-Bryan Dowse

I mixed it up last night and played a 4-3-2-2 online Shards of Alara draft last night. The first pack didn’t have anything too exciting so I took a Hissing Iguanar to leave me open for grixis, naya, and jund. A second pick Branching Bolt set me up for a nice naya or jund deck with a third pick Vithian Stinger solidifying the picks.

But it got interesting when I got a 4th pick Grixis Charm. When dealing with shards, the general rule of thumb is when you see a late pick charm, that’s a good signal that the shard is open. I pick up the charm, since my only green was a Branching Bolt. Pick five I get a second Hissing Iguanar and pick six I get a Magma Spray, very late for such a great card.

I was planning on building a red deck with a splash of grix and jund. It didn’t exactly turn out that way though.

So after getting the Grixis Charm 5th, I get a late Agony Warp 7th pick. This pack however is still packed full of goodies, a 7th pick Tower Gargoyle? A Crumbling Necropolis? Someone opened the nuts here. It must have been something like, a foil bomb rare, regular bomb rare, a charm, an Oblivion Ring, and two other strong removal cards to get cards like these this late.

Overall Pack one was very good to me. I have 2 Grixis cards, 1 Jund/Naya card, and the rest are red. I can be pretty greedy with my colors in the upcoming packs.

With the two Hissing Iguanars I am planning on leaning towards Grixis agro and direct burn to the face as a style of deck, but I can play pretty much anything. I only have 3 creatures, so I will be looking out to get a few in the following packs.

Pick one I take the Volcanic Fallout. It’s a great card and it works well with my Hissing Iguanars. Pick two I take a Armillary Sphere over an Absorb Vis or a Goblin Outlander. I am a huge fan of this card. It lets me be even more greedy with my picks as I get fixing for 2 colors (watching the replays below, there were two hands I would have mulliganed if I didn’t have a sphere in my hand). A pick 3 Armillary Sphere just gives me more of a card I already love. Pick 3 also had the same common print run as the second.

Pick 4 was a bit of a tough choice. Do I go more burn to the face, or play the Sedraxis Alchemist or the Vedalken Outlander? I decide to go for the Exploding Borders since at this pint I’m ramping up to go primary red, splash 3-4 colors. Pick 5 didn’t really have anything too interesting. The Kaleidostone is a decent filler card, but I decide to go with even more burn to the face and pick up a card I usually don’t play, Quenchable Fire (This ended up in the sideboard). Pick 6 I want to take the Aven Trailblazer, but I also want to stay in 4 colors, I pick up the Might of Alara as a nice combat trick instead. Pick 7 I get another Exploding Borders. I could have taken the Fleshformer or the Canyon Minotaur but with as much burn to the face that I already have, I decide this is the right choice. Pick 8 there’s a double black Scepter of Fugue and a Aven Trailblazer. I decide screw it, I’m going to splash for the 2/5 flyer for 3. Pick 9 through 11 I pick up Kranioceros just because I need more creatures. I end up not playing any of them, but if I wasn’t able to pick up any beef in the final pack, some of them would have made the cut.

Pack 3 first pick I get a Deathbringer Thoctar. This guy is awesome in every sense of the word. If you get one counter on him, he can take out an army of 1/1 tokens and he’s a huge threat if not dealt with. No question on picking him over Terminate for my deck. Pick two I could have taken the Crystallization but decide I need cheap dudes so I take the Naya Hushblade. Pick 3 I take Esper Stormblade because 3/2 flyers for two are always good. Pick 4 I could take the Mistvein Borderpost as another fixer, but decide the removal is better so I take the Crystallization.

Pick 5 I take the Igneous Pouncer as a 5/1 haster that can give me a land if I need it. Pick 6 I take the Sangrite Backlash over the Kathari Bomber. I like cheap removal and my 3 drops were already pretty full, plus this is very late removal. Pick 7, nothing much to see here but a Messenger Falcons works well for my 4 drops. It’s a creature, it cantrips, and it works with my curve. A Stun Sniper at pick 8? Ok, that’s fine. I guess there aren’t many naya players. I get a 9th pick Mistvein Borderpost and a 10th pick Gorger Wurm. I’d much rather play the wurm over my current 5 drop Kranioceross. Plus the wurm works with my Hissing Iguanars if I need to squeek that final few points of damage through. At 11th pick I get a Gloryscale Viashino. I end up main decking him, but after pretty much every match side him out for a 17th mana.

