My mana fixing was really bad in this pool. Sorin, Solemn Visitor and Butcher of the Horde made me want to go mardu, but my red and black were both on the weak side. Here are two decks that I tried to build with this pool. The first one has Sorin, the second does not. The first deck is really creature light. I guess I could have thrown in Alabaster Kirin, Timely Hordemate and Bellowing Saddlebrute:
I would probably have made a more aggressive build with no banner and other unnecessarily late game cards in favour of some valley dashers and trumpet blast/ride down. The potential for fast and furious is definitely here, with Butcher, Sorin, other flyers and trumpet blast to push through the final pieces of damage. It would admittedly have a horrid 7/7/6 split mana base with all colours wanted by turn 3 really, but it would have a very clear strategic identity.
The build you suggest is more consistent, reducing red to a splash and adding an extra source in the banner. But in return you play cards like dead drop and bitter rev which are not really what your average Mardu deck wants. As a result you have a deck which is almost midrange, but doesn't seem like it will function very well compared to a decent Abzan or Sultai midrange deck, apart from the occasional unanswered Butcher or Sorin blowout.
The thing is, draft archetypes don't apply to sealed that way. EVERY deck is a grindy midrange deck with bombs etc. Its only a very rare deck that is weak enough and has the early drops to support a playable aggro deck.
It's possibly a subtle difference, but I'm curious if you've considered this and what your arguments are one way or the other.
Yes, I'm well aware that this deck doesn't have sufficient early drops. The thing is, I don't think of Valley Dasher as a playable card in general due to the massive glaring 'must attack' drawback. But the real thing is the manabase. You HAVE to run 7 coloured sources for a deck that you're planning on casting two drops in on curve. If you don't have adequate mana, those 2-drops are going to get played on turn 4 or so. And I'm ust playing better and more powerful cards on turn 4 than those you are advocating for.
I would probably choose power over consistency in this case, but almost more because I think it's harder to play with your version correctly than that I can objectively say one is better than the other.
Sorry, I'm misunderstanding something here. Do you think your tri-coloured aggro deck is more powerful? or more consistent? Because from where I sit it's neither.
Maybe you could build your deck (including the manabase) and we could discuss it in more detail?
Because if you really wanted a consistent 'aggro' deck I think it would look something like this:
I wanted to know whether you consider the strategy of the deck as a whole when building it, and the answer is obviously no if you don't think that's a valid concept in sealed.
No, I do think that you can build a deck that is all in on curving out with 2-3-4 drops (and maybe some 1 drops too). I don't think this card pool supports that approach though. The times when you do that are when you have the early creatures that let you do that, as well as a lack of late game bombs. So the lack of bombs means your deck is fundamentally underpowered compared to other people's decks in the late game, meaning your best bet is to build entirely for the early game since you figure you're not winning late.
The list you build is pretty good. It's probably better than either of the decks I constructed. I would definitely run the second Defiant Strike over the Krumar Bond-Kin (or maybe the 18th land) since it plays so nicely with your Monk and Dashers while being cheap enough to let you play another threat.
I'm not claiming that this is better than your build. As said, in many ways your build obviously trumps this (consistency, individual card power), but I like that all cards function in the same game plan.
There's some stinkers in both lists. I think I would definitely still want to run Defiant Strike in a more aggro focussed build over Timely Hordemate, which doesn't seem to work that well with the Dashers (since you have to attack before returning a haste guy). I want to find a cut for Bitter Revelation, but the options you list all synergise well together.
1 Alabaster Kirin
2 Defiant Strike
2 Erase
1 Jeskai Student
1 Mardu Hateblade
1 Mardu Hordechief
1 Rush of Battle
1 Sage-Eye Harrier
1 Timely Hordemate
Blue
1 Crippling Chill
1 Dig Through Time
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dragon's Eye Savants
1 Embodiment of Spring
1 Force Away
1 Jeskai Windscout
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
1 Quiet Contemplation
1 Scion of Glaciers
1 Set Adrift
1 Taigam's Scheming
1 Weave Fate
1 Wetland Sambar
1 Whirlwind Adept
1 Bellowing Saddlebrute
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Dead Drop
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Disowned Ancestor
1 Krumar Bond-Kin
1 Rotting Mastodon
1 Ruthless Ripper
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Sultai Scavenger
Red
1 Act of Treason
2 Ainok Tracker
1 Arrow Storm
2 Bring Low
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
1 Summit Prowler
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Trumpet Blast
2 Valley Dasher
Green
1 Awaken the Bear
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Heir of the Wilds
2 Hooting Mandrills
1 Pine Walker
1 Sagu Archer
1 Savage Punch
1 Smoke Teller
1 Temur Charger
2 Tusked Colossodon
1 Woolly Loxodon
1 Abzan Charm
1 Bear's Companion
1 Butcher of the Horde
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Mindswipe
1 Ponyback Brigade
2 Ride Down
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Artifacts
1 Abzan Banner
2 Jeskai Banner
1 Lens of Clarity
1 Mardu Banner
1 Sultai Banner
2 Temur Banner
Land
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Windswept Heath
