Draft/Recap 4/4/2015

Totally forgot my notebook so I'll recap off memory.

Pack 1:

What was pack 1, pick 1?

Good god that's a ridiculous card. Pretty easy windmill slam. A lot of really solid black flows. Also very happy with the rest of the pack, with some absurdly late solid cards.

  

Pack 2

I open quite a conundrum!

 

This is a tough, tough call. Cheap premium removal vs. a solid 2:1. I take the cheap removal, maybe hoping that the Command might wheel? But that's an absurd longshot and, spoilers, it didn't. Despite already filling up my high end early with Sidisi and the Deathfang, I should have taken another 5 drop, especially when it's THAT good.

I also take a speculative pick on

Pretty happy with the rest of the pack. On to the fates pack!

Pack 3:

Sadly, I DO remember what I opened.

Not even remotely splashable. I ponder hate-drafting but Douse in Gloom is playable so I take that instead. I stock up on so-so removal. Pack sort of peters around but I get some very key delve cards as I will be killing my own guys a lot.

Let's take a look at the deck!

<= 2 Drops

    

3 drop

   

4 drop

   

5+ drop

   

Spells

     

Relevant Sideboard

  

8 swamps, 9 islands.

The deck plan is painfully simple. Get some early shields, establish control with exploiting the early shields and use judicious removal. I wish I had more beneficial sacrifice like the Palace Familiar (Jeskai Sage, Youthful Scholar, etc.) but I like the curve out and the top end. Onwards!

Round 1

Facing red/white warriors piloted by Keller. Gets off to a pretty good start that I match and has me under pretty good pressure (I'm down to about six life) when he turns his dudes into dragons. But Will of the Naga gives me time to draw Deadly Wanderings. This card is AMAZING. It simultaneously gives amazing shields, pretty good dps (the turtle cranks out three damage a turn). Also I can attack, then cast an exploit creature so I have a defender with the lifelink and the deathtouch. I stabilize and win.

 vs 

Game 2 was a lot less interesting as he didn't draw any red mana and I just steamrolled him

Round 2

Facing my left-hand seat partner, Steven, in red/green. Nice work cooperating at the draft everyone. I guess we only have each other to blame for our decks. The first two games were pretty disappointing. I mulled, kept a two lander and had one of Those Moments with my Sultai Skullkeeper. I mill myself two only to see

 

land in my graveyard. I needed those... I miss the next three land drops and he gets Formidable up and just whomps me. I rationally know that playing Skullkeeper was the Right Thing. Game two was basically the inverse, I control him from the word go, get down my Deadly Wanderings and grind him out.

Game 3 however. Super epic. He drives me down, I stabilize with Deadly Wandering. He lands that stupid Dramoka I passed and starts smoking me. I will of naga, use my morph to bring it back. This makes it just long enough for me to get my removal. I put some pressure.

   

However, incredibly enough, he sideboarded in Display of Dominance to kill my Deadly Wanderings. I get Sidisi but goblin heel cutter is able to knock me down with one turn to spare. SO GOOD. One of those great games.

Round 3

Round 3 was not interesting because I just murdered a black/white warriors deck. What was interesting is that this was the best possible black/white warriors deck. It had good stuff!

   

I mean, you're not going to find cards better than that. But the problem is that the moment I drop a body of any size, it just stones his deck dead cold. There aren't the Rush of Battle or token generators to reliable go around defenses. Black/white: not a thing anymore.