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Drafting With LSV – Shards of Alara #28

Draft with Luis Scott-Vargas every day... At StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, January 28th – Luis Scott-Vargas continues his daily Draft series, sharing each pick from a draft in the Magic Online 8-4 queue. He talks us through the difficult decisions in the forums… do you agree with his choices?

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1 Gift of the Gargantuan
2 Woolly Thoctar
1 Obelisk of Jund
1 Bull Cerodon
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Topan Ascetic
3 Jungle Weaver
1 Cavern Thoctar
2 Mosstodon
1 Knight of the Skyward Eye
1 Steward of Valeron
1 Excommunicate
2 Exuberant Firestoker
1 Vithian Stinger
1 Hell’s Thunder
1 Predator Dragon
1 Oblivion Ring
5 Plains
6 Forest
6 Mountain
1 Jungle Shrine

Sideboard
1 Mountain
1 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Executioner’s Capsule
1 Swamp
1 Esper Panorama
1 Incurable Ogre
1 Volcanic Submersion
1 Swerve
1 Savage Hunger
1 Angelsong
1 Behemoth’s Herald
1 Deft Duelist
1 Soul’s Grace
1 Vicious Shadows
1 Demon’s Herald
1 Obelisk of Bant
2 Island
1 Resounding Wave
1 Viashino Skeleton
1 Shore Snapper
1 Scourge Devil

P1p1 This pick isn’t too close although I don’t really like passing Titanic Ultimatum while taking a Naya card.
P1p2 Given the Thoctar Jungle Shrine is clearly the pick here.
P1p4 I have visions of turn 3 Thoctar dancing in my head…
P2p1 Bolt and Cerodon are close but the Bull just beats so well.
P2p6 I felt like I had a lot of five-power guys already so I wanted to pick up a Firestoker. This of course ends up being unnecessary but it seemed fine at the time.
P3p1 I kind of feel like I should have taken Rhox Charger but at the time I was pretty heavy Red. Still I did end up casting the Dragon without much trouble so it ended up better.

Round 1 versus Grixis

G1 I have a filthy curve of turn 3 Wooly Thoctar turn 4 Hell’s Thunder turn 5 Mosstodon turn 6 Bull Cerodon turn 7 Predator Dragon. Despite a couple of removal spells my opponent isn’t close to surviving that onslaught.

G2 This game is even faster as he chooses to draw and I have turn 3 and turn 4 Thoctars. Woolly Thoctar is pretty filthy and having two while on the play is about the best draw one can get. [This is how a Level 8 Pro rolls folks – Craig amused.]

Round 2 versus Bant

G1 We both are stuck on three land for a while but my Stinger plus Topan Ascetic and Elvish Visionary hold off his ground guys. I eventually draw more land and he concedes to Mosstodon plus Firestoker.

G2 I use Steward of Valeron to ramp into a Mosstodon which I attempt to trade with Rhox War Monk. His Resounding Roar foils this plan but I follow up with Bull Cerodon and Jungle Weaver. When he plays a Rockcaster Platoon the game stalls for a while but eventually I attack with Jungle Weaver two Woolly Thoctar Mosstodon Bull Cerodon Hell’s Thunder and Knight of the Skyward Eye. The 20+ points of trample does the job as my opponent is apparently just holding a bunch of lands.

Round 3 versus Bant

G1 I get blown out on my turn 3 when his Qasali Ambusher eats my Knight of the Skyward Eye. I drop a Stinger and he responds with a Rhox War Monk. Rafiq of the Many comes down a turn later and I get bashed pretty hard. I try and stabilize with a big Predator Dragon but eventually it goes to attack and he has the Resounding Silence. If he didn’t have Silence I win the race and I wasn’t beating Silence that game regardless.

G2 On the play I drop a turn 3 Exuberant Firestoker turn 4 Mosstodon turn 5 Cavern Thoctar and turn 6 Excommunicate his Stoic Angel.

G3 He thinks for a while before keeping and then fails to play a Forest or a fourth land. His turn 1 Akrasan Squire gets me to 10 since he keeps Excommunicating and Call to Heeling my Steward of Valeron but I eventually drop a Bull Cerodon and a Cavern Thoctar. That ends the party letting me escape with a win over the nut Bant deck (Rafiq Seaside Citadel Rhox War Monk Stoic Angel).

Until tomorrow…

LSV