After the train wreck that was Cap #6, I took a few days off from Magic and cleared my head. The tilt wore off as it always does, and I wanted to get back in the game. Thanks to those of you who encouraged me (which is actually in the replies to Cap #4) and helped me understand that Theros is not a block that rewards pure consistency, but rather decks that have consistent plans to get to big plays. I decided to sit down calmly and try to apply that thinking.
The Draft
------ JOU ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Grim Guardian
Aerial Formation
Satyr Hoplite
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
Oakheart Dryads
Font of Return
Cast into Darkness
Supply-Line Cranes
--> Setessan Tactics (FOIL)
Satyr Grovedancer
Phalanx Formation
Goldenhide Ox
Gold-Forged Sentinel
Pheres-Band Warchief
Island
Obvious. I don't even care that I'm passing decent Green, Tactics is too good.
Pack 1 pick 2:
Eagle of the Watch
Font of Fertility
Pharika's Chosen
Font of Fortunes
Sigiled Skink
Bladetusk Boar
Dreadbringer Lampads
Supply-Line Cranes
Thassa's Devourer
Skyspear Cavalry
Riptide Chimera
Spirespine
--> Eidolon of Blossoms
Forest
I'm curious what common was picked over this. Maybe a foil, that's possible. Blossoms is just pure value though and it's even worth a few tix.
Pack 1 pick 3:
Market Festival
Rotted Hulk
Hubris
Pensive Minotaur
Akroan Mastiff
Nature's Panoply
Triton Shorestalker
--> Ravenous Leucrocota
Font of Ire
Aspect of Gorgon
Spite of Mogis
Agent of Erebos
Plains
Pack 1 pick 4:
Harvestguard Alseids
Returned Reveler
Kruphix's Insight
Nature's Panoply
Mortal Obstinacy
Desecration Plague
Starfall
Consign to Dust
--> Nyx Weaver
Solidarity of Heroes
Bearer of the Heavens
Plains
Pack 1 pick 5:
Market Festival
Cloaked Siren
Rouse the Mob
Armament of Nyx
Humbler of Mortals
Renowned Weaver
Cruel Feeding
Chariot of Victory
Cyclops of Eternal Fury
--> Setessan Tactics
Swamp
WHAT??? This is pure insanity. LSV gave this spell a freakin' 4.5. Most sets don't even have a 4.5! I guess to the uninitiated it doesn't look bomby on paper but geez. Now I feel so much pressure to win this draft because who ever gets Double Setessan Tactics?! Note: That means I'm forcing Green, though obviously it appears to be open.
Pack 1 pick 6:
Font of Fortunes
Harvestguard Alseids
--> Golden Hind
Returned Reveler
Countermand
Font of Ire
Bloodcrazed Hoplite
Reprisal
Thassa's Ire
Island
Pack 1 pick 7:
Godhunter Octopus
Font of Vigor
Pin to the Earth
Pheres-Band Thunderhoof
Gluttonous Cyclops
Oppressive Rays
Rollick of Abandon
--> Spirespine
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 8:
Godhunter Octopus
Rouse the Mob
Font of Vigor
Thassa's Devourer
Gluttonous Cyclops
--> Starfall
Strength from the Fallen
Island
My 2nd color is still unclear. It could be Red.
Pack 1 pick 9:
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
Oakheart Dryads
Font of Return
Cast into Darkness
--> Satyr Grovedancer
Goldenhide Ox
Island
Pack 1 pick 10:
Eagle of the Watch
Font of Fertility
Dreadbringer Lampads
Thassa's Devourer
--> Riptide Chimera
Forest
I haven't seen this card in action yet, but I do want to try it. Obviously busted combo with Eidolon of Blossoms.
Pack 1 pick 11:
--> Market Festival
Font of Ire
Spite of Mogis
Agent of Erebos
Plains
Pack 1 pick 13:
Market Festival
--> Chariot of Victory
Swamp
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Thassa's Ire
Island
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Mountain
------ BNG ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Marshmist Titan
Chorus of the Tides
Mortal's Ardor
Fearsome Temper
Servant of Tymaret
Loyal Pegasus
Elite Skirmisher
Mortal's Resolve
Asphyxiate
Akroan Skyguard
--> Akroan Conscriptor
Acolyte's Reward
Bile Blight
Felhide Spiritbinder
Plains
I'm not picking Mortal's Resolve, so now it's time to think about my 2nd color. I have in the running: Nyx Weaver, Starfall, and Riptide Chimera. Nothing is really pulling me strongly. I decided to go with Conscriptor as the best available card but it's not something I need to commit to.
Pack 2 pick 3:
--> Nyxborn Wolf
Evanescent Intellect
Epiphany Storm
Servant of Tymaret
Great Hart
Satyr Wayfinder
Divination
Claim of Erebos
Skyreaping
Forlorn Pseudamma
Siren of the Silent Song
Plea for Guidance
Plains
Pack 2 pick 4:
Oreskos Sun Guide (FOIL)
Chorus of the Tides
Felhide Brawler
--> Swordwise Centaur
Griffin Dreamfinder
Culling Mark
Loyal Pegasus
Grisly Transformation
Nyxborn Rollicker
Archetype of Finality
Vortex Elemental
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 5:
Rise to the Challenge
--> Nyxborn Triton
Warchanter of Mogis
Forsaken Drifters
Revoke Existence
Sudden Storm
Kragma Butcher
Aspect of Hydra
Thassa's Rebuff
Pinnacle of Rage
Forest
The Green plan is going well, but I'm not delusional enough to think I'm going to play Mono. I could take Aspect here and it would be fine, but a 5th pick Nyxborn Triton feels late and might be a sign that I could get some playable Blue to round out this pack. I'm not going to cry over a missed Aspect if I don't end up in Blue.
