The draft last week was a bit weird. There were no Conflux packs and the majority went with SAA but they decided to mix it up a bit(I believe it was Wes who suggested this) and draft in ASA order. It was odd and I can't say that I was too much of a fan of the idea before, during or after. So I figure I will leave it at that.
Moving on to this week. Here are the picks in order...
Shards Pack
Agony Warp
Tower Gargoyle
Bant Charm
Tidehollow Strix
Metallurgeon
Excommunicate
Windwright Mage
Cloudheath Drake
Naturalize
Angelsong
Jhessian Lookout
Puppet Conjurer
Lush Growth
Immortal Coil
Plains
Conflux Pack
Thornling
Armillary Sphere
Dark Gargoyle
Parasitic Strix
Sedraxis Alchemist
Aven Squire
Parasitic Strix
Brackwater Elemental
Unsummon
Gleam of Resistance
Worldly Counsel
Aerie Mystics
Salvage Slasher
Sigil of the Empty Throne
Vectis Agents
Alara Reborn Pack
Wall of Denial
Zealous Persecution
Ethersworn Shieldmage
Architects of Will
Fieldmist Borderpost
Jhessian Zombie
Esper Stormblade
Ethercaste Knight
Architects of Will
Etherwrought Page
Jund Soourners
Thopter Foundry
Grixis Sojourner
Jhessian Zombie
Forest
And here is what I made out of it...
6 Plains
6 Island
5 Swamp
1 Agony Warp
1 Tower Gargoyle
1 Tidehollow Strix
1 Metallurgeon
1 Windwright Mage
1 Cloudheath Drake
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Dark Gargoyle
2 Parasitic Strix
1 Sedraxis Alchemist
1 Aven Squire
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Unsummon
1 Gleam of Resistance
1 Vectis Agents
1 Wall of Denial
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Ethersworn Shieldmage
1 Architects of Will
1 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Jhessian Zombie
1 Esper Stormblade
I could have gone differently with this. I don't know if I should have tried harder to fit in the Thornling and Bant Charm. I think that I would have liked to have the other Architects in and I probably should have found room for the Puppet Conjurers. I am also on the fence about how to view the Borderposts. So far I think of them as about .5 land. If I have 2 of them I feel OK dropping a land but with one I couldn't do it. I ended up cutting the Knight for the 17th land.
Bates was on my right and passed me the Tower Gargoyle so I started picking up Esper but he picked up the second Tower Gargoyle and cut me off. Oh well.
Round 1
Kyle Dembinski
Game 1
I never get past 4 land this game so it was a bit hard for me to get my guys to stick and be able to play some tricks. I fight the good fight and get him down to 4 but his deck is too much for me.
Game 2
I mulligan to a hand with 2 lands and an Armillary Sphere, but I continue to draw land. I try to double block the 2/4 doublestriker to kill it by Warping it and the Court Archers, but he blanks that plan with a Magma Spray and that about wraps it up for me. I tell him that I fully expected the Jund Charm to +2/+2 the Doublestriker and he lets me know that play was coming down next turn.
Round 2
DANEFIRE!!
Game 1 and 2
In both games, Dane ramps up into lots of mana but doesn't see any high CC spells and I apply the pressure with the flyers.
Round 3
Joe Komer
Game 1
I didn't see much from him other than land this game. He dropped a Grixis Battlemage, Unsummoned one of my guys and cycled a Constricting Tendrils. Once more, Flyers FTW.
Game 2
I drop turn 3 Wall of Denial and that just seems like the nuts. It gives me so much time to set up and get out an active Metallurgeon to go with my flying artifact creatures.
Course he keeps me from going into overdrive by casting Blightning on turns 3 and 4. Tidehollow Strix takes care of a fair amount of his team before he drops a Suicidal Charge. He lets me play the Parasitic Strix and syphon him for 2 before he sacs the Charge pre-combat and kills my only Black permanent. I have to swing in now with my remaining two guys but I go ahead and put a regen shield around the Shieldmage while my Ominous Wall keeps me safe.
