Having now drafted this archetype a couple of times and seen it drafted several more, I thought I'd get the ball rolling on discussing why and how it works and seeing if anyone else had any experience with it (rather than just discussing the viability of Staff of the Mind Magus, as in the other thread). As a jumping off point, here are the two drafts from the past two days where I ended up playing only Islands:
DRAFT 1:
------ M14 ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Seismic Stomp
Undead Minotaur
Frost Breath
Plummet
Master of Diversion
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Mark of the Vampire
Festering Newt (FOIL)
Serra Angel
--> Flames of the Firebrand
Dragon Egg
Trading Post
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 2:
Coral Merfolk (FOIL)
Brindle Boar
Duress
Pay No Heed
Merfolk Spy
Liturgy of Blood
Altar's Reap
--> Pacifism
Deadly Recluse
Academy Raider
Encroaching Wastes
Vial of Poison
Indestructibility
Forest
Pack 1 pick 3:
Zephyr Charge
Undead Minotaur
--> Pitchburn Devils
Ranger's Guile (FOIL)
Child of Night
Angelic Wall
Wild Guess
Disperse
Sporemound
Tome Scour
Voracious Wurm
Congregate
Plains
Pack 1 pick 4:
Festering Newt
Ranger's Guile
--> Essence Scatter
Lay of the Land
Soulmender
Hunt the Weak
Demolish
Rootwalla
Show of Valor
Accorder's Shield
Diabolic Tutor
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 10:
Shadowborn Apostle
--> Time Ebb
Soulmender
Gnawing Zombie
Door of Destinies
Plains
Pack 2 pick 11:
Seismic Stomp
Armored Cancrix
--> Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 12:
Canyon Minotaur
--> Sensory Deprivation
Wall of Swords
Island
Pack 2 pick 13:
Vile Rebirth
--> Shrivel
Forest
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Duress
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Island
------ M14 ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Master of Diversion
--> Shock
Shadowborn Apostle
Time Ebb
Scroll Thief
Quag Sickness
Academy Raider
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Staff of the Death Magus
Briarpack Alpha
Phantom Warrior
Rise of the Dark Realms
Forest
Pack 3 pick 2:
Fog
Seismic Stomp
Divination
Festering Newt
Master of Diversion
Time Ebb
Regathan Firecat
Rumbling Baloth
Archaeomancer
Duress
Artificer's Hex
Windstorm
--> Goblin Diplomats
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Rootwalla
Show of Valor
Dark Favor
Groundshaker Sliver
Capashen Knight (FOIL)
Thunder Strike
Cancel
Sensory Deprivation
Auramancer
--> Opportunity
Encroaching Wastes
Diabolic Tutor
Plains
Pack 3 pick 4:
Lava Axe
Lightning Talons
Nephalia Seakite
Rootwalla
Fortify
Elvish Mystic
Shrivel
Coral Merfolk
Tenacious Dead
Staff of the Flame Magus
--> Water Servant
Forest
Pack 1 pick 2:
Pay No Heed
Vile Rebirth
--> Nephalia Seakite
Hunt the Weak
Solemn Offering
Quag Sickness
Divine Favor
Gladecover Scout
Dragon Hatchling
Merfolk Spy
Rod of Ruin
Shiv's Embrace
Vial of Poison
Island
Pack 1 pick 3:
Archaeomancer
Giant Spider
Lightning Talons
Vile Rebirth
Dragon Hatchling
Hive Stirrings
Advocate of the Beast
Sliver Construct
--> Scroll Thief
Corrupt
Staff of the Death Magus
Silence
Island
Pack 1 pick 4:
Siege Mastodon
Demolish
Archaeomancer
--> Giant Spider
Wild Guess
Pillarfield Ox
Groundshaker Sliver
Silence (FOIL)
Woodborn Behemoth
Diabolic Tutor
Howl of the Night Pack
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 4:
Dawnstrike Paladin
--> Nephalia Seakite
Dark Favor
Disperse
Griffin Sentinel
Tome Scour
Minotaur Abomination
Sensory Deprivation
Staff of the Mind Magus
Barrage of Expendables
Door of Destinies
Forest
Pack 2 pick 6:
Lava Axe
Wring Flesh
Blur Sliver
Shrivel
Fortify
--> Seacoast Drake
Glimpse the Future
Stonehorn Chanter
Staff of the Sun Magus
Plains
Pack 2 pick 7:
Lava Axe
Nephalia Seakite
Mind Rot
Hive Stirrings
Goblin Shortcutter
--> Scroll Thief
Mark of the Vampire
Staff of the Mind Magus
Island
Pack 3 pick 2:
Soulmender
Verdant Haven
--> Claustrophobia
Marauding Maulhorn
Academy Raider
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Mark of the Vampire
Briarpack Alpha
Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Thorncaster Sliver
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Shock
Shadowborn Apostle
Time Ebb
Deadly Recluse
Striking Sliver
Celestial Flare
Gladecover Scout
Altar's Reap
Steelform Sliver
Vial of Poison
--> Young Pyromancer
Dark Prophecy
Plains
Pack 3 pick 4:
Shadowborn Apostle
--> Time Ebb
Soulmender
Goblin Shortcutter
Divine Favor
Mind Rot
Deadly Recluse
Striking Sliver
Fireshrieker
Woodborn Behemoth
Dragon Egg
Island
Pack 3 pick 5:
Negate
Lay of the Land
Capashen Knight
--> Essence Scatter
Seismic Stomp
Wild Guess
Disperse
Tenacious Dead (FOIL)
Kalonian Tusker
Wall of Frost
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 6:
Undead Minotaur
Frost Breath
Plummet
Mark of the Vampire
Advocate of the Beast
Encroaching Wastes
Rod of Ruin
Diabolic Tutor
--> Ring of Three Wishes
Forest
