Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
Imprisoned In the Moon isn't a card I have a lot of experience with but I'll take it here and see where it leads me as blue removal isn't something you get often. There's really not much in this back anyway. Prey Upon would be the next choice but sometimes I find that Prey Upon isn't too great because my own creatures are too small to win the fight. I'd prefer to pick Prey Upon once I know the size of the creatures I have in the deck.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
Ingenious Skaab is a great common. Initially I didn't think it was anything special but being able to pump it after your opponent decides to leave it unblocked is a great way to get extra damage in. It's also great at maximizing efficiency with your mana as you can use whatever is leftover once you figure out what you want to do for the turn.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
I could go white with the Sigardian Priest or take the Tangleclaw Werewolf. The werewolf may be tough to cast with the double green if I don't end up running green as the main colour. I could have went with the priest and in hindsight I probably should have. I think I wanted to take the Enlightened Maniac in hopes of getting a Wretched Gryff. I also like to stay on colour until I'm convinced that another colour is open. The priest could have been a signal though...
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
I know in the first draft I said I don't like to draft the UR Thermo-Alchemist decks but I felt that this would be a time to try it out again. Brazen Wolves is very good but I wanted to build this archetype, especially already having a skaab in my pile. I also like the Weaver of Lightning but the Thermo-Alchemist is what makes the deck run and I don't want to pass up on it, build a deck around it and then not actually get one. That would be gross.
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
There's not much here for the deck I want to draft but Field Creeper counts as 2 card types in the graveyard so it may help me reach delirium if I end up with any cards that need it. White seems to be open though, with Borrowed Grace and Faithbearer Paladin being solid commons in the pack.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
I don't know why I keep ignoring white. That's two drafts now where I dismiss the colour. Well to be fair, at this point I already made up my mind about trying a Thermo-Alchemist deck so I was pretty set on making that happen. That's not a good justification though, as I should be flexible and be willing to abandon that plan if it looks like it's not going to pan out. I could have had a solid WU core at this point but instead I'm picking cards that I will probably end up cutting if I have enough playables. The fragment being a prime example. I always draft it with the intention of running it because it's a problem when I play against it. However it always ends up being one of the last cards to be cut from the deck.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
Convolute is alright. It pumps the skaab but I can't play it when I want - I have to wait for a spell I want to counter. The other issue with that is I have to keep mana up on my turn, costing me tempo. If my opponent doesn't cast anything I want to counter then I effectively wasted that turn since I could have been playing something else. Hopefully I get some creatures with flash so if there's nothing to counter I can still get my creatures on the board.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
The Alchemist's Greeting is solid removal especially if I can get a Reckless Scholar or Mad Prophet to get some madness action going. Deranged Whelp is a good two drop but I'm not trying to build an aggro deck. I feel that the archetype is more of a control/late game deck.
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Having said that, I immediately backtrack and pick the aggressive card. I should have taken the Falkenrath Reaver which can block early and help me get to the late game.
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
Raredraft!
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
I might run this, it stops the eldrazi emerge effects (which occur when cast) as well as counter the creature. Pretty sweet if I can pull that off.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
I might play this if I can get into come into play creatures other than the Enlightened Maniac.
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Probably won't run 2. Should have taken the Distemper of the Blood for flexibility.
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
Well if I'm drafting the Thermo-Alchemist deck, I should have as many Thermo-Alchemists as I can right? The other red and blue cards aren't that exciting anyway. Other than the Geist of the Archives. I really hope that wheels.
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
Solid removal spell. Pumps skaab. Untaps the alchemists. Can be thrown at the opponent's face if needed. Also more valuable than the junk rares. Easy pick here.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
I like Conduit of Storms. A little too much as I usually pick it very early. Luckily this time I didn't have to think about it as nothing else in my colours will cause me to debate this pick.
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
Maybe I should have taken the Laboratory Brute here? I don't have anything with delirium right now but I also don't have much at the four slot.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
Exulted Cultist can make opponents reluctant to trade in a fight as I get a card out of the deal. This is another good card to sacrifice to a Wretched Gryff. If only I can get a Wretched Gryff.
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
Spontaneous Mutation is pseudo-removal and the flash can help pump the skaab at instant speed.
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
Maybe the Fogwalker would have been better. Locking down a creature for a turn and blocking early attacks on the ground.
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
A second Ingenious Skaab is perfect.
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
There's nothing here for me so I'll grab the rare. In a draft league there's no point in hate drafting as I may not be playing against people from the same table.
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
Not bad for the 10th pick.
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
I ended up getting Fogwalker anyway.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
This may be good for PDC so it's a nice pick up.
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
I know I should have taken the Niblis of Dusk or Pyre Hound but Stensia Masquerade falt out wins games sometimes. Obviously it would work better in aggro decks so I probably picked wrong here. On a side note, if I was white I would have got a Gryff's Boon which is a very good card.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
Hello there! Too bad it's only worth 2-3 tix.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
Maybe I can cast an Alchemist's Greeting off this ability. That would be awesome.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
Okay I could have grabbed the Masquerade now if I really wanted it (although I'm sure I'm not suppose to run it). Drownyard Explorers is a good blocker though and grabs me a card as well.
