Alright so tonight was my first draft and I really enjoyed it, I just didn't do well lol. I went 1-2 and I thought I'd share my deck for a little input because I plan on drafting next week too. Here it is..
I apologise for the long layout of that list but I'm doing this from mobile so in the interest of ease that's what I can manage.
So I was going for a heroic aggro kinda thing. Every pack that got passed to me had R/W in it so I soon locked in my colors, got what I thought I needed and started taking out cards that would be annoying to me. I think first of all, I lack bombs. Nothing in this deck really has the extra umph to finish off the game. I figured I could make up for it by dropping my 1 and 2 drops and getting early damage in. I didn't really get anything that would fit the role of bomb for the deck. I realised that I passed an Ill-Tempered Cyclops when I definitely should have scooped him up but other than that I didn't see much.
Yeah, I didn't think the Snarecaster would be particularly helpful but it actually did come in handy once. The Logonna and Silent Artisen I ended up taking late in the draft when I started to notice that I didnt have much with power greater than 2. Mogis's Marauder was a pick for me just because of power and I figured I might be able to strike for 2 or 3 each time I played him. Obviously not his best use but I figured it couldn't hurt.
Phalanx Leader did work for me through the entire draft. I would have been 2-1 if I would have drawn my Calvary Pegasus in m3 g3. Unfortunately I hit a covey of land in my deck and was held off for 4 turns while I watched my opponent drop and monstrify an Ember Swallower. At that point I didnt have much to deal with a 7/8 but if I could have taken to the air I would have won the race with a 4/4 Phalanx Leader and a 4/6 Battle Priest.
Over all I was happy with the results of my first draft and as I said, I will be returning next week for more!
You drafted the colors for one of the strongest archetypes in the set, which is white/red heroic. If you see those colors open again, focus on cards like Arena Athlete and Favored Hoplite. You had good enablers, like God's Willing, Purphoros's Emissary, and Coordinated Assault; definitely prioritize cards like that in a pack if there are no good creatures (Hopeful Eidolon is godlike for an enabler and Titan's Strength is beast). If you see Wingsteed Rider, you windmill slam that unless you see a foiled Elspeth or something
But yeah, as someone mentioned, cards like Ray of Resolution, are more for the sideboard, but can get the job done in the right match up.
agreed to the opinions above. Also, what is the purpose of Traveler's Amulet? I'd rather run a land instead, you don't have much time for slow fixing in RW. There are no splash cards in deck, and the only card with double mana symbols worth playing is Phalanx Leader
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I disagree with Leonin Snarecaster being unplayable, it has always been an important piece of my WR Heroic builds as it removes a blocker for a turn while also providing a body. It is not a dead draw should the game drag longer than expected and gets better in multiples. It is sometimes better than Arena Athlete. It helps with the reach the deck needs to have. Lightning Strike and Magma Jet never go late. Leonin Snarecaster sometimes does.
Other than that congrats to the OP, considering it was your first draft I'd say you did quite well. You managed to draft a non-trainwreck deck and picked some really strong cards for the archetype (Arena Athlete, Coordinated Assault) and in general (God's Willing, Phalanx Leader).
In addition to the feedback people have given you about the low quality of some of your creatures, heroic decks tend to want to max out on enabling effects. You have 4 (God's Willing and Coordinated Assault). If you'd managed to pick up another 3-4 heroic triggers that would have been great.
In addition to the feedback people have given you about the low quality of some of your creatures, heroic decks tend to want to max out on enabling effects. You have 4 (God's Willing and Coordinated Assault). If you'd managed to pick up another 3-4 heroic triggers that would have been great.
Well, there are six in the deck as built. It's just that two of them are Messenger's Speed, which is awful.
If the Messenger's Speeds were (in part) chosen because they cheaply trigger Heroic, then at least you've got the right general idea about Heroic and just need to better understand card advantage.
I picked up the Messenger's Speed because 1) it was a cheap heroic trigger 2)it would boost Fanatic of Mogis (although I dont really think he had a place in the deck in hind sight) and 3) with Phalanx leader on the board the trample actually was relevant a couple times.