You'll notice some commonalities between these two drafts, as well as some serious differences (and to see the decks I played, check out the Staff thread, since I'm apparently selectively lazy). However, I think I can diagnose why I played mono-blue in both drafts and further apply that to a single rule about how and when you should draft and play mono-blue:
[b]It's open.[/b]
I mean, just look at the run of late, powerful blue cards I get in pack 3 of draft 1, or that way that pack 2 of draft 2 just offers up nothing but blue card after blue card. In draft 1, it's actually arguable that my U/R deck would have been even more powerful, since I had a solid red aggressive shell and excellent removal spells (Flames + Shock at least). However, it certainly wouldn't have been nearly as consistent as the mono-blue option, and with a lot of double-colored costs on both sides that might very well have been the straw that broke the camel's back (and I ended up splitting the finals of that one). In the second draft, I'm incentivized to play blue after an early run of strong blue cards, and then I keep wheeling great role players in the mono-blue deck that push the option far over the edge.
But anyway, here are some thoughts on individual cards as they apply specifically to drafting mono-blue:
[b]Critical[/b]
- Divination(/Glimpse the Future): I was pretty sure that Glimpse would be no substitute for the actual card advantage of Divination, but I won draft 2 with only 2 copies of Glimpse and none of Divination, so maybe the additional selection (coupled with running more lands) makes Glimpse fine in a pinch. The way that mono-blue wins is by seriously winning the card advantage race and working the board to a state of dominance, which entails hitting a lot of land drops and then neutralizing/countering key threats. Divination is the key to 2 of those 3 factors.
- Sensory Deprivation/Essence Scatter/Claustrophobia/Cancel: Now, lumping these all together isn't the neatest way of evaluating them individually, but it's the combination of these 4 cards at common that really make a mono-blue shell feasible in M14. I would feel uncomfortable playing mono-blue if my deck didn't have at least 1 copy of 3 of these cards in it, or a large number of 1 or 2. Sensory Deprivation is often the weakest, but it's very good against the set'sintimidators that a mono-blue deck would otherwise have to counter or try and race, which is especially important since Claustrophobia often needs to be saved for a creature with a stupid Aura on it, or otherwise just 4+ power.
- Nephalia Seakite: It's hard for me to imagine running a mono-blue deck without at least a copy of this card, either. In addition to stopping early air guys, he allows you to hold up mana for Scatter/Cancel and really dictate the tempo of the early game. Remember how great it was to have a Kite and either Bone to Ash or Griptide in Dark Ascension? Now just imagine that in a format where you pretty much aren't ever going to be under rapid pressure at that point, and with a hard counter to boot. Pretty much the best.
- Seacoast Drake: Yup, it's that important. Obviously infinitely better than Coral Merfolk for early defense, and usually fine to draw later in the game as well. I can't really imagine ever swinging with this guy on turn 3, and that's a good thing.
[b]Essentially Unpassable[/b]
- Opportunity: This card singlehandedly makes Elixir of Immortality playable for maybe the first time in limited history, and it's very difficult to lose if you're not fighting for your life and you get to cast it and then untap afterwards.
- Water Servant/Air Servant: I actually have been preferring the Water Servant so far, as he's more durable and gums up the ground far better, but Air Servant shouldn't be passed very often and allows you to pull out otherwise unwinnable games just with good ol' fashioned evasion.
- Wall of Frost: Just the best at throwing a wrench into your opponent's early swarming plans, if they had any, and pretty great as a stabilizing chump blocker, if it comes to that. The ability to always cast in on turn 3 with 3 lands is pretty excellent, as well.
- Elixir of Immortality: This doesn't really belong on this part of the list, with the caveat that I'm not sure this deck is viable without one if you're going to be casting 2-3 Divinations and/or an Opportunity over the course of a game of limited. Once you realize you're going to be mono-blue, which should usually be late in pack 2, I think you'd be foolish to take anything but a rare or one of the other cards on this list over Elixir, and that's saying something for a guy who literally hasn't thought it was limited-playable until this set. The advantage is that nobody else who knows what they're doing will want Elixirs, so you'll wheel them often, anyway.
- Trained Condor: Is trading more often than not in this deck, and normally down. Obviously I'd rarely be unhappy to run a few of those, but I'd probably all the Seacoast Drakes I had before I'd consider adding a Condor.
