f13.net

So...

Anyone draft or enter a league yet? 

Going to poke around tonight and try a draft, maybe check out a release league.  From what I hear,  the whole set is pretty solid and you can do well.  Though a tad bombish.

I will play a league this weekend to get my feet wet then start drafting from there.

No 8-man drafts yet...  keep forgeting those lag the release.

In a League,  mediocre card pool with nothing bombtastic.  I have alot of decent 1 toughness creatures,  but it seems that pinging is very popular.

The Icatian Crier (1/1; 2W tap and discard card, put 2 1/1 citizen tokens into play) has sat in my hand 2 out of the 3 games I drew him since my opponent had multiple pingers in play.

Removal options are much, much better than Coldsnap.

Heading to a wedding in Pennsylvania tomorrow,  but may be on Sunday if anyone was thinking of poking in.

I played a league last night - didn't do that well. Probably should have gone 4-1, but after I lost the first match I decided to play around with my best deck and try too many different things, ended up picking up 3 losses as a result.

General observations...

 - Games have a habit of going long - 20 turns was not unusual - one game I won with only 1 card left in my library.
 - White is stronger than it has been for a while.
 - Black and green seemed weaker than they have been for a while.
 - Slivers aren't worth the fuss.
 - Rebels are worth the fuss if you get the Amoru Scout.
 - Playing WU, my best cards were Amoru Scout, Errant Ephemeron, Fool's Demise, Ivory Giant, the shadow rebel, and the morph cards in general.
 - Not much mana fixing about.
 - I played 19 land, and won several games to opponent screw, lost none to flood or screw. Play more land than you think you need.
 - Flash plays well and generates teh fun. Split Second isn't any fun. Suspend works better than I expected because the games go longer than I expected.
 - Initially not as much 'fun' as Ravnica or Kamigawa imho; though obviously better than Mirrodin. Cards lack a collective identity, they feel thrown together, but without the advantage of the simplicity of the core set. Obviously ymmv and my opinion is liable to change.

Going to try a release league or two, and possibly several drafts once they go nix-tix.  The whole set looks like a ton of fun for limited.

Edit:  Tried two leagues - first pool was jank, managed to win a few with it though.  Second pool was AMAZING, so good I had mystic enforcer and the legend that taps to control a creature, and I left them both out because the other colors were so much deeper.  Built a black/blue shadow deck with Sengir Nosferatu, Draining Whelk (cancel your huge spell and get a flying 7/7 in return?  Why thank you!) and lots of removal. 

Then I against played a crappy deck that had Magus of the Scroll and TWO of the new fireball-ish spell.  The magus came out first turn both games and my removal was nowhere to be found.  Bombs aren't fair when other people have them!   :-(

I think I'm going to wait until the nix drafting starts to play any more.

I will post my draft guide soon. Its pretty comprehensive.

What I see is two things:

A lot of playable commons at about the same power level.
A few very fast decks and a lot of very slow ones.

I think it is possible to put together a very fast deck with flyers and shadow, but a lot of decks are going to be overcosted, underpowered, things like thallids that take 20 turns to start rolling.

Jesus Christ I hit the jackpot in my sealed league. I haven't put together my deck yet and I have no idea if it will be good but check this out:

Psionic Blast
Teferi

Nice! Two chase rares in one league? Sure. Now to make my league deck...

Edit: My card selection overall is total garbage. Damn. All 5 colors represented with the same equally depressing lack of playables.

I dont even want to post mine, really rough

Well I went 4-1, not too bad. Match I lost I was flooded both games.

I have the green card that lets you discard a card and search out a land. This card is great. In a pinch I can throw out something to grab a land I need (hopefully a card with flashback so I'm not just wasting it - madness would be even better if I had any) but the real value is just in cycling lands over and over to thin your deck.

Each turn I discard a land, then grab a land of the same type. If I already have enough land instead of playing it I just recycle it again the next turn. Ends up thinning my deck by 5 or 6 cards in a lot of games, or even more. One game on turn 15 or so I had no land left in my deck with a mix of mana flood and land cycling.

I'm playing green / blue / white deck. A few decent rebels and the rebel searcher, the white guy that lets you discard a card to get 2 1/1 tokens (another nice way to use extra lands), the white guy who gives other white guys +1/+1 (so those tokens can do something), etc etc.

I'll check on and off tomorrow to see if anyone wants to play against mine for fun or to playtest or whatever.

Actually it'd be great if either of you (Marg or Hal) would post yours, anything that gets some discussion going is a good thing.

You had to ask...

