This one seems kinda tough to me. I mean the strongest cards are surely Arc Lightning and Herald, but taking either sends a signal that those colors may be open with Arrow Storm in Red, and Supsenion Field & Smite the Monstrous there.
Herald isn't a bomb, but building your army while at the same time bulking up the generator is pretty good.
I think Herald. The other white cards in the pack aren't spectacular, so I wouldn't worry too much about signalling that white is "open" so early on in the draft. My second pick would be Arc Lightning, which I don't want to take over Herald because good one-drops are few and far between. There is the potential upside of taking Arc Lightning where the drafter on your left ends up taking Herald and drafting Abzan, leaving red open for you in pack two, but I don't think it's worth taking that risk considering Herald slots well into Mardu or Jeskai decks too.
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These visions of mine... are they still daydreams if the sun is dead? Are they waking nightmares, instead, or is that what they always were?
herald of Anafaza.
the removal in here is good but we are looking to make a deck that can get good value out of every card. this card makes your guys bigger and makes chump blockers, and he is super cheap without already putting you into a specific khan. removal can save you a game but subtle bombs put on pressure.
Herald, Arc Lightning, Suspension Field, and Icefeather Aven all look promising.
I'd first scratch off the aven, since it's a gold card, and any time you have a reasonably close choice between a monocolor card and a gold card before you know your colors, you should just take the monocolor card.
Next I'm actually going to reject Herald. I don't think it's terrible, but I think it's just too slow to be as good as people think it is. Its outlast ability is very expensive, tying up both the Herald itself and so much of your mana that you won't be doing anything else meaningful that turn until the late game. Eventually it can make a pile of tokens and become huge, but I think that slowness actually makes it one of the weaker Outlast creatures. I might be wrong, but I suspect this guy will turn out to be very overrated.
Between Suspension Field and Arc Lightning, I think you'd normally take Arc Lightning in most sets; the flexibility and potential card advantage are deceptively powerful. However, my current feeling is that higher-toughness creatures are going to be more central to this format than they usually are, which may end up making Suspension Field the better choice.
I'm tentatively voting for Suspension Field, but it's very possible that's wrong and the pick should be Arc Lightning instead.
I basically agree with Dire Wombat 100%. To avoid being spam though, I'll note that getting value off of Lightning while killing a morph with it requires an X/1, which this set seems unusually sparse on.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Passing a Man-o-War really sucks, but Suspension field is probably one of the most efficiently costed removal spells in the set outside of Murderous Cut. Take the nerfed Journey to Nowhere
I feel like Herald is going to be an outright bomb. I don't think I'd pass Mobilization ever, so I doubt I'd be passing one that also grows a huge body. And if it eats removal before impacting the board much, then they had to burn removal on my 1-drop.
Harder than pack #1, but I still pick Arc Lightning. Good early, good late, good when you're ahead, good when you're behind. Hoping my neighbors pick the white cards and Aven over Arrow Storm.
Herald of Anafenza is useless on turn 1-2. There isn't a playable 1/1 in Khans that is afraid to swing into him. Nor will any 1/1 tokens be in play. So his 1/2 body is not a huge factor. He's only useful late game despite his W cost. On turn 3 you can play a solid 3 drop or put out a 1/1 token and tap down your Herald of Anafenza.
Also Herald of Anafenza is really better suited for a Mardu deck than Abzan. Herald of Anafenza outlast is best when used recurringly. That will conflict with all your other Outlast. The same way delve conflicts with delve. Making Herald of Anafenza a bad signal here. Mardu is very favorable in this pack so you will certainly see additional Mardu players to your left.
I'd much rather run a Mardu Hordechief. Mardu Hordechief hits the battlefield on T3 as a better blocker, untapped, and with a chump blocker as well.
I wouldn't even necessarily be too concerned about sending a red signal in Arrow Storm even if I did first-pick the Arc Lightning. Worst-case, you have a very splashable removal spell in your nonred tricolor deck.
This one is hard , but i would pick herald and then pick ass much ainok outlasts as possible ( that 2/1 for w1 with outlast and that gives firststrike ) , i don't know but in draft it apears to me that making a outlast deck is the best way to win.
Sidisi's pet is another card i would try to pick , but not pick 1.
the GU 2/2 flying is good too ( early and late game)
Suspension field is good too
as is arc lightining , Smite the Monstrous , Arrows Storm , and Fear of Resistance . but the fact is White and Red will be the best colors in this pack and soo the best chooise is the Aven or the pet just because you will be driving away people from going into G or B. But then you will pass herald that is a good early opening or a board advantage machine late game...
I'd be curious to run the Herald were I not limited by clan. I recall in the M13 limited environment Chronomaton was very strong; I expect Herald will be too.
Herald strikes me as the type of card which can take over a game that goes long, so long as you are not constantly chumping with the tokens. Other top picks are Arc Lightning/Suspension Filed as two nice removal spells, and the Icefeather as less powerful, more colors, but also with no other cards in color that could send someone into conflict with you. As a P1P1, safe IMO to ignore Icefeather. I think Herald is good enough to warrant passing over the two removal spells. Arc Lightning I think is a it overrated in this set, and why take Field when you can take something worth removing?
Arc Lightning I think is a it overrated in this set, and why take Field when you can take something worth removing?
Agreed. Its no doubt a strong removal spell, but in this format full of slower, bigger creatures, i feel its less useful then people make it out to be.
I'm really curious to hear why you think this card is a good pick at.
Life link , somewhat descent blocker , late game you can play it face down mocking it as a threat and if your oponent plays a removal based on damage or -x/-2 then you are just getting value...
