M14 Draft Simulator Live Now

For those of you who may be interested but not yet aware of its existence, Wizards posted a draft simulator for M14 today: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/activity/1286

Return to Ravnica Bloc - Draft #9

M14 has just been released, but this draft was done before the pre-release queues opened. I prefer the expert-level sets anyway, so expect more DGR drafts from me until Theros is released. On to the action!

  Pack 1 pick 1:

There is not too much that is very exciting here for me. I don't love the fast Boros deck, so I pass on the Firstblade. Our other choices are unexciting (Makka), the rare fuse card, which is situational blowout city, or the first-pick guildgate. I am willing (ahem) to take a chance here.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 2:

Unlike the first pack, this one is stacked. I want three of these cards very much. The fixed Armadillo Cloak matches one half of my first pick, so that sways me enough to take that ahead of the Simic Arrest and the awesome Haunter.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 3:

For this one, I want Lawmage or punish the enemy. Third-pick punish could be a sign, so I snap it up. Did you notice the two gatekeepers in this pack and the two green ones in the last two packs? I did, so I'm already thinking about picking up gates a little higher than I usually do and seeing what happens.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 4:

I know some people aren't fans, but this little guy provides four bodies and 10 power for seven mana. The other choice is Roc, which is less exciting.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 5:

Late Tithe Drinker and Zhur-Taa Druid, but I'm looking at the fuse card, which is quite nice, or the land. Remember those gatekeepers I think might wheel?

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 6:

I don't have any blue yet, but this pick is Cyclops (I may overrate him), Selesnya Cluestone, since I could use the acceleration, or gate. It's too early for cluestones.

 My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 7:

Still no blue, so Mossdog is a compelling alternative to off-color land.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 8:

This is a questionable pick. I have nothing in the way of early drops, but this is not a reason to go into blue. Makka would have been fine, or the green gatekeeper if I was interested in that plan.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 9:

Well why not take another one? this time there is little alternative outside of Toil if I end up in black.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 10:

Now that I have two blue cards, this is a tough pick, with efficient vanilla guy losing out to the gate.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 11:

And now I pick up my first gatekeeper, in a color where so far all I have is half of a fuse card and no fixing. This plan has really come together.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 12:

At this point, I'm thinking about a green-white, splash blue, splash black style deck.

 My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 13:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 15:

  My Pick:


After pack one, here is the damage:

This looks... flexible.

 The me in the draft is now convinced to disregard red and stick to a green-white shell.

  Pack 2 pick 1:

Easy pick. Outside of the land, there is war pig, Pongify, and Disciple, which is not really much for me anyway. I could get the mana-fixing Verdant Haven on the lap.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 2:

Hmm. I think Oculus is slightly better than Daring Skyjek, but I have don't want all my two-drops to be in a "splash color" do I? Spoilers: I never once draw the skyjek, so I guess this pick could have been Kingpin's Pet for all it mattered.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 3:

Very nice croc here, in my main color and very defensive early. Double black for the Primordial is asking a bit much from the splash and I already have one nice seven-drop.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 4:

There are a couple nice things here, with the on-color gate, and the extorter and two good splash-color cards. If I'm picking a splash card, I might as well get the one that is better late and also excellent with the two Deputies of Acquittal.

   My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 5:

Again with the powerful double-black card. I'll take the unconditional expensive removal over Pit Fight and the flier. Remember, the Angelic Edict also randomly gets enchantments if it needs to. I took out a Gruul War Chant last draft with it.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 6:

I like the base-color creature over more 3-mana fixing.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 7:

Oculus above another four-drop.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 8:

I think this is my first combat trick since the first pack.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 9:

Yay! Haven wheeled. Four colors is maybe still on target.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 10:

I don't want another Burst and I'm running a little short on creatures.

   My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 11:

Sideboard.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 13:

I could run this; it's very strong.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 15:

  My Pick:


After pack two, the blue is heavy in the two-drop slot and the black is mostly at the top end. My black cards all go very well with the Deputies and I do have two black Cluestones. I'm not sure where this will end up.

Already 20 cards here I wouldn't mind playing, not including land.

  Pack 3 pick 1:

I already have two token makers and love unconditional removal (and the Selesnya pack is still to come!)

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 2:

The double-white will be tough early and there is also a six-drop flier in blue or a five-drop green creature, but I need fixing.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 3:

Eyes in the Skies could be good with more tokens and Faerie Impostor does work well with the same guys as the Deputies, but that is a colorless 4/4 for four.