White
1 Auratog
6 Plains
1 Amrou Scout
1 Castle Raptors
1 Children of Korlis
1 Divine Congregation
1 D'Avenant Healer
1 Ivory Giant
1 Momentary Blink
1 Pentarch Ward
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Temporal Isolation


lands
6 Forest
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Calciform Pools
1 Vesuva

blue
1 Giant Oyster
7 Island
1 Cancel
1 Clockspinning
1 Dream Stalker
1 Fathom Seer
1 Sage of Epityr
1 Slipstream Serpent
1 Spiketail Drakeling
1 Temporal Eddy
1 Think Twice
1 Truth or Tale
1 Voidmage Husher
1 Wipe Away


red
6 Mountain
1 Barbed Shocker
1 Basalt Gargoyle
1 Bogardan Rager
1 Ghitu Firebreathing
1 Goblin Skycutter
1 Grapeshot
1 Ground Rift
1 Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
1 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
1 Keldon Halberdier
1 Lightning Axe
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Orcish Cannonade
1 Subterranean Shambler
1 Thick-Skinned Goblin


multicolered
1 Mystic Enforcer
1 Sol'kanar the Swamp King
1 Ghostflame Sliver
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Opaline Sliver


black
6 Swamp
1 Assassinate
1 Basal Sliver
1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
1 Evil Eye of Urborg
1 Faceless Devourer
1 Gorgon Recluse
1 Mana Skimmer
1 Mindstab
1 Pit Keeper
1 Sangrophage
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Viscid Lemures



green
1 Chameleon Blur
1 Durkwood Baloth
1 Durkwood Tracker
1 Fungus Sliver
1 Greenseeker
1 Nantuko Shaman
1 Penumbra Spider
1 Scarwood Treefolk
1 Thallid Germinator
1 Wormwood Dryad
1 Yavimaya Dryad



no color
1 Jhoira's Timebug
1 Locket of Yesterdays
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Venser's Sliver



Who ever has the watch... the spell checker is on fire.

Kinda want to play blue, but I cant get past find 17 critters that don't blow goats. I know its limited, you don't need maggnavore to play. It is a critter heavy format. Maybe if I gave that thought up it would be easier.

Without checking the cards I don't immeadiately recognise, your black looks strong, Endrek Shar is a stone cold bomb, Evil Eye is very popular, though I haven't decided if I think it's a genuine bomb. I think it's all playable bar perhaps Sangrophage.

I'm not convinced your blue is deep enough, Oyster and Voidmage are great, but nothing else is screaming 'play me'.

White is decent, and has some splashables (Raptors and Isolation especially), but again, doesn't look deep enough.

In green Baloth and Tracker are minor bombs, and are splashable. The shaman, treefolk, and spider are also playable, the dryads make solid sideboard cards.

Red seems to have excellent depth, without much in the way of genuine bombs...

Good...

Basalt Gargoyle
Bogardan Rager
Keldon Halberdier
Lightning Axe
Mogg War Marshal
Orcish Cannonade
Subterranean Shambler
Thick-Skinned Goblin

Passable...

Goblin Skycutter
Grapeshot
Ironclaw Buzzardiers


In the end probably BR splash G or W according to taste?

Venser's Sliver is also worth playing maindeck because most decks you face will contain at least one sliver.

That was my take as well.

The deck I went 4-1 with was probably the worst 4-1 deck imaginable, a white/green with blue splash. A couple flyers but not aggressive at all, no air defense other than spider, Psionic Blast as the only removal.

I won games by using rebels and greenseeker (discard a card to grab a land) to thin my deck and keep the good stuff coming, along with Ication Crier and the white guy that gives other guys +1/+1, with valor in my yard. (All your creatures have first strike)

So I could over time consistently top-deck nice things and pump out 2 2/2 first strike tokens a turn.

I played well, for example one game I suspected my opponent had some board clearer and played slow, sure enough he played Magus of the Disk but I recovered. That said my deck would have rolled over to multiple flyers or shadow guys.

Icatian Crier is not too good by itself but there are a lot of cards that make it very good:

Liege of the Pit
Fallen Ideal
Hivestone + Slivers
White guy who gives +1/+1 to your creatures.

Joining a 4x release event (1 tourney 2 booster tournament) in about 40 minutes.  I'll try to remember to save my cards and deck to post here.  :-)

My sealed pool for last night's tourney, with what I think of the cards:

White:
Fortify - bleh
Momentary Blink - Amazing amazing amazing, esp. in blue white
Spirit Loop - Maybe in the right deck
Temporal Isolation - pacifism, so it's good.
Armou Seekers - good, but don't depend on it to win
Benalish Cavaly - playable
2x Errant Doomsayers - 1 is enough in a deck.
Flickering Spirit - good
Gustcloak Cavalier - decent
Outrider En-Kor - not as good as it looks, shouldn't have played it.
Sidewinder Sliver - Seems ok, Would be great with a lot of slivers.
Weathered Bodyguards - bleh.  Fat butt and nothing else.

