So, I got my first up close and personal look at full Theros Block Draft and I have to say I enjoyed the experience. The format has good flexibility and variance making for a wide variety of decks and lots of interesting choices. Today I’ll share some of my thoughts on the format and recap my draft…hopefully some of you don’t make the same mistakes that I made.
First off, I ended up playing Junk (G/W/B) which is pretty unusual for a draft deck. Most players would opt to play 2 colours and perhaps splash a third colour, but I ended up playing a full suite of all three colours. In the Journey into Nyx pack I was looking through and had a rare of Revel of the Fallen God…which is a funny card but it is ambitious to cast and tough to get in to because it is 2 colours to cast. However, in the same pack there was a Banishing Light. Banishing Light is premium removal in White in both Standard and Limited, so this was an easy pick and set me up to go into white.
My second pick had a variety of interesting cards but the Golden Hind looked like an easy second pick and had me going into White and Green. Normally this is a colour combination that I’m very comfortable with and really felt at ease with being set up in those 2 colours. With a pick 3 Ravenous Leucrocota I was well on my way to W/G beat down deck I would be expecting myself to play. However pick four is where things got off the rails.
Pick 4 had me looking at a pack that had no green cards of any sort and poor white cards, so it would appear as if I was being cut off from my colours (or is was a lousy pack) but I was looking at a Brain Maggot. Now, I thought to myself, Brain Maggot is a pretty solid card…and with both of my other colours seemingly closed off, Black might be an option. So, Brain Maggot was the pick, opening the door a crack to play Black.
Pick 5 was another Ravenous Leucrocota and I was back on W/G. However, again, pick 6 I was out of luck in either of my colours, but looking at a pack with a Spiteful Blow. Normally I don’t get excited for 6 mana removal spells, but in a draft where removal is a tad tough to come by, the fact that this destroys a creature AND a land made it easily the best pick…and at pick 6 was a pretty good sign Black was open. So, Spiteful Blow and my thought process was very seriously to play either W/B or G/B and abandon the W/G deck idea.
Well, Born of the Gods opened up and my first pack had Tromokratis which was far from ideal as I hadn’t picked a single Blue Card yet. However, Bile Blight was looking at me and I made sure to grab it. Passed my pack…and picked up the next one…which also had a Bile Blight! Ok, so now I was very seriously playing Black…I had perhaps two of the best removal spells back to back and to not play them would be foolhardy. With the next couple of picks I grabbed a couple of green creatures like Nyxborn Wolf, Phere-Band Tromper, and Swordwise Centaur and was really and truly looking to play G/B.
Well the plan totally changed again with Theros when I got passed a pack early in the round and was looking at Scholar of Athreos and a bunch of White, Blue, and Red cards…and nothing in my other two colours. I wondered if I was being cut off again because someone down the table had decided to jump colours too! I was unimpressed. Scholar is an awesome card in a B/W deck…but I committed to playing G/B…unless I was prepared to play all three colours or basically toss this pick. I grabbed the Scholar. I was rewarded with a second one in the next pack too. Oh boy. Now I was in a pickle. So, more or less I spent the rest of the Theros round grabbing utility creatures in White like Leonin Snarecaster, Hopeful Eidolon and an Ordeal of Heliod. I also lucked in to a Sip of Hemlock but most of the rest was just filler and not very good.
So, here’s my Draft deck
Junk (G/W/B)
Now, my first thoughts when I finished building this deck from my picks was ” wow…am I GREEDY! ” Almost every draft deck I have ever seen built, that is any good, is two colours and MAYBE splashes a third. I was full on running three colours…and had virtually no mana fixing. On top of that, I pushed the envelope and played 24 spells and 16 land instead of the more traditional 23 and 17. I was clearly pushing my luck. I kept telling myself I had plenty of removal…all I had to do was hold down the board long enough to get to 4 land (and have all three colours) and I was golden because my highest casting cost on a creature was 4.