- Disperse: I'd probably stick to siding these in against Aura-heavy decks or decks with Enlarge. Time Ebb does a much better job of buying you time in a deck where you're hitting land drops and holding up counters, even if it costs 1 more mana.
- Warden of Evos Isle: A fine aggressive card once again doesn't do much for us, though there are worse things than powering out Messenger Drakes and Seakites. Still, I'd probably prefer to sit him more often than not.
I guess it's probably also worth mentioning that in this shell Scroll Thief is more or less just a less efficient Seacoast Drake that eats removal more frequently, but getting into a mode where you're trying to trade tempo for cards throw Thief doesn't really bode well for the deck's overall success.
[b]Dregs You Can Actually Make Use Of[/b]
- Staff of the Mind Magus: I like Crypt Rat's comparison of this in the other thread to Gnaw to the Bone: It's going to gain you 5-10 life over the course of a game where you drop it turn 3, which is going to help you immensely stabilize and gives you very few legitimate dead draws. I would only ever really take these highly out of truly dead early packs, and hope to wheel them other times, as they should continue to.
- Zephyr Charge: Taking this over cutting someone else's sideboard card can have a great payoff in the form of a Dismiss Into Dream, which combo is a very backbreaking way to abuse what mono-blue specializes in. I probably wouldn't run it just with Air Servant, but that's an expensive option as well.
(And, obviously, opening rares like Jace, Jace's Mindseeker, or Domestication all make compelling arguments to stick with blue and jump into mono-blue if it feels open.)
So there's that, I guess. I gotta run over to public transportation now, but hopefully others will have thoughts and this is enough to get a discussion going despite me still feeling like I'm talking halfway out of my butt.
I ended up drafting a mono blue flying based deck not too long again and, while I thought it'd be awesome and that I'd easily top, I found the deck didn't have enough threats or real power to it to allow it to really take hold of a game.
I'm sure my performance was more deck dependant than archetype dependant, but at the same time, I honestly see very little reason to not splash a second colour to fill in some pretty critical gaps mono blue tend to has.
i've just noticed there's a bit of a discussion about this on this weeks limited resources too.
anyway, good primer. I'd put the staff higher in the evaluation, I think you're close to actually needing one to stabilise properly and use all of your extra card draw (like the difference between sphinx's revelation and blue sun's zenith). also you also missed scroll thief who is super important in giving the deck the additional card velocity it wants. He plays deceptively good defence outside of his stats by forcing your opponent to leave back blockers, and turns time ebb into a 2 for 1 (when they have one blocker) and makes trained condor and (especially) zephyr charge genuinely good. you want two if you can get them.
This feels like one of those decks that can't last, because if even two people at the table try for it, they both fail. It only works when it's open (as stated in the primer) but if it really is a dominant deck then people will learn to hate draft wheeled Blue cards instead of just passing them along and letting the mono drafter scoop them up. It sounds like it's worth keeping an eye for though, in case it falls into your lap.
I have ended up in something close to this twice, but in both cases I ran a second color for removal spells. The first time I was U/B and it was amazing, the second time I was U/R, and it was not so good. I believe the key was, as you said, getting many copies of Sensory Deprivation/Essence Scatter/Claustophobia/Cancel. My first deck had 6 of these cards, my second had 2, and I could really feel the lack.
I do like Archaeomancer a lot though. Getting back an opportunity is sick, and retrieving a Time Ebb, Divination or counterspell is fine.
I haven't looked at the drafts themselves, but my thoughts on the archetype:
Blue is very deep. You can be one of 3 blue drafters at a table and still end up with a good monoblue deck in my experience.
I think you're way underrating both Scroll Thief and Archaeomancer in this archetype. Scroll Thief is obviously worse than Divination, but sometimes you have to make do. This deck is entirely about card advantage. Note that Messenger Drake is also very very good in this archetype. Seacoast Drake is not that essential, but it's important that you have things to do before turn three. I think it's worse than Sensory Deprivation, for the most part.
I'm not passing Water or Air Servant, but I think you're overrating their impact on the deck. I'm taking them because they're powerful cards, but they don't actually contribute much to the gameplan outside of that.
Trained Condor is actually completely unplayable in the deck, for what it's worth. Warden of Evos Isle is good if it's actually a Sapphire Medallion in your deck, but I'd be wary of ever running it without a good number of Messenger Drakes.
Unless you're really, really trying to abuse the Staff, I think mono-blue can easily become the limited staple archetype UW Skies.
I made a stab at mono-blue for one draft this weekend. Even with two (!) mid-pack Air Servants, I didn't hit the creature density I like for limited. Ended up putting in white for some fliers, Masters of Diversion, a Pacifism and a Dawnstrike Paladin. Had to remove my staff from the deck as a result.
blah blah...the point of that tangent is to illustrate that mono-blue should probably have a backup plan in draft. Typically, that backup plan is Skies...although some have great experiences with the awesome power of UG rares.dec.
Nice to see blue getting some love. Blue mages were very sad in RTR block from all the mean, hurtful hate for Dimir.