Blue:
Temporal Eddy - Much better than I originally thought.  The 'on library' thing is crucial.
Clockspinning - Not for limited.
Spellburst - Excellent.
Ophidian Eye - Looks good but I haven't really had any luck with it.
Crookclaw Transmuter - great card, always makes the cut.
Draining Whelk - I always seem to get this in sealed.  Great card, amazing with Momentary blink of course.
Drifter Il-Dal - I like it.  2/1 shadow for 1 blue mana a turn seems good to me.
Errant Epherere-whatver - Possibly the best common in the set.
Fanthom Seer - Better than it looks.
Giant Oyster - Sloooow.  Might be effective in a controllish deck, which mine weren't.
Ixidron - Just amazing in limited.
Looter Il-Kor - Great
Sage of Epityr - No
Shadow Sliver - No
Telekinetic Sliver - Yes
Tolarian Sentinel - Not sure.

Green:
M-something acid Moss - Not sure.  There are definately problem lands in the set though, so not a bad sideboard card at least.
Strength in numbers - good trick.  Remember you can play it even when your opponent in attacking.
Aether Web - great great trick.
Durkwood Baloth - one of green's best commons.
Gemhide Sliver - great
Greenseeker - good
Havenwood Wurm - Good for late game fat.
Herd Gnarr- Very very good.
Might Sliver - Tricky.  Just as likely to help them as you.
Phantom Wurm - good, of course.
Primal Forcemage - Crap

Red: 
Empty the Warrens - Great, better than it looks, even.
Ignite Memories - Haven't played with it but looks like crap.
Rift Bolt - Great
Orcish Cannonade - Great
Ghitu Firebreathing - Not sure, looks like crap.
Undying Rage - Again, not sure.
Blazing Blade Asaki - Not that great.
Coal Stoker - very good.
Ib Halfheart - great with empty the warrens, mog war marshall.
Magus of the Scroll - great if it lives.
Thick Skinned Goblin - excellent card for many reasons - pro red is often as useful as no echo.
2x Twoheaded Sliver - not that great.  Basically a giant cochroach.  Need a lot of slivers to make good.

Black:
Assasinate - Good, not amazing.
Call to the Netherworld - fairly bad.
Strangling Soot - Amazing, one of the top commons.
Basalt Sliver - Playable in a pinch.
Corp. Corpse - Always good, rarely amazing.
Deathspore Thallid - Needs the rigth deck, amazing with lots of thallids.
Drudge Reavers - not sure.
Gorgon Recluse - Not as good as it looks with all the flying and shadow creatures, but not terrible.
Pit Keeper - Good card, much better than a simple 2/1.
Skittering Monstrosity - Just no.
Undertaker - Not sure, I keep getting her as one of my TS cards.
Viscud Lemures - Great sideboard card, otherwise average.

Multi/artifact:
Chromatic Star - fairly good, not amazing.
Paradise Plume - pretty sure this is crap.
Prismatic Lens - great great card, acceleration AND fixing.
Weatherseed Totem - Seems like it'd be good.

Dementia Sliver - bleh
Mystic Enforcer - Awesome, same as it used to be.
Sol'Konar the Swamp King - I guess if you're playing these colors, no reason not to.  Not sure about splashing for it though.

Terramorphic expanse - One maindeck is nice.
Gemstone Mine - not sure
Calciform something - storage land. - not sure

Not the most amazing card pool.  First I built a U/W, then later tried U/G/w and I think U/G/w was a much stronger deck. 

Deck, which I'll post later, went 0-2 drop.  bleh.  But I did come in second in a draft today, which not only made me feel better but gave me some packs and got my rating back up a bit.   :-)

The U/W version:
1 Forest
1 Giant Oyster
8 Island
1 Mystic Enforcer
7 Plains
1 Amrou Seekers
1 Benalish Cavalry
1 Chromatic Star
1 Crookclaw Transmuter
1 Draining Whelk
1 Drifter il-Dal
1 Errant Doomsayers
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Fathom Seer
1 Flickering Spirit
1 Gustcloak Cavalier
1 Ixidron
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Momentary Blink
1 Ophidian Eye
1 Outrider en-Kor
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Spell Burst
1 Telekinetic Sliver
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Weathered Bodyguards



The G/U/w version:
8 Forest
1 Giant Oyster
7 Island
1 Mystic Enforcer
1 Plains
1 Crookclaw Transmuter
1 Draining Whelk
1 Durkwood Baloth
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Fathom Seer
1 Gemhide Sliver
1 Greenseeker
1 Havenwood Wurm
1 Herd Gnarr
1 Ixidron
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Might Sliver
1 Momentary Blink
1 Phantom Wurm
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Spell Burst
1 Strength in Numbers
1 Telekinetic Sliver
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Weatherseed Totem
1 AEther Web

Both are clearly lacking in Removal.  Ixidron and Momentary Flicker was my best 'oh crap' trick, which isn't even that good.

