Well the holidays are over and with the sunset shows and gushing over Eldraine, time to fit in one last draft maybe before we hit up the Return to Theros. I’ve enjoyed this format a lot, enough to actually put together my own post-format thoughts. Hopefully enough that doesn’t just crib from other, smarter magic players.

Draft log

Summary

Felt like the deck underperformed, though there was some bad luck involved. Lotta mulls; I stand by the deck decisions I regret nothing! (begins planning “Aggro 4 Life” tattoo)

Interesting Moments

Making some cuts

In a shocking twist (that was sarcasm), I drafted an aggressive, low-to-the-ground attack deck. With triple trebuchet to finish them off! After discussing with the NIRD crew, we agreed to cut the Silverflame Ritual. So often I’ve wanted just one, but I have the trebuchets to close out the game.

Are you still the aggressor?

Well a Tall Syr Faren suddenly broke a board stall. I have a 5-damage Outflank in my hand. What’s the play? I fear Run Away Together a lot, as I should. But if they have it, they will still have it on the counterattack and that obviously much worse. I attack in the air, but oppo does have the Run Away Together to bounce the Archon and the Merfolk. I stabilized by Outflanking the human token on the crackback in response to the Syr Faren trigger, but then commit a heinous own-goal a couple of turns later when I attack into an untapped Syr Faren… who has reach. Pretty sure I was down for the count, but no excuse for a sloppy play.

Keep or mull?

An interesting but clear keep or mull decision. Mulling two lands feels bad (and I did mull into a nearly worse hand) but this hand is simply too slow for my deck. While it only needs a single land to at least stabilize, both 5-drops (and definitely Syr Alin with double-white) are basically dead cards in this hand. I mull. Still lose, but made the right call.