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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Magic: The Gathering Online  |  Topic: On drafting 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: On drafting  (Read 2826 times)
Johny Cee
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on: December 14, 2005, 09:26:25 PM

A conclusion I've reached doing a fair amount of drafting,  often not well:

Try to draft to a play style you are comfortable with.

I'm a control player.  No matter how hard I try,  I'll never be a very good aggro player.  It just feels natural to build a base,  control the board, stablize, then go for teh win!11!!

Forcing myself to draft Blue/Black in Rav really hammers this home.  I just do better drafting a deck in a control style than trying to shoehorn my natural impulses into a deck style I don't like.

I've NEVER drafted aggro too well,  unless I get lucky and have an overpowering deck.  I think this is a big reason why I suck playing Boros.  The Blue/Black style means I make much better choices drafting cards,  and have more to work with when I come to deck build.

Anyone have thoughts?
Margalis
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Posts: 12335


Reply #1 on: December 14, 2005, 10:22:36 PM

I find the same thing myself. One of the reasons drafting 9th tanked my limited rating was that I kept going red/black aggro but I just couldn't get it to work properly.

It's something you just need practice in I think. It still seems odd to me that Suntail Hawk and Lantern Kami actually make the grade in standard decks. They aren't good cards, but they are good cards for the deck they are in. I've done well in Rav by focusing on overall card quality and solid play. I wouldn't say that I draft control but more a mid-range beats style deck. I tend to draft Selesnya or Golgari although I can do ok with a non-mill Dimir deck.

Drafting mill and aggro I have the same problem, I can't play either deck well, I never build mill or all-out aggro decks, so I don't know what cards to pick or how to play them properly. I just don't feel comfortable piloting those sorts of decks. It's something I would like to improve upon though.

My biggest improvement in draft though has been avoiding horrendous play mistakes. I used to routinely make horrible mistakes - forget to regenerate a guy until after it was too late, tap for the wrong colors and not leave an instant open, etc. Now I find my opponents consistently make more mistakes than I do, both at the technical level and as far as overall strategy goes. Which is another reason I think a longer game is better for me - the longer I play, the more chance my often-superior play skills will help me win.

I've come a long way from Xilren killing me on turn 3 with a Storm Crow and a Phantom Warrior! (Yes, that really happened, I died turn *3* to a combined 3 power!)

vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
Xilren's Twin
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Posts: 1648


Reply #2 on: December 15, 2005, 06:37:49 AM

I've come a long way from Xilren killing me on turn 3 with a Storm Crow and a Phantom Warrior! (Yes, that really happened, I died turn *3* to a combined 3 power!)

What that's not normal?  :-D

Seriously, glad you are improving.  Magic if definately one of those games where practice really DOES make a significant difference in how well you can do.  Not only learning the card pools and interactions, but as you mentioned, learning your particular strengths and weaknesses as a player.

Now, what's really sad is I haven't played a single Rav match yet.  I want to but what time I have available is usually dedicated to  NDA  I really need to breakdown and join a Rav league just to start my own learning process.  Talk about "gameplay experience may change during online play"  Every new set is a learning curve all over again, which is actually one of MTG strengths; keeps the game from getting stale (even though the primary motivation for it is selling more cards of course...)

Xilren

 

"..but I'm by no means normal." - Schild
Hoax
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l33t kiddie


Reply #3 on: December 15, 2005, 10:36:46 AM

I think the reason is, you understand what works well in control and how it will interact with other elements of the deck.  But you dont have that "feel" for lack of a better word for aggro.  This is something that if you want to be super l33t at drafting you should correct but who cares about all that?  Play what you like because you like it.

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
-William Gibson
Johny Cee
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Reply #4 on: December 15, 2005, 02:17:28 PM

I think the reason is, you understand what works well in control and how it will interact with other elements of the deck.  But you dont have that "feel" for lack of a better word for aggro.  This is something that if you want to be super l33t at drafting you should correct but who cares about all that?  Play what you like because you like it.

Exactly.

I can't draft the aggro cards for shit.  With controlish decks,  I'm much better at judging the relative merit of my choices and making on-the-fly substitutions or draft strategy changes.

With aggro drafting,  I always end up at a poor mixture of combat tricks to creatures, or something of that nature.
Margalis
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Posts: 12335


Reply #5 on: December 15, 2005, 04:55:44 PM

Yeah. I end up with a slow deck that isn't aggro, or too many crap Boros Recruits because I went overboard on one and two drops. And then when it comes to the game I have no idea when to attack all out knowing some guys will die or to hold back until my force grows. My mill deck skills suck because I have trouble with the pacing. I tap out then kick myself for not saving for a counterspell, or I save up for a counterspell while my opponent beats away on me with what he already has on the board. My hand gets clogged with a bunch of 4 and 5 cc drops and I just can't stabilize fast enough.

As far as my play, when I started magic online I had only played very casual magic. I didn't really understand the stack, different states or any stuff like that. Like in combat there are all these different phases and such, you can do stuff while damage is on the stack, you have to regen before damage is resolved...we played very loosey goosey.

I remember in high school my friend randomly bought one tourney pack and we were basically too lazy to read the instructions carefully. "Burrowing" from revised (gives your guy mountainwalk) was like the single best card the way we played.

vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
Raging Turtle
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Reply #6 on: December 17, 2005, 04:39:29 PM

Storm Crow!  Mob
Margalis
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Reply #7 on: December 17, 2005, 05:30:11 PM

In case anyone is wondering:

I cast Furnace of Rath on my turn. Why? Because I am a moron. I think I forgot that it doubled combat damage or something.

Xilren attacks with Storm Crow and Phantom Warrior. He plays two giant growths. That's 9 points of damage, double is 18, which is my life after taking 1 point of damage from the Crow the previous 2 turns. Now that I think about it I guess it was a turn 4 kill. Still, not bad.

It's pretty funny to be sitting on 18 life, opponnent has a Storm Crow and a Phantom Warrior and they write "think I've got this this turn."

vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
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