Pack the First
101
Yosei, the Morning Star, Jade Idol, Kami of the Palace Fields, Hideous Laughter, Soratami Mirror-Guard, Glacial Ray, Ethereal Haze, Midnight Covenant, Jukai Messenger, Venerable Kumo, Eye of Nowhere, Yamabushi’s Storm, Devoted Retainer, Kami of the Waning Moon, Commune with Nature
This has got to be one the most difficult picks out there. Or the easiest.
Oh, hello. I didn’t see you come in. In case you couldn’t tell (and if you couldn’t, you probably shouldn’t be and in fact aren’t reading this), this is a draft walkthrough, or, in my case, a draft crawlthrough! That’s a joke, see. I’m told I tend to make those.
So, three top-notch cards in three different colors, each with a different constricting effect on the rest of the draft. I didn’t just swipe the Ray without thinking – on the contrary, I agonized until time was almost up. I even asked for help! Eventually, I went with the Ray because there were no other good Red cards in the pack (Kami of the Waning Moon is a fairly high pick and Kami of the Palace Fields, perhaps undeservedly, usually goes earlier than not) and because it’s the least likely of the three powerful cards to box me into its color.
Yes, I considered the fact that Yosei is worth something (meaning tickets), but I still don’t know the exact number. No more than two, certainly. I’m not immune to raredrafting; I just didn’t feel it was warranted in this case. At least I know what card my “son” will pick.
I expect a mtg.com-type poll would show Yosei a strong winner, and I wouldn’t put up a big fight about it. The only card I really feel is the incorrect pick out of the three is Hideous Laughter. This isn’t to say it’s not first-pick worthy; it just isn’t in the same league as the other two because of how it changes the rest of your draft. Or at least how it changes the rest of my drafts.
102
Night of Souls’ Betrayal, Kashi-Tribe Reaver, Reciprocate, Student of Elements, Cage of Hands, Dripping-Tongue Zubera, Lifted by Clouds, Ember-Fist Zubera, Soratami Cloudskater, Hearth Kami, Blessed Breath, Scuttling Death, Kami of the Hunt, Counsel of the Soratami
This is not what I wanted to see when I picked that Ray. Three excellent White cards. An excellent Black card and one I have no idea how to value in Limited. Is the Night of Souls’ Betrayal a good spell? I’ve never seen it played.
Judging by what I’m seeing, it looks like my “daddy” picked a Blue or a Red card. Not that this has anything to do with what I ultimately took. Yes, Scuttling Death is my pick here. Why didn’t I just take one of the White cards? For starters, I’m not convinced any of the three are better than Sir Scuttle (though Reciprocate probably edges it out if only for its insanity versus Genjus). Also, since I know my “b*tch” is in White and will probably not go Black (or Red), the color feels safe enough even though I’ll probably be fighting with at least two others.
I’ve already called the person to my left two different names. (One of them is pretty edgy! I’m so hardcore.) Anyone have any suggestions on something better?
103
Otherworldly Journey, Guardian of Solitude, Bloodthirsty Ogre, Mothrider Samurai, Crushing Pain, Quiet Purity, Ashen-Skin Zubera, Lava Spike, Lantern Kami, Cruel Deceiver, Vine Kami, Sift through Sands, Stone Rain
Hello again. I’m Pugg Fuggly, by the way. That’s a nom de plume, not an descriptor. I’m not that fuggly. You may be wondering why I didn’t include some sort of introduction to this article. Well, statistics show that people don’t read introductions. Statistics also show that people don’t read my articles.
Ah, but if you read that deliciously Atenesque orgy of self-deprecation, why, then you are reading my article! Huzzah!
So why five draft walkthroughs in five days? *shake* Ask again later.
While there are two decent White cards in this pack (and no Red ones of third-pick caliber), I decided to stick with the plan the Scuttling Death started to lay out for me last pick.
104
Ore Gorger, Mystic Restraints, Frostwielder, Silent-Chant Zubera, Deathcurse Ogre, Jukai Messenger, Humble Budoka, Soratami Cloudskater, Uncontrollable Anger, Indomitable Will, Scuttling Death, Burr Grafter
The Frosty is tempting, but unlike his name suggests, he’s rather unwieldy. Also, two Scuttles are better than one. None other than Scott Wills a few months back opened my eyes about this card. I still think it’s rather underrated.
