[MTG] MSS Draft 4 - Picks and Discussion

[DonRoyale]

So here we go again! I love drafting, it really does help me understand the format and pick orders and such. Without further ado...

Pack 1 Pick 1:

Thrun, the Last Troll -
Kemba's Legion
Gruesome Encore
Piston Sledge
Training Drone
Divine Offering
Gnathosaur
Phyrexian Rager
Scourge Servant
Quicksilver Geyser
Spire Serpent
Copper Carapace
Concussive Bolt
Phyrexian Digester
Mountain

I admit I don't record drafts where I don't open a good rare or one of the power uncommons (and even then, the print runs often have both, Flamefiend > CC IMO, and I like forcing blue whenever possible), so when I opened Thrun when I randomly felt like drafting, I was like "I HAVE TO RECORD THIS", so I slam Thrun and look for what to wheel. Divine Offering consistently goes late and is strong off the splash, and at worst, Phyrexian Rager might wheel.

Pack 1 Pick 2:

Nested Ghoul
Brass Squire
Strandwalker
Mirran Spy
Phyrexian Digester
Mirran Mettle
Morbid Plunder
Rusted Slasher
Kuldotha Ringleader
Horrifying Revelation
Viridian Emissary -
Quicksilver Geyser
Forest
FOIL Caustic Hound

I'm not a giant fan of Standwalker, so look for other options. Morbid Plunder is fine, but I'd rather not have a 3-drop on double-black and a 4-drop on double-green. I pick up a card that will certainly make my deck and help me splash whatever I feel like.

Pack 1 Pick 3:

Pierce Strider -
Silverskin Armor
Ichor Wellspring
Flayer Husk
Steel Sabotage
Blightwidow
Ardent Recruit
Phyresis
Caustic Hound
Frantic Salvage
Viridian Emissary
Swamp
FOIL Banishment Decree

Pierce Strider, on the other hand, is a card I DO like more than Emissary. That card single-handedly can win you a race when you're not applying enough pressure.

Pack 1 Pick 4:

Gruesome Encore
Melira's Keepers
Training Drone
Shriekhorn
Tangle Mantis
Blightwidow
Rally the Forces
Burn the Impure -
Gnathosaur
Blisterstick Shaman
Koth's Courier
Forest

A pick 4 Burn the Impure? Don't mind if I do! It's strong on the splash, and doesn't necessarily put me into red, given that I have an Emissary.

Pack 1 Pick 5:

Goblin Wardriver
Tine Shrike
Priests of Norn
Steel Sabotage
Pistus Strike
Caustic Hound
Divine Offering -
Tangle Mantis
Blisterstick Shaman
Glissa's Courier
Island

I think I can get away with two colors of removal. It lets me either be GWr or GRw this way.

Pack 1 Pick 6:

Distant Memories
Spiraling Duelist
Tine Shrike
Oculus
Hexplate Golem -
Loxodon Partisan
Scourge Servant
Quicksilver Geyser
Island
FOIL Master's Call

Master's Call is not a card this deck is going to look like it wants, seeing as Thrun doesn't play well in a Metalcraft deck.

Pack 1 Pick 7:

Metallic Mastery
Phyrexian Digester
Flensermite
Shriekhorn
Divine Offering -
Viridian Emissary
Spin Engine
Quicksilver Geyser
Island

These go so late it's insane. They're such a huge blowout sometimes it's not even funny.

Pack 1 Pick 8:

Metallic Mastery
Priests of Norn
Banishment Decree
Hexplate Golem
Phyresis
Ogre Resister
Rot Wolf -
Plains

I'd rather cut Infect (and if worse comes to worse, Rot Wolf isn't terribad) than play a 4/3 for 4 that isn't green.

Pack 1 Pick 9:

Kemba's Legion
Gruesome Encore
Gnathosaur
Scourge Servant
Spire Serpent
Concussive Bolt -
Mountain

Pack 1 Pick 10:

Mirran Spy
Morbid Plunder
Kuldotha Ringleader -
Horrifying Revelation
Forest
FOIL Caustic Hound

Pack 1 Pick 11:

Caustic Hound
Frantic Salvage
Viridian Emissary -
Swamp
FOIL Banishment Decree

...It came back. Ooooooookay then...

Pack 1 Pick 12:

Rally the Forces
Gnathosaur
Koth's Courier -
Forest

Pack 1 Pick 13:

Tine Shrike -
Caustic Hound
Island

Pack 1 Pick 14:

Distant Memories -
Island

Pack 1 Pick 15:

Island -

Pack 1 was strong, I picked up a bomb and three quality removal spells. I'm still not married to any particular color other than Green.