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pyre Hound seems perfect for this deck, and Stitched Mangler would work as well. Too bad I couldn't pass up on the instant bounce spell as it helps the skaabs and the alchemists.
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
Nothing here for me so I pick up the foil Humble the Brute. I find out later that it's actually worth 3 tix!
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
I finally get my Pyre Hound.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
Flash is great in the situations where I'm holding a counterspell but don't end up using it.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pyre Hound #2! So far I have a pair of skaabs, alchemists and hounds. Too much of a good thing? We'll see.
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
I would usually take the Ember-Eye Wolf but let's see if the Catalog is any good in this deck.
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
Probably not running this but I"m surprised to see it go so late.
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Sure, why not?
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
I learned from the last draft and save the decklist this time:
1 Imprisoned in the Moon
2 Ingenious Skaab
1 Convolute
2 Thermo-Alchemist
2 Catalog
1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
6 Mountain
1 Summary Dismissal
1 Compelling Deterrence
1 Incendiary Flow
1 Conduit of Storms
1 Stormrider Spirit
1 Exultant Cultist
1 Spontaneous Mutation
2 Tattered Haunter
1 Forgotten Creation
1 Alchemist's Greeting
1 Drownyard Explorers
2 Pyre Hound
11 Island
1 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Howlpack Wolf
1 Open the Armory
1 Humble the Brute
8 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Convolute
1 Contingency Plan
1 Prying Questions
1 Oath of Liliana
1 Deranged Whelp
1 Emrakul's Influence
1 Field Creeper
1 Ironclad Slayer
1 Displace
11 Island
1 Fogwalker
1 Insatiable Gorgers
1 Cryptolith Fragment
1 Permeating Mass
1 Cathar's Shield
1 Stensia Masquerade
1 Enlightened Maniac
I ended up cutting the Masquerade anyway so I should have went with the Niblis. I also cut the Field Creeper since I didn't need delirium, Fogwalker is also on the sidelines but should be sided in if my opponent turns out to be very aggressive.
Match 1 I'm paired against UB. I keep my opening 7 while my opponent mulligans to 6. His first play is Exultant Cultist on turn 4. I'm not doing that great either as I my first play was Ingenious Skaab on turn 3.The skaab gets in once and then receives a Boon of Emrakul. I replace it with a Conduit of Storms. I'm stuck on 4 lands but I get to transform the werewolf with extra mana generated from the attack. The play didn't look so good after he plays Drag Under on it. I hit my 5th land and replay the conduit with a Thermo-Alchemist. He responds by sacrificing his cultist to a Wretched Gryff netting him 2 cards and a Grizzled Angler on the same turn. On my turn, Incendiary Flow takes care of the angler (giving me an extra ping from the alchemist), the gryff gets Imprisoned in the Moon and the conduit gets in for an attack. The alchemist meets a Certain Death but not before getting in one last point of damage and a Curious Homunculus comes down for his side. While he's tapped out I try to transform the werewolf again and get in for 5, dropping him to 9. I also use the extra 2 mana generated to play Catalog. He plays a second angler and chumps with the homunculus. I play a cultist of my own and a Stormrider Spirit on his end of turn. His angler eats the cultist but he drops to one and when another skaab joins my team, he scoops them up.
Game 2 would have had me curve out with Tattered Haunter, Ingenious Skaab, Pyre Hound and then Jace. A Convolute on the skaab put a dent in my plans. A Just the Wind bounces my spirit but I replay it and it brings a friend. He plays Gone Missing on one of the haunters but isn't developing his board. This is a perfect time for Jace to join the party. I replay the second haunter and a Pyre Hound which promptly gets murdered. Jace is putting in work, netting me what feels like an endless amount of cards but my opponent is determined. A Tooth Collector takes out one of my fliers and a Rancid Rat shows up on his side of the board. An attempt in imprison the Tooth Collector in the moon gets turned aside. A Spontaneous Mutation makes the collector harmless so he sacrifices it to a Wretched Gryff. He drops Jace down to 4 loyalty while I play a Stormrider Spirit at the end of his turn. I get in for 5 dropping him to 9 while I'm still at 20. Jace would have been able to take another hit but he holds back his team. A Forgotten Creation lets me trade my 2 lands in hand in for a fisful of gas. I ping him to death with a Thermo-Alchemist + Alchemist's Greeting.
Match 2 I has me facing a fellow UR deck. I feel like we were in the same draft pod because he starts with a Niblis of Dusk and a Geist of the Archvies, two cards that I passed up on. My side isn't too shabby with a skaab and a hound. He refuses to block with the geist in fear of a trick so I get in for some extra damage. He trades his niblis for my stormrider after he plays a Catalog for the pump. I replace it with a haunter and hold up mana for Convolute rather than play another skaab. I put it to good use, countering a Weaver of Lightning and growing the hound. He blocks the first skaab with his geist, offering a trade of 2 mana to kill it. I decline and play the second skaab and an alchemist. Things are going well but then he plays a Docent of Perfection. I topdeck Imprisoned in the Moon. Lucky right? Well I must have got too excited when tapping the mana because I imprisoned my own Mountain. Brutal. At least the skaabs are pumped so I send in the team. Both skaabs are blocked and this time I take his geist as well as trade for the docent. This leaves him at 2 and he concedes.
