**** those pieces of **** who stall on victory blows

How much do these drafts cost to play?

Well I played my first ever draft (4/3 ACR), It was pretty terrible since I really didn't have too much of a clue. Unfortunately I didn't know about the draft recorder (which would obviously help me improve - lots of room there)

I did manage to win my 1st round on the 'strength' of necrogenesis and vithian stinger. I think my opponent misplayed a fair amount, and I made 2 glaring mistakes that gave him an extra turn or two - Knight of the New Alara can make things big. Second game I found all my removal and won easily as he didn't make a play till turn 5.

Duotianshi203 crushed me Round 2. I think he's one of the better players from what I've briefly researched.

What I recall -
1st pick Tidehollow Strix (don't ask)
2nd pick Magma Spray
3rd pick Vithian Stinger (might not be exactly right).

Passed on a Thornling that I probably should have just taken because I don't think I took anything great in that spot (pick 3 I think) Didn't realize it was a 4 tix card



Based on the pool, anything glaring terribly bad in the build, probably should have ran etherium main (maybe brainbite). I never got to play defiler, though he's not amazing in my deck, but I still liked the potential.

Draft cost 11-12 for the packs than 2 tix for most drafts. There are also no tix/pax drafts that cost (3 packs or 12 tix).

So how about those rule changes*? Not sure how I feel about combat damage no longer being put on the stack. "Damage on the stack?" is lost forever and taking a bunch of 2-for-1's with it!

*wizards.com

Media:

Brackwater seems marginal in your deck. Ive seen it be amazing in super aggro beatdown builds, which your cec is not.

Arsenal Thrasher also seems very marginal, you have 6 artifacts total, including those.

Granted, there isnt anything in your sideboard to replace them, but it seems likely you made some mistakes drafting to end up having to play those.

I would run canyon minotaur main over say naturalize as you are short beaters and heavy on removal.

-JP

Agree with this.

Additionally, I would cut mage slayer and hellspark elem (is this guy good?, not sure).

I think adding Demonic dread and Beacon behemoth is a good idea. Dread lets you push through lots of damages.

EDIT: Since i'm always poopooing decks but never posting my own, I'm gonna actually record my FNM deck from this Friday. FNM builds are actually the toughest for me because my card quality is always ridiculous since a lot of the other drafters are bad, it isnt like there is a clearcut 23 to play, and I end up 5color to soak up all the goodies.

Dude brainbited my Obelisk of Alara, so I topdeck vengeful rebirth and dome him for 6 before replaying it.

Another flashy play with the same deck, same opponent-mage slayer equipped to spellbound dragon, cast leonin armorguard, exalted trigger, discard fiery fall, dome you for 11+ 11/7 dragon at your face.

Deck was actually GWru aggro w/ 3 Wild Nacatls, 3 Court Homonculi and 4 borderposts....I lost in the semis after winning game 2 on a mull to 4.

Ya figured i coulda played sledge but white was already my splash. I took the Foundry and it was an allstar the every single game through the finals. Gaining life, chumping, and awesome comboing w/ sludge strider. Looking back tho i dont think it did anything much better than say behemoth sledge does. This was live btw and the person to my right was def just rare drafting-I took sanctum gargoyle first pick in a pack containing branching bolt, magma spray, cruel ultimatum, and a bunch of other good rb cards...paid off

I see the merits of the minotaur over the naturalize (although I'd probably keep it the way I chose, honestly). 12 creatures is a little light but I find stuff like the naturalize lets me get to turn 6-9 against ppl's bombs and is a pure bomb against the esper deck I'm going to inevitably face (which honestly is the only deck that has any chance against this one). The mino is decent but useless against esper and pretty mediocre against comparable threats in my mirror or naya matches.

Hellspark is a nice 5-6 dmg and I almost always put it in. I like it a lot, but would very rarely pick it earlier than any removal or a stinger or the bloodpyres (which are the other decent cards you might see in alara for red).

Mage slayer is a great card if I stall out, which is why I put it in. Honestly my deck is so strong it's not that necessary but I really like it as a finishing move and like it better than the basic cascade cards.