Matches Part 1


Matches Part 2

-Bryan Dowse

Last night I started my first online Magic2010 draft. I first picked a Djinn of Wishes and went from there. There was nothing else really in the pack, and it was the best card by far. Also, blue seems underdrafted right now so I’m happy picking it up early and forcing blue. The second pick Wind Drake just solidifies my blue choice. A Goblin Artillery third pick generally means that red is open so I pick that up; the other notable cards are the Gravedigger and Stone Giant.

Pick 4 however gets a bit interesting. The only red or blue card in the pack seems to be a Cancel. Instead of a solid red card, I see a nice Rise from the Grave. I take it since my only red card is an Artillery; I could be black if it keeps coming.

At this point I have 2 solid blue cards, one red card, and one black card.

By pick 4-5 I was making the choice between blue-red or blue-black. I had already picked up a Rise and now pick 5 gives me a Sign in Blood, so I’m ready to dump red if I don’t get any cards to support it.

I also start to see blue and white are being cut hard and I figure someone to my right is going white-blue fliers. There was probably another white mage to my right too. Then on pick 6 I see a Wall of Frost. Um ok. This card is removal, folks; it prevents 1.5 attackers a turn. Windstorm was going late, but at 7th pick, I picked the Ponder over it. The Stone Giants and Sparkmages going 10th and 11th shows me that red is great to get from the right side. Since my only black cards are the Rise and the Sign in Blood I decide to go red-blue and ditch the black.

At this point I and am happy with my pool and have 8 maindeck playables. You need 23, and you almost always get more in pack 2 than pack 1 because you’ve cut off the table to your left.

Pack two starts off fine, a Dragon Whelp, followed by a Lightning Bolt over an Air Elemental. This was a tough choice but Lightning Bolt is so good, especially with pingers.

I’m happy with a mid pack Divination and Sparkmage Apprentice I don’t know why these go late, they are very good in a couple of archetypes.

I also pick up a Canyon Minotaur as an ok midgame beater and a Phantom Warrior as a decent evasion creature. The double blue really turns me away form this guy. If there’s a Wind Drake and a Phantom Warrior in the same pack I really have to look at my mana symbols. Both are great cards, but If I have a lot of double red guys already, the Wind Drake may be the right choice. The Phantom Warrior also can’t block fliers. A Wind Drake and a Goblin Artillery can hold back a Serra Angel in most cases.

I pick up a couple of playable red and blue commons for the rest of the pack.

In pack 3 I had to make a choice between Gargoyle Castle and Prodigal Pyromancer. I looked at my only flying beater, the Djinn. I really wanted another flying beater but having a second pinger is just too good.

I also get a second pick Pyroclasm which is great. For a second I looked at picking up the Sleep because the Pyroclasm would kill all my spark mages and the Pyromancer I just picked up, but then remembered that’s the wrong way of thinking.

Pyroclasm is good even in a deck where half you’re creatures will die to it. A turn 2-3 Pyroclasm can WRECK a board if your opponent plays a lot of early 2-butts. Plus this isn’t an aggro deck, so I needed the mass removal option.

The rest of the pack gave me a second Goblin Artillery, a second Wind Drake, a Seismic Strike Yippee! I like multiples of great cards that work together!

The late Ignite Disorder is a decent sideboard vs the white blue fliers deck that I assumed was out there. Speaking of a white blue deck…

Match 1:

The first game was vs a white blue opponent, with at least 2 Illusionary Servants and a Merfolk Looter. The first game I got 2 Artilleries out and a Prodigal Pyromancer early, then the Djinn of Wishes hit the table. I attacked with the Djinn while his board had a tapped Air Elemental, a Griffin Sentinel, a Horned Turtle, and 1 white mana open, he cast Silence. In response I popped the Djinn’s ability and got a Sparkmage Apprentice which I used to target the Air Elemental, I then hit it with my Pyromancer and Artillery, killing it. When the dust settled, he took 4 damage from a Djinn of Wishes to the face and I passed the turn. He then played a Whispersilk Cloak and tried to attach it to the Griffin Sentinel, and in response I Lightning Bolted it. He then tapped out to attached it to the Horned Turtle. I hit him with my goblin artillery, having myself go to 10 and putting him at 13. Next turn I swung with the Djinn and played a Wind Drake. He played a Wind Drake and a Divination. I shot the drake with the artillery and shot him in the face with my second artillery, going to 4 and leaving him at 6. Next turn I swung for 6 in the air.

