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?
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!
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Magic Origins Draft #11: Game Day Draft!
I had hoped to play Standard during Magic Origins Gameday, but work conspired against me, putting me on a Saturday evening flight. The store I frequent was running a draft in parallel. Eh, good enough!
The Draft and the Deck
I decided to try and exert some discipline this draft, keeping a careful eye on my curve and making sure I had the requisite early board presence that this format seems to require. That led to pack 3 picks such as Topan Freeblade over Knightly Valor.
In the meantime it felt like my Red/White deck was being cut hard from removal. Still, my creatures looked good and I had combat tricks, so maybe... ?
Round 1
My round 1 opponent also played Red/White, and I quickly discovered when the White removal had went when he played Celestial Flare after Celestial Flare. He was a newer player though, so he played his removal far too fast, leaving my bigger threats such as Sentinel of the Eternal Watch free to wreak havoc.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My first round opponent had the White removal, and my second round opponent had the Red, with three Fiery Impulses to go along with his Blue control cards such as Anchor to the Aether and Bone to Ash. He only had nine creatures though, and my creatures wore out his removal before slamming through to victory.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
My opponent and I agreed to an intentional draw before playing out a friendly game. His Blue/Black control deck was a bit slow for my aggro deck - my 2/2 2-drops outclassed his Fetid Imps - and I rode my aggressiveness to victories in game 1 and 3.
In game 2 he pulled out a Mage-Ring Responder which I narrowly defeated by using Enshrouding Mists to save my Sentinel of the Eternal Watch before triple-blocking the Responder to death. But after that 1-for-3 trade I was too far behind on the board, and he overwhelmed my lone creature for the victory.
Result: ID; friendly game W (2-1)
Summary
This was not the most exciting draft, although I feel like it was one of my more consistent ones, and a victory is always something to be proud of. But I think I'd like to work up the courage to try one of the more extreme draft strategies - mill or sacrifice or control.
The Draft and the Deck
I decided to try and exert some discipline this draft, keeping a careful eye on my curve and making sure I had the requisite early board presence that this format seems to require. That led to pack 3 picks such as Topan Freeblade over Knightly Valor.
In the meantime it felt like my Red/White deck was being cut hard from removal. Still, my creatures looked good and I had combat tricks, so maybe... ?
Round 1
My round 1 opponent also played Red/White, and I quickly discovered when the White removal had went when he played Celestial Flare after Celestial Flare. He was a newer player though, so he played his removal far too fast, leaving my bigger threats such as Sentinel of the Eternal Watch free to wreak havoc.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My first round opponent had the White removal, and my second round opponent had the Red, with three Fiery Impulses to go along with his Blue control cards such as Anchor to the Aether and Bone to Ash. He only had nine creatures though, and my creatures wore out his removal before slamming through to victory.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
My opponent and I agreed to an intentional draw before playing out a friendly game. His Blue/Black control deck was a bit slow for my aggro deck - my 2/2 2-drops outclassed his Fetid Imps - and I rode my aggressiveness to victories in game 1 and 3.
In game 2 he pulled out a Mage-Ring Responder which I narrowly defeated by using Enshrouding Mists to save my Sentinel of the Eternal Watch before triple-blocking the Responder to death. But after that 1-for-3 trade I was too far behind on the board, and he overwhelmed my lone creature for the victory.
Result: ID; friendly game W (2-1)
Summary
This was not the most exciting draft, although I feel like it was one of my more consistent ones, and a victory is always something to be proud of. But I think I'd like to work up the courage to try one of the more extreme draft strategies - mill or sacrifice or control.
Friday, August 7, 2015
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.
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...
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.
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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...
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Magic Origins Draft #9: Take to the Skies!
The Draft and the Deck
After rolling my eyes at opening yet another painland in my first pack, I excitedly slammed down the bomb uncommon... Anchor to the Aether.
