Hey! It’s a Draft!
As I could not make it to Regionals this year, most of my recent play has been in drafts of the new Champions-Betrayers-Saviors variety. I am liking this format a great deal more than I did CCB – I couldn’t really comment on whether it’s a better format, but I know that I’m far more comfortable with it. That probably has something to do with the frequency of my drafts, which is way up, and as a result I’m in a much better position to comment upon drafts than I was a few months ago. The finer Limited writers on this here site here (you know, the ones with the gold stars) haven’t been quite as aggressive with the new tech as I was expecting, which is a shame, but I’m more than willing to fill the gap.
That’s right, kids – I draft more, and you benefit!
In particular, I’m gonna uncork one of the seemingly-more popular conventions of the genre, the Draft Walkthrough. I generally find these pieces to inspire the most conversation, which I will never claim is a bad thing. [Depends on who you are talking to, I suppose. – Knut] Here’s what you’ll be getting:
– Pack contents; then “analysis”; then the pick.
– Deckbuilding thoughts; then decklist.
– Game reports or summaries, depending how much I feel like typing.
We all on the same page? Good deal. Here’s something to keep in mind, though: the draft you’ll be reading about is taking place on the MTGO Beta server, and as the Man likes to tell the Beta-folk, it’s not about winning. Victory isn’t the driving force here that it is in real life or on the live server here – frankly, it’s barely a force at all. Everyone has more product than they could possibly use, so it’s not like the prize packs are gonna keep anyone “infinite.” Still, competition is competition, and for every guy that actively drafts decks that create weirdo situations to check for bugs, there are twenty others that would still rather see their name followed by “is the winner!”
You can decide for yourself how much the Beta-factor means to you when judging the “realism” herein. You can even decide whether taking place on the last night of the Beta means anything more. I certainly don’t know exactly how much to expect.
With the disclaimer done and my pad and pen at hand, it’s time to get busy.
Part One: Drafting the Deck
Champions pack one: Soul of Magma, Counsel of the Soratami, Burr Grafter, Scuttling Death, Indomitable Will, Uncontrollable Anger, Lifted by Clouds, Dripping-Tongue Zubera, Soulless Revival, Glacial Ray, Soratami Mirror-Guard, Guardian of Solitude, Otherworldly Journey, Kumano’s Pupils, He Who Hungers
Three candidates jumped out immediately, those begin the Mirror-Guard, the Ray and the Scuttles. Mirror-Guard was set aside after another moment, as the massive card advantage either of the last two can offer definitely outshines what is otherwise certainly a fine man.
I’m actually not as big a fan of Glacial Ray these days, as lots of the best creatures in Saviors have three or greater toughness – Sokenzan Spellblade, Okina Nightwatch, Torii Watchward, Kitsune Loreweaver and others are all able to shrug off two damage without much of a problem. Scuttling Death, however, is still quite powerful, and is a great pick for someone looking to go Green/Black, where Saviors will bracket it with Kami of Empty Graves and Nightsoil Kami to provide a seemingly-endless stream of creatures.
However, the G/B deck is what won me the last draft I did, so I opted for a change of pace, as well as a chance to see if the Ray had lost as much value as I was suspecting.
My pick: Glacial Ray
If I had this to do again, I’d think I’d probably take the Ray again, but it’s a much closer pick for me than it was previously.
Pack two: Humble Budoka, Nezumi Ronin, Hearth Kami, Reach Through Mists, Serpent Skin, Desperate Ritual, Wandering Ones, Joyous Respite, Order of the Sacred Bell, Pull Under, Petals of Insight, Samurai Enforcers, Waterveil Cavern, Shell of the Last Kappa
Not an impressive pack, to be sure, but it offers a few choices. Pull Under is an outside possibility if I wanted to move into a removal-dense Red/Black deck, but I would prefer to continue showing my neighbor that he should get into black. This also means getting to look at Petals of Insight, which can be a permanent splice-hull for the Ray or win the cards-in-hand war easily.
