M:tG Strategy, Reports and Shenanigans
Still Had All These Goes Drafting – #2
Today we're drafting M10 in the 8-4 queues. Go go mythic rare lottery! Click "toggle" to hide and show packs.
Pack 1 pick 1
Pack 1 pick 2
Pack 1 pick 3
Pack 1 pick 4
Pack 1 pick 5
Pack 1 pick 6
Pack 1 pick 7
Pack 1 pick 8
Pack 1 pick 9
Pack 1 pick 10
Pack 1 pick 11
Pack 1 pick 12
Pack 1 pick 13
Pack 1 pick 14
Pack 1 pick 15
After pack 1, we've won 2nd prize in the Mythic Lottery, getting a Master of the Wild Hunt (11 tickets!) and we're well on our way to a solid green/white deck. The curve's a little high right now, but Llanowar Elves will help that.
Pack 2 pick 1
Pack 2 pick 2
Pack 2 pick 3
Pack 2 pick 4
Pack 2 pick 5
Pack 2 pick 6
Pack 2 pick 7
Pack 2 pick 8
Pack 2 pick 9
Pack 2 pick 10
Pack 2 pick 11
Pack 2 pick 12
Pack 2 pick 13
Pack 2 pick 14
Pack 2 pick 15
Black seems really underdrafted, but it's too late to jump ship. We've gotten some assurance of making land drops to our bigger guys in Borderland Ranger, more quality removal in Harm's Way, and two potential game enders in Overrun and Armored Ascension to go with Master of the Wild Hunt. Entangling Vines'll probably make the cut as my last piece of removal unless we get really lucky in pack 3 and grab 2-3 pieces of removal (not likely in white/green, but we can always splash).
Pack 3 pick 1
Pack 3 pick 2
Pack 3 pick 3
Pack 3 pick 4
Pack 3 pick 5
Pack 3 pick 6
Pack 3 pick 7
Pack 3 pick 8
Pack 3 pick 9
Pack 3 pick 10
Pack 3 pick 11
Pack 3 pick 12
Pack 3 pick 13
Pack 3 pick 14
Pack 3 pick 15
Well, well, this pack brought the goods. Acceleration, solid guys, and yet another finisher in Howl of the Night Pack. I also got to painlessly cut a card I just can't beat in Royal Assassin, and a second painless cut on the wheel in that same pack with Howling Banshee. The deck ended up looking like this:
M10 Draft 1/5/10
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Quarterfinals - DARKSEID
I win the die roll and keep a starter of Plains, 2x Forest, Harm's Way, Pacifism, Craw Wurm, and Prized Unicorn. The first play is a turn 3 Veteran Swordsmith from me which meets an Essence Scatter. He follows that up with a Blinding Mage, and I play my Unicorn. He has a Merfolk Soverign, leaving mana up for Blinding Mage. I draw Safe Passage, Unicorn gets tapped, and I pass the turn. His Merfolk gets in, only to have the damage shunted over to Blinding Mage via Harm's Way. Soul Warden follows that up and he passes the turn with four mana up. I draw Awakener Druid and cast it, making a 4/5, which receives a Divine Verdict when it and Prized Unicorn get in, eating up his Soul Warden. He draws, plays land 6 and passes. I draw and play Blinding Mage and pass. He plays Mountain and Blinding Mage. I draw Howl, tap his Merfolk, and get in with Unicorn and Druid, making him block with his Blinding Mage. He draws, plays land 8, gets in for two with the Merfolk, and passes. Nice flood. I draw Stampeding Rhino, still on four land after that Divine Verdict, and get in for three. He plays Veteran Armorsmith before combat and swings in. I let him and take 2, then tap the new creature. I draw Rampant Growth, swing for 3, and fetch up a second Plains. He plays his ninth land and goes to combat. Armorsmith gets tapped and the Merfolk gets in for two more, keeping things close (14-13 in my favor). I draw another land, get in for 3, and play Stampeding Rhino, leaving Blinding Mage up. He responds with a sad looking Soul Warden and passes after I tap his Armorsmith. I draw Deadly Recluse, tap his Soverign, and get in for 5 while Soul Warden jumps in the way of Unicorn. He plays Merfolk Looter... and concedes. Sure, why not.
