Magic Origins Draft #10: Oh, That's Where the Green Cards Went

The Draft and the Deck

My first three picks were Undercity Troll, Leaf Gilder, and Elvish Visionary.  Pretty solid... except the kid sitting two seats to my right had opened Nissa, and (as I later learned) he proceeded to simply take every green card he saw for a mono-Green deck.

Needless to say, my draft strategy was derailed.  I started dabbling in various colors in the expectation of dropping Green altogether.  White quickly became a color of choice after I snap-picked a few Swift Reckonings despite passing two Suppression Bonds.  But the second color... ?

And then in the third pack I opened and took an Outland Colossus, while two Citadel Castellans wheeled.  Just like that I was back in Green... except I didn't have enough playables in Green/White, so I splashed Red for the truly epic bombs of Boggart Brute and Prickleboar.

CREATURES (15)   Boggart Brute x2 Charging Griffin Citadel Castellan x2 Elvish Visionary Guardian Automaton Knight of the Pilgrim's Road Leaf Gilder Outland Colossus Pharika's Disciple Prickleboar Sentinel of the Eternal Watch Topan Freeblade Undercity Troll

ARTIFACTS (1)   Meteorite   ENCHANTMENTS (1)   Suppression Bonds   INSTANTS (4)   Celestial Flare x2 Enshrouding Mist x2   SORCERIES (2)   Swift Reckoning x2   LANDS (17)   Battlefield Forge Forest x7 Mountain x2 Plains x7

SIDEBOARD   Claustrophobia Cobblebrute Jhessian Thief Kytheon's Tactics Mage-Ring Bully Murder Investigation Reave Soul Screeching Skaab Separatist Voidmage Shambling Ghoul Titan's Strength Tormented Thoughts Touch of Moonglove Read the Bones Returned Centaur Unholy Hunger Veteran's Sidearm Volcanic Rambler

Okay, maybe it wasn't the best strategy, but it turns out that there was a mitigating factor in this draft...


Round 1

... which I quickly learned about when my first round opponent shook his head and unhappily mentioned that he really wished he didn't have to go four colors.  It turns out that I wasn't the only person whose draft strategy had been thrown askew.  As one might expect my opponent's deck was a bit hodgepodge (although he did have a sizable threat in Hangarback Walker), and I won fairly easily.

Result: W (2-0)


Round 2

My second round opponent had a familiar tale: he had started out drafting Red/Blue, only to switch into White/Black.  And he gave me ample opportunity to regret passing so many Suppression Bonds when he played three of them in our first game and won on the back of Knightly Valor while I stared unhappily at the Swift Reckoning in my hand.

Fortunately for me he had mana issues in the other two games, and I pulled out a victory.  I do believe that his deck was the better one though.  I guess it's better to be lucky than good sometimes.

Result: W (2-1)


Round 3

Since we were the only two undefeated players left in the pod, and the top two players both received the promo Serum Visions that everyone was pretending not to lust for, we agreed to an intentional draw.

Result: ID


Summary

Well... it was a draft... and I got a Serum Visions...

Magic: the Dartening

When my daughter and I arrived at my parents' house, we discovered that my mother had hung a magnetic dart board up in the kitchen.  For a while it was a great source of amusement for my daughter and her two younger cousins.  Then the novelty wore off, and when I heard one of the kids yell, "Okay, this time whoever manages to break the oven is the winner!" I knew that playtime was over.

Well, not completely.  Here's the dart game I drew up for my daughter.  I dub it: Magic: the Dartening.

See if you can guess my favorite bit! (Hint: it has to do with poop.)

Magic Origins Draft #7: Vying for Victory in Vegas

My daughter and I are visiting my parents in Las Vegas.  There's lots of fun things to do in Vegas, or so I hear, and of course what I did was drag my daughter to a Tuesday night draft at a local game store.

The Draft and the Decks

The draft was broken up into two pods, and naturally I ended up seated next to my daughter.  My first pick was Hixus, Prison Warden; my second a Patron of the Valiant; and then the White promptly disappeared.  Hm.  I started drafting Red... and then that dried up as well.

There were Claustrophobias floating around however, and past experience had taught me that Blue is often underdrafted, and so I started dipping my toes into Blue, thinking that I might go Blue-Red.

The second pack had a Disciple of the Ring, which seemed to confirm my choice.  But a couple of wheeled Thunderclap Wyverns just confused me even further, and by the end of pack 2 I started thinking... three colors?

