So we used to have these threads some years back (example: Rise of the Eldrazi Postmortem) where we recap the previous format as we're jumping into the new one. Talk about cards that were surprisingly good, surprisingly bad, favorite archetypes, etc. I figured it might be fun to do that again for Khans of Tarkir (and for future sets).
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
2) Which common was better than you expected?
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
6) What was your favorite archetype?
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
[b]1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?[/b]
[b]2) Which common was better than you expected?[/b]
[b]3) Which common was worse than you expected?[/b]
[b]4) What's the most underappreciated card?[/b]
[b]5) What's the worst common that people still play?[/b]
[b]6) What was your favorite archetype?[/b]
[b]7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?[/b]
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
I'm guessing about 60 drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Alabaster Kirin - has really good stats for the format, flying is very good and the vigilance is (surprisingly, to me) very relevant on this card. Interestingly, this is the common I have the least copies of online, which tells me I do still rate it lower than most other people.
Debilitating Injury - I couldn't get over the fact that it was a strictly worse Dead Weight at first. Obviously I still valued it relatively high, but I didn't realise how good it was in the format.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Force Away - I think it's a bit mediocre, I've cut it from Sealed decks several times now.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Blinding Spray (aka Cryptic Command) - nobody values this and I think this card is really, really good.
Tormenting Voice - this is the common I have the most of online.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Embodiment of Spring - not really playable.
Trumpet Blast - it's good if you have a LOT of tokens, but I see it in more decks than it should be in.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Goblinslide / WUBR control.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Temur.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best: blue and white. Worst: red.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I liked it a lot, because I could draft 4c control all the time and generally nobody is competing for it. There are a lot of cards that are valued differently by many people, and that's a great thing. It's not my favorite format ever, but it's in the top 5 or so.
You really just need to embrace the rage. I keep a small colony of hamsters next to my computer and every time I lose a match to mana screw I throw one against the wall.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Not as much as I would like. A few dozen.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I dunno, Abomination of Gudul? I expected it to be fairly good, but it took over games more than expected. Arrow Storm also was more playable in draft than I expected.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Jeskai Windscout? Tiny evasion deck wasn't really a thing, and prowess was less explosive than I expected.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Azban Guide? It has been mvp for me in multiple decks. Stabilizes like a pro and can get out of hand with fight trickery. In all, multi-color cards in general were underrated in my meta.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Wetland Sambar, barely playable on turn 2, vomitous otherwise.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5 color good stuff!
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Aggro in general. I figured that there would always be one stupid-good aggro deck. Usually Mardu, occasionally a Warrior deck that came together or crazy Jeskai. And it was rare that aggro decks were there, let alone decent. Maybe too much fighting, maybe the cards just aren't there.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Red was the worst. Black wasn't great.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
As much as I hate KTK as a set filled with garbage cards, the draft format was kinda good. No insta-win bombs. No clearly dominant archetypes, and enough multicolor to reward good deck building.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
24 drafts, 8 sealeds.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Rush of Battle. The card looks quite bad, but it's surprisingly annoying to play against. Myself, I didn't play it much (maybe twice), as it's not a card that goes into the sort of deck I like to draft.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Longshot Squad. Looks like a reasonable card; it's decently sized and should have a lot of upside in the lategame. But he kept failing to impress me, and though he clearly isn't bad, he was worse than I expected.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Krumar Bond-Kin is a card I'm glad people don't play more of. It's very often that I'm thinking "this block should work out... as long as it's not a Krumar Bond-Kin". That's a product of the deck I'm often playing: some durdly control deck with Monastery Flocks and Archers' Parapet.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike. Embarrassingly bad card, yet people keep jamming it against me. Granted, fewer than in the beginning of the format, but still.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5-color control. I love getting to play Charms, and I love being able to use the morph mechanic as manafixing.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
2-color aggro other than B/W Warriors.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best: white. Worst: red.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Pretty good format. A higher number of non-games than in many other formats, but also a higher number of great games than in many other formats. Doesn't quite crack my top 5 limited formats of all time, but is certainly top 10 for me.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
I played about 60 sealed phantom events online, and maybe 12 swiss drafts online, and a further two or three 8-4 drafts online. Also I played quite a few (10 - 15) 4-person "new to magic online" KTK drafts (because they're a cheap and easy way to fill time between other events). I rarely play 8-4 except when I'm on tilt and just want to "go big or go home", because I generally cannot stomach single elimination events.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Dragonscale Boon. I never would have even considered the card as playable but someone on these forums said it was better than they thought and I decided to give it a try. From that point on, I specifically tried to get one in every deck that I could fit it in.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Hooting Mandrills. I thought "wow sometimes you'll get to play a 4/4 for 1 mana!" and expected it to be an almost unfair common. But it turns out that a vanilla 4/4 is not very impressive in this format and there are other delve cards commonly available that are much better, if you want to play delve.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I guess I'll evaluate this based on deciding which card came back around more often than I expected in the drafts I played. And I'd have to say Savage Punch. Yes, people definitely appreciate it, and yes I was really surprised how many I was able to pull. So people must have been taking other things over it more often than I would.
Honorable mention to Kin-Tree Invocation. That + Archer's Parapet (or Dragon's Eye Savants if you're really living the dream) can get you a 5/5 or 6/6 on turn 3, which is just nuts. And yet people hardly ever played it against me, so I suspect most people didn't put it in their decks.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Scaldkin would be at the top of my list. Not many people play it but I do run into it from time to time. Whenever I see one I consider it an immediate flag that the person is new to the format or new to Magic.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Probably Secret Plans (no surprise there!) + 5 color morphs. It was really fun to play and pulled out some amazing come from behind victories for me.
However, I believe that I came around to, and had easily the most success with, outlast lords + instant speed counters. Combined with some green beef and black/white/green removal, it's just so consistent and strong.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Well there was a card that wasn't nearly as good as I expected, and that was Villainous Wealth. I saw that thing whiff so many times (spend 9 mana and get one or two weak creatures out of it). I always felt bad for the person to whom it happened because it feels like you're about to just blow your opponent away and the whole thing fizzles into almost nothing. Also, thanks for milling away those 5 lands that I didn't want to draw.
