Started the draft with Baral's Expertise into Baral's Expertise, which put me firmly into blue, although it seemed to dry up later in the pack. Also opened Quicksmith Spy and Gonti, Lord of Luxury, then was passed Demon of Dark Schemes P3P3. So, I got really lucky on the bombs, but also had a well functioning deck. I wasn't running any non-creature artifacts, which does lower the power of the quicksmith, but I didn't get punished for it. Did get to grab Gonti back with Demon one time which was a complete blowout.
Not the most instructive draft ever, but bombs + removal is still a winning recipe for draft.
Almost certainly the most fun deck I will ever draft in this format. 3-0 in the competitive single elim league.
First pack was a total trainwreck. First picked Freejam, then Daring Demolition and Cruel Finality, then Thopter Arrest, then one of the maps, and then two blue cards, then two green cards. Pack 2 was basically all good black plus two more maps. The question of how much splashing I would be doing was settled by Dovin Bahn.
Barely squeaked out g3 rd 2, when I had exactly enough scrying from Watchful Automaton to get to Expertise at 1 life and wipe my opponent's board. Then rd 3 was anticlimactic as I won g1 fairly easily via lots or removal, then my opponent drew only forests g2.
The deck was fantastic - I don't think I lost a game. Vampire Aristocrat was a real MVP for me, and could often kill opponents out of nowhere, especially with Falkenrath Noble on the field. I think the format is pretty verdatile, speedwise - I finished all of my matches very quickly but there were quite a bit of people that had to go to turns. The deck was also great fun, and I think that this is a very good archetype.
3-0 with this thing. UW Blink is really the best archetype, followed closely by GW Tokens, and I didn't even draft any haymakers like Deadeye Navigator or Restoration Angel:
Being able to counter removal AND get an ETB effect out of it went a long way towards winning, as did getting two ETB effects at will thanks to Ghostly Flicker. Mistmeadow Witch was by far the MVP, and Talon Trooper is surprisingly good in this format.
Shoutout to the first striking Knights for roadblocking X/3s all day long between two of them.
Drafted a pretty filthy Sultai control deck last night with triple Dinrova Horror and Deadeye Navigator. The Spiders and Webs were pretty handy too in keeping me alive:
MM3 is great! 4 colour durdle control appears to be my archetype of choice. Won today's draft with this deck. People kept passing me great removal, so I had to cram all of them into the deck.
So far my problem in the format is that I think I tend to draft midrangey decks that beat other midrange decks, and stomp aggressive decks, but lose to the more dedicated control decks with strong win conditions.
Today I finally broke my 2-1 streak and went 3-0 with a RB sacrifice aggro deck though!
MM3 is great! 4 colour durdle control appears to be my archetype of choice. Won today's draft with this deck. People kept passing me great removal, so I had to cram all of them into the deck.
And here I got excited about making Cruel Ultimatum work in Limited. But you've pulled it off in a base-green deck!!
Apparently there are good Grixis cards that noone wants. I count 13 potential 2-for-1s (and one 8-for-1). Value.
Yes, I got to Forbidden Alchemy into Soul Manipulation (binning a creature), then use Soul Manipulation's "both" mode to counter something and return the creature.
I did 3 drafts today when Amonkhet got released online and was fortunate enough to 3-0 2 of them (the other one was a catastrophic 0-2-drop). The decks could not be more different either - the first was an aggressive, punishing R/G exert deck, while the latter was a bit of a trainwreck draft that I salvaged by turning it into a 3-color green ramp deck and playing multiple Gift of Paradise to win either with accelerated Colossapede and River Serpent or Sandwurm Convergence (of the 6 games I won, the Sandwurm Convergence was responsible for 3 of them - in game 3 of the finals I waited about 6 turns with it in my hand because my opponent was telegraphing multiple counterspells, until they played their second copy of Cancel and I immediately jammed it the next turn)
Aven Wind Guide won most of the games, and Edifice of Authority was ridiculously good.
I played 41 cards because I'm greedy. Looking back, if I were to cut one, it would have been Aven Initiate.