My snap pick in the third pack was Liliana, Heretical Healer, but I resisted the urge to taste the rainbow by leaping into Black (despite the Priest of the Blood Rite I had hate-drafted earlier).  My third pick in the third pack was a Sentinel of the Eternal Watch, and that was when it became clear that Blue-White was a very viable option.

CREATURES (15)   Bonded Construct Disciple of the Ring Guardian Automaton Hixus, Prison Warden Maritime Guard Patron of the Valiant Ringwarden Owl Scrapskin Drake Sentinel of the Eternal Watch Thunderclap Wyvern x2 Totem-Guide Hartebeest Watercourser x3

ENCHANTMENTS (5)   Claustrophobia x3 Knightly Valor Stratus Walk   INSTANTS (2)   Hydrolash Send to Sleep   SORCERIES (1)   Anchor to the Aether   LANDS (17)   Evolving Wilds Island x9 Plains x7

SIDEBOARD   Acolyte of the Inferno Act of Treason Alchemist's Vial Fiery Impulse Ghirapur Gearcrafter Healing Hands Infectious Bloodlust Island Lightning Javelin Liliana, Heretical Healer Macabre Waltz Meteorite Prickleboar Priest of the Blood Rite Undead Servant Volcanic Rambler x2 Yoked Ox

Yep, I played Disciple of the Ring despite only having three instants and sorceries total.  Hey, I thought, it really only needs to trigger once or twice...

Meanwhile, my daughter exhibited her remarkable draft discipline by creating a mono-White deck.  And at an age when I would have merrily snapped up every single rare I saw, she had the fortitude to only pick up a single rare, which was in her colors.

CREATURES (14)   Akroan Jailer x2 Charging Griffin x2 Consul's Lieutenant Heavy Infantry x3 Knight of the Pilgrim's Road Kytheon's Irregulars Patron of the Valiant Stalwart Aven x2 Topan Freeblade

ENCHANTMENTS (2)   Grasp of the Hieromancer Suppression Bonds   ARTIFACTS (2)   Sigil of Valor x2   INSTANTS (4)   Celestial Flare x3 Mighty Leap   SORCERIES (1)   Kytheon's Tactics   LANDS (17)   Foundry of the Consuls Plains x16

SIDEBOARD   Akroan Jailer x2 Aven Battle Priest x2 Elemental Bond Enlightened Ascetic Gather the Pack Healing Hands Hitchclaw Recluse x2 Infectious Bloodlust Jayemdae Tome Meteorite Might of the Masses Nightsnare Pharika's Disciple Timberpack Wolf War Horn

The matchups for the first round were announced... and I was startled to learn that players would be matched up across pods, a policy that was foreign to me.  But as I constantly tell my daughter, different people do different things and that's perfectly fine.

Round 1

I don't have many details about this round.  I faced a player who had just returned to the game, and beat him quite handily.  Meanwhile my daughter got mana-screwed her first game and mana-flooded her second.  "It happens," she said, putting on her philosophical face.

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: L (0-2)

Round 2

I faced a nightmarish Red-Black deck with 11-12 removal spells, everything from three Fiery Impulse to a couple of the black 5-cost kill spells - and his many Fetid Imps might as well have counted as even more removal.  But although he could deal with my early game quite easily, the late game became far more difficult for him, and I eked out the game 1 victory with a Toten-Guide Hartebeest retrieving Knightly Valor.

But in game 2 I was never able to find my footing, and game 3 started out extremely badly for me when he cast Infinite Obliteration to rip out both my Thunderclap Wyverns.  Fortunately the rest of the game was a repeat of game 1, and once again I ended up on top.

My daughter won her matches, and ran up to me proudly declaring that "Sigil of Valor is awesome!"

Result:

• Me: W (2-1)
• My Daughter: W (2-0)

Round 3

My opponent this round was also playing a Black-Red deck... except his featured Blazing Hellhound, Enthralling Victor, and Act of Treason.  Ugh.  Once I realized his game plan, I decided there wasn't much I could do... but attack, attack, and attack some more.

This plan failed in game 2; fortunately it worked out in games 1 and 3 when my opponent didn't draw the cards he needed, and I was able to take the round.

My daughter faced my second round opponent, and much to my surprise, managed to win a game with the help of Heavy Infantry.  Sadly for her, in game 3 her opponent used Infinite Obliteration to, well, obliterate her Heavy Infantry.