For archetypes though, I guess I thought that ramp to fatties (Temur) would be better. It beat me once or twice but ramp was very uncommon as a strategy.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Green and blue were best, although the triple of green, black, and white was probably the most successful (Abzan, no surprise there). Worst was red. But I shy away from red in every format, it's just not a color that does stuff that I enjoy (fast weenies and burn, bores me to death). I actually really liked that red was so weak in KTK because it meant that the kinds of decks I liked to play tended to be better than usual.
I probably played pure Jeskai colors only two or three times and each time, it failed miserably as some of my worst performing decks.
Played pure Mardu only two or three times also and it did better than Jeskai, but not much.
I almost always was some mis-mash of green + some combination of white, black, and blue.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Well I for one really liked it. I tend to play alot of MTGO for anywhere from a few months to almost a year, then quit for a while. And so I skip alot of sets, and haven't played as many as most people have. But my top three are original Ravnica block, Return to Ravnica block, and KTK. I guess I really like multicolor. KTK was the most multi-colored of any block I have ever played. I think I like it best. I am really looking forward to FRF because I think that manifest is just about the most clever mechanic they have ever come up with and I think it will combine with morph to make for possibly the most interesting and varied games that I have ever played.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Maybe 30 drafts, and a few sealed.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Crippling Chill was a card that I really underestimated at the beginning of the format. And Mystic of the Hidden Way also ends up being better than I would have guess, although it was obviously pretty good. Also Abzan Guide is a much more relevant tempo swing than I imagined it would be. I still look at that card and wonder why it's such a beating so often, but hey, it works. As an honorable mention even though it's an uncommon, I also didn't really rate Raider's Spoils at all, but it's a legitimate thing.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Glacial Stalker. It's still obviously fine, but it's very often a card I'm relieved to see when it unmorphs against me because there are so many worse things it could have been, and it just isn't that hard to deal with.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Archer's Parapet is down pretty far compared to how useful it is, I think. Barrage of Boulders is criminally underplayed. I think Alpine Grizzly is underplayed, too.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Trumpet Blast, easily. That card is a trap that people are constantly falling into.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
I like Jeskai better than anything, but I ended up as Abzan a lot.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Temur was generally hard to draft. The trouble with it ended up being that UG was so full of morph stuff that Temur wasn't really capable of putting together a simple efficient curve. Sultai was generally a better option to use UG because it was less dependant on having good tempo.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
White is the best color, and blue is also the best color. Red is not great. Green has good cards but I'm generally not super happy with my deck when I end up in green, for whatever reason.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
BW Warriors and Jeskai control are both fun decks to play that attack the format in unique ways. Sultai and/or 5-color control are real decks but not at all to my taste. Feat of Resistance is the most fun card in the set.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
30 drafts or so, plus a paper prerelease and an online prerelease.
2) Which common was better than you expected? Feat of Resistance. It looked solid to good up front, but it turned out to be excellent. I'd put it right up there in the conversation for best common in the set.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I agree about Hooting Mandrills. Even if you were pulling it out early on turn 4, you couldn't confidently attack or block a morph with it the next turn for fear of a Snowhorn Rider or Glacial Stalker or something.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Just to be different I'll say I saw Sultai Soothsayers a lot later than I expected, at least early on. I would get them 12th or 13th pick online sometimes.
5) What's the worst common that people still play? Embodiment of Spring is a card that I've always been happy to see my opponents play. Often they don't even get a chance to sac it for a land, making it more or less a Healing Salve.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
UG something or other. Sometimes it was Sultai, sometimes it was Temur, sometimes it was 5C-UG Morph, sometimes it was Abzultai or Sultemur. I really really like UG in this set.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
It feels like Wizards wanted there to be multiple aggro, or at least tempo-aggro, archetypes available in the format, but they rarely came together for me. I had one great Mardu deck early in the format and one great BW warriors deck, and they basically haven't happened since. I haven't really faced off against many that have been scary to play against either.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Yeah red was the worst. I don't think there's much room for disagreement there unless you want to nominate black, but I still think red was measurably worse. White was strong, but it also felt overdrafted, so I was content to be in blue-green.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I like it a lot. I think the release of FRF is coming at a good time - I'm very interested in seeing how the format changes, but it's coming soon enough that I don't feel like I'm burned out on the whole face-down creature thing.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
A bit over 50 drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Not much better but I would say that I like Alpine Grizzly more than I did during spoiler season. It can be blanked by many 2 drops but many people don't play 2 drops, or if you can follow up with a Savage Punch or Awaken the Bear to destroy a morph and do 5-6 damage then that could be a very good exchange.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Tie between Ainok Tracker and Unyielding Krumar, both of which I thought were okay during spoiler season but in my view they are not okay and I try to avoid playing them (except the kumar in a deck which takes advantage of warriors). Paying 5 mana to unmorph and only boost the creature by 1/1 is very underwhelming.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I don't have one in mind. The cards I think are good I have seen comments from others that they are good.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
I've seen some very bad cards played over the past few months. I guess Firehoof Cavalry.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Depends upon what I draft. I enjoy most all of the ones I have played, which is a lot of variety.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I can't get mardu tokens to work out well. The only couple of times I was able to draft many of the token-generating cards I just didn't draw those and the boosts at the right time. The deck works fine so maybe I just have to try again, although that's not the type of play I enjoy the most.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
They all seem fine to me.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Very fun format. I like the variety of valid deck types and the balance. Sure if you can get a full-on optimized warrior deck, or a blue-green tempo deck, with all of the right pieces then you can be mostly unbeatable but that's pretty rare to get all of the pieces like that in my view.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
A paper prerelease, and then it looks like I've done 30 KTK drafts on MTGO.
