaven
Kor Line-Slinger
Hedron Field Purist
Lavafume Invoker
2 Vent Sentinel
Brimstone Mage
Conquering Manticore
Akoum Boulderfoot
Lightmine Field
Puncturing Light
Survival Cache
Disaster Radius
Heat Ray
2 Staggershock
Wrap in Flames
Keening Stone
9 Plains
9 Mountain
This deck is not a very good one. It is not very bad either, but I would not expect to go 3-0 with it. It has one big problem: It lacks focus.
You could describe it as a midrange WR deck that can control the board for some time, push some flying damage, and ping your opponent out with walls and Brimstone Mages. Eventually it can deal the final blow with Conquering Manticore or mill him out with Keening Stone. While having different angles of attack, it’s not great at any of them. It doesn’t have enough flying power to pretend to take control of the skies; I love the Knights of Cliffhaven, but they are too slow and mana intensive for a control deck. You need more pressure to go along with it. The deck can’t deal with big threats such as Eldrazi, and that’s a huge problem. In most games, it will take a while for you to find a way to win the game, and that leaves your opponent time to develop his strategy and draw his most dangerous threats. While I agree Eldrazi can’t (or shouldn’t) be run in every deck, they’re the threats this kind of midrange decks have the most problems with, and I am not talking about this RW concoction in particular but in general. I have seen other decent decks that would just scoop to an Eldrazi or Pelakka Wurm, just because they didn’t have the weapons to fight them. Guard Duty is a fine answer (unfortunately I didn’t have any in this draft), but you need to have it at the right time, and a Naturalize can just ruin your plan.
I had a lot of love for Vent Sentinels, but the more I play them, the more I think they are “noob traps.” They look good and you want to do something cool with them… but they’re just not good enough. The biggest problem I see with them is their mana activation. You could actually rely on them a lot more if you could be sure to ping your opponent every turn from turn 4 when you play it, but the two mana spent to ping is just too big an investment when you want to defend yourself at the same time. It’s often a question of simple math: you could play another threat to deal X more damage later on, or play another blocker and prevent X damage on the next few turns. In the end, pinging is something you do when you don’t have anything else to do, and that’s usually not a good sign. It is, of course, just a theory, because I have played them a lot and they have been decisive many times… but I don’t think they are the cards you want to end up with in your deck when you start a draft.
The lack of focus made me run some awkward cards. You have noticed that Lavafume Invoker that has absolutely no real business in my deck, except being a 2/2 for three. Wrap in Flames in this deck is a way to deal with Dawnglare Invoker, but I would have preferred another Heat Ray over it.
Then there are cards I wanted to try out. Lightmine Field, for example. I played it with the idea that I couldn’t really deal with 3+ toughness creatures. Since my creatures never really are affected by it, and Staggershock can only deal 2, I thought it could be useful. My conclusions are that it’s definitely not a main deck card; it’s too costly, and a dead card when facing a deck that doesn’t care so much about it, but it can definitely be a killer sideboard card against any Weenie or RB aggressive deck. It doesn’t fit all the decks, but I would not mark the card as unplayable.
Survival Cache has been really good for me. In fast decks running flyers and two-drops, you rarely miss the draw part of the spell. While gaining life isn’t the most interesting part, you have to be far behind to not gain some advantage from this card. While not being amazing, it does deserve a main deck slot. If you don’t think you can take full advantage of it because your deck is too slow, I would at least consider boarding it on the play.
Disaster Radius is an expensive and situational board sweeper. While I believe it has a lot of potential, it was not the best deck to play it in. I would see it at its full potential in a deck that pushes forward and needs some help to deal the last 5-10 damage, or to take a definite advantage during a stalemate. The requirement of showing the creature is a big deal. At 7 mana, you are likely to have depleted your resources and be waiting for the right creature to show, unless you draw it in your opening hand and set it up the correct way. Like most situational cards, Disaster Radius is either a potential game ender or a dead card.
I had heard about Keening Stone and couldn’t wait to try it. What people were saying was true: this card is a powerhouse. I’m not sure it’s a first pick/first pack card, but it could very well be. In fact, I believe any non-super-aggressive deck has room for this. It basically reads: survive three attack steps and you win. Not a lot of cards have that much potential, or they are creatures that can be dispatched. It did bother me that it cost so much, both to play and activate, but if you have a couple of chump blockers in the way, you are going to win in fine time.
