You want to be powering out Rafiq early and using protection/evasion granting equipments/auras. Rafiq decks that don't kill with general damage are probably not doing things as efficiently as they could be. You don't need to waste spots on beaters when your general is the most efficient one you could ask for.
I think it's a very good format, but I don't think it's the best. I like the way RGD made you think about the draft, and for me it really turned the game on its head in a way that no other format has for me. In all honesty, it's unlikely that I will ever like a format as much as I like that one. For me, the best part of RGD is how much expectations of future draft pick-ups informed your current decision. It was really interesting to have to decide what guild would be open P2 based on what you were seeing P1. I like ISD and I'm doing pretty well at it, but it just doesn't excite me the same way RGD did.
B/W and it's not close. I get that Skaab Ruinator is really cool and all, but overall you're losing card quality when you consider the better cards you get to play over all the crap you have to play to enable the Ruinator, like Curse and Dream Twist.
Here's one I just ran into: It's P1P3, your first two picks were Charmbreaker Devils and Ulvenwald Mystics. The choice is between Prey Upon and Avacinian Priest. I chose Prey Upon because it has very good synergy with my first two picks, although the priest is probably the better card in general.
Blue is doing it for me. I rarely see white open. I tend to end up in U/RB all the time, using graveyard synergies and other good cards. Black seems pretty underdrafted to me a lot of the time.
I retired Wrexial because it was tuned to beat my friend's Rafiq list, which basically meant that the deck was just entirely removal and counters. Not really fun for anyone.
I would have thought that Spider Spawning or Silver-Inlaid Dagger would be better by p3p3. You've got a lot of nice early stuff already, no?
Spider spawning might have been better, but the problem was that I didn't really have a conception of what the deck was going to look like until I got to the deck building screen. On my count, I had about 35 playables. This gave me a ton of different options to mess around with. The deck I ended up submitting was an 18 land GRb deck splashing Olivia, Dead Weight, and the Noble, and running more of my higher CC cards (Rage Thrower, Outcasts, etc.) However, in R2, I ended up playing against a mill deck with double Drownyard and an assortment of stall-based cards. Against this deck, I switched to a straight RG aggro build, lowered my curve with the Neonates, Curse of the Pierced Hearts, etc, and was able to aggro him out before he could mill me to death.
Pack 1 pick 1:
--> Dead Weight
Selfless Cathar
Spider Spawning
Villagers of Estwald
Stromkirk Patrol
Night Revelers
Moan of the Unhallowed
Chapel Geist
Nephalia Drownyard
Ashmouth Hound
Somberwald Spider
Battleground Geist
Doomed Traveler
Shimmering Grotto
Mountain
Nothing else seemed as good as unconditional removal
Pack 1 pick 2:
Sensory Deprivation
Village Ironsmith
Elder Cathar
Skaab Goliath
Village Bell-Ringer
--> Curse of Stalked Prey
Grave Bramble
Think Twice
Caravan Vigil
Doomed Traveler
Lost in the Mist
Forest
Paraselene
Bloodcrazed Neonate
This is probably a bad pick. I wanted to try to draft a gimmicky Neonate deck, and every deck I've been drafting lately has been a Skaab special
Pack 1 pick 3:
Deranged Assistant
Ludevic's Test Subject
Trepanation Blade
Blazing Torch
Vampire Interloper
Altar's Reap
Grave Bramble
--> Brimstone Volley
Rakish Heir
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
Gnaw to the Bone
Curse of the Pierced Heart
The Test Subject is nice, but there's nothing to steer me off course yet
Pack 1 pick 4:
--> Prey Upon
Ambush Viper
Tormented Pariah
Inquisitor's Flail
Pitchburn Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Hollowhenge Scavenger
Spare from Evil
Brain Weevil
Traveler's Amulet
Darkthicket Wolf
Island
For some reason I decide to branch out from the mediocre red into one of the better green commons, Prey Upon
Pack 1 pick 5:
Nightbird's Clutches
Sharpened Pitchfork
--> Tormented Pariah
Make a Wish
Moonmist
Furor of the Bitten
Feeling of Dread
Walking Corpse
Shimmering Grotto
Island
Night Terrors
Mediocre card from a mediocre pack
Pack 1 pick 6:
Moon Heron
--> Rage Thrower
Moonmist
Furor of the Bitten
Orchard Spirit
Ghoulcaller's Bell
Walking Corpse
Dream Twist
Shimmering Grotto
Plains
This thing is better than 6th pick, right?