2) Which common was better than you expected? Barrage of Boulders. I thought of this as being basically unplayable, and maybe you would side it in if you had a lot of high power creatures and the matchup was stally, but now I'm happy to maindeck a copy whenever I think it will be ferocious most of the time. The key I think is that a) stalls are more common in Tarkir than a lot of other sets and b) the decks you're least likely to stall against are the decks where the main effect is more likely to be useful because of Ponyback Brigade/Mardu Hordechief/Firehoof Cavalry and the like.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I was expecting Throttle to be very solid since Lash of the Whip was in Theros, but I was not impressed with it at all. (Certainly still playable, but not the highest pick)
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Dutiful Return doesn't get sided in enough, I think (in the sense that I have literally never had it cast against me). In any attrition matchup where your deck has strong creatures, Dutiful Return can give you a huge edge in a long game, as weak as it is. If we're also talking about uncommons, Waterwhirl is insane but I regularly get it 6th-8th pick.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
I don't think there are any commons that I would never play or side in. I think Lens of Clarity, Feed the Clan, Erase, Naturalize, and Shatter are the only commons I would categorize this way. Probably Embodiment of Spring is the card that I see the most regularly that should rarely be played. I would only play it if blue and green were both central colors in roughly equal frequency, and I was splashing a third color.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Probably 5-color control, although recently I've been playing around with U/R or U/W 6-creature Quiet Contemplation or Goblinslide decks and they are a lot of fun.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Straight 3 color decks never seemed worthwhile despite the flavor of the set. I would always either rather be 2 color with a splash of a third color or full 5 color (with 1 or 2 base colors hopefully).
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I think they were all pretty strong, and equal enough that the open deck is more important.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Pretty fun. At the worst the decks turn into slow, stalled games full of bland creatures, but I really like the flexibility of mana and the consistency of the decks in this format. 5-color control is a lot of fun and prowess and delve are both very interesting mechanics.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
About 15 drafts and 3 sealeds
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Debilitating Injury. I was really surprised how much morphs are played and how much havoc it wrecks among them. HM to Crippling Chill and Rush of Battle.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Probably Jeskai Windscout. It ended up too fragile and save for some explosive draws, lacking in the long run.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Hm. Tough one, but I would say Tormenting Voice. This has done wonders for me in every deck I played with that. Among the other rarities, Kin-Tree Invocation (killer after T1 Disowned Ancestor or Dragon's Eye Savants)
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike and/or Trumpet Blast.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5C Trail of Mystery morphs, and recently Mardu or BW warriors.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Straightforward Jeskai.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Virtually any two-color combination with red. Best? I was really amazed on the performance of BW and UG decks.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Basically what the guy above me said. Fun, great variety, even there is a space for occassional rogue strategies. Certainly one of the best I have played (then again, save for Gatecrash with crazy Boros, and maybe Avacyn Restored, I can hardly remember Limited that I did not like.
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1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Maybe 30 to 40ish drafts?
2) Which common was better than you expected? Highland Game. Cannot emphasize how many games it has kept me in against the more aggressive jeskai / mardu decks. Its not the fastest format ever but you still have to be prepared for some quick starts and trading him with any other 2 or 3 drop is just a good feeling.
3) Which common was worse than you expected? Scaldkin. Its not completely terrible, but a 2/2 for 4 just doesn't cut it even with those abilities. On another note, crackling triton would have been insane in this format.
4) What's the most underappreciated card? Weave Fate. I've found instant counts for so freaking much in this format, and I always want to have some card draw as well. Its a little bit weaker than treasure cruise limited wise, but not by much.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Probably Valley Dasher. Worst 2 drop in the format
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Sultai sultai sultai. Draw lots of cards, kill all the things and drown your opponent in card advantage.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I think most of the archetypes turned out fairly roughly as to what I expected. I guess Jeskai was "worse" than I expected, in that I thought it was going to be the team that forced everyone to play aggro, but that wasn't the case.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Its hard to say which colour is best, but I'd say red is quite likely the worst.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I've quite liked it on a whole. I don't think I'll ever get over just how bad removal has become in the past 2 years or so, but I'm at least happy a semi-control deck can actually compete in this format. I think the clans are about as balanced as you could make them and there are some very fun strategies to be had (goblin slide, secret plans etc) when your bored and just want to have a creative draft. So all in all, I think it was a pretty successful format.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
About 30 or so drafts I reckon.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Wooley Loxodon, looked like an unplayable fatty when I first saw it.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
The banner cycle. Dissapointingly unplayable.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Become Immense - For a matchwinner I have seen this card wheel more times than I can believer.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Rakhasa's secret.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
UG morph/Temur midrange. Lots of midcard advantage and not as overdrafted as Warriors or Abzan.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
RW aggro. Between morph and lifelands, it was just too hard to quickly beat down.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I think White was probably the best, it had the strongest outlast cards and decent removal/evasion.