This feels like one of those decks that can't last, because if even two people at the table try for it, they both fail. It only works when it's open (as stated in the primer) but if it really is a dominant deck then people will learn to hate draft wheeled Blue cards instead of just passing them along and letting the mono drafter scoop them up. It sounds like it's worth keeping an eye for though, in case it falls into your lap.
I'm wondering if this is paper or online, because on MTGO even in swiss queue's you will never see such late pick blue cards like divination p3p10....
After Sam Black's article on it blue is rarely open and it often ends up in multiple people cannibalizing each other.
I'm wondering if this is paper or online, because on MTGO even in swiss queue's you will never see such late pick blue cards like divination p3p10....
After Sam Black's article on it blue is rarely open and it often ends up in multiple people cannibalizing each other.
I disagree. I have seen heavy blue open numerous times watching drafts online. I am not sure about paper, it's hard to say how many people actually read Sam B's article. It might very well depend on where you draft, lol.
DRAFT 1:
------ M14 ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Seismic Stomp
Undead Minotaur
Frost Breath
Plummet
Master of Diversion
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Mark of the Vampire
Festering Newt (FOIL)
Serra Angel
--> Flames of the Firebrand
Dragon Egg
Trading Post
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 2:
Coral Merfolk (FOIL)
Brindle Boar
Duress
Pay No Heed
Merfolk Spy
Liturgy of Blood
Altar's Reap
--> Pacifism
Deadly Recluse
Academy Raider
Encroaching Wastes
Vial of Poison
Indestructibility
Forest
Pack 1 pick 3:
Zephyr Charge
Undead Minotaur
--> Pitchburn Devils
Ranger's Guile (FOIL)
Child of Night
Angelic Wall
Wild Guess
Disperse
Sporemound
Tome Scour
Voracious Wurm
Congregate
Plains
Pack 1 pick 4:
Festering Newt
Ranger's Guile
--> Essence Scatter
Lay of the Land
Soulmender
Hunt the Weak
Demolish
Rootwalla
Show of Valor
Accorder's Shield
Diabolic Tutor
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 5:
--> Divination
Plummet
Suntail Hawk
Zephyr Charge
Undead Minotaur
Canyon Minotaur
Sporemound
Groundshaker Sliver
Fireshrieker
Darksteel Ingot
Forest
Pack 1 pick 6:
Cyclops Tyrant
Divination
Plummet
Suntail Hawk
Mind Rot
Shimmering Grotto
Staff of the Mind Magus
Bramblecrush
--> Tidebinder Mage
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 7:
Lava Axe
Brindle Boar
Fortify
Shrivel
--> Molten Birth
Staff of the Mind Magus
Barrage of Expendables
Sanguine Bond
Plains
Pack 1 pick 8:
Soulmender
Verdant Haven
Corpse Hauler
Suntail Hawk
Thunder Strike
--> Disperse
Vampire Warlord
Island
Pack 1 pick 9:
Seismic Stomp
Undead Minotaur
--> Plummet
Solemn Offering
Merfolk Spy
Festering Newt (FOIL)
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 10:
Pay No Heed
Merfolk Spy
--> Academy Raider
Encroaching Wastes
Vial of Poison
Forest
Pack 1 pick 11:
--> Zephyr Charge
Ranger's Guile (FOIL)
Tome Scour
Congregate
Plains
Pack 1 pick 12:
Lay of the Land
Demolish
--> Accorder's Shield
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 13:
Suntail Hawk
--> Zephyr Charge
Forest
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Staff of the Mind Magus
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Plains
------ M14 ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Sentinel Sliver
Shivan Dragon (FOIL)
Marauding Maulhorn
Trollhide
Naturalize
Angelic Wall
Pillarfield Ox
Nightwing Shade
Deathgaze Cockatrice
Cancel
Opportunity
Illusionary Armor
Howl of the Night Pack
--> Archangel of Thune
Plains
Pack 2 pick 2:
Shock
Shadowborn Apostle
Time Ebb
Soulmender
Verdant Haven
Claustrophobia
Sporemound
Deathgaze Cockatrice
--> Molten Birth (FOIL)
Voracious Wurm
Gnawing Zombie
Sengir Vampire
Door of Destinies
Plains
Pack 2 pick 3:
Capashen Knight
--> Essence Scatter
Seismic Stomp
Undead Minotaur
Frost Breath
Plummet
Giant Spider
Armored Cancrix
Dawnstrike Paladin
Corrupt
Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 4:
--> Nephalia Seakite
Dark Favor
Canyon Minotaur
Minotaur Abomination
Griffin Sentinel
Sensory Deprivation
Thunder Strike
Blightcaster
Wall of Swords
Battle Sliver
Ratchet Bomb
Island
Pack 2 pick 5:
Giant Spider
Lightning Talons
Vile Rebirth
Dawnstrike Paladin
Celestial Flare
--> Trained Condor
Blur Sliver
Shrivel
Spell Blast
Darksteel Ingot
Forest
Pack 2 pick 6:
Dawnstrike Paladin
Duress
Lava Axe
Sliver Construct
Disperse
Steelform Sliver
Phantom Warrior
Elixir of Immortality
--> Dismiss into Dream
Plains
Pack 2 pick 7:
Dawnstrike Paladin
Armored Cancrix
Regathan Firecat
--> Messenger Drake