Somewhere in there I take three from one of his guys and he gets double Breath of Malfegor to bring me down to 3. I get so focused in on winning with my flyers that I probably give him at least one more draw than I should have by not alpha striking when he only had one black mana open. I saw the opportunity when he untapped and luckily for me he did not draw the 3rd Blightning to finish me off.
Round 4
Michael Mayes
Game 1
He starts off with a hand of 5 and I start with a hand of 6. I drop a Tower Gargoyle and keep a full hand to protect it and 5 swings later we are off to game 2.
Game 2
He mulls to 6 this time and I pull off the Dirty Turn 3 Wall. That pretty well shuts down most of his offense. The main play in this game that sealed the deal was the Gleam of Resistance which untapped my Tower gargoyle and wrecked his team or the Persecution that killed off 2 Goblins, a Deathraider and a Slaughtermaster that he cascaded off a Violent Outbrst.
Wall of Denial was an MVP and Agony warp is always fantastic, but I got to play with some new cards in the format. Zealous Persecution was so good for me everytime and the Shieldmage is just a beating in Esper. I didn't get in as much drafting with Conflux that I wanted to and it still confuses me, now I just have the added confusion of this all gold set. Still seems like I will have a fun time drafting while I try to figure things out.
Maybe next time, I will try not to draft in the same colours as the guy to my right. I'm not making any promises, though.
I still gotta figure out these Borderposts.
As Always,
DHT
Showing posts with label Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Draft. Show all posts
07 May 2009
18 March 2009
Draft(s) at WMG 12 March 09
So there were a couple of drafts that evening, and here are my picks from the first draft....
Pack 1
Kiss of the Amesha
Cloudheath Drake
Bant Charm
Resounding Silence
Resounding Roar
Rockcaster Platoon
Angelic Benediction
Etherium Sculptor
Gather Specimens
Dawnray Archer
Skill Borrower
Vectis Silencers
Behemoth's Herald
Coma Veil
Forest
Pack 2
Kiss of the Amesha
Sphinx Sovereign
Steward of Valeron
Guardians of Akrasa
Obelisk of Bant
Welkin Guide
Deft Duelist
Bant Battlemage
Obelisk of Bant
Guardians of Akrasa
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Marble Chalice
Angel's Herald
Lush Growth
Pack 3
Martial Coup
Rhox Meditant
Skyward Eye Prophets
Celestial Purge
Frontline Sage
Gleam of Resistance
Worldly Counsel
Traumatic Visions
Unsummon
Brackwater Elemental
Jhessian Balmgiver
Elder Mastery
Vedalken Outlander
Grixis Illusionist
Forest
...and here is what I came up with...
5 Forest
5 Island
7 Plains
2 Obelisk of Bant
1 Angelic of Benediction
1 Bant Battlemage
2 Guardians of Akrasa
1 Resounding Silence
1 Rockcaster Platoon
1 Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
1 Welkin Guide
1 Cloudheath Drake
1 Bant Charm
1 Deft Duelist
1 Kiss of the Amesha
1 Steward of Valeron
1 Gleam of Resistance
1 Martial Coup
1 Rhox Meditant
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Frontline Sage
1 Unsummon
1 Jhessian Balmgiver
1 Skyward Eye Prophets
Round 1
Josh Hastings
Game 1
Josh is playing Naya but doesn't get a quick start. I drop a couple of early Exalted guys and go to town with the Duelist. A timely Unsummon on an activated Knight buys me a little time before he drops some beef to slow things down but I have the Coup and wait long enough to wrath and swing back for the win in 2 turns.
Game 2
Josh gets a better start and Magma Sprays my Frontline Sage to slow down my searching. Soon enough, he gets an overwhelming force and we go to game 3.
