Father's Day Weekend Magic at WMG

Friday was a bit dicey as I had some house issues that kept me up until 5 AM on Saturday. Then the boys got up at 8 AM and we were off to the races.

I was quickly running out of time to get ready. I picked up Mono White Kithkin for the WMG Free Tournament. Seemed like the easiest to put together and the easiest to pilot. The first three rounds I won mainly due to my opponents.

Round 2 Cody lost to getting stuck on 2 land.

Rounds 1 and 3 my opponents each laid turn 2 Pro-White Goblin. Once he ran into my only way to deal with it in the deck (Mutavault) the rest of the times they died to Volcanic Fallout. I almost verbally thanked my opponents each time.

Round 4, Caskey asks if I want to draw. We are at table 2 and so I ask table 3 what their records are. Both answer 2-1 so I say sure and recommend to table 1 that they do the same.

Round 5 goes as planned, and I go chat with Josh to talk to him about whether I will drop before or after the Top 8 cut. I see the standings and EJ is in 9th and I would have been paired with Caskey. I drop before the cut to let EJ in. If I had been going to be paired against Adam or if 9th had been someone I didn't like, I would have stayed in for the cut to get some packs and then dropped.

Then I get to go home and hang out with my boys.

Sunday brings around draft time and it turns out that the option gone for is a Ravnica Draft. It had been so long since my last Rav Draft, I didn't know or remember half the cards. I first picked Fetters and went B/r/w, opting for the enchantment plan with some tricks. I got Fetters, Seal of Fire, Hypervolt Grasp and Ocular Halo. I passed an early Simic Guildmage, but I got another a bit later, got the 2/1 flier you sac if you don't bounce an enchantment, a bunch more fliers and some burn.

On a side note, someone brought subject of milling in this format. I proceeded to open Tunnel Vision in the first pack and almost drafted it to be funny. Ray passes me Junktroller for a possible second pick and I bust out laughing. I want to try and live the dream from back then(got it to work twice or so way back when), but I eventually give it up. Turns out to be a good move since JR picked the TV 2 seats down.

Round 1 Jason with R/G beats.

Game 1

My tapper and fetters tricks hold him back while my fliers do the work. He burns my smaller fliers out of the sky with a Ulasht, leaving me with a 3/3 flier, a tapper and a Steamcore Wizard. He then evens the score to 5 a piece while I draw land for 5 turns(plus a drowned Rusalka draw). With only 4 lands left in the deck, I need something to help since he will probably come over for the win next turn. I peel Peel from Reality, and think about all the wrong plays for a while. I feel dumb for a little bit, then finish him off.

Game 2

He enchants my Guildmage with a Riot Spikes for Irony I guess, or to keep me from attacking into his 1/1 regenerater. He taps out though and I wreck his board with Pyromatics, and use his enchantment to get in for a couple of extra 2's before he can finally get rid of it. My fliers do their job again backed up by the Fetters.

Round 2 Steve

Game 1

Steve and I both can't find a Plains for the entirety of the game. Surveilling Sprite and a Steamcore Wizard strapped up with a Grasp do most of the work. He gets a 3/3 that threatens to race me so I drop the Ocular Halo onto the Steamcore and try to dig a bit further for a plains to be able to cast a majority of my hand but end up running into my Snapping Drake in time to make him scoop it up.

Game 2

We go back and forth a bit before he has Thundersong Trumpeter and Blind Hunter with which he is able to Convoke out a Conclave Equenaut. At the end of turn I Pyromatics the 2/1 and 2/2 and he haunts the Equenaut. I follow up on my turn with Peel from Reality for my Steamcore and his 3/3 to counter the Haunt and hoping that he might not draw the land to replay it. He draws the land but I drop Minister of Impediments to take care of his 3/3 flier. He sees his only chance to use it, so Shadow Lances his 3/3 and gets in for 7 with the pumps and drops me to 5.

I keep the 3/3 tapped for a bit while my team whittles him down to 11. Steve uses Ogre Savant to bounce my tapper and make him inactive for a turn. I Steamcore the Ogre but leave 2 fliers back just in case. Turns out I was right to do so as he goes all in with Hunted Dragon. I chump both creatures to stay alive and I figure that I have the win if he doesn't have a wrath or enough burn to finish me. I get in for 6 with the Knights from the Dragon, then use an Ogre Savant of my own to bounce his Equenaut so that I only have to tap the Dragon. Equenaut comes back down, but he concedes as I go to attack.


At this point I go up to the front and report my win, when I look out the window. I think to myself, "Holy !@#$, someone is stealing my car!!" before it occurs to me that I didn't drive the Van. Turns out that the only way that Jenn could get Ian to calm down for his haircut was to tell him that they would bring Daddy some candy. Hey, whatever works I say. I chat with her and eat some candy with the boys for a bit before I take them out to the car so they can head home.

