My draft (mine because, let's face it, I drafted this alone) didn't go very well. I don't know if it's misreading signals, bad card evaluation (leading to misread signals), bad luck, people switching colors...
The deck is okay, but not overwhelming. I'm not 100% on the final card list. I play 17 lands because being weakish, I need to get lucky. Maybe a 2-1 deck. It does have a lot of tempo spells and tappers. Removal? Who needs removal? I drafted what I could... maybe I should splash outnumber?
PS: looking it over, I might be better off playing ondu rising over wall of resurgence. Still uncertain about the acolyte. I don't thin the claw is strong enough to play a mostly irrelevsnt 1-drop.
Aligned Hedron Network, Captain's Claws, and Inspired Charge are mediocre to unplayable cards that don't really add anything to your deck. I would cut all of them for Sweep Away, Ondu Rising, and Void Shatter.
Man, Noyan Dar with only 3 possible ways to trigger him. Ouch, that's depressing. You definitely need to be running more instants and sorceries. I would play Sweep Away, Dispel, and Ondu Rising in a deck with Noyan Dar every time. Which seat were you in?
I doubt the issue was other people switching colors. You have a lot of black, red, and green stuff in your side, but none of it was high picks except the Depleter.
I think I don't much like the Pathfinder in the deck and would probably rather run another spell, but this is our build. Basically Ramp into Kozilek every game. Definitely not the best deck I've ever drafted but it plays the game it wants to play pretty well and I think we'd have a shot to take down a draft with it.
How is aligned hedron network unplayable? It's not efficient removal, but it is removal for large beaters. I think the claw is okay. Small power boost on flyer + a free blocker. Sweep away's performance if very dependent on my opponent's deck. I prefer to side it in. Void shatters is pretty bad (as coutners often are) and requires double-blue. Ondu, I agree, it could make the cut for something else.
PS: note how hedron network doesn't not affect any of my creatures.
PPS: I don't really like team C's deck. Storm chaser is nice, so is skyspawner.... but 8 and 10 drops? You don't have *that* much ramp. Also, splashing black for one guy. I guess technically you have three black sources. Still, not that much power until the late game.
PPPS: is dispel playable? I've yet to ever play in in OGW. (If ever?)
How is aligned hedron network unplayable? It's not efficient removal, but it is removal for large beaters. I think the claw is okay. Small power boost on flyer + a free blocker. Sweep away's performance if very dependent on my opponent's deck. I prefer to side it in. Void shatters is pretty bad (as coutners often are) and requires double-blue. Ondu, I agree, it could make the cut for something else.
PS: note how hedron network doesn't not affect any of my creatures.
PPS: I don't really like team C's deck. Storm chaser is nice, so is skyspawner.... but 8 and 10 drops? You don't have *that* much ramp. Also, splashing black for one guy. I guess technically you have three black sources. Still, not that much power until the late game.
PPPS: is dispel playable? I've yet to ever play in in OGW. (If ever?)
The network is bad because there just arent any targets for the card to hit most of the time. If you look at oaths commons, I think pathwarden is literally the only creature it hits (either that or supported guys), which means that its going to do nothing in a lot of games. Unplayable in the maindeck, but a reasonable sideboard card - ondu rising can replace that. Void shatter isnt great, but it does a lot more on average than dispel in a format where the most impactful removal spells are an enchantment and sorcery. I cant think of many common instants youd want to hit with dispel. Charge is a little greedy for this deck too: your mostly winning in the air with probably 1 flier attacking on average, so I dont see it doing too much for the cost: you dont have the tokens or curve to abuse it with only 2 2 drops and the artifact (although you can always live the dream with tokens!). I agree with salmons suggestions.
I was on team C, and while the deck isnt crazy or anything, we do have 3 + 2 scion sources of ramp to get out the kozilek which seems fine. This was mostly an experiment around building around Kozilek and the return, and I think it ended up okay given the circumstances.
(You forgot at least kozilek's pathfinder as a common 5/5 in OGW.)
Given how little removal my deck has, I'd rather have the network main. To me, it's the type of card that's only dead when my opponent is not threatening. I prefer to play a lose-less card than a win-more. It's an insurance policy against bombs. (Not that ondu rising is win-more.)
I do agree that ondu rising is preferable to either the claw or charge. I still think that given how many tempo spells and tappers my deck already has that adding sweep is overkill. (I do hesitate between grip and sweep. I preferred the guaranteed card draw over the potential to steal a draw step.)
Whoops, you are correct about the pathfinder, and canopy gorger for thats worth. Regarding your comment about bomb insurance, I dont even think there are enough cards at higher rarities to make this worth it.the only uncommon this hits is birthing hulk and walker of the wastes, which is even less than I initially thought. This means that you are playing a card that can only hit supported 4 power creatures, 1 real common, and 2 semi real uncommons, which just seems way too narrow to be worth it. If your opponent has a linvala then sure, the cards good, but something seems off if you play a card that cant naturally hit 95% of the cards in an average deck.
