MTG Salvation

Don't really love anything in this pack, so probably Collonnade as it's fixing in colors I like, then Griselbrand + Sword

Sword of Light and Shadow is the easy choice here.

I feel like I never need to p1p1 a sword. They're always passed, and with so much equipment I rarely feel like my creature decks will lack for them. Drafting online is a much different beast than drafting in a smaller group, though, so take that for what it is. I've taken lotus over library p1p1 and have had library *wheel*, so really anything is possible.

Quote from Salmo »

I feel like I never need to p1p1 a sword. They're always passed, and with so much equipment I rarely feel like my creature decks will lack for them. Drafting online is a much different beast than drafting in a smaller group, though, so take that for what it is. I've taken lotus over library p1p1 and have had library *wheel*, so really anything is possible.

Perhaps this is a difference in playgroup or cube size, but if a Sword makes it to pick three in my cube, the pack must have been insane. Especially early in the draft while people are still sorting out their colors and archetypes. I've got 11 equipment out of 720 cards (Swords, Jitte, Clamp, Greaves, Bonesplitter, Batterskull, Grafted Wargear) so it's not like players can expect to see another one if they let the first go by.

Quote from Gabrosin »

Quote from Salmo »

I feel like I never need to p1p1 a sword. They're always passed, and with so much equipment I rarely feel like my creature decks will lack for them. Drafting online is a much different beast than drafting in a smaller group, though, so take that for what it is. I've taken lotus over library p1p1 and have had library *wheel*, so really anything is possible.

Perhaps this is a difference in playgroup or cube size, but if a Sword makes it to pick three in my cube, the pack must have been insane. Especially early in the draft while people are still sorting out their colors and archetypes. I've got 11 equipment out of 720 cards (Swords, Jitte, Clamp, Greaves, Bonesplitter, Batterskull, Grafted Wargear) so it's not like players can expect to see another one if they let the first go by.

People just don't respect swords online. I know that not everyone plays online, but that's the easiest way to play consistently (xmage is amazing) and where I get most of my cubing in since it's tough to get people into the same room. It was really an eye-opener drafting online the first few times and seeing what wheeled; now I'm numb to it, regularly letting cards I'd first pick in my actual play groups go knowing they will wheel and almost always having them do so. A large part of this is due to a lot of pros saying the swords are subpar and that's where most players get their cube ideas/theory from outside of their own head and experience, so it's nice to reap the rewards of this. Even in the modern cube, where the swords are actually insane due to the lower power level, they would go mid-to-late pack a lot of the time, and that feels way less excusable but its the world we live in.

Once you wheel Library of Alexandria in a draft without bots, nothing is out of the question. If that happened in my personal playgroup I'd probably double check that they aren't having a stroke or something, but online you really never know whats coming back in a lot of packs.

Griselbrand is bad in my experience. Obviously great when he hits the board, but the reanimation deck is non-existant so you're hard casting him. Some decks can achieve this, but mostly he's just expensive.

Sword and stay open.

No MODO for me.

Chandra. I like playing the big red control decks. I'd be on the lookout for rocks, Earthquakes, Wildfires.

Balance, not close. One of my favorite build arounds in cube.

Other cards I like out of there: Hero of Bladehold, hoping to wheel Thalia; or Dig Through Time, wheel Conclave or Dismember.

Balance & Dig Through Time

Balance looks good.

In honor of cube night at my house tonight, here's a P1P1 from my 555 powered list.

Opposition or Snapcaster Mage.

I agree with Balance, with Dig Through Time and maybe Thalia if it wasn't there.

Snapcaster's my pick from the second pack. Second choice is probably Mulldrifter.

I'd also take Snapcaster Mage. I am passing strong blue cards, so I should be aware of that as well. Snapcaster can be ridiculous in powered cubes.

I can't pass Opposition. That card is just so filthy.

Quote from B8R »

I can't pass Opposition. That card is just so filthy.

Perhaps it's my group again, but I see Opposition wheel a surprising amount. Perhaps my blue section doesn't have enough bodies in it, or maybe my players just don't see its full power often enough.

Kind of a shame in this pack, since Snappy and Mulldrifter are two amazing cards to pair with it...

Quote from Gabrosin »

Quote from B8R »

I can't pass Opposition. That card is just so filthy.

Perhaps it's my group again, but I see Opposition wheel a surprising amount. Perhaps my blue section doesn't have enough bodies in it, or maybe my players just don't see its full power often enough.

My group was the same way, and then I crushed a bunch of folks playing it. I drew it or Enlightened Tutor most games, and had Whirler Rogue and Deranged Hermit in this brutal Bant shell. Now it doesn't wheel anymore.

Opposition!

It's hard to say no to a P1P1 Opposition. If I was inclined to let it pass I might take Grim Lavamancer, go agressive, and let the rest of the table fight over the blue cards.

Quote from MikePemulis »

Quote from Gabrosin »

Quote from B8R »

I can't pass Opposition. That card is just so filthy.

Perhaps it's my group again, but I see Opposition wheel a surprising amount. Perhaps my blue section doesn't have enough bodies in it, or maybe my players just don't see its full power often enough.

My group was the same way, and then I crushed a bunch of folks playing it. I drew it or Enlightened Tutor most games, and had Whirler Rogue and Deranged Hermit in this brutal Bant shell. Now it doesn't wheel anymore.

Same here, it took me tapping down all the lands in a 3 player game and locking people out of key colours to make people respect its power.

Living Death, and build around it to make it as broken as it can be.

Noble Heirarch or one of the duals. A bunch of pretty good cards, but I think Heirarch is the best and the lands keep me open otherwise.