Where I disagree or have extra coments:

Blue:
Temporal Eddy - Time Ebb was very playable and this is a Time Ebb variant.
Ophidian Eye - Kind of a win-more card.
Drifter Il-Dal - I hate this guy, paying U a turn is too much. Stalls development if cast early.
Looter Il-Kor - Thought Courier was a bomb in 9th and Looter is a Thought Courier variant.

Green:
M-something acid Moss - I like this card as a lot of people are trying to play 3 color decks.
Aether Web - +/1+1 isn't good enough for me.

Red: 
Empty the Warrens - I'm not too keen on this, most of the time it is 4 1/1s for 4 or so.
Undying Rage - This is the Moldervine Cloak type thing right? This card rocks. Think of it as a +2/+1 equipment.


Black:
Assasinate - This card is better than it seems as dealing with guys with toughness greater than 3 is very difficult.
Pit Keeper - This almost always ends up being a 2/1 for me because 4 guys in the yard means I've already lost the game.
Skittering Monstrosity - I main-decked this. (Playing tiebreakers) Yeah, it sucks.

Multi/artifact:
Weatherseed Totem - When this gets rolling it is insane. INSANE. It cannot die.

The drifter along with some other shadow critters won me several sealed games.  You might be right in that it's not good enough for draft, though.
Most of the 'return this to hand' enchantments are growing on me.  The black one, Fallen Ideal, scares the hell out of me whenever the opponent plays it.  Black + Flying + Sac pump is scary.
You're right in that empty the warrens is standard on its own, but it combos very well with many red and green cards - Mog War Marshall, Herd Gnarr, Ib Halfheart, Coalstoker or whatever it is, the suspend cards, couple of others as well.  It's beaten me several times when I have a 2-3 of good creatures in play but no way to clear the board of six 1/1's. 
Will have to try the Weatherseed totem, haven't drawn it the few times I've had it in my deck.

Yeah Fallen Ideal is another decent one.

This set can produce a lot of tokens. We have Sacred Mesa, goblins, Sarpadian Empris, Endrik Whatever Thrull Master, thallids, Icatian Crier, etc. Anything you can move from token to token or sac tokens to is pretty decent.

With Undying Rage you make a plain old token a 3/2 dude and then just do the same next turn with your next one if blocked.

Empty the Warrens is indeed 4 1/1s for 4, but we've just come from a block where everyone was happy to play 3 1/1s for 5, or even 1 1/1 for 4 without spending a card. I'd be happy with 4 1/1s for 4, if you can make it 6 1/1s for 4 it's a minor bomb. It works better in draft with a couple of coal stokers, but it's more than playable any time.


Undying Rage is Rancor properly costed, it's a minor bomb, espeicially in TSP which has limited removal for large creatures. Most of the 'return to hand if I go to the yard' auras are playable.


Gemstone Mine is good unless you are playing a 2-color-no-splash deck. I had it last weekend, it never once got sacced.


The storage lands are good in the long games that sealed tends to deliver. I'd play one if it was in at least one of my colors.


Chromatic Star you rated as not amazing, it doesn't win games on its own, but unless you have some strange ultra-aggro build I'd always play it, even as 'pay 1 mana, reduce your minimum deck size to 39' it's an auto-include, the color fixing is gravy.


Ophidian eye is another card that people underrate. Since it has flash, it is at worst 'pay 4 mana, reduce deck size by one', and it forces the opp to use up removal on that 1 power evasion creature that's been pinging him every turn. Lots of fun to be had if you can put it on Looter il-Kor.

I'm still not sold on the eye.  I've been passing it for other things and have generally been happy as a result.

On a related note, now is a great time to be drafting on the 4-3-3 tables.  Every time I draft it seems like there's 2-3 competent people and everyone else has NO idea what the hell is going on.  It makes signalling difficult, but I've gotten second and first in my only two drafts.  Hell, I saw momentary blink go THIRTEENTH for the last pack - and that's only because I'm the one who grabbed it even though it wasn't in my colors!  There were other ridiculous late cards, but that was just crazy.   

Also, Thallids + Fallen Ideal = much win.  Green seems to be underdrafted atm, as everyone says Blue and White are the ways to go. 

Something I want to do:  draft an Eye-of-X deck.  I saw like 5 eyes tabling the last draft, how much fun would that be?  :-)

Someone please give a clueless newb guide to drafting. I'm not afaraid to lose, hell I'm good at it. But drafting seems so intimating. Like , do I say OK, green mana rush... go for it. Or to put it another way how and when do you decide colors?

Just like sealed, draft is about creatures and removal, you are looking for about 16 creatures, 4 removal, and at most 3 others.

Also, like sealed 2 colours, or 2 plus splash is the goal (for these purposes a splash is 1,2, or 3 cards, all with only one coloured mana symbol in the cost, and which all have a significant effect on the late game - generally these should be bombs or removal)


When picking cards - use BREAD!