Josh wins his match and is the only other undefeated. I proffer the draw so that we can both win on the Father's Day Draft. He sees how appropriate this is, so we both sign a Merfolk Looter to go on the wall and call it a day.

I go back to the house for some Chinese Food and Donkey Kong Jenga(my present from the boys).

5 - 0 - 3 for the weekend.

I didn't even lose a game.

All in all, an excellent weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped to make it so.

As Always,
DHT

Draft at WMG 07 MAY 09

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

Draft at WMG 16 APRIL 09

So here are my picks in order...


Pack One
Spearbreaker Behemoth
Necrogenesis
Skeletonize
Jund Panorama
Bone Splinters
Sigil Blessing
Relic of Progenitus
Akrasan Squire
Fire-Field Ogre
Undead Leotau
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Hindering Light
Savage Hunger
Swamp(Foil)
Forest

Pack Two
Algae Gharial
Naya Charm
Mosstodon
Resounding Silence
Hissing Iguanar
Druid of the Anima
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Naturalize
Thunder-Thrash Elder
Sighted-Caste Sorceror
Waveskimmer Aven
Cylian Elf
Godtoucher
Goblin Mountaineer
Swamp

Pack Three
Volcanic Fallout
Wall of Reverence
Path to Exile
Rhox Bodyguard
Gluttonous Slime
Rhox Meditant
Quenchable Fire
Yoke of the Damned
Rhox Meditant
Fleshformer
Bone Saw
Corrupted Roots
Reliquary Tower
Salvage Slasher
Forest

The first 5 picks come my way and I start heading down the Jund path, and then it just dries up. I figure that Ward is on my left picking up Jund too; so I start picking up some white, thinking that I may have to pick up some blue as well since those were about the only cards left in the packs by that point.

Tommy is on my left and he passes me good enough Naya cards that I feel confidant picking that up and maybe splashing black.

Third pack makes me glad that I choose the white in my deck with Ward passing me the Wall and Path back to back.

...and here is how I ended up building the deck...

5 Forest
4 Mountain
6 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Jund Panorama
1 Akrasan Squire
1 Resounding Silence
1 Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
1 Bone Splinters
1 Hissing Iguanar
1 Skeletonize
1 Thorn-Thras Elder
1 Algae Gharial
1 Cylian Elf
1 Druid of the Anima
1 Mosstodon
1 Spearbreaker Behemoth
1 Naya Charm
1 Necrogenesis
1 Rakeclaw Gargantuan
1 Sigil Blessing
1 Path to Exile
2 Rhox Meditant
1 Wall of Reverence
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Gluttonous Slime
1 Rhox Bodyguard


Round 1

Shane

Shane announced before the draft that it was his first time at Win More(I believe that he signed up for his DCI number that night). He tells me that he has drafted with his buddies but that he might take some time in reading the cards.

Game 1

I get stuck on 3 land for the longest time, only getting out a Sorcerer and an Iguanar. He saw that I was having land issues so promptly BBolted my Druid before he became active. I try to take out his Rockslide Elemental by blocking with the Iguanar and using the Blessing, but he counters with Angelsong and I shrug.

So far he has not been too aggressive, so I decide to be patient and wait for the fourth land to hit. It takes a few turns and going down to 7 life before it finally shows up so that my Gharial can come out to play. He keeps coming in with the 3/3 Rocky Elemental and random 1/1. We trade 1/1's and I chump the Elemental to deal 3 and ramp up Gharial to 4/4. Sure it pumps his Rocky but I have the Silence for him next turn so I am not worried. He does add to the stack of the Silence to Soul's Grace it for 6 life up to 22.

Gharial goes to town and takes him to 1 life when he tries to Sylvan Bounty. I add to the stack with a Gluttonous Slime to sac a random guy for one more point off the Iguanar but that is put on hold for the moment with a Lapse of Certainty. Tired of this I go ahead and show the Volcanic Fallout to end this long game.

Game 2

This game sees me get out Iguanar then Wall(which gets the Bant Charm)then Rhox Bodyguard and he doesn't really muster up anything past that.

After Game 1, Adam commented that I had showed a lot of patience in waiting for that fourth land. I wish that I could say that it was a hard call, but my opponent really didn't put any pressure on me even while I went down to 7. The elemental was the only scary creature onboard, and it didn't even become big until I was ready for it to.

Round 2

Ward Allen

Ward says he knows what colours that I went. I shrugged and said that he should after cutting me off. He countered that it was cut off before him and that he did end up shipping me some good white.

"Agreed, sir"

...and off we went.

Game 1

I mull but he gets land screwed this game and I didn't see too much before Sigil Blessing + Naya charm said it was over for him.

