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If you missed my previous article, or just need a refresher on how my pool of cards came together or the results of my first game in Round 1, feel free to jump back to it here.  With the online release of Worldwake just a few weeks away, I am excited to see how this new set of cards will shake up both the Zendikar Draft metagame.  Additionally, look for another article from me prior to the release detailing how I believe Worldwake will impact Standard Pauper for the upcoming season.  Speaking of which, if you haven't done so already, I encourage you to come join me for Monday Pauper Deck Challenge, a PRE sponsored by MTGO Traders in which players battle it out with the most restrictive format in all of Magic Online - Standard Pauper.  For details, check out the MPDC Season 7 Document or browse on over to the Wizards Player Run Events Forum and scroll down until you see an entry for MPDC.  Hope to see you across the virtual table at MPDC soon!

So, without further ado, here's the second half of my Pauper's Draft #2 - Zendikar.

V. Round One, Game Two

I sideboard in my second Mold Shambler in place of Oran-Rief Recluse and submit.

My opponent elects to play first, and here's my opener:

 

Nothing wrong with that! A T2 Nissa's Chosen, followed by a T3 Greenweaver Druid, and I should be in great shape.  My opponent and I trade land drops, and I draw into River Boa.  My opponent adds a Swamp to the Island in play, and summons a Hedron Scrabbler to the battlefield.  I draw a Burst Lightning, drop the Forest, and summon the aforementioned Chosen.  My opponent is graced with yet a third land type, going on an Ior Ruin Expedition and dropping a Plains before passing the turn.  I draw and drop a third Forest, swing in unblocked with the elf, and lay down his Elf Druid buddy.  My opponent adds a 2nd counter to the Expedition with a Swamp, swings in unopposed with the Scrabbler, and summons a Pillarfield Ox.  Back on my turn, I draw and drop yet another Forest, and contemplate my options:

First question - should I swing in with the Nissa's Chosen, or not? If I do so and my opponent elects not to block for fear of a combat trick, I can summon the Vastwood Gorger with some help from the Greenie.  Second question - If my opponent does block with the beefy Ox, should I trade it for the Vines of Vastwood? If I did, I would lack the mana to summon the Gorger and would have to summon the River Boa instead as a blocker.  I elected to try the bluff, attacking with the Chosen.  My opponent blocks, and I allow the opportunity to pass by, saving my mana to summoned the Big Bad Wurm during my 2nd Main Phase.

Back to my opponent.  He completes his expedition with another land drop, draws his two cards, and uses a kicked Into the Roil to draw a 3rd card and disappear my Gorger.  He then swings in with the Scrabbler only, reducing my life to 16, and passes the turn.  My library graces my with a Disfigure, and I quickly attack with the Chosen, planning on using the removal to rid the world of his White beefy.  Just like before, he chooses to block, and I followup my Disfigure by adding River Boa to the battlefield, leaving enough mana up to both play an unkicked Vines and Regenerate the Boa.  Back on his turn, my opponent drops a Swamp this time, and quickly taps all his mana.  I find myself staring into the face of this guy...

 
 ...that could be a problem.

Back on my turn, I draw a Mold Shambler, and recognizing the opportunity of my opponent being tapped out, swing in with both Nissa's Chosen and the River Boa, expecting that both will go unblocked but giving my opponent the chance to lose his Jwar-Jwar.  No such luck.  My opponent drops to 14, and I use Greenie to bring the Gorger back onto the battlefield.  My opponent has yet another land; this time a lovely Marsh Flats.  He summons both a Reckless Scholar and a Stonework Puma before swinging in for 5 with the Sphinx, dropping me to 11 for those keeping score at home.  My library then gifts me with Harrow.  So, any good options here?