My first pick was my packs rare, Samut, because I wanted to try her. My second pack had no great Red or Green but a decent amount of white so I took the Vizer. My next two picks were also white in Cast Out and Gust Walker. Pick 5 was Prepare to Fight and I didn't look back. White was SUPER open in my draft. I was getting Compulsory Rest and a third Winged Shepherd I didn't end up playing deep into the third back.
Matches were UB Cycling in match 1, Esper Control in match 2, and UG... something in match 3. Esper was the hardest matchup. Game 1 I got them down to 1 life and I still think I misplayed a bit and should have won but they had all the removal and the 5/3 sphinx. I sided in Forsake the Worldly for them and UG. Lay Claim is a real card and as it turns out so is Bounty of the Luxa. In the end, 5 and a half removal spells and a ton of Green and White (splash Red) beef was good enough. I had to win every match in 3 though. Still, the deck felt dirty when it got going.
I went 3-0 last Friday with a very aggro WR deck with exert. I started with 10 red cards, 3 green and two white after the first pack. Second pack solidified me in red and push white forward. By the third pack, I had decided to go all-in aggro and not fill the top end of my deck but just keep drafting 2 and 3 drops plus combat tricks. (Note: 2 of my 5-drop have cycling.)
I didn't keep the deck, so the list is approximate (95%+ accurate).
First round I played against GB and won 2-1. My one loss was mulliganing to 5 (first hand had 5 lands, second 1) then being on the back foot as my opponent was playing first and always had removal or combat tricks. All games were ridiculously fast.
Second round was against UW. My deck was way too fast for him and I won two quick games.
Last round was against mardu. His deck was like mine (the curve a bit higher) and he had the RB minotaur lord. The game were tight and I won off removal and combat tricks.
MVP:
Anh-Crop Crasher: haste + no block is jus great to keep the attacks coming. brute strength: allow dealing the final points of damage. Won many game by plying this in the ultimate turn. bloodrage brawler + consuming fervor: even without fervor, playing first into that wo drop deals a ton of damage. Having the combo means my opponent is in chump-block mode from the get-go.
My second 3-0 in AHK. I can't do worse than 2-1 in this format but 3-0's are so elusive for me! Ah well. This deck was all beef all the time. MVP's are Trial of Zeal and the attack all option on MTGO. It's not like they were the only players but honestly, this deck liked any creature it drew as long as it could turn sideways. Trial of Zeal into untap Cartouche, Trial of Zeal won many a game.
OP's were Match 1: Jund with a salty pilot. Stuck on 2 lands until turn 5 but I still just had a lucky draw game 1. Game 2 he belittled my Quarry Hauler and Hexproof croc before scooping.
Match 2 was the RG mirror who was less salty. Game 1 was a slugfest but I hit just a little harder with the aforementioned Red Trial/Cartouche "combo". Game 2 they were missing a color and I steamrolled.
Match 3 was WB tokens. Game 1 I steamrolled. Game 2 I mulled to 5. They were very aggressive trying to close the game out early but Trial of Zeal and enough creatures to stabilize me until I could overwhelm them with cartouches and swing in for damage won me the day. SUPER TIGHT though.
This deck is everything I always want to draft. Gruul Lyfe.
I was such a great Kaladesh drafter but ever since Amonkhet came out, I have just felt 'off'. I've been practicing and practicing and finally I realized that I was really good at reading the draft field with colorless cards abound, but I've really been struggling to understand what works, what's good, and draft signals with Amonkhet. This draft I actually started off in blue/red, then white red, then went white blue. By pack 2 when I opened Vizier, and was passed two angler drake, I knew I should go U, and then I decided I'd try Embalm, as white seemed to also be open. This is my first 3-0 of the Amonkhet drafts.
I'm worried that my strategy is less "understand the field and build the best combination possible" and more "open bombs people can't deal with". This deck helped alleviate that, as I netted massive card advantage with the interaction of devoted crop mate with all the 2-drops. The removal was just enough to get me there, and I squeaked by GR, GW, and RB. They were all ridiculously hard games that really challenged me, which is exactly what I need.
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Was running the Painted Bluffs for Fight and Finish worthwhile? I'm in a league right now with a Boros deck running the Bluffs to splash Fight and I'm wondering if I should bother with that crappy land or just give up on the aftermath value.