What I have learned with this deck, and all the unfocused midrange decks I have seen around so far, is that they are just not the way to go. Sure, you will win some games, and the above deck is far from being bad mostly due to a couple of really good cards, but it’s not what you should aim for when you start a draft. As I mentioned in one of my last articles, the threats are too versatile to try to control the games efficiently. You want to be able to control the game while having the upper hand and being the aggressor. Walls just aren’t a good strategy if you understand this statement. That doesn’t mean I don’t love Wall of Omens, a card that I can see being played in many aggressive decks as well. It just means that I wouldn’t build my deck thinking I can sit behind a fortress waiting for the game to turn around my way.
ROE Draft Experiment: #3.2
Goblin Arsonist
Grotag Siege-Runner
Kiln Fiend
3 Arrogant Bloodlord
Bala Ged Scorpion
Bloodrite Invoker
Death Cultist
Dread Drone
Guul Draz Assassin
Nirkana Cutthroat
Null Champion
Zof Shade
Runed Servitor
2 Traitorous Instinct
2 Wrap in Flames
Corpsehatch
Virulent Swipe
Last Kiss
Heat Ray
10 Swamp
7 Mountain
With the lessons from the previous drafts, I wanted to see how aggressive a deck could be. I had in mind to try any kind of Bombardment Raid deck, but I have yet to draft one. I opened Guul Draz Assassin and followed with a couple of Arrogant Bloodlords. The idea of the cards I would want in this deck was simple: draft fast beaters and way to deal with critters. I ended up with the list above, and there is a lot to say about it.
Unlike #3.1, #3.2 had a focus, and is really good at what it does. It beats fast and efficiently, and most cards help in that direction. It can also accumulate enough power and send it all into the red zone for a one-turn kill. Every card serves a purpose. Red complements Black nicely when it comes to pushing damage in.
I wasn’t sure about the Bloodlords at first. They seem vulnerable, and unlikely to deal a lot of damage before killing a Spawn Token. And that’s what most people around me thought as well. That is why I ended up with three, but I don’t see it happening very much again. To take the most advantage of them, you need a way to clean the way, or have “Falter” effects (cards that make your creatures unblockable). Falter effects are good with high power creatures, and that’s what Black and Red have, in the form of Null Champions and Kiln Fiends at common.
Remember last week? I was not sure what to say about Wrap in Flames… I found its perfect home. This deck would not mind having Vendettas or more Heat Rays, but the key card is Wrap in Flames. Your game plan is simple: you first beat with the fast creatures. That’s what the one-drops are about. They do not seem very exciting, especially the Death Cultist (I would have preferred another Arsonist, or just another two-drop), but they do their job: sometimes push 2 or 3 damage in the first couple of turns, and then deal the 1 or 2 final points of damage later when they can’t be blocked. Overall, they are an okay deal (in this deck, probably not in any other). Then pile up some powerful creatures and kill potential blockers for more damage. Most of the time Bloodlords don’t need backup, and when they do, the common Bala Ged Scorpion can give it to him. When you reach the stalemate, if you ever get into that situation, you pile up powerful creatures, level up your Black guys, and accumulate spells to pump your Fiends. When the time is right, remove the blockers with Wrap in Flames (pumping the Fiends at the same time), or steal one with Traitorous Instincts, and swing with the team.
You can find replacements for the uncommon Bloodlords in this deck, even though they are the best deal you can get in the format. I would have liked to have more Kiln Fiends, and loved to have a couple of Bloodthrone Vampires to go along my Goblin Arsonists and Traitorous Instincts. Traitorous Instinct that is not a card that all the decks want, so you might be able to pick up at least one. You need Wrap in Flames, badly, probably two or three. I am sure the deck could work with just a bunch of BR dorks and three Wrap in Flames as its only removal.
I can see this deck losing to itself more than against specific strategies. Bad draws with hands jammed with removal and no beaters, or only small beaters and no way to push the damage through. It has always been the problem of beatdown draft decks, but I am confident that with a good draw, it doesn’t lose to many decks. I can also think of specific cards that hose it a lot, like the aforementioned Lightmine Field, or the more common Haze Frog.
ROE Draft Experiment: #3.3
Battle Rampart
Emrakul’s Hatcher
Lord of Shatterskull Pass
Tuktuk the Explorer
Rapacious One
Broodwarden
Jaddi Lifestrider
Joraga Treespeaker
Kozilek’s Predator
Nest Invader
Sporecap Spider
Wildheart Invoker
Artisan of Kozilek
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Ulamog’s Crusher
Boar Umbra
Ancient Stirring
Spawning Breath
Heat Ray
2 Growth Spasm
Dreamstone Hedron
Eldrazi Temple
9 Forest
8 Mountain
This is by far the most exciting deck I’ve played in this format. I once said decks built around Eldrazi were too slow. That’s because I had not seen a good build at that point. I don’t know how often you can end up with a deck like the one above, but the closer you get to it, the more chance you have to do well with big colorless guys.