Also I dont feel like Setessan Battle Preist is all that bad. In an aggro match up with multiple tageting heroic triggers, the +2 life doesnt hurt. Is it worth wasting a single trigger on? Maybe not every time but in a pinch perhaps.
I'll be drafting again tonight so I'll probly keep posting my lists on this thread so you guys can see some progression. Thanks for the input though
I picked up the Messenger's Speed because 1) it was a cheap heroic trigger 2)it would boost Fanatic of Mogis (although I dont really think he had a place in the deck in hind sight) and 3) with Phalanx leader on the board the trample actually was relevant a couple times.
So, those are excellent reasons to pick Messenger's Speed, and your reasoning is sound here. It's also missing an important component: Messenger's Speed is a creature Aura that is nowhere near being powerful or useful enough to overcome the inherent drawbacks of creature Auras.
I won't write an entire treatise on Auras and card advantage, but basically the reason we're all dismissing Messenger's out of hand is that it costs you one entire card, and all it does is make one creature have haste and trample at sorcery speed. Mark Rosewater does a pretty good job covering the general problems with Auras in this article. I'd recommend reading it, and then looking at all of the other Auras in red and white. Consider the ways in which each one does something to mitigate these disadvantages, except for Messenger's Speed.
Also I dont feel like Setessan Battle Preist is all that bad. In an aggro match up with multiple tageting heroic triggers, the +2 life doesnt hurt. Is it worth wasting a single trigger on? Maybe not every time but in a pinch perhaps.
This makes it a perfectly serviceable sideboard card, but it's not ideal in the mainboard. When drafting, don't confuse "can be useful if I have it" with "worth picking from a pack." The format for making the most of what you have in front of you is Sealed; Draft is about having the best stuff in front of you in the first place. If you're playing Setessan Battle Priest, that means one of two things: Either (A) you took it over something better, in which case you're on your way to learning why something else was better, or (B) you had no choice but to take it (and cards of similar power) because they were the only things left in your color, in which case you're on your way to learning a much broader lesson about when to get out of a color and into another one.
And remember, even though we're sitting around telling you how bad some of your cards were and how they should basically never be played, there is no shame in having drafted them. These cards exist to create a learning curve -- something has to be the weakest, and nobody magically comes in understanding complex topics like virtual card advantage and tempo and so on. It's perfectly normal.
As an aside, if you want a comparison, here is a reasonably representative RW Heroic draft deck that I found on the internet.
And as another aside, because it's morning and my thoughts are rather disjointed, I'd like to know what else you drafted that you didn't put in the deck, if you've still got it. We know some of the cards you played are bad, but we don't know if some of the cards you didn't play are good.
If those messenger speeds were instead Dragon Mantles, you would have been a lot happier with them. The biggest things I see lacking here are Ordeals (ok, you just don't see any sometimes as they tend to go early) and Cantripping Auras (Dragon Mantle and Chosen)
With no wingsteed riders, was white really that open? Only getting 2 quality heroic white dudes and 1 heroic red dude leads me to think you got cut pretty hard by someone going UW Heroic or something.
You might have been SEEING a lot of white cards, but the white cards I'm seeing you pick are not the most amazing - so I can't be sure whether the signal 'go white heroic!' was there or not - if the phalanx leader or hoplite were not first/second picks, I would not agree with your early commitment, but if they were later than that in pack 1, the signal's there and you just didn't see much after that.
Red commons that I don't see in your deck but that you will be wanting to pick in a deck like this are Dragon Mantle, Titan's Strength, Ill-tempered Cyclops, Two-headed Cerberus. (In the order that I would personally prioritize them once committed to the archetype)
Avoid the traveler's amulet, you didn't need it. Don't be afraid to run Traveling PhilosiBears or even bronze sables to keep your aggressiveness flowing - you want to be able to drop a threat every single turn if possible. You even should consider cutting a land down to 16 - you definitely don't need 18 mana sources with only 5 cards at 4+ CMC.