Was running the Painted Bluffs for Fight and Finish worthwhile? I'm in a league right now with a Boros deck running the Bluffs to splash Fight and I'm wondering if I should bother with that crappy land or just give up on the aftermath value.
I hate lands like Painted Bluffs. The only reason I ran it that time was because I was able to grab one late at no cost, it let me jump from 2 colors to 4 with only 1 land, and it only affected Aftermath so no cards in hand were unplayable if I didn't draw it. I took both Prepare // Fight and Start // Finish around pack 3 picks 7-9, because surprisingly no one wanted them and even the white sides were better than anything else in those packs. But I hadn't planned to splash, so I had no other fixing. Painted Bluffs seemed better than basic Forests or Swamps.
Was it worth greedily trying to support the Aftermath? I only had the chance to cast Fight and Finish once each, and both times I was already so far ahead I didn't need them. I was still glad to have access to extra removal in case opponent had better draws. With virtually no double color costs and a grindy deck of 2-for-1s, I figured I could afford a little greed.
I wouldn't play Painted Bluffs in Boros just to support one Aftermath card. The odds of the two cards lining up are lower. The tempo loss of a crappy land will hurt you more in fast aggro.
So far, I have yet to see an AKH draft where U/B isn't completely underdrafted. I don't mind going U/B, as people keep passing me bombs and cyclers. Lifelink seems to be almost mandatory for the archetype, so I'm always happy to get a black cartouche. In the below deck, I was lucky to get the Archfiend passed in the third booster.
As for the Painted Bluffs, I enjoy their interaction with Naga Vitalist. Full greed on the splashes!
R/B aggro (3-0) - this deck was probably the strongest of the three, curving out nicely every game with enough removal and evasion to push through the last bit of damage, especially with two Javelineers and a red Cartouche. The Archfiend of Ifnir didn't even end up mattering, as my opponent was usually dead by the time I got to 5 lands. The (foil) Harsh Mentor was way better than I expected it to be.
U/W (2-0-1, first in pod) - this one was a lot more interesting, basically stalling the board with fan bearer and [[Edifice of Authority]] while chipping away with Slither Blades until it could have a combo turn with [[Trial of Solidarity]]. With two white trials, a blue trial, and two Cartouches, it was able to grind pretty well while having a lot of explosive potential. I also had one game where I was able to combo out my opponent and deal lethal damage on turn 4 with only three lands in play.
The deck was definitely built around the white trials, which I opened very early, and otherwise I would have gone in a totally different direction. In general, I think Sacred Cat is just filler, but when you can turn a bunch of them into 3/2s or 5/4s they get a lot better. The Drake Haven was my first pick and didn't end up doing anything, although I still think it was good in the deck - I just never drew it.
Junk tokens (2-0-1, first in pod) - this one was the worst of the three, but also the coolest. [[Anointed Procession]], [[Oketra's Monument]], [[Anointer Priest]] and a bunch of embalm creatures and token producers makes for some nutty combo turns. I ended up splashing black for [[Decimator Beetle]] and some nice black removal, which gave it way more late game power. Unfortunately, without the monument I ended up with a bunch of dopey 1/1s in a couple games, although I was still able to pilot it into first place.
I really like Greed in this format. The premium cards have such high power level that they're worth splashing.
This deck didn't even have any mana fixing or as much splash value as some of the above lists, and I wasn't even short on playables, but adding 3 Swamp still seemed good.
I should start a thread on how chronically underdrafted blue is. I don't get why you guys hate on it so much. Another 3-0 today playing monoblue control.
Having so many bombs helped. But this is what happens when everyone else is avoiding a color. I should not be getting passed Vizier of Many Faces and Angler Drakes in picks 3-5, or wheeling Pull from Tomorrow (which I drew 7 cards off once).
Draft Viewer
Started the draft with Baral's Expertise into Baral's Expertise, which put me firmly into blue, although it seemed to dry up later in the pack. Also opened Quicksmith Spy and Gonti, Lord of Luxury, then was passed Demon of Dark Schemes P3P3. So, I got really lucky on the bombs, but also had a well functioning deck. I wasn't running any non-creature artifacts, which does lower the power of the quicksmith, but I didn't get punished for it. Did get to grab Gonti back with Demon one time which was a complete blowout.