Bombs - first choice is anything that can win the game on it's own. Creature bombs like Akroma, Endrek Sahr, or mass removal bombs like WoG.

Removal - anything that takes opp creatures off the board, obvious stuff like Dark Banishing, pingers, or Pacify enchantments, but if you play green and blue you also need less obvious stuff like combat tricks and lure effects.

Evasion - third priority is to pick anything with flying, fear, first strike, shadow, trample.

Average aggressive creatures - if power is at least equal to mana cost - it's probably playable.

Drek - Everything else.


When you start drafting the most common mistake is to pick too many high cost creatures and not enough high quality 2 and 3 drops.

A 2/2 for 2 mana with a relevant combat ability is always a solid pick.

As for picking colours, over picks 2-5 try to look out for clues as to what color the guy on your right is taking, and avoid those colours. Usually you'll be settled on a main colour pair about 8-10 picks into the draft. Try to avoid picking too many gold cards or cards with double coloured mana symbols in the cost in the first few picks, so you have more freedom as the draft proceeds (but not at the expense of passing Akroma or WoG).


At the end of the day though, draft is probably the most fun way to play magic, personally I found it less intimidating than sealed, since at least you pick your cards one at a time, and actually putting the deck together at the end is usually much easirer.

If you do a google for 'blargware draftcap' you can download a program for recording drafts, and post the output here or other magic sites for advice on your draft choices.

I'm an idot, its ok, im fine with that. but I would like to learn. In that sprit I present my first draft.

Draft:

Pack 1:

Benalish Cavalry, Feebleness, Looter il-Kor, Spinneret Sliver, Keldon Halberdier, Blazing Blade Askari, Glass Asp, Traitor's Clutch, Plunder, Eternity Snare, Pendelhaven Elder, Quilled Sliver, Might Sliver, Consecrate Land

Pick: Might Sliver

Pack 2:

Tolarian Sentinel, Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Spinneret Sliver, Fortify, Spiketail Drakeling, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Spell Burst, Ignite Memories, Chronosavant

Pick: Two-Headed Sliver

Pack 3:

Aether Web, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Drudge Reavers, Goblin Skycutter, Cyclopean Giant, Screeching Sliver, Psychotic Episode, Jedit's Dragoons, Sprout, Wipe Away, Basalt Gargoyle, Harmonic Sliver

Pick: Basalt Gargoyle

Pack 4:

Flowstone Channeler, Herd Gnarr, Amrou Scout, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, Venser's Sliver, Clockspinning, Bogardan Rager

Pick: Flowstone Channeler

Pack 5:

Herd Gnarr, Fortify, Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Tolarian Sentinel, Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Chronatog Totem, Durkwood Tracker

Pick: Coal Stoker

Pack 6:

Think Twice, Ashcoat Bear, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Thallid Germinator, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Greenseeker, Dementia Sliver

Pick: Greenseeker

Pack 7:

Cancel, Icatian Crier, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Sprout, Aetherflame Wall

Pick: Sprout

Pack 8:

Spinneret Sliver, Glass Asp, Traitor's Clutch, Plunder, Eternity Snare, Consecrate Land

Pick: Spinneret Sliver

Pack 9:

Tolarian Sentinel, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Blazing Blade Askari, Shadow Sliver, Spell Burst

Pick: Blazing Blade Askari

Pack 10:

Screeching Sliver, Psychotic Episode, Jedit's Dragoons, Harmonic Sliver

Pick: Screeching Sliver

Pack 11:

Call to the Netherworld, Drifter il-Dal, Havenwood Wurm

Pick: Drifter il-Dal

Pack 12:

Clockspinning, Plated Pegasus

Pick: Clockspinning

Pack 13:

Glass Asp

Pick: Glass Asp

Pack 14:

Ivory Giant, Grapeshot, Mindstab, Slipstream Serpent, Nantuko Shaman, Castle Raptors, Molder, Venser's Sliver, Ignite Memories, Paradox Haze, Sporesower Thallid, Sprite Noble, Sengir Autocrat, Feebleness

Pick: Molder

Pack 15:

Grapeshot, Scarwood Treefolk, Slipstream Serpent, Fathom Seer, Sangrophage, D'Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Mystical Teachings, Firewake Sliver, Spell Burst, Scryb Ranger, Dandân, Island

Pick: Wormwood Dryad

Pack 16:

Cancel, Penumbra Spider, Pentarch Ward, Assassinate, Thallid Germinator, Zealot il-Vec, Foriysian Interceptor, Aetherflame Wall, Detainment Spell

Pick: Penumbra Spider

Pack 17:

Terramorphic Expanse, Snapback, Pentarch Ward, Bonesplitter Sliver, Dark Withering, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Momentary Blink, Greenseeker, Assembly-Worker, Desolation Giant

