Return to Ravnica Bloc Draft #3 - Not Too Shabby

Get right back on that horse, huh?

So I still have some winnings from my release event sealed haul, but after entering one more draft I will only have 2 tix left, plus whatever I get from the draft.

In search of some answers, I check the internet and find this gem from Ben Stark on Channel Fireball. Go ahead, read at least the first few paragraphs. I'll wait here.

Basically, he has thought about the guild structure of the format and come up with some obvious, but important conclusions. If you can force a Gatecrash guild by taking early quality cards that color pair, great. If not, look for a Return to Ravnica guild that you are getting passed to you after the first few packs. Taking an early RTR bomb could spell trouble and passing a Gatecrash guild bomb then trying to move into that guild at a later point is even worse.

I doubt I will be able to remember all this in the heat of the draft, but it is a good thing to have swirling around in the back of my head.

On to the draft. Pick one, pack one:

None of the bomby commons Mr. Stark was talking about, and no must-pick cards from a Gatecrash guild either.* There is one really strong creature from a RtR guild and one very flexible removal spell.

I may have made a mistake here, because my choice was between Far//Away (swoon) and Varolz and I didn't realize Varolz was worth almost 3 tix.** With that knowledge, I probably take the Golgari maze runner and hope I don't get cut.

Instead I opt for my favorite non-rare in the set and move on.

Pick two presents no great pairing for the Far//Away, but a Viashino Firstblade, so I recall my training and snap that up. I feel like when drafting this format you will have good cards in a guild you don't end up playing. First-picking Dimir and second-picking aggressive Boros pretty much guarantees this.

Pick three comes along and with no amazing Boros card., I take Haunter of Nightvale, which plays way better than it looks. Pick four I slam a Turn//Burn and start looking seriously at Grixis control. Mid-pack picks include Pilfered Plans, Nivix Cyclops, Murmuring Phantasm, late Runner's Bane, late second cyclops, two on-color cluestones, and Toil//Trouble, which I expect will function only as card draw.

Not a bad stack after pack one

Pack two, I open Pit Fight, which looks great with double cyclops. pick two is a disappointing Gutter Skulk, but I know I want to prioritize two-drops so I grin and bear it. Soul Ransom vs Izzet Guildgate is a tough choice, but I prioritize a bad Mind Control over good fixing. Balustrade Spy, Keymaster Rogue, Smog Elemental, and Corpse Blockade and Gutter Skulk #2 are also unexciting, but I grab a Basilica Screecher somewhere along the line.

Pack Three, I am looking for Izzet bombs, Frostburn Weird, Rakdos Dudes, and removal aplenty. In order, I take Voidwielder, Skyline Predator, and Sewer Shambler, then get my reward in a late Carnival Hellsteed and Teleportal. Inaction Injunction and Batterhorn round out the pack with an interesting choice between a guildgate and Transguild Promenade presenting itself around pick 6 or so. I went with the Promenade, since I had only cluestones for fixing and only a Gateway Shade and Way of the Thief that care about gates.

Some tough cuts, but that also means good sideboard choices: card advantage for slow matchups; Corpse  Blockade and Shred Freak for fast matchups.

In round one, I play a Naya aggro deck with plenty of small two drops that loses to my 0/5 and Haunter combo. Card advantage is good and I breeze through 2-0.

Round two is a team America Red-White-Blue fliers and burn-style deck with some battalion shenanigans, but this time card advantage is even better. 2-0 again.

Round three was somewhat anticlimactic, facing off against what seemed to be a Red-White-Black splash Blue aggro Unleash deck. In game one I get stuck with Mountain Swamp and two Gutter Skulks in play, beating down while trying to find one blue source to turn on the rest of my hand. 0/5, Pilfered Plans, Haunter, Cyclops were all ready to go but no dice.

Game two, I beat down again with Gutter Skulk while he is stuck on only three Plains.

Game three, he leads with Island (the first one of those I've seen from him) then Plains and concedes after drawing no more.

So I win the draft and feel much better about myself again. It may have been the preparation. It may have been luck. It may have been weak opponents. But I choose to believe it is as simple as me playing a controlling deck. I am just terrible at playing an aggressive deck and so, so comfortable playing "from behind" as it were.

* Far//Away doesn't count because Dimir doesn't count
** I always draft with a cardhoarder.com window open to check prices, but after I took this screenshot, I misspelled Varolz (Varloz) and had to make my decision before I could get my information.