Pack 1 pick 7:
Frightful Delusion
Skeletal Grimace
Stitcher's Apprentice
Cobbled Wings
--> Kessig Wolf Run
Walking Corpse
Plains
Voiceless Spirit
Vampiric Fury
Sweet. Incentive to go RG
Pack 1 pick 8:
--> Feral Ridgewolf
Riot Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Purify the Grave
Kindercatch
Curiosity
Rotting Fensnake
Island
Fine card, filler
Pack 1 pick 9:
Selfless Cathar
--> Villagers of Estwald
Stromkirk Patrol
Night Revelers
Ashmouth Hound
Somberwald Spider
Mountain
Sweet, this thing is pretty good
Pack 1 pick 10:
Grave Bramble
Caravan Vigil
Lost in the Mist
Forest
Paraselene
--> Bloodcrazed Neonate
Neonate plan is back online!
Pack 1 pick 11:
Altar's Reap
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
Gnaw to the Bone
--> Curse of the Pierced Heart
Pack 1 pick 12:
--> Tormented Pariah
Inquisitor's Flail
Spare from Evil
Island
Pack 1 pick 13:
Make a Wish
--> Furor of the Bitten
Island
Pack 2 pick 2:
Invisible Stalker
--> Prey Upon
Sharpened Pitchfork
Ambush Viper (FOIL)
Riot Devils
Cloistered Youth
Selfless Cathar
Make a Wish
Pitchburn Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Brain Weevil
Somberwald Spider
Doomed Traveler
Forest
Nothing wrong with more removal
Pack 2 pick 3:
Ghoulraiser
Victim of Night
Villagers of Estwald
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Kindercatch
Chapel Geist
Crossway Vampire
--> Hamlet Captain
Claustrophobia
Rotting Fensnake
Lost in the Mist
Mountain
Parallel Lives
Nothing much for me here
Pack 2 pick 4:
Ghostly Possession
Screeching Bat (FOIL)
Thraben Purebloods
--> Gutter Grime
Ancient Grudge
Wreath of Geists
Traveler's Amulet
Full Moon's Rise
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Mountain
Gnaw to the Bone
Typhoid Rats
Seems good with all my early drops, making them live in the late game
Pack 2 pick 6:
Cobbled Wings
Mask of Avacyn
--> Grizzled Outcasts
Thraben Purebloods
Curse of the Bloody Tome
Silverchase Fox
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Plains
Night Terrors
Parallel Lives
Nice curve topper, nothing much else to take here. Pilgrim seems mediocre in my deck
Pack 3 pick 1:
Ghostly Possession
Deranged Assistant
Grizzled Outcasts
Elder Cathar
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Unburial Rites
Grave Bramble
Murder of Crows
Doomed Traveler
Lost in the Mist
Island
--> Olivia Voldaren
Gnaw to the Bone
Vampiric Fury
Bloodcrazed Neonate
Building this deck was incredibly difficult. I'm curious to hear people's comments on this draft. I wanted to go for a gimmicky deck, and I think it turned out to be an interested deck. I'll post the deck later.
I guess I'll throw one out there: Ludevic's Test Subject vs Grasp of Phantoms. The situation: this is around P2P4 or so, when I'm solidly in blue and still debating between red and black as a secondary color, although at this time red looks better. The deck has two Forbidden Alchemy and an Armored Skaab by this point as well, so it looks to be able to use Flashback. I ended up taking the Test Subject, partially because I haven't actually gotten to play with it yet and partially because it seems like a complete bomb.
