Thursday, June 27, 2013

DGR Draft #1

I was hoping to get this post up yesterday, but the draft ended up happening a little late. Rather than going into more MTGO specifics, I thought I would do a draft commentary today. Since I don't have good recording software (if you know of any, please let me know!) all I have is the initial draft and my final results. I hope that this analysis will help provide some insight into how I think about drafts as well as improve my own drafting skills. So, without further ado...

  Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:

This pack gives me some options. Mirko Vosk is the big bomb in this pack, but Armed//Dangerous and Turn//Burn are also great cards. Armed//Dangerous can easily boardwipe or win games, while Turn//Burn is excellent removal. However, this pack has quite a bit of red in it between the two dual cards, Gleam of Battle, the Boros Guildgate and (albeit negligibly) the Gruul Cluestone. I suppose if I wanted to close out on Boros, I could have picked either Gleam of Battle or the Guildgate to signal that way, but Mirko Vosk is very strong himself, and could easily function as a splash in any deck using one of his colors, so I choose him.

  Pack 1 pick 2:

  My Pick:

I'm not so sure about this pick. Lots of red in this pack, so there's no way between last pack and this one that red is not being signalled as open. There is very little black, so snatching the Down//Dirty could help lead me into Golgari, but that pack isn't coming until pack 3. Species Gorger was my pick here since it shares a color with Mirko and I love recurring effects. In hindsight, Fatal Fumes may have been a better pick to keep me in fewer colors.

  Pack 1 pick 3:

  My Pick:

This pack was interesting. There was a lot of white, so Boros was probably heavily signalled as open at this point. I was torn between Tithe Drinker and Pilfered Plans; both are excellent cards. I love card draw and extort. I settled on Tithe Drinker as extort won out, though I'm not 100% solid on this choice. I knew whichever card I passed was not making its way back to me, however. At this point, since I have Mirko, Species Gorger, and a Tithe Drinker, I'm looking at black or blue for sure, with a splash of green or white.

  Pack 1 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Ascended Lawmage fits very well with a BUW deck, if I go for that. Looking back, I didn't notice how heavily this pack was ridden with Azorius. Picking up the Maze Abomination to solidfy myself in black wouldn't have been a bad idea, or the Maze Glider for blue. I still think that the Ascended Lawmage wasn't a bad pick though since it's a scary flier in and of itself.

  Pack 1 pick 5:

  My Pick:

I've seen two Boros Guildgates in the draft thus far, so the Boros player is definitely having a field day. Not many cards in my colors here. Since I'm not going heavy Orzhov, Debt to the Deathless is out (I suppose I could still go to Orzhov with a splash of blue, but double white double black doesn't go very well with splashing any color short of huge amounts of guildgates). I pick the Haazda Snare Squad since it's excellent control, and I might still pick white up.

  Pack 1 pick 6:

  My Pick:

If I wasn't going BUW before, I probably am now. I pick up the guildgate because mana fixing is amazing. Crypt Incursion and Hired Torturer are both things I will probably see again, and the Steeple Roc would probably commit me too far into white for my previous picks.

  Pack 1 pick 7:

  My Pick:

This pack still has some good Izzet cards. I'm surprised to see a Woodlot Crawler still here, so I'll pick that up. Little contest between it and Hidden Strings, though Hidden Strings is arguably the best cipher card. Hands of Binding is a close one though.

  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Still lots of red here. The only card in my colors is Hired Torturer. Since my wincons look like indirect damage/mill, I'm happy to pick this one up.

  Pack 1 pick 9:

  My Pick:

I figure I should pick up a Crypt Incursion as well since that would synergize with mill, though it was a toss-up between that and the Hired Torturer.

  Pack 1 pick 10:

  My Pick:

I don't have many spells, so Uncovered Clues doesn't make sense for me here. Dimir Cluestone is a pick I might use.

  Pack 1 pick 11:

  My Pick:

Sinister Possession is not a terrible one-drop. It's great for those scenarios where you have a 2/2 and they have a 1/3.

  Pack 1 pick 12:

  My Pick:

Begrudging pick of Uncovered Clues. Lyev Decree might have helped out more, but I certainly wasn't splashing green in at this point. I'm only now noticing that Drown in Filth and Rot Farm Skeleton synergize very well with Crypt Incursion.

  Pack 1 pick 13:

  My Pick:

Bane Alley Blackguard isn't too bad of a defender.

  Pack 1 pick 14:

  My Pick:

Another Crypt Incursion? At this point, I'm wishing I had picked the second Hired Torturer up from before.

  Pack 1 pick 15:

  My Pick:

I'm surprised Hidden Strings wheeled, but very happy about it. Good last pick.

  Pack 2 pick 1:

  My Pick:

LOTS of Orzhov in this pack. The High Priest of Penance makes for good removal I haven't had a chance to pick up yet. Failing that, my pick would have been Syndic of Tithes or Orzhov Guildgate.

  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Orzhov and Dimir are very prevalent in this pack. It makes me happy that I have a huge selection, but also means that other players will be dipping into my colors. Merciless Eviction could be great removal. I haven't played it yet however, and I would like another creature, so I pick up Duskmantle Guildmage. It's a good bear early game and if it gets to late game, it advances both my wincons. Another Syndic, which means I'm unfortunately signalling Orzhov is super open. Balustrade Spy would also have been a decent pick.

  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:

More extort in this pack. Kingpin's Pet is a flier and has extort, so sign me up. I'm also noticing some Gruul, so maybe someone will go for that.

