Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
I could have started off with the Prey Upon or the Geist but I'm more comfortable with red as it's given me the best results in this format. Before I started this blog almost deck I won a draft with had red in it. Of course once I started to document my play I can't win a draft to save my life.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
Savage Alliance is very good. I've consistently gotten 3-for-1s and 2-for-1s with this instant. It also keeps me on colour. I'll happily snatch it up here. Hopefully the Brazen Wolves and Alchemist's Greeting isn't seen as a signal to the player next to me to move into red. I'm crossing my fingers that he takes the Drag Under and goes into blue.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
Since I plan for my neighbour to be in blue, I'm going to keep passing him those cards. I'll take the Cathar and try to build a WR deck with an aggressive build.
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Sometimes you can let the opponent think that he has a chance in a race so both sides start swinging in, then flash out the Shieldmate to pick off an attacker. All of a sudden the opponent is on the back foot.
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Just what I'm looking for in this type of deck.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
This is shaping up nicely.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
I was feeling bad having to pass up on 2 of these. Luckily I get a third chance here.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
I usually run this from the sideboard unless I don't have enough playables.
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
Let's see if I can get an Ironclad Slayer or two. I've never actually played with the Mantle and want to give it a try.
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
I'll keep my eye out for any delirium cards.
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
Maybe I'll finally try this card as well.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
Nice card at the 12th pick. I had solid picks for this whole pack so I'm pretty happy.
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
This pack is a big disappointment, especially after what I got in pack 1. I don't want to first pick a Steadfast Cathar so I'll try the Graft. There's nothing else here for me.
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
Wow. I'll gladly run two of these in the deck. As a bonus, I'm not even passing up on much other than the Outcast.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
The Priest is another option but I don't want to tie mana up to keep tapping down a creature if I have the choice to outright get rid of a blocker and keep building up the board.
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
I like having a Paladin at the top of the curve.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
I guess this curve is going to be a little higher. Subjugator Angel can break stalements and steal games.
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
This is tough. Looking back I should have taken the Gryff since I already have some quality removal spells, including a copy of Alchemist's Greeting. The flier would help me keep pressure on if the ground gets clogged up.
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
Maybe I'll play this with my pair of Greetings.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Great finisher if my creatures don't get the job done. Can also be used as removal if needed.
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
Quality 1 drop that can do some serious damage if the opponent allows it to transform.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
I think I may have too much removal.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
Following that last thought, I'll pass on Humble the Brute and grab another flier.
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
I'm getting some good 5 drops and I'm really starting to like this deck.
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
Devils' Playground is good at getting in those last points of damage and also complicates combat math for the opponent.
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Maybe I should have grabbed the Dual Shot for the sideboard as the deck is pretty much finished but I may need more at the 3 slot.
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
That's a late Moonlight Hunt. I won't be playing Survive the Night at I have a lot of quality noncreature spells already.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Maybe I should have taken the Unruly Mob but I want to try this out if I have room for it in the deck.
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
This was the deck I ended up running:
Main:
1 Conduit of Storms
1 Borrowed Grace
2 Steadfast Cathar
1 Drogskol Shieldmate
1 Brazen Wolves
2 Savage Alliance
2 Alchemist's Greeting
1 Emissary of the Sleepless
1 Gatstaf Arsonists
1 Cathar's Companion
1 Falkenrath Reaver
7 Plains
1 Faithbearer Paladin
1 Subjugator Angel
1 Bold Impaler
1 Galvanic Bombardment
1 Burn from Within
1 Village Messenger
1 Inner Struggle
1 Devils' Playground
10 Mountain
1 Thraben Standard Bearer
Sideboard:
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
2 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Survive the Night
1 Magmatic Chasm
1 Chaplain's Blessing
1 Otherworldly Outburst
1 Farbog Revenant
1 Make Mischief
1 Field Creeper
1 Providence
1 Ironwright's Cleansing
1 Whispers of Emrakul
2 Stensia Banquet
1 Skin Invasion
1 Lunarch Mantle
1 Prophetic Ravings
1 Ride Down
1 Stitcher's Graft
1 Rottenheart Ghoul
I decided to run the Cathar's Companion because I was short on 3 drops. I've never played with it before so let's see how it pans out.
Match 1 looks like I'm up against monowhite as he curves out Moorland Drifter, Bygone Bishop and Spectral Reserves to my Brazen Wolves and Gatstaf Arsonists. My Arsonists gets removed with a Faith Unbroken on his Bishop and now I'm very far behind, falling to 9 while my opponenet is still at 18. I swing back with my Wolves and a Village Messenger and use my Alchemist's Greeting on his Drifter since the Bishop is out of range. Borrowed Grace from his side finishes me off which is okay because I don't feel like I was ever in that game anyway.
