Heres my last deck. A little light on the lower end but I felt good with the flyiers, removals and counters
//stuff//
Thanks for posting.
You drafted some great fliers! The most obvious thing is your gameplan is split between ground aggro and UW fliers. This doesn't really make for a cohesive gameplan. UW fliers is great, but then the ground creatures you want are typically big butt creatures (play defense) and not bears or aggressive allies. The format is low on fliers, so as long as you don't die on the ground it doesn't take much in the air to get there. You just need walls on the ground to block other ground guys. That's really it. A few 2/x fliers and 0/6 walls and you can win. That's it. You don't even need synergy or keywords. Just blockers. But if you just have bears on the ground, they won't help you. Bears are too weak to create aggro pressure on the ground but also struggle to play defense while your fliers get there. So then you fall behind on the ground front and are forced to block with your fliers or just get outraced.
As for specific card choices:
1) Unless you're hyper aggro, this is an 18 land format. Landfall and spell lands and Awaken and manasinks encourage a higher than usual land count.
2) Kitesail Scout should never be maindeck. Suntail Hawk clones are almost never good, in any format. In this format, even if you have 0 playables in the SB, it's worse than the 19th land. This is designed to be a slower format, so you don't need to cram bad 1s and 2s in just to lower your curve so much.
3) Pathway Arrows has 2 functions:
-sideboard card against Devoid decks and Scion token Eldrazi ramp
-combo piece in BW lifegain with multiple deathtouch guys
Without deathtouch, this card shouldn't be in your main. It's fine as a 22nd card if you have nothing else, but you have playables in your SB.
4) You're a bit light on removal. There's no shame in maindecking Scour From Existence at the top of your curve. 7 is very reasonable in this format, and there are a lot of permanents that just take over the game if left unchecked. Scour is a nice catch-all solution.
5) In general, when drafting UW, you want to prioritize big toughness ground guys instead of aggro allies.
Thank you so much for the analysis. I'll be sure to keep it in mind. Now that I see it, I was split. I dont know why I drafted this, I even knew I was looking for walls. Also, you're the second person to call toughness butt, I thoroughly enjoy it.
Hmm. I didnt think of the arrows and scout that way. I forgot about the actually cost being the card. It sounds like I'm a lot more rusty than I thought I was.
I thank you for your advice and will try to be mindful of them in my next draft. Im going to practice using some of the online programs and my friends help. Its depressing to see him go 3-1 one of his first times back too, but then again hes been playing for a long time. Its just frustrating to be trying to learn for a month and not getting any further, especially when I used to play well..
Also, about the luck, you need to see me roll dice in X wing sometimes. Ha
Pathway Arrows are very VERY corner case, only if you know you face a lot of big eldrazi you can keep tapped down, or a deck full of 1 thoughness that you can actually shoot down. But its not good maindeck, passable, at the very least.
Scour From Existence is a really expensive removal, but at least it pulls some topdecks against otherwise unwinnable bombs.
A nice little extra is the potential to "fizzle" some of the awaken spells that just have 1 target in the land they awaken (the case for the Wrath and the Fog in white ; if you can pull that off, you are golden).
Your deck clearly lacks the 0/6 wall, which is a all-star in blue/white , as it blocks the ground fairly well and goes late enough in the draft to pick it up.
You also have a low amount of uncommons and no real waken spell at all, which is also odd in the color combination (as you have a ton of awaken spells in blue/white).
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A really big problem of the format is that decks that can collect pieces together are MUCH stronger than decks that just durdle around with otherwise nice cards in limited.
But you cant really controll much if you get the deck puzzle together or not ; especially not if someone in the table just picks them "randomly" , that hurts a lot.
Sometimes a booster is just dry of a theme, and if you get a bunch of these boosters, while you are allready commited to a type, you are simply screwd and theres nothing to prevent that.
So yes, the format is a lot about Hit or Miss ; even the cards have a powerlevel that ranges from super insane to just passable at best, so decks powerlevel will have pretty big gaps.
Thanks for the analysis, I really appreciate it. You couldnt have put it any better than hit or miss, because thats what it feels like. For example, if my first few picks are strong pieces of an archetype, and then those colors turn out not to be open, I feel lost. I have made attempts to force an archetype I thought I had a good chance with and just felt miserable with it, and I didnt do well at all. I really don't like a format that punishes so harshly about being out of an archetype, especially considering there seem to be a very limited amount of pieces to go around, so if you only end up with a few you're screwed. If you try just to stay open and go for the good stuff you get stomped.