Pick: Greenseeker

Pack 18:

Pentarch Ward, Bonesplitter Sliver, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Urza's Factory, Gustcloak Cavalier

Pick: Bonesplitter Sliver

Pack 19:

Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Coral Trickster, Ophidian Eye, Spirit Loop, Molten Slagheap, Careful Consideration, Pandemonium, Bewilder

Pick: Nantuko Shaman

Pack 20:

Search for Tomorrow, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Greenseeker, Voidmage Husher, Dementia Sliver, Scion of the Ur-Dragon, Consecrate Land

Pick: Search for Tomorrow

Pack 21:

Mindstab, Skulking Knight, Viashino Bladescout, Ophidian Eye, Saltcrusted Steppe, Fool's Demise, Stonebrow, Krosan Hero

Pick: Viashino Bladescout

Pack 22:

Ivory Giant, Mindstab, Slipstream Serpent, Ignite Memories, Paradox Haze, Sengir Autocrat

Pick: Ignite Memories

Pack 23:

Scarwood Treefolk, Mystical Teachings, Firewake Sliver, Spell Burst, Island

Pick: Scarwood Treefolk

Pack 24:

Cancel, Thallid Germinator, Detainment Spell, Durkwood Tracker

Pick: Thallid Germinator

Pack 25:

Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Assembly-Worker

Pick: Ghitu Firebreathing

Pack 26:

Foriysian Interceptor, Mindlash Sliver

Pick: Mindlash Sliver

Pack 27:

Molten Slagheap

Pick: Molten Slagheap

Pack 28:

Flamecore Elemental, Gemhide Sliver, Feebleness, Castle Raptors, Chromatic Star, Two-Headed Sliver, Prismatic Lens, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Paradise Plume, Primal Forcemage, Wipe Away

Pick: Two-Headed Sliver

Pack 29:

Fortify, Flamecore Elemental, Mana Skimmer, Nantuko Shaman, Coral Trickster, Skulking Knight, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Watcher Sliver, Dread Return, Fool's Demise, Calciform Pools, Shadow Guildmage

Pick: Nantuko Shaman

Pack 30:

Viscerid Deepwalker, Ashcoat Bear, Search for Tomorrow, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Jhoira's Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Thunder Totem, Fallen Ideal, Weathered Bodyguards, Magus of the Candelabra

Pick: Magus of the Candelabra

Pack 31:

Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Temporal Eddy, Mogg War Marshal, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Cavalry Master, Fallen Ideal

Pick: Mogg War Marshal

Pack 32:

Durkwood Baloth, Chromatic Star, Traitor's Clutch, D'Avenant Healer, Fungal Reaches, Stormcloud Djinn, Opaline Sliver, Desolation Giant

Pick: Desolation Giant

Pack 33:

Flamecore Elemental, Feebleness, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Viscid Lemures, Primal Forcemage, Wipe Away

Pick: Primal Forcemage

Pack 34:

Gaze of Justice, Molder, Children of Korlis, Ground Rift, Skittering Monstrosity, Volcanic Awakening

Pick: Ground Rift

Pack 35:

Flamecore Elemental, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Fool's Demise, Calciform Pools

Pick: Brass Gnat

Pack 36:

Havenwood Wurm, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Might of Old Krosa

Pick: Might of Old Krosa

Pack 37:

Divine Congregation, Jhoira's Timebug, Chameleon Blur

Pick: Chameleon Blur

Pack 38:

Brass Gnat, Fallen Ideal

Pick: Brass Gnat

Pack 39:

Chameleon Blur

Pick: Chameleon Blur

Draft recording done by Blargware's MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!

I really got the feeling, damn I should have gone black.

How did you end up doing?

Some comments. (I know what most of these cards are but don't feel like looking up the rest):


Might Sliver is a fine pick here. Kind of a weak pack overall. I like Looter il-Kor a lot. I haven't played much with slivers but Might Sliver is a key one to have.


A second pick two-header sliver is probably a bad choice, you can expect to see some much later. Spinneret is in color and has a nice ability, and a decent body as well, even without other sliver power ups. Shadow Sliver is a nice finisher for Slivers but bad if you draw it early, and you have already passed Looter and then Spiketail, so most likely someone to your left (? I forget the order) is probably in blue. White is also a nice color for Slivers. Chronosavant is splashable as well. That said, if you pass Chronosavant after passing Benalish Cavalry someone to your left is going to be in white. But, one important thing to remember: you get two packs from the person on your right and one from the left. So what they are passing you is far more important than what you are passing them.

You can expect a spinneret later, and and IMO it's too early to be drafting balls-out slivers.
My pick: Chronosavant.





Having picked Chroni in the last pack then being passed Kestrel white is looking like a good choice. Basalt Gargoyle certainly isn't bad though.