Result:

• Me: W (2-1)
• My Daughter: L (1-2)

Round 4

My opponent had a Green-Blue control deck, with big blockers and walls and cards like Sphinx's Tutelage, Harbinger of the Tides, and Separatist Voidmage, as well as a Gaea's Revenge to quickly close games out.

Fortunately I was able to maintain a board state in the face of his temporary removal.  Both of our games were extremely close, but I won them both by relying on my 5+ cost creatures such as Hixus, Totem-Guide Hartebeest, Disciple of the Ring, and Sentinel of the Eternal Watch.

Meanwhile my daughter played against my first round opponent and quickly ran away with a victory.

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: W (2-0)

Summary

I guess I read the signals correctly this draft, executing a proper course-change near the end of pack 1 and keeping enough options open to finally settle on the Blue-White combination.  I don't think my deck has any one overwhelming strategy; instead it has many minor synergies that helped me narrowly win several close games.

The prize was store credit, and I promptly and happily expended it by purchasing a Demonic Pact for myself - I swear that there's a deck that wants that card!

I let my daughter spend much of the rest, and her eye was immediately caught by a tray of custom Magic tokens.

"Hey, that Germ..." I began.

"LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOU!" she shrieked, right before launching into a tickle assault on my poor defenseless armpits.  Ah well.  Such is life.

Let's Try This Again!

I admit that my first title for this blog - 'Dad Magic' - was completely uninspired, a throwaway name that I was quick to decide upon so that I could do what I really wanted to do: write a bash script to parse my decklist notations into HTML.

I've since had time to reflect, and my new title is both far more inspired and fully approved by my daughter.  "That's exactly what I want to do when I play Magic!" she said.  "Smashy face you for twenty!"

My Daughter's Proxies; or, The Cutest Goyf in the World

I think I've mentioned that whenever I buy a box of Magic cards, my daughter and I simulate a Sealed format by opening six packs at a time, building Limited decks, and playing each other.  It's great fun, and educational to boot.

But when my Modern Masters 2015 box arrived, I fell prey to my American capitalistic sensibilities: I insisted that any 'money' cards could not be used.  "That's not fun!" my daughter said, and you know what, she's entirely right.  So we arrived at a compromise that lit up her little eyes: she would draw proxies for the money cards.  Here are a few; see if you can guess what cards they represent before reading the explanation.

This is a Vendilion Clique (or, as my daughter used to say, "the Vendilion Snap"; it took me a while to understand her confusion).  I have no idea why the sun in the picture is wearing glasses.

This is a proxy for a foil Vraska the Unseen that we opened in a Return to Ravnica box.  My daughter thought it would be hilarious to give her a big smile.  You know, she's kinda right.

And these are her pride and joy: a rather cheerful pair of Tarmogoyfs.  One is a boy and one is a girl (note the ribbon on the girl Tarmogoyf).

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.

Magic Origins Draft #1: You're Going to Put *What* in Your Deck?

My daughter was so eager to draft Magic Origins that she practically ran the half-mile to the game store.  Truth be told I may have been nearly as excited - but alas, when you're a parent, sometimes you just have to restrain yourself.

The Draft and the Decks

Thirty-one people showed up, which worked out to three pods of 8 and one pod of 7.  My daughter and I ended up in separate pods, and the draft began.

Much of my initial excitement waned during the draft; after M15, there is nothing quite so disheartening as opening two painlands as your rare (the third rare was even less memorable).  My first pick was an Unholy Hunger, my next an Undercity Troll.  Then two Ghirapur Gearcrafters were passed to me, and I decided to go in on Red.

Here's the deck I ended up with:

CREATURES (15)   Boggart Brute Elvish Visionary Firefiend Elemental Ghirapur Gearcrafter x2 Hitchclaw Recluse Pharika's Disciple Prickleboar x2 Seismic Elemental Separatist Voidmage Skyraker Giant Undercity Troll Vastwood Gorger Volcanic Rambler

ARTIFACTS (1)   Throwing Knife   INSTANTS (6)   Disperse Fiery Impulse Might of the Masses Ravaging Blaze x2 Send to Sleep   SORCERIES (1)   Lightning Javelin   LANDS (17)   Evolving Wilds Forest x6 Island x2 Mountain x8

SIDEBOARD   Anointer of Champions Deep-Sea Terror Eyeblight Assassin Hydrolash Macabre Waltz Maritime Guard Nivix Barrier x2 Possessed Skaab Rabid Bloodsucker Scrapskin Drake Swamp Swift Reckoning Thunderclap Wyvern Totem-Guide Hartebeest Unholy Hunger Veteran's Sidearm Volcanic Rambler

"You went three colors again?" my daughter exclaimed disapprovingly when she came by to check out my build.