With no wingsteed riders, was white really that open? Only getting 2 quality heroic white dudes and 1 heroic red dude leads me to think you got cut pretty hard by someone going UW Heroic or something.
You might have been SEEING a lot of white cards, but the white cards I'm seeing you pick are not the most amazing - so I can't be sure whether the signal 'go white heroic!' was there or not - if the phalanx leader or hoplite were not first/second picks, I would not agree with your early commitment, but if they were later than that in pack 1, the signal's there and you just didn't see much after that.
Well, this was the OP's first draft, so there's a ways to go before they'll be able to tell us anything about what was "open." Before you can figure that out, you have to have a good sense of what cards are actually good -- otherwise everything looks open because you're getting cards of the colors you're in. In this case, for instance, you might think you're drafting RW Heroic and conclude you're on the right path because you're getting 1-mana Heroic triggers that speed up your creatures in the form of Messenger's Speed.
It's only with experience that one can see a bunch of Messenger's Speeds and realize it means that all of the good red is being picked over -- or at least mentally dismiss them as not actually counting toward stuff that indicates red is open.
Overall, I see some promising beginner draft strategy. I'd recommend looking at some Sealed pool evaluations on this forum to get more information on what individual cards are good in Limited -- check out what keeps getting tossed aside in everyone's builds, and see what kinds of interactions people play up when they're choosing which colors to use -- and in the meantime use the default newbie draft approach of "pick a couple of good cards early and then try to build around them."
This essentially means forcing a random archetype every draft, and the quality of the result will be dependent on luck. But, the important thing is that you're thinking about what you're doing and you're evaluating how your cards work together, like you did in this draft. The more you do this, the more you'll be able to recognize when you're not getting good cards in certain colors, and then you'll be able to make good decisions about switching to different colors with better cards that other people aren't taking.
TL;DR: Watching for signals is important, but brand new draft players can't make use of it. Much like purchasing a high-end scope for a newbie target shooter, it's a tool that doesn't help because it's more precise than the user is accurate. It takes a bit of experience and skill before they can appreciate it and leverage it into better play.
I disagree with Leonin Snarecaster being unplayable, it has always been an important piece of my WR Heroic builds as it removes a blocker for a turn while also providing a body. It is not a dead draw should the game drag longer than expected and gets better in multiples. It is sometimes better than Arena Athlete. It helps with the reach the deck needs to have. Lightning Strike and Magma Jet never go late. Leonin Snarecaster sometimes does.
Other than that congrats to the OP, considering it was your first draft I'd say you did quite well. You managed to draft a non-trainwreck deck and picked some really strong cards for the archetype (Arena Athlete, Coordinated Assault) and in general (God's Willing, Phalanx Leader).
Stay heroic~
I definitely agree. It's not all that much better than Athlete. I mean, I try not to draft RW heroic much, but every time I have, I'd feel pretty bad wasting an enabler on an Athlete over a Hoplite or Wingsteed Rider - plus heroic that is irrelevant after blockers are declared is pretty underwhemling to begin with as most of your enablers are combat tricks. How many people are really getting more than one use out of Arena Athlete's ability and still winning games? Plus, tapping is better than "can't block" because of things like Shipwreck Singer. I mean, Snarecaster isn't awesome or anything, but neither is Athlete. They're both just decent aggressive bodies that sometimes help push a little damage through. It's basically just a one time, more powerful ability against the chance of a multi-use (0-x uses), less powerful ability.
Alright so tonight was my first draft and I really enjoyed it, I just didn't do well lol. I went 1-2 and I thought I'd share my deck for a little input because I plan on drafting next week too.
Hey, 1-2 is better than 0-3!
The beauty of starting now is that a new set is just around the corner, so come February you'll be on pretty equal footing with everyone else as far as card evaluation (at least for the first pack).
The only better time to jump in would have probably been September as Theros was coming out (which is, consequentially, not long after I started).
Either way, best of luck! There are a lot of firm and strong opinions here, and people who will not be afraid to share them. I still remember the beating I took for being in blue and passing a Prognostic Sphinx. Remember that everyone here wants you to get better, and frame their comments in that light, and you will do well here.