Amrou Scout tells me a lot of white is being passed.  If you are going to pass Venser's Sliver here, a Sliver you can cast in any deck, you are abandoning the sliver theme entirely. Which is fine, just that should be a concious decision. In red I would take the Rager over the Channeler, but you will probably see one more of each.

[/quote]
Pack 6:

Think Twice, Ashcoat Bear, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Thallid Germinator, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Greenseeker, Dementia Sliver

Pick: Greenseeker
[/quote]

Another Kestrel here makes my think white was really a better choice.


Sprout is pretty awful and you just passed a Thallid, so why take it now? White still looks good to me here, and I'm scared by the lack of any red burn or a strangling soot. Looks like someone to your right is in red.



Wurm is playable and in color? Why Drifter?



This tells me that white is not popular. Pegasus is not great but to go around is surprising. Also why does pack 12 only have two cards left in it? I assume a problem with the software or your transcribing?


Wow, this is an ugly one. A couple of nice white cards, a nice blue...not much in red or green. You don't have bombs, evasion or removal! Molder is a sideboard only card really, very matchup dependent. You might main-deck it but be ready to board it out. I'm taking the Sporesower Thallid, good efficiency and good ability.



Wow, another Pentarch Ward and a Momentary Blink. You already have one greenseeker, really don't need 2. In your colors Desolation Giant is nice even if you can't pay the kicker, you have no other removal.

At this point I would be really worried. No green or red bombs, no red removal, and you've basically abandoned the sliver scheme. I think the second-pick two-headed sliver that put you in green/red was your downfall.

You can't be so rigid as to form a plan on pick 1 and force it, especially not for two-headed sliver.



At this point you need to decide if you are going to force slivers or not. Subterranean Shambler is a sort of removal, given the number of slivers in your deck now I would take that instead and abandon slivers entirely.


There was a fair amount of decent black in that round.



Two-Headed Slivers are not additive, and you already have one.

Looks pretty bad. I might have picked up Desolation Giant and tried to go White/Green/Red slivers + others. That gives you access to Watcher Sliver, Sidewinder Sliver, Quilled Sliver, kicker for Desolation giant....

But really the second pick was a huge problem. Two-headed sliver is ok but nothing special. Black did look pretty open later but at first it didn't look too hot - white looked underdrafted the entire time. Even into the second pack you could have started picking up white and done well.

A couple other comments:

Don't pick a plan immediately and force it.
If you are going to go slivers, you need to go three colors.
If you are going to go slivers, don't pass Venser's sliver.
Don't pick guys early that you are likely to see again later.
In the first few picks, pick the best stuff unless a plan is really coming together.

If you could have shifted to white/red with some third color splash you could have had a very powerful deck I think, with a bunch of white flyers, some rebels, desolation giants, etc.

Very interesting. Thank you for your comments. Although I only saw black as I wish I had been, you saw white as well. But thats my big question about drafts, What colors and when do you judge?  And this was my first, I lost 0-2 but really I expected no more. I cant get better without trying. And its a way to gain cards while pushing my skills. Time spiral seems like an interesting format and I really want to like this game. Looking back now, White black would have had some nice cards. All food for thought.

Drafting has been all right to me so far,  unlike those cursed Leagues.

Three drafts,  three round one wins with payoffs of two boosters a draft.  Great way to collect cards.

I've been really excited to draft copies of Lightning Angel, Flying Men, Moorish Cavalry, and Avalanche Riders.  Mmm, nostalgia.

White is very strong.  Lots of efficiently costed creatures with evasion or good tricks.  Good combat tricks (Momentary Blink is amazing, Fortify is good) and good removal options (Gaze of Justice is decent,  Temporal Isolation is one of the better pacifism variants running).

Blue has a solid collection of fliers and tricky creatures,  and actually has some great finishers.  Good card drawing and whatnot in there as well.

Green seems kind of weak.  Not even very many of green's trademark giant creatures.

Black and red both seem okay.  Got my ass handed to me by the red gargoyle (3/2, echo) a couple of games.

This has been a horrible night.

First pick of my draft I remembered reading that you can hold down Ctrl when you click to make a temporary pick which is what you get when time runs out if you don't make up your mind. The pack I openend had Looter, Errant Ephemeron, Ivory Giant and the +5/+5 green instant. I ctrl+clicked on what I thought was Eph, time ran out, and I ended up with Ophidian Eye.

I drafted a pretty decent 2 color white/blue evasion deck full of small flyers then immediately ran into Magus of the Scroll which totally shut me down. I still can't get over my first pick, I let it affect me mentally. I also managed to get mana screwed playing two colors, then mana flooded the next game. I drew one non-land card in the last game total. For an aggro deck that means instant loss. My opponent was playing a pretty janky deck as well, which makes it sting double. I think I win that matchup 7 out of 10 times.