Pillarfield Ox
Disperse
Canyon Minotaur
Rod of Ruin
Island
Pack 2 pick 8:
Verdant Haven
Shadowborn Apostle (FOIL)
Fog
Seismic Stomp
Pay No Heed
--> Spell Blast
Artificer's Hex
Island
Pack 2 pick 9:
Naturalize
Angelic Wall
Pillarfield Ox
Nightwing Shade
--> Cancel
Illusionary Armor
Plains
Pack 2 pick 10:
Shadowborn Apostle
--> Time Ebb
Soulmender
Gnawing Zombie
Door of Destinies
Plains
Pack 2 pick 11:
Seismic Stomp
Armored Cancrix
--> Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 12:
Canyon Minotaur
--> Sensory Deprivation
Wall of Swords
Island
Pack 2 pick 13:
Vile Rebirth
--> Shrivel
Forest
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Duress
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Island
------ M14 ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Master of Diversion
--> Shock
Shadowborn Apostle
Time Ebb
Scroll Thief
Quag Sickness
Academy Raider
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Staff of the Death Magus
Briarpack Alpha
Phantom Warrior
Rise of the Dark Realms
Forest
Pack 3 pick 2:
Fog
Seismic Stomp
Divination
Festering Newt
Master of Diversion
Time Ebb
Regathan Firecat
Rumbling Baloth
Archaeomancer
Duress
Artificer's Hex
Windstorm
--> Goblin Diplomats
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Rootwalla
Show of Valor
Dark Favor
Groundshaker Sliver
Capashen Knight (FOIL)
Thunder Strike
Cancel
Sensory Deprivation
Auramancer
--> Opportunity
Encroaching Wastes
Diabolic Tutor
Plains
Pack 3 pick 4:
Lava Axe
Lightning Talons
Nephalia Seakite
Rootwalla
Fortify
Elvish Mystic
Shrivel
Coral Merfolk
Tenacious Dead
Staff of the Flame Magus
--> Water Servant
Forest
Pack 3 pick 5:
Cyclops Tyrant
Negate
Naturalize
Coral Merfolk
--> Seacoast Drake
Solemn Offering
Divine Favor
Millstone
Warden of Evos Isle
Grim Return
Forest
Pack 3 pick 6:
Smelt
Ranger's Guile
Frost Breath
Fortify
Predatory Sliver
Seacoast Drake
--> Goblin Shortcutter
Staff of the Wild Magus
Accorder's Shield
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 7:
Festering Newt
Darksteel Ingot (FOIL)
Smelt
Seacoast Drake
Mind Rot
Gnawing Zombie
Congregate
--> Wall of Frost
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 8:
--> Marauding Maulhorn
Corpse Hauler
Suntail Hawk
Ranger's Guile
Hunt the Weak
Siege Mastodon
Lava Axe
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 9:
Shadowborn Apostle
Academy Raider
Solemn Offering
Merfolk Spy
Staff of the Death Magus
--> Phantom Warrior
Forest
Pack 3 pick 10:
Fog
Seismic Stomp
--> Divination
Duress
Artificer's Hex
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 11:
Show of Valor
Cancel
--> Sensory Deprivation
Encroaching Wastes
Plains
Pack 3 pick 12:
Shrivel
--> Coral Merfolk
Staff of the Flame Magus
Forest
Pack 3 pick 13:
--> Cyclops Tyrant
Millstone
Forest
Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Staff of the Wild Magus
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Congregate
DRAFT 2:
------ M14 ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
Naturalize
Angelic Wall
Blood Bairn
Smelt
Divine Favor
Swamp (FOIL)
Dragon Hatchling
Merfolk Spy
Liturgy of Blood
Altar's Reap
Gnawing Zombie
Shiv's Embrace
Elixir of Immortality
--> Jace, Memory Adept
Plains
Pack 1 pick 2:
Pay No Heed
Vile Rebirth
--> Nephalia Seakite
Hunt the Weak
Solemn Offering
Quag Sickness
Divine Favor
Gladecover Scout
Dragon Hatchling
Merfolk Spy
Rod of Ruin
Shiv's Embrace
Vial of Poison
Island
Pack 1 pick 3:
Archaeomancer
Giant Spider
Lightning Talons
Vile Rebirth
Dragon Hatchling
Hive Stirrings
Advocate of the Beast
Sliver Construct
--> Scroll Thief
Corrupt
Staff of the Death Magus
Silence
Island
Pack 1 pick 4:
Siege Mastodon
Demolish
Archaeomancer
--> Giant Spider
Wild Guess
Pillarfield Ox
Groundshaker Sliver
Silence (FOIL)
Woodborn Behemoth
Diabolic Tutor
Howl of the Night Pack
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 6:
Time Ebb
--> Smelt
Ranger's Guile
Frost Breath
Hunt the Weak
Demolish
Rootwalla
Darksteel Ingot
Voracious Wurm
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 7:
Lay of the Land
Soulmender
Cyclops Tyrant
Solemn Offering
Merfolk Spy
Staff of the Flame Magus
--> Voracious Wurm
Blessing
Forest
Pack 1 pick 8:
Blur Sliver
Fortify
Shrivel
Coral Merfolk
Accorder's Shield
--> Water Servant
Blessing
Island
Pack 1 pick 9:
--> Naturalize
Angelic Wall
Smelt
Swamp (FOIL)
Merfolk Spy
Altar's Reap
Plains
Pack 1 pick 10:
Pay No Heed
Vile Rebirth
Gladecover Scout
--> Merfolk Spy
Vial of Poison
Island
Pack 1 pick 11:
Vile Rebirth
Dragon Hatchling
--> Sliver Construct
Silence
Island
Pack 1 pick 12:
Siege Mastodon
Wild Guess
--> Groundshaker Sliver
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 13:
Tome Scour
--> Glimpse the Future
Island