105
Nezumi Bone-Reader, Kitsune Riftwalker, Unnatural Speed, Terashi’s Cry, Midnight Covenant, Brutal Deceiver, Hundred-Talon Kami, Nezumi Ronin, Serpent Skin, Hisoka’s Guard, Sokenzan Bruiser
A pretty disappointing fifth pick, but it’s not like Brutal Deceiver is a terrible card. Nezumi Ronin’s about on par with it, but it’s not a Spirit, so there you go. It’s not too surprising to see Hundred-Talon Kami at this point, but I still winced when it came up.
By the way, there wasn’t another player with a Limited rating higher than 1700 in this draft, and there were a few with sub-1600 ratings. (Mine was a respectable 1774 when I started.) The cards don’t necessarily indicate a low skill level of the drafters, though. I wonder just how many people with normally higher ratings use secondary accounts when drafting? I know I usually do, but for the purposes of this series I wanted to use my normal account (Pugg Fuggly).
The reason I bring this up is that you’ll notice there really haven’t been any insanely strong cards coming my way, which tends to happen in 4-3-2-2s with relatively low-rated players. So either the people are better than their ratings would indicate, or players are getting better (or at least more mediocre) at drafting than they used to be, on the whole. Or are they? (Like how that one line pretty much invalidates the last two paragraphs?)
106
Thousand-legged Kami, Lantern-Lit Graveyard, Lifted By Clouds, Desperate Ritual, Pious Kitsune, Orochi Ranger, Callous Deceiver, Devouring Rage, Devoted Retainer, Waking Nightmare
I’m not a huge fan of this card, and I usually wind up cutting it from the maindeck (though I side it in against slower decks pretty often). I probably should play it more often than I do, but each card that doesn’t affect the board is a card you don’t want to draw when your back is against the wall and you need to stave off imminent death. Devouring Rage is similar in this respect, though I do like playing one in almost every Red deck. So why didn’t I pick it? Simple. It comes very late.
As I mentioned, my Limited rating was 1774 when I started the draft. It might even be higher if I didn’t draft with my alternate nick so often. Heck, if it were sixty or seventy points higher, you might even be paying for the privilege of reading this! I’ve noticed lately on Magic Online is that even though I win more matches than I lose, my rating keeps trickling down. I suspect there must be many who draft under different nicknames. Are you one of them? Show yourselves!
107
Myojin of Seeing Winds, Soilshaper, Kami of Ancient Law, Wear Away, Kami of Twisted Reflection, Unnatural Speed, Hisoka’s Guard, Indomitable Will, Thoughtbind
I’m not sure why I picked Soilshaper. I don’t think it’s the correct pick (if there is such a thing). I probably should have just taken the Myojin: at least it’s worth a third of a ticket. If I was looking to counterdraft, then the best card is Kami of Ancient Law. [At this point everyone in the audience is thinking “Oh my God, you should have taken the DRAGON! The White you are getting passed is ridiculous. – Knut, thinking the same]
I probably intended to leave my options open for a Black/Green deck (still splashing the Ray). I mean, Soilshaper’s a decent card and all, but I probably should have let it slip by to reward any Green drafters down the line so I could get more juicy Red cards later. The Kami or the Myojin are both “better” picks here.
108
Feast of Worms, Horizon Seed, Waterveil Cavern, Deathcurse Ogre, Dripping-Tongue Zubera, Peer Through Depths, Kashi-Tribe Warriors, Sift Through Sands
Again, I guess I was leaving my Green options open. It’s not like there’s anything better in the pack, though I’ve been seeing way more Kashi-Tribe Warriors getting played than I used to (and outside of Snakes.dec, no less). I guess it’s hard to justify paying 1G for an extra +1/+1 and losing the Lure ability of the Matsu-Tribe Decoy, which also goes later than it should. Also, maybe people who play it simply don’t have enough creatures otherwise.
I say this because sometimes it’s simply one of those cards you hate seeing on the other side of the table; for example, when you’ve got three X/1s on yours.