   My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 4:

I do love Knightly Valor.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 5:

There are three reasonable two-drops here, but guildmage is the most powerful. Arrester synergizes with the Deputies, but let's add more early blue!

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 6:

That is the third Griffin I'm passing. More tokens!

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 7:

Another Arrester, but also the best guildmage pick seven! Rewarded!

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 8:

Jeez, two-mana 3/3 token. This just gets better and better.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 9:

I don't think I'll play any of this, but the Monitor is closest.

 My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 10:

I'll take the Predator on the wheel. I don;t have enough enchantments to use the Armor.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 11:

I've got a lot of playables, so the Sundering Growth should be a good sideboard option. If I get enough tokens this pack, it might even make the main.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 12:

This trick could be a welcome addition to the pile. I think I'm light on tricks.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 13:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 14:

Rare Draft!

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 15:

  My Pick:


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There are two choices for this deck. Here is the four-color version:

Still needs one cut. Perhaps Monitor? 

or with no black... Horror, Verdant Haven, and the black cluestones out. Azorius Cluestone, Burst of Strength and Skyline Predator in.

The mana is much better here and the deck doesn't suffer much for the consistency.

In round one, game one, I'm greeted by this hand:

Snap + Keep = Sneep

Game one goes swimmingly, while Villain makes multiple Horrers of the Damned. I win by a large margin:

Thanks, Armadillo Cloak! Still in hand: two more lifegain spells 

Game two, I keep another turn two Oculus with all my colors of mana.

My turn two Oculus meets Villain's turn-three Stab Wound. I make a note to bring in Sundering Growth if we go to game three. But back to present time, Villain has no pressure and I have the mana to make a centaur now or wait one turn, get in for one and also gain 4 life.

Centaur or no?

I chose Centaur. My reasons include being on a clock myself and needing to get working on Villain's life total, Swift Justice in hand to swing the race later, plus what if I draw a creature that costs 5 or less in the next draw step.

I win going away, easily. I think mostly because Villain stumbles on no white mana for a few turns. My Volatile Rig blows up the world, but that includes the Stab Wounded Oculus. When the dust settles, I follow-up with two centaurs from Courser's Accord, then Mossdog, Monitor and Call of the Conclave. Five 3/3s in four turns is too much for Villain to handle

I attack into his double Grizzly Bears twice and make unfavorable trades, but with such overwhelming board presence, I need to keep pressure on. On turn 12, he gives in:

I like my Villains like i like my snacks, salty!*

Round two goes less well.

I keep the four land, two-drop, four-drop before I realize I can't play the two-drop until turn four with these lands. Awk.

He follows up a turn two tithe drinker with a turn three Thrill-Kill Assassin. I stabilize, get Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage down and start cranking out centaurs. I decide the time is right to attack, since I will lose a token, but I can make two each turn. Villain Aetherizes. I lose.

Game two, Villain gets a fast start, forces me to sacrifice my Oculus, and I stumble on green mana and am forced to pay two life for an untapped Breeding Pool. Villain gets me in the Moat with his army and I lose despite lots of gas still in hand. I just ran out of time.

I need to be able to cast two spells in one turn to survive. That's what happens when you fall behind.

In round three, hot on the heels of missing green mana, I am faced with this opener:

Keep, right?

He gets a turn two Goblin Electromancer, then Hands of Bindings my first and second blockers. This game ends when he Traitorously Instincts my 4/4 artifact guy, Phytobursts his guy and I take it in an effort to keep my construct around. Then Villain Pit Fignts my two creatures against themselves. I lose both flips and the construct takes my last two life on its way out on turn six.

Jeez

In game two, I keep a more speculative hand but draw into the land I need:

I get a Volatile Rig, which clears his early rush and lets me get my late game down. Then he drops two 6/6s, (Ruric Thar and Species Gorger) which effectively cancel out my two token makers. I eventually grind this one out.

Game three is too similar to game one. I keep this land-heavy hand, but the second 3/3 comes with four life to dig me out of any early hole.

I think this is a fine keep, mostly due to the lifegain.

Villain makes two-drop, three-drop, then Dynacharges before I get a single blocker. I should still be able to stabilize, but his next turn is Hands of Binding plus Weapon Surge and that is all she wrote.

Turn five kill!

I really liked this deck, but it went 1-2, winning games it had no reason to win and losing some quick ones. I had six two-drops, all of decent size so those last two losses are either about my mulligan decisions or there was nothing I could do. (That means it was the mulligans)

*Not that I need to pile on, but it was turn 12, each of us had 20 cards left in our libraries and 8 lands in play. In game one, Villain had eight lands with 23 cards left.