Blue was the worst, no decent common flyers and too few temp options.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I have to admit I softened on Kahns over Christmas. I don't think it'll ever have fond memories for me but it's not as terrible as I first found it back in November. OK but not great set for limited.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Lots. Hard to say. Closed beta League testing turned the experience into a blur.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Alabaster Kirin. I initially thought of it as filler but now I put it in every white deck. Early in the season I got a ptq pool with three of them and played zero (I was too busy playing real gangster white cards like High Sentinels and Suspension Field.) I think I would easily find room for them now.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Krumar Bond-Kin. Used to be make the first pass of what I'm eager to play, now it's filler like War Behemoth. I suppose the problem is that it dies to so many removal spells and trades to easily. After all, it is an Alpine Grizzly with +1/+1.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I feel like this is a draft-specific question, so skip.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Monastery Flock
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Jeskai Control with multiple Master the Way, draw spells, Warden of the Eyes, other removal spells. Worse than good Abzan decks but more fun to play, and you can feel the grief.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
4color bad manabase
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Abzan best Temur worst. Single color, white best red worst. So many worthless red cards.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Would have been much better if they didn't print any Banners and instead printed Terramorphic Expanse and Traveler's Amulet to help every pool run its best cards instead of the cards its lands can support. I am very fearful of how bad Fate Reforged is going to be now that we know we didn't get anything like that.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
50ish drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I don't want to repeat answers so I'll say Mystic of the Hidden Way. 3 power unblockable is good of course, but typically this type of creature is not very good because it doesn't block well and is much more expensive than the removal that kills it. Mystic found itself in an environment where stalemates are common (it doesn't need to block, other creatures have that covered), there's little 2-toughness removal, and the small amount that does exist is expended early on Morphs. Plus with the propensity for stalemates, having an unblockable creature is more relevant than in most sets.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I'm still not entirely sure why Swift Kick is so bad. I get why it's not optimal, but Pit Fight was a great card, and this is Pit Fight + minor power bonus for just 2 more mana. Also everyone remarks about how Savage Punch rarely backfires -- it feels like it should, but it doesn't. Of course Savage Punch is much better but I feel like Swift Kick should be a low end playable.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Kind of a non-answer, but all of the lower powered Morphs. Guys like Kin-Tree Warden, Sage-Eye Harrier, Sidisi's Pet, etc. The floor for any Morph creature is higher than people think because it's a 2/2 for 3 that makes your opponent nervous. I don't think people appreciated the bluffing aspect of throwing these guys in as 21st-22nd cards. Honestly I could find ways to get value out a Morph that could never flip up. I wouldn't want to run it but I'd rather have that than a legitimately bad creature that I can't bluff with.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Probably UG with some light splashing. Good combination of evasion and still having some beef available. The removal in this set is underpowered anyway so I gravitated toward one of the traditionally removal-light color pairs.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I figured Prowess would be more of a thing. Various Jeskai-colored strategies work just fine, but Prowess rarely factors in as anything more than a nice-to-have ability. We were all sort of suspicious of Prowess since it didn't seem worth cramming your deck full of bad spells but I figured R&D had figured something out. Turns out we were right.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Pretty sure Red is the worst, and White-Black is the best but it all depends on what's open. It's not like M15 where White was the best color regardless of what was going on. Nothing in Tarkir is so good or so bad that you can win with an overdrafted color.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
It's been one of my favorite formats. I never got into Innistrad the way other people did so for me it's in the running for one of the best formats. I usually get tired of a format after 20-30 drafts but I can still happily draft KTK. There's no degenerate strategy, you're always rewarded for things like reading signals, building a good mana base, and playing tight. That's really all I ask.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Weekly FNM draft, about 5x sealed, 4x two-headed giant draft (best format ever).
2) Which common was better than you expected? Feat of Resistance. Especially if you get a slew of new abilities while dodging a removal spell.
3) Which common was worse than you expected? Sagu Archer.
4) What's the most underappreciated card? Quiet Contemplation. My removal now also freezes their guys? Sign me up!
5) What's the worst common that people still play? Ainok Tracker. At least it has morph.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Domain. In 2HG draft Goblinslide.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I somehow never get Jeskai to work.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I really like blue.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I love any format that supports me in running as many colours as possible. Also, those morphs remind me of Netrunner - great stuff.
Seeing people list cards like Trumpet Blast and Valley Dasher in the worst commons, I will say this about the format: I like that there are a number of cards that aren't good cards in a vacuum, but that are great in the right deck. I like that there's a deck where Trumpet Blast is a key piece, and that you need to know whether you're in that deck or not before you play it.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
15-20 FNM Drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Just to be different, valley dasher. I thought 2/2 that must attack as absolute trash. I don't know if it's just my meta, but people made Mardu aggro work. Aggro warrior is a thing, and following this up with skullhunter and then some removal on the play is brutal. You're rapidly on the back pedal and then just fall for that other cards people are down on, trumpet blast. I've been screwed over by poneyback brigade followed by blast when I thought I had stabilized.
Not sure. In my meta, dragonscale boon still goes later than it should. I never have problem snatching one or two.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike and monastery flock. The strike is particularly bad, because I've rarely seen aggro Jeskai work fast enough to make it relevant. Flock is just a wall. The best that can be said for it is the mystery of morph means you'll sometimes waste a debilitating injury on it. By comparison, Archers' Parapet is equivalent and has long game applicability.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Well, by the force of things, Abzan. It's not my favorite, but I often end up there.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Jeskai. It's still good, but I thought that it would dominate as it had all the flyers, but it lacks some firepower if it fails to find its tempo cards.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best, probably white. Worse, red, but, in some perverse way, green too, as it's often over-drafted and its best cards go in many deck, so it's bad because people over-value or over pick it.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I liked it, except the 5-colors deck that keep picking all the good cards from others. Shooo, shooo, 5-colors players!
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
About 15 drafts and 5 sealed.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I initially thought Canyon Lurkers was basically unplayable, but in an aggressive deck, being able to morph for four and kill walls or trade with the bigger morphs is actually really nice.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Hmm, I guess Kin-Tree Warden is worse than I initially thought, as having mana up to regenerate is a bit of a pain, and there are generally better morphs that you can play. I still think he's a little underrated though.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Tormenting Voice is something that I love to have, especially in sealed, yet I don't see it played very often. Due to needing to run extra land in this format, and the importance of hitting 3 and 5 mana, Tormenting Voice is great for dealing with mana screw/flood, and it's something to do on turn two.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Others have said it, but Embodiment of Spring is the biggest one I see in otherwise good decks. As a blocker, it's quickly outclassed, and as a land fetcher, it's often that they don't have the mana to spare (or they have plenty of lands anyway). It needs both blue and green as well, so as a mana fixer it only works in base UG decks... but I often see it in UBg or GBu. I've played it once in a UG base five color deck, and even there it wasn't great.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5C morph and Warriors are both fun (and good), but I also loved playing RG base Savage Punch type deck. Unfortunately, the deck doesn't do well against decks with heavy removal, but it was a blast to play.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Hmm, I guess Jeskai/Temur? In order to beat decks that have a lot of removal, you need a fairly high creature count, making it really hard to fit in the non-creature spells that make Jeskai and Temur good.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Eh, I don't have a good answer for this. None of the colors seemed overly good/bad in this set.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I've been playing very on/off for a long time, so I never played Innistrad or Eldrazi, but Khans is up with Invasion and original Ravnica as one of my top three draft formats. Morphs were handled very well, and the set is tempo oriented without being so fast that card advantage doesn't matter, which is great. I've noticed too that good play is as important as good deck building/drafting too.