I chose Kitesail because I figured a 1/1 with flying isnt bad for 1, and I needed lower mana stuff. Should have I just cut for Lithomancer's focus? Toward the end getting lower mana stuff was hard. I passed on a wall once for something else, which was a really painful decision. I forgot what I picked over it but Im pretty sure it was worth it. As for the arrows, I know a lot of this format is colorless, so why not mainboard, and side out if its useless?
This is probably the hardest thing for me to do. I'm used to goodstuffs. I'm not used to sets that reward synergies so highly. I go for open colors, but sometimes theres no synergies in them. Like my white deck I just posted. It feels so weird to try to force something, especially when I'm getting passed an entire color and a half
If you guys knew my friends they would tell you I'm prone to bad luck. I used to do well in drafts, I just can't believe I haven't made any advancement by now. I'll post my last deck
Blue always seems like a safe bet unless its really not open. I like the eldrazi archetype but.. it just seems hard to really get into any archetype, and you're severely punished if you're not playing in one
So after being gone for 3 or 4 years, I decided to come back and start drafting again. I was pretty good in the formats I was drafting.. just before new phyrexia to the end of RTR.
However, I've been back for a month and a half or so and still can not do good at all in this format. Either I feel like I cant get the cards I need of the archetypes, just not seeing them, or when I do build a deck I feel good with, its not in an archetype and gets smacked that decks that do. I did okay with some eldrazi stuff, but most of the time i dont see any archetypes that are "open". I see players with amazing landfall decks or allys and I can't imagine how they got all those cards.
I'm prone to piss poor luck, but I dont know. Its not clicking. I watch channelfireball and often agree with all the picks, I just dont seem to see them during my drafts.
I don't know what to think of this draft. I came back a few weeks ago from not playing for 4 years. This draft seems to place a lot more emphasis on the archetypes compared to past limited. Tonight was pretty frustrating. I did not like anything I saw and felt like I was getting shafted on each pass.
It's probably because its a format I'm not used to, but I'm starting to think you can't throw a good curve together and do well if you're not playing to a certain archetype. More so than past formats anyway
I saw the advice of trying to decide on an archetype early, but tonight it seemed like nothing was open.
Maybe it was bad luck. Last week I got a ton of blue stuff and did well with flyers, but tonight I felt like nothing was open, and hobbling things together, even with a good curve is not as viable as it used to be.
I may give this another try or two and then call it quits if it doesnt change.
I'd probably be playing wolfrun or rancor in a grual deck. The ability is pretty awesome. Not sure about this specific critter though. Great draw for those late games or fun to ramp into but I dunno
Your mana base looks kind of atrocius. By that, I mean it seems way too greedy. I'd err on the side of cutting probably 2 colorless lands. Loothouse seems extraneous and I'm not a big fan of the second moorland haunt.
It would seem you have way to many possible draws where you can't cast your color intensive spells early(dissipate, charm, verdict), and niv-mizzet seems like he loses value when only 19 of your 25 lands can be used for his pinging ability.
Finally, I think pike is unplayable without thought scour. The only time the milling aspect of thought scour is bad is in matches when you absolutely can't afford to mill certain key cards like say pike/big jace versus control decks. In those cases you get around that by milling them. In those instances, you still get your cantrip with the added benefit that you might mise and hit there drownyard. Other than that, I never even think about the "downside" of scour since it's effectively non-existant.
I have no problem with my mana base. I might switch a moorland for ghost quarter, but I hardly ever have problems casting spells. I will take you up on taking pike out.
I admit I am going more for a control oriented deck, more like draw go. Pike is certainly weaker now, I'm not opposed to replacing it but it's still one of my late game win cons. Maybe if I grab a tamiyo i will replace it.
When I get thundermaw i will being it back to flash/more midrangy
So, my deck went 0-1-2 tonight. Drew with two control decks and lost to omnidoor thragfire deck. He just ramped and i couldnt answer it. Again, my deck didnt feel like it had enough card draw, and I had to mul a bit. So my previous list has changed post match. The only thing different tonight from my last list was -1 Rewind for +1 drogskol reaver
The new list:
I don't know how good cantrips are for you, and I've actually never played with a UWx control deck. Just made a point about probabilities and Thought Scour.
One thing to remember about cantrips is that even thought the card replaces itself, if the game is at a point where lands are dead draws, thought scour is not a 1 for 1 but more like 1 for 0,6
True, but this is more true late game. Early game I might need that land too.
I run desolate lighthouse to help filter land but you have a good point. I may do some looking to replace it.
It is not good or bad, it's neutral. It's like flipping a coin the second time, when you are hoping to see heads/tails, without knowing what you flipped the first time. What I mean by a coinflip is that it's always 50/50, doesn't matter.