Ok so tonight was a good night. Let me start off by saying I went 0-3 tonight but it was only through key misplays on my part. I LOVE THE DECK I DRAFTED I just missed key triggers and dropped things at the WRONG TIME. Here is my deck in order by curve...
First match was GRIIIIIINDY but in game 3 he dropped Ashiok and milled me and plucked ALL my bombs. This is the match where I missed 5!!!! triggers from Horizon Chimera AND one scry trigger from Horizon Scholar #sadface.
Second match was againt RW Heroic, couldn't really find a groove against him. Lost in game three because I killed my Nemesis he had taken control of for the turn (baaaaad idea).
Third match was RW aggro, two and out due to Chained to the Rocks in game one and... you guessed it, Chained to the rocks in game two with a good ole mana flood.
Again, I loved the deck but couldn't find a groove in my last two games. I am taking all of you criticism constructively so don't worry about coming off as douchey or whatever lol. I truly believe I could have 3-0'd tonight but after grinding out game one and then everyone around us pointing out I missed 6 triggers I was off my game. AND I know its a lame excuse but it was between match 2 and 3 that I realized I had locked my keys in my car lol.
Yup, that's a deck. Certainly better than the pile of green and blue I had in my own draft today. I'd have been pretty happy to run it.
You've got Sedge Scorpions to gum up the early game and maybe even get the dreaded 1-drop into Ordeal play going on. You've got fliers running from 2 mana to 6 mana, trample, and straight unblockability in the Agent. All of this evasion pairs well with the Bident, and the Scorpions let the Bident's activited ability turn into amusing board wipes. The only stuff it's lacking is ramp, direct removal (or GU's impression of it, at least), and some card advantage, all of which I'll elaborate on tomorrow if I remember because I am now sleepy.
That's a solid deck. I'd say the only weaknesses are that you have no ramp and a high top end, that you have three Scorpions without a single Time to Feed and the three Savage Surges. I have no idea what cards you saw, so it's hard to see if you could have drafted it better, but I'd have to guess you may have had a chance to prioritize at least one or two Traveling Satyrs (for ramp), Time to Feed, Voyage's End or Griptide - especially by pack 3. I wonder if the draw of Anthousa, who is undeniably powerful, caused you to take okay tricks over more solid cards for the rest of your deck.
I will echo the thoughts of others regarding removal. Something to consider: while multiples of a card will make your deck more consistent in those areas, it is also powerful to have options. If you're staring down a third or fourth pick of any particular card, consider other cards in the pack that are in your colors strongly, especially if it's in a category you're light in (creatures, creature removal, combat tricks), and don't be afraid to consider a sideboard card in those scenarios, either (examples would include Artisan's Sorrow or Shredding Winds).
It is also good to not get caught up in the results. A loss doesn't necessarily mean you've drafted (or played) incorrectly. Sometimes your opponent just has the answer and you tip your cap. Continue making correct decisions, and the results will come naturally.
It is also good to not get caught up in the results. A loss doesn't necessarily mean you've drafted (or played) incorrectly. Sometimes your opponent just has the answer and you tip your cap. Continue making correct decisions, and the results will come naturally.
Oh that's a good thing to remember when new (or for most players anyway). Losing doesn't mean you played worse or that your deck is worse. Better players lose with better decks plenty - there's plenty of luck in MTG, especially in limited. During the MTGO cubes, I had very good results, but my lone first round elimination came with easily the most powerful deck I drafted, against a mediocre deck and without a single misplay I noticed. It just happens. But if you did misplay and realized it, that's a great learning experience.
Also, yes, powerful sideboard cards are almost always better than barely playable cards unless you're incredibly low on playables late in a draft. I'd rather have a good sideboard card I know I'll bring in sometimes than an okay card that may not even make the deck.