I'll be honest...this doesn't look insane to me. Sure you have a lot of bombs, but your curve is atrocious and you don't really have many creatures. I could see any of the aggressive decks of the format posing a huge problem for you. That being said, you need to play all of your vanilla 2-3 drops, simply to stall the board while you build up to your endgame, which assuredly dominates that of most decks.
I like a GRw aggro build, splashing for slayer of the wicked and the flashback cost of travel preparations. Seems like red is a requirement with the Marauders and outlaw.
I'd definitely rather have the KotRs here. Legacy/Modern staples vs Standard staples that will assuredly drop upon rotation doesn't seem particularly close to me.
I would take Fire/Ice, simply because it's a better card. I trade for the long term though, and I think in a year from now, SoFI will be the clearly more valuable card. Trading for the SoFaF at current inflated value seems like a bad idea, and it's a card I'd be happy to move this standard season assuming I had extra copies.
The other thing about Sun Titan is that, even if his value is only $5-$6, you can trade him valued at more than that without an issue generally. I've found that Sun Titan is one of the fastest moving cards in standard, and I literally cannot keep enough of them in my binder to trade them off to people who want them.
Spider spawning might have been better, but the problem was that I didn't really have a conception of what the deck was going to look like until I got to the deck building screen. On my count, I had about 35 playables. This gave me a ton of different options to mess around with. The deck I ended up submitting was an 18 land GRb deck splashing Olivia, Dead Weight, and the Noble, and running more of my higher CC cards (Rage Thrower, Outcasts, etc.) However, in R2, I ended up playing against a mill deck with double Drownyard and an assortment of stall-based cards. Against this deck, I switched to a straight RG aggro build, lowered my curve with the Neonates, Curse of the Pierced Hearts, etc, and was able to aggro him out before he could mill me to death.
Event #: 2962849
Time: 10/28/2011 5:50:38 PM
Players:
DuSheLov
darrengrafham
masterpc09
--> MagicPlayer817496
Stan Digman
EchoSky
kitus331
baragalla
------ ISD ------
Pack 1 pick 1:
--> Dead Weight
Selfless Cathar
Spider Spawning
Villagers of Estwald
Stromkirk Patrol
Night Revelers
Moan of the Unhallowed
Chapel Geist
Nephalia Drownyard
Ashmouth Hound
Somberwald Spider
Battleground Geist
Doomed Traveler
Shimmering Grotto
Mountain
Nothing else seemed as good as unconditional removal
Pack 1 pick 2:
Sensory Deprivation
Village Ironsmith
Elder Cathar
Skaab Goliath
Village Bell-Ringer
--> Curse of Stalked Prey
Grave Bramble
Think Twice
Caravan Vigil
Doomed Traveler
Lost in the Mist
Forest
Paraselene
Bloodcrazed Neonate
This is probably a bad pick. I wanted to try to draft a gimmicky Neonate deck, and every deck I've been drafting lately has been a Skaab special
Pack 1 pick 3:
Deranged Assistant
Ludevic's Test Subject
Trepanation Blade
Blazing Torch
Vampire Interloper
Altar's Reap
Grave Bramble
--> Brimstone Volley
Rakish Heir
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
Gnaw to the Bone
Curse of the Pierced Heart
The Test Subject is nice, but there's nothing to steer me off course yet
Pack 1 pick 4:
--> Prey Upon
Ambush Viper
Tormented Pariah
Inquisitor's Flail
Pitchburn Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Hollowhenge Scavenger
Spare from Evil
Brain Weevil
Traveler's Amulet
Darkthicket Wolf
Island
For some reason I decide to branch out from the mediocre red into one of the better green commons, Prey Upon
Pack 1 pick 5:
Nightbird's Clutches
Sharpened Pitchfork
--> Tormented Pariah
Make a Wish
Moonmist
Furor of the Bitten
Feeling of Dread
Walking Corpse
Shimmering Grotto
Island
Night Terrors
Mediocre card from a mediocre pack
Pack 1 pick 6:
Moon Heron
--> Rage Thrower
Moonmist
Furor of the Bitten
Orchard Spirit
Ghoulcaller's Bell
Walking Corpse
Dream Twist
Shimmering Grotto
Plains
This thing is better than 6th pick, right?