Well, I went 2-1…which is normally a pretty decent record…but that one loss left me somewhat frustrated because I played my way to that loss more than I got beat by my opponent. We went the full three games and he won game 1, I won game 2, and then he took game 3…but it was the loss in game 1 that left me bummed. The exchange that left turned the game in his favour was one where I attacked with a Ravenous Leucrocota into his 2 creatures that combined had enough power to kill Ravenous Leucrocota. I didn’t expect him to team block, but he did. But all was not lost…I had Bile Blight in my hand and 2 open black mana. However, I got greedy…again. I opted not to pull the trigger on the Bile Blight on one of his creatures (voyaging Satyr I think) in favour of trying to get a better target with it later. So, my leucrocota died, so did his Satyr…and that left him with a creature and me with an open board. Next turn he Bestowed Nylea’s Emissary on his dude and the beat down was on. That HUGE misplay cost me the game and a chance to go 3-0. I’m not going to say I would have won for sure, but my odds would have been at least even if not better…but instead I had to swallow a loss due to some poor play. All in all, it was a pretty successful draft and had a blast and can hardly wait for my next one to try and rectify those playing mistakes.
Other Ramdom Thoughts:
Ravenous Leucrocota- In my review of Journey Into Nyx I reviewed Ravenous Leucrocota favourably and compared it to Nessian Asp, a bomb in triple Theros draft. Well, Ravenous Leucrocota might be better than the Asp. The difference is the Vigilance. Once this thing goes Monstrous and is 5/7 it is house! It can attack and defend, and if you can Bestow it with anything it is HUGE and really hard to manage.
Brain Maggot grossly over performed for me. The ability to strip your opponent of a key card early in the game is extremely valuable and if that allows you to get out in front and force them to expend resources on other things, well, you are in luck. I have to admit, I also under rated this card in my review.
Leonin Snarecaster and Deathbringer Lampads both played similar roles in the deck, namely provide a form of evasion for some of my bigger creatures to exploit. The snarecaster would tap down pesky blockers and the Lampads just let something sneak in for extra damage and allow me to get into the red zone. These were both surprisingly useful. Especially the Lampads. I was skeptical at first but I have changed my tune.
Consign to dust vs. Fade into Antiquity. I had the option of running either one of these and opted for the Consign to Dust. I liked the option of the Strive mechanic despite the fact that I feel that it, in most situations isn’t all that relevant. Fade can be excellent with the exile ability instead of Destroy, but unless you are facing down a god, the ability to hit multiple targets is key.
Normally I really like Blue, but I really got the sense from the packs going around the table that Blue is pretty weak in this format. Unless no one else is drafting Blue you are usually scrambling to find playable cards. Most of the players who were drafting Blue in my pod really struggled and couldn’t dig up enough answers to stay in the game for long. The one exception was the guy in G/U because he was able to back his blue up with the Green muscle he needed.
A good friend of mine in the military, Major Observation, told me that Bile Blight and Banishing Light are REALLY good removal…and of course he was right.
As much as I hate 6 mana removal, I had never been so happy to see that 6th land show up and then be able to cast Sip of Hemlock. That Hemlock never tasted so good and putting the final nail in the coffin of your opponent.
Fellhide Brawler largely stinks. He’s a bad Grizzly Bear. Mogis Marauder isn’t far behind.
White Cheddar popcorn is outstandingly tasty. Every time I have it I am surprised at how good it is. Why don’t I ever pick any of this stuff up on my own?
Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. If you have thoughts or experiences you want to share about your Drafting JBT, go ahead, let me know. I’d love to hear about them. Fire me a Tweet and tell me your tale or share your wisdom.
Thanks for reading and until next time Keep it fun, Keep it safe…Keep it casual.
Bruce Gray
Well, spoiler season has finally arrived. Last week we caught a glimpse of the art that will be used on some of the new cards including all the remaining minor Gods and a few other sweet treats. The problem with spoiling just the art is that we want to know what the cards do! So, to finally see some of the new cards finally gives us a picture of what we are looking at. Today I’m going to go through the cards that have been spoiled and their new mechanics and see where they might fit.
Ajani’s Presence – This is a pretty neat combat trick and it highlights the new mechanic- Strive- so that we can see an example. First off, Strive looks like it is going to be a mechanic that would allow you to target more than one creature or target with your spell, for a cost. In the example of Ajani’s Presence you can cast the spell for +1/+1 and indestructibility on a creature, but can then target other creatures for an additional 1 white and 2 colourless. That could be a really useful ability, particularly in Heroic decks where the more you target, the more benefits your team can rack up. Ajani’s Presence is going to another really key combat trick in the limited environment because any time you can give a creature +1/+1 and indestructibility it is no laughing matter. You won’t want to take it super high in your draft pack, but if you are a base white deck it’ll be a useful trick. I doubt it’ll see much in the way of constructed play as this sort of ability is rarely sought after, but perhaps a Heroic deck is going to emerge as a powerhouse deck and make good use of this card. It gets a B as a playable limited card, but hardly an all-star.