My pick: Petals of Insight
Pack three: Nezumi Ronin, Hundred-Talon Kami, Brutal Deceiver, Reach Through Mists, Kami of the Hunt, Gibbering Kami, Wear Away, Ragged Veins, Quiet Purity, Rend Flesh, Mothrider Samurai, Honor-Worn Shaku, Bloodthirsty Ogre
Blegh. I’m not really committed to anything yet – either of my cards could make any deck I end up with, but there’s not much to follow them up here. Reach and Deceiver are fine, but not cards you want to spend a third pick on. There’s not much else, though. Kami of the Hunt and Rend Flesh are the best options for other color picks, and the Rend would just upset what I’m trying to do on my left. Of course, Scuttling Death is the only “strong” signal I’ve sent so far, and there’s no guarantee that he even took it, so I could be open after all.
Rend Flesh is probably the “correct” pick here, and looking back I would like to have taken it, but in the end I decided to stick to my (two) guns and keep pushing for an arcane-based deck. (I think I spent too much time writing card names and not enough thinking about the pick… next time, man.)
My pick: Reach Through Mists
Pack four: Hisoka’s Guard, Orochi Sustainer, Villainous Ogre, Hundred-Talon Kami, Uncontrollable Anger, Thoughtbind, can’t-read-my-own-writing, Silent-Chant Zubera, Battle-Mad Ronin, Mana Seism, Time of Need, Soulblast
Another pack without anything too impressive. These are the types of packs that good drafters have field days with, correctly identifying exactly what card has the best chance of helping once the next forty-one cards come. I, however, have never been so good with that, so I have to come up with something. Soulblast is a card that can just elbow-drop a game, provided you can summon the right amount of creatures, but it’s a heavy color commitment, and I have my sights set elsewhere.
See, I’ve become something of a Green addict in CBS draft. The format has slowed to a point where the color’s more expensive cards become very relevant, and there are also lots of ways to splash anything really good that crosses your path. A G/X deck is often really a G/X/y deck, or even a G/X/y/z deck, just because splashes are a safer bet. They have more time to come online and for the card to actually matter, while some good acceleration can help your fatties put your opponent on the back foot before they overwhelm you. Right now, that Sustainer is making me think G/U/r, and I don’t think I can resist.
My pick: Orochi Sustainer
Pack five: Venerable Kumo, Kitsune Healer, Yamabushi’s Storm, Sift Through Sands, Kashi-Tribe Warriors, Akki Rockspeaker, Field of Reality, Kami of the Palace Fields, Jade Idol, Eerie Procession, Hold the Line
Man, there’s a lot of White spirits coming through here. Had I been taking those Hundred-Talon Kami, the Palace Fields could have been a good addition, but right now I only have eyes for the card that fetches my first pick. Hopefully I’ll end up with enough Arcane spells for it to be worth playing.
My pick: Eerie Procession
Pack six: Kitsune Diviner, Akki Avalanchers, Thoughtbind, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Indomitable Will, Terashi’s Cry, Unnatural Speed, Peer Through Depths, Horizon Seed, Feast of Worms
If I hadn’t had to take the time to write these cards down, I would have virtual-windmill-slammed this one. It’s not a bomb or anything, but the Elder plays exactly to the plan I was shooting for.
My pick: Sakura-Tribe Elder
Pack seven: Lava Spike, Eye of Nowhere, Call to Glory, Devouring Rage, Kami of Twisted Reflection, Wear Away, Rag Dealer, Brothers Yamazaki, Cut the Tethers
Nothing particularly inspiring for this one. The Brothers would make an adequate creature if I moved away from the splash-Red plan, but as the only color I’m really committed to is Arcane Blue, I play it safe here.
My Pick: Eye of Nowhere
Pack eight: Cursed Ronin, Stone Rain, Sift Through Sands, Vine Kami, Joyous Respite, Lantern-Lit Graveyard, Thousand-Legged Kami, Hisoka, Minamo Sensei
I have heard various players advocate Joyous Respite as a great late-game backbreaker, pushing the game out of reach for an opponent who was trying to race. I have not yet had the chance to experiment with this. However, I would still rather take the card that actually affects the board, especially when it works so nicely with the Nightsoil Kamis now available in pack three.
My pick: Vine Kami
Pack nine: Counsel of the Soratami, Burr Grafter, Uncontrollable Anger, Lifted by Clouds, Dripping Tongue Zubera, Guardian of Solitude, Kumano’s Pupils
That Burr Grafter made the lap is a pretty good sign that Green isn’t being heavily drafted, and it plays into the Soulshift chain I’m hoping to build with Vine Kami, Elder Pines and Nightsoils. Easy pick.