Game 3
I think that I eventually drew the Coup again for the win.
Round 2
Josh Bayless
Game 1 and 2
Josh is in Esper and gets some ridiculously fast flying draws(Sculptor, Tower, P.Strix, Windmage) that wreck me before I can even get set up even though one game I was able to get the Amesha off(drawing 2 of the 12 land I drew that game).
Round 3
Ward Allen
Game 1
Ward is in Naya as well, and I am on the draw. I have mulliganed too much in the last two rounds and decide to keep dumb hands against him. For the first game I kept the 6 land Kiss of Amesha hand. I drew an early drop and an obelisk and ramped into the Kiss. I whittle him down 2 at a time to 10 and I go to 2 myself, all the while holding the Coup. I wait for him to empty his hand then Coup for 8. He gets a blocker down but two swings is all it takes.
Game 2
Here I keep a sub par hand again, but I get an early Steward to help ramp up. It is 17-13 in his favour when I drop the Rockcaster Platoon to gum up the ground. I activate once at 9 mana on his turn, drop a land on my turn and say go with the score 15-11(I forgot to activate the Balmgiver). He thinks for quite some time, trying to figure how to make an attack work out well for him. He thinks that I have the Coup(and I do) but drops a few more critters on board to hope to get an Alpha Strike on soon then says go. I figure that I have the win so I activate the Rockcaster twice, preventing 1 to me this time with the Balmgiver to bring us to 11-8. I swing in with the big Rhino, superflously tapping something with the Benediction before targeting him with the Balmgiver's second ability(Unblockable).
"So I take 5?" Ward asks.
"No, he's a 7/9 with the 2 Exalted triggers." I reply.
I wait a little bit while he does the math, then he scoops up his cards. Golliher had come in and was watching the second game so he saw my opening hand, so I started chatting with him about both of the awful openers loud enough so that Ward knew what I kept. I think it made him a little perturbed, because he seemed in a bit of a rush to make his picks and be on his way. I guess he didn't want to stay for the Midnight Draft.
That's right...Midnight Draft.
And it was a Friday Night Magic Event!(that is why we had to wait for midnight to start)
So it was a while in the making, but I had scheduled the FNM for special reasons. Not only to make the Hat Trick for Win More(3 FNM's on that Friday), but to celebrate something that I found out on the Ratings page.
This was my 1000th DCI Sanctioned Event!!!!!!
(or at least close enough, I think I was 3 over)
(that is as player, judge, organizer, scorekeeper, etc)
My wife was nice enough(because she is fantastic) to make cupcakes for me to bring to the shop. I also bring some chips and salsa for those not fans of the sweets. So people have something to snack on while we wait for the Witching Hour. People get some playtesting in and then I start taking sign ups. I wait for as long as I can before letting out the next bit of information about this special event.
This is a Free Draft.
That fact keeps a few people in that would have left and we keep trying to juggle a nice draft pod number. We thought it was going to split perfect but we had 3 more come in at the buzzer and brought the grand total up to 27 people for the Midnight Draft.
We go over a few things since I am changing up some of the normal rules. We opt for going 3 rounds and I end up making the 'Keep what you draft' call so that noone feels obligated to stay around and try to get better picks in a redraft. I let everyone in on why I wanted to put this event together and to the best of my knowledge everyone had a good time. It was a close one there when the girl with the Peanut Allergy bites into a cupcake not knowing that my wife had put a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in each one. Luckily it was not a severe allergy and she found it before eating it.
Many thanks to Josh Olson at Win More for staying open late and letting me hold the event at the store. Thanks to everyone who came out to help me celebrate.