Perhaps I should rephrase my question haha. Are there any standard cards that might serve my deck better than the coinflip? haha
Thank you so much for the analysis. I'll be sure to keep it in mind. Now that I see it, I was split. I dont know why I drafted this, I even knew I was looking for walls. Also, you're the second person to call toughness butt, I thoroughly enjoy it.
I thank you for your advice and will try to be mindful of them in my next draft. Im going to practice using some of the online programs and my friends help. Its depressing to see him go 3-1 one of his first times back too, but then again hes been playing for a long time. Its just frustrating to be trying to learn for a month and not getting any further, especially when I used to play well..
Also, about the luck, you need to see me roll dice in X wing sometimes. Ha
Thanks for the analysis, I really appreciate it. You couldnt have put it any better than hit or miss, because thats what it feels like. For example, if my first few picks are strong pieces of an archetype, and then those colors turn out not to be open, I feel lost. I have made attempts to force an archetype I thought I had a good chance with and just felt miserable with it, and I didnt do well at all. I really don't like a format that punishes so harshly about being out of an archetype, especially considering there seem to be a very limited amount of pieces to go around, so if you only end up with a few you're screwed. If you try just to stay open and go for the good stuff you get stomped.
I chose Kitesail because I figured a 1/1 with flying isnt bad for 1, and I needed lower mana stuff. Should have I just cut for Lithomancer's focus? Toward the end getting lower mana stuff was hard. I passed on a wall once for something else, which was a really painful decision. I forgot what I picked over it but Im pretty sure it was worth it. As for the arrows, I know a lot of this format is colorless, so why not mainboard, and side out if its useless?
10 Plains
6 Island
1 Sandstone Bridge
Creatures (15)
2 Eldrazi Skyspawner
2 Ondu Greathorn
2 Courier Griffin
1 Kitesail Scout
1 Kor Castigator
1 Felidar Cub
1 Kor Bladewhirl
1 Makindi Patrol
1 Shadow Glider
1 Windrider Patrol
1 Ghostly Sentinel
1 Wave-wing Elemental
1 Pathway Arrows
1 Lithomancer's Focus
1 Gideon's Reproach
1 Horribly Awry
1 Stasis Snare
1 Spell Shrivel
1 Retreat to Emeria
1 Smite the Monstrous
2 Lithomancer's Focus
1 Scour From Existence
1 Inspired charge
1 Wave-wing Elemental
1 Ondu Greathorn
1 Kitesail Scout
1 Roilmage's Trick
2 Belligerent Whiptail
2 Bone Splinters
1 Plummet
1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
1 Reclaiming Vines
1 Mire's Malice
1 Blisterpod
1 Lavastep Raider
However, I've been back for a month and a half or so and still can not do good at all in this format. Either I feel like I cant get the cards I need of the archetypes, just not seeing them, or when I do build a deck I feel good with, its not in an archetype and gets smacked that decks that do. I did okay with some eldrazi stuff, but most of the time i dont see any archetypes that are "open". I see players with amazing landfall decks or allys and I can't imagine how they got all those cards.
I'm prone to piss poor luck, but I dont know. Its not clicking. I watch channelfireball and often agree with all the picks, I just dont seem to see them during my drafts.
Im thinking of just waiting for the next set.
It's probably because its a format I'm not used to, but I'm starting to think you can't throw a good curve together and do well if you're not playing to a certain archetype. More so than past formats anyway
I saw the advice of trying to decide on an archetype early, but tonight it seemed like nothing was open.
Maybe it was bad luck. Last week I got a ton of blue stuff and did well with flyers, but tonight I felt like nothing was open, and hobbling things together, even with a good curve is not as viable as it used to be.
I may give this another try or two and then call it quits if it doesnt change.
I have no problem with my mana base. I might switch a moorland for ghost quarter, but I hardly ever have problems casting spells. I will take you up on taking pike out.
When I get thundermaw i will being it back to flash/more midrangy
The new list:
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Think Twice
3 Azorius Charm
3 Searing Spear
2 Runechanter's Pike
3 Augur of Bolas
3 Dissipate
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Restoration Angel
1 Rewind
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Drogskol Reaver
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
3 Plains
2 Island
1 Mountain
2 Moorland Haunt
1 Desolate Lighthouse
3 Izzet Staticaster
3 Detention Sphere
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Counterflux
1 Pillar of Flame
1 Purify the Grave
1 Tormod's Crypt
So the 3 thought scours came out for plains, think twice and niv. Thoughts?
True, but this is more true late game. Early game I might need that land too.
I run desolate lighthouse to help filter land but you have a good point. I may do some looking to replace it.
Perhaps I should rephrase my question haha. Are there any standard cards that might serve my deck better than the coinflip? haha