Magic Origins Draft #12: Irish Luck

Although I've played Magic in a foreign country before, Canada didn't really feel all that different from the United States.  Ireland though...

The Draft and the Deck

My first pick was easy: Nissa, Vastwood Seer.  My second pick was Topan Freeblade, and the rest of the draft neither encouraged me nor discouraged me in my choice.  I picked up reasonable creatures and a few reasonable spells on the way to a reasonable - but not flashy - deck.  Still, Nissa was lucky, right?

CREATURES (17)   Anointer of Champions Charging Griffin Cleric of the Forward Order Leaf Gilder Llanowar Empath Nissa, Vastwood Seer Orchard Spirit Pharika's Disciple Rhox Maulers Skysnare Spider Stalwart Aven Topan Freeblade x2 Undercity Troll Valeron Wardens x2 Yeva's Forcemage

ARTIFACTS (1)   Veteran's Sidearm   ENCHANTMENTS (1)   Grasp of the Hieromancer   INSTANTS (3)   Celestial Flare Enshrouding Mist Titanic Growth   SORCERIES (1)   Nissa's Pilgrimage   LANDS (17)   Forest x9 Plains x8

SIDEBOARD   Aerial Volley Akroan Jailer Alchemist's Vial Artificer's Epiphany x2 Aspiring Aeronaut Auramancer Bellows Lizard Chief of the Foundry Disperse Guardian Automaton Infernal Scarring Languish Nantuko Husk Pyromancer's Goggles Touch of Moonglove Vastwood Gorger Weight of the Underworld Yavimaya Coast

Round 1

Yes, Nissa was lucky, but my first round Irish opponent was even luckier.  In the first game he played Managorger Hydra on turn 3, and that was pretty much it for me.

In the second game, he... played Managorger Hydra on turn 3 once more.  This time I was able to delay his attacks, and when he eventually attacked with it and a Skysnare Spider, I was able to kill the spider with a Titanic Growth and followed it up with a post-combat damage Celestial Flare.

Then I had to deal with 2 Rhox Maulers.  With those out of the way, my opponent played a Graveblade Marauder.  Ugh.  Still I was able to fly over his board with a Charging Griffin, until his Woodland Bellower fetched the additional creatures he needed to finish me off.

Result: L (0-2)


Round 2

Fortunately my second round opponent did not have nearly as much power as my first round opponent.  His most troubling cards were a Blightcaster and an Akroan Jailer, and those were simple enough for my deck to deal with.

Result: W (2-0)


Round 3

My third round opponent lost the first game in quick fashion after he mulliganed to six and got (I suspect) mana flooded.  I had no idea what his deck was about until the second game, when he played a turn 3 Chief of the Foundry followed by a turn 4 Pia and Kiran Nalaar.  Oh.

I got crushed that game.  But in game 3 my deck played out threat starting on turn 2 with a Topan Freeblade, and continuing each and every turn.  And although he dealt with my early threats and played Pia and Kiran Nalaar, I was able to simply overwhelm him in the end.

Result: W (2-1)


Summary

The deck I drafted felt like a 'typical' Origins draft deck, full of early threats that curve into a few late threats while using the occasional combat trick to fool my opponent.  Nothing too exciting.  But at least the Irish Magic players were all very nice!