Just thoughts.. obviously there's no "right" answers for these kind of marginal decisions, imo.

BTW colossal might on mirisi's twinclaws might be my favourite combo in a very, very long time.

Yeah, Colossal Might on Marisi's Twinclaws = lol. Definitely killed a guy from 20 with that by casting two Colossal Mights on an exalted cat.

not sure if this is the right place for this, but I'm selling 221 tickets for $1/each, can receive money on Stars/ FTP / UB. PM if interested

The draft recorder would help us figure out where you were off as the deck is all over the map. There is a lot that probably could have been improved as already pointed out-the mana base, the poor or even anti synergy (arsenal threshers +no artifacts, the wretched banquet+fodder/stinger, the ziggurat+blast/comaveil). I think I will start posting my drafts here as well in an effort to improve.

-JMP

Oh god

I looked at the top and went: "Huh, so this is the sideboard" then proceeded to look at the bottom


ohhhboyyyy

/shameless heckling

Just 1-2'd with an insane deck and I feel like a complete noob for messing up 2 plays that cost me 2 different games.

Features:
3x Rhox Bodyguard
2x Rhox Meditant
Marisi's Twin Claw
Quietus Spike
Lavalanche
Stoic Angel
2x Slave of Bolas
Path to exile
and a pretty sick mana base with savage lands, exotic orchard and 2 fetch lands + cyclers


Didn't even pay attention to the math where he tapped out for a Gorger Wurm (5/5 only creature on board) at 8 life and I Slave of Bolas it and attacked with the wurm and a quietus spiked 1/5 leotau. He took 6, loses half his life and goes to 1 life vs my 20 life. Next turn, Executioner's capsule my cat and from there I procede to draw land land land land land etc. He 20-0's me with another Wurm =(

Btw, his name was l0ldonkaments if anyone recognizes him as a 2+2er perhaps? The guy I played right before him was also a poker pro from online which I thought was really weird at the time.

wat

You people are so weird. Quietus Spike is awful unless you have some absurd amount of pingers and/or Soul's Fires. Mage Slayer is approximately 9 times better if you want the "burn you out" option.

But the guy in the pro tour played it, it must be good in every deck!!!

he had two vithian stingers imo

I got quietus spike 2nd or 3rd pick and I went 5 color with base GW. I had 2 grizzled leotau to stop the early beats while I set up my mana base and quietus spike was pretty sick when equipped on a 1/5 that no one wants to attack into or block.




Anyways, I haven't played magic in 5 years and only started drafting on mtgo 2-3 weeks ago. Here's a grixis deck I just drafted but it didn't do so well. Seems like deny reality is pretty bad if your not an aggro deck and they didn't really seem to be doing much for me.

I think I coulda built it better but i dunno.

[IMG] Shot at 2009-06-18[/IMG]


My first 3 picks were Cruel Ultimatum, Grixis Panorama, and Crumbling Necropolis. Any tips on what I should be looking out for when drafting a definite grixis type deck?


P.S. Does anyone know if quietus spike triggers twice when its on a double striker dealing damage to the opponent?

Don't play esperzoa if you're not playing esper. Ditto for the puppet conjurer.

The grixis sojourners are terrrrible, too.

Personally I wouldn't 1st pick the ultimatum... it also made you focus on mana picks 2+3 when everyone else is picking bombs. If there were any alara removal in the pack I'd probably have taken it over the ultimatum.

Grizzled Leotau is good enough on its own. It's "The Stopper." I pick it pretty high in 5cNaya.

I'll first pick Cruel Ultimatum now because I like 5cc second best (prefer Esper Aggro to it and G/W/r Aggro behind it).

BTW, guess what they reprinted?

chain lightning sick!!!

Ah, no.

take off the copying and you got it

Ball Lighting and Lighting Bolt, zomg wizards is spoonfeeding us decks!!

Also not true - Chain Lightning is a sorcery. Lightning Bolt is better by a significant margin.