As Always,
DHT
Pack 1
Kiss of the Amesha
Cloudheath Drake
Bant Charm
Resounding Silence
Resounding Roar
Rockcaster Platoon
Angelic Benediction
Etherium Sculptor
Gather Specimens
Dawnray Archer
Skill Borrower
Vectis Silencers
Behemoth's Herald
Coma Veil
Forest
Pack 2
Kiss of the Amesha
Sphinx Sovereign
Steward of Valeron
Guardians of Akrasa
Obelisk of Bant
Welkin Guide
Deft Duelist
Bant Battlemage
Obelisk of Bant
Guardians of Akrasa
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Marble Chalice
Angel's Herald
Lush Growth
Pack 3
Martial Coup
Rhox Meditant
Skyward Eye Prophets
Celestial Purge
Frontline Sage
Gleam of Resistance
Worldly Counsel
Traumatic Visions
Unsummon
Brackwater Elemental
Jhessian Balmgiver
Elder Mastery
Vedalken Outlander
Grixis Illusionist
Forest
...and here is what I came up with...
5 Forest
5 Island
7 Plains
2 Obelisk of Bant
1 Angelic of Benediction
1 Bant Battlemage
2 Guardians of Akrasa
1 Resounding Silence
1 Rockcaster Platoon
1 Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
1 Welkin Guide
1 Cloudheath Drake
1 Bant Charm
1 Deft Duelist
1 Kiss of the Amesha
1 Steward of Valeron
1 Gleam of Resistance
1 Martial Coup
1 Rhox Meditant
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Frontline Sage
1 Unsummon
1 Jhessian Balmgiver
1 Skyward Eye Prophets
Round 1
Josh Hastings
Game 1
Josh is playing Naya but doesn't get a quick start. I drop a couple of early Exalted guys and go to town with the Duelist. A timely Unsummon on an activated Knight buys me a little time before he drops some beef to slow things down but I have the Coup and wait long enough to wrath and swing back for the win in 2 turns.
Game 2
Josh gets a better start and Magma Sprays my Frontline Sage to slow down my searching. Soon enough, he gets an overwhelming force and we go to game 3.
Game 3
I think that I eventually drew the Coup again for the win.
Round 2
Josh Bayless
Game 1 and 2
Josh is in Esper and gets some ridiculously fast flying draws(Sculptor, Tower, P.Strix, Windmage) that wreck me before I can even get set up even though one game I was able to get the Amesha off(drawing 2 of the 12 land I drew that game).
Round 3
Ward Allen
Game 1
Ward is in Naya as well, and I am on the draw. I have mulliganed too much in the last two rounds and decide to keep dumb hands against him. For the first game I kept the 6 land Kiss of Amesha hand. I drew an early drop and an obelisk and ramped into the Kiss. I whittle him down 2 at a time to 10 and I go to 2 myself, all the while holding the Coup. I wait for him to empty his hand then Coup for 8. He gets a blocker down but two swings is all it takes.
Game 2
Here I keep a sub par hand again, but I get an early Steward to help ramp up. It is 17-13 in his favour when I drop the Rockcaster Platoon to gum up the ground. I activate once at 9 mana on his turn, drop a land on my turn and say go with the score 15-11(I forgot to activate the Balmgiver). He thinks for quite some time, trying to figure how to make an attack work out well for him. He thinks that I have the Coup(and I do) but drops a few more critters on board to hope to get an Alpha Strike on soon then says go. I figure that I have the win so I activate the Rockcaster twice, preventing 1 to me this time with the Balmgiver to bring us to 11-8. I swing in with the big Rhino, superflously tapping something with the Benediction before targeting him with the Balmgiver's second ability(Unblockable).
"So I take 5?" Ward asks.
"No, he's a 7/9 with the 2 Exalted triggers." I reply.
I wait a little bit while he does the math, then he scoops up his cards. Golliher had come in and was watching the second game so he saw my opening hand, so I started chatting with him about both of the awful openers loud enough so that Ward knew what I kept. I think it made him a little perturbed, because he seemed in a bit of a rush to make his picks and be on his way. I guess he didn't want to stay for the Midnight Draft.
That's right...Midnight Draft.