Not the most instructive draft ever, but bombs + removal is still a winning recipe for draft.
Almost certainly the most fun deck I will ever draft in this format. 3-0 in the competitive single elim league.
First pack was a total trainwreck. First picked Freejam, then Daring Demolition and Cruel Finality, then Thopter Arrest, then one of the maps, and then two blue cards, then two green cards. Pack 2 was basically all good black plus two more maps. The question of how much splashing I would be doing was settled by Dovin Bahn.
Barely squeaked out g3 rd 2, when I had exactly enough scrying from Watchful Automaton to get to Expertise at 1 life and wipe my opponent's board. Then rd 3 was anticlimactic as I won g1 fairly easily via lots or removal, then my opponent drew only forests g2.
Felt good, I gotta say.
3x Mobile Garrison
1x Daring Demolition
1x Lightning Runner
1x Unlicensed Disintegration
1x Sky Skiff
2x Aether Chaser
2x Chandra's Revolution
1x Hungry Flames
1x Speedway Fanatic
1x Sweatworks Brawler
1x Dhund Operative
1x Augmented Automation
1x Wrangle
1x Siege Modification
1x Welder Automation
1x Implement of Compbustion
1x Cruel Finality
1x Salivating Gremlins
9x Mountain
7x Swamp
1 Gnawing Zombie
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Vithian Stinger
1 Vampire Aristocrat
1 Kathari Bomber
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Sprouting Thrinax
1 Mudbutton Torchrunner
1 Hellrider
1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
1 Vital Splicer
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Rubblebelt Maaka
1 Dragon Fodder
1 Fists of Ironwood
1 Magma Jet
1 Ground Assault
1 Terminate
1 Call of the Herd
2 Golgari Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Savage Lands
3 Forest
5 Mountain
4 Swamp
The deck was fantastic - I don't think I lost a game. Vampire Aristocrat was a real MVP for me, and could often kill opponents out of nowhere, especially with Falkenrath Noble on the field. I think the format is pretty verdatile, speedwise - I finished all of my matches very quickly but there were quite a bit of people that had to go to turns. The deck was also great fun, and I think that this is a very good archetype.
1x Ornithopter
1x Aether Swooper
1x Eager Construct
1x Cogwork Assembler
1x Dukhara Peafowl
1x Foundry Assembler
1x Self-Assembler
1x Bastion Inventor
1x Noxious Gearhulk
1x Universal Solvent
1x Select for Inspection
1x Servo Schematic
1x Cogworker's Puzzleknot
1x Ice Over
2x Prophetic Prism
4x Metallic Rebuke
2x Whir of Invention
1x Disallow
1x Baral's Expertise
14x Island
2x Swamp
1 Youthful Knight
1 Mistmeadow Witch
2 Attended Knight
2 Kor Hookmaster
2 Talon Trooper
1 Wing Splicer
2 Mist Raven
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
2 Sensor Splicer
1 Urbis Protector
2 Momentary Blink
2 Ghostly Flicker
3 Pitfall Trap
Sorcery (1)
1 Serum Visions
Artifact (1)
1 Azorius Signet
Land (16)
2 Azorius Guildgate
1 Seaside Citadel
7 Plains
6 Island
Being able to counter removal AND get an ETB effect out of it went a long way towards winning, as did getting two ETB effects at will thanks to Ghostly Flicker. Mistmeadow Witch was by far the MVP, and Talon Trooper is surprisingly good in this format.
Shoutout to the first striking Knights for roadblocking X/3s all day long between two of them.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Penumbra Spider
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Spire Monitor
2 Dinrova Horror
1 Broodmate Dragon
1 Magma Jet
1 Ground Assault
1 Putrefy
1 Auger Spree
1 Grisly Spectacle
2 Soul Ransom
1 Rewind
1 Urban Evolution
1 Cruel Ultimatum
1 Dimir Guildgate
3 Simic Guildgate
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Savage Lands
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Swamp
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Mountain
Today I finally broke my 2-1 streak and went 3-0 with a RB sacrifice aggro deck though!
And here I got excited about making Cruel Ultimatum work in Limited. But you've pulled it off in a base-green deck!!
