5-28-17 draft report: the ramp to nowhere.

Six-man draft pod with Chris, Sam, and some of the other NIRD/Gamma Ray renegades. The exciting news was that Drew flat-out won the PPTQ earlier that day so, being the kind, supportive people we are, we spent a majority of the draft whispering, "omg I can't believe I'm playing against a PPTQ winner" and "If I take a game off the PPTQ winner do I get his crown?"

Maybe it was the 'you had to be there' kind of funny. Regardless! We draft!

aaaand I promptly get bullied out of my early picks. Sorry about the glare, I'll stage a little better next time. I cracked open a decent rare:



and then got briefly excited about going B/W zombies with a Wandering Servant in pick 3 but it was getting clear that the white and black were drying up fast. Encouraged by the Vizier of the Tumbling Sands, a universally playable blue card, I moved into green & blue. I finish pack 1 with some decent ramp and an encouraging single in Spring to Mind. Not that Spring to Mind is so amazing, but getting it 14th means that I'm probably the only UG at the table. Three pieces of ramp, now all I need are some payoffs.

Well I utilize the age-old skill of cracking an on-color rare.



Unfortunately I didn't need another piece of quasi-ramp. I needed payoffs. PAYOFFS. But that's okay, there's some reasonable shit at common right?

 

I literally don't see a single one. Not. A. Single. One. That just seems statistically improbable. I get some more good pieces but no payoffs. Okay, okay, we can make this work.

For the third time, no REAL cause for annoyance with pick 1.




That's a good card! Even quasi-payoff, 12 mana to cast it twice. Got it. But again, no sandwurms. I can't even make a Dune reference here, that's how sad I am. Behold, the ramp to nowhere!

So to review: really absurdly good ramp. Two Weavers of Currents, two Viziers, two Vitalists. The Gift of Paradise and Spring to Mind... well that might be too much ramp. Especially when my high end is



That's a totally fine card. But where a sandwurm (or Colossapede for that matter) can end the game in three turns the Drake... doesn't do that. Doesn't even really come close.

The Table

(passing down)
Sam
Drew
Your Hero, Jed
Daniel
Chris
Chad()

Well that's good news at least. I properly read the table to get out of white/black zombies and into the open colors (Chad opened Rhonas and splashed for green in pack 3). Amusingly, both Drew and Daniel cracked open a Neheb and forced black/red, splitting the 17 minotaurs at the table between them.

I read the table, got a little unlucky with no big bombs and really unlucky with no common dinosaurs. Or Cartouches of Strength, my removal was lolweak. That happens, that's magic.