Born , Theros , Theros Swiss Draft - 02/05/2014
I've started using the Beta client for drafts. I'm not sure if the seating chart is accurate, but if it is, it allows for some interesting analysis. I'll go through my picks and thinking below if you're interested, but I suspect with Journey to Nix so close people have probably lost interest in this format. After the draft was over, I reviewed the games of the other drafters to determine what colours they played. Here is what the seating chart showed:
s4: Me - UW |
s5: GR |
s3: GU |
s6: GWRb |
s2: GW |
s7: GB |
s1: UW |
s8: RW |
So how did I end up in blue(U)-white(W). From pack 1 the players passing me packs were cutting white, blue, and green in equal portion, so I should have received a red-black signal - did I just miss it? What did I pass that indicated to the person in seat 5 that he should go Green-Red? Do signals matter? Overall we ended up with 5 green drafters, 4 white drafters, 3 players each vying for blue and red, and only one (maybe 1.5) black drafters.
Pack 1 Pick 1
No luck with my rare this pack. Cards I considered first picking: Akroan Skyguard, Asphyxiate, Aerie Worshipers, or Flitterstep Eidolon. (NOTE: One of the Mortal's Resolve was foil). White-X heroic is still the "best" deck in the format and that pushed me towards the Skyguard. Not passing any strong red cards. The blue cards both being solid - I was expecting at least one of the players in seats 5-8 to go into blue...Similarly, with several green playables I suspected green would be picked up.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 2
After my first pick, I was a little shy about getting into blue or green. I considered the Nyxborn Rollicker or the Pegasus here. Pegasus cuts more of the white and works well in an aggressive deck. The Rollicker is also good in that deck, but I'm not sure if I'm red-white or not, so I make the "safe" pick and take the white card.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 3
More good green, but I really like Epharas Enlightenment in the UW heroic deck. It's even splashable if blue is not open. Other quality cards in this pack - Servant, Nyxborn Wolf, and Divination.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 4
I think this was a bad pick - should have taken Dawn to Dusk. It would get back my Enlightenment, and act as pseudo removal. Or I could have taken the Rollicker and tried for the red-white heroic deck (splash blue). I think I got so excited by the Enlightenment that I forgot that blue was not going to be coming back to me based on what I've passed already.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 5
This was another bad pick - I think the wolf is the strongest card in the pack, but for what I was trying to build Hold at Bay would have been a better choice (hopefully wouldn't have to play it). Apparently I have a really short memory while drafting though as I decided that G or U would be my second colour at this point... sigh. Reckless Reveler should have been the pick if not Hold at Bay.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 6
Sphinx's Disciple isn't bad - perhaps I should have picked up the Revoke Existence though.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 7
Is this a black or red signal? I don't see how these cards are much stronger than Nullify or Mortal's Resolve.
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 8
Ok - Adept is not good, but better than most of the rest of this pack...
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 9
So what did we wheel from my opening pack, or what's missing. All the "1st pick" options are gone as expected. So I should have known that at least 2 players picked blue, at least one was in black. The Excoriate, Reap What is Sown and the foil Mortal's Resolve were all gone. The other pick was Weight of the Underworld, so perhaps 2 players started out thinking black. Based on this I could surmise that we had 4 white drafters (including me with one green white), 2 black drafters, 2 blue drafters, and 2 green (one green-white) drafter. Anyone that was committed to heavy red should have picked up the Reveler. Of course I did not do this analysis in real-time. I think the Oathsworn is a reasonable pick here...
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 10
Not sure if I should have taken the Perplexing Chimera here. I find this a "win-more" card a lot of the time. I.e., if you're winning on the board, you can play this guy to lock things down. He's not so great if you're behind. Still - I think it might have had some synergy with my deck. I'll leave the rest of the picks listed so you can see for yourself what came around. It becomes more obvious in the last few picks that black was under-drafted. Not that these cards are great, but they shouldn't be last picks...