I explained to her that the Blue was more of a splash, meant for the late game when I needed to temporarily remove a particularly problematic threat or blocker.  I also noted that if  I had seen better threats in Red or Green, I would have taken those instead and happily remained in two colors.  But I am of the philosophy that staying two colors for the sake of staying two colors is not the best idea, often leading to slogs of a game where an opponent plays a bomb and you just stare at it with a sinking feeling in your stomach, knowing that there's no way you can deal with it.

My daughter seemed unconvinced by my explanation.

I started looking over her deck.  And then, in my finest hour as a father, I persuaded her that putting The Great Aurora in her deck was not the best idea.  If she didn't care about winning, I wouldn't have mentioned it.  But although my daughter is very gracious when she loses, I know her heart, and I know that she lives for a chance at victory.

Here's the deck that she ended up using:

CREATURES (15)   Cobblebrute Conclave Naturalists Embermaw Hellion Goblin Glory Chaser Leaf Gilder x2 Pharika's Disciple x2 Rhox Maulers Seismic Elemental Timberpack Wolf x3 Vastwood Gorger x2

ARTIFACTS (1)   Sigil of Valor   INSTANTS (4)   Chandra's Fury Might of the Masses x2 Titan's Strength   SORCERIES (3)   Dragon Fodder Gather the Pack Wild Instincts   LANDS (17)   Foundry of the Consuls Forest x9 Mountain x7

SIDEBOARD   Akroan Jailer Call of the Full Moon Chandra's Fury Cobblebrute x2 Evolving Wilds Heavy Infantry Infectious Bloodlust Jayemdae Tome Kytheon's Tactics Maritime Guard Negate Prism Ring Send to Sleep Smash to Smithereens The Great Aurora Totem-Guide Hartebeest Undead Servant

Round 1

My opponent played a Red-White aggro deck.  He combined efficient creatures with devastating combat spells that could turn fearsome attacks into lethal damage.  In game 1, he brought me low with a Titan's Strength on Iroas's Champion, followed by Pia and Kiran Nalaar throwing a thopter in my face to finish me off.  Game 2 went better with me, as I was able to stabilize early and eventually wear him down.  Sadly for me, game 3 was much like the first.

In the meantime my daughter defeated her opponent, a young boy without much Magic experience.

Result:

• Me: L (1-2)
• My Daughter: W (2-0)

Round 2

In round 2 my opponent's deck - Green-Black - was nowhere near as fast as my round 1 opponent's.  In both games I was able to establish an early board presence, and then use my removal and combat tricks to swing in for huge chunks of damage at a time.

My daughter did not fare so well this round.

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: L (0-2)

Round 3

Round 3 played out similarly to round 2 for both my daughter and me.  This time my opponent played Green-White.  He also played a lot of early weak threats that pinged me early but could do nothing in the mid-game.  Once I got my beefier creatures in front of his, there wasn't much he could do.

Result:

• Me: W (2-0)
• My Daughter: L (0-2)

Summary

Although I was a bit saddened that I didn't get a chance to draft a beefy rare, I felt that my deck still performed well.  It was competitive in my one loss, and excelled in my wins.  Playing three colors was never an issue, and I never drew a blue spell I was unable to play.

Adventure in Alara: Why You Shouldn't Talk Too Much When Building a Sealed Deck

I didn't start playing paper Magic (as opposed to drafting on Magic Online) until my daughter was old enough to play with me, but making the switch was not difficult.  The act of opening packs and slamming down bomb cards is far more exciting in real life than it is in the virtual one.

But one thing I do regret is 'losing' all the random cards that I had drafted (badly) before my daughter was even born.  So what I do is this: I trawl eBay for relatively cheap deals for older booster boxes.  And when I manage to obtain one, my daughter and I rip the box open and build sealed decks.

My most recent acquisition was a Shards of Alara Premium Foil Booster Box.  These boxes contain twelve packs of 15 cards with the normal rarity split.  However the cards can be from any of the three Alara block sets, and every card is foil.

The box came, my daughter and I each took six packs, and here are the decks that we built.