Pack 2 Pick 1:

Etched Champion
Tangle Angler
Clone Shell
Lifesmith
Galvanic Blast -
Turn Aside
Accorder's Shield
Blight Mamba
Instill Infection
Moriok Reaver
Plated Seastrider
Flight Spellbomb
Oxidda Daredevil
Snapsail Glider
Plains

I can't not take Galvanic Blast here.

Pack 2 Pick 2:

Painsmith
Infiltration Lens
Corrupted Harvester
Screeching Silclaw
Glint Hawk
Turn Aside
Psychic Miasma
Flight Spellbomb
Withstand Death
Ferrovore
Copperhorn Scout
Kemba's Skyguard
Plains
FOIL Spikeshot Elder -

Pretty.

Pack 2 Pick 3:

Grindclock
Culling Dais
Thrummingbird
Melt Terrain
Auriok Replica
Ichorclaw Myr
Vault Skyward
Sky-Eel School
Flight Spellbomb
Steady Progress
Golem Foundry
Flameborn Hellion -
Plains

Unexciting overall, but Flameborn Hellion is still a card I've warmed up to.

Pack 2 Pick 4:

Disappation Field
Trigon of Thought
Exsanguinate
Blackcleave Goblin
Vulshok Heartstoker
Neurok Replica
Auriok Sunchaser
Sylvok Lifestaff
Copper Myr -
Copperhorn Scout
Relic Putrescence
Forest

My first Myr. Good.

Pack 2 Pick 5:

Clone Shell
Vulshok Heartstoker
Ichorclaw Myr
Blight Mamba
Arrest -
Disperse
Plated Seastrider
Corpse Cur
Fume Spitter
Kemba's Skyguard
Swamp

This is why I like splashing white in this format. You get all the quality removal so late.

Pack 2 Pick 6:

Vigil For the Lost
Lumengrid Drake
Necrogen Censer
Dross Hopper
Wing Puncture
Alpha Tyrannax -
Glimmerpost
Ezuri's Archers
Copperhorn Scout
Mountain

Rawr~ :3

Pack 2 Pick 7:

Halt Order
Golem's Heart
Melt Terrain
Razorfield Tresher
Plated Seastrider
Withstand Death
Vedalken Certarch
Sunspear Shikari -
Plains

I'd rather gamble on a Shikari than take a mediocre combat trick.

Pack 2 Pick 8:

Soliton
Oxidda Daredevil -
Soul Parry
Melt Terrain
Screeching Silclaw
Goblin Gaveleer
Vedalken Certarch
Plains

Pack 2 Pick 9:

Lifesmith -
Turn Aside
Moriok Reaver
Plated Seastrider
Flight Spellbomb
Oxidda Daredevil
Plains

Pack 2 Pick 10:

Corrupted Harvester
Screeching Silclaw
Turn Aside
Withstand Death -
Copperhorn Scout
Plains

Pack 2 Pick 11:

Melt Terrain -
Vault Skyward
Steady Progress
Golem Foundry
Plains

Pack 2 Pick 12:

Exsanguinate
Copperhorn Scout -
Relic Putrescence
Forest

Pack 2 Pick 13:

Disperse -
Plated Seastrider
Swamp

Pack 2 Pick 14:

Vigil For the Lost -
Mountain

Pack 2 Pick 15:

Plains -

Pack 2 wasn't bad, either; I got Spikeshot Elder, Arrest and Galvanic Blast, and two top-curve threats. Pack 3 will hopefully wield Myr for me to scoop up.

Pack 3 Pick 1:

Tempered Steel
Corrupted Harvester
Necropede
Trigon of Mending
Grasp of Darkness
Necrogen Censer
Salvage Scout
Moriok Reaver
Loxodon Wayfarer
Flight Spellbomb
Strider Harness
Sky-Eel School
Moriok Replica
Copper Myr -
Mountain

An interesting dilemma here, but I feel I'm more in red than white, and I don't quite have enough artifact creatures to make this work. I need Myr, so I capitalize.

Pack 3 Pick 2:

Ratchet Bomb
Grafted Exoskeleton
Palladium Myr -
Blistergrub
Plated Seastrider
Revoke Existence
Melt Terrain
Salvage Scout
Bleak Coven Vampires
Seize the Initative
Razorfield Thresher
Ichorclaw Myr
Wall of Tanglecord
Mountain

Again.