My pick: Burr Grafter
Pack ten: Humble Budoka, Desperate Ritual, Wandering Ones, Joyous Respite, Waterveil Cavern, Shell of the Last Kappa
I guess I might get a chance to try this after all.
My pick: Joyous Respite
Pack eleven: Brutal Deceiver, Wear Away, Ragged Veins, Quiet Purity, Honor-Worn Shaku
Brutal Deceiver coming back this late? If nothing else, this should bode well for scoring some Spiraling Embers in pack three.
My pick: Brutal Deceiver
Final picks: Thoughtbind, Kashi-Tribe Warriors, Unnatural Speed, Rag Dealer.
At this point, the G/U/r plan is looking like the way I’m heading. With the Ray, Reach and Petals in tow, an Arcane base is coming together, although I would have loved for a Kodama’s Might to push things even further. For Betrayers, I knew I’d be looking for general good stuff like Gnarled Masses and Shimmering Glasskites, and hoping for a mid-to-late Petalmane Baku to ease in the splash. There aren’t many good Arcane spells to be had, but anything else to add to the red splash would also be welcome. My biggest concern is my creature count, with only four guys I really want to play as of yet.
Betrayers pack one: Torrent of Stone, Ninja of the Deep Hours, Child of Thorns, Skullmane Baku, Moonlit Strider, Frost Ogre, Mending Hands, Ire of Kaminari, Phantom Wings, Petalmane Baku, Crawling Filth, Soratami Mindsweeper, Sowing Salt, Hired Muscle, Threads of Disloyalty
The two cards that leap out are Soratami Mindsweeper and Torrent of Stone. The Ninja is nice to have, but the Soratami is a far superior Blue card – with longer games and hand size mattering, it’s both a fine win condition and a way to win the hand battle. However, considering that my main colors are offering no removal for me, the Torrent seems far more attractive. The splice cost probably won’t be payable, but it’s a powerful spell in any case.
My pick: Torrent of Stone
Pack two: Ribbons of the Rekai, Gnarled Mass, Skullmane Baku, Waxmane Baku, Frostling, Teardrop Kami, Terashi’s Grasp, Akki Blizzard-Herder, Minamo’s Meddling, Uproot, Stir the Grave, Flames of the Blood Hand, Sowing Salt, Soratami Mindsweeper
Weeeeell, how lucky. I send one Mindweeper on its way and get another right back. All those good things I said above still apply, and make this pick another virtual slam.
My pick: Soratami Mindsweeper
Pack three: Scaled Hulk, Skullmane Baku, Hundred-Talon Strike, Goblin Cohort, Shimmering Glasskite, Sakura-Tribe Springcaller, Heart of Light, Akki Blizzard-Herder, Veil of Secrecy, Vital Surge, God’s Eye, Gate to the Rekai, Forked-Branch Garami, Genju of the Fields
The Garami and the Glasskite are the big prospects here, and both have big upsides. Nigh-unkillable fliers are always forces to be reckoned with, while the Garami fills in another hole in the Soulshift chain with a very efficient body. It’s also notable that my four mana slot is suddenly filling up fast, but it’s not like a five-drop will really ease that pressure very much. Also, with two snakes for acceleration, four mana can come early for me.
My pick: Shimmering Glasskite
Pack four: Mistblade Shinobi, Harbinger of Spring, Psychic Spear, Kami of Tattered Shoji, Takeno’s Cavalry, Kumano’s Blessing, Veil of Secrecy, Matsu-Tribe Sniper, Stir the Grave, Sosuke’s Summons, Quash, Akki Raider
With two snakes already in tow, the Sosuke’s Summons could produce a lot of tokens, but it’s the other card with “Snake” on it that interests me more. As I mentioned above, Green/Blue doesn’t have a lot of removal to offer, but the Sniper is one of the best cards one can get. It kills many fliers, especially the X/1 Soratami, and can pin down any two non-Glasskites permanently. The only other card worth thinking about is the Shinobi, but it just can’t compete.
My pick: Matsu-Tribe Sniper
Pack five: Hundred-Talon Strike, Shinka Gatekeeper, Shimmering Glasskite, Child of Thorns, Kami of Tattered Shoji, Silverstorm Samurai, Ire of Kaminari, Toils of Night and Day, Traproot Kami, Call for Blood, Stream of Consciousness
It’s worth noting that I haven’t seen a single rare except the one I opened, and considering the quality of the rest of the packs, there may be more than one bomb floating around. Looking at what’s left, I have the Traproot and Glasskite to choose from. The Glasskite is a much better card, but I still have my curve to consider. Still, with a splash already in the deck, I won’t be playing a gigantic number of Forests, so the Kami could only really be a sideboard card.