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1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
2) Which common was better than you expected?
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
6) What was your favorite archetype?
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
[b]2) Which common was better than you expected?[/b]
[b]3) Which common was worse than you expected?[/b]
[b]4) What's the most underappreciated card?[/b]
[b]5) What's the worst common that people still play?[/b]
[b]6) What was your favorite archetype?[/b]
[b]7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?[/b]
[b]8) Which colors were the best and worst?[/b]
[b]9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?[/b]
I'm guessing about 60 drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Alabaster Kirin - has really good stats for the format, flying is very good and the vigilance is (surprisingly, to me) very relevant on this card. Interestingly, this is the common I have the least copies of online, which tells me I do still rate it lower than most other people.
Debilitating Injury - I couldn't get over the fact that it was a strictly worse Dead Weight at first. Obviously I still valued it relatively high, but I didn't realise how good it was in the format.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Force Away - I think it's a bit mediocre, I've cut it from Sealed decks several times now.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Blinding Spray (aka Cryptic Command) - nobody values this and I think this card is really, really good.
Tormenting Voice - this is the common I have the most of online.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Embodiment of Spring - not really playable.
Trumpet Blast - it's good if you have a LOT of tokens, but I see it in more decks than it should be in.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Goblinslide / WUBR control.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Temur.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best: blue and white. Worst: red.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I liked it a lot, because I could draft 4c control all the time and generally nobody is competing for it. There are a lot of cards that are valued differently by many people, and that's a great thing. It's not my favorite format ever, but it's in the top 5 or so.
Not as much as I would like. A few dozen.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I dunno, Abomination of Gudul? I expected it to be fairly good, but it took over games more than expected. Arrow Storm also was more playable in draft than I expected.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Jeskai Windscout? Tiny evasion deck wasn't really a thing, and prowess was less explosive than I expected.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Azban Guide? It has been mvp for me in multiple decks. Stabilizes like a pro and can get out of hand with fight trickery. In all, multi-color cards in general were underrated in my meta.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Wetland Sambar, barely playable on turn 2, vomitous otherwise.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5 color good stuff!
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Aggro in general. I figured that there would always be one stupid-good aggro deck. Usually Mardu, occasionally a Warrior deck that came together or crazy Jeskai. And it was rare that aggro decks were there, let alone decent. Maybe too much fighting, maybe the cards just aren't there.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Red was the worst. Black wasn't great.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
As much as I hate KTK as a set filled with garbage cards, the draft format was kinda good. No insta-win bombs. No clearly dominant archetypes, and enough multicolor to reward good deck building.
24 drafts, 8 sealeds.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Rush of Battle. The card looks quite bad, but it's surprisingly annoying to play against. Myself, I didn't play it much (maybe twice), as it's not a card that goes into the sort of deck I like to draft.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Longshot Squad. Looks like a reasonable card; it's decently sized and should have a lot of upside in the lategame. But he kept failing to impress me, and though he clearly isn't bad, he was worse than I expected.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Krumar Bond-Kin is a card I'm glad people don't play more of. It's very often that I'm thinking "this block should work out... as long as it's not a Krumar Bond-Kin". That's a product of the deck I'm often playing: some durdly control deck with Monastery Flocks and Archers' Parapet.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike. Embarrassingly bad card, yet people keep jamming it against me. Granted, fewer than in the beginning of the format, but still.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5-color control. I love getting to play Charms, and I love being able to use the morph mechanic as manafixing.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
2-color aggro other than B/W Warriors.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best: white. Worst: red.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Pretty good format. A higher number of non-games than in many other formats, but also a higher number of great games than in many other formats. Doesn't quite crack my top 5 limited formats of all time, but is certainly top 10 for me.
I played about 60 sealed phantom events online, and maybe 12 swiss drafts online, and a further two or three 8-4 drafts online. Also I played quite a few (10 - 15) 4-person "new to magic online" KTK drafts (because they're a cheap and easy way to fill time between other events). I rarely play 8-4 except when I'm on tilt and just want to "go big or go home", because I generally cannot stomach single elimination events.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Dragonscale Boon. I never would have even considered the card as playable but someone on these forums said it was better than they thought and I decided to give it a try. From that point on, I specifically tried to get one in every deck that I could fit it in.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Hooting Mandrills. I thought "wow sometimes you'll get to play a 4/4 for 1 mana!" and expected it to be an almost unfair common. But it turns out that a vanilla 4/4 is not very impressive in this format and there are other delve cards commonly available that are much better, if you want to play delve.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I guess I'll evaluate this based on deciding which card came back around more often than I expected in the drafts I played. And I'd have to say Savage Punch. Yes, people definitely appreciate it, and yes I was really surprised how many I was able to pull. So people must have been taking other things over it more often than I would.
Honorable mention to Kin-Tree Invocation. That + Archer's Parapet (or Dragon's Eye Savants if you're really living the dream) can get you a 5/5 or 6/6 on turn 3, which is just nuts. And yet people hardly ever played it against me, so I suspect most people didn't put it in their decks.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Scaldkin would be at the top of my list. Not many people play it but I do run into it from time to time. Whenever I see one I consider it an immediate flag that the person is new to the format or new to Magic.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Probably Secret Plans (no surprise there!) + 5 color morphs. It was really fun to play and pulled out some amazing come from behind victories for me.
However, I believe that I came around to, and had easily the most success with, outlast lords + instant speed counters. Combined with some green beef and black/white/green removal, it's just so consistent and strong.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Well there was a card that wasn't nearly as good as I expected, and that was Villainous Wealth. I saw that thing whiff so many times (spend 9 mana and get one or two weak creatures out of it). I always felt bad for the person to whom it happened because it feels like you're about to just blow your opponent away and the whole thing fizzles into almost nothing. Also, thanks for milling away those 5 lands that I didn't want to draw.