Pack 1 pick 7:
Frightful Delusion
Skeletal Grimace
Stitcher's Apprentice
Cobbled Wings
--> Kessig Wolf Run
Walking Corpse
Plains
Voiceless Spirit
Vampiric Fury
Sweet. Incentive to go RG
Pack 1 pick 8:
--> Feral Ridgewolf
Riot Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Purify the Grave
Kindercatch
Curiosity
Rotting Fensnake
Island
Fine card, filler
Pack 1 pick 9:
Selfless Cathar
--> Villagers of Estwald
Stromkirk Patrol
Night Revelers
Ashmouth Hound
Somberwald Spider
Mountain
Sweet, this thing is pretty good
Pack 1 pick 10:
Grave Bramble
Caravan Vigil
Lost in the Mist
Forest
Paraselene
--> Bloodcrazed Neonate
Neonate plan is back online!
Pack 1 pick 11:
Altar's Reap
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
Gnaw to the Bone
--> Curse of the Pierced Heart
Pack 1 pick 12:
--> Tormented Pariah
Inquisitor's Flail
Spare from Evil
Island
Pack 1 pick 13:
Make a Wish
--> Furor of the Bitten
Island
Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Ghoulcaller's Bell
Plains
Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Plains
------ ISD ------
Pack 2 pick 1:
Feral Ridgewolf
Unruly Mob
Woodland Sleuth
Sensory Deprivation
Grizzled Outcasts
Pitchburn Devils
Forbidden Alchemy
Stromkirk Patrol
Skirsdag High Priest
--> Ashmouth Hound
Infernal Plunge
Disciple of Griselbrand
Forest
Paraselene
Boneyard Wurm
Awful pack for me, I take a solid 2 drop
Pack 2 pick 2:
Invisible Stalker
--> Prey Upon
Sharpened Pitchfork
Ambush Viper (FOIL)
Riot Devils
Cloistered Youth
Selfless Cathar
Make a Wish
Pitchburn Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Brain Weevil
Somberwald Spider
Doomed Traveler
Forest
Nothing wrong with more removal
Pack 2 pick 3:
Ghoulraiser
Victim of Night
Villagers of Estwald
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Kindercatch
Chapel Geist
Crossway Vampire
--> Hamlet Captain
Claustrophobia
Rotting Fensnake
Lost in the Mist
Mountain
Parallel Lives
Nothing much for me here
Pack 2 pick 4:
Ghostly Possession
Screeching Bat (FOIL)
Thraben Purebloods
--> Gutter Grime
Ancient Grudge
Wreath of Geists
Traveler's Amulet
Full Moon's Rise
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Mountain
Gnaw to the Bone
Typhoid Rats
Seems good with all my early drops, making them live in the late game
Pack 2 pick 5:
--> Kessig Wolf
Stitched Drake
Graveyard Shovel
Elder Cathar
Wooden Stake
Altar's Reap
Naturalize
Desperate Ravings
Plains
Manor Skeleton
Boneyard Wurm
Solid 3 drop beater
Pack 2 pick 6:
Cobbled Wings
Mask of Avacyn
--> Grizzled Outcasts
Thraben Purebloods
Curse of the Bloody Tome
Silverchase Fox
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Plains
Night Terrors
Parallel Lives
Nice curve topper, nothing much else to take here. Pilgrim seems mediocre in my deck
Pack 2 pick 7:
Thraben Sentry
Skaab Goliath
Makeshift Mauler
Spare from Evil
Ghoulcaller's Bell
Intangible Virtue
--> Spidery Grasp
Forest
Manor Skeleton
That's a late Goliath, but also a good trick for me
Pack 2 pick 8:
Frightful Delusion
Cellar Door
--> Reckless Waif
Markov Patrician
Mulch
Plains
Gruesome Deformity
Curse of the Pierced Heart
Sweet!
Pack 2 pick 9:
Feral Ridgewolf
Woodland Sleuth
--> Grizzled Outcasts
Stromkirk Patrol
Infernal Plunge
Forest
Boneyard Wurm
Ok...