Pack 3 Pick 3:

Barrage Ogre
Ogre Geargrabber
Throne of Geth
Seize the Initative
Vault Skyward
Fulgent Distraction
Bleak Coven Vampires
Disperse
Vedalken Certarch
Kemba's Skyguard
Auriok Replica
Molder Beast -
Plains

Rawr!~

Pack 3 Pick 4:

Clone Shell
Abuna Acolyte
Sylvok Replica
Leaden Myr
Turn Aside
Scoria Elemental
Origin Spellbomb
Disperse
Silver Myr
Arrest -
Soul Parry
Swamp

An off-color Myr is nice, but Arrest is Arrest...

Pack 3 Pick 5:

Painful Quandry
Thrummingbird
Tel-Jilad Fallen
Strider Harness
Saberclaw Golem -
Blistergrub
Sky-Eel School
Golden Urn
Bladed Pinions
Soliton
Island

Rawr~

Pack 3 Pick 6:

Viridian Revel
Neurok Invisimancer
Tel-Jilad Defiance
Echo Circlet
Ghalma's Warden
Salvage Scout
Stoic Rebuttal
Alpha Tyrannax -
Bonds of Quicksilver
Island

Rawr~

Pack 3 Pick 7:

Liquimetal Coating -
Trigon of Thought
Oxidda Daredevil
Neurok Invisimancer
Carapace Forger
Golden Urn
Bleak Coven Vampires
Disperse
Island

With two Divine Offering, Coating seems like a more interesting pick than Carapace Forger.

Pack 3 Pick 8:

Vigil For the Lost
Darksteel Myr -
Echo Circlet
Steady Progress
Blistergrub
Nihil Spellbomb
Blunt the Assault
Island

Pack 3 Pick 9:

Corrupted Harvester
Trigon of Mending
Necrogen Censer
Salvage Scout
Loxodon Wayfarer -
Flight Spellbomb
Mountain

Pack 3 Pick 10:

Blistergrub
Melt Terrain
Salvage Scout
Seize the Initative -
Razorfield Tresher
Mountain

Pack 3 Pick 11:

Ogre Geargrabber -
Seize the Initative
Vault Skyward
Fulgent Distraction
Plains

Pack 3 Pick 12:

Turn Aside
Scoria Elemental
Soul Parry -
Swamp

Pack 3 Pick 13:

Painful Quandry -
Golden Urn
Island

These always go so late, and they really put pressure on an opponent when you're on the offensive.

Pack 3 Pick 14:

Viridian Revel -
Island

Pack 3 Pick 15:

Island -

That went well. I have more than enough removal to deal with whatever I run into, and I have enough finishers to get the job done.

The people at the table were drafting:

BR (Infect?) - WG (Infect?) - UG - BR - Me (GRw Dinos) - BG (not Infect?) - MonoU - RW

And my deck ended up being:

1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Kuldotha Ringleader
1 Flameborn Hellion
1 Loxodon Wayfarer
2 Viridian Emissary
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Molder Beast
2 Alpha Tyrannax
1 Rot Wolf
1 Saberclaw Golem
1 Pierce Strider
1 Palladium Myr
1 Hexplate Golem
1 Darksteel Myr
2 Copper Myr

1 Burn the Impure
1 Galvanic Blast
2 Divine Offering
2 Arrest

8 Forest
4 Mountain
4 Plains

Tune in next time, when I DON'T play Dinosaurs!

Let me know what you think! =)

 

[Cirrus]

I have to do one of these sometime. Seriously.

Very nice range of removal, though the creature front is a bit weaker than what I'm used to (however, I'm a terrible person who doesn't pick that many artifacts).

Speaking of Dinos...

Well, I won't hijack your thread.

 

[DonRoyale]

No, discussion is thoroughly encouraged!

The thing with a removal-heavy deck is that you can literally stick one threat and ride it hard to victory. I literally have done that before in ZZW with double Quest for the Gravelord and Vampire Nighthawk as my only really threatening creatures.

 

[Cirrus]

That... actually sounds somewhat awesome.

I'm going to pick removal in favor of fairly mediocre threats, now. Sometimes I worry about having too few threats, and then afterwards I realize I have more playables than deck slots, so that dilemma... eh.

 

[DonRoyale]

Always make room for removal. It's always worth it, even if only for the sole purpose of delaying the inevitable.

Besides, if you take all the removal, that's less removal spells you yourself have to be concerned with for your threats.