And it was a Friday Night Magic Event!(that is why we had to wait for midnight to start)
So it was a while in the making, but I had scheduled the FNM for special reasons. Not only to make the Hat Trick for Win More(3 FNM's on that Friday), but to celebrate something that I found out on the Ratings page.
This was my 1000th DCI Sanctioned Event!!!!!!
(or at least close enough, I think I was 3 over)
(that is as player, judge, organizer, scorekeeper, etc)
My wife was nice enough(because she is fantastic) to make cupcakes for me to bring to the shop. I also bring some chips and salsa for those not fans of the sweets. So people have something to snack on while we wait for the Witching Hour. People get some playtesting in and then I start taking sign ups. I wait for as long as I can before letting out the next bit of information about this special event.
This is a Free Draft.
That fact keeps a few people in that would have left and we keep trying to juggle a nice draft pod number. We thought it was going to split perfect but we had 3 more come in at the buzzer and brought the grand total up to 27 people for the Midnight Draft.
We go over a few things since I am changing up some of the normal rules. We opt for going 3 rounds and I end up making the 'Keep what you draft' call so that noone feels obligated to stay around and try to get better picks in a redraft. I let everyone in on why I wanted to put this event together and to the best of my knowledge everyone had a good time. It was a close one there when the girl with the Peanut Allergy bites into a cupcake not knowing that my wife had put a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in each one. Luckily it was not a severe allergy and she found it before eating it.
Many thanks to Josh Olson at Win More for staying open late and letting me hold the event at the store. Thanks to everyone who came out to help me celebrate.
As Always,
DHT
05 March 2009
Draft at WMG 05 March 09
Sigh...
Lost the draft...in more ways than one. I had almost finished typing this up for the first time and I suddenly lost everything. Not sure which I am more upset about.
Here are my picks ...again....
Pack 1
Tower Gargoyle
Sanctum Gargoyle
Agony Warp
Bone Splinters
Esper Charm
Hissing Iguanar
Welkin Guide
Angelic Benediction
Deathgreeter
Welkin Guide
Cathartic Adept
Angel's Herald
Relic of Progenitus
Banewasp Affliction
Forest
Pack 2
Tower Gargoyle
Oblivion Ring
Viscera Dragger
Skeletal Kathari
Kiss of the Amesha
Obelisk of Esper
Tar Fiend
Steelclad Serpent
Yoked Plowbeast
Rip-Clan Crasher
Demon's Herald
Sunseed Nurturer
Dreg Reaver
Demon's Herald
Mountain
Pack 3
Yoke of the Damned
Drag Down
Parasitic Strix
Parasitic Strix
Brackwater Elemental
Parasitic Strix
Faerie Mechanist
Unsummon
Vectis Agents
Pestilent Kathari
Yoke of the Damned
Aven Trailblazer
Kranioceros
Scornful Aether-Lich
Plains
So it seemed like a reasonable Esper Draft, nothing too nutty but some solid guys with tricks. I passed by some Naya and Jund goodies but stayed the course. I still have not been able to get myself to draft the 5 Colour Special. I wanted to get a Panorama but was happy to get an Obelisk in the second pack, since I passed some in the first pack for removal.
Here is how I built the deck...
5 Island
6 Plains
6 Swamp
1 Obelisk of Esper
1 Oblivino Ring
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Sunseed Nurturer
1 Welkin Guide
1 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Bone Splinters
1 Skeletal Kathari
1 Tar Fiend
1 Viscera Dragger
1 Agony Warp
1 Kiss of the Amesha
2 Tower Gargoyle
1 Aven Trailblazer
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Faerie Mechanist
2 Parasitic Strix
1 Unsummon
1 Drag Down
1 Pestilent Kathari
1 Vectis Agents
I wanted to play at least one of the Yokes. I think that they are a good card, but I felt that I needed the instant speed on my side. I ended up playing only 2 of the Parasitic Strix, I think that I should have played the 3rd one over the Trailblazer since I wasn't playing Domain.