1 Goblin Electromancer
1 Azure Mage
2 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Sedraxis Specter
1 Moroii
1 Spire Monitor
1 Dinrova Horror
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
//Mana Rocks: 3
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Golgari Signet
//Planeswalker: 1
1 Liliana of the Veil
//Spells: 10
1 Agony Warp
1 Izzet Charm
1 Magma Jet
1 Auger Spree
1 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Soul Manipulation
1 Grisly Spectacle
1 Cruel Ultimatum
1 Crumbling Necropolis
2 Dimir Guildgate
2 Izzet Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
4 Island
4 Swamp
3 Mountain
1 Rewind
1 Cower in Fear
1 Thunderous Wrath
Apparently there are good Grixis cards that noone wants. I count 13 potential 2-for-1s (and one 8-for-1). Value.
Yes, I got to Forbidden Alchemy into Soul Manipulation (binning a creature), then use Soul Manipulation's "both" mode to counter something and return the creature.
1x Fan Bearer
1x Vizier of Deferment
1x Oketra's Attendant
1x Trueheart Duelist
1x Unwavering Initiate
1x Aven Initiate
1x Curator of Mysteries
1x Vizier of Tumbling Sands
1x Desert Cerodon
1x Battlefield Scavenger
1x Cast Out
1x Renewed Faith
1x Cartouche of Solidarity
1x Impeccable Timing
1x Drake Haven
1x Trial of Knowledge
1x Censor
2x Deem Worthy
1x Tormenting Voice
1x Edifice of Authority
16x Basic Lands
Aven Wind Guide won most of the games, and Edifice of Authority was ridiculously good.
I played 41 cards because I'm greedy. Looking back, if I were to cut one, it would have been Aven Initiate.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
2 Gust Walker
1 Channeler Initiate
1 Vizier of Deferment
1 Hooded Brawler
2 Pouncing Cheetah
1 Sparring Mummy
1 Quarry Hauler
1 Supply Caravan
1 Colossapede
1 Samut, Voice of Dissent
2 Winged Shepherd
1 Shefet Monitor
3 Compulsory Rest
2 Cast Out
1 Prepare // Fight
1 Evolving Wilds
8 Plains
8 Forest
Matches were UB Cycling in match 1, Esper Control in match 2, and UG... something in match 3. Esper was the hardest matchup. Game 1 I got them down to 1 life and I still think I misplayed a bit and should have won but they had all the removal and the 5/3 sphinx. I sided in Forsake the Worldly for them and UG. Lay Claim is a real card and as it turns out so is Bounty of the Luxa. In the end, 5 and a half removal spells and a ton of Green and White (splash Red) beef was good enough. I had to win every match in 3 though. Still, the deck felt dirty when it got going.
CUBE: http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/73964;jsessionid=2DE1F5FF41A24820A137448A2FD5CF8F
I LIKE DRAGONS!
I didn't keep the deck, so the list is approximate (95%+ accurate).
1 Consuming Fervor
1 Magma Spray
1 binding mummy
1 compulsory rest
2 battlefield scavenger
1 bloodrage brawler
1 Pathmaker Initiate
1 Nimble-Blade Khenra
1 Nef-Crop Entangler
2 Brute Strength
1 rhet-crop spearmaster
1 unwavering initiate
2 Thresher Lizard
2 Hyena Pack
1 sparring mummy
1 oketra's attendant
1 Deem Worthy
1 Trueheart Twins
First round I played against GB and won 2-1. My one loss was mulliganing to 5 (first hand had 5 lands, second 1) then being on the back foot as my opponent was playing first and always had removal or combat tricks. All games were ridiculously fast.
Second round was against UW. My deck was way too fast for him and I won two quick games.
Last round was against mardu. His deck was like mine (the curve a bit higher) and he had the RB minotaur lord. The game were tight and I won off removal and combat tricks.
MVP:
Anh-Crop Crasher: haste + no block is jus great to keep the attacks coming.
brute strength: allow dealing the final points of damage. Won many game by plying this in the ultimate turn.
bloodrage brawler + consuming fervor: even without fervor, playing first into that wo drop deals a ton of damage. Having the combo means my opponent is in chump-block mode from the get-go.
OP's were Match 1: Jund with a salty pilot. Stuck on 2 lands until turn 5 but I still just had a lucky draw game 1. Game 2 he belittled my Quarry Hauler and Hexproof croc before scooping.