Pack 2 pick 6:
Charging Badger
Pharagax Giant
Sphinx's Disciple
Ephara's Radiance
Forsaken Drifters
--> Fall of the Hammer
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Crypsis
Peregrination
Swamp
Ugh now I'm in that annoying spot where 2 support colors are open and I have to pick one.
Pack 2 pick 7:
Satyr Wayfinder
Pharagax Giant
--> Retraction Helix
Great Hart
Reckless Reveler
Nullify
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Meletis Astronomer
Island
OK, Blue is definitely more open in this direction, that Fall of the Hammer was a really weird anamoly I guess. Plus Blue is decent in Theros compared to Red which is bad, so it seems like the better plan.
Pack 2 pick 8:
Eye Gouge
Peregrination (FOIL)
Hold at Bay
--> Sudden Storm
Claim of Erebos
Deepwater Hypnotist
Stormcaller of Keranos
Island
Pack 2 pick 9:
Marshmist Titan
--> Chorus of the Tides
Mortal's Ardor
Fearsome Temper
Servant of Tymaret
Mortal's Resolve
Plains
Pack 3 pick 7:
--> Divine Verdict
Sip of Hemlock
Returned Phalanx
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
Rage of Purphoros
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
Swamp
Two missed packs in a row, that hurts. Verdict seems best against me.
Not many tough decisions to make. The deck has enough power that it doesn't need the Red splash, as good as Fall and Conscriptors would be as a splash. I have some flier removal and enchantment removal in the sideboard if necessary.
The Matches
Round 1 vs. WUB
Game 1 I kept a mediocre 2 land hand. I failed to draw my 3rd land. Opponent played God-Favored General and gave it Ephara's Enlightenment. I whiffed again on land and he pumped out tokens at will. I finally drew my 3rd land but I was in a hole. He had produced 4 tokens by this point. I attempted to stabilize with Riptide Chimera -- I would have to bounce it but at least it would shut down his General and get me some breathing room. It was destroyed by Feast of Dreams. I played Tromper and had a couple of blockers, but he was again free to attack in the air. I had to blow Setessan Tactics to kill his General. He (foolishly in my opinion) held back his token army and let me continue to stabilize. I laid down my Kraken and was content to hold back my team against his tokens. Kraken was hit by Sip of Hemlock. I decided it was time to attack so I gave Chorus of the Tides a Nyxborn Triton and started to beat down. It was promptly Excoriated. So...he's got removal, noted. Luckily for me, while he was countering my threats he wasn't developing any new ones of his own. I beat in with Tromper and played Nemesis of Mortals. I attacked in with Tromper again along with Nemesis, he didn't block, and I made it Monstrous for the win. Not sure why he didn't block since I had lethal in plain view -- based on how he played and his 3 color deck, probably not a very experienced player. Maybe he did the math wrong on the Nemesis discount and did not think he was in reach, but geez he held those tokens back all game and then died with 5 of them untapped.
Game 2 opponent mulled to 6. Again he started with God Favored General, this time followed by Bloodcrazed Hoplite. I played Nyxborn Triton as a 2/3 to stabilize. He just made tokens and passed the turn -- seemed good for me. Tromper joined my board. He gave Enlightenment to his Hoplite. I had Shredding Winds (sideboard) to deal with it on the next turn. He killed my Tromper, I played Kraken. I just needed it to survive to Monstrous mana and didn't want it to get Excoriated in the meantime, so I held it back. I drew into 8 mana and easily won with the 10/10.
1-0
Round 2 vs. GW
Game 1 he opened with Spirespine. I threw my Nyxborn Triton in the way. He produced Archetype of Courage but I had a hand of gas and Setessan Tactics. I felt confident. He played Vulpine Goliath which was quite a threat with First Strike, but I was just setting up my Tactics blowout. He attacked in with both his creatures, including a 2/2 against my 5/5. That was a bad sign and I feared he had the Strive spell that gives Double Strike, as well as a pump spell. I blocked with my Nemesis to prevent him from randomly 20'ing me. Turned out he had Colossal Heroics and Nature's Panoply so I took 8, lost my Nemesis, his Archetype got a counter, but overall not the worst. Had I not blocked, I would have been down to an unmanageable life total. I played Prophet and was ready to spring my Tactics trap. He had another Nature's Panoply, so I only managed to kill his Goliath -- Archetype survived and was now 4/4. I was in trouble. He added Chronicler of Heroes and Snake of the Golden Grove and I was in deeper trouble. He further added Elite Skirmisher and Agent of Horizons. (He drew quite well actually.) I drew my other Tactics so I was at least alive. I was at 4, so I guess he was just waiting to get Blue mana for his agent rather than risk some sort of combat blowout with a Strive spell.