109
Ethereal Haze, Midnight Covenant, Jukai Messenger, Venerable Kumo, Eye of Nowhere, Devoted Retainer, Commune with Nature
My, these packs are delicious! I couldn’t possibly eat any more of these tasty packs. If I still had any interest in Green, I might as well have taken the Venerable Kumo. It’s not like I’d be playing the Covenant. Even Commune with Nature is better than that piece of trash.
Did I mention this was a 4-3-2-2 queue? There used to be a stigma attached to drafting in there, but as of the past few months, the 8-4s are seemingly only firing off every two or three hours (or less)! So I’m not a wuss; I’m just impatient.
110
Student of Elements, Dripping-Tongue Zubera, Lifted by Clouds, Ember-Fist Zubera, Hearth Kami, Counsel of the Soratami
Now this is interesting. Though I didn’t have the luxury of looking back on the earlier packs then, I do now. Note that the only two Red cards in the pack are still there, and they’re both perfectly playable.
What nine cards have been picked so far? Night of Souls’ Betrayal, Kashi-Tribe Reaver, Reciprocate, Cage of Hands, Soratami Cloudskater, Blessed Breath, Scuttling Death (me), Kami of the Hunt, Unknown. Two Black, two Green, three White, one Blue, one unknown, zero Red. Zero Red! Both playable cards! A good sign indeed. Even if my “daddy” had first-picked a Red card, he’s passed two playable ones by on his second go-round, meaning he’s probably not very much into Red. Or so I’d hope.
Now, is Ember-Fist Zubera better than Hearth Kami? Probably not. I tend to undervalue the Hearth Kami by quite a bit. Its artifact destruction ability isn’t as irrelevant as it first seemed, and in fact Betrayers has made it all the more important. Also, it’s a far more aggressive card, and Black/Red is supposed to be an aggressive archetype. So I probably picked the wrong card, though it’s pretty close.
111
Quiet Purity, Ashen-Skin Zubera, Lava Spike, Vine Kami, Sift Through Sands
The Zubera is a possible pick here, but if want to be aggro, I want the Spike. Unfortunately, the Spike also generally comes much later than the Zubera, so maybe I should have taken the Zubera and hoped for a Spike late in the second pack.
112
Crap Gorger, Silent-Crap Zubera, Deathcrap Ogre, Jukrap Messengcrap
113
Garbage, Trash, Rubbish
114
Thousand-legged Kami, Something Else
115
Last Card in the Pack
Ho, ho, ho. I am hilarious. Don’t worry, that’s the last time I’ll do that kind of thing. One can occasionally glean important information even from the terrible cards near the end of the pack, so I’ll be showing you every single pack in its entirety from here on out. That’s my promise to you.
Where do I stand after pack 1? So far I’ve got:
Glacial Ray
2 Scuttling Death
Cruel Deceiver
Brutal Deceiver
Waking Nightmare
Ember-Fist Zubera
Lava Spike
Soilshaper
Dripping-Tongue Zubera
And in the unplayable column:
2 Midnight Covenant
Ore Gorger
Thousand-Legged Kami
Hisoka’s Guard
I’ve got the core of a heavy-Spirit B/G/r deck, though ideally I want to be in Black/Red so I can always maximize my Glacial Ray. I’d say my card quality is about average, but as I’ve yet to draft a playable non-Spirit, non-Arcane spell, I’ve got some synergy going for me. Not too shabby.
Pack the Second
201
Imi Statue, Initiate of Blood, Tranquil Garden, Soratami Seer, Kitsune Riftwalker, Befoul, Unnatural Speed, Terashi’s Cry, Midnight Covenant, Soul of Magma, Kabuto Moth, Gibbering Kami, Kami of the Hunt, Reach Through Mists, Brutal Deceiver
Yuck! I do not like Befoul. I’d probably have been happier taking the Gibbering Kami, but as much as I hate Befoul, I hate passing it when I’m in Black (unless some bomb screams at me).
The sheer power of the Moth is undeniable, and taking it with a White splash in mind might have actually been the right call here. Befoul is so foul.