Pack 2 pick 10:
Sharpened Pitchfork
Make a Wish
Village Bell-Ringer
Brain Weevil
--> Somberwald Spider
Forest
Should be decent
Pack 2 pick 11:
--> Villagers of Estwald
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Kindercatch
Rotting Fensnake
Mountain
Pack 2 pick 12:
--> Wreath of Geists
Full Moon's Rise
Mountain
Gnaw to the Bone
Pack 2 pick 13:
Wooden Stake
--> Naturalize
Plains
Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Cobbled Wings
Plains
Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Forest
------ ISD ------
Pack 3 pick 1:
Ghostly Possession
Deranged Assistant
Grizzled Outcasts
Elder Cathar
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Unburial Rites
Grave Bramble
Murder of Crows
Doomed Traveler
Lost in the Mist
Island
--> Olivia Voldaren
Gnaw to the Bone
Vampiric Fury
Bloodcrazed Neonate
Guess I'm back to a black splash...
Pack 3 pick 2:
Ghoulcaller's Chant
Stitcher's Apprentice
Woodland Sleuth
--> Blazing Torch
Wooden Stake
Morkrut Banshee
Crossway Vampire
Laboratory Maniac
Geistcatcher's Rig
Hamlet Captain
Curse of Oblivion
Walking Corpse
Armored Skaab
Plains
Removal is removal
Pack 3 pick 3:
Ambush Viper
Spider Spawning
Silver-Inlaid Dagger
Bump in the Night
Demonmail Hauberk
--> Gatstaf Shepherd
Witchbane Orb
Abbey Griffin
Ancient Grudge
Infernal Plunge
Ghoulcaller's Bell
Corpse Lunge
Plains
Great 2 drop
Pack 3 pick 4:
Mask of Avacyn
--> Reckless Waif
Nevermore
Altar's Reap
Urgent Exorcism
Grave Bramble
Wreath of Geists
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
Manor Skeleton
Bloodcrazed Neonate
Curse of the Pierced Heart
Sure...
Pack 3 pick 5:
Ghoulcaller's Chant
Graveyard Shovel
Sensory Deprivation
Delver of Secrets
Stromkirk Patrol
Night Revelers
Hysterical Blindness
--> Rakish Heir
Naturalize (FOIL)
Shimmering Grotto
Mountain
Meh
Pack 3 pick 6:
Ghostly Possession
Villagers of Estwald
Moonmist
--> Falkenrath Noble
Hysterical Blindness
Traitorous Blood
Somberwald Spider
Desperate Ravings
Lantern Spirit
Swamp
Sooo...that black splash looks pretty good right now
Pack 3 pick 7:
Feral Ridgewolf
Travel Preparations
Riot Devils
Village Bell-Ringer
Kindercatch
--> Lumberknot
Rotting Fensnake
Island
Village Cannibals
Could be ok
Pack 3 pick 8:
Victim of Night
Skeletal Grimace
Blazing Torch
Villagers of Estwald
Runic Repetition
--> Kessig Wolf Run
Mountain
Vampiric Fury
Yep...some wolves will be running this draft
Pack 3 pick 9:
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Grave Bramble
Lost in the Mist
Island
Gnaw to the Bone
Vampiric Fury
--> Bloodcrazed Neonate
Pack 3 pick 10:
Ghoulcaller's Chant
Stitcher's Apprentice
Woodland Sleuth
--> Crossway Vampire
Curse of Oblivion
Plains
Pack 3 pick 11:
--> Ambush Viper
Bump in the Night
Ancient Grudge
Infernal Plunge
Plains
Pack 3 pick 12:
Wreath of Geists
Swamp
Gruesome Deformity
--> Curse of the Pierced Heart
Pack 3 pick 13:
--> Graveyard Shovel
Hysterical Blindness
Mountain
Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Traitorous Blood
Swamp
Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Feral Ridgewolf
Building this deck was incredibly difficult. I'm curious to hear people's comments on this draft. I wanted to go for a gimmicky deck, and I think it turned out to be an interested deck. I'll post the deck later.