I apologize that I was not able to capture this game completely. It was so complicated that I got concerned about my clock and stopped taking detailed notes. The short story is that I got Ravenous Leucrocota and was able to Monstrous it right away thanks to Prophet. This gave me a very valuable 5/7 creature for my 2nd Tactics that I slow rolled for quite a while. He eventually tried to push with Agent of Horizons, as soon as he drew his Blue splash mana, so I finally sprung the Tactics trap. (No doubt my opponent was dumbfounded that I had 2.) That let me survive another turn and took care of his evasion. I drew into Shipbreaker Kraken which I was able to Monstrous right away thanks to Prophet. Once I tapped down 4 creatures, I could attack safely and won from there. This game was intense! I needed literally all of my bombs to win. I would not blame my opponent for tilting after this one, though to his credit he stayed quiet and was outwardly professional about it.
Game 2 he was stuck on 3 mana for a bit, and I had an early Tactics to kill 2 creatures on his side and punish him for it. Kraken showed up and he conceded as soon as I got to 8 mana.
2-0
Round 3 vs. RW
Of course it's RW! On this hero's journey that exists only in my mind, I had crawled out of the depths of despair thanks to some helpful hands, I had cast aside my hubris to enable learning, and I had caught a few lucky breaks....now RW would have to be the final boss.
Game 1 opponent mulled to 6. I kept a hand with action but I really needed to find an Island. He opened with Sun Guide and Skyguard. I traded a Nyxborn Wolf for Sun Guide, he played Deathbellow Raider. I missed my 4th land drop, which really hurt. (4 straight non-lands off the top.) He played Satyr Rambler, I drew a land but really needed to get some action going. I had Tactics if I could set it up in time. He had Ajani's Presence to turn my Tactics into a 1-for-2. He won the next turn with Rouse the Mob. I was disheartened.
Game 2 he again went to 6. I had a good draw this time. Skyguard on his side, I ramped with Voyaging Satyr and Golden Hind. Hind was killed with Lightning Strike, and I was mana screwed again -- missing my 3rd land drop after keeping a 2 lander. He played some random 2/x creatures. I drew a land and stabilized with Leucrocota. He landed Ordeal of Purphoros on Skyguard, which I removed with Helix. He played Bladetusk Boar, and I was setting up a Tactics. He played Flurry of Horns so now I had to scramble. Tactics ended up not working that well because I had too many things to both block and kill -- it kept me in the game but wasn't a blowout, more of a fair trade of multiple cards. I decided to take a turn off and go down to single digit life to get Staunch Hearted Warrior going with an Aura. I drew Tactics #2, but again he had a trick that turned it into just an average trade. Priest of Iroas killed my Nyxborn Triton that was holding the ground, though I did kill something with Crypsis on my Warrior which was now quite large. I began attacking as I had Sudden Storm ready to save my butt. I cast the Storm to survive a turn, then gave Warrior a Nimbus Naiad to make it 10/10 Flying for the win. This was reminscient of Game 1 in Round 2 where I really needed both Tactics just to stay in it. I've learned that Tactics is an amazing card, but it's not always the blowout you hope for -- sometimes it's just a massive trade which is still fine, sort of like a controlled Wrath of God, but it can't always do exactly what you need.
Game 3 he opened with Skink and Pensive Minotaur, I ramped into Warrior + Spirespine as a giant blocker. He played the Red Emissary. As usual I was setting up a Tactics and trying not to die until then. He gave Emissary the Red Ordeal -- not a huge problem, I was planning to kill it with Tactics sooner than Ordeal the was set to go off anyway. I finally spuing the trap with Tactics and this time it was a huge blowout, trading my spell + Golden Hind for his entire board. That left my 10/7 Warrior free to attack. He played a chump blocker next turn but I had Nimbus Naiad to give the Warrior flying for the win.
3-0
I can't describe what a relief it is to finally win a queue! It's been over 6 months of going mostly 2-1 and never quite getting there. I don't even care that I needed like 4 bombs to make it happen -- I'll take it!
It still concerns me how good RW is in this block. It took everything I had including an unreasonable number of bombs and a card you should never, ever get 5th to beat the good version of it.
It seems like RW and GU are the consistent performers in this block. I see those color pairs doing quite well over and over again. I think it could be the case that GU has the right combination of spells to compete with RW while still being faster than most everything else in the format. I don't think any color pair is truly bad except maybe UR which I haven't seen much of in full block yet.
I'd be really curious to see some stats, because I think this is a 2-archetype format with everybody else playing catch-up.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this particularly "story driven" set of recaps lately. Rarely do the drafts line up so well where I was scuffling for a while, then hit a low point, then rallied back to the top. It felt personally fulfilling, and considering that MTGO is a mostly solitary activity, I'm glad to have some like-minded folks to share it with. (My wife would politely smile and say my story was great, but she wouldn't really get it because she doesn't play.)