202
Hall of the Bandit Lord, Painwracker Oni, Blind with Anger, Eerie Procession, Order of the Sacred Bell, Ragged Veins, Wear Away, Wandering Ones, Kitsune Diviner, Distress, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Hisoka’s Defiance, Akki Avalanchers, Kami of the Painted Road
No question here. I don’t know why this card is getting some flak in some recent Limited articles. True, often enough the card giving you the most problems is Legendary, but in such situations, it’s pretty easy to chuck one of their lesser cards in front of the Legend. A one-for-one plus a Fog is the worst-case scenario? Sign me up! (No, I would not like to receive Blind with Anger’s newsletter.)
203
Minamo, School at Water’s Edge, Time of Need, Mana Seism, Soratami Mirror-Mage, Ronin Houndmaster, Orochi Leafcaller, Psychic Puppetry, Akki Rockspeaker, Floating-Dream Zubera, Stone Rain, Kitsune Healer, Commune with Nature, River Kaijin
Another EZ pick. Yes, I trademarked that. Guy’s gotta make money somehow. I’m not surprised I’m not seeing quality Black or White, but at least the Red is fragrant without being too pushy.
Speaking of money, you know I had to borrow a pack of Champions just to draft? (Thanks, my good friend Hork!) You see, in the real world a chap with only a modicum of skill like me needs to squeeze every draft dry in the hope that he won’t have to actually pay for his next one. Why don’t I flagrantly raredraft? Well, I believe there’s a balance to be found, and sometimes you have to pass up the two or three-ticket rares in the hopes that the good card you’re taking helps you get a pack or two. What I’m saying is I probably should have gone ahead and picked that Yosei.
204
Petals of Insight, Kumano’s Pupils, Soratami Mirror-Guard, Terashi’s Cry, Ragged Veins, Orochi Leafcaller, Venerable Kumo, River Kaijin, Devouring Rage, Call to Glory, Devouring Greed, Orochi Ranger
Yoink! Is Greed falling slightly out of favor? Usually I have no problems getting one anymore, whereas in triple C I often had to first-pick it or never see it again. Out of favor or no, this is still one of the most powerful, format-defining commons. Is it better than some of the common Black removal? I dunno. Fortunately, I didn’t have to make that call.
205
Lure, Sensei’s Divining Top, Teller of Tales, Wandering Ones, Desperate Ritual, FOIL Swamp, Humble Budoka, Hisoka’s Defiance, Soul of Magma, Kami of the Painted Road, Distress
Oh, Teller of Tales. Perhaps in some other time and some other place you and I could have made sweet love together. Anyway, the Top is a card I think inspires many different opinions from different people. Personally, I think it’s pretty swank, but not so swank that I’ll take it first or third or anything outrageous like that. It’d have to be pretty swank indeed.
Thus, I rarely get to pick it. Whenever I do, it’s been good to me, so maybe I ought to start picking it higher.
Swank. [Why do I feel we just ran an advertisement for a nudie mag? – Knut, suspicious]
206
Numai Outcast, Cloudcrest Lake, Pull Under, Moss Kami, Ashen-Skin Zubera, Joyous Respite, Psychic Puppetry, Villainous Ogre, Serpent Skin, Reach Through Mists
The Ogre is another card I’m not a huge fan of, but it’s a necessary evil in semi-aggressive decks like this one. I do wish I didn’t have to use that “semi.”
207
Cut the Tethers, Brothers Yamazaki, Silent-Chant Zubera, Soulless Revival, Unearthly Blizzard, Lantern Kami, Kashi-Tribe Warriors, Floating-Dream Zubera, Lava Spike
If I had not just taken the Ogre, I’d probably be more inclined to take the Brothers Yamazaki here. It’s not that I’m disappointed with the Revival – it’s probably the best Raise Dead variant ever – but again, am I starting to make the deck more control than aggro? Is the deck losing focus? At least it’s another card for Glacial Ray to splice onto.
208
Honor-Worn Shaku, Struggle for Sanity, Field of Reality, Akki Rockspeaker, Ethereal Haze, Cursed Ronin, Thoughtbind, Hundred-Talon Kami
While there are some who despise this card, I feel it’s marginally playable and occasionally a star. I like playing one (but no more than one) in my Black decks.