I didn't realize it until the game was over and everyone pointed out my misplays they had seen from the sidelines. Lesson learned, next time I'll do better lol
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2 Coordinated Assault
2 Gods Willing
2 Messenger's Speed
1 Traveler's Amulet
1 Leonin Snarecaster
1 Arena Athlete
1 Setessan Battle Priest
1 Phalanx Leader
1 Magma Jet
1 Lightning Strike
1 Calvary Pegasus
2 Ray of Dissolution
1 Lagonna-Band Elder
2 Fanatic of Mogis
1 Purphoros's Emissary
1 Silent Artisan
1 Decorated Griffin
I apologise for the long layout of that list but I'm doing this from mobile so in the interest of ease that's what I can manage.
So I was going for a heroic aggro kinda thing. Every pack that got passed to me had R/W in it so I soon locked in my colors, got what I thought I needed and started taking out cards that would be annoying to me. I think first of all, I lack bombs. Nothing in this deck really has the extra umph to finish off the game. I figured I could make up for it by dropping my 1 and 2 drops and getting early damage in. I didn't really get anything that would fit the role of bomb for the deck. I realised that I passed an Ill-Tempered Cyclops when I definitely should have scooped him up but other than that I didn't see much.
What do you think????
Phalanx Leader did work for me through the entire draft. I would have been 2-1 if I would have drawn my Calvary Pegasus in m3 g3. Unfortunately I hit a covey of land in my deck and was held off for 4 turns while I watched my opponent drop and monstrify an Ember Swallower. At that point I didnt have much to deal with a 7/8 but if I could have taken to the air I would have won the race with a 4/4 Phalanx Leader and a 4/6 Battle Priest.
Over all I was happy with the results of my first draft and as I said, I will be returning next week for more!
You had a big victory, though, because you enjoyed it and that will spur you on to play more and improve.
You might want to try watching some Theros draft videos on Youtube. Those seem to be very helpful as well as enjoyable.
But yeah, as someone mentioned, cards like Ray of Resolution, are more for the sideboard, but can get the job done in the right match up.
Other than that congrats to the OP, considering it was your first draft I'd say you did quite well. You managed to draft a non-trainwreck deck and picked some really strong cards for the archetype (Arena Athlete, Coordinated Assault) and in general (God's Willing, Phalanx Leader).
Stay heroic~
In addition to the feedback people have given you about the low quality of some of your creatures, heroic decks tend to want to max out on enabling effects. You have 4 (God's Willing and Coordinated Assault). If you'd managed to pick up another 3-4 heroic triggers that would have been great.
Well, there are six in the deck as built. It's just that two of them are Messenger's Speed, which is awful.
If the Messenger's Speeds were (in part) chosen because they cheaply trigger Heroic, then at least you've got the right general idea about Heroic and just need to better understand card advantage.
Also I dont feel like Setessan Battle Preist is all that bad. In an aggro match up with multiple tageting heroic triggers, the +2 life doesnt hurt. Is it worth wasting a single trigger on? Maybe not every time but in a pinch perhaps.
I'll be drafting again tonight so I'll probly keep posting my lists on this thread so you guys can see some progression. Thanks for the input though
So, those are excellent reasons to pick Messenger's Speed, and your reasoning is sound here. It's also missing an important component: Messenger's Speed is a creature Aura that is nowhere near being powerful or useful enough to overcome the inherent drawbacks of creature Auras.
I won't write an entire treatise on Auras and card advantage, but basically the reason we're all dismissing Messenger's out of hand is that it costs you one entire card, and all it does is make one creature have haste and trample at sorcery speed. Mark Rosewater does a pretty good job covering the general problems with Auras in this article. I'd recommend reading it, and then looking at all of the other Auras in red and white. Consider the ways in which each one does something to mitigate these disadvantages, except for Messenger's Speed.
This makes it a perfectly serviceable sideboard card, but it's not ideal in the mainboard. When drafting, don't confuse "can be useful if I have it" with "worth picking from a pack." The format for making the most of what you have in front of you is Sealed; Draft is about having the best stuff in front of you in the first place. If you're playing Setessan Battle Priest, that means one of two things: Either (A) you took it over something better, in which case you're on your way to learning why something else was better, or (B) you had no choice but to take it (and cards of similar power) because they were the only things left in your color, in which case you're on your way to learning a much broader lesson about when to get out of a color and into another one.
