It turns out that when given the choices of playing Magic, blogging about Magic, and interacting with a second child, it’s a classic “Pick Two” situation. I’ve been able to sneak in a fair amount of March of the Machine, but it’s been all Bo1 and 99% on my phone as Lil Narset has claimed the office for her own bedroom. I snuck in one final draft before LotR released and boy howdy it was a doozy. I had the good fortune to open Elspeth… and then a beautiful BW Phyrexian deck flowed to me.
Sadly I had to miss the pre-release event due to “family” and other “reasons”. We’re postponing sleep training Baby Narset until after our overseas trip in a week, which is proving to be a bit grueling. The best part is that every time I attempt to force the conversation with Benalish Momma, Baby Narset–sensing danger–immediately sleeps 6+ straight hours. Very crafty.
Onto the magic cards. There’s usually a very clear subset of Best Commons (aka Signals) just from the spoiler. Reasonably efficient or instant-speed removal, cantrips, and efficient creatures always make for good Signals because they usually fit into any deck archetype. Let’s see what we’ve got.
Galaxy Quest will remain an all-timer that we’ll definitely have to introduce to a new generation. But until then we’ll just have to settle for this replay. Did I fight through two Archangels of Wrath *and* a Cruelty of Gix? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT SWEETCHEEKS.
There was only one move I was supremely proud of, and that was kicking Urbog Repossession to get back a Saga (underrated mode!) for the +5/+5 to force a chump block. You got this!
Preview season really is the best. I skipped the last few sets because A) ew, alchemy and B) Lil Liliana is definitely more of a howler than Chandra was. But as we pull out of the first 60 days (still objectively terrible) it’s time to look forward to something fun!
Ah the classic conundrum: keeping a one land hand when on the draw. Oppo is also playing an aggressive deck and this is game three. Each previous game whoever was on the play was the winner, just through front-foot aggression (god bless you SNC). So, what do we do here?
What’s the play?
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Definitely starting to run a little dry on SNC. With the spikes leaving the format I’m drafting Brokers uncontested and winning a lot of games easily. While nice for the gem count it’s not great for interesting play moments. But last night had some spice!
Okay, so opponent just cast the Maestros Diabolist, got their devil but then held back from attacking this turn. Opponent has a bounce spell in hand, but not enough mana to cast it this turn. I have one flier in the air, the Angel combat trick, and a removal spell. Here are the lines as I see them
What’s the play?
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This was one of the better fought games lately. Facing a quasi-Maestros mirror in the rubber match. Oppo got out to a fast start, removed my blocker, and has me pretty firmly on the back foot. But now it’s Echo Inspector time!
Do I pitch a card to make the E.I. a 3/4? That can block the 3/1 initiate but *can’t* block the Body Dropper due to threat of activation. Is that worth a card? Potential lines include:
If I pitch a spell, I probably pitch the Slip out the Back, looking to build up my own Body Droppers with a blitzed Night Clubber.
If I pitch a land, I’m priced into trading the E.I. for the Initiate, which doesn’t feel great. I set up a double Body Dropper next turn along with a Slip out the Back to protect them (or buy a turn with a block). What to do?
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Keep or mull is usually a bit more straightforward than the multiple facets of a What’s the Play. But it’s still good to keep one’s hand in. So here’s a good one. We are on the draw in game 1, already mulled once.
Pretty self-evident keep with good removal and early plays and a pretty powerful card. But what to toss? Normally when on the draw I pitch the third land automatically. However, is that the best choice here?
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Mana advantage is a real thing, and being able to triple-spell on turn 5 is usually a pretty delightful thing. While I doubt there’s a wrong answer, it’s important to squeeze out every angle of value.
It’s clear that we’re casting all of our spells, but at what?
I don’t love that Arena automatically gives tells when oppo has an something they can do at instant speed. But it’s available and I’d be a fool not to use it. Oppo has something at instant speed and this is the second round of attacking into my 4/4 (my 2/2 traded with their 2/2 last turn). What’s the play?
Benalish Dad 