I think the pick is probably encrust, could argue archeomancer. I think the best route for us right now (given signals and what not) is a b/u control type deck with an o-ring splash. Im really not impressed with chronomaton and the only other playables are that and silvercoat lion so its not like we are losing anything out of this pack, nor are we sending any signals
If we're going to go into U/B, then we'll hopefully pick up a couple of Murder and Public Execution along the way. Being able to get a second use out of them makes a strong case for the Archaeomancer.
I'd take the Archeomancer if that Cower was a Murder. And Encrust and Cower are asking for more mana problems than we reaelly want. Chronomation seems like the cheapest (and easiest on the mana) option.
I think chronomaton, easy. It's probably the third best card, but we're a little all over the place right now, and he's a solid playable that will certainly make our deck. He also goes quite well with our disciple. Archeomancer is probably a better card, but at the moment we don't have any murders or switcheroos to return.
Encrust is a card that has really impressed me lately - I undervalued it for a long time, but I now consider it pretty solid tier 1.5 removal and a solid card in most heavy blue decks. However, we're not really sure what we are right now, and encrust is a card we can generally get mid to late pack.
It's pretty easily Chronomaton. Not only is Chronomaton the best card in the pack but he's also colorless so we'll be playing him pretty much no matter what.
Archaeomancer is pretty good too but we have nothing but a Cower to go with him thus far and we will likely be able to pick one up down the line anyways should we want to.
Encrust is mediocre and I'm generally not very happy to be starting it.
Encrust is mediocre and I'm generally not very happy to be starting it.
When evaluating encrust, you have to remember that it shuts down all the rings. The rings (especially green and black) are probably some of the toughest things a blue deck has to contend with in this format, and encrust is awesome against them. Assuming your deck is defensive, encrust provides an effect your deck generally will want. I'm not saying it's murder or oblivion ring, but it has its uses and has overperformed for me quite a bit. It's certainly true that similar cards in other formats have been kind of bad, but the presence of the rings changes the way this card should be evaluated.
I think it's got to be Chronomaton but Silvercoat Lion is also a consideration. Our pool so far is much better for BWu than anything else (I don't think we should be taking double-blue cards).
The only thing we have tying us to blue right now is Arctic Aven -- he's pretty mediocre if white is a splash, but splashing for a 3/2 flying lifelink seems pretty great in an exalted deck.
Chronomaton has done excellent work for me in a number of different decks so far. Encrust has plummeted on my pick order, from the best blue common to 3-4th, deck dependant, and it's not the best start to have UU, BB & white considerations so early.
Only two real choices for me: Chronomation and Archaeomancer.
While Chronomation has been solid, Archaeomancer has often been a blowout. Also, a much better topdeck. I take my chances on the mancer, despite the color issues at this point.
When evaluating encrust, you have to remember that it shuts down all the rings. The rings (especially green and black) are probably some of the toughest things a blue deck has to contend with in this format, and encrust is awesome against them. Assuming your deck is defensive, encrust provides an effect your deck generally will want. I'm not saying it's murder or oblivion ring, but it has its uses and has overperformed for me quite a bit. It's certainly true that similar cards in other formats have been kind of bad, but the presence of the rings changes the way this card should be evaluated.
I am aware that it can stop rings (if something isn't already wearing the ring anyways), but stopping rings isn't nearly good enough to make it a maindeckable card. Not only are the rings uncommons, but they're also basically unplayable (except Xathrid) outside of their color which leads to many decks not even having rings to begin with. Sure it's a fine sideboard card for a U/B deck against someone with a ring but it's far from being something worth starting.
It's not like Blue is completely dead to rings without Encrust anyways. Fog Bank deals with any non-green ring well enough (at the very least it forces your opponent to move their ring around every turn if they want the buff to matter) and Unsummon can undo all of a ring's work in one swoop. Both cards are far more maindeckable than Encrust.
Encrust usually stops a vanilla 3/3 from attacking again, and that's very necessary in this format. I've had some sweet M13 decks where I'm not excited about encrust, but nothing amazing enough where it hasn't made the 23.
Calling it an archetype sideboard card... I guess if you've had that experience with the card, that's up to you, but I don't see how you can say that about efficiently costed conditional removal. It isn't a doom blade, sure, but that's why we're looking at mid-pack.
Chronobot is an efficient guy, I like him fine. He's good in black/white, which kind of wants a one drop.
I'd probably take him over encrust for being colorless. That said, I would never be upset to p1p5 an encrust if I were in blue.
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I guess chronomaton is pretty sweet with disciple too. Initial thought was to get the archaeomancer and look toward UB control with a white splash, but maybe I'm valuing those blue cards too highly.
I find myself equally disappointed with both Chronomaton & Encrust. I'm leaning Encrust just because it's a form of removal, and if we are indeed UB then we want as much removal as we can find. Chronomaton is just so easily disrupted and such a bad topdeck in the late game that I can't see myself getting excited to have it in a controlling deck.
Archaeomancer is the speculative pick. It's not good at this moment, but easily could become good especially in UB.
It think chrono. I like encrust better, but there is a great chance we get one later in the draft, and chrono is close enough, and useful enough, that I'd take it now. A deck probably doesn't need multiple encrusts.