Cyclops of Eternal Fury – This 5/3 Enchantment Creature Cyclops for 6 mana is going to see play in drafts where base red decks are looking to really put their opponent on the back foot by being very aggressive. By granting all other creatures you control haste you make it very difficult for opponents to attack with the whole team because the chance of having something come back on crack back with Haste is very real. A 5/3 body for 6 mana is hardly efficient, and there are better ways to generate the same effect for you team if you are playing Red, but the card is perfectly reasonable and will see draft play for sure. I give this guy a B- because he’s somewhat overcosted for the body you get and the ability that is granted can be achieved through more inexpensive means.
Dakra Mystic – a 1/1 Merfolk for 1 Blue mana . I think that this is going to be one of those cute cards that everyone reads and then promptly opts not to play in any environment. If her ability was a milling attribute or something of that nature, or conversely drawing cards, she would be far more acceptable, but instead she’s a symmetrical mill OR a symmetrical card draw. In very few situations do I want to mill myself AND my opponent…if my deck is graveyard based I want to put my things in my yard and not contend with what my opponent is doing. And I definitely do not want my opponent to draw cards…that’s helping them. Sure, I can draw a card too, but I’m not overly interested in the symmetry of the exchange and would thus keep her out of my deck. Oh, and I wasn’t even considering this for a constructed deck. So, Dakra Mystic is getting a C- because I’m not impressed despite how cute the ability is.
Eidolon of Blossoms – A 2/2 green creature for 4 mana (2 green, 2 colourless) is a little underwhelming, particularly as a Rare, but she highlights the new Constellation ability. Constellation appears to be a mechanic that rewards you for playing enchantments and each time that you do you will trigger some sort of benefit. This is an ability reminiscent of Landfall from the Zendikar, where each time you do something, whether play a land or cast an enchantment, you trigger a bonus. I like the concept, and Landfall was a very strong ability in Zendikar, but I’m not as convinced that this will prove to be as good. The reason Landfall was so potent was that you HAVE to play lands, meaning you can trigger the effect all the time. Enchantments are not always the best choice and you may only run a handful. Now, at limited, with a host of Enchantment creatures available, it may have more applications, but I doubt that players in the Standard environment will be interested. As for Eidolon of Blossoms, her Constellation ability of drawing you a card is useful, and pretty sought after in Green who doesn’t usually get as many ways to draw cards as Black or Blue, but it is still underpowered and pretty limited in its application. B- as an underpowered body with an interesting ability.
Extinguish all Hope – 6 mana for black sweeper…hmmm…seems pretty solid to me. This is a pretty pricey sweeper at 6 mana, and the added feature of only hitting non-enchantment creatures is not ideal either, but the fact that Black gets access to yet another significant removal card is frightening. There is almost no chance that this will see any play in Standard because the price tag is too high, but in a limited deck this will be an excellent pick and will go very highly in your packs. B+ for being solid mass removal, even if a little limited in scope because of the restrictions.
Gnarled Scarhide – a 2/1 for 1 black and a Bestow cost of 4. I had such hopes that Black was going to get a really relevant 2/1 for 1 mana (similar to Soldier of the Pantheon aka improved Savannah Lions), but the drawback of not being able to block ended that dream. However, this guy will be useful in order to put early pressure on your opponent and really set an early and aggressive tone. I could see this guy pop up in a B/R or Rakdos aggro deck in constructed formats (if those become a thing again soon) because he fits in with that game plan very nicely. The Bestow ability is also relevant to add a little extra reach to something in the late game. The other interesting piece with this guy is that because he’s a minotaur, you could see him emerge in a Tribal Man-Bull deck where Ragemonger reduces his casting cost to the point that he’s free to cast. So, despite the drawback of being unable to block I would still give this guy a solid B+ and hope to see if he can find a spot in a very aggressive deck somewhere.
