A few weeks ago, during the BNG release events, there were special triple BNG drafts going on. Now, I haven't been especially enthused with the triple THS draft format, but triple BNG blew me away. I'm missing it for sure. It's gone by now, so the advice in here won't be as relevant, but the card evaluations should still help with BNG-THS-THS drafts.
So, let's get started!
Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
P1P1 Kiora is a no brainer. Powerful bomb and worth money (which matters when we draft with going infinite in mind). There really aren't many other interesting cards in this pack. Archetype of Imagination is a blowout late-game, and Acolyte's Reward leads to 2-for-1's left and right, but apart from that, the only really exciting card is the Pharagax Giant.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
P1P2 shows a lot more promise. Already we have Nyxborn Wolf, Asphyxiate, and Siren of the Fanged Coast. Asphyxiate, unfortunately, does very little for me when I'm being beaten down. Servant of Tymaret is a personal favorite, but at this stage, it's really not worth picking up unless I'm forcing a strategy with that and the Black Oak of Odunos. Mortal's Resolve and Revoke Existence are also very relevant picks, as is Sanguimancy. I end up picking up the Siren since I tend to prefer uncommons to commons (which really shouldn't be a reason) and it's in-color with Kiora.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
If we're going with Simic colors, this pack really only has two choices - the Setessan Oathsworn and the Nyxborn Triton, either of which I'm happy to pick up. I don't have any Heroic enablers right now (unsurprisingly) so I might as well pick up an enabler that is also a solid creature. Excoriate is also interesting, as are Rise to the Challenge, Everflame Eidolon, and Necrobite. Kragma Butcher would be great if I knew I was going for Boros aggro, but that's not in the gameplan right now.
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
This pack doesn't have much going for it. Stratus Walk is so-so, Setessan Starbreaker is a solid sideboard card, Karametra's Favor is a good Inspired enabler and ramp, but probably a 23rd card. Forlorn Pseudamma is great, but I'm not sure if it's great enough to venture outside my colors for, though now would be a good time for it. I pick the Satyr Firedancer because, while underwhelming in Limited, it is worth a ticket.
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Another underwhelming pack. There aren't any solid signals I'm getting yet for any color (though white may have been bled dry already) and I haven't exactly been sending the clearest of signals myself. Another Servant of Tymaret piques my interest. Weight of the Underworld is okay removal, and Retraction Helix is great utility. Nullify hits enough cards in this format that it's a good pick though.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Finally, a pack with cards I'm happy to pick. All of the Simic cards here are fine. Divination is solid as always, Floodtide Serpent is good enough in BNG since you can pretty reliably pick up a Stratus Walk or Karametra's Favor to get some great card draw recurrence. I pick up the Pheres-Band Tromper since warm bodies are always appreciated, and since it can get out of hand quickly. I might be signalling green too hard by passing these Nyxborn Wolves, but that couldn't be helped.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
No green or blue in this pack makes me unhappy. Excoriate, Necrobite, and Dawn to Dusk are all solid picks here. I pick Dawn to Dusk since it's an uncommon and is enchantment removal, which is pretty relevant. Excoriate may have been the better pick, since removal is amazing in all formats, but I figure that if I need one, I can pick one up down the line. I also don't give too much thought to this pick since I doubt I'll end up in Bant colors.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
Looking back, Skyreaping would have been the pick to make since my final 40 was lacking flying interaction. That said, any of the green cards in this pack were solid picks. Since I didn't know how heavy green I would end up being, I picked the Mortal's Resolve over the Aspect of Hydra. The rest of the cards aren't particularly interesting.
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Crypsis is a nice trick, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Charging Badger. The badger it is.
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
Another Mortal's Resolve is the most interesting card in this pack.
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
Culling Mark should never hit the final 40. I think it's more likely for me to splash black for removal than red for a combat trick, so I pick up the Necrobite.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
Karametra's Favor isn't a terrible pickup. I'm not going for the mill win, so it's a no-go on the Evanescent Intellect.
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Another Favor is fine with me. It cantrips and ramps! While Satyr Wayfinder helps mana, it is an incredibly underwhelming card.
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Not the land, not the land!
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
Okay, we'll pick the land.
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
We're pretty solidified in Simic colors now, with the possibility of splashing for a third. People often complain about not having the right fixing for tricolor but I haven't had issues with it yet, especially with Karametra's Favor. Fellhide Spiritbinder would be an interesting pickup, and Thunder Brute is great. Double red is painful, however. Not including Culling Mark, the green cards in this pack all could have arguments made for them, but I pick the Archetype because bombs win games.