Game 2

He starts off faster this time with the Slaughtermaster and Macta Rioters at 3. I don't make any chump blocks yet since I want him to keep pumping mana into his doublestriker instead of laying down more threats. I take a hit that puts me to 11, but I come back with the Wall that nets me 4 off an Exalted Iguanar.

Next turn I block the Riders with the Wall, ready to take 6 from the Slaughermaster, but he Mights the Riders to take out the Wall and then can only pump up to 4 damage. Next turn I let him double-pump before showing the Silence. During his next draw step, I Skeletonize his Riders to try kill it before he possibly drops another land or pull another pump spell out of his hand. Macta goes away and don't fear anything he has on the table so I take over from there.


Round 3

Kenny Castor

He was still playing Tommy after I finished up round 2 and I saw a fair portion of his deck. Some Grixis Unearth guys, Absorb Vis, Malfegor, Cruel Ultimatum, Sharding Sphinx, Grixis Slavedriver, etc.

I figure that I have to get out in front quick if I am going to have any chance at all.

Game 1

I am on the draw and the opener of 6 land + Rhox Meditant simply won't do. I keep a more aggressive 6 and off we go. I think that this is where I threw away the Sigil Blessing early to get his unearth guy in the yard. I was holding the Necrogenesis in hand and dropped it next turn to start eating unearth guys.

I play pretty poorly this game(Like once trying to cycle the Silence before remembering that I decided on not throwing in the blue not to mention the above Sigil play that was probably bad as well) but the deck covers for me and I whittle him down.

I get him to 5 when it starts to look like he will stabilize. He has locked up the ground, I have no card sin hand and it looks like it might just be a waiting game for his Ultimatum or Malfegor.

Naya Charm off the top reads, "You Lucky Bastard!" and we head to....

Game 2

This game sees him struggle a bit with mana then Cycle and Land Cycle a lot trying to get set up for the long game. My wall gets Bone Sharded, Rakeclaw gets Warped then he casts an Oring that can only take my Rhox Meditant since my 5/5 Gharial rolls like MC Hammer. I drop a second Meditant for another card and keep beating down.

At this point, Kenny asks to find that I still have four cards in hand(Thanks Rhinos!) and goes into the tank a bit. He finally lands on cast Malfegor with 3 cards in hand to discard. That can get rid of Gharial and the Rhox he didn't ORing. I figured that it was going to happen, but I was sad to see them go.

The saving Grace to this situation was that he discarded the Ultimatum to Malefegor. That and my hand was Fairly SaucyTM, what with Naturalize, Bone Splinters, Spearbreaker, and....wait for it....Path.

Big M's Triggered ability resolves and I yard my crew before I ask him to trade the 6/6 for a basic land. I also Naturalize the ORing since he is at 8 with no hand and i want to try and wrap this up before he draws too many more cards.

His next card is a Sharding Sphinx, which I already know that I can handle but the icing on the cake is the Iguanar that comes off the top of my deck to get in an extra 2 when I Bone Shards the Thopter Maker. That is enough for Kenny to call it a day.


I mulled 50% of my games, but then again only had to play 6 of them. I think the deck had a good feel and a fine mix of creatures, removal and tricks to get me there.

It has been a while since the last time I was able to put together an undefeated draft. I felt that I was a little more open during the draft and ready to be more flexible than I typically am and that equaled being rewarded with the Wall and Path. He said that he was very unhappy to send them my way, but did so regardless. And back to back had to feel pretty bad. I don't know if I would have done it or not; I neglected to ask what his picks over them were.

I picked up the early Jund Panorama over some quality cards and am quite thankful for it, I just have to remember that. I also passed on some Visionaries through the first 2 packs that I thought about picking up. I think that I like them too much, but I love to have card draw in an aggresive to deck to reload. Thinking about possible Meditants in the 3rd pack meant that I got to pick higher quality cards over the 1/1.

Someday I may end up in 5CC, but so far I have not seen a way to build it with the cards that I have been passed. I am sure that it was just my ineptitude to recognize it on a few occasions. Til I do though, I guess I will just have to keep on the more straightforward approach.

As Always,
DHT

Draft at WMG 09 APRIL 09

I am running a bit behind because of Easter prep and the like.

Here are my picks in order...