Between Burst Lightning, Harrow, and Vines of Vastwood I have some interesting combat options, especially with my opponent having only a single Plains or Swamp to use in response.  Here's how things went down: I turned all my critters except the Greenie sideways; my opponent blocked the Vastwood Gorger with his Scrabbler, while double-blocking the Nissa's Chosen with his Stonework Puma and Reckless Scholar.  In response I Harrow for a Forest and a Mountain, and blast away the Stonework Puma with Burst Lightning.  The River Boa strikes for 2, leaving my opponent at 12 life, and after combat is complete all my creatures remain on the table opposed only by the Sphinx.  I then summoned an unkicked Mold Shambler and pass the turn. Definitely looking better.

In what in hindsight smells a bit like desperation, my opponent plays a Spreading Seas on my Mountain, cracks his Marsh Flats for a Plains, and ends his turn.  I draw a Forest and immediately march my creatures to the front lines (once again leaving poor Greenie behind).  My opponent blocks the Shambler, and I cast Vines on the River Boa, hoping to avoid getting two-for-one'd by using Regeneration.  My opponent plays Pitfall Trap in response, and I simply Regenerate it, wasting the Vines but keeping my creature in play.  The Shambler heads for the Graveyard, and my opponent is down to 4 life.  Back on his turn, my opponent taps out to summon both a Giant Scorpion and a Bog Tatters before passing the play back to me.  I draw a Timbermaw Larva, summon it, and pass the turn, hoping my opponent will create a more favorable combat opportunity by attacking with the Bog Tatters on his turn.

My opponent obliges, and I drop to 7 life.  I draw a Baloth Woodcrasher and swing in with all my creatures; my opponent blocks Nissa's Chosen with the Sphinx and the Timbermaw Larva with the Scorpion, allowing me to strike with the remaining 8 points of damage.  Victory!

VI. Round Two, Game One

My opponent wins the roll and decides to play first.  Here's my opening hand:

 

Looks decent with a T2 Nissa's Chosen and a T3 Harrow to bring the Surrakar Marauder into play if I don't have any better options.   My opponent drops an Island, and I follow suit with my Kazandu Refuge after drawing into Burst Lightning.   Back on his turn, my opponent turns two Islands into a Welkin Tern.  I draw a Grazing Gladehart, play out a Forest, and summon the Chosen.  My opponent drops a Swamp and summons a Gomazoa to the battlefield, and swings in for 2 with his little birdie.  I draw a Forest and consider the play:

I have several different options here, but I believe the best is to attack with the Chosen, seeing if I can bluff my way past the Gomazoa, and then play a Forest and summon the Gladehart, waiting for my next turn to maximize lifegain off of Harrow.  While I could easily kill the jelly with lightning or Primal Bellow, I'd rather save those for a more potent threat.  I proceed as planned, and my opponent elects to block the Chosen.  My opponents play another Island, summons a Windrider Eel, and swings in for another 2 life with the Tern.  Down to 17 life now.  I draw Vastwood Gorger and again pause to consider my options.  I end up playing a Forest (gaining 2 life from the yummy antelope) and attacking with both the Gladehart and the Chosen, holding back both Burst Lightning and Bellow to see how my opponent chooses to block; my opponent elects only to block the Gladehart with the Gomazoa and I respond by casting Harrow to gain another 4 life (bringing me up to 23), retrieving a Forest and a Swamp.  The jelly vanishes, taking my antelope with it, and after combat I summon Surrakar Marauder and zap the Eel.  I had contemplated holding onto the Forest I played initially to guarantee Landfall on my next turn; while I decided against it at the time since I wanted the mana ramp from Harrow, I think it might have been the better play.

Back on his turn, my opponent plays Kraken Hatchling, pecks away at my life with the birdie, and passes the turn with 4 mana open.  I draw a Forest, and place it into play before swinging in with the Chosen and the unblockable Marauder.  My opponent blocks the Chosen, and I take seriously the potential kicked Into the Roil or Cancel and don't respond.  I then tap out to summon the Gorger, hoping to draw out whatever trick my opponent might be holding, but for the moment he allows it to resolve, and it's his turn once again.  Another 2 damage from the Tern, and my opponent passes.  I draw Baloth Woodcrasher and swing in with all three of my critters.  My opponent seems to consider the situation for what feels like quite a long time before blocking the Marauder with his Hatchling and taking 7 damage, reducing him to 9 life.  I consider using the Primal Bellow, but with all his mana untapped, I'd rather not waste it.  I tap out to summon the Woodcrasher, and in response my opponent flings the Marauder and the Woodcrasher back into my hand with Whiplash Trap.  This seems like a strange choice to me unless he's got another way of dealing with the Gorger.