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
Not much going for green in this pack. The snake is a fine pickup. Aerie Worshippers, however, is amazing. I considered both Drown in Sorrow and Akroan Skyguard, but double black is pretty prohibitive, and I don't want to deal with an off-color splash early game. That's too much of a gamble since the Skyguard is a card I really only want to see in my starting seven.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
More green combat tricks, but I'm low on creatures, so we'll pick up the Centaur. It's a great beater, too. The Triton would also have been a good pick, but my 2-drops needed filling out. Sudden Storm is also great for tempo plays, though it seems like it wouldn't be amazing, being effectively an overcosted Lyev Decree.
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
Both of the uncommons in this pack would be excellent pickups, even for splashing. That said, I like the Tromper a whole lot better. It's sad to be passing yet another wolf though. It's very unlikely I'll pick one up on the wheel.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
Nullify stands out here, but packing too much countermagic can be the ruin of many draft decks. I pick Peregrination instead, since if I do splash for something, this will aid that greatly.
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
It seems like the end deck will be heavier green than blue, so again we pass up the double blue symbols in favor of the strong green card in the pack. Hopefully this will dissuade others from leaning heavier into green.
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
Looking back, picking the Tromper may have been the better pick here. That said, Vortex Elemental is a great way to clear up the field, and can even 2 for 1 late game.
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
The Pain Seer probably would have been a good pickup money-wise, but I think it was only half a ticket at the time. I pick the Setessan Oathsworn since I have a little bit of heroic support. Planning on snapping up the next Aspect of Hydra I see.
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
The only reasonable card in my colors this pack. Rise to the Challenge makes for a nice trick, but not enough for me to want to splash red.
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
A late snake is always fine to pick up. Looks like nobody's drafting Rakdos minotaurs.
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
Another Necrobite. Looks like if I splash a color, it will be black.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
Not a terrible inspired enabler. I probably should have picked up the Rise to the Challenge though, to make it so there was one less combat trick to worry about, but I've probably passed enough already that one more won't make a difference.
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
I begrudgingly pick the Satyr; if I really really need the 2-drop, I'll play it.
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
Straightforward. Though that Mountain is tempting...
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
Plains it is.
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Hoo boy, here we go. Both the green cards here are solid, though I prefer the Centaur to the Snake. Excoriate and Siren Song Lyre are both fine pickups, and I've been known to first pick Gorgon's Head, since repeatable removal is amazing. The bomb wins over all though. Tromokratis is a first pick I'm happy to see.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
The packs get better and better. I have yet to play with Sphinx's Disciple, but the card appeals to me a lot. The Tromper is also nice to see, but our top of curve isn't incredibly filled out yet, and the Nessian Wilds Ravager gets there nicely.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
I think a picture broke above, but it probably wasn't anything spectacular. I've already picked up two Karametra's Favors, and am almost certainly not running a third, so I pick up the Starbreaker to fill out my sideboard.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
I only need one Starbreaker though. I pick up another Badger in hopes of grabbing a few Aspect of Hydras later. In hindsight, the Deepwater Hypnotist or Crypsis would have been a better pick.
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
The Archetype of Endurance would be a nice pickup, but 8-drops don't appeal to me that much. I do have ramp from Karametra's Favor and Peregrination that will get me there, but I'd rather take the more usable combat trick. There's a Black Oak in this pack, so I'm sure we'll be seeing shenanigans with Servants.
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
The Fanatic of Xenagos is almost reason in and of itself to splash red, but I think I can draft a solid Simic deck. I grab the Floodtide Serpent for bouncing cantrip goodness.
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Aspect of Hydra is just what I wanted to see here. Only having one at this point isn't too great unfortunately.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
I'm realizing now I don't have great flying interaction, so I preference the Chorus of the Tides over the Snake.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Gorgon's Head this late is amazing. I don't need another high-costed creature, so I pick up the Gorgon's Head.
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
The flier beats out additional ramp. Revoke Existence is a nice card to see this late, and is very splashable, but I'm on the flying track now.
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
I guess I pick up the card in my colors. There's really only dregs at this point.
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
I take out the most playable card in this pack. Neither of the auras are particularly worrying.
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
I don't think I'll need this at this point, but better safe than sorry, I guess.
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
I think the land would have been the better pick here.
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
And a solid last pick in our colors. (Ignore the fact that it's colorless)
Though I definitely made some poor picks in this draft, it didn't end up hurting me too badly, since my three amazing bombs brought me to a 3-0 win in the pod. I don't have the games on record, unfortunately, but I'll try to do match reports with my drafts from now on as well. We'll see if that happens. Until next time!
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