With all that said, this is probably my last recap for a while. I'm just not "feeling" this format. It's not exciting me. When a format grabs me, I wake up every morning thinking "OK what do I need to do today and how can I do it as quickly as possible so I can get a draft in!" When I don't have that feeling, that's my brain's way of telling me to go do something else. I wish the best of luck to those readers who do feel passionate about this block, because I know it's just a personal lack of preference on my end, and who knows -- maybe I'll be back in a little bit after a cooldown period.
I haven't had quite the same experience in terms of this feeling like a "2-archtype" format. In particular, the number of R/W decks I've seen is way down from BTT. Now I see more interesting stuff like G/B (including the absolutely sickest G/B "dredge" deck I've ever played against in a draft) and even more 3-color/2-color w/ splash builds. I have seen a lot of very agressive decks still, but spread out over more colors. Like G/W or G/R. The U/W heroic thing from TTT has fallen way off. Pure control also does still seem rare.
I'd be curious about stats too. I think there's a guy (PureMTGO?) who does them for every set.
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Quote from Bateleur »
Ambush Krotiq makes me laugh so much. I keep rereading the card and it keeps not having Flash. In what sense is this an ambush again? I just have visions of this huge Krotiq poorly concealed in some bushes, feeling slightly sad that his carefully planned ambushes never seem to work.
Yeah you're thinking of Matthew Watkins at PureMTGO, he hasn't posted his Journey review yet (just his analysis of the spoiler). I'm looking forward to checking it out when it's ready.
Glad to see a draft finally worked out for you, and with an entertaining writeup to boot! Two Setessan Tactics is indeed very silly, but sometimes that's what it takes. Maybe the MTGO queues are the problem: the metagame might have just gotten stale there, since I've had a lot of fun drafting the full block at my LGS.
p2p1: it's not clear to me that conscriptor is better than spiritbinder. Conscriptor costs more and requires a heroic trigger to do anything. It's a bit better in that it doesn't need to attack. Still, I really like the binder. (The fact that conscriptor never worked out for me doesn't help!)
Unfortunately, you didn't get that great green picks in the 3rd pack to go with your tactics. I mean, sure, you got voyaging satyr and the prophet, but what you'd like are the staunch-hearted warriors and battlemasters. You were a bit short of tricks in the end. As such, maybe taking triton tactics instead of voyaging satyr would have turned out better for you.
It was an oddly sparse pack three given green was overwhelmingly open pack one (although what I want in green out of a Theros pack is leafcrown dryad and/or nessian asp, not the heroes). Maybe someone first picked a Kiora or something pack two and did an instant colour switch.
This is why I hate Swiss. People switch colors for random reasons and screw up your reads.
I'd rather see MTG Goldfish stats. Larger (and public) sample size, and it's much clearer to me what their stats are reporting than with Watkins.
I think they're both valuable for different reasons. Watkins is obviously plagued by observer bias, but that's also his strongest asset. He's actually watching games, so he can interpret what's happening better than a computer that is just looking at results as snapshots. He doesn't come to some of Goldfish's clearly flawed conclusions like Boulderfall being the best common. (If you're curious, the reason it looks good to Goldfish is because yea it's good when you actually cast it, you're just usually long dead before you get a chance and it can't "see" those instances. It sees Boulderfall as a card that no one plays but everybody wins with. Same with things like Ashen Rider and Chromanticore.)
Insights can often be found by comparing the two sources and seeing where they agree.
Also to address the comment above about Triton Tactics vs. Voyaging Satyr -- when I already have bombs, I'm looking for cards that increase consistency, not necessarily power level. Something like Voyaging Satyr does just that, since it increases my chances of playing my bombs early and also helps me avoid mana screw situations.
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The Draft
------ JOU ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Grim Guardian
Aerial Formation
Satyr Hoplite
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
Oakheart Dryads
Font of Return
Cast into Darkness
Supply-Line Cranes
--> Setessan Tactics (FOIL)
Satyr Grovedancer
Phalanx Formation
Goldenhide Ox
Gold-Forged Sentinel
Pheres-Band Warchief
Island
Obvious. I don't even care that I'm passing decent Green, Tactics is too good.
Pack 1 pick 2:
Eagle of the Watch
Font of Fertility
Pharika's Chosen
Font of Fortunes
Sigiled Skink
Bladetusk Boar
Dreadbringer Lampads
Supply-Line Cranes
Thassa's Devourer
Skyspear Cavalry
Riptide Chimera
Spirespine
--> Eidolon of Blossoms
Forest
I'm curious what common was picked over this. Maybe a foil, that's possible. Blossoms is just pure value though and it's even worth a few tix.
Pack 1 pick 3:
Market Festival
Rotted Hulk
Hubris
Pensive Minotaur
Akroan Mastiff
Nature's Panoply
Triton Shorestalker
--> Ravenous Leucrocota
Font of Ire
Aspect of Gorgon
Spite of Mogis
Agent of Erebos
Plains
Pack 1 pick 4:
Harvestguard Alseids
Returned Reveler
Kruphix's Insight
Nature's Panoply
Mortal Obstinacy
Desecration Plague
Starfall
Consign to Dust
--> Nyx Weaver
Solidarity of Heroes
Bearer of the Heavens
Plains
Pack 1 pick 5:
Market Festival
Cloaked Siren
Rouse the Mob
Armament of Nyx
Humbler of Mortals
Renowned Weaver
Cruel Feeding
Chariot of Victory
Cyclops of Eternal Fury
--> Setessan Tactics
Swamp
WHAT??? This is pure insanity. LSV gave this spell a freakin' 4.5. Most sets don't even have a 4.5! I guess to the uninitiated it doesn't look bomby on paper but geez. Now I feel so much pressure to win this draft because who ever gets Double Setessan Tactics?! Note: That means I'm forcing Green, though obviously it appears to be open.
