Ravnica Bloc Draft #11

Swiss MTGO Ravnica Bloc draft:

  Pack 1 pick 1:

I've passed Lavinia before, and I'm not going to do it again. Passing Helix and Tithe Drinker could make Boros and Orzhov weak in pack 2.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 2:

2 for 2 on bomby rare legends. I love an Armadillo Cloak, but Ruric is nasty.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 3:

Giant and Sphinx are both good 5-drop creatures that match one of my bombs' guilds. Because I'm defensively minded, a 1/5 flier that makes my other small evasive threats bigger is more up my alley.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 4:

I've been know to take an Alive//Well in my time, but I'm thinking this might be the time I take all the gates and gatekeepers and play three colors splashing red or green for Ruric.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 5:

Lots of green here. I take removal to help get to the late game bombs.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 6:

Excellent! I'm not even giving up much here.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 7:

Hmm. I have no intention of playing black, but I do have intention of picking up gatekeepers. I also have nothing that costs less than 4 in my pile yet.

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 9:

Deputy work well with Lavinia, right?

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 10:

Species Gorger works very well with Lavinia, but MOAR GATES PLZ! (Someone already took a white keeper out of this pack)

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 11:

(Someone already took a blue keeper out of this pack)

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 12:

I heard somewhere that Species Gorger works very well with Lavinia. (Someone already took a green keeper out of this pack)

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 13:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 14:

How lucky!

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 15:

  My Pick:

How did I get no gatekeepers? I thin some other drafter was trying to take keepers and wheel the gates.

  Pack 2 pick 1:

I'm not in love with any of this really. The charm is an excellent trick, while otherwise it would be a decent 2-drop or a good four-drop.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 4:

These last two picks have been defensive-natured, still planning on working to my late-game bombs.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 5:

Not much that fits with the plan, so early flying beater?

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 6:

And another?

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 7:

Biovisionary always finds me. I take the easier to cast version.

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 8:

Easier to cast bear or more upside?

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 9:

Keymaster Rogue works well with Lavinia, right?

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 11:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 13:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 15:

I might play this!

  My Pick:


After two packs, it dawns on me that I did not really have the red splash come together. Unless I open Niv-Mizzet, I think that dream is over.

I'm going to work on keeping the early game mostly Azorius and then have late-game green.

  Pack 3 pick 1:

Precinct Captain is great, but double white is real tough on turn 2. I want that Stab Wound so hard.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 2:

Everyone reading this knows how much I like a Knightly Valor in a deck full of bears. Wheel one of the fliers?

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 3:

I don't have tokens, so another good pump spell I guess?

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 4:

Chemister makes me want to reopen the splash red plan, but the charm is sooooo good.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 6:

I already have enough tricks, so I like the Militant over the herald, since green mana will be hard to come by early.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 7:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 8:

Bad unconditional removal is still pretty good in a pinch. Runewing might have been better. Red splash could have Thoughtflare.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 9:

Just what I needed.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 10:

Still no on the centaur.

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 11:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 13:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 15:

  My Pick:


This draft converter created by Benjamin Peebles-Mundy.
Visit the draft converter today!

Lots of playable cuts = lots of sideboard options.

Match one, I am up against a Villain who is not very good or new to the game. I see Codex Shredder and Crypt Incursion, each for possibly the first time ever on the stack.

In match two, game one, I work into a big board stall, using Lavinia to get in for a few damage, but knowing i have deputy in hand to return her and make a big swing.

Tap one creature, attack for ten.

Match two, game two goes exactly according to plan. Villain has a beefy curve of Centaur on turn three, Alms Beast turn four, Ogre Jailbreaker turn five.

But I have a turn 1 Cloudfin Raptor, turn two Shambleshark, then turn five Lavinia, turn six Species Gorger and chumper. Villain's dudes are never undetained again.

Combo activated

In the finals, Villain has a Borzhov deck with some quick creatures and some extort. Game one is a slog, as I trade creatures for time and eventually stabilize at uncomfortably low life. Things now seem to be in hand, but Villain plays the second Crypt Incusion I have ever seen, gaining 15 and swinging the race in his favor with his fliers. I claw back into the match with Lavinia, then Deputy her to rebuy her mass detain. A 4/4 lifelinking Boros Mastiff and extort from the Basilica Guards gets me there just under the wire as Villain's Gleam of Battle was making the fliers difficult to manage.

This image was captured with mana for the Incubation already in the pool. Attack and win.

Game two, Villain gets a fast start with Syndic of Tithes, Viashino Firstblade, and Kingpin's Pet against my 1-drop 2/1. I mull to five, then flood out a little and lose quickly to the Gleam of Battle with a 10-3 spell to land ratio.

Game three is a nailbiter. Again Villain gets a crazy fast start, with Gorehouse Chainwalker into Firstblade, into Firstblade. I trade Chainwalker for Sages-Row Denizen, then expect to take six and going to ten from attacking Firstblades.

That's aggressive

If you didn't see it in the image above, Villain bloodrushed his Firstblade with a Rubblebelt Makka to do an extra three. I go to seven and am immediately faced with the following decision:

Wolf Keyrune or 5/5 blocker?

Either way is a little awkward: if Villain attacks into Leyline Phantom, I eat a creature but am back where I started. if Villain does not attack into my open mana but lays another threat, I fall behind with this line, just casting Inspiration and perhaps bouncing his one of his creatures.

Villain attacks into my onboard creature, loses his Firstblade and I cast Inspiration to use all my mana and dig for more action. I stabilize at one and get the Species Gorger-Lavinia combo going when Villain drops a Basilica Screecher. I have no direct answers and can only take him to one on my attack, so he needs to draw pretty much any spell in two draws to take the match.

Any spell loses.

Villain draws land-land and I improbably win.