No changes to my deck as we go to game two. I keep Plains, 3x Forest, Borderland Ranger, Overrun, and Armored Ascension. I draw Rampant Growth and play it on turn 2 after drawing Prized Unicorn. He has a Veteran Swordsmith, and I respond with Ranger and a freshly drawn Llanowar Elves. He has another Swordsmith. I play Plains two and Armored up my Ranger, getting in for 4 (20-16). He plays Serra Angel and cracks back for 8 with his Swordsmiths (12-16). I play a third Plains and Prized Unicorn and pass. He has just a Soul Warden and a sixth land. I play a fourth Plains and my 6/6 Ranger keeps him at bay for another turn. He plays Illusionary Servant and his own seventh land. I draw Harm's Way, play a land and pass. He has Merfolk Soverign, but still holds back. I draw Pacifism and give Serra Angel a warm and fuzzy feeling. He plays Mountain and passes. I draw and play Cudgel Troll, getting close to lethal with Overrun and Unicorn, even with the three life he's gained from Soul Warden. He has a land and an empty hand. I Overrun and swing in, and my 9/9 Ranger, 7/6 Troll, and 4/4 Lawnmowers finish the job.
Semifinals - FSUsquee
The draft capper didn't save game 1 of this match. I kept a speculative one lander with Llanowar Elves, Borderland Ranger, Elite Vanguard, Safe Passage, and a couple other cheap cards. I get a second land after a couple of turns, just after he kills my Lawnmowers with Sparkmage Apprentice and I can't get back into the game. Knowing he has Sparkmage Apprentice and other red cards, I board out Awakener Druid for Celestial Purge.
Game 2 starts with a keeper of 2x Forest, Plains, Lawnmowers, Borderland Ranger, Prized Unicorn, and Howl of the Night Pack. I lead off with Lawnmowers followed by a turn 2 Ranger. He's got Runeclaw Bear, which trades with Ranger (this was a mistake, I should have held back as I have Prized Unicorn in hand) when I swing in. I play Unicorn and pass. He has an Elvish Visionary. I draw Stampeding Rhino, swing in with Unicorn and trade it with a Giant Growth which made his Visionary a 4/4. I play the Rhino and pass. He has a Centaur Courser, but is stuck on three Forests for land. I play land 5 with two more in hand and Howl and pass. He draws, misses another land drop, and passes back. I draw and play Master of the Wild Hunt, playing my 6th land, and passing. He plays a Mountain and Cudgel Troll, and I get to untap with Master of the Wild Hunt in play. And 7+ mana. And Howl of the Night Pack in hand. This game's not close. He scoops immediately after Howl resolves for 5 Wolves and I kill his Cudgel Troll with Master's ability.
Game 3 I keep a four lander evenly split with Borderland Ranger, Razorfoot Griffin, and Overrun. I draw and play Elite Vanguard to lead things off. He gets in for two before he plays a Ranger of his own. I draw Blinding Mage and play out my Ranger, passing without an attack. He plays an Emerald Oryx which isn't particularly troublesome. I draw Harm's Way and play out my Griffin. He has a second Oryx that could make life miserable. I draw Lawnmowers and play them and Blinding Mage, getting in for two with Griffin. He untaps, kills my Blinding Mage with Seismic Strike and gets in with both Oryxs, leaving him with one mana open and Borderland Ranger. He's at 16 and I have 4 creatures in play with an Overrun and Harm's Way in hand. Even if he has the Giant Growth, I still have exactsies by Harm's Waying two damage back to him from the Ranger. He scoops to the Overrun and I split the finals.
6 packs and a 10+ ticket Mythic means another successful draft.
P1P5, soooo wrong : Mastodon in wg.
P2P3: Centaur over Pegasus. They’re about as good, pick the one in your main color.
P2P6: Other griffin might be better? Not sure.
P2P9: wheeled Armor, was no one drafting white? 0_o
P2P11, P2P12: was no one drafting white, blue, OR black? Wtf?
P3P7: Potential SB card > a 2/1 that might get 1-2 attacks in before trading or being obsoleted by a zillion X/4s in this format. This would also free up P3P8 for Excommunicate.
P3P12: No one drafting white, blue, black, or green?