209
Imi Statue, Tranquil Garden, Soratami Seer, Unnatural Speed, Terashi’s Cry, Soul of Magma, Reach Through Mists
This wasn’t a raredraft. Far from it. Every deck needs a card or two to shut down the odd Jitte. If it’s also worth a third of a ticket, even better! If it doesn’t actually do anything against Jitte or any playable artifact in the format, fine! I mean… well, there’s Jade Idol! That’s barely playable.
Pugg 80,000, World 0.
210
Hall of the Bandit Lord, Eerie Procession, Ragged Veins, Wandering Ones, Hisoka’s Defiance, Kami of the Painted Road
211
Mana Seism, Psychic Puppetry, Akki Rockspeaker, Floating-Dream Zubera, Stone Rain
212
Petals of Insight, Kumano’s Pupils, Venerable Kumo, River Kaijin
213
Wandering Ones, Desperate Ritual, FOIL Swamp
214
Cloudcrest Lake, Psychic Puppetry
215
Cut the Tethers
I devised a choose-your own adventure game based on the last five picks, but I was told technology hasn’t reached the point where including it in this article is economically feasible.
You may be wondering why I’ve numbered my picks this way. I’m wondering why you’re so stupid to wonder such a thing, but if you really need to know, it’s a simple, yet effective system of labeling the picks. Do I really need to spell out “pack 3, pick 8?” What? I do? Fine.
It’s also the way I label my .gifs of the screenshots of the picks. Don’t worry, I’ll explain all about that tomorrow, or probably never.
(Also, the cards in bold are the ones I picked! Shh! Don’t tell anyone!)
Pack the Third
301
Lifegift, Shuko, Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch, Ashen Monstrosity, Terashi’s Grasp, Call for Blood, Traproot Kami, Toils of Night and Day, Ire of Kaminari, Takenuma Bleeder, Sakura-Tribe Springcaller, Shimmering Glasskite, Goblin Cohort, Hundred-Talon Strike, Skullmane Baku
Terrible! Shimmering Glasskite’s the only “good” card in the pack. I’m not saying others aren’t playable, but naturally this isn’t what one likes to open. It’s not what I like to open, anyway. Ashen Monstrosity is the only other card that could possibly make my deck, unless you count Shuko. What do you guys think of Shuko? [Though this comment is in brackets, Ted Knutson did not write it. –Pugg Fuggly, forum whore] I’ve never run it myself. It’s been decent in my opponent’s decks, but not spectacular.
I suppose it’s comparable to Tooth of Chiss-Goria, back in the Mirrodin days, Grampa. Except it’s better because you can use it on offense and defense. Except it’s worse because there’s no Affinity anymore. Except you can’t use it as a combat trick. Except even the Tooth, while it had its supporters, wasn’t all that great.
302
Callow Jushi, Akki Raider, Budoka Pupil, Stir the Grave, Uproot, Minamo’s Blessing, Akki Blizzard-Herder, Terashi’s Grasp, Horobi’s Whisper, Harbinger of Spring, Teardrop Kami, Goblin Cohort, Waxmane Baku, Psychic Spear
I believe I’ve spliced Whisper only once in all my Betrayers drafts. I still think it’s ten times better than Befoul. It’s Arcane, fercryinoutloud. It’s an Instant! It’s cheaper!
(Note: Pugg is aware that Befoul also works as land destruction. He is also aware of the no-regeneration clause on said card. Keenly aware.)
303
Hired Muscle, Walker of Secret Ways, Mark of the Oni, Bile Urchin, Matsu-Tribe Sniper, Toils of Night and Day, Kumano’s Blessing, Silverstorm Samurai, Hundred-Talon Strike, Takenuma Bleeder, Quillmane Baku, Blademane Baku, Kami of False Hope
Are all the Betrayers flip cards the bees’ knees? If being the bees’ knees is good, then yes. Mise!
On a similar subject, why are all the Rare Champions flip cards so awful. They are not, in fact, the bees’ knees, or even the bee’s knees.
Mark of the Oni also deserves mention here.