The second game I kept a hand with a Mountain, Island, Horned Turtle, Goblin Artillery, Wind Drake, and Prodigal Pyromancer. He played a turn 2 Merfolk Looter and a turn 3 Illusionary Servant. I played a turn 3 Pyromancer. He looted a bunch to try to find an answer to the Pyromancer but couldn’t. He swung in the air with the Servant and the next turn I pinged it. I was playing more of a control game and decided I didn’t need the extra two damage each turn so I opted to play the Goblin Artillery over the Wind Drake. I also would like to be able to kill a turn 5 Air Elemental if I drew a Sparkmage Apprentice. He instead tapped 5 for a Siege Mastodon and I topdecked a Stone Giant and played it. I also pinged his Looter. On his turn he Act of Treasoned my Goblin Artillery and swung with the Mastodon, I didn’t block and took 3, and he then used the Artillery to kill my Pyromancer. On my turn I drew my 6th land and played 2 Wind Drakes. I held back the Stone Giant. On his turn he didn’t play anything and passed. On my turn I swung with the Drakes and played a Sage Owl and [card]Canyon

Match 2:

Match two my opponent is playing green-red and starts off with a turn 1 Llanowar Elves. I roll my eyes because that’s the best turn-1 play green can make. Thankfully he has no turn 2 play. On turn 3 he drops a Giant Spider. I drop an Artillery on my turn and pass. He swings with the spider and I don’t block.

He plays a Stampeding Rhino and I hit it with my Artillery and Pyroclasm killing everything besides his spider. He swings again with the Spider. I play a Stone Giant and he doesn’t swing and just passes the turn, at this point he has 6 forest as his only lands and is color screwed. I play a wind drake and he plays a Birds of Paradise. I debated hitting the birds with the artillery but decided I didn’t want to lose more life. I swing with the Drake forgetting the spider can block flying. He blocks with the spider and I let damage resolve. I then I hit the spider with the Artillery, in response he Giant Growths, and in response to that, I Lightning Bolt. I play a Pyromancer and on his turn he hits it with a Sparkmage Apprentice and plays a Craw Wurm. I play a Wall of Ice and a Wind Drake. And he plays a Berserkers of Blood Ridge. I swing with the Drake and on his turn he swings with the Berserkers. I block with the Wall of Ice. He plays an Enormous Baloth and I drop a second Stone Giant and a Pyromancer. Two turns later he attacks with both the Baloth and the Berserkers. I double block the Baloth with my 2 Stone Giants and block the Berserkers with my Wall of Ice. I ping the Baloth for the final damage and kill it. I swing with the team for the rest of the game.

I sideboard in a Flashfreeze and take out a Ponder. Game two he plays a turn 3 Borderland Ranger getting a Mountain and I play an Artillery. He swings with the Ranger and I don’t block, and he passes the turn. I play a Dragon Whelp. On his turn he plays a Stampeding Rhino and I kill the Borderland Ranger with my Artillery. On my turn I play a Stone Giant and swing with my Whelp. On his turn he swings with the Stampeding Rhino and I let it through. On my turn I play a Wind Drake holding back mana for the sideboarded Flashfreeze. On his turn he swings with the Rhino and I block with the Drake, after damage he tries to cast an Elvish Visionary, In response I hit the rhino with the artillery and he casts Regeneration targeting the Rhino, I counter the Regeneration with my Flashfreeze and the Rhino dies. He draws a card and plays a Mist Leopard. On my turn I swing with the Whelp and play my Phantom Warrior and a Wind Drake. On his turn he plays a Craw Wurm and passes the turn. I swing with all my evasion and play a Sage Owl. On his turn he swings all out, I block and he concedes.

Match 3:

Game one he plays 2 Rampant Growths and an Elvish Visionary while I play a Horned Turtle. On turn 4 he plays a Serra Angel and I play a Dragon Whelp. He attacks with the Angel and I attack with the Whelp. On his turn he plays a Deadly Recluse and Blinding Mage. I play a Pyroclasm and kill his entire board but the Angel. I play a Wind Drake. He then swings with the Angel again and I take it and he plays Rampant Growth and a Runeclaw Bear. On my turn I swing with the Whelp and the Drake. He blocks the Drake with the Angel and I Lightning Bolt the Angel. On his turn he plays Howl of the Night Pack pact for 5 tokens I play a Phantom Warrior and a Sparkmage Apprentice, on his turn he Overruns for a lot.