Match 2 was the RG mirror who was less salty. Game 1 was a slugfest but I hit just a little harder with the aforementioned Red Trial/Cartouche "combo". Game 2 they were missing a color and I steamrolled.
Match 3 was WB tokens. Game 1 I steamrolled. Game 2 I mulled to 5. They were very aggressive trying to close the game out early but Trial of Zeal and enough creatures to stabilize me until I could overwhelm them with cartouches and swing in for damage won me the day. SUPER TIGHT though.
This deck is everything I always want to draft. Gruul Lyfe.
CUBE: http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/73964;jsessionid=2DE1F5FF41A24820A137448A2FD5CF8F
I LIKE DRAGONS!
2x Nimble-blade Khenra
1x Nef-crop entangler
1x bloodrage brawler
1x battlefield scavenger
2x miasmic mummy
3 drops
1x Baleful Ammit
2x wasteland scorpion
2x thresher lizard
1x neheb, the worthy
2x merciless javelineer
5 drops
1x horror of the broken lands
Non-Creature
1x cartouche of zeal
1x consuming fervor
1x brute strength
1x splendid agony
1x wander in death
1x electrify
1x liliana, death's majesty
1x stir the sands
1x wander in death
1x unburden
1x cartouche of zeal
1x fling
1x tormenting voice
2x pursue glory
I'm worried that my strategy is less "understand the field and build the best combination possible" and more "open bombs people can't deal with". This deck helped alleviate that, as I netted massive card advantage with the interaction of devoted crop mate with all the 2-drops. The removal was just enough to get me there, and I squeaked by GR, GW, and RB. They were all ridiculously hard games that really challenged me, which is exactly what I need.
This pod seriously undervalued white. I got some of these cards way too late.
2 Fan Bearer
1 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
1 Trueheart Duelist
3 Unwavering Initiate
1 Rhet-Crop Spearmaster
1 Vizier of Deferment
1 Aven Initiate
1 Tah-Crop Elite
2 Aven Wind Guide
1 Shimmerscale Drake
1 River Serpent
2 Impeccable Timing
1 Prepare // Fight
1 Start // Finish
2 Cast Out
1 Commit // Memory
1 Open into Wonder
//Lands: 17
1 Painted Bluffs
9 Plains
7 Island
1 Ancient Crab
1 Winds of Rebuke
1 Cancel
1 Supply Caravan
12 potential 2-for-1s...
I hate lands like Painted Bluffs. The only reason I ran it that time was because I was able to grab one late at no cost, it let me jump from 2 colors to 4 with only 1 land, and it only affected Aftermath so no cards in hand were unplayable if I didn't draw it. I took both Prepare // Fight and Start // Finish around pack 3 picks 7-9, because surprisingly no one wanted them and even the white sides were better than anything else in those packs. But I hadn't planned to splash, so I had no other fixing. Painted Bluffs seemed better than basic Forests or Swamps.
Was it worth greedily trying to support the Aftermath? I only had the chance to cast Fight and Finish once each, and both times I was already so far ahead I didn't need them. I was still glad to have access to extra removal in case opponent had better draws. With virtually no double color costs and a grindy deck of 2-for-1s, I figured I could afford a little greed.
I wouldn't play Painted Bluffs in Boros just to support one Aftermath card. The odds of the two cards lining up are lower. The tempo loss of a crappy land will hurt you more in fast aggro.
As for the Painted Bluffs, I enjoy their interaction with Naga Vitalist. Full greed on the splashes!
1 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
1 Baleful Ammit
2 Hekma Sentinels
1 Gravedigger
1 Naga Oracle
1 Vizier of Many Faces
2 Shimmerscale Drake
1 Archfiend of Ifnir
2 River Serpent
1 Cryptic Serpent
1 Splendid Agony
1 Cartouche of Ambition
2 Wander in Death
1 Rags // Riches
1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
1 Floodwaters
1 Lay Claim
1 Nissa, Steward of Elements
7 Island
5 Swamp
1 Painted Bluffs
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Canyon Slough
L1 Judge
R/B aggro (3-0) - this deck was probably the strongest of the three, curving out nicely every game with enough removal and evasion to push through the last bit of damage, especially with two Javelineers and a red Cartouche. The Archfiend of Ifnir didn't even end up mattering, as my opponent was usually dead by the time I got to 5 lands. The (foil) Harsh Mentor was way better than I expected it to be.