My pick: Shimmering Glasskite
Pack six: Ribbons of the Rekai, Moonlit Strider, Shika Gatekeeper, Ninja of the Deep Hours, Terashi’s Grasp, Crack the Earth, Floodbringer, Petalmane Baku, Blessing of Leeches, Mannichi, the Fevered Dream
There’s that Petalmane I was hoping for, but picking one in the sixth pack is a bit early. Floodbringer is another decent man, but again, one you don’t want to be taking quite this early. The Ninja of the Deep Hours is the other card of note, which isn’t really at its best when teamed with the large, relatively expensive men that Green packs, but really excels with pump spells to back it up. I don’t have any of those yet, but Saviors does have Inner Calm, Outer Strength to add. With red removal also on the team, there’s a definite chance to pick up a few extra cards.
My pick: Ninja of the Deep Hours
Pack seven: Blademane Baku, Quillmane Baku, Takeno’s Cavalry, Phantom Wings, Vital Surge, Crawling Filth, Ronin Cliffrider, Body of Jukai, Yomiji, Who Bars the Way
At this point, I would really like that Phantom Wings, which can either clear a blocker away from the Ninja or send it sailing over the opposition. It’s equally good when pushing a Green fattie into the air so that it can rumble past the other team. However, I came into Betrayers worried about creature count, and while I’ve picked up another handful of men, I still only have nine to speak of. Granted, I should be able to fill in the holes in the second half of this pack and in Saviors, but I got a little too concerned. In retrospect, I’d like those Wings back.
My pick: Quillmane Baku
Pack eight: Kami of False Hope, Quillmane Baku, Roar of Jukai, Mending Hands, Floodbringer, Uproot, Call for Blood, Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch
I don’t have enough aggressive creatures to want Roar, and I certainly don’t want another Quillmane. The Kaijin is a fine man, but I also need something that attacks, especially with a Ninja in the pile.
My pick: Floodbringer
Pack nine: Mending Hands, Ire of Kaminari, Phantom Wings, Petalmane Baku, Crawling Filth, Sowing Salt, Threads of Disloyalty
There’s another Phantom Wings, which would still be a fine addition to my deck, but that Petalmane was on my list when I began. The only other chance I’ll have at one is in pack fourteen, which isn’t a chance at all. It’s last call on the splash-maker, and I opt to answer.
My pick: Petalmane Baku
Final picks: Minamo’s Meddling, Vital Surge, Veil of Secrecy, Traproot Kami, Ribbons of the Rekai, Takeno’s Cavalry
The Traproot comes back, which is fortunate (and reminds me again that Green is probably quite underdrafted), but as I mentioned before, it will likely be a sideboard card at best. The Veil isn’t unplayable, although I don’t have quite the squad of fatties I would like to make it really good. Still, I have a Ninja and a Glacial Ray, so it might actually make the cut. In Saviors, there isn’t much mana-fixing to be found per se, but Elder Pine of Jukai often serves a similar purpose, so it will be even higher on my list than normal. As I failed to acquire any Moss Kamis or Scaled Hulks, a Nightsoil Kami or two would be in order, and a Shinen of Life’s Roar is always a welcome addition. Inner Calm, Outer Strength would be great as a decent spell and a splice vessel for the Glacial Ray, and Spiraling Embers would be great for the same reasons (except it’s a bit better than just decent). In blue, there’s not much I desperately need, but some Shinens of Flight’s Wings would really boost my airforce.
Saviors pack one: Minamo Scrollkeeper, Nightsoil Kami, Sink into Takenuma, Kitsune Loreweaver, Sokenzan Spellblade, Oppressive Will, Orobo Breezecaller, Rending Vines, Shinen of Fear’s Chill, Spiritual Visit, Path of Anger’s Flame, Exile into Darkness, Inner-Chamber Guard, Feral Lightning, Promise of Bunrei
This pack doesn’t have a lot of great cards, but I have a couple options. One is Nightsoil Kami, the other is Sokenzan Spellblade. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Spellblade, but while he is splashable, he’s significantly weaker in that capacity. When you can active him three times, it doesn’t matter if you only have two cards in your hand – that’s going to take a chunk out of your opponent’s life total. Someone splashing red can’t do that, plus he’s likely to come down a lot later, once more of your cards have been played. I’m not thrilled about first-picking a Nightsoil, but it’s a solid man and it’s my best choice.
