Draft at WMG 19 February 09

Unfortunately there were only six to draft this evening. There were eight people hanging about, but the two that wanted to go playtest for the Extended PTQ's would not be persuaded or cajoled into staying.

Oh well...

It was AAC and here are my picks in order...

Pack 1
Caldera Hellion
Fleshbag Marauder
Fleshbag Marauder
Blood Cultist
Fatestitcher
Skeletal Kathari
Exuberant Firestoker
Tidehollow Strix
Etherium Sculptor
Corpse Connoisseur
Excommunicate
Esper Panorama
Steelclad Serpent
Angelsong
Swamp

Pack 2
Flameblast Dragon
Blister Beetle
Viscera Dragger
Executioner's Capsule
Skeletal Kathari
Agony Warp
Obelisk of Esper
Obelisk of Grixis
Call to Heel
Windwright Mage
Jhessian Lookout
Courier's Capsule
Undead Leotau
Viashino Skeleton
Mountain

Pack 3
Blood Tyrant
Sedraxis Alchemist
Zombie Outlander
Kederekt Parasite
Frontline Sage
Canyon Minotaur
Suicidal Charge
Unsummon
Traumatic Visions
Might of Alara
Vedalken Outlander
Vectis Agents
Manaforce Mace
Sludge Strider
Plains

...and here is what I ended up with..

5 Island
5 Mountain
6 Swamp
1 Esper Panorama
1 Obelisk of Esper
1 Obelisk of Grixis
1 Call to Heel
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Fatestitcher
1 Blister Beetle
1 Executioner's Capsule
2 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Skeltal Kathari
1 Viscera Dragger
1 Caldera Hellion
1 Exuberant Firestoker
1 Flameblast Dragon
1 Agony Warp
1 Blood Cultist
1 Tidehollow Strix
1 Frontline Sage
1 Unsummon
1 Sedraxis Alchemist
1 Canyon Minotaur
1 Blood Tyrant
1 Zombie Outlander

So I have to be happy with the rares that I opened even though I did have to pass Branching Bolt and Jund Charm to get the Hellion. I typically try to draft more removal but I ended up with enough tricks to be satisfied with the deck.

Round 1

Joe Rosier playing Bant

Game 1

He opens strong with Noble Hierarch, Steward of Valeron, Steward, Rhox Bodyguard . I use the Fatestitcher and what tricks I have to try and stay alive and draw as many cards as possible. I drop to two, untap and have to main phase activate the Frontline Sage into the Hellion which I use to wreck his team. I have Fleshbag in hand and the Stitcher in the yard to deal with what he might draw and he packs it in.

Game 2

He opens on Squire, Squire, Sorcerer and he gets me to 4 this time before I stabilize. He tries not to overextend but I finally stick a Blood Cultist and use it to kill his Jhessian Balmgiver finally prompting out the Gluttonous Slime, but he only eats the JB and I drop the Hellion I had in hand for the longest time.

Round 2

Game 1

I have to mulligan to 5 in this game and I use every card and advantage that I can to stabilize at five and look to be able to swing for lethal soon, but next turn he TD's the Branching Bolt to get in for the win.

Game 2

He draws his ORing for my early Blood Tyrant and uses Soul's Fire to kill my Hellion when I clear his board. I drop to two and he gains eight going to thirteen and I still feel I have a strong position excepting the Branching Bolt that he once again drew.

Round 3

Derek

Games 1 and 2

I get paired against Derek who is the only 2-0 at this point and I figure my only way to get any good picks from the redraft is to dream crush. Both games I use a bunch of removal and bounce to just keep getting my little guys in there.


So I get second place and pick the Hierarch after Derek picks up the Sarkan Vol.

I greatly enjoyed Bouncing Marauders with the trigger on the stack or just sacking my unearth guys. I am a big fan of the Frontline Sage and Alchemist, they both worked grat. I wanted to try out the Parasite; I probably would have at leasst sided it in against Esper; but I didn't think that I had enough red permanents. My hero was the Hellion of course, but I figured on that happening.

Anyway, I hope that there are eight next week and we can get a sanctioned tournament in as I am quickly approaching the 1000 sanctioned event mark.