Round 1
Josh
Game 1
I race him with my flyer and he doesn't get greedy with either of his pump knights(Skyward or Dragonsouled) playing around the Agony Warp that I had in hand. I get a Tower Gargoyle to stick with the Warp mana up and that is game.
Game 2
I mull the 2 lander and keep a better 6. He gets early beats and drops me to 8 before I am able to stabilize with a Tower Gargoyle. The Kiss seals it up for me and he scoops.
Round 2
Dave Barker
Game 1
He has a bunch of Naya Beef but I am able to keep up with him at 11-12 for me. Then he drops a Spearbreaker and casts Soul's Majesty. I can draw an out with the ORing but the 2 of the 5 cards that he draws are Woolly Thoctars, which he plays and I pick up my cards.
I will have to yell at Bates who was on the other side of him, I didn't pass him any Thoctars.
Game 2
He goes turn 1 Nacatl, 2 Mountain, 3 Thoctar. He has me on the back foot and I just can't get anything together. He has the Magma Spray for my double block and a Volcanic Submersion for my Tower Gargoyle.
Round 3
DANEFIRE!!!!!
Game 1
I keep a hand missing Islands, but have an ORing and some 5 drops. I don't see an Island or a 5th land and he Hammers me.
Game 2
We both mull to 6 this game but he drew 2 from Esper Charm, 2 From Capsule, and 2 From Kiss. I got off a Kiss as well and was able to let the Tower Gargoyle go to work. I drop the second Tower Gargoyle before the Strix for the win just in case he has a bounce/removal spell for the first Gargoyle.
Game 3
We go back and forth on this game before I can get a Tower Gargoyle to stick. At the end he sees an opportunity to go for the win, so he Unearths his Kathari and swings for the fences. After blocks he tries to Sigil Blessing, but I have th agony Warp to couter the spell . We talk a bit and I think that he should have held back with it since I had gone on the offensive with the 4/4 flyer and he knew that I had Warp, Unsummon and Drag Down in the deck that I had not played that game. Still, it could have been his last chance for the win...maybe I am just too much of a reactionary/defensive player.
Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with the Faerie Mechanist(only hitting once in 6 tries) but I probably should have played more artifacts for him. Cards that I think that I should have tried to find room for were the Esper Charm and the Scornful Aether-Lich. I would have sided in the charm to deal with some enchantments, but with the tri-colour and my lack of fixing it just didn't seem as worth it like the Gargoyle's were.I would have traded in the Lich for the Agents against a Bant deck, but the Agents unblockability seemed better than the Fear.
Well I guess that I have to keep at it, but I will have to skip a week.
As Always,
DHThomas
Lost the draft...in more ways than one. I had almost finished typing this up for the first time and I suddenly lost everything. Not sure which I am more upset about.
Here are my picks ...again....
Pack 1
Tower Gargoyle
Sanctum Gargoyle
Agony Warp
Bone Splinters
Esper Charm
Hissing Iguanar
Welkin Guide
Angelic Benediction
Deathgreeter
Welkin Guide
Cathartic Adept
Angel's Herald
Relic of Progenitus
Banewasp Affliction
Forest
Pack 2
Tower Gargoyle
Oblivion Ring
Viscera Dragger
Skeletal Kathari
Kiss of the Amesha
Obelisk of Esper
Tar Fiend
Steelclad Serpent
Yoked Plowbeast
Rip-Clan Crasher
Demon's Herald
Sunseed Nurturer
Dreg Reaver
Demon's Herald
Mountain
Pack 3
Yoke of the Damned
Drag Down
Parasitic Strix
Parasitic Strix
Brackwater Elemental
Parasitic Strix
Faerie Mechanist
Unsummon
Vectis Agents
Pestilent Kathari
Yoke of the Damned
Aven Trailblazer
Kranioceros
Scornful Aether-Lich
Plains
So it seemed like a reasonable Esper Draft, nothing too nutty but some solid guys with tricks. I passed by some Naya and Jund goodies but stayed the course. I still have not been able to get myself to draft the 5 Colour Special. I wanted to get a Panorama but was happy to get an Obelisk in the second pack, since I passed some in the first pack for removal.