Okay, I might be showing a bit of sarcasm here. But fortunately my second pick was a true bomb uncommon: Whirler Rogue. So I was almost definitely going Blue. But what about my second color? I flirted a bit with both Green and Black before I decided that passing a third Topan Freeblade was just asking for trouble. Not the best reason to go into White... but although I didn't pick up any bombs, I did draft a pretty solid deck.
Note my sideboard, which displays my worst drafting habit: the tendency to instinctively hate-draft cards that have beaten me over the head in the past.
Round 1
My first round opponent was playing a Black/Red deck that had some cheap creatures leading into heavy 5-mana removal and Kothophed, Soul Hoarder. In the first game I jumped out into an early lead, only to watch my dominating board get wiped away by a well-timed Chandra's Ignition. But fortunately I had a Foundry of the Consuls in play, enabling me to quickly establish a few Thopters that grew in strength once my Chief of the Foundry came down.
But my opponent cast Kothophed to stall, and we stared at each other for a few turns while we each slowly played creature after creature. In the end I barely won with an attack that just managed to be lethal after he was forced to block and kill one of my attackers, triggering Kothophed and losing him his last life.
Game 2 played markedly different, with both of us eschewing blockers, instead swinging with our cheap creatures. My opponent's Acolyte of the Inferno and Scab-Clan Berserker did serious work, but in the end my flyers combined with my tempo tricks won the day.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My second round opponent was fairly new to drafting, as evidenced by the fact that he had two copies each of Akroan Jailer and Yoked Ox. This led to fairly straightforward victories.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
As this was the last round and my opponent and I were the only undefeated players left in the pod, we agreed to an intentional draw. However we learned that the winner of each pod also received a StarCity Games pin, so we decided to play for that.
The first two games played similarly for me, with him playing 2- and 3- drops on curve while I was forced to wait until turn 4. But in the first game, my turn 4 creature was a War Oracle that I managed to sneak through his defenses to turn the time. I was not so fortunate the second game, and my opponent created a stalled board state with two Hitchclaw Recluses before utterly smashing me with Hangarback Walker and Gaea's Revenge.
And then there was game 3, in which I curved perfectly - a Chief of the Foundry into Whirler Rogue into Thunderclap Wyvern. There was little my opponent could do against that.
Result: ID; played for bonus prize, W (2-1)
Summary
Well, there's nothing really exciting in my deck. It's 'just' solid cards implementing a solid plan, and I think a lot of times that's all you really need.
Oh, and here's the pin (and token) that I won!
After rolling my eyes at opening yet another painland in my first pack, I excitedly slammed down the bomb uncommon... Anchor to the Aether.
Okay, I might be showing a bit of sarcasm here. But fortunately my second pick was a true bomb uncommon: Whirler Rogue. So I was almost definitely going Blue. But what about my second color? I flirted a bit with both Green and Black before I decided that passing a third Topan Freeblade was just asking for trouble. Not the best reason to go into White... but although I didn't pick up any bombs, I did draft a pretty solid deck.
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Note my sideboard, which displays my worst drafting habit: the tendency to instinctively hate-draft cards that have beaten me over the head in the past.
Round 1
My first round opponent was playing a Black/Red deck that had some cheap creatures leading into heavy 5-mana removal and Kothophed, Soul Hoarder. In the first game I jumped out into an early lead, only to watch my dominating board get wiped away by a well-timed Chandra's Ignition. But fortunately I had a Foundry of the Consuls in play, enabling me to quickly establish a few Thopters that grew in strength once my Chief of the Foundry came down.
But my opponent cast Kothophed to stall, and we stared at each other for a few turns while we each slowly played creature after creature. In the end I barely won with an attack that just managed to be lethal after he was forced to block and kill one of my attackers, triggering Kothophed and losing him his last life.