I do actually think Suspension Field is the pick. Herald is a solid card, but 3 mana for outlast seems like a lot. If you play him on turn 1, you're going to have to chose on turn 3 if you want to play a morph or outlast and create a 1/1. I imagine you'll want to play the morph. Honestly, it just seems like you have better things to do than outlast him until the point that creating one 1/1 token a turn really doesn't amount to much. Suspension field is pretty much unconditional removal on something important. There aren't a lot of incidental ways of blowing up an enchantment in this set.
I'm leaning toward Arc Lightning, but I think Suspension Field, if the format is as slow as it looks, will probably end up being the right pick.
I typically don't put much thought into signaling P1P1, because that's silly, but it's worth noting that there's a good chance 3 of the next 4 picks are white cards if you take the Arc Lightning. Something to keep in mind.
What would be your first pick and why?
This one seems kinda tough to me. I mean the strongest cards are surely Arc Lightning and Herald, but taking either sends a signal that those colors may be open with Arrow Storm in Red, and Supsenion Field & Smite the Monstrous there.
Herald isn't a bomb, but building your army while at the same time bulking up the generator is pretty good.
I think I'd have to go with that.
What do you guys think?
the removal in here is good but we are looking to make a deck that can get good value out of every card. this card makes your guys bigger and makes chump blockers, and he is super cheap without already putting you into a specific khan. removal can save you a game but subtle bombs put on pressure.
I'd first scratch off the aven, since it's a gold card, and any time you have a reasonably close choice between a monocolor card and a gold card before you know your colors, you should just take the monocolor card.
Next I'm actually going to reject Herald. I don't think it's terrible, but I think it's just too slow to be as good as people think it is. Its outlast ability is very expensive, tying up both the Herald itself and so much of your mana that you won't be doing anything else meaningful that turn until the late game. Eventually it can make a pile of tokens and become huge, but I think that slowness actually makes it one of the weaker Outlast creatures. I might be wrong, but I suspect this guy will turn out to be very overrated.
Between Suspension Field and Arc Lightning, I think you'd normally take Arc Lightning in most sets; the flexibility and potential card advantage are deceptively powerful. However, my current feeling is that higher-toughness creatures are going to be more central to this format than they usually are, which may end up making Suspension Field the better choice.
I'm tentatively voting for Suspension Field, but it's very possible that's wrong and the pick should be Arc Lightning instead.
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I really don't like Herald of Anafenza. He's my 6th pick in this pack.
Herald of Anafenza is useless on turn 1-2. There isn't a playable 1/1 in Khans that is afraid to swing into him. Nor will any 1/1 tokens be in play. So his 1/2 body is not a huge factor. He's only useful late game despite his W cost. On turn 3 you can play a solid 3 drop or put out a 1/1 token and tap down your Herald of Anafenza.
Also Herald of Anafenza is really better suited for a Mardu deck than Abzan. Herald of Anafenza outlast is best when used recurringly. That will conflict with all your other Outlast. The same way delve conflicts with delve. Making Herald of Anafenza a bad signal here. Mardu is very favorable in this pack so you will certainly see additional Mardu players to your left.
I'd much rather run a Mardu Hordechief. Mardu Hordechief hits the battlefield on T3 as a better blocker, untapped, and with a chump blocker as well.
Arc Lightning, Smite the Monstrous & Arrow Storm are all better picks.
Sidisi's pet is another card i would try to pick , but not pick 1.
the GU 2/2 flying is good too ( early and late game)
Suspension field is good too
as is arc lightining , Smite the Monstrous , Arrows Storm , and Fear of Resistance . but the fact is White and Red will be the best colors in this pack and soo the best chooise is the Aven or the pet just because you will be driving away people from going into G or B. But then you will pass herald that is a good early opening or a board advantage machine late game...
Otherwise, Suspension Field.
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Agreed. Its no doubt a strong removal spell, but in this format full of slower, bigger creatures, i feel its less useful then people make it out to be.
Feat of resistance can acutally be a strong card. Not on the level of the other picks mentioned, but still has several uses:
-Protecting creatures from removal
-making them pseudo-unblockable
-buffing a creature and making the opponent lose his in combat
Wait, what?
I'm really curious to hear why you think this card is a good pick at.
Life link , somewhat descent blocker , late game you can play it face down mocking it as a threat and if your oponent plays a removal based on damage or -x/-2 then you are just getting value...
doesn't underestimate a morph guy...
Also the only mono black card in the pack.
R Norin the Wary: I've Got a Bad Feeling About This
UG Thrasios & Kydele: Knowledge is Power
RG Borborygmos Enraged: The Breaking of the World
BG The Gitrog Monster: All Glory to the Hypnotoad
WUR Zedruu the Greathearted: Endless Possibilities, One Outcome
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain: What's Dead May Never Die
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I typically don't put much thought into signaling P1P1, because that's silly, but it's worth noting that there's a good chance 3 of the next 4 picks are white cards if you take the Arc Lightning. Something to keep in mind.
UBDragonlord Silumgar WGKarametra, God of Harvests
BRUNekusar, the Mindrazer BGMazirek, Kraul Death Priest
URMelek, Izzet Paragon UGPrime Speaker Zegana
WUHanna, Ship's Navigator BWUSydri, Galvanic Genius
WUBRGSliver Queen RBBladewing the Risen
WBKarlov of the Ghost Council RGXenagos, God of Revels
GFreyalise, Llanowar's Fury RWAurelia, the Warleader
RIb Halfheart, Goblin Tactician BDrana, Liberator of Malakir
UAzami, Lady of Scrolls WNahiri, the Lithomancer
WBGDoran, the Siege Tower CEmrakul, the Promised End