My mana fixing was really bad in this pool. Sorin, Solemn Visitor and Butcher of the Horde made me want to go mardu, but my red and black were both on the weak side. Here are two decks that I tried to build with this pool. The first one has Sorin, the second does not. The first deck is really creature light. I guess I could have thrown in Alabaster Kirin, Timely Hordemate and Bellowing Saddlebrute:
Deck with Sorin
1 Butcher of the Horde
1 Disowned Ancestor
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Jeskai Student
1 Mardu Hateblade
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
1 Mardu Hordechief
1 Ruthless Ripper
1 Ponyback Brigade
1 Sultai Scavenger
2 Valley Dasher
1 Arrow Storm
1 Bring Low
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Dead Drop
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Defiant Strike
2 Ride Down
1 Rush of Battle
1 Trumpet Blast
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Artifacts (3)
2 Jeskai Banner
1 Mardu Banner
Land (15)
5 Mountain
4 Plains
1 Scoured Barrens
5 Swamp
Curve
1 CCCS
2 CCCSSS
3 CCCSAA
4 CCCSSSP
5 S
6
7
8 S
My other option was to try to go temur, but now my mana is really bad:
Deck without Sorin
1 Bear's Companion
1 Heir of the Wilds
2 Hooting Mandrills
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
1 Pine Walker
1 Sagu Archer
1 Scion of Glaciers
1 Temur Charger
2 Valley Dasher
1 Whirlwind Adept
1 Woolly Loxodon
1 Arrow Storm
1 Awaken the Bear
1 Bring Low
1 Dig Through Time
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Force Away
1 Savage Punch
1 Trumpet Blast
6 Forest
6 Island
6 Mountain
Curve
1
2 CCCCSS
3 CCCSS
4 CCCCSS
5 CCCS
6 S
Last cuts:
1 Summit Prowler
1 Arrow Storm
2 Ride Down
1 Mardu Hateblade
1 Jeskai Student
1 Mardu Hordechief
1 Ruthless Ripper
1 Ponyback Brigade
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Krumar Bond-Kin
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
1 Alabaster Kirin
1 Butcher of the Horde
1 Bellowing Saddlebrute
1 Sultai Scavenger
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Mardu Banner
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Bring Low
1 Dead Drop
1 Scoured Barrens
3 Mountain
6 Swamp
7 Plains
W 1+7 sources for 8/1 cards/morphs
B 2+6 sources for 8/4 cards/morphs
R 1+3 sources for 4/1 cards/morphs
Differences from you:
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Krumar Bond-Kin
1 Alabaster Kirin
1 Bellowing Saddlebrute
1 Defiant Strike
1 Tormenting Voice
3 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Bloodstained Mire (!)
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
2 Valley Dasher
1 Arrow Storm
2 Ride Down
1 Rush of Battle
1 Trumpet Blast
2 Jeskai Banner
2 Mountain
Only 15 lands is flat out wrong. How often will you fail to draw a 3rd land and have the Banners stranded in your hand?
I guess I had the right idea for the colors, but I really learned a lot of thing that I can improve on.
Thanks for the advice.
Yes, the identity of 'lose to your own manabase'.
The thing is, draft archetypes don't apply to sealed that way. EVERY deck is a grindy midrange deck with bombs etc. Its only a very rare deck that is weak enough and has the early drops to support a playable aggro deck.
Yes, I'm well aware that this deck doesn't have sufficient early drops. The thing is, I don't think of Valley Dasher as a playable card in general due to the massive glaring 'must attack' drawback. But the real thing is the manabase. You HAVE to run 7 coloured sources for a deck that you're planning on casting two drops in on curve. If you don't have adequate mana, those 2-drops are going to get played on turn 4 or so. And I'm ust playing better and more powerful cards on turn 4 than those you are advocating for.
Sorry, I'm misunderstanding something here. Do you think your tri-coloured aggro deck is more powerful? or more consistent? Because from where I sit it's neither.
Maybe you could build your deck (including the manabase) and we could discuss it in more detail?
Because if you really wanted a consistent 'aggro' deck I think it would look something like this:
1 Heir of the Wilds
1 Smoke Teller
1 Temur Charger
1 Pine Walker
1 Sagu Archer
1 Woolly Loxodon
1 Jeskai Windscout
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
1 Scion of Glaciers
2 Hooting Mandrills
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Savage Punch
1 Awaken the Bear
1 Crippling Chill
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Weave Fate
1 Dig Through Time
8 Island
No, I do think that you can build a deck that is all in on curving out with 2-3-4 drops (and maybe some 1 drops too). I don't think this card pool supports that approach though. The times when you do that are when you have the early creatures that let you do that, as well as a lack of late game bombs. So the lack of bombs means your deck is fundamentally underpowered compared to other people's decks in the late game, meaning your best bet is to build entirely for the early game since you figure you're not winning late.
The list you build is pretty good. It's probably better than either of the decks I constructed. I would definitely run the second Defiant Strike over the Krumar Bond-Kin (or maybe the 18th land) since it plays so nicely with your Monk and Dashers while being cheap enough to let you play another threat.
I'm not claiming that this is better than your build. As said, in many ways your build obviously trumps this (consistency, individual card power), but I like that all cards function in the same game plan.
Let's look at the card differences:
1 Defiant Strike
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Mardu Banner
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Dead Drop
2 Valley Dasher
2 Ride Down
1 Trumpet Blast
1 Timely Hordemate
There's some stinkers in both lists. I think I would definitely still want to run Defiant Strike in a more aggro focussed build over Timely Hordemate, which doesn't seem to work that well with the Dashers (since you have to attack before returning a haste guy). I want to find a cut for Bitter Revelation, but the options you list all synergise well together.
So I think I like your build more than mine