Game 2 played markedly different, with both of us eschewing blockers, instead swinging with our cheap creatures. My opponent's Acolyte of the Inferno and Scab-Clan Berserker did serious work, but in the end my flyers combined with my tempo tricks won the day.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My second round opponent was fairly new to drafting, as evidenced by the fact that he had two copies each of Akroan Jailer and Yoked Ox. This led to fairly straightforward victories.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
As this was the last round and my opponent and I were the only undefeated players left in the pod, we agreed to an intentional draw. However we learned that the winner of each pod also received a StarCity Games pin, so we decided to play for that.
The first two games played similarly for me, with him playing 2- and 3- drops on curve while I was forced to wait until turn 4. But in the first game, my turn 4 creature was a War Oracle that I managed to sneak through his defenses to turn the time. I was not so fortunate the second game, and my opponent created a stalled board state with two Hitchclaw Recluses before utterly smashing me with Hangarback Walker and Gaea's Revenge.
And then there was game 3, in which I curved perfectly - a Chief of the Foundry into Whirler Rogue into Thunderclap Wyvern. There was little my opponent could do against that.
Result: ID; played for bonus prize, W (2-1)
Summary
Well, there's nothing really exciting in my deck. It's 'just' solid cards implementing a solid plan, and I think a lot of times that's all you really need.
Oh, and here's the pin (and token) that I won!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Magic Origins Draft #8: The Waters Run Deep...
The Draft and the Deck
My first pack was not exciting, with a painland as the rare and dispiriting uncommons and commons. My first pick: Lead Gilder.
However I perked up once I saw the pack that was passed me and quickly yanked out Kothophed, Soul Hoarder. That gave me a direction for the rest of the draft, helped by the fact that Green seemed reasonably open.
Round 1
In the first game my opponent played first and started with a Faerie Miscreant that quickly learned how to use Grasp of the Hieromancer. Meanwhile I drew my two drops on turn 3 and my three drop on turn 4. My deck rhythm felt completely off, and by the time I stabilized and started swinging back he had enough Blue/White fliers to finish me off.
My deck curved far more nicely in the next two games, enabling me to constantly attack and smash my way to victory.
Result: W (2-1)
Round 2
The first game my opponent played a Sphinx's Tutelage on turn 4. In the second game he played it on turn 3. I quickly got milled out both games, helped along by an unlucky streak of milled green cards in game 1 and a Dreadwaters in game 2. I did manage to get my opponent down to 1 life in game 2 with a Shaman of the Pack, but by the time that happened I had no cards left in my library.
Result: L (0-2)
Summary
I hate Sphinx's Tutelage!
My first pack was not exciting, with a painland as the rare and dispiriting uncommons and commons. My first pick: Lead Gilder.
However I perked up once I saw the pack that was passed me and quickly yanked out Kothophed, Soul Hoarder. That gave me a direction for the rest of the draft, helped by the fact that Green seemed reasonably open.
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Round 1
In the first game my opponent played first and started with a Faerie Miscreant that quickly learned how to use Grasp of the Hieromancer. Meanwhile I drew my two drops on turn 3 and my three drop on turn 4. My deck rhythm felt completely off, and by the time I stabilized and started swinging back he had enough Blue/White fliers to finish me off.
My deck curved far more nicely in the next two games, enabling me to constantly attack and smash my way to victory.
Result: W (2-1)
Round 2
The first game my opponent played a Sphinx's Tutelage on turn 4. In the second game he played it on turn 3. I quickly got milled out both games, helped along by an unlucky streak of milled green cards in game 1 and a Dreadwaters in game 2. I did manage to get my opponent down to 1 life in game 2 with a Shaman of the Pack, but by the time that happened I had no cards left in my library.
Result: L (0-2)
Summary
I hate Sphinx's Tutelage!
Monday, August 3, 2015
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.)
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.)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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.
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Magic Origins Draft #6: I Fail At Reading Signals
The Draft and the Decks
I chose not to take Willbreaker or any of the uncommons in my first pack, grabbing a Topan Freeblade instead. My second pick was Chandra's Ignition, my third was Celestial Flare, and life looked good. Well, it was good until I realized I was getting zero cheap Red or White creatures.