In my league I was tied for 29th but other people have been playing now I'm tied for 32nd, by tomorrow when it ends no doubt I'll be in the 40s or so and I have no time to play tomorrow, and away for the weekend.

Jesus I've become retarded. This entire week I've been playing Psionic Blast like it was a sorcery, but it is an instant! Lol I cannot believe how many missed opportunities I have had with it. Just last game I lost twice to a Baloth on the first turn where I had a block and Psionic. Ugh.

Note to self: read your cards.

Man, I must have been drunk last night or something...jesus. Never play after midnight I guess.

Clicked the wrong first pick, misread Psionic Blast. (For a whole week!) Here is a funny thing that happened. I attacked some guy with Ith / Errant Ephemeron and he blocked with Scryb Ranger. Ensuing conversation:

 2:18 margalis: umm...how did you not die?
 2:19 00h00m: its a bug
 2:19 margalis: lol
 2:19 00h00m: hes invincible
 2:19 margalis: is it repeatable?
 2:19 00h00m: sure
 2:19 margalis: and you are going to abuse that?
 2:19 00h00m: all day
 2:19 margalis: lame

Ha ha. In between games I actually *read* scryb ranger. Lol. God I don't know was wrong with me but I was just totally oblivious. I wonder how many horrible misplays I've made recently. It's been a while since I last played and I guess I have some ring rust...

Grumble....

When firmly in GR on pack 3,  of course I open an Akroma.  Bah.

*is currently addicted to Oblivion, will be drafting again soonish*

And I thought it was teaching college girls how to windsurf that was keeping you from drafting....

Sadly, I live in wisconsin so the windsurfing season is over.  Not that the windsurfing girls aren't any fun in the winter...  :-D

Man I just played an awesome draft. First pick Pthisis, second pick Stronghold Overseer. (Which I played exactly one time and was immediately killed) Lot of black was passed my way. Had a Pheryxian Totem, one game I tramped a guy down to 1 life and I had only 2 swamps left after saccing everything, then Smallpox for the win.

Thallids saved my ass a bunch of times. When you have 3 thallids in play including deathspore you can really control the board. I had a fallen ideal also but never really got to abuse it, although I did abuse Herd Gnarr + thallids which is nice.

Pthisis is crazy. One game I totally turned around by detroying an evil eye and doing 9 damage. Another game I suspended it on turn 2 and my opponent didn't play any creatures until after it resolved - which might be ok except that my deck had a lot of big beaters that immediately started destroying him, including Baloth, Phantom Wurm, Joreal Empress of Beasts, etc.

Strangest game I played was the final guy who played a land D deck. He suspended a land D card then when it came into play he used the storm land D card to destroy a bunch more things. I had basically nothing in play except for 2 thallids and a Corpulent Corpse, but he had basically no offense. He got out a 7/7 red guy but my saprolings were able to block him continuously while my corpse did all the work.

Second game was much the same, I kept a 5 land hand because of his Land D. In this game again he destroyed a bunch of lands and artifacts. I had Totem and Paradise Plume to help me with mana and again some thallids. Again he had basically no offense. (Aetherflame Wall, Penbumbra Spider) So we just sat there until I was able to cast Herd Gnarr. From there I was able to control the board by attacking with Gnarr, creating thallids and saccing them for -1/-1.

I have to say that the 3 thallids I had were all great. (Deathspore, the 4/4 for 4 and the 0/5 wall) Deathspore is really the key because with a bunch of saprolings you can get a dominant position.

I also had a Candles of Leng that I never got to use.

I'm pretty happy because I'm not good at drafting control but this went very well. My basic plan was to drop the the Thallid wall and deathspore early, hopefully draw some of my removal (Assasinate, Nightshade Assassin, Tendrils, Premature Burial, SmallPox, Pthisis), then get to a point where Baloth or Corpse would un-suspend or I could cast Phantom Wurm,Joreal, attack with Totem, or something to that effect. Worked well overall.

Rating is at a healthy 1667 now as well.

Did a Cardboard TS tourney today.  Only 16 people,  took 2nd.  With my 11 packs won,  opened a FOIL Akroma.

Easiest +$50 evar.  (Not counting the 2 Draining Whelks, Call of the Herd, Teferi, etc opened).

Just got passed 3 Kaerveks in one draft. DIdn't pick up the 3rd. (Is Legendary) Also an Avatar of Woe. Currently in round 2.

Edit: Well I lost in the final round. Enemy had too many flyers and evasive guys, which I knew was a weekness. Oddly enough I had the 4/4 flying Sengir Vamp and did not draw him ONCE ever. Not once! And he may have been my best card!

My basic plan was to accelerate using Basal Sliver, Ghostflame Sliver, Prismatic Lens and Totems into Avatar of Woe and Kraervek. Worked great overall. Came up a little short in the last game, probably should have mulled and just couldn't keep up.