Back on his turn, my opponent does indeed deal with it by holding it tapped with Paralyzing Grasp.  He also drops an Explorer's Scope, equips it to the Tern, and swings in as usual, missing the land-drop.  I draw a Mountain and have a decision to make.  On the one hand, I could hold the Mountain until I return the Surakkar to play; on the other hand, dropping it now would allow me to use Primal Bellow on the Hatchling and still resummon the Woodcrasher.  I elect to do the latter, ridding the world of the Hatchling when it blocks the Chosen.  Was this the right call?

Back on his turn, the Gomazoa resurfaces from its slumber in my opponent's library and enters the battlefield before my opponent does his requisite 2 damage with the birdie, missing the land with the Scope yet again.  I draw a Forest, and hoping to save it for the Marauder, simply swing in with the Woodcrasher and the Chosen.  Interestingly enough, my opponent blocks the Chosen instead of the Woodcrasher, taking 4 damage and leaving the board otherwise unchanged.  I summon the Marauder, and my opponent plays out Disfigure to prematurely end its comeback.

My opponent's library coughs up an Adventuring Gear, and now the unflappable birdie has two pieces of equipment as it continues to slowly eat away at me.  But the Scope once again fails to see any land, and the turn passes back to me.  I draw a Mountain, and seeing little reason to sand-bag two Lands, drop it into play before attacking.  The jelly happily returns to its slumber in my opponent's Library, and I bid farewell to the Woodcrasher as the Chosen drops my opponent to 3.  My opponent and I trade land drops for both of our next turns, and he's now one turn from death.  A top-decked Trusty Machete joins the rest of the equipment on the Tern, but it simply isn't enough, and my hapless Nissa's Chosen goes the distance for the win.

That is one heavily laden swallow...er, tern.

VII. Round Two, Game Two

I switch out the Surrakar Marauder for Mold Shambler and submit.  My opponent chooses to play first.  Here's my starting seven:

 

Definitely not a preferable hand; no early drops, two fatties, and 5 land make it pretty awkward, but I end up keeping anyway.  Knowing how aggressive my opponent's deck was, I'm pretty sure this was a mistake; indeed, this will quickly become clear as the game progresses.

My opponent opens with an Island followed by a Kraken Hatchling; I draw my second Mold Shambler and drop a Forest.  Next, my opponent and I trade land drops for the next two turns (him an Island and a Swamp, me two more Forests), and I draw Vines of Vastwood and yet another Forest.  After dropping another Island, my opponent summons a Windrider Eel.  Back on my turn, I draw a Territorial Baloth, play another Forest, and seeing as how the Shambler will be unable to sneak past the Hatchling, I pass the turn.  Despite the potential advantage of kicking both Shamblers, this still seems greedy to me. In this scenario, wouldn't I have been better building my board presence? 

Anyway, my opponent follows up on his turn by dropping a fourth Island, swinging in for 4 with the Eel, and summoning a Welkin Tern.  I draw yet another Forest and finally summon my first creature in the Territorial Baloth.  On his turn, my opponents slips in the eel and the birdie, dropping me to 12, and passes with all 5 mana untapped.  Back on my turn, I draw Primal Bellow, drop yet another Forest and swing in with the Baloth.  My opponent responds with an unkicked Into the Roil, which immediately tips me off that he almost certainly has another trick in hand.  Still, at this point I'm feeling desperate enough that I press on anyway, attempting to protect the Baloth with a kicked Vines of Vastwood, which then draws out Cancel.  Buh-bye Baloth.