My pick: Nightsoil Kami
Pack two: Sokenzan Spellblade, Freed From the Real, Okina Nightwatch, Raving Oni-Slave, Cowed by Wisdom, Akki Drillmaster, Murmurs from Beyond, Dosan’s Oldest Chant, Gnat Miser, Araba Mothrider, Inner Fire, Measure of Wickedness, Orobo Envoy, Masumaro, First to Live
Okay, so there are plenty of cards I would like out of this pack. The Nightwatch is a very good creature, and even without trample, Masumaro is a very big threat. Even Murmurs from Beyond would fill my very empty three-slot and provide yet another Arcane spell. None of these, however, can compete with Orobo Envoy, which is practically unbeatable once you untap. The ability to directly neuter opponents’ creatures without any permanent cost is simply too powerful to pass, and I really wonder what the person ahead of me took.
My pick: Orobo Envoy
Pack three: Shinen of Life’s Roar, Death Denied, Moonwing Moth, Akki Drillmaster, Freed From the Real, Nightsoil Kami, Ideas Unbound, Rending Vines, Gnat Miser, Inner Calm, Outer Strength, Glitterfang, Locust Miser, Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Once again, plenty of cards I’d like. I already got a Nightsoil, so I can pass on this one, but that leaves the Shinen and ICOS as candidates. I’ll be honest, I really think I should have taken the Shinen here, as it provides a really necessary effect for most Green decks and I’m more likely to see a second Inner Calm than a second Shinen. However, my lack of 1) three-mana spells; 2) combat tricks; and 3) real quality Arcane spells led me to opt for the pumper.
My pick: Inner Calm, Outer Strength
Pack four: Kitsune Loreweaver, Shinen of Fury’s Fire, Descendant of Soramaro, Elder Pine of Jukai, Sink into Takenuma, Cut the Earthly Bond, Sakura-Tribe Scout, Kuro’s Taken, Kitsune Bonesetter, Into the Fray, Trusted Advisor, Twincast
In a live draft, that Twincast probably wouldn’t have gotten past the guy who opened it, but when the cards don’t matter, people actually judge cards on their merits. In Limited, it’s just very situational, so unless your deck has a ton of spells (which mine isn’t really shaping up for), it’s best in the ‘board. Without money concerns, my pick is pretty straightforward.
My pick: Elder Pine of Jukai
Pack five: Oppressive Will, Elder Pine of Jukai, Kami of Empty Graves, Torii Watchward, Orobo Breezecaller, Death of a Thousand Stings, Araba Mothrider, Path of Anger’s Flame, Presence of the Wise, Haru-Onna, Captive Flame
This pack is, once again, indicative of Green being rather underdrafted at the table, as I don’t think both the Elder Pine and the Haru-Onna should have made it this far. Both are very good if and when they start running, but I only get one, so which is it? My mana curve is looming large, with six four-drops already set to go, so although the Onna is probably the better card overall, Elder Pine might be better for my deck. However, I decided to lean on my two accelerators a little more to bring the card-advantage (as opposed to land-advantage) engine on board.
My pick: Haru-Onna
Pack six: Cowed by Wisdom, Fiddlehead Kami, Promised Kannushi, Deathknell Kami, Spiritual Visit, Inner Fire, Orobo Breezecaller, Aether Shockwave, Gaze of Adamaro, Pithing Needle
The money point? Yeah, same deal. I doubt someone opening a Needle would even look at the other cards before clicking it into their collection. My choices are either the Kannushi or the Breezecaller, neither of which are great, but either of which can be fine. I don’t have any hand-size cards to really make the Moonfolk ability important, and I do have better fliers already, plus I have many spirits that I wouldn’t mind reusing, so I take the one-drop.
My pick: Promised Kannushi
Pack seven: Shinen of Life’s Roar, Shinen of Fury’s Fire, Shinen of Star’s Light, Ideas Unbound, Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker, Death of a Thousand Stings, Curtain of Light, Ronin Cavekeeper, Burning-Eye Zubera
Nice! Another Shinen came around after all, and with nothing else very impressive in the pack, it’s an easy choice.