Here is how I built the deck...
5 Island
6 Plains
6 Swamp
1 Obelisk of Esper
1 Oblivino Ring
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Sunseed Nurturer
1 Welkin Guide
1 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Bone Splinters
1 Skeletal Kathari
1 Tar Fiend
1 Viscera Dragger
1 Agony Warp
1 Kiss of the Amesha
2 Tower Gargoyle
1 Aven Trailblazer
1 Brackwater Elemental
1 Faerie Mechanist
2 Parasitic Strix
1 Unsummon
1 Drag Down
1 Pestilent Kathari
1 Vectis Agents
I wanted to play at least one of the Yokes. I think that they are a good card, but I felt that I needed the instant speed on my side. I ended up playing only 2 of the Parasitic Strix, I think that I should have played the 3rd one over the Trailblazer since I wasn't playing Domain.
Round 1
Josh
Game 1
I race him with my flyer and he doesn't get greedy with either of his pump knights(Skyward or Dragonsouled) playing around the Agony Warp that I had in hand. I get a Tower Gargoyle to stick with the Warp mana up and that is game.
Game 2
I mull the 2 lander and keep a better 6. He gets early beats and drops me to 8 before I am able to stabilize with a Tower Gargoyle. The Kiss seals it up for me and he scoops.
Round 2
Dave Barker
Game 1
He has a bunch of Naya Beef but I am able to keep up with him at 11-12 for me. Then he drops a Spearbreaker and casts Soul's Majesty. I can draw an out with the ORing but the 2 of the 5 cards that he draws are Woolly Thoctars, which he plays and I pick up my cards.
I will have to yell at Bates who was on the other side of him, I didn't pass him any Thoctars.
Game 2
He goes turn 1 Nacatl, 2 Mountain, 3 Thoctar. He has me on the back foot and I just can't get anything together. He has the Magma Spray for my double block and a Volcanic Submersion for my Tower Gargoyle.
Round 3
DANEFIRE!!!!!
Game 1
I keep a hand missing Islands, but have an ORing and some 5 drops. I don't see an Island or a 5th land and he Hammers me.
Game 2
We both mull to 6 this game but he drew 2 from Esper Charm, 2 From Capsule, and 2 From Kiss. I got off a Kiss as well and was able to let the Tower Gargoyle go to work. I drop the second Tower Gargoyle before the Strix for the win just in case he has a bounce/removal spell for the first Gargoyle.
Game 3
We go back and forth on this game before I can get a Tower Gargoyle to stick. At the end he sees an opportunity to go for the win, so he Unearths his Kathari and swings for the fences. After blocks he tries to Sigil Blessing, but I have th agony Warp to couter the spell . We talk a bit and I think that he should have held back with it since I had gone on the offensive with the 4/4 flyer and he knew that I had Warp, Unsummon and Drag Down in the deck that I had not played that game. Still, it could have been his last chance for the win...maybe I am just too much of a reactionary/defensive player.
Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with the Faerie Mechanist(only hitting once in 6 tries) but I probably should have played more artifacts for him. Cards that I think that I should have tried to find room for were the Esper Charm and the Scornful Aether-Lich. I would have sided in the charm to deal with some enchantments, but with the tri-colour and my lack of fixing it just didn't seem as worth it like the Gargoyle's were.I would have traded in the Lich for the Agents against a Bant deck, but the Agents unblockability seemed better than the Fear.
Well I guess that I have to keep at it, but I will have to skip a week.
As Always,
DHThomas
19 February 2009
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.
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.
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