Magic Origins Draft #2: The Power of the First Pick

The Draft and the Decks

I was a little disappointed after my first draft, having opened no rare worth playing.  Fortunately fate smiled upon me for my second draft: my first pack had Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh.  After I took that card, the person to my right passed me a Skysnare Spider, and just like that my colors were determined: Red-Green.  And although I didn't pick anything especially earth-shattering for the rest of the draft, I was quite happy with the cards I did pick.

CREATURES (17)   Acolyte of the Inferno x2 Boggart Brute Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh Elvish Visionary Ghirapur Gearcrafter Hitchclaw Recluse x2 Leaf Gilder Llanowar Empath Prickleboar Rhox Maulers x2 Seismic Elemental x2 Skyraker Giant Skysnare Spider

INSTANTS (3)   Fiery Impulse Ravaging Blaze Titan's Strength   SORCERIES (3)   Act of Treason Lightning Javelin x2   LANDS (17)   Forest x7 Mountain x10

SIDEBOARD   Aerial Volley Akroan Jailer Auramancer Brawler's Plate Caustic Caterpillar Cobblebrute Dark Dabbling Disperse Enshrouding Mist Infernal Scarring Macabre Waltz Shambling Ghoul Smash to Smithereens Sphinx's Tutelage Stratus Walk Topan Freeblade Tormented Thoughts Unholy Hunger Vastwood Gorger

I'm not entirely sure what led my daughter into the Black-Green deck that she drafted, but it certainly looked reasonable to me.

CREATURES (15)   Conclave Naturalists Deadbridge Shaman Elvish Visionary Eyeblight Assassin Fetid Imp Kothophed, Soul Hoarder Nantuko Husk x2 Pharika's Disciple Revenant Shambling Ghoul x3 Valeron Wardens Yeva's Forcemage

ENCHANTMENTS (2)   Mantle of Webs Weight of the Underworld   ARTIFACTS (1)   Brawler's Plate   INSTANTS (3)   Might of the Masses Unholy Hunger x2   SORCERIES (2)   Gather the Pack Reave Soul   LANDS (17)   Rogue's Passage Forest x7 Swamp x9

SIDEBOARD   Aerial Volley Alhammarret's Archive Anointer of Champions Cobblebrute Dark Dabbling Deep-Sea Terror Dreadwaters Healing Hands Macabre Waltz Mantle of Webs x2 Nissa's Pilgrimage Reclaim Smash to Smithereens Timberpack Wolf Undead Servant Weight of the Underworld

Round 1

My opponent played a Black-White deck with early renown threats backed up by loads of 5-cost Black removal spells.  Game 1 I used my own burn to deal with his early creatures, and then simply played threat after threat after threat to soak up his kill spells.  Eventually he ran out of removal.

Game 2 was far less stressful for me, as my opponent got stuck on four lands.  My threats stayed on board, and Chandra, Roaring Flame finished the job.

In the meantime my daughter won her first match in straightforward fashion.

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: W (2-0)

Round 2

My opponent had first picked Pia and Kiran Nalaar and second picked Thopter Spy Network... and then the Blue-Red artifact support he had hoped for simply dried up.  He still had loads of artifacts in his deck, and they caused all sorts of trouble.

I jumped out to an early lead in game 1 before my opponent was finally able to stabilize behind Guardians of Meletis and Thopter Spy Network.  Soon after that our boards were full of creatures... but his could fly over mine.  Thankfully a top-decked Seismic Elemental saved me.

However, in game 2 my opponent had a powerful start, with lots of Fiery Impulses to negate my early creatures.  I had to play from behind for the rest of the game, and his Ravaging Blaze finished me off.

The exact reverse happened in game 3.  I put my opponent on the back foot with removal that cleared the way for my cheap creatures to punch on through (my sideboarded Caustic Caterpillar and Smash to Smithereens were a great help).  And this time I was the one to finish the game by casting a Ravaging Blaze.

My daughter pushed her opponent to three games this round, but his aggressive deck was simply too quick for her when she was on the draw.

Result:

• Me: W (2-1)
• My Daughter: L (1-2)

Round 3

At the start of round 3 there were three undefeated players in our 9-man pod.  Winning would mean I would get a share of first, and losing likely meant that I would fall all the way to third.  I explained this situation to my daughter when I learned I had gotten paired down against her... and she smiled wide and said, "I hope I kick your butt then!"  Oh.  And although I was a bit surprised at her reaction, I couldn't help but be inwardly delighted at her competitive spirit.

That spirit wasn't enough for game 1 however, as I aggressively mowed my way through her life total with the aid of removal spells.  Game 2 was far more even, with her mass of creatures providing a wall against mine.  And when she started using Rogue's Passage to push through her renown creatures while drawing cards with Valeron Wardens, I thought I was done for... a possibility that became a near certainty after she cast a Nantuko Husk, which she could have used for lethal damage at the cost of sacrificing most of her board.

And this is where my daughter's youthful instincts failed her, as her distaste for sacrificing her own creatures for a one-shot effect led her to completely overlook her winning play.  Instead we played creature on top of creature upon a stalled board... until I drew a Seismic Elemental and swung in for the win.

After the game was over I explained how she could have won, and I could almost see the light bulb burst into life inside her head.  Another lesson learned!

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: L (0-2)

Summary

Interestingly, Chandra barely made a dent in any of the games I played.  And after the draft I came to the following realization: Magic Origins is a far less bomb-y format than any of the Tarkir draft formats, with few cards that feel like they provide an insurmountable threat.  This means that the margin of victory is dependent upon small synergies and incremental plays.  And players need to not only be prepared for the early rush; they need to have a late-game plan to deal with clogged board states.