Wednesday, June 10, 2009

  My Pick:




Sorry, it missed the first pack again.  The only other choices were a Wild Nactal and a Naya Battlemage.  I wanted to take the Battlemage, but I figured that Cap is more splashable/not a commitment.  Same with Nactal.

  Pack 1 pick 2:








  My Pick:




I was really torn on this one.  In the end, I think that I made the wrong choice as Necrogenesis is nuts.  But I went with the removal/reach card.

  Pack 1 pick 3:









  My Pick:




Wow.  I wanted the Battlemage, the Nactal, the Fodder and the Fleshbag.  In the end, I took the Nactal.  I figured I had a good start on the removal, and so I needed to value the aggressive one drops to compliment the Reborn two drops.  Let me know if this was wrong.

  Pack 1 pick 4:








  My Pick:




What the hell is that gargoyle doing in there?  At any rate, my "aggressive one drops, pray for good Reborn two drops" seems to be going well, as I take the Squire.  I thought about the Druid, but the Squire seemed to better fit where I thought I was going.

  Pack 1 pick 5:








  My Pick:




It was this or the Platoon.  I like the Platoon, but there are better expensive dudes.  

  Pack 1 pick 6:







  My Pick:




Why hello Mr. Knight of the Skyward Eye!  This aggro plan seems to be open.

  Pack 1 pick 7:







  My Pick:




Again, the aggro plan seems to be open.

  Pack 1 pick 8:







  My Pick:




I think I made the wrong pick here.  I think if I'm going aggro for real, the Lightning Talons is pick.  I stayed away because of the two-for-one potential.  Nonetheless, maybe I should have pushed the chips into the middle.  On the other hand, I figure big dude that cycles is good late, is good early.  Of course, if I'm cycling this guy on turn two it seems bad.

  Pack 1 pick 9:






  My Pick:




Not the best removal, but I want removal to clear the way for my guys.  If I'm swinging, they will crackback, right . . . .?

  Pack 1 pick 10:






  My Pick:




I will happily take a late bear.

  Pack 1 pick 11:





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Hate.

  Pack 1 pick 12:






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Late rannert seems good too!

  Pack 1 pick 13:





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Nice.  A good sideboard card 13th.

  Pack 1 pick 14:





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  Pack 1 pick 15:





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  Pack 2 pick 1:









  My Pick:




Maybe I should have taken drag down, sphere or rupture spire.  However, it seems that (1) this card wrecks me; and (2) if they block my outclassed dudes, I can fallout post combat to sweep.  Maybe the drag down was better.  Tell me below.

  Pack 2 pick 2:









  My Pick:




Fiery Fall = removal and fixing.  Seems good.  Hopefully the Yoke will wheel.  The Leotau would have been my second pick.

  Pack 2 pick 3:









  My Pick:




I think this was wrong.  If I wanted fixing, I should have taken the spire.  Otherwise, the Trailblazer is good.  I took the Sphere because it makes the Knight cycle so good.  Especially since I've been beaten by that strategy twice now.

  Pack 2 pick 4:








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I think this is right.  

  Pack 2 pick 5:








  My Pick:




This is a bad pack for me.  Nonetheless, it makes me happier that I took the Sphere.

  Pack 2 pick 6:







  My Pick:




This may have been a mistake.  Maybe I should have taken the Outlander.  But, I think, I could be wrong, that I'd rather have blades in my two spot.

  Pack 2 pick 7:







  My Pick:




This was a total mispick.  This is nowhere near as good as I thought.  I should have taken the Bodyguard.  I must say, I expected the Prophets to wheel, as lots of times they do.  I was disappointed when it didn't.

  Pack 2 pick 8:







  My Pick:




Maybe I should have picked Rage to be aggro?   Still, I figured the Kathari isn't horrible for clearing out a big guy.

  Pack 2 pick 9:







  My Pick:




Yeah.  Bad pick.  I was still worrying about fixing.  Nonetheless, the Lapse would have been good for tempo.  Hell, the thirst would have been a good sideboard reach card.

  Pack 2 pick 10:






  My Pick:




Again fixing.

  Pack 2 pick 11:






  My Pick:




This is when the tempo thing hit me.

  Pack 2 pick 12:






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  Pack 2 pick 13:





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  Pack 2 pick 14:





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See above.

  Pack 2 pick 15:





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  Pack 3 pick 1:









  My Pick:




In essence a 2/2 flyer for 2 and a card for 2?  I think it's good, especially for help getting gas for aggro.

  Pack 3 pick 2:









  My Pick:




I might have been wrong here by not taking the Leech.  But, black is still a splash, I'm hoping for on-color blades in that spot and the might is good reach for an aggro deck.  Let me know below.

  Pack 3 pick 3:









  My Pick:




Mmmmmm cheap removal to help me push through.

  Pack 3 pick 4:








  My Pick:




Yeah.  This was a mistake.  I should have taken the blade.  But the Falcon has evasion, gets gas, and I'm more likely to see another blade as it's common than another Falcon.  I'm torn on this one.

  Pack 3 pick 5:








  My Pick:




Putrid Leech here?  Again, I didn't want to get too far off color, and I didn't think I'd be able to get it down on turn 3 consistently.  Especially if I want to drop a Squire on turn one.  Or if you want to drop a plains or mountain second turn to pump your Nactal.