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Ranger's Guile
Mountain
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Forest
------ M14 ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Demolish
Rootwalla
Show of Valor
Chandra's Outrage
Cancel
Wild Guess
Canyon Minotaur
Charging Griffin
Sporemound
Groundshaker Sliver
Vampire Warlord
Serra Angel
--> Doom Blade
Goblin Diplomats
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 2:
Angelic Wall
Blood Bairn
Smelt
Negate
Child of Night
Lay of the Land
Groundshaker Sliver
Minotaur Abomination
Thunder Strike
Cancel
Manaweft Sliver
--> Opportunity
Windstorm
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 3:
Rootwalla
Dawnstrike Paladin
Armored Cancrix
Regathan Firecat
Disperse
Nightwing Shade
Act of Treason
Giant Growth
Tome Scour
Charging Griffin
--> Darksteel Ingot
Burning Earth
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 4:
Dawnstrike Paladin
--> Nephalia Seakite
Dark Favor
Disperse
Griffin Sentinel
Tome Scour
Minotaur Abomination
Sensory Deprivation
Staff of the Mind Magus
Barrage of Expendables
Door of Destinies
Forest
Pack 2 pick 5:
Shadowborn Apostle
Marauding Maulhorn
Trollhide
Naturalize
--> Trained Condor
Blur Sliver
Shrivel
Fortify
Staff of the Wild Magus
Congregate
Plains
Pack 2 pick 6:
Lava Axe
Wring Flesh
Blur Sliver
Shrivel
Fortify
--> Seacoast Drake
Glimpse the Future
Stonehorn Chanter
Staff of the Sun Magus
Plains
Pack 2 pick 7:
Lava Axe
Nephalia Seakite
Mind Rot
Hive Stirrings
Goblin Shortcutter
--> Scroll Thief
Mark of the Vampire
Staff of the Mind Magus
Island
Pack 2 pick 8:
Capashen Knight
--> Essence Scatter
Seismic Stomp
Frost Breath
Siege Mastodon
Demolish
Shimmering Grotto
Forest
Pack 2 pick 9:
Demolish
Show of Valor
--> Cancel
Wild Guess
Canyon Minotaur
Groundshaker Sliver
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 10:
Smelt
Negate
Groundshaker Sliver
Minotaur Abomination
--> Cancel
Swamp
Pack 2 pick 11:
Armored Cancrix
Giant Growth
Tome Scour
--> Burning Earth
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 12:
Dark Favor
Tome Scour
--> Staff of the Mind Magus
Forest
Pack 2 pick 13:
--> Shrivel
Staff of the Wild Magus
Plains
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Glimpse the Future
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Island
------ M14 ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Pay No Heed
Armored Cancrix
Chandra's Outrage
Wring Flesh
Sensory Deprivation
Auramancer
Sporemound
Deathgaze Cockatrice
Act of Treason
Wild Guess
Illusionary Armor
Dragon Egg
--> Air Servant
Traumatize
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 2:
Soulmender
Verdant Haven
--> Claustrophobia
Marauding Maulhorn
Academy Raider
Solemn Offering
Predatory Sliver
Merfolk Spy
Mark of the Vampire
Briarpack Alpha
Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Thorncaster Sliver
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 3:
Shock
Shadowborn Apostle
Time Ebb
Deadly Recluse
Striking Sliver
Celestial Flare
Gladecover Scout
Altar's Reap
Steelform Sliver
Vial of Poison
--> Young Pyromancer
Dark Prophecy
Plains
Pack 3 pick 4:
Shadowborn Apostle
--> Time Ebb
Soulmender
Goblin Shortcutter
Divine Favor
Mind Rot
Deadly Recluse
Striking Sliver
Fireshrieker
Woodborn Behemoth
Dragon Egg
Island
Pack 3 pick 5:
Negate
Lay of the Land
Capashen Knight
--> Essence Scatter
Seismic Stomp
Wild Guess
Disperse
Tenacious Dead (FOIL)
Kalonian Tusker
Wall of Frost
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 6:
Undead Minotaur
Frost Breath
Plummet
Mark of the Vampire
Advocate of the Beast
Encroaching Wastes
Rod of Ruin
Diabolic Tutor
--> Ring of Three Wishes
Forest
Pack 3 pick 7:
Festering Newt
Ranger's Guile
Pitchburn Devils
--> Essence Scatter
Scroll Thief
Quag Sickness
Tenacious Dead
Windstorm
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 8:
Soulmender
Cyclops Tyrant
Negate
Naturalize
Zephyr Charge
--> Archaeomancer
Staff of the Flame Magus
Plains
Pack 3 pick 9:
Pay No Heed
Armored Cancrix
--> Sensory Deprivation
Wild Guess
Illusionary Armor
Traumatize
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 10:
Soulmender
Verdant Haven
Merfolk Spy
--> Elixir of Immortality
Brave the Elements
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 11:
Shadowborn Apostle
Striking Sliver
--> Gladecover Scout
Vial of Poison
Plains
Pack 3 pick 12:
Shadowborn Apostle
Soulmender
--> Dragon Egg
Island
Pack 3 pick 13:
--> Negate
Seismic Stomp
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Encroaching Wastes
Forest
Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Mountain