My pick: Shinen of Life’s Roar
Pack eight: Moonwing Moth, Akki Underling, Inner Calm, Outer Strength, Path of Anger’s Flame, Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker, Kuro’s Taken, Plow Through Reito, Ronin Cavekeeper
Another fairly easy choice, although the presence of two good White cards this late makes me wonder if there aren’t many White players either.
My pick: Inner Calm, Outer Strength
Pack nine: Orobo Breezecaller, Rending Vines, Shinen of Fear’s Chill, Spiritual Visit, Path of Anger’s Flame, Inner-Chamber Guard, Feral Lightning
Orobo Breezecaller is probably the best card here, but my playable stack is more than big enough to fill a deck, so it’s not urgently needed. Rending Vines, on the other hand, could be a very useful card out of the sideboard, and I currently have no other way to answer these types of permanents.
My pick: Rending Vines
Pack ten: Okina Nightwatch, Cowed by Wisdom, Dosan’s Oldest Chant, Gnat Miser, Inner Fire, Measure of Wickedness
When there’s only one other player in your color, things like this happen. Hey, I’m not complaining.
My pick: Okina Nightwatch
Pack eleven: Akki Drillmaster, Nightsoil Kami, Rending Vines, Gnat Miser, Locust Miser
And once again, being in the underdrafted color has benefits. Sure, getting a seventh-pick card eleventh (especially when you had to spend your first pick on the same card) isn’t quite as flashy as a second-pick card fifth, but I’ll take it.
My pick: Nightsoil Kami
Other picks: Sakura-Tribe Scout, Orobo Breezecaller, Deathknell Kami, Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker
Well. Not bad at all. There are a couple things I could wish for, like an Embers or a Gnarled Mass, but my card pool is certainly good. What to do with it, though?
Part Two: Building the Deck
With almost thirty playables, I have the luxury of not having to play any really marginal cards. However, by always taking those good cards, I’ve noticeably sacrificed the consistency of a good mana curve. With the two accelerants I got in the first pack, I can hopefully just skip over my almost non-existant three-slot, or just spend the turn using Inner Calm on the Shinen to assassinate some of my opponent’s creatures. My final build was:
Matsu-Tribe Sniper
Orochi Sustainer
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Shinen of Life’s Roar
Petalmane Baku
Elder Pine of Jukai
Burr Grafter
Haru-Onna
Okina Nightwatch
Nightsoil Kami
Nightsoil Kami
Inner Calm, Outer Strength
Inner Calm, Outer Strength
Floodbringer
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Shimmering Glasskite
Shimmering Glasskite
Soratami Mindsweeper
Orobo Envoy
Reach Through Mists
Petals of Insight
Glacial Ray
Torrent of Stone
The best of the cards I didn’t run were: Promised Kannushi, Traproot Kami, Vine Kami, Rending Vines, Eerie Procession, Eye of Nowhere, Veil of Secrecy
I would sort of like to have a second Mountain, which would let me splice the Ray onto the Torrent, or even splice the Torrent onto something else. That would mean cutting a Forest or Island, though, as eighteen lands would be too much – seventeen with the snakes and Reach Through Mists should be more than sufficient.
Besides building your deck, these days you should also take a moment to figure out if your deck wants to play or draw. This is a tough decision sometimes with Saviors in the mix, as wisdom cards and a generally higher-costed group of creatures mean there’s much less likely to be an all-out rush at your face. As I was playing a three-colored deck whose worst enemy was probably its own potential inconsistency, and I was running a Nightwatch that can get ridiculous when I’m winning the hand battle, drawing was looking good to me. On to the games!
Part Three: Playing the Deck
In the games, I didn’t do as well as I felt I should have, although I did exactly as well as I deserved. I won the die roll, and decided to draw. My opponent, caleb18a, kept his first seven and I kept a hand of: Island, Petals of Insight, Haru-Onna, Reach Through Mists, Nightsoil Kami, Forest, Forest. This hand might be slightly debatable, but with three draws to find a two-drop, should I need it, it’s quite fine.
My opponent’s first play was, sadly, a Psychic Spear which robbed me of Haru-Onna, and then a Skullsnatcher that I actually couldn’t find a response to. He added a Bloodthirsty Ogre, while my hand by my third turn was Petals, Nightsoil, Forest, Glasskite, Forest, Burr Grafter, Forest. I got the Glasskite into play on my fourth turn, but not after dropping to 13 and having a Takenuma Bleeder added to the other side.