My Deck (Esper)

CREATURES (14)   Cloudheath Drake Esper Cormorants Esper Sojourners Ethercaste Knight Etherium Sculptor Guardians of Akrasa Illusory Demon Magister Sphinx Parasitic Strix Vectis Agents Vectis Dominator x2 Vedalken Outlander Wall of Denial   ENCHANTMENTS (1)   Oblivion Ring   ARTIFACTS (3)   Etherium Astrolabe Obelisk of Esper Thopter Foundry   INSTANTS (3)   Hindering Light View from Above Zealous Persecution   SORCERIES (2)   Bone Splinters Excommunicate   LANDS (17)   Island x7 Plains x6 Swamp x4

SIDEBOARD   Angelsong Gleam of Resistance Knight of the White Orchid Lapse of Certainty Marble Chalice Mark of Asylum Yoked Plowbeast --- Cancel Cathartic Adept Jhessian Lookout Skill Borrower Spell Snip Traumatic Visions Vectis Silencers Worldly Counsel --- Onyx Goblet Pestilent Kathari Resounding Scream --- Bloodpyre Elemental Dark Temper Ignite Disorder Molten Frame Soul's Fire Thunder Thrash Elder Toxic Iguanar Viashino Skelton Viashino Slaughtermaster Wandering Goblins

Behemoth's Herald Cylian Elf Gift of the Gargantuan Keepr of Progenitus Might of Alara Naya Battlemage Sacellum Archers x2 Scattershot Archer x2 Shard Convergence Wild Nacatl --- Anathemancer x2 Branching Bolt Breath of Malfegor Captured Sunlight Deadshot Minotaur Gorger Wurm Identity Crisis Monstrous Carabid Pale Recluse Sangrite Backlash Sewn-Eye Drake Singe-Mind Ogre Sprouting Thrinax Steward of Valeron Valley Rannet Violent Outburst Winged Coatl --- Bone Saw Obelisk of Grixis --- Jungle Shrine

My Daughter's Deck (Naya)

CREATURES (15)   Beacon Behemoth Bloodthorn Taunter Cerodon Yearling Druid of the Anima Elvish Visionary Ember Weaver Enlisted Wurm Gutstrider Exuberant Jungle Weaver Nacatl Savage Naya Sojourners Rakeclaw Gargantuan Rhox Brute Ridge Rannet Scourge Devil   ENCHANTMENTS (2)   Sigil of the Nayan Gods Trace of Abundance   ARTIFACTS (1)   Dispeller's Capsule   INSTANTS (5)   Colossal Might Ignite Disorder Magma Spray Molten Frame Path to Exile   LANDS (17)   Bant Panorama Jungle Shrine Naya Panorama Savage Lands Forest x9 Mountain x4

SIDEBOARD   Angeleic Benediction Asha's Favor Resounding Silence Rhox Meditant --- Grixis Illusionist Outrider of Jhess Steelclad Serpent Tortoise Formation Traumatic Visions Unsummon --- Absorb Vis Banewasp Affliction Dregscape Zombie Executioner's Capsule Fleshformer Immortal Coil Infectious Horror Scepter of Fugue Sedraxis Alchemist Shadowfeed Undead Leotau Wretched Banquet --- Dragonsoul Knight Hell's Thunder Resounding Thunder Thunder-Thrash Elder --- Godtoucher

Aven Mimeomanger Bant Sojourners Bituminous Blast x2 Blightning Clarion Ultimatum Esper Charm Esper Cormorants Esper Stormblade Ethersworn Shieldmage Firewild Borerpost Goblin Deathraiders Grixis Charm Grizzled Leotau Igneous Pouncer Jhessian Balmgiver Kederekt Creeper Knotvine Paladin Mistvein Borderpost Shambling Remains x2 Sigiled Behemoth Stormcaller's Boon Tidehollow Strix Veinfire Borderpost Wall of Denial Waveskimmer Aven Windwright Mage Zombie Outlander --- Bonesaw

The Matchup

We decided to play a best-of-three.

A quick Rakeclaw Gargantuan decimated me in game 1.  Conversely, in game 2 I quickly flew to victory over my daughter's defenders.

Game 3 was where all the excitement was - a long, drawn out game with lots of swings and turns of fate.  What ultimately decided it?  To answer that question, let me transcribe a conversation my daughter and I had while building our decks:

Her: "Hey Daddy, what kind of deck are you building?"
Me: "I dunno.  Maybe Esper?
Her: "Esper? What's that?"
Me: "Black-Blue-White.  Artifacts.  Wait, why do you want to know?"
Her: "OH, NO REASON."

And so I was eventually blown out by Dispeller's Capsule, Molten Frame, and Ignite Disorder.