I compensated by tentatively moving into Black. But as the first pack morphed into the second pack and then into the third, it became clear that none of my three colors were particularly open.
This is the monstrously ugly deck I ended up playing.
Okay, the Clash of Wills is stupid; I should have just gone with 18 lands.
Round 1
The mystery of what had happened to the cheap Red/White creatures was quickly answered. My first round opponent had been sitting to my right in the draft pod, and he overran me with Akroan Sergeant and Stalwart Aven and combat tricks. I did eke out the first game due to mana issues on his part, only to have the favor returned in the next two. I think he would have handily beaten me anyway.
Result: L (1-2)
Round 2
The first game my opponent played Islands and Separatist Voidmages. They were annoying but ultimately inconsequential; I suspected that he had failed to draw lands to support his second color. Game 2 proved me right as he played a Plains and went over me with an army of flyers. Unfortunately for him, I curved out perfectly game 3 and overran him before he could mount a substantial board presence.
Result: W (2-1)
Round 3
My third round opponent was also playing Black-Red. In the first game my first opening hand had no lands; my second opening hand had five. That set the tone for the ensuing mana flood.
I was far more successful on the play; it turns out that when two aggressive decks face each other, the first player has the advantage. But sadly for me, the maxim held true for game 3, where I was on the draw and was never able to keep up with my opponent's board.
Result: L (1-2)
Summary
My draft was ugly, my deck was ugly, and my frequent mulligans were ugly. Ah well, these things happen - and at least all the ugliness was contained in a single draft experience!
I chose not to take Willbreaker or any of the uncommons in my first pack, grabbing a Topan Freeblade instead. My second pick was Chandra's Ignition, my third was Celestial Flare, and life looked good. Well, it was good until I realized I was getting zero cheap Red or White creatures.
I compensated by tentatively moving into Black. But as the first pack morphed into the second pack and then into the third, it became clear that none of my three colors were particularly open.
This is the monstrously ugly deck I ended up playing.
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Okay, the Clash of Wills is stupid; I should have just gone with 18 lands.
Round 1
The mystery of what had happened to the cheap Red/White creatures was quickly answered. My first round opponent had been sitting to my right in the draft pod, and he overran me with Akroan Sergeant and Stalwart Aven and combat tricks. I did eke out the first game due to mana issues on his part, only to have the favor returned in the next two. I think he would have handily beaten me anyway.
Result: L (1-2)
Round 2
The first game my opponent played Islands and Separatist Voidmages. They were annoying but ultimately inconsequential; I suspected that he had failed to draw lands to support his second color. Game 2 proved me right as he played a Plains and went over me with an army of flyers. Unfortunately for him, I curved out perfectly game 3 and overran him before he could mount a substantial board presence.
Result: W (2-1)
Round 3
My third round opponent was also playing Black-Red. In the first game my first opening hand had no lands; my second opening hand had five. That set the tone for the ensuing mana flood.
I was far more successful on the play; it turns out that when two aggressive decks face each other, the first player has the advantage. But sadly for me, the maxim held true for game 3, where I was on the draw and was never able to keep up with my opponent's board.
Result: L (1-2)
Summary
My draft was ugly, my deck was ugly, and my frequent mulligans were ugly. Ah well, these things happen - and at least all the ugliness was contained in a single draft experience!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Magic Origins Draft #5: And I Shall Never See the Like Again
The second FNM after the release of Magic Origins was just as crowded as the first, except eight people felt ready to play in the Standard event. That left 25 people for the draft, split into two pods of 8 and one pod of 9. I was placed in the 9-man pod.
The Draft and the Decks
My first pack contained Kothophed, Soul Hoarder and Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. In the past I would have taken Kothophed without a second thought, gloating over its power and - more important - its beautiful rarity. But now...
I think Kothophed probably is a slightly stronger card than the Sentinel... but in Magic Origins, White is a stronger color than Black. So I made my choice and took the Sentinel.