Well, there's also Eldrazi Devastator, Tajuru Beastmaster, and Ruin processor at common and Bane of Bala Ged, Breaker of Armies, Deathless Behemoth, Plated Crusher, and Ulamog's Despoiler at uncommon. I'm not sure what list of cards you're looking at but there are some holes in it.
That said, that still isn't remotely enough to make Aligned Hedron Network a real card. It is entirely possible to run into a deck that doesn't run any of those cards, and then you're just playing a card that doesn't do anything. You don't maindeck Plummet for this reason, and you definitely wouldn't run a more narrow Plummet that costs twice as much and only works at sorcery speed. (Although admittedly it would be good against my seat's deck...)
PPS: I don't really like team C's deck. Storm chaser is nice, so is skyspawner.... but 8 and 10 drops? You don't have *that* much ramp. Also, splashing black for one guy. I guess technically you have three black sources. Still, not that much power until the late game.
PPPS: is dispel playable? I've yet to ever play in in OGW. (If ever?)
There are 6 pieces of ramp in the deck, including one that ramps for double. I can say from experience that's enough to land a 10-drop.
Splashes are actually supposed to be for one or two cards without much impacting your mana base. It wouldn't be a splash if it were for three cards and 6 black sources. We'd just be playing Grixis at that point.
And yes, Dispel is playable. It isn't a high pick in this format because a lot of the removal is sorcery speed, but there are still reliably targets for it in every deck, which means it will almost always trade efficiently with something (since keeping up one blue mana is very easy). Which isn't true at all for Aligned Hedron Network, as a matter of comparison. Incidentally, Dispel was in Return to Ravnica and was an actual high pick there due to combat tricks mattering so much. It has a good pedigree. You should try it out.
I might point out that searching for 'cards that get exiled by Aligned Hedron Network' by searching for 'cards that have power 5 or greater' is not, precisely, exhaustive. Given that there is a highly relevant +1/+1 counter keyword in the set (Support), you might hit more cards.
All that said, I don't think it's maindeckable.
I will have the spreadsheet up shortly. Maybe tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a lot of business travel.
No one ever played Aligned Hedron Network after the first couple weeks. Not even in the board. I think it just looks way better than it played in this set.
This was sort of a rodeo ride. We first picked Jori En, Ruin Diver over some removal spell. I had to look it up, Immolating Glare. We then picked 2 clerics and auxillary as there was no UR support at all. Ended up with what might be both the 2nd best GW deck and the second best ramp deck. P3P1 had nothing for us except Eyeless Watcher, which I was sure would wheel so we spec'd on Rolling Thunder. Ironically, this build splashes Red for a DIFFERENT burn spell, Radiant Flames.
Other that the near-total lack of interaction, I think this deck is OK, if the mana base works (it depends on how you count the Vestige/Settlement). Obviously could cut the Flames for Cub or 2nd pulse or even Reflection (although I never played this card; I don't think it's terrible but I think it's awkward and mediocre).
Heh, in the exact same colour combination as the team I was passing to!
As soon as I saw "Team A" and your build, I was like, uh-oh. Honestly though, I don't think much else was open at our seat except for the occasional red playable.
It seemed to be shaping up better at the start of pack 3 than it ended up at the end. Bit of a lack of black playables in that final pack and team C took all the blue ones apparently. Still, not a terrible deck I think.
Heh, I knew it! I had put you guys on specifically UB control after you first picked a Blinding Drone P2p1. It shaped our draft pretty significantly.
Puddle Jumper: I want to highlight this to everyone.
It is very rare to see any accurate signals in an 8-Way Draft. This could be due to several factors, among them being 'picking by committee'. However, in this case, Puddle Jumper correctly deduced the exact card taken by Team B in P2P1, and then from that deduced their archetype. This is, in my experience, the single best 'read signal' in an 8-Way Draft to date.
Also, I would be remiss without heaping infinite amounts of praise on pierrebai and Dolphan who both were the only members of their team for basically the entirety of the last draft. My hat is off to you.
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The deck is okay, but not overwhelming. I'm not 100% on the final card list. I play 17 lands because being weakish, I need to get lucky. Maybe a 2-1 deck. It does have a lot of tempo spells and tappers. Removal? Who needs removal? I drafted what I could... maybe I should splash outnumber?