For archetypes though, I guess I thought that ramp to fatties (Temur) would be better. It beat me once or twice but ramp was very uncommon as a strategy.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Green and blue were best, although the triple of green, black, and white was probably the most successful (Abzan, no surprise there). Worst was red. But I shy away from red in every format, it's just not a color that does stuff that I enjoy (fast weenies and burn, bores me to death). I actually really liked that red was so weak in KTK because it meant that the kinds of decks I liked to play tended to be better than usual.
I probably played pure Jeskai colors only two or three times and each time, it failed miserably as some of my worst performing decks.
Played pure Mardu only two or three times also and it did better than Jeskai, but not much.
I almost always was some mis-mash of green + some combination of white, black, and blue.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Well I for one really liked it. I tend to play alot of MTGO for anywhere from a few months to almost a year, then quit for a while. And so I skip alot of sets, and haven't played as many as most people have. But my top three are original Ravnica block, Return to Ravnica block, and KTK. I guess I really like multicolor. KTK was the most multi-colored of any block I have ever played. I think I like it best. I am really looking forward to FRF because I think that manifest is just about the most clever mechanic they have ever come up with and I think it will combine with morph to make for possibly the most interesting and varied games that I have ever played.
Maybe 30 drafts, and a few sealed.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Crippling Chill was a card that I really underestimated at the beginning of the format. And Mystic of the Hidden Way also ends up being better than I would have guess, although it was obviously pretty good. Also Abzan Guide is a much more relevant tempo swing than I imagined it would be. I still look at that card and wonder why it's such a beating so often, but hey, it works. As an honorable mention even though it's an uncommon, I also didn't really rate Raider's Spoils at all, but it's a legitimate thing.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Glacial Stalker. It's still obviously fine, but it's very often a card I'm relieved to see when it unmorphs against me because there are so many worse things it could have been, and it just isn't that hard to deal with.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Archer's Parapet is down pretty far compared to how useful it is, I think. Barrage of Boulders is criminally underplayed. I think Alpine Grizzly is underplayed, too.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Trumpet Blast, easily. That card is a trap that people are constantly falling into.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
I like Jeskai better than anything, but I ended up as Abzan a lot.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Temur was generally hard to draft. The trouble with it ended up being that UG was so full of morph stuff that Temur wasn't really capable of putting together a simple efficient curve. Sultai was generally a better option to use UG because it was less dependant on having good tempo.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
White is the best color, and blue is also the best color. Red is not great. Green has good cards but I'm generally not super happy with my deck when I end up in green, for whatever reason.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
BW Warriors and Jeskai control are both fun decks to play that attack the format in unique ways. Sultai and/or 5-color control are real decks but not at all to my taste. Feat of Resistance is the most fun card in the set.
30 drafts or so, plus a paper prerelease and an online prerelease.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Feat of Resistance. It looked solid to good up front, but it turned out to be excellent. I'd put it right up there in the conversation for best common in the set.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I agree about Hooting Mandrills. Even if you were pulling it out early on turn 4, you couldn't confidently attack or block a morph with it the next turn for fear of a Snowhorn Rider or Glacial Stalker or something.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Just to be different I'll say I saw Sultai Soothsayers a lot later than I expected, at least early on. I would get them 12th or 13th pick online sometimes.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Embodiment of Spring is a card that I've always been happy to see my opponents play. Often they don't even get a chance to sac it for a land, making it more or less a Healing Salve.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
UG something or other. Sometimes it was Sultai, sometimes it was Temur, sometimes it was 5C-UG Morph, sometimes it was Abzultai or Sultemur. I really really like UG in this set.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
It feels like Wizards wanted there to be multiple aggro, or at least tempo-aggro, archetypes available in the format, but they rarely came together for me. I had one great Mardu deck early in the format and one great BW warriors deck, and they basically haven't happened since. I haven't really faced off against many that have been scary to play against either.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Yeah red was the worst. I don't think there's much room for disagreement there unless you want to nominate black, but I still think red was measurably worse. White was strong, but it also felt overdrafted, so I was content to be in blue-green.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I like it a lot. I think the release of FRF is coming at a good time - I'm very interested in seeing how the format changes, but it's coming soon enough that I don't feel like I'm burned out on the whole face-down creature thing.
A bit over 50 drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Not much better but I would say that I like Alpine Grizzly more than I did during spoiler season. It can be blanked by many 2 drops but many people don't play 2 drops, or if you can follow up with a Savage Punch or Awaken the Bear to destroy a morph and do 5-6 damage then that could be a very good exchange.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Tie between Ainok Tracker and Unyielding Krumar, both of which I thought were okay during spoiler season but in my view they are not okay and I try to avoid playing them (except the kumar in a deck which takes advantage of warriors). Paying 5 mana to unmorph and only boost the creature by 1/1 is very underwhelming.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I don't have one in mind. The cards I think are good I have seen comments from others that they are good.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
I've seen some very bad cards played over the past few months. I guess Firehoof Cavalry.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Depends upon what I draft. I enjoy most all of the ones I have played, which is a lot of variety.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I can't get mardu tokens to work out well. The only couple of times I was able to draft many of the token-generating cards I just didn't draw those and the boosts at the right time. The deck works fine so maybe I just have to try again, although that's not the type of play I enjoy the most.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
They all seem fine to me.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Very fun format. I like the variety of valid deck types and the balance. Sure if you can get a full-on optimized warrior deck, or a blue-green tempo deck, with all of the right pieces then you can be mostly unbeatable but that's pretty rare to get all of the pieces like that in my view.