It should be mentioned now that there were a bunch of newer people at this FNM, mostly players who had stopped playing a few years ago and come back to try out Origins. And card evaluations in the draft pod may have been a bit off as a result.
And that's how I managed to grab a second Sentinel of the Eternal Watch as a fifth pick in pack 1. My fourth pick in pack 2 was Kytheon's Irregulars. The last card in one of the packs was Suppression Bonds.
This is the White-Red deck I ended up playing.
Round 1
My first round opponent was one of the aforementioned returning players. He had a Blue-White deck that was simply no match for mine in terms of speed or power.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My opponent this round was playing Black-Green Elves, and although I won both games, they were both extremely close. His early Elvish Visionarys and Dwynen's Elites provided problematic board states, especially since my deck was light on two-drops. Touch of Moonglove pushed through lots of damage, and his two Eyeblight Massacres were adept at clearing away most of my creatures. I was simply fortunate enough to stabilize both games before it was too late, and to be able to win before he drew his possible salvation: a Joraga Invocation.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
My opponent was another returning player, which is the only reason why I managed to win. He played a Black-Green deck with lots of early two-drops - once again, problematic - and Touch of Moonglove - once again, quite painful. In game 1 I managed to stabilize before it was too late. In game 2 I wasn't in time - that is, I shouldn't have been in time. If he had remembered that his Alchemist's Vial could neutralize my blocker, he would have won.
Result: W (2-0)
Summary
My deck was quite powerful, and yet my near-losses in the last two rounds reminded me: Magic Origins is not a slow format. In this draft, I should have prioritized additional Clerics of the Forward Order over the mass of strong three-drops that I ended up with.
I'll remember that for next time: fail to plan for a quick deck and even the strongest deck may pay the (ultimate) price!
The Draft and the Decks
My first pack contained Kothophed, Soul Hoarder and Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. In the past I would have taken Kothophed without a second thought, gloating over its power and - more important - its beautiful rarity. But now...
I think Kothophed probably is a slightly stronger card than the Sentinel... but in Magic Origins, White is a stronger color than Black. So I made my choice and took the Sentinel.
It should be mentioned now that there were a bunch of newer people at this FNM, mostly players who had stopped playing a few years ago and come back to try out Origins. And card evaluations in the draft pod may have been a bit off as a result.
And that's how I managed to grab a second Sentinel of the Eternal Watch as a fifth pick in pack 1. My fourth pick in pack 2 was Kytheon's Irregulars. The last card in one of the packs was Suppression Bonds.
This is the White-Red deck I ended up playing.
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Round 1
My first round opponent was one of the aforementioned returning players. He had a Blue-White deck that was simply no match for mine in terms of speed or power.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 2
My opponent this round was playing Black-Green Elves, and although I won both games, they were both extremely close. His early Elvish Visionarys and Dwynen's Elites provided problematic board states, especially since my deck was light on two-drops. Touch of Moonglove pushed through lots of damage, and his two Eyeblight Massacres were adept at clearing away most of my creatures. I was simply fortunate enough to stabilize both games before it was too late, and to be able to win before he drew his possible salvation: a Joraga Invocation.
Result: W (2-0)
Round 3
My opponent was another returning player, which is the only reason why I managed to win. He played a Black-Green deck with lots of early two-drops - once again, problematic - and Touch of Moonglove - once again, quite painful. In game 1 I managed to stabilize before it was too late. In game 2 I wasn't in time - that is, I shouldn't have been in time. If he had remembered that his Alchemist's Vial could neutralize my blocker, he would have won.
Result: W (2-0)
Summary
My deck was quite powerful, and yet my near-losses in the last two rounds reminded me: Magic Origins is not a slow format. In this draft, I should have prioritized additional Clerics of the Forward Order over the mass of strong three-drops that I ended up with.
I'll remember that for next time: fail to plan for a quick deck and even the strongest deck may pay the (ultimate) price!
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