Archeomancer would be cool, I'm still holding out that white may be around, especially with ring and aven. By the end of pack 1 I feel like a lot of drafters are forcing colors, so pack 2/3 could have some great cards rotate pretty far.
Encrust is better than the robot here, I think. Not only does it stop a creature if we need it to, it's also a good way to limit the power of Rings and can put a stop to annoying things like Sands or Staff. Stopping threats is more important to me than slowly making a big creature which is only sometimes going to be powerful. (And no, it's not much of a 1-drop, because growing it in the early game is horrible for tempo.)
Isn't it a pretty good signal that 2 good blue cards are still available pick 5?
Yes, I think so. (Unlike Promatim I'm happy to take speculative 'mancers in pack 1 and find the spells later. So far this has worked out well for me.)
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Ok. I'm back on the encrust wagon. I'm gonna go with my gut and say it looks like we should be getting some good blue cards, so screw the chronomaton and try to get into a color.
Chronomaton isn't going to make our 23, so why bother picking it over something that could. You guys are saying "easily chronomaton" and "the pick is chronomaton" when we aren't even going to put it in our deck! The pick is between archeomancer and encrust. I say encrust, because it works with wat we are going with so far (even though its only 5 picks deep) and we dont even have a good target for archeomancer and if you dont have like2-3 GOOd spells to target, or 6-7 ok spells, you dont even play archeomancer. So, take the card that we WILL play if we stay this route, pass the card we aren't playing, and pass the card that might not make our deck unless we get other cards (which is just not a good risk for passing something we could easily play)
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If we're going to go into U/B, then we'll hopefully pick up a couple of Murder and Public Execution along the way. Being able to get a second use out of them makes a strong case for the Archaeomancer.
I'd take the Archeomancer if that Cower was a Murder. And Encrust and Cower are asking for more mana problems than we reaelly want. Chronomation seems like the cheapest (and easiest on the mana) option.
Encrust is a card that has really impressed me lately - I undervalued it for a long time, but I now consider it pretty solid tier 1.5 removal and a solid card in most heavy blue decks. However, we're not really sure what we are right now, and encrust is a card we can generally get mid to late pack.
We're in sync, here!
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Archaeomancer is pretty good too but we have nothing but a Cower to go with him thus far and we will likely be able to pick one up down the line anyways should we want to.
Encrust is mediocre and I'm generally not very happy to be starting it.
When evaluating encrust, you have to remember that it shuts down all the rings. The rings (especially green and black) are probably some of the toughest things a blue deck has to contend with in this format, and encrust is awesome against them. Assuming your deck is defensive, encrust provides an effect your deck generally will want. I'm not saying it's murder or oblivion ring, but it has its uses and has overperformed for me quite a bit. It's certainly true that similar cards in other formats have been kind of bad, but the presence of the rings changes the way this card should be evaluated.
*DCI Rules Advisor*
The only thing we have tying us to blue right now is Arctic Aven -- he's pretty mediocre if white is a splash, but splashing for a 3/2 flying lifelink seems pretty great in an exalted deck.
While Chronomation has been solid, Archaeomancer has often been a blowout. Also, a much better topdeck. I take my chances on the mancer, despite the color issues at this point.
Please elaborate on why you are choosing certain cards.
-Promatim
I am aware that it can stop rings (if something isn't already wearing the ring anyways), but stopping rings isn't nearly good enough to make it a maindeckable card. Not only are the rings uncommons, but they're also basically unplayable (except Xathrid) outside of their color which leads to many decks not even having rings to begin with. Sure it's a fine sideboard card for a U/B deck against someone with a ring but it's far from being something worth starting.
It's not like Blue is completely dead to rings without Encrust anyways. Fog Bank deals with any non-green ring well enough (at the very least it forces your opponent to move their ring around every turn if they want the buff to matter) and Unsummon can undo all of a ring's work in one swoop. Both cards are far more maindeckable than Encrust.
Calling it an archetype sideboard card... I guess if you've had that experience with the card, that's up to you, but I don't see how you can say that about efficiently costed conditional removal. It isn't a doom blade, sure, but that's why we're looking at mid-pack.
Chronobot is an efficient guy, I like him fine. He's good in black/white, which kind of wants a one drop.
I'd probably take him over encrust for being colorless. That said, I would never be upset to p1p5 an encrust if I were in blue.
Isn't it a pretty good signal that 2 good blue cards are still available pick 5?
Not really, because the Mancer kind of goes in a specific deck.
I would say that it is a good sign for anyone drafting blue, but not the biggest deal.
Archaeomancer is the speculative pick. It's not good at this moment, but easily could become good especially in UB.
Archeomancer would be cool, I'm still holding out that white may be around, especially with ring and aven. By the end of pack 1 I feel like a lot of drafters are forcing colors, so pack 2/3 could have some great cards rotate pretty far.
Chronomaton! A 1-drop with self-pump is solid in Draft.
Yes, I think so. (Unlike Promatim I'm happy to take speculative 'mancers in pack 1 and find the spells later. So far this has worked out well for me.)
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
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MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
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