Pack 1 pick 6:
Font of Fortunes
Harvestguard Alseids
--> Golden Hind
Returned Reveler
Countermand
Font of Ire
Bloodcrazed Hoplite
Reprisal
Thassa's Ire
Island
Pack 1 pick 7:
Godhunter Octopus
Font of Vigor
Pin to the Earth
Pheres-Band Thunderhoof
Gluttonous Cyclops
Oppressive Rays
Rollick of Abandon
--> Spirespine
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 8:
Godhunter Octopus
Rouse the Mob
Font of Vigor
Thassa's Devourer
Gluttonous Cyclops
--> Starfall
Strength from the Fallen
Island
My 2nd color is still unclear. It could be Red.
Pack 1 pick 9:
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
Oakheart Dryads
Font of Return
Cast into Darkness
--> Satyr Grovedancer
Goldenhide Ox
Island
Pack 1 pick 10:
Eagle of the Watch
Font of Fertility
Dreadbringer Lampads
Thassa's Devourer
--> Riptide Chimera
Forest
I haven't seen this card in action yet, but I do want to try it. Obviously busted combo with Eidolon of Blossoms.
Pack 1 pick 11:
--> Market Festival
Font of Ire
Spite of Mogis
Agent of Erebos
Plains
Pack 1 pick 12:
Kruphix's Insight
--> Desecration Plague
Solidarity of Heroes
Plains
Pack 1 pick 13:
Market Festival
--> Chariot of Victory
Swamp
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Thassa's Ire
Island
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Mountain
------ BNG ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Marshmist Titan
Chorus of the Tides
Mortal's Ardor
Fearsome Temper
Servant of Tymaret
Loyal Pegasus
Elite Skirmisher
Mortal's Resolve
Asphyxiate
Akroan Skyguard
--> Akroan Conscriptor
Acolyte's Reward
Bile Blight
Felhide Spiritbinder
Plains
I'm not picking Mortal's Resolve, so now it's time to think about my 2nd color. I have in the running: Nyx Weaver, Starfall, and Riptide Chimera. Nothing is really pulling me strongly. I decided to go with Conscriptor as the best available card but it's not something I need to commit to.
Pack 2 pick 2:
Charging Badger
Pharagax Giant
Sphinx's Disciple
Ephara's Radiance
Setessan Starbreaker
Forsaken Drifters
Asphyxiate
--> Pheres-Band Tromper (FOIL)
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Crypsis
Reap What Is Sown
Peregrination
Sunbond
Plains
Pack 2 pick 3:
--> Nyxborn Wolf
Evanescent Intellect
Epiphany Storm
Servant of Tymaret
Great Hart
Satyr Wayfinder
Divination
Claim of Erebos
Skyreaping
Forlorn Pseudamma
Siren of the Silent Song
Plea for Guidance
Plains
Pack 2 pick 4:
Oreskos Sun Guide (FOIL)
Chorus of the Tides
Felhide Brawler
--> Swordwise Centaur
Griffin Dreamfinder
Culling Mark
Loyal Pegasus
Grisly Transformation
Nyxborn Rollicker
Archetype of Finality
Vortex Elemental
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 5:
Rise to the Challenge
--> Nyxborn Triton
Warchanter of Mogis
Forsaken Drifters
Revoke Existence
Sudden Storm
Kragma Butcher
Aspect of Hydra
Thassa's Rebuff
Pinnacle of Rage
Forest
The Green plan is going well, but I'm not delusional enough to think I'm going to play Mono. I could take Aspect here and it would be fine, but a 5th pick Nyxborn Triton feels late and might be a sign that I could get some playable Blue to round out this pack. I'm not going to cry over a missed Aspect if I don't end up in Blue.
Pack 2 pick 6:
Charging Badger
Pharagax Giant
Sphinx's Disciple
Ephara's Radiance
Forsaken Drifters
--> Fall of the Hammer
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Crypsis
Peregrination
Swamp
Ugh now I'm in that annoying spot where 2 support colors are open and I have to pick one.
Pack 2 pick 7:
Satyr Wayfinder
Pharagax Giant
--> Retraction Helix
Great Hart
Reckless Reveler
Nullify
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Meletis Astronomer
Island
OK, Blue is definitely more open in this direction, that Fall of the Hammer was a really weird anamoly I guess. Plus Blue is decent in Theros compared to Red which is bad, so it seems like the better plan.
