Magical Notes: Return to Ravnica Bloc

This draft is a few days old and even though I know how it ends, I haven't looked at the picks since I made them. This could be more interesting in terms of trying to learn something from hindsight.

Pack 1 pick 1:

All the power in this pack is multi-colored, with Steeple Roc probably the best single-color card. Jelen Sphinx is enticing, and I know I like a Blue-White fliers and walls and bounce deck, but Arrest speaks to me. I should have taken the rare, since the Blood side is just nasty. It isn't fight, just deals damage, plus it can go to the face. What am I, some kind of idiot? It is best in Jund, but if you cant use the expensive Golgari side, WHO CARES?

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 2:

This pack still looks blank even with infinite time to find the pick.The choice boils down to a speculative blue gatekeeper, a speculative black gatekeeper, the rare fuse card or pilfering some plans. Again I pass the powerful split card, although I think this one is close. It is a big ask to be in green-white-black to make the best of Ready//Willing and both sides are situational, but they may be flexible enough to make up for it. We'll never know, since I take the Divination+value. If I am following up the Flesh//Blood pick, I probably a second rare.

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 3:

Runner's Bane, Wolf Rider, War Chant, and gate are in the running here. Hypothetical me takes the gate. Actual me takes Runner's Bane.

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Pack 1 pick 4:

Nice. I get some reward for sticking to blue cards Human Insect Wizard is tasty. Alternative me sees another gate and thinks about diving into 5-color. The only color not in the hypothetical list yet is blue, but the best three cards are all blue so I think the gate is the right call. Fixing first, then 'keepers.

My Pick:

Backup deck so far:
Flesh//Blood
Ready//Willing
Boros Guildgate
Simic Guildgate

Pack 1 pick 5:

I don't have any gates yet, so the blue gatekeeper is not a real choice. Another Carnage Gladiator goes by. I could take a mostly vanilla 2/1 or a late game Torturer in my third color or stretch into red for the cyclops. I don't think the gate helps my blue-green-maybe black deck, but I don't think Blood Scrivener was correct. I might trade this pick for the 2/4, even if I don't get eventually get the gates. I think 5-color me snaps up a third gate, but the gatekeeper might be better.

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 6:

Runner's Bane and Wind Drake are both fine one-color cards in my color. I prefer the flier, since I already have two creature-nullifying local enchantments in my pile. Rakdos gate for my other pile, which will soon switch to taking the best available card.

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 7:

This pack is mostly a miss. I could get a cheap wall or a Golgari Cluestone. I think the stones will come later. The 5-color mess takes one of the stones; I'm thinking Golgari.

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 8:

I took one second pick, so I might as well stick to my convictions. I think this is a no-brainer. Gatekeepers are not for me, although for alterna-me, black gatekeeper seems mighty nice. There will probably be more, albeit slightly worse options for card draw later.

My Pick:

After 8 picks, which is the end of the pure second-guessing, I like the looks of the 5-color monster:
Flesh//Blood
Ready//Willing
Boros Guildgate
Simic Guildgate
Orzhov Guildgate

Rakdos Guildgate
Golgari Cluestone
Ubul Sar Gatekeepers

Pack 1 pick 9:

This is a pure miss, although perhaps I could speculate on cyclopes again. I remember thinking that Mutant's Prey could do work if I get Simic-Golgari going, but that is a pipe dream and in retrospect, I know it.

My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 10:

Which stone is better? I choose my main colors, not the splash, for ease of cracking it if need be.

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Pack 1 pick 11:

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Pack 1 pick 12:

Gladiator is good, right? I feel like there is a lot of late aggressive red.

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Pack 1 pick 13:

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Pack 1 pick 14:

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Pack 1 pick 15:

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Pack 2 pick 1:

I love croc. 5-color me gets the choice between Ground Assault and croc. I'll take the removal.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 2:

Several sweet possibilities here. Since I like controlling, longer games, I might have taken the oculus, but I do have quite a shortage of early drops, so I go experimenting and see if another blue-green card might wheel. It is an outside chance, but people won't want oculus unless they are both blue and green. I think the homunculus is better for my deck and my play style, but this gambit is worth the slight downgrade. Remember, I have Mutant's Prey to power up!