Game 2 he starts with a Curious Homunculus, Catalog and Make Mischief at my dome and he tops off his turn 5 with a Vildin-Pack Outcast. At that point my side is a Exultant Cultist and a Pyre Hound. I play a Ingenious Skaab expecting to trade it with his werewolf but it's staying home for the time being. I have Imprisoned in the Moon but I'm reluctant to use it because I feel like at one point I can trade for the werewolf. His homunculus become a Voracious Reader and he plays Chilling Grasp on my hound and skaab. In comes his team and I throw the cultist in the way of the werewolf. That was a mistake as blocking the reader would have saved me 2 life. I'm at 10 life and I play Catalog at the end of his turn to try and dig myself out of this mess. I draw an Alchemist's Greeting off the Catalog but I'm 1 mana short of playing it with madness. Lame. I untap and play the greeting at full price on the werewolf before he hits his 7th land to transform it. I get in for 2 with my haunter while my other two creatures are still tapped from the grasp. The haunter can't block anyway so it may have well get in for some damage. He gets me to 7 as the reader hits me again. He's at 13 but I still have lots of gas. He throws a devil in front of the hound and then kills the haunter with the effect. I finally pull the trigger and imprison the reader, leaving him with a lonely devil versus my hound and a pair of skaabs. He has 2 cards and the game is far from over but he decides to scoop them up.
Match 3! A chance to win the whole thing. I didn't drop the a game this whole time and I'm starting to feel comfortable with the deck. I'm playing against a very aggressive RB deck on turn 4 I'm staring down an Ember-Eye Wolf, Insolent Neonate, Furyblade Vampire and a fresh Voldaren Duelist that helped hiim get around my cultist and get in for 9 after he pitched a Mountain to the Furyblade Vampire. Gross. On my turn I play a Pyre Hound, send in my haunter and ship the turn. For some reason he sacrifices his neonate and pitches a Midnight Scavengers and sends in the duelist and wolf. I trade the duelist for my cultist and force him to spend mana on his wolf to trade with the hound. I play Jace to bounce the Furyblade Vampire while my haunter slowly pecks away his life total. He plays a Vildin-Pack Outcast on his turn which a promptly bounce as well, leaving Jace with 1 loyalty as my haunter is putting in work and a skaab and Conduit of Storms joins my team. He replays the outcast and this time it's here to stay. I Scry with Jace as I feel his time in this game is coming to an end and attack with the haunter and conduit, offering the trade. He refuses and I play a skaab post combat. He lets it through but I don't transform as I have a Catalog in hand that will pump the pair of skaabs. I double block the outcast and he plays Uncaged Fury and I lose both skaabs. I bring him down to 4 and play Catalog with a madness Alchemist's Greeting on his werewolf. Jace sacrifices himself to bounce the Furyblade Vampire one more time as I don't want to take any chances and I play a second haunter to go with the first. He replays the vampire and discards his own gretting, taking out a flier to survive. I topdeck Imprisoned in the Moon and we go to Game 2.
I keep a hand with Catalog, Alchemist's Greeting and all lands. For some reason I thought this was okay and the Catalog would bail me out. Plus I was on the draw. Big mistake as his Kessig Forgemaster transforms and Blood Mist start shredding up my life total as I can only muster a Thermo-Alchemist. Those 2 permanents alone drop me down to 5 life. I Alchemist's Greeting his Vildin-Pack Outcast to try and stabilize but a Voldaren Duelist seals the deal for him.
Game 3 I ship back a hand with a Thermo-Alchemist, imprison and Stormrider Spirit with all islands. I can do better than that right? 5 lands and a skaab? I should ship that too right? Right. Unfortunately I don't. I start to draw out of it though and I somehow manage to curve out with an alchemist, skaab and Drownyard Explorers. Lucky me. His side has a forgemaster and Olivia's Dragoon. He plays a duelist and pitches a swamp to put the dragoon in the air and swings in for 7, leaving me at 11 to his 16 life. I play a Tattered Haunter and he swings with his team again, and I feel like there's a trick so I just block the duelist with the explorer. I was right and Abandon Reason helps the duelist kill the explorer while I fall to 6. On my turn he uses the dragoon again and plays Alchemist Greeting with madness on my skaab. In response I play Catalog and my own greeting on his duelist. This pumps my skaab out of range of his greeting. I think that was a big mistake in retrospect because I can always chump the duelist on the ground if I have to but the Dragoon can go into the air. I did have a haunter in play and another in my hand though so maybe that was my reasoning. I trade the skaab for the forgemaster as he follows up with a Vildin-Pack Outcast. He attacks with both creatures and Burn from Within puts me out of my misery.
Unfortunately I didn't win the draft this time but the deck is sweet. I felt like I was in control for most of my games except for the last two where I felt like I was always on my back foot. I have to be better at mulligans as some of these hands I'm keeping I should really be sending back. Hopefully I learn from this and come up with a victory next time.
- ThePaperboy
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