Pack 2 pick 8:
Eye Gouge
Peregrination (FOIL)
Hold at Bay
--> Sudden Storm
Claim of Erebos
Deepwater Hypnotist
Stormcaller of Keranos
Island
Pack 2 pick 9:
Marshmist Titan
--> Chorus of the Tides
Mortal's Ardor
Fearsome Temper
Servant of Tymaret
Mortal's Resolve
Plains
Pack 2 pick 10:
Charging Badger
--> Sphinx's Disciple
Ephara's Radiance
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Peregrination
Plains
Pack 2 pick 11:
Epiphany Storm
Satyr Wayfinder
--> Divination
Plea for Guidance
Plains
Pack 2 pick 12:
Culling Mark
Grisly Transformation
--> Nyxborn Rollicker
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 13:
--> Rise to the Challenge
Forsaken Drifters
Forest
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Crypsis
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Island
------ THS ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Prescient Chimera
Fleetfeather Sandals
Last Breath
Scourgemark
Griptide
Satyr Hedonist
Satyr Rambler
Borderland Minotaur
Shredding Winds
Phalanx Leader
Ordeal of Purphoros
Fanatic of Mogis
--> Shipbreaker Kraken
Mountain
This is just sheer luck. Colors now officially locked in.
Pack 3 pick 2:
Fleshmad Steed
--> Nimbus Naiad
Nylea's Disciple
Observant Alseid
Defend the Hearth
Agent of Horizons
Crackling Triton
Spark Jolt
Cavern Lampad
Staunch-Hearted Warrior
Rescue from the Underworld
Cutthroat Maneuver
Hammer of Purphoros
Island
Pack 3 pick 3:
Cavalry Pegasus
Loathsome Catoblepas
Nylea's Presence
Crackling Triton
Spark Jolt
Last Breath
Scourgemark
Felhide Minotaur
Voyage's End
Karametra's Acolyte
Triton Fortune Hunter
--> Prophet of Kruphix
Forest
Again, I'm going to feel so embarrassed when I lose this queue.
Pack 3 pick 4:
Loathsome Catoblepas
March of the Returned
Yoked Ox
--> Voyaging Satyr
Wild Celebrants
Benthic Giant
Time to Feed
Boulderfall
Setessan Battle Priest
Witches' Eye
Triton Tactics
Forest
At this point, ramp and consistency are far more valuable to me than spells like Time to Feed.
Pack 3 pick 5:
Ephara's Warden
Sip of Hemlock
Stymied Hopes
Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Satyr Rambler
Scourgemark
Coastline Chimera
Scholar of Athreos
--> Nemesis of Mortals
Ordeal of Erebos
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 6:
Fleshmad Steed
Cavalry Pegasus
Thassa's Bounty
Lagonna-Band Elder
Priest of Iroas
--> Fade into Antiquity
Triton Shorethief
Battlewise Hoplite
Gainsay
Plains
Pack 3 pick 7:
--> Divine Verdict
Sip of Hemlock
Returned Phalanx
Lagonna-Band Elder
Lost in a Labyrinth
Rage of Purphoros
Deathbellow Raider
Borderland Minotaur
Swamp
Two missed packs in a row, that hurts. Verdict seems best against me.
Pack 3 pick 8:
Mnemonic Wall
Viper's Kiss
Spearpoint Oread
Breaching Hippocamp
Vulpine Goliath
Felhide Minotaur
--> Artisan's Sorrow
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 9:
Fleetfeather Sandals
Last Breath
Satyr Hedonist
Satyr Rambler
Borderland Minotaur
--> Shredding Winds
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 10:
Nylea's Disciple
Defend the Hearth
--> Staunch-Hearted Warrior
Rescue from the Underworld
Cutthroat Maneuver
Island
Green was clearly open, the packs were just garbage.
Pack 3 pick 11:
Loathsome Catoblepas
Nylea's Presence
Spark Jolt
--> Karametra's Acolyte
Forest
Pack 3 pick 12:
--> Loathsome Catoblepas
March of the Returned
Witches' Eye
Forest
Pack 3 pick 13:
Ephara's Warden
--> Scourgemark
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Thassa's Bounty
Plains
Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Swamp
The Deck
1 Golden Hind
1 Voyaging Satyr
1 Swordwise Centaur
1 Satyr Grovedancer
1 Nimbus Naiad
1 Spirespine
1 Nyxborn Wolf
1 Nyxborn Triton
1 Riptide Chimera
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Ravenous Leucrocota
1 Pheres-Band Tromper
1 Chorus of the Tides
1 Staunch-Hearted Warrior
1 Prophet of Kruphix
1 Shipbreaker Kraken
1 Nemesis of Mortals
1 Retraction Helix
2 Setessan Tactics
1 Crypsis
1 Divination
1 Sudden Storm
Land (17)
10 Forest
7 Island
1 Divine Verdict
1 Thassa's Ire
1 Sphinx's Disciple
1 Thassa's Bounty
1 Loathsome Catoblepas
1 Scourgemark
1 Starfall
1 Akroan Conscriptor
1 Fall of the Hammer
1 Nyxborn Rollicker
1 Rise to the Challenge
1 Desecration Plague
1 Market Festival
1 Artisan's Sorrow
1 Fade into Antiquity
1 Karametra's Acolyte
1 Shredding Winds
1 Nyx Weaver
1 Chariot of Victory
Not many tough decisions to make. The deck has enough power that it doesn't need the Red splash, as good as Fall and Conscriptors would be as a splash. I have some flier removal and enchantment removal in the sideboard if necessary.