U/W (2-0-1, first in pod) - this one was a lot more interesting, basically stalling the board with fan bearer and [[Edifice of Authority]] while chipping away with Slither Blades until it could have a combo turn with [[Trial of Solidarity]]. With two white trials, a blue trial, and two Cartouches, it was able to grind pretty well while having a lot of explosive potential. I also had one game where I was able to combo out my opponent and deal lethal damage on turn 4 with only three lands in play.
The deck was definitely built around the white trials, which I opened very early, and otherwise I would have gone in a totally different direction. In general, I think Sacred Cat is just filler, but when you can turn a bunch of them into 3/2s or 5/4s they get a lot better. The Drake Haven was my first pick and didn't end up doing anything, although I still think it was good in the deck - I just never drew it.
Junk tokens (2-0-1, first in pod) - this one was the worst of the three, but also the coolest. [[Anointed Procession]], [[Oketra's Monument]], [[Anointer Priest]] and a bunch of embalm creatures and token producers makes for some nutty combo turns. I ended up splashing black for [[Decimator Beetle]] and some nice black removal, which gave it way more late game power. Unfortunately, without the monument I ended up with a bunch of dopey 1/1s in a couple games, although I was still able to pilot it into first place.
This deck didn't even have any mana fixing or as much splash value as some of the above lists, and I wasn't even short on playables, but adding 3 Swamp still seemed good.
1 Fan Bearer
2 Gust Walker
1 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
1 Labyrinth Guardian
1 Unwavering Initiate
1 Scribe of the Mindful
1 Aven Initiate
1 Tah-Crop Elite
1 Naga Oracle
2 Shimmerscale Drake
1 Seraph of the Suns
3 Essence Scatter
2 Impeccable Timing
1 Edifice of Authority
2 Final Reward
1 Start // Finish
1 Lay Claim
//Lands: 17
3 Swamp
7 Island
7 Plains
1 Impeccable Timing
1 Illusory Wrapping
1 Cancel
1 Sacred Cat
1 River Serpent
2 Seraph of the Suns
1 Winds of Rebuke
1 Hekma Sentinels
2 Seeker of Insight
1 Labyrinth Guardian
2 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
1 Scribe of the Mindful
1 Hekma Sentinels
1 Ancient Crab
2 Naga Oracle
1 Aven Initiate
1 Vizier of Many Faces
1 Shimmerscale Drake
1 Trueheart Twins
2 Angler Drake
1 Edifice of Authority
//Spells: 8
1 Essence Scatter
1 Censor
1 Winds of Rebuke
1 Reduce // Rubble
2 Electrify
1 Commit // Memory
1 Pull from Tomorrow
//Lands: 17
10 Island
7 Mountain
1 Winds of Rebuke
1 Cancel
1 Cartouche of Knowledge
2 Blazing Volley
1 Violent Impact
1 Seeker of Insight
1 Pathmaker Initiate
2 Manticore of the Gauntlet
1 Open into Wonder
Having so many bombs helped. But this is what happens when everyone else is avoiding a color. I should not be getting passed Vizier of Many Faces and Angler Drakes in picks 3-5, or wheeling Pull from Tomorrow (which I drew 7 cards off once).
2 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
1 Ancient Crab
1 Wasteland Scorpion
1 Soulstinger
1 Naga Oracle
1 Vizier of Many Faces
1 Aven Initiate
1 Shimmerscale Drake
1 Angler Drake
1 River Serpent
//Spells: 12
3 Essence Scatter
1 Lay Bare the Heart
1 Winds of Rebuke
1 Galestrike
1 Cast Out
1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
2 Final Reward
1 Floodwaters
1 Start // Finish
3 Painted Bluffs
1 Fetid Pools
8 Island
5 Swamp
1 Electrify
1 Wander in Death
1 Tah-Crop Elite
1 Decision Paralysis
1 Floodwaters
1 Pitiless Vizier
1 Grim Strider
1 Scarab Feast
1 Blazing Volley