Feeling foolish, I end up using my remaining four mana to summoned an unkicked Shambler and hope for the best.  My opponent finds another Swamp, and swings in for six with the Tern and the swollen Windrider Eel, and I'm down to 6.  And once more my opponent passes the turn with all his mana untapped.  I draw yet another Forest, kill of the Hatchling with my Shambler boosted with a Bellow-ing shout, and summon Baloth Woodcrasher.  All is in vain however; my opponent Whiplashes them both off the Battlefield at the end of the turn, and drops yet another land into play, allowing the eel and tern to end me.

Clearly I should not have kept that opener; while my play certainly could have been tighter, I simply was unable to deal with the two early flyers.  Had I sided in a 2nd Oran-Rief Recluse instead of the Mold Shambler, it might have been a different game.

VIII. Round Two, Game Three

I board out the Vastwood Gorger and the second Shambler, bringing in Magma Rift, a 2nd Oran-Rief Recluse, and the Marauder.  After electing to play first, I take a look at my opener:

 

While definitely still slow, I have access to both of my splash colors, some acceleration in both the Oracle of Mul Daya and the Greenweaver, and a decent fattie, which seems strong enough to keep.  I bring Kazandu Refuge into play, and my opponent uses his first land drop to cast Quest for the Gravelord.  I draw a Gladehart and merely play a Swamp, while my opponent plays an Island and summons yet another Hatchling.  Back on my turn, my library refuses to cough up another land, granting me Disfigure instead.  So I play and crack the Verdant Catacombs and summon the Greenweaver Druid.  After dropping a Swamp, my opponent brings in Gomazoa, creating quite the defensive front against me.  I draw a Forest and ponder my options:

 

What's the best option here to maximize my mana? While simply summoning the Gladehart and dropping the Forest would have netted me two life, the potential of getting an additional land on the battlefield and additional information about my next draw made the Oracle the better play in my opinion.  Leaving the refuge untapped, I summon the Oracle with Greenie, revealing yet another Forest on top of my Library, which I immediately play, revealing the next draw of a 2nd Greenweaver Druid.  I decide to sand-bag the remaining Forest after all for the potential lifegain with the Gladehart and simply pass the turn.

On his turn, my opponent misses his 4th land drop but does bring a second Hatchling into play before passing the turn back.  I draw the Greenie, revealing another Forest on top.  Leaving the Swamp up for a potential Disfigure, I summon the Gladehart, then play the Forest off the top, revealing Baloth Woodcrasher, and play out the 2nd Forest as well, boosting my life total up to 24.  I borrow additional mana from Greenie and also bring the Timbermaw Larva on the field before passing.  My opponent misses his next land drop as well, but finds and equips one of the Hatchlings with his newly drawn Trusty Machete, but elects not to attack with it.  I draw the Baloth, revealing Oran-Rief Recluse on top.  After much thought, I decide to swing in with the Gladehart, believing my opponent will either block it with the Gomazoa and whisk them both away or allow me to trade the Machette-equipped Hatchling for my Vines of Vastwood.  Do you see the potential error here? My opponent did...

I actually thought this was excellent play, and an outcome I should have anticipated.  By double-blocking with both the Hatchling and the Gomazoa, I am forced to make one of two bad decisions.  I can either let the Gladehart die for no real gain, or I can go ahead and play the Vines out, in which case my opponent merely whisks both cards away (and shuffles away my Recluse in the process); either way, I waste a card.  The second choice is definitely the lesser of the evils, and much chastened by my mistake, I tap out with the Greenie to summon the Woodcrasher.  I also discover I now have a Forest on top of my Library.

Presumably my opponent missed yet another land drop here, for after a few moments of thought he conceded, despite having taken exactly zero damage in our last game and having a health 17 minutes left on his clock.  Victory?