The Matches
Round 1 vs. WUB
Game 1 I kept a mediocre 2 land hand. I failed to draw my 3rd land. Opponent played God-Favored General and gave it Ephara's Enlightenment. I whiffed again on land and he pumped out tokens at will. I finally drew my 3rd land but I was in a hole. He had produced 4 tokens by this point. I attempted to stabilize with Riptide Chimera -- I would have to bounce it but at least it would shut down his General and get me some breathing room. It was destroyed by Feast of Dreams. I played Tromper and had a couple of blockers, but he was again free to attack in the air. I had to blow Setessan Tactics to kill his General. He (foolishly in my opinion) held back his token army and let me continue to stabilize. I laid down my Kraken and was content to hold back my team against his tokens. Kraken was hit by Sip of Hemlock. I decided it was time to attack so I gave Chorus of the Tides a Nyxborn Triton and started to beat down. It was promptly Excoriated. So...he's got removal, noted. Luckily for me, while he was countering my threats he wasn't developing any new ones of his own. I beat in with Tromper and played Nemesis of Mortals. I attacked in with Tromper again along with Nemesis, he didn't block, and I made it Monstrous for the win. Not sure why he didn't block since I had lethal in plain view -- based on how he played and his 3 color deck, probably not a very experienced player. Maybe he did the math wrong on the Nemesis discount and did not think he was in reach, but geez he held those tokens back all game and then died with 5 of them untapped.
Game 2 opponent mulled to 6. Again he started with God Favored General, this time followed by Bloodcrazed Hoplite. I played Nyxborn Triton as a 2/3 to stabilize. He just made tokens and passed the turn -- seemed good for me. Tromper joined my board. He gave Enlightenment to his Hoplite. I had Shredding Winds (sideboard) to deal with it on the next turn. He killed my Tromper, I played Kraken. I just needed it to survive to Monstrous mana and didn't want it to get Excoriated in the meantime, so I held it back. I drew into 8 mana and easily won with the 10/10.
1-0
Round 2 vs. GW
Game 1 he opened with Spirespine. I threw my Nyxborn Triton in the way. He produced Archetype of Courage but I had a hand of gas and Setessan Tactics. I felt confident. He played Vulpine Goliath which was quite a threat with First Strike, but I was just setting up my Tactics blowout. He attacked in with both his creatures, including a 2/2 against my 5/5. That was a bad sign and I feared he had the Strive spell that gives Double Strike, as well as a pump spell. I blocked with my Nemesis to prevent him from randomly 20'ing me. Turned out he had Colossal Heroics and Nature's Panoply so I took 8, lost my Nemesis, his Archetype got a counter, but overall not the worst. Had I not blocked, I would have been down to an unmanageable life total. I played Prophet and was ready to spring my Tactics trap. He had another Nature's Panoply, so I only managed to kill his Goliath -- Archetype survived and was now 4/4. I was in trouble. He added Chronicler of Heroes and Snake of the Golden Grove and I was in deeper trouble. He further added Elite Skirmisher and Agent of Horizons. (He drew quite well actually.) I drew my other Tactics so I was at least alive. I was at 4, so I guess he was just waiting to get Blue mana for his agent rather than risk some sort of combat blowout with a Strive spell.
I apologize that I was not able to capture this game completely. It was so complicated that I got concerned about my clock and stopped taking detailed notes. The short story is that I got Ravenous Leucrocota and was able to Monstrous it right away thanks to Prophet. This gave me a very valuable 5/7 creature for my 2nd Tactics that I slow rolled for quite a while. He eventually tried to push with Agent of Horizons, as soon as he drew his Blue splash mana, so I finally sprung the Tactics trap. (No doubt my opponent was dumbfounded that I had 2.) That let me survive another turn and took care of his evasion. I drew into Shipbreaker Kraken which I was able to Monstrous right away thanks to Prophet. Once I tapped down 4 creatures, I could attack safely and won from there. This game was intense! I needed literally all of my bombs to win. I would not blame my opponent for tilting after this one, though to his credit he stayed quiet and was outwardly professional about it.
Game 2 he was stuck on 3 mana for a bit, and I had an early Tactics to kill 2 creatures on his side and punish him for it. Kraken showed up and he conceded as soon as I got to 8 mana.
2-0
Round 3 vs. RW
Of course it's RW! On this hero's journey that exists only in my mind, I had crawled out of the depths of despair thanks to some helpful hands, I had cast aside my hubris to enable learning, and I had caught a few lucky breaks....now RW would have to be the final boss.
Game 1 opponent mulled to 6. I kept a hand with action but I really needed to find an Island. He opened with Sun Guide and Skyguard. I traded a Nyxborn Wolf for Sun Guide, he played Deathbellow Raider. I missed my 4th land drop, which really hurt. (4 straight non-lands off the top.) He played Satyr Rambler, I drew a land but really needed to get some action going. I had Tactics if I could set it up in time. He had Ajani's Presence to turn my Tactics into a 1-for-2. He won the next turn with Rouse the Mob. I was disheartened.