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 3:

And like that, the Simic train has left the station. This pack sucks for me. I debate Gift of Orzhova, but double black mana looks tough (foreshadowing) so I take another defensive aura.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 4:

Does it seem like every DGR draft has a couple of packs that just make you groan? A late piggy is in this pack, there is a 3/1 for two, and I take the mostly vanilla 2/3 for three despite being in three colors. I don't do Forced Adaptation.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 5:

And like that, the drought ends. There are three and a half picks I would like here, but I take the lowest drop with the hardest mana.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 6:

One-mana removal spell versus one-mana removal spell. I've always liked the versatility of Pongify. Biovisionary is just worse than Sage's Row Denizen. You did target yourself with the mill, right?

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 7:

Will I have use for either mediocre cipher card? No. What about a one-drop evasive guy? Maybe.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 8:

Another Blind Phantasm? OK, I guess.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 9:

Tower Defense got me a sweet two-for-one last draft out of the board, but I need some big guys more.

My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 10:

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Pack 2 pick 11:

I pass Spire Tracer again. This was probably wrong.

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Pack 2 pick 12:

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Pack 2 pick 13:

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Pack 2 pick 14:

Ha! Blind Phantasm #3 from this pack. This time with no upside and hard to cast.

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Pack 2 pick 15:

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Pack 3 pick 1:

Oh my. I am in black, right? Otherwise my pick is what, Korozda Monitor or Dread Reveler or Stealer of Secrets. No thanks, I'm going big. 5-color monstrosity does the same.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 2:

Centaur's Herald or double-blue two-drop. Bad mana all the time, please! In all honesty, I would prefer a Drudge Beetle, but that is not to be. As a side note, ol' Frosty doesn't count as a two-drop if I don't have two islands in play to cast him.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 3:

Still nothing great for green-blue-black? This is very disappointing. Color-fixing, I guess.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 4:

Indrik, flier, one-drop, flexible token-maker? None of those are actually good enough for me to pass up on a tri-color fixer. Based on my first two picks this pack, I'll need all the help I can get.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 5:

I already have two Divination effects, so I don't need Inspiration. Downsize can sometimes be a good trick, so I'll go that way.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 6:

I am firmly on the fixing train now, passing another flier and a cheap reanimator for the keyrune. Grim Roustabout will probably never be unleashed in my deck. If I had jumped on the Cyclops plan or the 5-color plan, Thoughtflare would be tasty.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 7:

I need some way to win, so locust it is. I will want to mill myself for value while this guy is still in my library.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 8:

Another tough-on-the-mana very good two-drop? Might as well. Another six is not what I need.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 9:

Monitor wheels for the full tough-mana suite. Again, another mill target.

My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 10:

I don't think stag is what I want, so how about a third variation of blue Pacifism. This really speaks to my style of play.

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Pack 3 pick 11:

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Pack 3 pick 12:

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Pack 3 pick 13:

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Pack 3 pick 14:

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Pack 3 pick 15:

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This deck is rough on the mana. I squeezed in 6 forests, 2 green stones, 7 islands, 1 blue stone, three swamps, 1 black stone, plus promenade and the guardian.

Look at those mana requirements: G, 2x UU, 2BB and 2GG.

Round one is against another base Simic deck. I actually get a decent starting hand:

Green cards before forests are bad draws and I need one more black mana for my bomb, butgree I have a second-turn weird plus card-draw, so that is good, right?

I struggle along, hiding behind weird while i set up my board. He beats me down on the back of a Drakewing Krasis while I can't find one of my three removal spells or five creatures that could block. I get down my Demon while I'm at 9, so I think I'm safe, but he casts a green creature with green denizen making the flier a 4/2, then casting...

Really?

Sac a creature to tap the demon and just win at exactsies.

Game two, I get good mana again and trade beats with my flier versus his 3/3 Ooze token and populated friend. Killing my Agoraphobia and getting another 3/3 is good value. I attack him to 10, leaving weird back to block and cast Locust with intent to trade and me at 8. He casts Hidden Strings, tapping both my blockers plus Phytoburst backup and gets me. Gah!