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 11
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 12
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 13
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 14
My Pick:
Pack 1 Pick 15
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 1
Not doing so well at opening good rares today! Oh well - a Wingsteed Rider is a solid pick. Nothing else really stood out.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 2
So cutting white in pack 1 seems to have paid off. I'm hoping that I'll get the Cavalry Pegasus back, but unlikely. Really hate to pass the Phalanx Leader - if I had gone the red-white path this would have been a harder decision.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 3
Yes please - I'll have another. Gray Merchant as well as Mogis's Marauder - have to watch out for them.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 4
Really wanted the Wavecrash Triton here, but I need some things to target the heroic creatures I already have. Debated this pick for quite a while.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 5
This is a better trick - wish I had taken the Triton last pick.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 6
This was a mistake - I should have picked up the Vanquish the Foul. Not a good piece of removal, but so far I have none!
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 7
Vaporkin, Ray, or Aqueous Form - in the end the heroic trigger from the form made me go that direction.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 8
Maybe should have picked up Bronze Sable here.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 9
So about what I expected to see wheel in this pack Maybe the Vulpine Goliath is a bit of a surprise (over the Anvilwrought Raptor).
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 10
Another heroic enabler.
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 11
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 12
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 13
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 14
My Pick:
Pack 2 Pick 15
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 1
At least this is a good rare. Too bad I'm not in black... Sea God's Revenge is very strong though. Lots of good green picks again.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 2
I should have thought about this pick a bit more. The Ordeal is very good, but my deck is lacking ways to punch through. Griptide or Divine Verdict would have been better picks in the end. I was tempted to take the Temple as well - use the red to activate Crackling Triton.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 3
Can't really argue with a third Wingsteed Rider.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 4
I'd like a second Aqueous Form, but I only have 1 2-drop creature so far...
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 5
Battlewise Valor triggers heroic, the Coastline Chimera is a bit too slow for the deck.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 6
Should have taken the Unicorn or the Ray here - thought maybe I could splash green for the Chimera...
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 7
Gift or Observant Alseid? Which do you pick?
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 8
For the sideboard.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 9
Bronze Sable for another 2-drop maybe?
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 10
This is a gift.
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 11
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 12
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 13
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 14
My Pick:
Pack 3 Pick 15
My Pick:
Ok - so I didn't pick up on the open colours, and probably could have drafted a very solid red-white, white-black, or red-black deck. I think the way the packs were stacked in the Born pack though - it was not easy to pick this up. Here is what I ended up playing:
Unfortunately, the Beta Client doesn't seem to want to show my limited games in the Game History section - so I am unable to get screen shots for you.
So I played the GW drafter from seat 2 in the first round. In game 1 he got an aggressive start and I had a slow start. I managed to stabilize the board at 7 life, and he conceded after I put Ordeal of Heliod on my Wingsteed Rider (that already had Aqueous Form on it). In game 2, by turn 5 I had Wingsteed Rider, with Aqueous Form and Observant Alseid on it with a Loyal Pegasus coming along for the ride. He didn't have an answer - I win 2-0.
In the second round, I faced the GU player from seat 3. He likely got the bounce I didn't get - so I'm really nervous once I figure out what colours he's playing. I load up my Wingsteed Rider anyway and he doesn't find a bounce spell in either game. I win 2-0.
Round 3 did not go so well. I play the RW player from seat 8. His deck did not seem amazing in terms of creature quality, but he played it very aggressively - forcing me into bad trades. He also had both the Excoriate and Divine Verdict I had passed. I made a play mistake in game 2 after dropping game 1. I attacked with my creature when I was behind in life and I had already seen the Excoriate from him in game 1. Next turn he exiled my creature that would have been better used as a blocker and I was never able to recover. Lost 0-2. So once again, an aggressive RW deck takes down the draft.
If you read this far - thanks. If you want to trade or chat feel free to message me - majones12.
3 Comments
does the beta client actually tell you what colors other players are drafting, or that chart included your personal notes/assessments?
The beta client shows the seating around the table. After the tournament is over, you can replay the other players games and infer where each player ended up at.
Thanks thekk