Hall of Triumph – So, as if Spear of Heliod wasn’t enough, now we get the Hall of Triumph to further beef up creatures…got to love the Glorious Anthem effects. This will see extensive limited play and will be a first pick because it doesn’t commit you to a colour, but is still suitably aggressive and powerful that your team (regardless of colour) will get a nice boost. I can’t imagine that this will see play in Standard, but I can dream up many scenarios where EDH players or casual players will gobble this up for their tribal decks. I will give this an A- as a very good limited card and useful addition to the arsenal of casual players across the board.
Iroas, God of Victory – I am pleased to see that the devotion mechanic for the Gods in Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx are the same and we didn’t see it rise any higher than the 7 it is. Iroas is pretty sweet because a 7/4 indestructible enchantment creature for 4 makes him very aggressively costed and scary to face down. His added abilities of making your attacking creatures extra difficult to block and making your attacking creatures indestructible is perfect for the W/R decks out there. I don’t know if Standard is in his future because most of the base Red decks aren’t running creatures, but rather are trying to go to the face with burn, but if there is going to be a R/W creature heavy deck this guy would be perfect. Could a R/W/U Heroic deck be with Iroas, a bunch of aggressive, inexpensive Heroic creatures, backed by Supreme Verdicts and Detention Spheres be far off? We’ll see, however, in a draft this guy is a bomb and an easy first pick. If you are the R/W deck you will windmill slam this guy all day long. He gets an A for being a limited All-Star with potential Standard implications as well.
Ravenous Lucrocota – This is going to be a draft staple for Green base decks. A 2/4 for 4 mana with vigilance is solid value and a decent body and the ability to play offence and defence as needed is key. Adding in the Monstrosity ability makes this guy a solid beat stick in the late game when you have nowhere else to sink your mana. Think of him as the Nessian Asp of the set…just not quite as good. He’s still very serviceable, but make no mistake, the Asp is a better card on the whole. For being a solid body in a limited environment and having some upside I’ll give this guy a B, but he has essentially no aspirations of getting mixed up in constructed formats of any kind.
Satyr Hoplite – a 1/1 for 1 in red is hardly news. Nor is the Heroic ability he packs as well, although I feel like the heroic ability should be on White card not Red. No, what is interesting with this guy is actually the flavour text. Up until this point the Satyrs had been minions of Xenagos, however, the flavor text gives you the distinct impression that the Satyrs have rebelled against Xenagos. Is that overly relevant to the card? No…but interesting. As far as playability, he will be a perfectly playable red creature in your R/W Heroic deck anchored by Iroas, but you will hardly be awed or impressed by him. He’s a B- for being a serviceable limited card that may or may not make your deck, depending on what else you running.
Sigiled Starfish – This 2 mana (1 blue, 1 colourless) 0/3 is actually a very solid card. Much like how Sylvan Caryatid in an excellent creature, this one is also very good. The 3 toughness puts him out of reach of a number of obvious burn spells and allows it to block bears and 2 power creatures all day. The real treat will be the activated ability to Scry 1 by tapping it. We’ve seen over and over again that improved card selection afforded by the Scry ability is hugely powerful and to have a repeatable Scry ability on a creature that is very reasonably costed will be a boon. I don’t think many Standard decks are going to be looking for this card, but as a piece in a Draft deck I can see this being an early to mid round pick for the player in Blue. I’ll give this guy a B for the solid defensive body for a cheap 2 mana and a very relevant ability.
Whitewater Naiads – a 5 mana (2 blue, 3 colourless) 4/4 with Constellation is once again reasonable, but hardly anything to write home about. The Constellation ability is relatively relevant in enchantment heavy Heroic draft decks because it allows you to push through damage by making target creature unblockable. While I would prefer that this would be an Air Elemental, the Constellation ability does give this card some quasi evasion in order lay down some damage, and a 4/4 body is nothing to sniff at. He’ll get a B from me for draft, but once again won’t be seen on the battlefields of the Constructed world.
Well, there are the first batch of cards released…stay tuned because I’m sure that there is more to come before the whole picture comes into view. Am I way of base? Have I forgotten something? Is there a deck out there screaming from one of these cards? Let me know what you think!
Until next time keep it fun, keep it safe…keep it casual.
Bruce Gray