Pack One

Scourglass
Agony Warp
Tidehollow Sculler
Agony Warp
Windwright Mage
Viscera Dragger
Blister Beetle
Dregscape Zombie
Dawnray Archer
Etherium Astrolabe
Obelisk of Bant
Deathgreeter
Hindering Light
Lush Growth
Angel's Herald

Pack Two
Resounding Wave
Bone Splinters
Metallurgeon
Windwright Mage
Blister Beetle
Windwright Mage
Etherium Sculptor
Metallurgeon
Guardians of Akrasa
Skeletal Kathari
Etherium Sculptor
Dreg Reaver
Memory Erosion
Island
Island

Pack Three
Drag Down
Faerie Mechanist
Darklit Gargoyle
Master Sphinx
Absorb Vis
Frontline Sage
Faerie Mechanist
Esperzoa
Parasitic Strix
Gluttonous Slime
Zombie Outlander
Salvage Slasher
Scepter of Fugue
Voices from the Void
Mountain

So I took the first pick Scourglass and tried to force it. I never saw one Sanctum Gargoyle and the rest turned out fairly mediocre. I also did not pick up a Panorama early enough, but funnily I did not run into mana issues that it would have solved(maybe one but only if I had drawn early). The Master Sphinx was fun though.

Here is how I mis-built the deck

6 Islnd
5 Plains
6 Swamp
1 Metallurgeon
1 Scourglass
2 Etherium Sculptor
1 Resounding Wave
1 Blister Beetle
1 Bone Splinters
1 Skeletal Kathari
1 Viscera Dragger
2 Agony Warp
1 Tidehollow Sculptor
2 Windwright Mage
1 Darklit Gargoyle
1 Esperzoa
2 Faerie Mechanist
1 Parasitic Strix
1 Absorb Vis
1 Drag Down
1 Magister Sphinx




Round 1

Ward Allen

All three Games he gets out a Charnelhoard Wurm(Foil)(on turn six nost games) and I never find the Bone splinters. I have to make do with Agony warp and some dudes but I can only make this work to my advantage once.

Round 2

JR Cook

In game 1 my flyers keep me from ever getting close to being in trouble and I end the game 22.

In games 2 and 3, I am never really in it. Game 2 I have to discard 5 times before I hit a third land, Game 3 I play 3 spells and the land cycler.

Round 3

Colby with an exalted/esper deck

Game 1

I am behind the whole game and fighting to stay in it. He drops early exalted 1/1's and beats with a flyer that he gets through with Angelic Benediction as my Metallurgeon sighs.

He gets me to 3 life and thinks about his attack. My only relevant card here is the Resounding Wave but his flyer is Welkin Guide. He thinks for a while and does the only thing that can keep me alive, he swings with everybody.

I make blocks to kill off his 1/1 exalted guys, regen the Windwright , kill off my own Etherium Sculptor(to get an artifact in the yard and give my mages flight) and bounce the Guide.

Now I have multiple flyers to block so now his Benediction means nothing and I take him down from 20 with my life gainers.

Game 2

This one is a little more back and forth. I get him to 8 and I let myself go to 1 before I decide to gain 9 life with the Magister. I end up having to make a trade with him, but he did his job and I get the W.


Round 4

Joe Rozier

Joe is at 2-1 and gets paired down against me.

Game 1

He Dragon fodders out a couple of goblins and I drop a Sculptor. He then drops a lightning Talons on one of them and I decide to get cute and make a dumb move. I let him untap and swing in then I block the Enchanted Goblin and cast agony warp to power him down and kill the other. He responds with the Soul Fire and I never pick up anything else to deal with the first striker or his buddies that follow.

Game 2

He gets off to a fast start but I am able to keep it under control. I get to the point where I have 3 turns to draw a land(or 2 turns to draw a sculptor)...Strike 1....Strike 2...now I am at 1 life.

I tell him that all I need is one land off the top. He looks at me confused and can't figure out what I could need it for. I reassure him that one land will do it, he says sure one land for you( to Josh's disbelief..'You never wish for your opponent's outs, Joe!!).

Land...Sphinx...I'll Gain 9 life.

He still has a bunch of beef on the table to deal with, and he is able to get me down to 1 life for the second time this game. But by this time I have things in hand and ride a Windwright mage up in life totals and to victory.

Game 3

He has to mull on the play and doesn't keep much. My turn 2 Tidehollow sees Thunder-Thrash Viashino, Roar, Sigil Blessing, Sigil Blessing. I take the dude and just use my team to beat down.


My Scourglass always seemed to come down one turn too late and I was 1 for 8 I think on the Mechanist. I was able to get Esperzoa-Strix going a couple of times and I also used him with the Tidehollow to keep an eye on my opponent's hand. I didn't have enough straight up removal to keep up with a typical Naya draw and I probably should have fit the second Metallurgeon/Blister Beetle or set it up differently. I only passed one Executioner's Capsule(I think for the first Metallurgeon) and didn't see anything else, not even a Yoke.

The Draft started spicy for me, I really liked what I saw in the first 5 picks, but it petered out a bit. Maybe I should have looked at some other options while I was drafting.

Oh well, I guess I will try again in about 20 hours.

As Always,
DHT

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

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

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.