2 Umara Entangler
2 Kor Scythemaster
1 Shadow Glider
1 Wall of Resurgence
2 Reflector Mage
2 Spawnbinder Mage
2 Jwar Isle Avenger
1 Expedition Raptor
1 Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper
1 Steppe Glider
1 Ghostly Sentinel
Spells (7)
1 Captain's Claws
1 Tightening Coils
1 Tandem Tactics
1 Containment Membrane
1 Grip of the Roil
1 Inspired Charge
1 Aligned Hedron Network
1 Meandering River
9 Plains
7 Island
1 Dispel
1 Comparative Analysis
1 Void Shatter
1 Stoneforge Acolyte
1 Ancient Crab
1 Ondu Rising
1 Sweep Away
Irrelevant
1 Essence Depleter
1 Weapons Trainer
1 Eldrazi Aggressor
1 Netcaster Spider
1 Vines of the Recluse
1 Expedite
1 Outnumber
1 Kalastria Healer
1 Mortuary Mire
1 Altar's Reap
1 Earthen Arms
2 Umara Entangler
2 Kor Scythemaster
1 Shadow Glider
1 Wall of Resurgence
2 Reflector Mage
2 Spawnbinder Mage
2 Jwar Isle Avenger
1 Expedition Raptor
1 Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper
1 Steppe Glider
1 Ghostly Sentinel
Spells (7)
1 Captain's Claws
1 Tightening Coils
1 Tandem Tactics
1 Containment Membrane
1 Grip of the Roil
1 Ondu Rising
1 Sweep Away
1 Meandering River
9 Plains
7 Island
1 Dispel
1 Comparative Analysis
1 Void Shatter
1 Stoneforge Acolyte
1 Ancient Crab
1 Aligned Hedron Network
1 Inspired Charge
Irrelevant
1 Essence Depleter
1 Weapons Trainer
1 Eldrazi Aggressor
1 Netcaster Spider
1 Vines of the Recluse
1 Expedite
1 Outnumber
1 Kalastria Healer
1 Mortuary Mire
1 Altar's Reap
1 Earthen Arms
I doubt the issue was other people switching colors. You have a lot of black, red, and green stuff in your side, but none of it was high picks except the Depleter.
Seat C's deck:
1 Eldrazi Mimic
2 Stormchaser Mage
1 Tide Drifter
1 Benthic Infiltrator
2 Cultivator Drone
1 Eldrazi Skyspawner
1 Sifter of Skulls
1 Vestige of Emrakul
1 Kozilek's Channeler
1 Oracle of Dust
1 Kozilek's Pathfinder
1 Eldrazi Devastator
1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
1 Outnumber
1 Anticipate
1 Boulder Salvo
1 Spatial Contortion
1 Containment Membrane
1 Kozilek's Return
1 Seer's Lantern
Lands
1 Crumbling Vestige
1 Holdout Settlement
1 Ruins of Oran-Rief
1 Wandering Fumarole
7 Island
6 Mountain
1 Swamp
1 Ancient Crab
1 Coralhelm Guide
1 Eldrazi Aggressor
1 Sweep Away
1 Comparative Analysis
1 Slip through Space
1 Boiling Earth
1 Wastes
1 Unity of Purpose
1 Expedite
1 Roilmage's Trick
I think I don't much like the Pathfinder in the deck and would probably rather run another spell, but this is our build. Basically Ramp into Kozilek every game. Definitely not the best deck I've ever drafted but it plays the game it wants to play pretty well and I think we'd have a shot to take down a draft with it.
PS: note how hedron network doesn't not affect any of my creatures.
PPS: I don't really like team C's deck. Storm chaser is nice, so is skyspawner.... but 8 and 10 drops? You don't have *that* much ramp. Also, splashing black for one guy. I guess technically you have three black sources. Still, not that much power until the late game.
PPPS: is dispel playable? I've yet to ever play in in OGW. (If ever?)
The network is bad because there just arent any targets for the card to hit most of the time. If you look at oaths commons, I think pathwarden is literally the only creature it hits (either that or supported guys), which means that its going to do nothing in a lot of games. Unplayable in the maindeck, but a reasonable sideboard card - ondu rising can replace that. Void shatter isnt great, but it does a lot more on average than dispel in a format where the most impactful removal spells are an enchantment and sorcery. I cant think of many common instants youd want to hit with dispel. Charge is a little greedy for this deck too: your mostly winning in the air with probably 1 flier attacking on average, so I dont see it doing too much for the cost: you dont have the tokens or curve to abuse it with only 2 2 drops and the artifact (although you can always live the dream with tokens!). I agree with salmons suggestions.
I was on team C, and while the deck isnt crazy or anything, we do have 3 + 2 scion sources of ramp to get out the kozilek which seems fine. This was mostly an experiment around building around Kozilek and the return, and I think it ended up okay given the circumstances.