304
Shizuko, Caller of Autumn, Indebted Samurai, Crawling Filth, Petalmane Baku, FOIL Ribbons of the Reikai, Ire of Kaminari, Mending Hands, Gnarled Mass, Mistblade Shinobi, Blademane Baku, Split-Tail Miko, Roar of Jukai
While I’m not displeased to have the little Baku in my deck, I’m rather disappointed at the quality of cards in my colors compared to the others. I’m not talking about Shizuko here.
This is me awkwardly transitioning. Umm. Hey, what’s that behind you!
So why am I doing these walkthroughs? Why would I put myself and you, my dear reader, through this torture? For starters, Knutson’s been begging me to write again ever since I sent him that custom greeting card with the cutesy little poem. (No, you don’t get to read it.) Apparently my marketable skills are not strictly limited to performing unwanted autopsies – I can write! Just not very well.
I’m doing this especially for you, and also me. Especially for me. I became a better drafter by reading walkthroughs. Yes, they were written by competent players, but I figure I’m the next best thing. So if you get better through this series, great! Perhaps I’ll even get better, once I get past the crippling panic attacks triggered by the forum responses.
305
Threads of Disloyalty, Splinter, Genju of the Falls, Call for Blood, Uproot, Floodbringer, First Volley, Mending Hands, Frost Ogre, FOIL Roar of Jukai, Child of Thorns
Oh, fifth pack of the third pack. Why are you so mediocre? I mean – wait! You see why I do three oh five instead? I guess I meant fifth pick of the third pack.
I did that little song and dance to mask the fact that Frost Ogre was probably the better pick. The deck is short on beef. Though my Arcane count isn’t exactly through the roof. Touché.
306
Splinter, Empty-Shrine Kannushi, Blessing of Leeches, Traproot Kami, Minamo’s Blessing, Crack the Earth, Heart of Light, Kami of Tattered Shoji, Child of Thorns, Shinka Gatekeeper
Since there was nothing good for my deck, I picked the rare. Umm, that is, since the rare was gone, I took the card that was the biggest threat to my deck. No more playing nice. Screw you, b*tch. I mean, “b*tch.”
307
Aura Barbs, Nezumi Shadow-Watcher, Matsu-Tribe Sniper, Kumano’s Blessing, Takeno’s Cavalry, Teardrop Kami, Skullmane Baku, Gnarled Mass, Ribbons of the Reikai
I don’t have a single one-drop yet. This works!
Pack 3, Pick 8
Quash, Gods’ Eye, Gate to the Reikai, Crawling Filth, Vital Surge, Phantom Wings, Takeno’s Cavalry, Shinka Gatekeeper, Ribbons of the Reikai
Terrible. I played this card once. Then I shot myself because it’s a 2/2 for six mana.
I survived.
309
Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch, Terashi’s Grasp, Call for Blood, Toils of Night and Day, Ire of Kaminari, Goblin Cohort, Skullmane Baku
Did you know the Cohort can always block? I did. It doesn’t have to if you don’t want it to, though! Take that, Razorgrass Screen!
310
Akki Raider, Minamo’s Blessing, Akki Blizzard-Herder, Terashi’s Grasp, Harbinger of Spring, Teardrop Kami
I wouldn’t have expected a perfectly playable card this late, but the .gif doesn’t lie. It does, however, like to sleep around.
311
Bile Urchin, Toils of Night and Day, Kumano’s Blessing, Silverstorm Samurai, Quillmane Baku
Ditto.
312
Crawling Filth, FOIL Ribbons of the Reikai, Ire of Kaminari, Roar of Jukai
313
Splinter, Call for Blood, Uproot
314
Shinka Gatekeeper, Crack the Earth
315
Takeno’s Cavalry
Das Dech
Devouring Greed
Horobi’s Whisper
Soulless Revival
Bile Urchin
Cruel Deceiver
Cursed Ronin
Hired Muscle
Nezumi Shadow-Watcher
2 Scuttling Death
Takenuma Bleeder
Villainous Ogre
Crack the Earth
Lava Spike
Blind with Anger
First Volley
Glacial Ray
Akki Raider
Blademane Baku
Brutal Deceiver
Ember-Fist Zubera
Goblin Cohort
Ronin Houndmaster
Sensei’s Divining Top
8 Swamp
8 Mountain
Sideboard
Everything Else
Oh, fine. Relevant sideboard cards:
Waking Nightmare
Befoul
Imi Statue
So, how’s my build? Pear-shaped, yes? Now, how’s my deck?