Game 2 I play a Steadfast Cathar and he responds with the Drifter. I send in the Cathar and leave mana up for the Shieldmate. He doesn't bite though, holding his Drifter back. I play the Shieldmate at the end of his turn to keep the pressure on as he had no turn 3 play. I attack with both creatures and Strength of Arms lets his Drifter eat the Cathar. I follow up with a Cathar's Companion. He stops the bleeding with Apothecary Geist. I reach 5 mana and play my Faithbearer Paladin while my opponent plays a second Apothecary Geist. I topdeck my Subjugator Angel and swing in with the team, hitting for 8 damage. Thalia, Heretic Cathar comes down on his side of the table as I alpha strike again. He puts both Geists on the Angel, the Drifter on the Companion and Thalia blocks the Shieldmate. I gleefully cast Borrowed Grace and decimate his side of the board. He plays a Desperate Sentry but can't recover and I take Game 2.
For the final game I mulligan to 6 cards with a Thraben Standard Bearer, Alchemist's Greeting 3 Mountains and a Plains. I probably should have mulligan one more time but I thought the Bearer would help if I get flooded. I get to play the Greeting off the Bearer's ability too. He plays a Lone Rider and a Thalia's Lieutenant and the Rider starts to go to work. On his turn 4 he plays Faith Unbroken on his Lone Rider. I'm one mana short of getting a 3-for-1 with my Savage Alliance but I use it to kill the Rider in response to the aura anyway because if I let it transform I would be in bigger trouble. He plays Spectral Reserves and I use a Greeting on his Lieutenant netting me a soldier in the process. I now face a board of two spirit tokens against my Bearer and a soldier token with my hand full of removal. I have a second Greeting, Inner Struggle and Galvanic Bombardment but I don't want to waste any of them on these 1/1 fliers. Lunarch Mantle on one of the spirits changes my mind though and I kill it with my Bombardment before the aura resolves. I pitch a mountain and start attacking with my 3 1/1 creatures. He keeps trading 3 damage for 1 as the spirit token keeps coming in but my opponent seems to be mana flooded with 9 plains in play and one card left in hand. I add a Steadfast Cathar and Falkenrath Reaver to my team but my opponent response with an Ironclad Slayer grabbing his Faith Unbroken. He catches me without mana up to madness out the Greeting so I let the aura resolve. I hardcast the greeting on my turn and swing in for 5, leaving him at 5 life. He plays a Faithbearer Paladin and I feel pretty stupid not using the Inner Struggle instead of the Greeting. His Paladin holds the fort for a turn but Emissary of the Sleepless on my side starts to get in some damage. He hits with his Paladin and then plays Long Road Home to keep the Paladin as a blocker. I swing with my team and lose my Companion but leave him at 2 life. He draws for his turn and scoops them up.
I'm facing WG for Match 2 and on the play I curve out Village Messenger, Steadfast Cathar and Conduit of Storms. My opponent has no turn 1 play so the Messenger flips but he responds with Primal Druid and Sigardian Priest. I bring him down to 11 and transform the Conduit on turn 4. He plays a Ulvenwald Captive and at the end of his turn I play a Shieldmate and Galvanic Bombardment on his Priest. He's stuck on four lands and chumps the Conduit of Emrakul with his Druid. I use the extra mana generated to play Devils' Playground and he concedes. Game 2 I keep my opening 7 and my opponent mulligans to 4 and concedes before we begin. That was easier than expected. On to the finals!
I'm up against URG and my opponent starts off with Sanguinary Mage, Field Creeper and Ingenious Skaab versus my Conduit and Bold Impaler. He casts a Vildin-Pack Outcast which I promptly take care of with Inner Struggle. He plays Tormenting Voice and a Cryptolith Fragment and swinging in with his pumped up zombie and vampire dropping me to 12 life. I'm stuck on 4 lands and play Burn from Within to get rid of the Skaab. Of course the replay crashes at this point but I remember feeling like I wasn't in this game at all. Game 2 I start with a Falkenrath Reaver which trades for my opponent's own Reaver. My vampire gets replaced by Cathar's Companion and a Bold Impaler while his gets replaced by a Sanguinary Mage and Grizzled Angler. I play Savaged Alliance when my opponent blocks the hound with his Mage and the Impaler with his Angler resulting in the Companion being the only one left standing after combat. Uninvited Geist transforms as he plays Unsubstantiate on my Steadfast Cathar, removing the only blocker. Spontaneous Mutation nullifies my Companion and I play Inner Struggle on his Trespasser. Sin Prodder comes down on his side and reveals and Island. I throw it in the bin but the replay crashes again! I did manage to win this one though and we go on to Game 3 and play for 6 booster packs. After all that effort, I keep a one lander after a mulligan to 6. I stay on 1 land until turn 5. At this point his side of the board is a Sanguinary Mage, Unimpeded Trespasser, Stensia Innkeeper and a Grizzled Angler to my Thraben Standard Bearer. I'm too far behind and succumb 2 turns later.
It's very frustrating that I play well enough to get to Game 3 but throw it all away because I was reluctant to go to 5 cards. This is something that happens a lot so I need to take more time deciding on my opening hands. Hopefully this doesn't happen again, or at least less often. I guess we'll see in the next draft!
- ThePaperboy
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