Game two mulligan a 1 mountain hand with a Sparkmage Apprentice, Lightning Bolt, Pyroclasm. I get a hand with 2 Islands 3 Mountains and a wind drake and keep it. He starts off with a turn 1 Llanowar Elves and a Rampant Growth into a Plains, I play a turn 3 Goblin Artillery he plays a Centaur Courser. I topdeck a Sparkmage and hit the Courser with it and the Artillery. On his turn he plays a Runeclaw Bears and a Deadly Recluse. He passes without playing a land. He’s stuck on 3 land. I topdeck a Wall of Ice, play it and hit the Llanowar Elves with my Artillery. I go to 13 while he is at 20. He plays a Stormfront Pegasus and I hit it with the Artillery and I play a Wind Drake. He doesn’t play anything and I play a Divination, holding a seismic strike in hand. He casts Pacifism on my Wind Drake and passes the turn. He’s still stuck on 3 lands. On my turn I topdeck a Whelp and hit his Recluse with my Artillery, going to 7. He plays a Blinding Mage and I hit that with the Artillery, going to 4. I swing for 5 with my Dragon Whelp. He plays a Rampant Growth into his second Plains and passes. I topdeck and play a Pyromancer and swing for 5. I figure he has the Angel in hand, which he does, and he taps out to play it. I hit his Runeclaw Bear with my artillery, going to 1, then on my turn I use Seismic Strike to kill his Angel and swing for exactly 10.

Game 3 he plays a turn 1 Llanowar Elves, and a turn 2 Rampant Growth. He plays a turn 3 Centaur Courser and turn 4 Emerald Oryx. I play a turn 3 Wall of Frost and a turn 4 Pyromancer. He swings with his oryx and courser and I block the courser with my wall and take two he drops an elvish visionary. I’m at 14 and have a hand full of 3 drops. I topdeck a Mountain and play an Artillery. He plays a Runeclaw Bear I play a Canyon Minotaur. He draws a land and taps out for an Ant Queen. I kill his Runeclaw Bear and Elvish Visionary with my pingers at the end of his turn and am at 11. On my turn I draw a land and play it and I use the Artillery and Seismic Strike to hit the Ant Queen for exactly 5. I also play a Phantom Warrior. He plays a Runeclaw Bear and passes the turn, I ping him for 1 putting him at 19. On my turn I swing with my Phantom Warrior and play a Divination and a Wind Drake. On his turn he plays a Serra Angel. I topdeck a Sparkmage Apprentice and use it, the Pyromancer, and Artillery to kill his Angel, then swing with my Drake and Phantom Warrior and play a Dragon Whelp. He cast Howl of the Night Pack for 4 tokens. On my turn I swing with my Phantom Warrior, Drake, Sparkmage, and Dragon Whelp. I have a Pyromancer and Artillery as pingers on the board. He blocks the Sparkmage with the Emerald Oryx. I ping his Courser and Pyroclasm, clearing his board and leaving me with a Drake, Minotaur, Artillery, and Wall of Frost at 5. I play a Horned Turtle. He concedes.

Overall I really liked this red-blue draft. I had some tough picks, like picking a Pyroclasm over a Sleep, and picking pingers very highly. All the pingers work so well together, 2 Artilleries takes out a Serra Angel, a Sparkmage Apprentice and an artillery takes out any 3 butt. I only had a couple of evasion, 2 Wind Drakes, a Whelp, and a Phantom Warrior, but I had a bunch of large butt creatures which I used to control the board and eventually swing for the win. The two Stone Giants were always welcome to see, and as usual I never used their ability. The Wall of Frost was great, early Horned Turtles were nice, the 2 Pyromancers always good.

Drafting this U/R control-pinger archetype I’d say the common/uncommon pick order is:

This is just a general pick order, I would aim for at least three of each of these:

4+ toughness creatures be they Stone Giants or Walls of Fires

3+ power creatures, Minotaur, Stone Giant, Air Elemental, etc.

evasion creatures, Wind Drake, Phantom Warrior

pingers, be they Artillery or Pyromancers. Since they are uncommon this will be the hardest to accomplish, but are the most important to have in multiples in this particular deck.

and fill the rest with bombs, removal (including sparkmages), and draw. That’s pretty much true of any archetype.