This draft was a fascinating exercise in Butterfly Effect. P1p1 started out with Mire’s Grasp vs. Heliod’s Intervention. Efficient removal versus temperamental but potentially quite powerful removal. I take Mire’s Grasp. This is wrong: there was pretty universal agreement that Heliod’s Judgement is better than any common or uncommon. But when I took that, then the Eat to Extinction fell to me and I sort of married black waaay too hard given how cut it was in pack 3. And white was painfully open in pack 3 (Archon of Falling Stars, late Revoke Existence, &c). Blech.
Summary
Honestly, this deck was pretty bad. Somehow I won round one, only to lose to a very bad RW aggro deck in round 2. I had no desire to play round 3.
There were visions of a triple-cook night and a draft, which is just folly. Those dishes don’t clean themselves and Lil Chandra is really far from contributing anything other than morale.
Ended up in G(u). Looking back there wasn’t a clear signal to go green in pack 1 until the pick 15 (!) Setessan Training, so I like how I navigated the draft. Getting hooked up with Nylea and a Hornbeetle in pack 3 certainly helped the overall power level of my deck.
Summary
Round 1 ran into a very good GB black (escape creatures, 2x Mire’s Grasp, 2x Funeral Rites, etc.) that I deserved to lose to. Almost pulled it out in game 3, but oppo had the single green “put target god on the bottom of the library” which was pretty much their only out from my alpha attack. The beat a bad UG deck that ran far too many Triton Wave-Crashers (the 2/1 that fuels escape). Then I beat a deck that had far too many 2/1 harpies for big dumb green creatures.
For the first time ever I started off a set with a 3-0 draft! I think the memo about how powerful black was hadn’t yet gotten around, so I had double Gorgon, Gary, and just a plate full of removal. It was fun. It.. it hasn’t been as smooth since.
Felt like a tricky draft to navigate. I seized on the Mire Triton in P1p4 as a soft signal to veer towards black, then teased by white (Daxos, P1p10 hero of the Pride) only for that to dry up. I was able to wheel the BR gold Slaughter-Priest in pack 2, so I think my lane was correct. Just didn’t end up with high card quality.
Interesting Moments
What to cut?
Some tough cuts. Initially I was going to cut the Agonizing Remorse but was talked out of it. Eventually dropped Aspect of Lamprey, a Nyxborn Marauder, Libation, and a Storm’s Wrath (for mana considerations).
Very strange draft, with a very late So Tiny heaving me towards mono-blue, for blue to then dry up in pack 3. Could be someone else made the same move. For blue being that open, a definite lack of Secretkeepers. I want to mill! Or at least have the necessary backstop to play UB control (two Drown in the Loch cards will just moulder instead I guess)
This deck would have been a lot better with more consistent early drops but it played pretty well. If I didn’t fall behind real early (or face a turn 3 Folio of Fancy with all 4-drops in my hand lol), it could grind out a victory in a very straightforward fashion.
Interesting Moments
Crazy game against a mono-white deck. I started building up my air force, but oppo had the Resolute Rider repeatedly crashing into me for 5 life (5th point courtesy of Linden, who did a surprising amount of work during races). Oppo got up to 40 life, but I start to turn the tables with the Scions providing some firepower. I actually was in danger of decking. But eventually got there!
Allow me to briefly shill for some truly delicious tea: Harney & Sons. Classy little sachets but some just divine flavors. I really like green tea in general, and their “matcha with toasted rice kernels” and “green tea with citrus-something-or-other”. Highly recommend!
Very tricky draft to navigate. I veered pretty hard into red with the late Scorching Dragonfire and Ferocity of the Wilds. Felt a little bad when white and blue suddenly opened up in pack 3, but I think I made the right choices overall.
Definitely had some fun navigating this bad boy. I know everyone else knows this already, but using Barge In to break a board stall feels fantastic. Lost in the finals to a very streamlined BW knights deck.
Interesting Moments
attack or stall?
Is it time for an all-out attack? Too much mana for my Searing Barrage to ever snag the Resolute Rider, but I have a trick, a Barge In, and an extra three damage from Searing Barrage. I add it up and go for it! I then totally forgot about the 5 life they would gain from lifelink on the Rider, but it still turned out to be enough.
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.
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.
Twas the night before the night before Christmas and with the Benalish Momma & MIL off to a choral show, clearly someone had to stay home to make sure the house didn’t burn down with our child inside. Obviously the next step is to invite over Chris and Dan and co-pilot a draft. It’s just common sense.
15 land hyper aggro deck without a single 4-drop (I never cast Circle for more than 3). Had some awkward draws but also some unstoppable ones too. Unfortunately I ended up going 1-2, losing to a glorious 14 point stall-breaking Fling (they had that stupid giant) and some other good ones. At one point I was using Circle of Loyalty to pump out 4/4 Vigilance knights, that was pretty fun.
Interesting Moments
Here’s a fun “keep or mull”. On the draw, I already mulled once, and opponent is a known aggressive red/black deck. I ended up keeping this and here’s my reasoning. Resources in the aggro vs. aggro matchup are going to be key. This was a risky keep, but I couldn’t see myself going down two cards and winning, so I leaned on the rummage from Haggle and… got there! Close victory, but a good one.
A week worth of travelling led to a lot of Bad North (great travel game), a lot of pies, but not a lot of Magical cards. Now that laundry is done, toddler is sleeping, it’s time to rectify that post-haste.
Lost to a surprisingly good draw 2 deck (they had three Improbable Alliances on the field at once, which proved to be decisive). Then a solid, very very fast WG adventure where I had a critical fatfinger where I could have turned the corner.
Interesting Moments
Really intresting pick here. I started in red and then the green started flowing (late Outmuscle and Garenbrig Paladin. Then this pick. There’s been some traces of blue (So Tiny &c) so it’s a choice between speculating on a pretty good blue card or a “eh” colorless. I took the Sage of the Falls as I think it’s a little late here and UG is definitely possible. It didn’t pan out and the rampy deck that I put together could have really used the Drawbridge, but I think it was the right choice.
Two powerful black cards… then Arcanist Owl. Weird draft. I guess I should have been Br-ish (the two Scorching Dragonfires in mid-pack 3 kind of hurt) but hard to see a path into that.
I might have overly committed to mono-black with the late Covetous Urges. Ending up with three (which might be one too many…) Then there was some white, but I was so black committed. It was a mess.
Benalish Dad 