  Pack 3 pick 6:








  My Pick:




Why hello big fella!

  Pack 3 pick 7:







  My Pick:




Considered the Gargantuan for aggression, but how often am I going to have an island on turn 3.  And is it worth it to time walk myself with a deck that doesn't have come into play triggers to abuse?

  Pack 3 pick 8:







  My Pick:




Yeah.  I should have taken the Yearling.  My only excuse was that I was typing to Bowles at this point.

  Pack 3 pick 9:







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  Pack 3 pick 10:






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  Pack 3 pick 11:






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This was a mistake.  I should have taken the bad Lava Axe for reach.  But I went with the card that would help me pick off bigger flyers to get my Falcons through.

  Pack 3 pick 12:





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  Pack 3 pick 13:





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  Pack 3 pick 14:





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I wanted to play this, but it doesn't seem worth it unless you have 10 plus unearth guys.

  Pack 3 pick 15:





  My Pick:






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Here's the screenshot of the deck.  I think if you click on it, it will get bigger so you can actually view it.





I'm not super happy with the deck, as it seems solid, but I have no real bombs.

In the first round, I played against someone who was not too good.  I watched Wipeout while I played.  I two for oned the guy when he blocked my Leonin Armorguard with his Toxic Iguanar and my Cylian Elf with his Rhox Bodyguard.  Before damage, after he prevented one damage from my Messenger Falcon to himself with his Jhessian Balmgiver, I Resounding Thundered his Rhox Bodyguard.  He never recovered, and I flew over for with Messenger Falcons for the win.  The second game involved a similar two for one with Colossal Might.

In the second round, I start quickly with Elvish Visionary, the Phoenix (after Sphere on 3), and Leonin Armorguard on 5.  On his turn 5, he drops Nemesis of Reason.  I have one chance when I double block the Nemesis with the Elf and the Phoenix (I traded the Armorguard with some 3/3 of his).  I then pump with Colossal Might hoping to 3 for 1 myself but to kill the Nemesis.  He bounces my guy and after all my answers have been milled into the yard.  I've thought about it, and even if I triple blocked the Nemesis, I'd have gotten blown out.  I guess I could have waited until he tapped out to try it, but why would he tap out at that point?  So, I figured if he had it, he had it and waiting to try and play around it would only get me decked anyway.  Please let me know if this was wrong.

The second game, I draw Nactal, Mountain, Plains, Forest, Ridge Ranneret, Resounding Silence and Forest.  Seems good.  I draw a Thunder and then proceed to beat him down to seven with the Nactal after I trade my Thunder for a Fire Field Ogre and he Ignites my Paragon.  He then Brainbites my Silence.  The next turn, he drops a Kederick Parasite and a Zombie Outlander.  Awkward.  One turn before I drop the Ranneret, he hits me with a Siege Field Ogre for seven when my other three cards were land.  I drop a Aven Trailblazer.  He drops a Parasitic Strix.  He double blocks the Rannert with the Ogre and the Strix and after damage unsummons the Strix.  He then Resounding Waves my Trailblazer with his last card and swings in for exactly lethal (I can't double block the Parasite and the Nactal can't block the Outlander).  

This last game is a game I would love to watch again if replays were up.  I can't really say I know that I made a mistake, but I'd like to have another look.  I don't think I could have mulled that hand, as it was the nuts Nactal draw and I have the Silence in hand to kill the Nemesis if he has it on the fifth turn.  I think I just flooded, as I ended with like 12 land in play at the end, but that seems to be the easy answer.  I'd love to be able to watch the replay.  Again, I don't think I could have waited to play around his bounce, as he never tapped out, and I can't just let him keep drawing to hit the Nemesis--especially since my best answer is in the yard.

I guess I'm just horrible.

3 comments:

  1. There may or may not have been misplays in that 2nd round. Hard to tell from the description. I think you were probably too worried about Nemesis of Reason. Sure, it's a bomb, but he only has one copy, so you can't bend your play around it too much.

    I feel like you have more room for improvement with your draft picks. I would not have taken the Sphere in p2, as I don't want spheres in my aggro deck. It seems you're making the same mistake I made when I fell 100+ rating points on Modo. Don't ask "what's the best card in this pack (hey, I'll probably play 5c/can splash it)" but rather ask "what's the best card for my deck. Also, always take removal. I would have taken the Maurader p1p3 then fistpumped because I already had 3 removal spells in only 2 colors.

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  2. I'm in the finals of my draft right now, and I was going to post it with some explanation of my picks. I have "enable draft recorder" checked, but I don't see any drafts I've done since 1/6/09. Anyone have any thoughts on where my drafts are/why they're not being recorded?

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  3. You're right Jon. He only had one Nemesis (I have had a draft where I had two; yeah, I won that one). I think you are right on the sphere, but I'm trying to figure out what was better. I guess the Outlander, but if I get better 2s in the last pack he's a sideboard pick with a high pick second pack. Maybe the Ignite? But is that maindeckable? I guess.

    As for files, I always just check MyDocuments/Games/Magic/Drafts

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