My first DGM-GTC-RTR draft

For someone who claims to prefer limited it sure has taken me a while to play a draft of Dragon's Maze, Gatecrash, and Return to Ravnia. Let me say this, it is awesome! Of course we had no clue what is going on. I got a fourth pick and fifth pick Bronzebeak Moa. I'm pretty sure that's wrong.

 

I don't know about you but that card is off the hook. I also got a first pick Far//Away and a second pick Putrefy. The other exciting pics were, Ready // Willing, two black gatekeepers, and a green gatekeeper. I was feeling White Black Green with a dabble of blue off a guildgate for the Far. I was feeling a little anxious about going three color, but the power was there White, Black, Green.

In pack two I first picked an Urbis Protector, which is good but not great. And then the extort came. Two Kingpin's Pets and a basilica screecher. Assault griffin was the only other palyable from the pack, except for like the 5 guildgates I got to power up my gatekeepers.

My first pick in the final pack was a Selesnya Charm. I love that card. Then I got passed a Collective Blessing, sweet. My third pick was a Dreg Mangler. I was feeling pretty good, I seemed to be getting paid off in my colors. The pack rounded out with a Centaur Healer, Gatecreeper Vine, Selesnya Sentry, and an easy on the curve Tavern Swindler.

There were a few other dorks, but I mentioned all the highlights. Did I draft some cluestones? Hells yeah. Did I play them, hells no. Onto the matches.

ROUND 1: I curved out, he didn't. Easy win. I applied solid early pressure, and he stumbled a bit. I was surprised at how smooth the deck played. I figured with three colors it was going to take some doing. Maybe I just drew well. I never got my gatekeepers online but didn't need them. I think my opponent was a little to aggressive with his colors and spell costs (too many and too expensive). W 2-0 (1-0)

ROUND 2: Game one was a mulligan for me, and then keeping 6 with a lot of land. I was slow out of the gate but so was he. Eventually he got down a Wind Drake and a Deathcult Rogue. I never drew an answer for them and died a few turns later. I tried to race but this dude played two counterspells, and stopped my lifegain cold. Game two was pretty interesting. I got my two guildgates down early and had all three of my gatekeepers in hand. Coupled with a turn 5 bronzebeak he was in trouble. He managed to stabilize with a 0/5 defender and had some bouncy tricks for the moa. However eventually we got enough land where I could drop two creatures a turn. Once he ran out of the bounce the moa stuck and it was race time (he got his evasion plan online again). Then I played a back breaking

 

on the same turn and swung with the Moa for 8, a total life swing on the turn of 18.

We didn't have much time for game 3 so I was playing fast. It was a good start with a Dreg Mangler on turn 3. However he had some answers and also stuck a wind drake. He played the discard cipher card and got in so I lost two cards. Fortunately I was able to fuse a Far//Away the next turn. I was in solid shape from there on out. I resolved my Collective Blessing and every dork was just dominant from that point on. He did counter my Ready//Willing so the game dragged on. We went to turns and I was turn 0. However I had three dudes out and thanks to the blessing they were all huge/huge. He had two dudes and was forced to chump on my attack. His draw yielded nothing and I swung for the victory on the next turn. W 2-1 (2-0)

ROUND 3: He came out firing in game one. I was behind because he had the 3/1 haster. Finally I slammed some gatekeepers down without value and stabilized. But I was still low. He had some removal and it was back on. Then I caught a lucky break. He had two dudes and so did I. He swung and I double blocked his 4/4. Then he played a spell that pumped blockers +3/+1 and first stike. I was all, "Ok which one get's it?" He was all, "my dude, obviously". Then I informed him that it was only blockers. He tried to take it back. I felt like a douche but was all, "Man I'm so far behind I need everything I can get". We called the judge, his dude died. And I had control from there (he was out of cards). I dropped a Collective Blessing and it was on. I let an attack through figuring I would go low and swing back for the win. Yeah but he had bloodrush. Oops.

Game two was great. He came out early and was rocking with dual 3/1 hasters. I was taking some hits and biding my time. I dropped a gatekeeper on turn 4 with no value and that slowed him up a bit (no attacks). I was at 11. Then on turn five he was excited about his draw and attacked. Man was I glad I save my mana to fuse my Far//Away. He rolled in, I blocked, he bloodrushed, I Far//Awayed. That was pretty ugly for him. He couldn't do anything else that turn and passed. Turn 6 I dropped a Moa. And steadily dropped creatures every turn from there on out. He was in topdeck mode and I had a hand full of cards. Onto game 3.

Game three was awesome. We were both coming out slow and I was forced to drop my black gatekeepers without the activation (sad trombone). He god a unleashed Spawn of Rix Maadi. But I had a Collective Blessing and my Ready//Willing. He got in with it and I went to 14 but had three dudes in play. My plan was to drop the Blessing and then set up for a Ready//Willing blowout (the Blessing needed to be down to really maximize that lifegain off of Willing). However I never got to. On his turn he swung with the Spawn and a 4/5 dude who kills a random creature when he enters the battlefield. I blocked that guy favorably (thanks to the Collective Blessing). The he got his bloodrush on the unblocked Spawn.

   = 14

And I was dead. Uggg. I thought the game was iced. I was going to gain like 15 off of the Ready//Willing. Or I could have just blocked the Spawn and he couldn't have gotten in for lethal. L 1-2 (2-1)

DECKLIST:

Dimir Guildgate

Selesnya Guildgate
Orzhov Guildgate

Thespian's Stage

4x Plains, 4x Swamp, 5x Forest

Assault Griffing

2x Kingpin's Pet

Basilica Screecher

Urbis Protector

Centaur Healer (this card is a absolute beating)

Gatecreeper Vine

Selesnya Sentry

Tavern Swindler

Dreg Mangler

Selesnya Charm

Collective Blessing

Wayfaring Temple

Maze Behemoth

Maze Abomination

Saruli Gatekeepers

2x Ubul Sar Gatekeepers

Far//Away

Ready//Willing

Putrefy

2x Bronzebeak Moa

Late Cuts: Rubbleback Rhino (didn't have anything to enchant it with), Perilous Shadow, some cluestones.