A paper prerelease, and then it looks like I've done 30 KTK drafts on MTGO.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Barrage of Boulders. I thought of this as being basically unplayable, and maybe you would side it in if you had a lot of high power creatures and the matchup was stally, but now I'm happy to maindeck a copy whenever I think it will be ferocious most of the time. The key I think is that a) stalls are more common in Tarkir than a lot of other sets and b) the decks you're least likely to stall against are the decks where the main effect is more likely to be useful because of Ponyback Brigade/Mardu Hordechief/Firehoof Cavalry and the like.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I was expecting Throttle to be very solid since Lash of the Whip was in Theros, but I was not impressed with it at all. (Certainly still playable, but not the highest pick)
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Dutiful Return doesn't get sided in enough, I think (in the sense that I have literally never had it cast against me). In any attrition matchup where your deck has strong creatures, Dutiful Return can give you a huge edge in a long game, as weak as it is. If we're also talking about uncommons, Waterwhirl is insane but I regularly get it 6th-8th pick.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
I don't think there are any commons that I would never play or side in. I think Lens of Clarity, Feed the Clan, Erase, Naturalize, and Shatter are the only commons I would categorize this way. Probably Embodiment of Spring is the card that I see the most regularly that should rarely be played. I would only play it if blue and green were both central colors in roughly equal frequency, and I was splashing a third color.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Probably 5-color control, although recently I've been playing around with U/R or U/W 6-creature Quiet Contemplation or Goblinslide decks and they are a lot of fun.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Straight 3 color decks never seemed worthwhile despite the flavor of the set. I would always either rather be 2 color with a splash of a third color or full 5 color (with 1 or 2 base colors hopefully).
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I think they were all pretty strong, and equal enough that the open deck is more important.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Pretty fun. At the worst the decks turn into slow, stalled games full of bland creatures, but I really like the flexibility of mana and the consistency of the decks in this format. 5-color control is a lot of fun and prowess and delve are both very interesting mechanics.
About 15 drafts and 3 sealeds
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Debilitating Injury. I was really surprised how much morphs are played and how much havoc it wrecks among them. HM to Crippling Chill and Rush of Battle.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Probably Jeskai Windscout. It ended up too fragile and save for some explosive draws, lacking in the long run.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Hm. Tough one, but I would say Tormenting Voice. This has done wonders for me in every deck I played with that. Among the other rarities, Kin-Tree Invocation (killer after T1 Disowned Ancestor or Dragon's Eye Savants)
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike and/or Trumpet Blast.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5C Trail of Mystery morphs, and recently Mardu or BW warriors.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Straightforward Jeskai.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Virtually any two-color combination with red. Best? I was really amazed on the performance of BW and UG decks.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Basically what the guy above me said. Fun, great variety, even there is a space for occassional rogue strategies. Certainly one of the best I have played (then again, save for Gatecrash with crazy Boros, and maybe Avacyn Restored, I can hardly remember Limited that I did not like.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Maybe 30 to 40ish drafts?
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Highland Game. Cannot emphasize how many games it has kept me in against the more aggressive jeskai / mardu decks. Its not the fastest format ever but you still have to be prepared for some quick starts and trading him with any other 2 or 3 drop is just a good feeling.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Scaldkin. Its not completely terrible, but a 2/2 for 4 just doesn't cut it even with those abilities. On another note, crackling triton would have been insane in this format.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Weave Fate. I've found instant counts for so freaking much in this format, and I always want to have some card draw as well. Its a little bit weaker than treasure cruise limited wise, but not by much.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Probably Valley Dasher. Worst 2 drop in the format
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Sultai sultai sultai. Draw lots of cards, kill all the things and drown your opponent in card advantage.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I think most of the archetypes turned out fairly roughly as to what I expected. I guess Jeskai was "worse" than I expected, in that I thought it was going to be the team that forced everyone to play aggro, but that wasn't the case.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Its hard to say which colour is best, but I'd say red is quite likely the worst.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I've quite liked it on a whole. I don't think I'll ever get over just how bad removal has become in the past 2 years or so, but I'm at least happy a semi-control deck can actually compete in this format. I think the clans are about as balanced as you could make them and there are some very fun strategies to be had (goblin slide, secret plans etc) when your bored and just want to have a creative draft. So all in all, I think it was a pretty successful format.
About 30 or so drafts I reckon.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Wooley Loxodon, looked like an unplayable fatty when I first saw it.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
The banner cycle. Dissapointingly unplayable.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Become Immense - For a matchwinner I have seen this card wheel more times than I can believer.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Rakhasa's secret.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
UG morph/Temur midrange. Lots of midcard advantage and not as overdrafted as Warriors or Abzan.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
RW aggro. Between morph and lifelands, it was just too hard to quickly beat down.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I think White was probably the best, it had the strongest outlast cards and decent removal/evasion.
Blue was the worst, no decent common flyers and too few temp options.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I have to admit I softened on Kahns over Christmas. I don't think it'll ever have fond memories for me but it's not as terrible as I first found it back in November. OK but not great set for limited.
1) How much have you played with the format, roughly?
Lots. Hard to say. Closed beta League testing turned the experience into a blur.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Alabaster Kirin. I initially thought of it as filler but now I put it in every white deck. Early in the season I got a ptq pool with three of them and played zero (I was too busy playing real gangster white cards like High Sentinels and Suspension Field.) I think I would easily find room for them now.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Krumar Bond-Kin. Used to be make the first pass of what I'm eager to play, now it's filler like War Behemoth. I suppose the problem is that it dies to so many removal spells and trades to easily. After all, it is an Alpine Grizzly with +1/+1.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
I feel like this is a draft-specific question, so skip.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Monastery Flock
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Jeskai Control with multiple Master the Way, draw spells, Warden of the Eyes, other removal spells. Worse than good Abzan decks but more fun to play, and you can feel the grief.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
4color bad manabase
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Abzan best Temur worst. Single color, white best red worst. So many worthless red cards.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
Would have been much better if they didn't print any Banners and instead printed Terramorphic Expanse and Traveler's Amulet to help every pool run its best cards instead of the cards its lands can support. I am very fearful of how bad Fate Reforged is going to be now that we know we didn't get anything like that.
