My first M11 Draft! I thought it would be fun to post the first draft I’ve ever done in the format. Its always interesting to look back at your first draft after getting to know a format to see which cards and archetypes you misevaluated. I guess M11 is really only half a new format, but whatevs!

I know I know, ewww GW n00b lolflower. Similar to auras, green/white is one of those things that we are initially taught are TERRIBAD. However, I’ve learned that any color combination is viable given the right tools and as long as you try to shore up your weaknesses. In GW this generally means removal and evasion, but this deck has a fair amount of the first and shouldn’t need the second too badly with pump/equipment.

I’m actually pretty happy with this deck given the card quality of the draft. I felt it was quite low across all the colors and I think an average GW beatdown deck would actually be better than this. It could certainly be a viable archetype given all the evasion/pump that white offers and the stellar Garruk’s Companion on face-pounding duty. The one drop white guys definitely don’t play well with triple Companion, but it can’t be helped. Let’s see how the games play out.

Match 1 Game 1 (vs NaxofTax):

Opening hand:

An easy keep, although we’re already seeing the awkwardness of Garruk’s Companion with white one drops. NaxofTax mulligans once before showing his colors to be red and white and commenting “wrong colors” on seeing my forest and plains. Expand your mind, man! I lead with the Elite Vanguard in case I draw a Runeclaw Bear or another white one drop. NaxofTax leads with a Steel Overseer and an Arc Runner as I draw another Companion and an Infantry Veteran, spitting them all on the table in the first four turns. My opponent does not have an answer and quickly succumbs to my wrong-colored beats.

Match 1 Game 2:

I don’t sideboard as I didn’t see anything I have a good answer for in my sideboard. I briefly consider Hornet Sting since I’ve already seen two targets, but I like every other card in my deck better. I draw another nice and aggressive opening hand:

NaxofTax keeps and watches as I start with a Vanguard and a Infantry into Companion. He Fireballs my Vanguard, Lightning Bolts my Companion and Excommunicates my Infantry. Next up he has Pyroclasm for my Assault Griffin and Infantry as I tap out for a Packleader, but he runs out of relevant spells and my 4/4 with Safe Passage back up finishes the game.

Match 2 Game 1 (vs billylawson9):

For some reason MTGO didn’t record this game so I’ll have to rely on memory. From the draft replays I saw a very impressive UW fliers deck chock full of bombs and high quality threats. Billylawson9 did not disappoint in game 1, charging out of the gates with a Stormfront Pegasus followed by Wild Griffin. My start was a little slow but I thought I could stabilize with a couple Giant Spiders. That is until my opponent Mind Controlled my first and Frost Titaned the next. GG sir, nice deck!

Match 2 Game 2:

Sideboarding: Out: Prized Unicorn, 2x Safe Passage. In: Plummet, Solemn Offering, Runeclaw Bear. Neither Prized Unicorn nor Safe Passage tend to do much vs UW skies decks and I wanted another two drop to be as aggressive as possible.

My first seven is a slightly tempting one lander:

It has a turn one play, a removal spell with any land and two with a forest, as well as being an amazing start if I manage to topdeck two forests fast. However that just isn’t enough, it relies too much on luck, plus I’m on the play. If I was on the draw this hand would be closer but still a mulligan. My six are a much nicer forest, 2 plains, Runeclaw Bear, Warlord’s Axe and Assault Griffin.

My opponent keeps and starts with Ajani’s Mantra(which I don’t think is worth playing vs my deck) and a Cloud Elemental. I drop the bear and equip it with the axe and start swinging. Billylawson9’s only answers are some two power fliers and I have a Pacifism before he tried to double block. After he does manage to two for one himself I have the Griffin and a Companion to equip, which even a Frost Titan can’t deal with when he’s on three life.

Match 2 Game 3:

My opponent mulligans. Do you keep this hand?

I decide to keep after a little debate. The Pacifism can protect me a bit from early pressure and this deck is chock full of low drops. If I can manage to survive to drop double Packleader the game should be over shortly thereafter.

Billylawson9 goes down to five cards and starts off with Ajani’s Mantra and Blinding Mage. The only non-land I draw in the early turns is an Assault Griffin, but it doesn’t matter much as my opponent stumbles on land for two turns. I get double Packleader down and my opponent tries to stay in it with a Phantom Beast, but I have Pacifism for it and Solemn Offering for his Mind Control. He quickly succumbs to my massive, card-drawing army.

Before the finals begin my opponent offers a 7-5 split as he is hunting for QP points. Normally I like to play the finals to get in more practice with the deck and shoot for those 8 packs, but I just can’t resist that kind of offer and take the split. Sometimes you just mise.

Its hard to tell exactly how much demand there is for M11 walkthroughs. Personally I landed somewhere in the middle of most opinions on M10, liking it for a while but getting bored of it faster than a non-bases set. M11 is certainly different from M10, but close enough that I don’t see staying excited about it for too long. Let me know in the comments if you would rather see all M11 drafts, all ROE drafts, half and half, or something in between.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week for more M11 action.

Dylan Pratt (Jester123 on MODO)

Artist / Film / TV Show / Book of the Week:

The Dead Weather / The Usual Suspects / Six Feet Under / Enduring Love