Also, this is the only successful Green deck I’ve had. I still have to figure out other plans to take advantage of Forests.
I opened Kozilek, Butcher of Truth in my first pack, and thought it could be fun to try out, so I picked it. I was passed Dreamstone Hedron, and decided I would go for the Eldrazi plan. I then picked Growth Spasm and Nest Invader. I got an Aura Gnarlid and Luminous Wake, thinking I could hold for some time with White auras (Guard Duties) and build an Aura Gnarlid/Eldrazi hybrid deck. I got passed no White cards so I forgot about the Gnarlid plan, but Red seemed to be open with a late Heat Ray in the first pack. With the cards I was passed, and the Lord of Shatterskull Pass I opened in pack two, I got the right recipe for the Eldrazi deck.
First, let’s talk about the Eldrazi themselves. The right mix of 3 Eldrazi is probably the best combination. Ulamog’s Crusher is “cheap” enough. Artisan of Kozilek has a huge impact when it hits the board, and 10/9 Annihilator 2 is not something to make fun of, and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth is just unfair (logical for 10 mana). I don’t think I would have played a fourth, as having 2 of them in your opening hand is already awkward. Had I been passed Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, I would have thought about it… But that’s why I like Ancient Stirring a lot in this deck. That card was designed for this specific deck, and you can take a huge advantage of it. Running Eldrazi forces you to play at least 18 lands. You might think about running more, and Ancient Stirring is exactly what you need. It replaces a 19th land in the early game (it can sometimes fix your mana as well), and replaces the fourth Eldrazi in the later game, or in some cases get you Dreamstone Hedron which will eventually get you to your Eldrazi.
This deck worked because it had the right mix of cards: Spawn Generator and mana accelerators, some removal spells, the right Eldrazi, and creatures big enough to hold the ground or give you a chance to win without your later game plan. Unlike #3.1, this deck has focus, or at least a predefined game plan; if you reach the late game, you know it’s very likely that you are going to overpower your opponent (once again, unlike #3.1 that relied on too little offence). It looks like it can do many things, but they are all oriented towards the same goal: build up a mid-game wreckage of your opponent. The games are not supposed to last very long, since your creatures either put enough pressure on your opponent before the big boys arrive and seal the deal, or that you get overrun because your defenses can’t hold long enough.
I hadn’t found the right place for Battle Rampart before this, but this is definitely it. It’s not very good as a blocker even though it can save you a lot of damage. It fills the 3-mana curve that is lacking, and more importantly it makes the games so much more dramatic for your opponent, playing with very chaotic math. An Eldrazi with haste is pretty much the worst thing that can happen, and once you have 7 or 8 mana available, he has to start thinking about that.
Jaddi Lifestrider and Sporecap Spider work as actual walls that can eventually attack. The problem I had with the deck was against flyers (remember to pick Leaf Arrows for your sideboard), and these guys were perfect to buy you crucial turns. Jaddi Lifestrider, while not blocking flyers, gains you the life you need to turn the tables, and a 2/8 is actually really hard to run over. I wasn’t a big fan of it in random Green decks, but when you have strong backup/kill cards behind it, it makes up for the fact that it’s such a poor beater.
As for the spawn generators, I could have done with more, but not many more because I don’t see many cards I could cut for an extra Nest Invader (for example). I haven’t had the chance to try Brood Birthing yet, and I don’t know how good it would have been. I guess Spawning Breath is just better. You can just shoot your opponent for one end of turn 2 if you really need that extra mana on turn 3 and you don’t think there will be a worthy target.
Also, one of the reasons this deck worked so well was because I had really good cards to go with it: Joraga Treecaller gives you such a big tempo advantage, Dreamstone Hedron allows you to jump from 6 to 9 mana while never being a dead card when you’re flooded, and Broodwarden is an absolute beast in this strategy and can win games on its own. Lord of Shatterskull Pass is one of the best rares in the format, Tuktuk the Explorer was really good at holding beaters off and giving you a couple of turns, and Eldrazi Temple was, as you can imagine, a very nice target for Ancient Stirrings.
One thing for sure is that you need the right recipe to make it, the right mix between removal, mana generators, creatures, and Eldrazi. Rares do help. I just don’t know if it’s a reliable strategy if you don’t open or get passed the power cards. I don’t know if Ulamog’s Crusher can be good enough on their own. It doesn’t have to be mythic Kozilek or Ulamog, but merely cards like Artisan of Kozilek or Broodwatchers that give you a reliable Plan B. That’s yet another thing I have to find out!
Grand Prix: Lyon is coming up this weekend, so hopefully I’ll kick asses and bring you some cool insight from there!
Until next time…
Raph