A full attack let me knock off the Skullsnatcher, but I fell to 7. I added Burr Grafter, who traded with Bloodthirsty Ogre while I dropped to 4, from which point I got Thousand-Stung twice and fell to an unkicked Devouring Greed. Sweet.
There are numerous things I could have done differently – I could have dropped the Grafter on turn 4 and traded with the Ogre immediately, saving one point of damage but losing the Grafter to the Snatcher. I could also have thrown the Glasskite under the wheels of the Bleeder, especially since I was going to summon Nightsoil Kami the next turn – even if he had had a removal spell, I still would get a guy back and could double-block with the ‘kite and a Sniper (which I finally drew) the next turn, and I would have taken the same damage. Whether any of these things were actually right at the time is a different story. I actually couldn’t tell you – being more protective of my life could have been equally disastrous if he had been gripping more men instead of life-draining spells.
Anyway, I have various sideboard options, since I had so many cards to begin with. Since my opponent’s creatures are so big and he’s not playing green, Traproot Kami is not a real option, but some more early dudes to block those X/1s would be great, so I added Promised Kannushi for an Inner Calm, Outer Strength. Another option would have been Eerie Procession to find Glacial Ray, although I wasn’t sure I’d have the Arcane spells to really make it worth spending three mana just to find it.
For game two, I chose to draw again. Having seen such quick beats in the first game, I should probably have elected to take some tempo back by playing, but I was still hoping that a draw with a one- or two-drop (I now had seven in the deck) would be able to buy the proper time to assemble my superior creatures and find removal. My opening hand was a little shakier than in game one, but I still kept: Shimmering Glasskite, Mountain, Matsu-Tribe Sniper, Island, Haru-Onna, Island, Petals of Insight. A Forest (9 in the deck) in my first two draws gives me good early game, which I was leaning on.
Let’s do some math. 33 cards in the deck, 9 are Forests. That’s a 24/33 chance not to draw one on turn 1. If that happens, there’s then a 23/32 chance not to draw one on turn 2. Compound probability: 552 out of 1056, or more than half. My chances of hitting that Forest were worse than a straight coin flip. Bad Bruce. No cookie.
Result of the bad keep: I take 3 from a Nezumi Ronin before I can trade it with Glasskite, while I take another 3 from Takenuma Bleeder. I get thumped for another 3 while summoning the second Glasskite (if only it were the Forked-Branch), which has already been matched by that other Soratami Mindsweeper. Finding a Forest on turn 6 (although my opponent is stuck on four lands, to be fair), I can summon Sakura-Tribe Elder and Floodbringer. A Soratami Mirror-Mage means I have to pile all three creatures in front of the Bleeder to be sure of killing it, and it trades with my Glasskite, keeping me at 11.
My opponent, however, is still at four lands and at quite low bouncing capabilities. I deploy Matsu-Tribe Sniper to deal with the Mirror-Mage, a freshly added Mirror-Guard, and the Mindweeper. It meets with an untimely Rend Flesh, and I trade the Floodbringer with the Mirror-Guard, so I must rely on drawing into some removal or one of my two remaining fliers ASAP. I dig with Haru-Onna and drop out a Ninja of the Deep Hours, but the Ninja crashes into a Mindweeper-assisted – and very surprising – Patron of the Moon and that’s all she wrote. Or I wrote. Or something.
And so, thus ends the walkthrough. Honestly folks, I don’t know what to tell you. Believe it or not, I generally do a tad better than this. Actually, I do know what to tell you; I got out-tempoed, fair and square. Not only that, but I helped it to happen. It’s harder to draft a tempo-focused deck in this format, but not impossible. While the format has grown considerably slower – those games would have been pretty long by CCC standards – it hasn’t ground to a total halt.
I would like to have shown you more, but this is the draft you got, so you’re stuck with it. Even if I had time, I’m not going to go back and fish for a better result – it seems a little shifty to me, and anyway, I have work in the morning. If you’re all lucky, I might try to show you my supposed prowess again sometime – maybe even with some actual stakes involved.
Signing off,
Andy Clautice
andy dot Clautice at gmail dot com
(P.S.: Anyone got a good, quick way to capture pack images? Writing all of it down was a little more stress than I’m looking to take on again.)