And remember, even though we're sitting around telling you how bad some of your cards were and how they should basically never be played, there is no shame in having drafted them. These cards exist to create a learning curve -- something has to be the weakest, and nobody magically comes in understanding complex topics like virtual card advantage and tempo and so on. It's perfectly normal.
As an aside, if you want a comparison, here is a reasonably representative RW Heroic draft deck that I found on the internet.
And as another aside, because it's morning and my thoughts are rather disjointed, I'd like to know what else you drafted that you didn't put in the deck, if you've still got it. We know some of the cards you played are bad, but we don't know if some of the cards you didn't play are good.
With no wingsteed riders, was white really that open? Only getting 2 quality heroic white dudes and 1 heroic red dude leads me to think you got cut pretty hard by someone going UW Heroic or something.
You might have been SEEING a lot of white cards, but the white cards I'm seeing you pick are not the most amazing - so I can't be sure whether the signal 'go white heroic!' was there or not - if the phalanx leader or hoplite were not first/second picks, I would not agree with your early commitment, but if they were later than that in pack 1, the signal's there and you just didn't see much after that.
Red commons that I don't see in your deck but that you will be wanting to pick in a deck like this are Dragon Mantle, Titan's Strength, Ill-tempered Cyclops, Two-headed Cerberus. (In the order that I would personally prioritize them once committed to the archetype)
Avoid the traveler's amulet, you didn't need it. Don't be afraid to run Traveling PhilosiBears or even bronze sables to keep your aggressiveness flowing - you want to be able to drop a threat every single turn if possible. You even should consider cutting a land down to 16 - you definitely don't need 18 mana sources with only 5 cards at 4+ CMC.
Also, what did your sideboard look like?
Well, this was the OP's first draft, so there's a ways to go before they'll be able to tell us anything about what was "open." Before you can figure that out, you have to have a good sense of what cards are actually good -- otherwise everything looks open because you're getting cards of the colors you're in. In this case, for instance, you might think you're drafting RW Heroic and conclude you're on the right path because you're getting 1-mana Heroic triggers that speed up your creatures in the form of Messenger's Speed.
It's only with experience that one can see a bunch of Messenger's Speeds and realize it means that all of the good red is being picked over -- or at least mentally dismiss them as not actually counting toward stuff that indicates red is open.
Overall, I see some promising beginner draft strategy. I'd recommend looking at some Sealed pool evaluations on this forum to get more information on what individual cards are good in Limited -- check out what keeps getting tossed aside in everyone's builds, and see what kinds of interactions people play up when they're choosing which colors to use -- and in the meantime use the default newbie draft approach of "pick a couple of good cards early and then try to build around them."
This essentially means forcing a random archetype every draft, and the quality of the result will be dependent on luck. But, the important thing is that you're thinking about what you're doing and you're evaluating how your cards work together, like you did in this draft. The more you do this, the more you'll be able to recognize when you're not getting good cards in certain colors, and then you'll be able to make good decisions about switching to different colors with better cards that other people aren't taking.
TL;DR: Watching for signals is important, but brand new draft players can't make use of it. Much like purchasing a high-end scope for a newbie target shooter, it's a tool that doesn't help because it's more precise than the user is accurate. It takes a bit of experience and skill before they can appreciate it and leverage it into better play.
I definitely agree. It's not all that much better than Athlete. I mean, I try not to draft RW heroic much, but every time I have, I'd feel pretty bad wasting an enabler on an Athlete over a Hoplite or Wingsteed Rider - plus heroic that is irrelevant after blockers are declared is pretty underwhemling to begin with as most of your enablers are combat tricks. How many people are really getting more than one use out of Arena Athlete's ability and still winning games? Plus, tapping is better than "can't block" because of things like Shipwreck Singer. I mean, Snarecaster isn't awesome or anything, but neither is Athlete. They're both just decent aggressive bodies that sometimes help push a little damage through. It's basically just a one time, more powerful ability against the chance of a multi-use (0-x uses), less powerful ability.