  Pack 2 pick 4:

  My Pick:

I'm glad to pick up Basilica Screecher here; I'll pick up all the extort I can. There is less Orzhov in this pack, so maybe someone else is drafting that to my left/right. There wasn't much black or white that I passed last pack though.

  Pack 2 pick 5:

  My Pick:

I've seen two Paranoid Delusions already, and I imagine at least one will wheel. Dimir Guildgate counts for fixing I need at this point. Way of the Thief could work excellently with cipher, and Dutiful Thrull makes for a great chump blocker, but I need the mana fixing more I think.

  Pack 2 pick 6:

  My Pick:

Totally Lost might have been the pick here. Debtor's Pulpit is good lockdown though. Aerial Maneuver is a good combat trick (completely overshadowing Daring Leap) and Leylin Phantom makes for a nice blocker.

  Pack 2 pick 7:

  My Pick:

My mill brings all the creatures to the 'yard. And Wight of Precint Six loooooves that. So lets snap that up. Smite and Shattering Blow make for nice removal at low drops, but since it looks like I'm splashing white, I don't want to be too locked into need a plains early.

  Pack 2 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Ugh, not much going for this pack. My creatures probably won't get big enough to make Murder Investigation worth the pick, and I like card draw more than artifact removal.

  Pack 2 pick 9:

  My Pick:

Voidwalk is marginally better than Shadow Alley Denizen. I just wish it weren't sorcery speed though; that kills it a little.

  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:

I said I wasn't going in heavy white, but here I am picking up a Nav Squad Commando. It's actually a fairly good card, but I think Leyline Phantom could have been a better pick for my colors.

  Pack 2 pick 11:

  My Pick:

Extort this late is a little surprising, but I'm more than happy to pick up the Syndicate Enforcer.

  Pack 2 pick 12:

  My Pick:

A Paranoid Delusions did end up wheeling, so I pick it up.

  Pack 2 pick 13:

  My Pick:

But only one of them. Dutiful Thrull is in my colors and is a decent chump.

  Pack 2 pick 14:

  My Pick:

Not playing this one.

  Pack 2 pick 15:

  My Pick:

Or this one either, in all likeleihood.

  Pack 3 pick 1:

  My Pick:

Rakdos is HUGE in this pack, and any green (Simic, Golgari most likely) are happy too. Azorius Justicar would be a good pickup if it weren't for double white in its cost, but by far the easy pick here is Stab Wound. Daaaaaaayum.

  Pack 3 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Izzet is signalled pretty hard from this pack. I could pick up the Blistercoil Weird but I don't have the spells for it. There's also heavy Azorius potential here. I'll close some of that off by picking up the Detention Sphere, which is also amazing. Few people will have enchantment removal, and doubtful anyone will have it maindecked.

  Pack 3 pick 3:

  My Pick:

Soul Tithe is good removal, but I really don't need to be further in white. Inaction Junction is nice for tempo, but I wanted a bit more mill, so I picked up Chronic Flooding. It probably would have wheeled anyway though.

  Pack 3 pick 4:

  My Pick:

I was hestiant about not picking up Blustersquall here. Voidwielder could have made an excellent pick as well, but I opted for the beater since I've also seen a few guildgates in this pack, so picking up a few more shouldn't be a problem.

  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Hussar Patrol is good for Azorius for sure. Stealer of Secrets is underrated, I think, and fits in very nicely with cipher effects. I really like this card.

  Pack 3 pick 6:

  My Pick:

Tower Drake could be a good pick for the air, but I pick the guildgate for the fixing. This is especially in light of the Ogre Jailbreaker pick.

  Pack 3 pick 7:

  My Pick:

Ethereal Armor wouldn't be a bad pick given how many enchantments I have been drafting, and another Stealer of Secrets wouldn't be terrible. I pick Paralyzing Grasp up for some cheap pseduo-removal though.

  Pack 3 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Perilous Shadow would probably have been a better pick here. I'm not going aggro so Rakdos Shred-Freak is out. Catacomb Slug does make for an excellent blocker and late-game beast.

  Pack 3 pick 9:

  My Pick:

This was a hard choice between Launch Party and Azorius Guildgate. Since I have so much white already though, another guildgate seems necessary.

  Pack 3 pick 10:

  My Pick:

Izzet is still going strong in this pack. Doorkeeper goes well with mill and my Hired Torturer and Ogre Jailbreaker. Makes me wish I had picked up that second Hired Torturer.

  Pack 3 pick 11:

  My Pick:

Downsize is a decent combat trick. Shrieking Affliction is something I would like to try out though, maybe in an Orzhov deck splashing Golgari.

  Pack 3 pick 12:

  My Pick:

Cancel is the pick here, though I don't think I'll maindeck it due to double blue.

  Pack 3 pick 13:

  My Pick:

Drainpipe Vermin is...uhh....yeah. Cheap discard isn't bad though.

  Pack 3 pick 14:

  My Pick:

Dispel > Island.

  Pack 3 pick 15:

  My Pick:

A mountain is better than nothing I guess.

In the end, my record was 1-2. (This was Swiss draft) I won the first match handily against an Orzhov player. The second match was incredibly close against a BUR player and came down to round three where I lost due to being a little too aggressive in a lockdown state where we were both topdecking. Match three was not as close as match two, although I had a chance. A small one; the America player rushed me and the aggro was too much for my long, slow grind to victory style to beat out. It was a satisfying draft and I hope to do another soon! What are your thoughts? Advice, commentary, questions? Would you have made a pick or decision differently? I'm happy to listen to all feedback!