Given how little removal my deck has, I'd rather have the network main. To me, it's the type of card that's only dead when my opponent is not threatening. I prefer to play a lose-less card than a win-more. It's an insurance policy against bombs. (Not that ondu rising is win-more.)
I do agree that ondu rising is preferable to either the claw or charge. I still think that given how many tempo spells and tappers my deck already has that adding sweep is overkill. (I do hesitate between grip and sweep. I preferred the guaranteed card draw over the potential to steal a draw step.)
That said, that still isn't remotely enough to make Aligned Hedron Network a real card. It is entirely possible to run into a deck that doesn't run any of those cards, and then you're just playing a card that doesn't do anything. You don't maindeck Plummet for this reason, and you definitely wouldn't run a more narrow Plummet that costs twice as much and only works at sorcery speed. (Although admittedly it would be good against my seat's deck...)
There are 6 pieces of ramp in the deck, including one that ramps for double. I can say from experience that's enough to land a 10-drop.
Splashes are actually supposed to be for one or two cards without much impacting your mana base. It wouldn't be a splash if it were for three cards and 6 black sources. We'd just be playing Grixis at that point.
And yes, Dispel is playable. It isn't a high pick in this format because a lot of the removal is sorcery speed, but there are still reliably targets for it in every deck, which means it will almost always trade efficiently with something (since keeping up one blue mana is very easy). Which isn't true at all for Aligned Hedron Network, as a matter of comparison. Incidentally, Dispel was in Return to Ravnica and was an actual high pick there due to combat tricks mattering so much. It has a good pedigree. You should try it out.
All that said, I don't think it's maindeckable.
I will have the spreadsheet up shortly. Maybe tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a lot of business travel.
This was sort of a rodeo ride. We first picked Jori En, Ruin Diver over some removal spell. I had to look it up, Immolating Glare. We then picked 2 clerics and auxillary as there was no UR support at all. Ended up with what might be both the 2nd best GW deck and the second best ramp deck. P3P1 had nothing for us except Eyeless Watcher, which I was sure would wheel so we spec'd on Rolling Thunder. Ironically, this build splashes Red for a DIFFERENT burn spell, Radiant Flames.
Other that the near-total lack of interaction, I think this deck is OK, if the mana base works (it depends on how you count the Vestige/Settlement). Obviously could cut the Flames for Cub or 2nd pulse or even Reflection (although I never played this card; I don't think it's terrible but I think it's awkward and mediocre).
2 Ondu War Cleric
1 Stalking Drone
1 Loam Larva
1 Fortified Rampart
1 Joraga Auxillary
1 Affa Protector
1 Lantern Scout
1 Netcaster Spider
1 Scion Summoner
1 Eyeless Watcher
1 Embodiment of Insight
1 Kozilek’s Channeler
1 Canopy Gorger
1 Birthing Hulk
1 World Breaker
1 Eldrazi Devastator
1 Seer’s Lantern
1 Pulse of Murasa
1 Oath Of Gideon
1 Radiant Flames
1 Smite the Monstrous
Lands
1 Wastes
1 Crumbling Vestige
1 Mirrorpool
1 Holdout Settlement
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Canopy Vista
6 Forest
5 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Felidar Cub
1 Rolling Thunder
1 Warping Wail
1 Lead by Example
2 Dazzling Reflection
1 Jori En, Ruin Diver
Sidenote: Look at that curve, is this a great Birthing Pod deck or what? No 1 drop though.
9 Mountain
8 Forest
1 Blighted Woodland
Creatures (15)
2 Snapping Gnarlid
1 Beastcaller Savant
1 Makindi Sliderunner
1 Sylvan Advocate
1 Zada's Commando
1 Valakut Predator
1 Akoum Flameseeker
3 Goblin Freerunner
1 Vestige of Emrakul
1 Embodiment of Fury
1 Tajuru Pathwarden
1 Cinder Hellion
1 Vines of the Recluse
1 Brute Strength
2 Reality Hemorrhage
1 Boulder Salvo
1 Nissa's Judgment
1 Stonefury
As soon as I saw "Team A" and your build, I was like, uh-oh. Honestly though, I don't think much else was open at our seat except for the occasional red playable.
Heh, I knew it! I had put you guys on specifically UB control after you first picked a Blinding Drone P2p1. It shaped our draft pretty significantly.
It is very rare to see any accurate signals in an 8-Way Draft. This could be due to several factors, among them being 'picking by committee'. However, in this case, Puddle Jumper correctly deduced the exact card taken by Team B in P2P1, and then from that deduced their archetype. This is, in my experience, the single best 'read signal' in an 8-Way Draft to date.
Also, I would be remiss without heaping infinite amounts of praise on pierrebai and Dolphan who both were the only members of their team for basically the entirety of the last draft. My hat is off to you.