The dynamics of Innistrad: Crimson Vow Draft is pretty fascinating. I’ve covered it many times, and so have other content creators, but to re-iterate — this format is about maximizing the probability you can play bombs, which is a mix between learning how to lean into your first pick and also staying open as long as possible. However, different decks in this format require different commons across the board, and so it’s also important to delve into how to make decisions once you’re nearly 100% sure what archetype you will be.
The following draft provides a few good examples of how to make these decisions. I started with a bunch of white and red cards, and then I got a Pack 1, Pick 7 Markov Waltzer. But the best card in the following pack is black. What would you do?
Pack 1, Pick 8
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Ragged Recluse is certainly the best card in the following pack, and I even have a Blood Fountain to go with it. What’s funny about this pick is that, if the order of my picks changed, then I believe Recluse would be the best pick. Let’s say I first picked the Waltzer, followed it up with some white cards, and then the red cards in my pool. I wouldn’t have any reason to believe that Boros is open, and speculating on Ragged Recluse to navigate towards Rakdos would be correct. However, with the Pack 1, Pick 7 Waltzer, I think the probability I pivot away from Boros is nearly zero.
Nurturing Presence, Belligerent Guest, and Sure Strike are all filler commons that play specific roles in different archetypes. Nurturing Presence is one of the best white commons in Azorius, but it’s not very good in other archetypes. The noncreature, non-removal spell slot in an aggressive deck like Boros needs to be allocated to cards like Sure Strike over cards like Nurturing Presence. And while I think a lot of people consider Nurturing Presence a creature, I don’t. The 1/1 flyer isn’t high enough impact, and not being able to play it on Turn 2 makes that even worse in Boros.
Hence this pick comes down to a filler three-drop and a combat trick. Overall, my decision is motivated by value over replacement in my specific archetype. In Rakdos, Belligerent Guest is much better than Sure Strike, but in Boros, I value having access to a copy of Sure Strike highly. So, the pick is Sure Strike.
Pack 2, Pick 1
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
I think a lot of people would just see a rare in their colors and not look at the rest of the pack. I think you would be making a mistake. Creepy Puppeteer is a good rare, and it’s probably best in Boros over the other red color pairs. But Rending Flame is one of the best removal spells in the set. I’ve had the opportunity to play with Creepy Puppeteer multiple times, twice in Boros decks. It was insane when I cast it on Turn 4 on the play, but more often than not it traded down for a three-drop and I got in extra damage. The card is definitely awesome in Boros, and if my current pool had less four-drop creatures and more removal, I would take it. As is, I have Heron of Hope and Markov Waltzer as fantastic four-drops, and even Lightning Wolf as filler if I need to add a card at that part of my curve. My only removal spell is Rending Flame, and I need at least three removal spells in any deck in this format in order to have a good shot against my opponents’ bombs. Given the texture of my pool, and that I don’t believe Creepy Puppeteer is a bomb, I believe the correct pick is Rending Flame.
Part of this also has to do with Boros being one of the few decks in this format that can function well without bombs. Good luck drafting something like Golgari, Simic, or Dimir without any high-impact cards. Those decks can do well without bombs, but they aren’t aggressive and it’s hard for me to draft them without a pull from a bomb. Boros, on the other hand, can always get under players, and so I’m not as focused on increasing the high-roll potential of my deck by taking something like Creepy Puppeteer over a card I believe is more important for my deck in Rending Flame.
Pack 2, Pick 5
The Picks So Far:
The Pack:
The Pick:
Now we get to the fun picks of the draft; what mediocre card that is likely to end up in your sideboard is the correct pick. While there are a lot of options, we can eliminate the ones that will basically never make a Boros deck.
Nebelgast Beguiler is suprisingly more playable than I expected, but that’s only in Orzhov and Azorius. I would basically never play it in Boros or Selesnya. Nurturing Presence, as covered earlier in this article, is an Azorius gold card. Ancestral Anger is pretty awesome in multiples alongside Kessig Flamebreather, but that’s not going to be the texture of this particular Boros deck. Militia Rallier is a filler three-drop, and my pool already contains enough plays at three. This leaves Arm the Cathars and Hungry Ridgewolf.
Arm the Cathars looks powerful, but it’s quite bad. It’s basically a conditional Lava Axe variant since it’s a sorcery that’s cast for damage that doesn’t leave you open to being attacked. If my deck was filled to the brim with lifelink cards, and I really felt like I needed more ways to push damage, I could see taking the Cathars. It works well with my two copies of Heron of Hope and my Twinblade Geist, but it’s still too clunky. I would always play Sure Strike over it, and given that I already have two copies of Sure Strike I just don’t think there’s a world where Arm the Cathars makes my final deck.
Hence, the pick is Hungry Ridgewolf. I currently don’t have many Wolves, but I can get some and I’m really in need of more two-drops. It may not make my deck, but it has the highest probability of making my deck because it fills an important role that currently needs filling. And, this pick ended up being important. While I wasn’t happy to play two copies of Hungry Ridgewolf in order to have a good curve, I’m glad I had the option to do so!