Hey, 1-2 is better than 0-3!
The beauty of starting now is that a new set is just around the corner, so come February you'll be on pretty equal footing with everyone else as far as card evaluation (at least for the first pack).
The only better time to jump in would have probably been September as Theros was coming out (which is, consequentially, not long after I started).
Either way, best of luck! There are a lot of firm and strong opinions here, and people who will not be afraid to share them. I still remember the beating I took for being in blue and passing a Prognostic Sphinx. Remember that everyone here wants you to get better, and frame their comments in that light, and you will do well here.
3 Savage Surge
3 Vaporkin
1 Omenspeaker
1 Ordeal of Nylea
1 Boon Satyr
1 Feral Invocation
1 Agent of Horizons
1 Nylea's Emissary
1 Bident of Thassa
2 Horizon Chimera
1 Anthousa, Setessan Hero
1 Sealock Monster
1 Nemesis of Mortals
1 Vulpine Goliath
1 Horizon Scholar
7 Island
First match was GRIIIIIINDY but in game 3 he dropped Ashiok and milled me and plucked ALL my bombs. This is the match where I missed 5!!!! triggers from Horizon Chimera AND one scry trigger from Horizon Scholar #sadface.
Second match was againt RW Heroic, couldn't really find a groove against him. Lost in game three because I killed my Nemesis he had taken control of for the turn (baaaaad idea).
Third match was RW aggro, two and out due to Chained to the Rocks in game one and... you guessed it, Chained to the rocks in game two with a good ole mana flood.
Again, I loved the deck but couldn't find a groove in my last two games. I am taking all of you criticism constructively so don't worry about coming off as douchey or whatever lol. I truly believe I could have 3-0'd tonight but after grinding out game one and then everyone around us pointing out I missed 6 triggers I was off my game. AND I know its a lame excuse but it was between match 2 and 3 that I realized I had locked my keys in my car lol.
3 Sedge Scorpion
1 Omenspeaker
3 Vaporkin
1 Boon Satyr
1 Agent of Horizons
2 Horizon Chimera
1 Nylea's Emissary
1 Anthousa, Setessan Hero
1 Sealock Monster
1 Horizon Scholar
1 Nemesis of Mortals
1 Vulpine Goliath
1 Ordeal of Nylea
3 Savage Surge
1 Feral Invocation
1 Bident of Thassa
Land (17)
10 Forest
7 Island
Curve:
1: ccc
2: ccccssss
3: ccs
4: cccs
5: cc
6: ccc
Yup, that's a deck. Certainly better than the pile of green and blue I had in my own draft today. I'd have been pretty happy to run it.
You've got Sedge Scorpions to gum up the early game and maybe even get the dreaded 1-drop into Ordeal play going on. You've got fliers running from 2 mana to 6 mana, trample, and straight unblockability in the Agent. All of this evasion pairs well with the Bident, and the Scorpions let the Bident's activited ability turn into amusing board wipes. The only stuff it's lacking is ramp, direct removal (or GU's impression of it, at least), and some card advantage, all of which I'll elaborate on tomorrow if I remember because I am now sleepy.
But still, nice work for your second draft.
It is also good to not get caught up in the results. A loss doesn't necessarily mean you've drafted (or played) incorrectly. Sometimes your opponent just has the answer and you tip your cap. Continue making correct decisions, and the results will come naturally.
Oh that's a good thing to remember when new (or for most players anyway). Losing doesn't mean you played worse or that your deck is worse. Better players lose with better decks plenty - there's plenty of luck in MTG, especially in limited. During the MTGO cubes, I had very good results, but my lone first round elimination came with easily the most powerful deck I drafted, against a mediocre deck and without a single misplay I noticed. It just happens. But if you did misplay and realized it, that's a great learning experience.
Also, yes, powerful sideboard cards are almost always better than barely playable cards unless you're incredibly low on playables late in a draft. I'd rather have a good sideboard card I know I'll bring in sometimes than an okay card that may not even make the deck.
FNM isn't played by prison rules. You should have got to gain that life when you realised that the trigger had occurred.