You'll notice some commonalities between these two drafts, as well as some serious differences (and to see the decks I played, check out the Staff thread, since I'm apparently selectively lazy). However, I think I can diagnose why I played mono-blue in both drafts and further apply that to a single rule about how and when you should draft and play mono-blue:
[b]It's open.[/b]
I mean, just look at the run of late, powerful blue cards I get in pack 3 of draft 1, or that way that pack 2 of draft 2 just offers up nothing but blue card after blue card. In draft 1, it's actually arguable that my U/R deck would have been even more powerful, since I had a solid red aggressive shell and excellent removal spells (Flames + Shock at least). However, it certainly wouldn't have been nearly as consistent as the mono-blue option, and with a lot of double-colored costs on both sides that might very well have been the straw that broke the camel's back (and I ended up splitting the finals of that one). In the second draft, I'm incentivized to play blue after an early run of strong blue cards, and then I keep wheeling great role players in the mono-blue deck that push the option far over the edge.
But anyway, here are some thoughts on individual cards as they apply specifically to drafting mono-blue:
[b]Critical[/b]
- Divination(/Glimpse the Future): I was pretty sure that Glimpse would be no substitute for the actual card advantage of Divination, but I won draft 2 with only 2 copies of Glimpse and none of Divination, so maybe the additional selection (coupled with running more lands) makes Glimpse fine in a pinch. The way that mono-blue wins is by seriously winning the card advantage race and working the board to a state of dominance, which entails hitting a lot of land drops and then neutralizing/countering key threats. Divination is the key to 2 of those 3 factors.
- Sensory Deprivation/Essence Scatter/Claustrophobia/Cancel: Now, lumping these all together isn't the neatest way of evaluating them individually, but it's the combination of these 4 cards at common that really make a mono-blue shell feasible in M14. I would feel uncomfortable playing mono-blue if my deck didn't have at least 1 copy of 3 of these cards in it, or a large number of 1 or 2. Sensory Deprivation is often the weakest, but it's very good against the set's intimidators that a mono-blue deck would otherwise have to counter or try and race, which is especially important since Claustrophobia often needs to be saved for a creature with a stupid Aura on it, or otherwise just 4+ power.
- Nephalia Seakite: It's hard for me to imagine running a mono-blue deck without at least a copy of this card, either. In addition to stopping early air guys, he allows you to hold up mana for Scatter/Cancel and really dictate the tempo of the early game. Remember how great it was to have a Kite and either Bone to Ash or Griptide in Dark Ascension? Now just imagine that in a format where you pretty much aren't ever going to be under rapid pressure at that point, and with a hard counter to boot. Pretty much the best.
- Seacoast Drake: Yup, it's that important. Obviously infinitely better than Coral Merfolk for early defense, and usually fine to draw later in the game as well. I can't really imagine ever swinging with this guy on turn 3, and that's a good thing.
[b]Essentially Unpassable[/b]
- Opportunity: This card singlehandedly makes Elixir of Immortality playable for maybe the first time in limited history, and it's very difficult to lose if you're not fighting for your life and you get to cast it and then untap afterwards.
- Water Servant/Air Servant: I actually have been preferring the Water Servant so far, as he's more durable and gums up the ground far better, but Air Servant shouldn't be passed very often and allows you to pull out otherwise unwinnable games just with good ol' fashioned evasion.
- Wall of Frost: Just the best at throwing a wrench into your opponent's early swarming plans, if they had any, and pretty great as a stabilizing chump blocker, if it comes to that. The ability to always cast in on turn 3 with 3 lands is pretty excellent, as well.
- Elixir of Immortality: This doesn't really belong on this part of the list, with the caveat that I'm not sure this deck is viable without one if you're going to be casting 2-3 Divinations and/or an Opportunity over the course of a game of limited. Once you realize you're going to be mono-blue, which should usually be late in pack 2, I think you'd be foolish to take anything but a rare or one of the other cards on this list over Elixir, and that's saying something for a guy who literally hasn't thought it was limited-playable until this set. The advantage is that nobody else who knows what they're doing will want Elixirs, so you'll wheel them often, anyway.