Game 2 he again went to 6. I had a good draw this time. Skyguard on his side, I ramped with Voyaging Satyr and Golden Hind. Hind was killed with Lightning Strike, and I was mana screwed again -- missing my 3rd land drop after keeping a 2 lander. He played some random 2/x creatures. I drew a land and stabilized with Leucrocota. He landed Ordeal of Purphoros on Skyguard, which I removed with Helix. He played Bladetusk Boar, and I was setting up a Tactics. He played Flurry of Horns so now I had to scramble. Tactics ended up not working that well because I had too many things to both block and kill -- it kept me in the game but wasn't a blowout, more of a fair trade of multiple cards. I decided to take a turn off and go down to single digit life to get Staunch Hearted Warrior going with an Aura. I drew Tactics #2, but again he had a trick that turned it into just an average trade. Priest of Iroas killed my Nyxborn Triton that was holding the ground, though I did kill something with Crypsis on my Warrior which was now quite large. I began attacking as I had Sudden Storm ready to save my butt. I cast the Storm to survive a turn, then gave Warrior a Nimbus Naiad to make it 10/10 Flying for the win. This was reminscient of Game 1 in Round 2 where I really needed both Tactics just to stay in it. I've learned that Tactics is an amazing card, but it's not always the blowout you hope for -- sometimes it's just a massive trade which is still fine, sort of like a controlled Wrath of God, but it can't always do exactly what you need.
Game 3 he opened with Skink and Pensive Minotaur, I ramped into Warrior + Spirespine as a giant blocker. He played the Red Emissary. As usual I was setting up a Tactics and trying not to die until then. He gave Emissary the Red Ordeal -- not a huge problem, I was planning to kill it with Tactics sooner than Ordeal the was set to go off anyway. I finally spuing the trap with Tactics and this time it was a huge blowout, trading my spell + Golden Hind for his entire board. That left my 10/7 Warrior free to attack. He played a chump blocker next turn but I had Nimbus Naiad to give the Warrior flying for the win.
3-0
I can't describe what a relief it is to finally win a queue! It's been over 6 months of going mostly 2-1 and never quite getting there. I don't even care that I needed like 4 bombs to make it happen -- I'll take it!
It still concerns me how good RW is in this block. It took everything I had including an unreasonable number of bombs and a card you should never, ever get 5th to beat the good version of it.
It seems like RW and GU are the consistent performers in this block. I see those color pairs doing quite well over and over again. I think it could be the case that GU has the right combination of spells to compete with RW while still being faster than most everything else in the format. I don't think any color pair is truly bad except maybe UR which I haven't seen much of in full block yet.
I'd be really curious to see some stats, because I think this is a 2-archetype format with everybody else playing catch-up.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this particularly "story driven" set of recaps lately. Rarely do the drafts line up so well where I was scuffling for a while, then hit a low point, then rallied back to the top. It felt personally fulfilling, and considering that MTGO is a mostly solitary activity, I'm glad to have some like-minded folks to share it with. (My wife would politely smile and say my story was great, but she wouldn't really get it because she doesn't play.)
With all that said, this is probably my last recap for a while. I'm just not "feeling" this format. It's not exciting me. When a format grabs me, I wake up every morning thinking "OK what do I need to do today and how can I do it as quickly as possible so I can get a draft in!" When I don't have that feeling, that's my brain's way of telling me to go do something else. I wish the best of luck to those readers who do feel passionate about this block, because I know it's just a personal lack of preference on my end, and who knows -- maybe I'll be back in a little bit after a cooldown period.
I haven't had quite the same experience in terms of this feeling like a "2-archtype" format. In particular, the number of R/W decks I've seen is way down from BTT. Now I see more interesting stuff like G/B (including the absolutely sickest G/B "dredge" deck I've ever played against in a draft) and even more 3-color/2-color w/ splash builds. I have seen a lot of very agressive decks still, but spread out over more colors. Like G/W or G/R. The U/W heroic thing from TTT has fallen way off. Pure control also does still seem rare.
I'd be curious about stats too. I think there's a guy (PureMTGO?) who does them for every set.
Best of luck until your return!
Cubetutor Link
Unfortunately, you didn't get that great green picks in the 3rd pack to go with your tactics. I mean, sure, you got voyaging satyr and the prophet, but what you'd like are the staunch-hearted warriors and battlemasters. You were a bit short of tricks in the end. As such, maybe taking triton tactics instead of voyaging satyr would have turned out better for you.
This is why I hate Swiss. People switch colors for random reasons and screw up your reads.
I think they're both valuable for different reasons. Watkins is obviously plagued by observer bias, but that's also his strongest asset. He's actually watching games, so he can interpret what's happening better than a computer that is just looking at results as snapshots. He doesn't come to some of Goldfish's clearly flawed conclusions like Boulderfall being the best common. (If you're curious, the reason it looks good to Goldfish is because yea it's good when you actually cast it, you're just usually long dead before you get a chance and it can't "see" those instances. It sees Boulderfall as a card that no one plays but everybody wins with. Same with things like Ashen Rider and Chromanticore.)
Insights can often be found by comparing the two sources and seeing where they agree.
Also to address the comment above about Triton Tactics vs. Voyaging Satyr -- when I already have bombs, I'm looking for cards that increase consistency, not necessarily power level. Something like Voyaging Satyr does just that, since it increases my chances of playing my bombs early and also helps me avoid mana screw situations.