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This draft has been brought to you by Cape Fear Games and I guess Rare Draft. For paper cards, board games, or accessories, shop www.CapeFearGames.com I really hate playing 4-3-2-2 drafts. Why can't they be 5-3-2-2 like in real life?  Yet, after waiting for 5 minutes for an 8-4 draft, I jump into the 4-3-2-2 and it fires within the minute.

So, from that draft, here is my deck

 

Sadly, no Venerated Teachers. 

As a quick aside: If you are wondering what to do with the Promo Basic Lands you've been getting from Player Rewards, follow this little trick for foiling out your draft deck.

* Save out your card pool with the "Save As" function in the event deck editor. 
* Load that deck into your standard editor.
* Add the basic lands of your choice.
* Save the change, then reload that deck in the event editor.

As long as you have only added basic lands, it will work. You can kind of see it in the deck image, but I only have about 4-5 foil promo/guru lands, but depending on the color combinations, it's nice to know you can play with your favorite artwork. End Aside

Below is the sideboard which is mostly just some discard in black and a few other random UB cards.

Match 1, Game 1

I won the roll and played here because I think I have an aggressive deck. I feel that might be wrong. This format is slow enough that the extra card is far better than the tempo gain. Unless you are able to quickly get out of the gates and curve out by dropping must deal with creatures from the get-go, drawing is probably the correct decision. My deck isn't aggressive enough to be on the play.  Turns out I started with a Divination AND tempo as he mulled to 5.

Here was my hand. I've got some action while I wait for a Swamp, so I keep. 

T1

I drop an Island, while he plays a swamp and a Mortician Beetle

T2

(d:Swamp), I play my Swamp and drop Champion's drake #1. He lays down a Swamp and doesn't attack.

T3

(d: Frostwind Invoker #2),  I play an Island swing in for 1, (e19) and play Champion's Drake #2 and a Zulaport Enforcer. Now if I can find 12 mana I will have two Air Elementals ready for combat. He lays down an Island and a Guard Gomazoa.

T4

(d: Escaped Null), I cast Induce Despair on the Guard Gomazoa revealing Frostwind Invoker and swing in with 2 drakes (e17). Meanwhile my opponent plays an Island and swings in with his beetle (m19).

T5

(d: Halimar Wavewatch), I swing in for 3, content to race (e14), and drop Wavewatch. He plays Domestication on my Wavewatch.

T6

(d:Zulaport Enforcer) I get in for 2 through the air with my drakes (e12) and drop Enforcer. While stuck at 3 mana, there isn't much else for me to do. He levels up the Wavewatch once and passes. I guess getting in for 2 through the air is better than making a bigger wall.

T7 

(d: a third Zulaport Enforcer), swing with both Enforcers and drakes, he trades 1 Enforcer for his beetle and blocks the other while taking 2 (e10). I drop the other Enforcer. He plays an Island and has some action with a Frostwind Invoker of his own.

T8

I drew a Swamp turn 2 and now on cue (d: Vendetta) I Vendetta the Invoker (m16) and swing in with my team to get through 3 damage, as the Wavewatch soaks up 1 Enforcer (e7). He plays a  Mnemonic Wall with no target to cut down on a point of damage per turn.

T9

(d: Cadaver Imp) I continue to beat with my drakes (e5), he plays Enclave Cryptologist and levels it twice. 

T10

(d: Island), I swing with my drakes again (e3), play an Island and Escaped Null. He loots an Ulamog's Crusher away, then casts Staggershock on a drake, and levels up his Cryptologist. That Mnemonic Wall would have been a lot scarier had he had more time.

T11

(d: 3rd Frostwind Invoker), I swing with my team and get through for 2 (e1), and gain a life in the process (m17). Staggershock kills my other drake, then he draws a card off looter and drops Tuktuk the Explorer and Nirkana Cutthroat.

T12

(d: Swamp), Finally, I play my second Swamp, and swing with Null to trade 6 life for his Tuktuk (m23), I drop 1 of my Invokers, although, I could have dropped my Cadaver Imp and Champion's Drake which would have given me 2 fliers and probably was the safer play. He loots and concedes. What a slow beating 2 drakes make.

I sideboard out 2x Zulaport Enforcer for 2x Perish the Thought. The Enforcers seemed way too slow, and grabbing one of his key cards seems better than overwhelming his walls with a 1 power army.

Game 2

I stare at this 1 lander, and promptly ship it for a fresh 6.

My six are much better giving me an early threat, mana from both colors, removal, and hand disruption.

He chose to draw.

