Playing in an 8-man SOI Draft at my LGS, I drafted what I felt was a fairly decent BR Vampire deck. After assembling the following cards, I felt I needed to cut one more to play 17 lands. I fretted over the decision, and after the draft I got wildly different answers from various people as to what they would have done. I'm wondering what others here would have done.
I had a Rottenheart Ghoul, Merciless Resolve, and Convicted Killer as other potential playables, but I felt that the best 23 cards laid in the above 24. So what would you have done? Which card would you have cut? Is play only 16 lands an option?
You should definitely be cutting a creature, and I think the worst are (1) Vampire Noble and (2) Stromkirk Mentor.
1: CS
2: CCCSSS
3: CCCCCSS
4: CCCCC
5: CCCS
6: C
I would probably cut a Stromkirk here. It's fine in this deck, but you don't really need two and I think the curve works better without anyway.
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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.
Had you not sin prodder and flameblade angel, I might have considered macabre waltz. OTOH, if you can get the dream of being able to madness back a vampire into play off it, it can be pretty good. I agree that noble or mentor should be cut.
OTOH, as a general deck critique, I think your deck is light both in removal and evasion. I think you should have grabbed a few crow of dark tidings if you could. I generally like them as early evasion that can deal the final damage.
16 lands is not an option since you have very mana hungry cards with the twins and angel.
Given that your primary gameplan seems to be turn 3 vampire into turn 4 duelist or mentor, I dont think any of your creatures that cost 3 or less are cuttable. You only have 3 2 drops and 4 3 drop creatures, so cutting any of them seems questionable.
My cut would either be a mentor or the macabre waltz. Waltz is the most situational of your madness enablers and takes the most to get online. Mentor is theoretically good but 5 4 drops is a lot. Gut reaction is to cut the waltz as its situational and this deck would prefer midgame tempo over lategame value.
1x Insolent Neonate
1x Macabre Waltz
1x Rancid Rats
1x Ravenous Bloodseeker
1x Sanguinary Mage
2x Tormenting Voice
2x Vampire Noble
1x Bloodmad Vampire
1x Fiery Temper
1x Sin Prodder
1x Stensia Masquerade
2x Stromkirk Mentor
3x Voldaren Duelist
1x Throttle
3x Twins of Maurer Estate
1x Flameblade Angel
I had a Rottenheart Ghoul, Merciless Resolve, and Convicted Killer as other potential playables, but I felt that the best 23 cards laid in the above 24. So what would you have done? Which card would you have cut? Is play only 16 lands an option?
1: CS
2: CCCSSS
3: CCCCCSS
4: CCCCC
5: CCCS
6: C
I would probably cut a Stromkirk here. It's fine in this deck, but you don't really need two and I think the curve works better without anyway.
OTOH, as a general deck critique, I think your deck is light both in removal and evasion. I think you should have grabbed a few crow of dark tidings if you could. I generally like them as early evasion that can deal the final damage.
Given that your primary gameplan seems to be turn 3 vampire into turn 4 duelist or mentor, I dont think any of your creatures that cost 3 or less are cuttable. You only have 3 2 drops and 4 3 drop creatures, so cutting any of them seems questionable.
My cut would either be a mentor or the macabre waltz. Waltz is the most situational of your madness enablers and takes the most to get online. Mentor is theoretically good but 5 4 drops is a lot. Gut reaction is to cut the waltz as its situational and this deck would prefer midgame tempo over lategame value.