Many might be shocked that I left out Waking Nightmare and Befoul, two cards which, to many, are auto-includes. Also, Crack the Earth is in the deck, and I’m pretty sure it’s not a typo.
Well, I told you how I feel about Waking Nightmare and Befoul (though now that I’m in the future writing this, I think I’ve turned the corner on Waking Nightmare and I’d probably include it 80% of the time or so). Crack the Earth? I’ve never played it! I wanted to try it out.
I sorted the deck by color, obviously. I’m not sure it’s as clear as other methods. Next time I’ll sort by converted mana cost and we’ll see if that works a bit better.
The Games
How do you solve a problem like talking about the games I played? It’s hard to take good notes, and it’s not like the My Games “feature” has worked in two years. I’ll try my best to give you guys the relevant stuff, but I can’t make any promises.
Round 1
vs 1600
(Green/Red)
I thought about it, but I’m not going to use any real nicks in the series. Unless I change my mind. Instead, I’ll refer to people by what really counts – their Limited ratings. Remember, it’s not the size of the rating that matters. Actually, it is.
So what’s up with 1600 ratings? Is this somebody’s secondary account, or is he new to MODO? When he dropped the Blinding Powder, I knew which.
Don’t get me wrong; the card slowed down the game, and nobody attacked for quite some time. He also knew how to use it. Unfortunately, he didn’t use the time it bought him to cast any real threats. I believe every creature I saw game 1 was a 1/1. Also, he did attack me a few times with a Powdered-up (and Shuko’d) creature, but then he forgot to move the equipment onto his blockers.
So I won this round. I’ll have you know that Crack the Earth actually won me game 1 (in a sense). I used it to sacrifice my Ember-Fist Zubera to kill the 1/1 the Blinding Powder was equipping so I could alpha strike. (Shouldn’t that really be Omega strike?)
I sided it out every other game.
He did put up a fight games 2 and 3, as both games he played out Kodama of the South Tree early and I had no answer. In Game 2, it and a bunch of weenies (okay, and Kami of the Hunt, which is pretty good with Kodama, I guess) overran me, but in game 3, I was able to hold it off and trade life points until I Greeded him out. Cheesy.
Round 2
vs 1579
(Green/Black)
I swear, this was a tough match. Don’t laugh! Remember what I kept saying about rating? I said it for a reason!
This was the player who must’ve wound up with the Hideous Laughter, which I never saw him play. He did, however, play Night of Souls’ Betrayal game 1. Now, while his deck didn’t have any X/1s (that I saw), it didn’t have many huge offensive fatties either. Scuttling Death proved invaluable in this match; I got both of them out and I believe I Revived them twice. (I’m not sure if I revived the same one both times). I was stuck with some dead cards in my hand (curse you, Cursed Ronin!) but Bile Urchin gave one for the team, flipping Hired Muscle, who Feared himself and a 2/1 Ogre for five points while a Topped Lava Spike finished him off the turn before I would’ve died.
Whew.
Game 2 was anticlimactic, though. My Scuttles stalled the ground (no Night this time, at least) and I eventually drew Greed.
Round 3
vs 1520
(White/Black)
Shut up! A 1520 is dangerous. When he’s got Yosei.
Which, along with a bunch of excellent White flyers, crushed me.
I did make a mistake right before I died, targeting him with Glacial Ray (spliced off Soulless Revival) instead of one of his creatures. You see, if I would have drawn a third Mountain the next turn, I would have been in a position to deal five to him, which would have been enough when you factor in the fact that he had cast Blessing of Leeches on one of his creatures.
I know.
Anyway, instead of taking the correct path, which would have given me a chance to win if I drew a Mountain, I instinctively picked the wrong path, which meant certain death as long as he attacked with everybody. So I lost. I didn’t even get to see if I would have drawn the Mountain.
Yeah, I lost to the 1520. Shut up.
Also, although I won three packs, I had to give back the loaned one, leaving me with not enough to draft again.
Join me tomorrow when I reveal how I still managed to draft, and other stuff.