T1

I play a Swamp and my Zulaport Enforcer, while he starts off with a Mountain.

T2

(d: Swamp), I play Swamp number 2, and swing (e19), while he adds an Island to his board.

T3

(d: Regress) play Island swing (e18), post-combat I Perish the Thought revealing...

I chose to shuffle the Sea Gate Oracle away. My other options were the Swamp and Frostwind Invoker. However, I'm happy to trade my Vendetta for his Frostwind if he has no more gas. Sea Gate would help him dig.

T4

(d: Island), I play an Island, level up my Enforcer, swing for 3 (e15). He plays a Swamp and his newly drawn Domestication. 

T5

(d: Island), I play a Swamp and pass. My hope here is that somehow he levels up the Zulaport and then I can regress the Domestication while making the leveler a 5/5 and out of Domestication range. With 5 mana though, there is no reason to not cast the Invoker. He just swings (m17), and drops the Invoker. Had I regressed the Domestication I could have saved 3 life, possibly 6.

Of course the correct play was to regress the Enforcer. It seems like such a simple, obvious, and easy out, but for some reason, I blanked on it. Way to go Basic Land.

T6

(d: Induce Despair) My Induce Despair is useless without creatures in hand. I play a Swamp. He follows with a land and swings. I Vendetta his Invoker (m14), and take 3 from my Enforcer (m11). He follows combat with a Nirkana Cutthroat. I of course still fail to target my Enforcer and regress the Domestication. Assuming I'm going to choose the wrong target, pre-combat I could have saved 3 life here.

T7

(draw: Sphinx of Magosi), I swing for 3 (e12), and leave up Induce Despair mana while I have a creature. Maybe, I should have played Sphinx here and tried to draw into a creature for the removal the next turn. He Domesticates my Enforcer and levels up his Cutthroat, I Induce Despair it as it attacks.

T8

(d: Island) I play my Sphinx. He matches it with an Ulamog's Crusher, and is threatening all kinds of lethal the next turn

T9

(d: Swamp), I use my Sphinx to draw twice, (d: Skywatcher Adept, Swamp) I decide to play the Adept and swing with my Sphinx, he staggershocks my adept and kills me. I could have traded crusher for sphinx. Then I would have been at a disadvantage for the race. But at least it would have been a race rather than a blowout. 

Game 3

I take a look at my opening hand and decide to keep it. I'm on the draw, finally.

T1

He plays a Swamp, (d: Induce Despair), I play a Swamp.

T2

He plays a Swamp, (d: Swamp) I play an Island.

T3

He plays a Mountain, (d: Island) I Perish the Thought, he responds with Staggershock (m18) and reveals 2x Mnemonic wall, Deprive, Swamp and an Island. With three blue cards, one double blue, I grab his only Island. 

T4

He rebounds staggershock (m16), plays a Swamp and passes, (d: Merfolk Skyscout) I play an Island and Skyscout.

T5

He gets his Island and plays Mnemonic Wall and gets back Staggershock. (d: Swamp), I swing in for 2 (e18)

T6

He drops Sea Gate Oracle and Nirkana Cutthroat. (d: Skywatcher Adept), I play a Swamp and Consume the Meek, swing (e16) with Skyscout, use the untap on a Swamp to keep Vendetta mana up and play my Adept. Of course I know he Walled his Staggershock back to his hand. I'm a bad player though and run out the Adept anyway.

T7

He Staggershocks the Adept and passes, (d: Island), I drop the Sphinx and swing (e14), untap an Island and pass. He vendettas the Sphinx (e8).

T8

He rebounds Staggershock (m14), Mnemonic Walls his Vendetta and kills my Skyscout (e5). Had he cast Vendetta on my Skyscout pre-combat, and then killed my Sphinx on his turn, he would be up 2 life. (d: Frostwind Invoker), I play my Invoker.

T9

He plays and Island and passes (still hasn't missed a land drop), (d: Swamp) I swing for 3, (e2).

T10

Although it doesn't matter he drops Crusher. I untap and I kill him

Some things I learned from this Match. Both Merfolk Skyscout and Regress were misinterpreted by me. I thought the Skyscout could both tap and untap permanents. It turns out, just untap. And Regress can of course return your own guy to your hand getting rid of Domestication, rather than just delaying the Control Magic. Note to self: Regress trumps Domestication. 

Even if I failed to show these lessons in the match, I certainly learned them upon review. There is always a lot to take in the first time you draft a set on MODO. Hopefully, there is always something to learn and take away form each draft.

Join me next time as we find out how I finished the draft. Am I destined for 2 packs, or perhaps even 3 or 4.