[b]Worse Than You'd Think[/b]
- Archaeomancer[/b]: Can't believe I forgot this guy in my initial pass. Now, while normally his lack of a real body isn't a big deal because you're getting back a removal spell, going mono-blue does leave you with only counters or tempo to retrieve, which neuters Mancer's effectiveness considerably. I'll still run one or so, as getting back Divination or Opportunity is nuts, but in general I'd play as many other 4s and 5s as possible before I considered him.
- Trained Condor: Is trading more often than not in this deck, and normally down. Obviously I'd rarely be unhappy to run a few of those, but I'd probably all the Seacoast Drakes I had before I'd consider adding a Condor.
- Disperse: I'd probably stick to siding these in against Aura-heavy decks or decks with Enlarge. Time Ebb does a much better job of buying you time in a deck where you're hitting land drops and holding up counters, even if it costs 1 more mana.
- Warden of Evos Isle: A fine aggressive card once again doesn't do much for us, though there are worse things than powering out Messenger Drakes and Seakites. Still, I'd probably prefer to sit him more often than not.
I guess it's probably also worth mentioning that in this shell Scroll Thief is more or less just a less efficient Seacoast Drake that eats removal more frequently, but getting into a mode where you're trying to trade tempo for cards throw Thief doesn't really bode well for the deck's overall success.
[b]Dregs You Can Actually Make Use Of[/b]
- Staff of the Mind Magus: I like Crypt Rat's comparison of this in the other thread to Gnaw to the Bone: It's going to gain you 5-10 life over the course of a game where you drop it turn 3, which is going to help you immensely stabilize and gives you very few legitimate dead draws. I would only ever really take these highly out of truly dead early packs, and hope to wheel them other times, as they should continue to.
- Zephyr Charge: Taking this over cutting someone else's sideboard card can have a great payoff in the form of a Dismiss Into Dream, which combo is a very backbreaking way to abuse what mono-blue specializes in. I probably wouldn't run it just with Air Servant, but that's an expensive option as well.
(And, obviously, opening rares like Jace, Jace's Mindseeker, or Domestication all make compelling arguments to stick with blue and jump into mono-blue if it feels open.)
So there's that, I guess. I gotta run over to public transportation now, but hopefully others will have thoughts and this is enough to get a discussion going despite me still feeling like I'm talking halfway out of my butt.
Have at
I'm sure my performance was more deck dependant than archetype dependant, but at the same time, I honestly see very little reason to not splash a second colour to fill in some pretty critical gaps mono blue tend to has.
anyway, good primer. I'd put the staff higher in the evaluation, I think you're close to actually needing one to stabilise properly and use all of your extra card draw (like the difference between sphinx's revelation and blue sun's zenith). also you also missed scroll thief who is super important in giving the deck the additional card velocity it wants. He plays deceptively good defence outside of his stats by forcing your opponent to leave back blockers, and turns time ebb into a 2 for 1 (when they have one blocker) and makes trained condor and (especially) zephyr charge genuinely good. you want two if you can get them.
I do like Archaeomancer a lot though. Getting back an opportunity is sick, and retrieving a Time Ebb, Divination or counterspell is fine.
Blue is very deep. You can be one of 3 blue drafters at a table and still end up with a good monoblue deck in my experience.
I think you're way underrating both Scroll Thief and Archaeomancer in this archetype. Scroll Thief is obviously worse than Divination, but sometimes you have to make do. This deck is entirely about card advantage. Note that Messenger Drake is also very very good in this archetype. Seacoast Drake is not that essential, but it's important that you have things to do before turn three. I think it's worse than Sensory Deprivation, for the most part.
I'm not passing Water or Air Servant, but I think you're overrating their impact on the deck. I'm taking them because they're powerful cards, but they don't actually contribute much to the gameplan outside of that.
Trained Condor is actually completely unplayable in the deck, for what it's worth. Warden of Evos Isle is good if it's actually a Sapphire Medallion in your deck, but I'd be wary of ever running it without a good number of Messenger Drakes.
I made a stab at mono-blue for one draft this weekend. Even with two (!) mid-pack Air Servants, I didn't hit the creature density I like for limited. Ended up putting in white for some fliers, Masters of Diversion, a Pacifism and a Dawnstrike Paladin. Had to remove my staff from the deck as a result.
blah blah...the point of that tangent is to illustrate that mono-blue should probably have a backup plan in draft. Typically, that backup plan is Skies...although some have great experiences with the awesome power of UG rares.dec.
Nice to see blue getting some love. Blue mages were very sad in RTR block from all the mean, hurtful hate for Dimir.
~M
I'm wondering if this is paper or online, because on MTGO even in swiss queue's you will never see such late pick blue cards like divination p3p10....
After Sam Black's article on it blue is rarely open and it often ends up in multiple people cannibalizing each other.
Anything can happen in swiss when it comes to drafters being unreliable... sadly.
I disagree. I have seen heavy blue open numerous times watching drafts online. I am not sure about paper, it's hard to say how many people actually read Sam B's article. It might very well depend on where you draft, lol.
New to Commander? Read the Above article.