50ish drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I don't want to repeat answers so I'll say Mystic of the Hidden Way. 3 power unblockable is good of course, but typically this type of creature is not very good because it doesn't block well and is much more expensive than the removal that kills it. Mystic found itself in an environment where stalemates are common (it doesn't need to block, other creatures have that covered), there's little 2-toughness removal, and the small amount that does exist is expended early on Morphs. Plus with the propensity for stalemates, having an unblockable creature is more relevant than in most sets.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
I'm still not entirely sure why Swift Kick is so bad. I get why it's not optimal, but Pit Fight was a great card, and this is Pit Fight + minor power bonus for just 2 more mana. Also everyone remarks about how Savage Punch rarely backfires -- it feels like it should, but it doesn't. Of course Savage Punch is much better but I feel like Swift Kick should be a low end playable.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Kind of a non-answer, but all of the lower powered Morphs. Guys like Kin-Tree Warden, Sage-Eye Harrier, Sidisi's Pet, etc. The floor for any Morph creature is higher than people think because it's a 2/2 for 3 that makes your opponent nervous. I don't think people appreciated the bluffing aspect of throwing these guys in as 21st-22nd cards. Honestly I could find ways to get value out a Morph that could never flip up. I wouldn't want to run it but I'd rather have that than a legitimately bad creature that I can't bluff with.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
I still see too many Taigam's Scheming in the Swiss queues.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Probably UG with some light splashing. Good combination of evasion and still having some beef available. The removal in this set is underpowered anyway so I gravitated toward one of the traditionally removal-light color pairs.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I figured Prowess would be more of a thing. Various Jeskai-colored strategies work just fine, but Prowess rarely factors in as anything more than a nice-to-have ability. We were all sort of suspicious of Prowess since it didn't seem worth cramming your deck full of bad spells but I figured R&D had figured something out. Turns out we were right.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Pretty sure Red is the worst, and White-Black is the best but it all depends on what's open. It's not like M15 where White was the best color regardless of what was going on. Nothing in Tarkir is so good or so bad that you can win with an overdrafted color.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
It's been one of my favorite formats. I never got into Innistrad the way other people did so for me it's in the running for one of the best formats. I usually get tired of a format after 20-30 drafts but I can still happily draft KTK. There's no degenerate strategy, you're always rewarded for things like reading signals, building a good mana base, and playing tight. That's really all I ask.
Weekly FNM draft, about 5x sealed, 4x two-headed giant draft (best format ever).
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Feat of Resistance. Especially if you get a slew of new abilities while dodging a removal spell.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Sagu Archer.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Quiet Contemplation. My removal now also freezes their guys? Sign me up!
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Ainok Tracker. At least it has morph.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Domain. In 2HG draft Goblinslide.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
I somehow never get Jeskai to work.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
I really like blue.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I love any format that supports me in running as many colours as possible. Also, those morphs remind me of Netrunner - great stuff.
Same with Monastery Flock, Bloodfire Expert, etc.
15-20 FNM Drafts.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
Just to be different, valley dasher. I thought 2/2 that must attack as absolute trash. I don't know if it's just my meta, but people made Mardu aggro work. Aggro warrior is a thing, and following this up with skullhunter and then some removal on the play is brutal. You're rapidly on the back pedal and then just fall for that other cards people are down on, trumpet blast. I've been screwed over by poneyback brigade followed by blast when I thought I had stabilized.
More realistically, the crippling chill.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Singing Bell Strike. And I didn't value it highly initially.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Not sure. In my meta, dragonscale boon still goes later than it should. I never have problem snatching one or two.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Singing Bell Strike and monastery flock. The strike is particularly bad, because I've rarely seen aggro Jeskai work fast enough to make it relevant. Flock is just a wall. The best that can be said for it is the mystery of morph means you'll sometimes waste a debilitating injury on it. By comparison, Archers' Parapet is equivalent and has long game applicability.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
Well, by the force of things, Abzan. It's not my favorite, but I often end up there.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Jeskai. It's still good, but I thought that it would dominate as it had all the flyers, but it lacks some firepower if it fails to find its tempo cards.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Best, probably white. Worse, red, but, in some perverse way, green too, as it's often over-drafted and its best cards go in many deck, so it's bad because people over-value or over pick it.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I liked it, except the 5-colors deck that keep picking all the good cards from others. Shooo, shooo, 5-colors players!
About 15 drafts and 5 sealed.
2) Which common was better than you expected?
I initially thought Canyon Lurkers was basically unplayable, but in an aggressive deck, being able to morph for four and kill walls or trade with the bigger morphs is actually really nice.
3) Which common was worse than you expected?
Hmm, I guess Kin-Tree Warden is worse than I initially thought, as having mana up to regenerate is a bit of a pain, and there are generally better morphs that you can play. I still think he's a little underrated though.
4) What's the most underappreciated card?
Tormenting Voice is something that I love to have, especially in sealed, yet I don't see it played very often. Due to needing to run extra land in this format, and the importance of hitting 3 and 5 mana, Tormenting Voice is great for dealing with mana screw/flood, and it's something to do on turn two.
5) What's the worst common that people still play?
Others have said it, but Embodiment of Spring is the biggest one I see in otherwise good decks. As a blocker, it's quickly outclassed, and as a land fetcher, it's often that they don't have the mana to spare (or they have plenty of lands anyway). It needs both blue and green as well, so as a mana fixer it only works in base UG decks... but I often see it in UBg or GBu. I've played it once in a UG base five color deck, and even there it wasn't great.
6) What was your favorite archetype?
5C morph and Warriors are both fun (and good), but I also loved playing RG base Savage Punch type deck. Unfortunately, the deck doesn't do well against decks with heavy removal, but it was a blast to play.
7) Which archetype wasn't as good as you'd expected?
Hmm, I guess Jeskai/Temur? In order to beat decks that have a lot of removal, you need a fairly high creature count, making it really hard to fit in the non-creature spells that make Jeskai and Temur good.
8) Which colors were the best and worst?
Eh, I don't have a good answer for this. None of the colors seemed overly good/bad in this set.
9) Thoughts on the format as a whole?
I've been playing very on/off for a long time, so I never played Innistrad or Eldrazi, but Khans is up with Invasion and original Ravnica as one of my top three draft formats. Morphs were handled very well, and the set is tempo oriented without being so fast that card advantage doesn't matter, which is great. I've noticed too that good play is as important as good deck building/drafting too.