Draft

The big question here is whether or not I should have committed harder to red earlier. Red was not super open in pack 1, some minor nibbles in pack 2 but then WHAT-THE?! in pack 3. Angrath P3p4 and then three Burning Prophets in a row starting at pick 8! I genuinely do not know how that happens. Looking back it didn’t really cost me, except a passed Raging Kronch. And the panicked P3p1 Huatli’s Raptor. Okay there were some lost opportunities in the third pack, but I just don’t see how I could have foreseen green versus red as my secondary color. Stupid Pollenbright Druids!

Draft Log

Deck

Results

• Round 1 vs WG : oppo draws three pieces of removal, which stones. No wait, FOUR. That’s a lot of wandering strikes. In game 2, Dovin then had a sweet game, keeping oppo off Wandering Strike AND preventing a Band Together (all damage, not just noncombat!). In the third game, oppo gets a quick counter on Grateful Apparition which is just a ruthless amount of pressure. I land mine, but slower = fatal.
• Round 2 vs Bant proliferate: Starting with a mull to 6. I have no answer for a boosted Sphinx but I absolutely steal a victory when oppo goes for the alpha behind Storm the Citadel (the bad Overrun) and I topdeck Nahiri’s Stoneblades (the bad everything) pushing the last two non-chump blockers through. In game 2, oppo stumbles on mana and I run them over. Again, I sorta kinda didn’t want to win.
• Round 3 vs. WGr. I get off to another fast start with Burning Prophet (really is as good as advertised). Oppo starts to get low but then stabilizes with Kiora/Bloomhulk combo. Good ol’ fashioned WAR staredown, with me being a little unhappy with my lack of outs but some Iron Bullies put some key counters and I push through. Game 2 I ahve a smooth battleplan of Pyrohelix –> Bully –> Ugin’s –> Wanderer’s Strike. Oppo gets Kiora & Bloomhulk up again (rude untapping attacking large creatures imo). I misplay, casting 10th District instead of the strike (the plan! THE PLAN!). I flood out but my oppo has Pegasus and I… well don’t. I get some board presence but we both flood and I lose to Sarkhan. Game 3 is pretty fun as I pressure early with the Grateful Apparition, he gets Sarkhan again,

Learnings

Dovin wasn’t great in terms of enabling attacks but the preventing combat since they can fearlessly block.

There is almost something with a “Red/white spells aggro deck” but I think it relies a lot on getting key uncommons (like 10th), the good combat tricks, and just a ridiculous number of Burning Prophets. Doesn’t strike me as a very good archetype to be in.

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