IX. Round Three, Game One:

Once again I lose the die roll, and my opponent elects to go first.  Here's my opener:

 

Three lands and four spells, including some combat tricks and creatures is a great opener, so I keep.  My opponent and I trade land drops for our first two turns, leaving him with a Forest and Plains and me with a Kazandu Refuge and Forest.  I also draw another Forest and a Greenweaver Druid.  Back on his turn, my opponent drops a second Forest and summons Kor Sanctifiers; I respond by drawing Primal Bellow and playing out a Forest and the Grazing Gladehart.  While at first this seems less than ideal, on my opponent's turn he plays out another Forest and drops Kor Hookmaster onto the Battlefield before swinging in for 2 with the Sanctifiers, tapping down the Gladehart and annulling any acceleration I would have gained from the Greenie.  As it is, I next draw into Oran-Rief Recluse, gain 2 life as another Forest drops, and summon the Timbermaw Larva.  Back on his turn, my opponent drops a 2nd Plains and summons another Hookmaster, tapping down my Larva and allowing him to swing in for 4 and dropping me to 17 life.

Back on my turn, I draw another Gladehart, and swing in with the first.  Prior to blocking, my opponent attempts a kicked Vines of Vastwood on the untapped Hookmaster to kill the Gladehart, but I quickly respond with a Vines of my own, annulling the attempt.  He elects not to trade, and I end up using my other Vines kicked to hit for an additional 4 damage, dropping my opponent to 14.  Next, my opponent plays another Forest, swings in for 6 with all three of his Kor, and summons an unkicked Kor Aeronaut.

After drawing a Mold Shambler, I realize that the Larva will be worthless as a blocker with only one combat trick in play (why exactly did I play out that second Vines?) and swing in for an unblocked 5 damage.  So here's the scenario after my attack:

If I summon the Greenweaver Druid this round, I could leave one mana untapped for a trick with the Bellows and summon a kicked Oran-Rief Recluse on the following turn to get rid of the Kor Aeronaut.  On the other hand, if I summon the Recluse now, I gain an additional blocker right away and save myself 2 damage.  A bit wary, I end up choosing the latter option - do you think this was the right choice? Combat proceeds as anticipated, with my opponent swinging in with all 4 creatures.  I block the flyer with the spider, and with a mighty Bellow the boosted Gladehart dispatches the Sanctifiers.  My opponent makes no additional play but merely passes.

While a land drop or Burst Lightning would enable a win this turn, I only draw Nissa's Chosen.  Nevertheless, my opponent concedes before combat.

X. Round Three, Game Two:

I exchange Vastwood Gorger to bring in my Zendikar Farguide and submit.  My opponent chooses to play first, and I gaze at my opener:

 

An early River Boa and Gladehart with three lands is an easy keeper.  My opponent and I trade land drops as usual for our first two turns, with him dropping a Forest and a Plains and myself with two Forests.  I draw a Greenweaver Druid and a Vines of Vastwood, and being fairly certainly that there are not any forms of removal in G/W for 1 or 2 converted mana (assuming I don't attack), I summon the River Boa at the end of my second turn.  My opponent plays out another Forest and summons Nissa's Chosen, while I draw Harrow, play another Forest, and summon the Gladehart.  Back on his turn, my opponent plays a Plains, swings in for 2 with the Chosen, and summons a Kor Hookmaster, choosing to tap out my Gladehart instead of my water snake, which seems a bit odd to me.  I draw Disfigure, but thanks to a misclick I go immediately into my Begin Combat phase without the chance to play anything.  I then swing in with the River Boa, which goes unblocked, and consider.  After thinking it over, I decide to preserve the element of surprise with Harrow and merely play out the Greenweaver, hoping for a more favorable opportunity next round.

On his turn, my opponent swings in for 4, dropping me to 14 life, and summons Kazandu Blademaster before passing the turn.  I draw yet another Greenie, missing my land drop yet again, and consider my options:

Harrow combined with the Burst Lightning and Disfigure give me quite the element of surprise; the question is, how can I use it to best effect?

Prior to the Combat Phase, I use the Greenie and a single Forest to Harrow, sacrificing the tapped land and placing a Swamp and a Mountain on the Battlefield.  I attempt to Disfigure the Blademaster, and not surprisingly I am met with Vines of Vastwood.  I contemplate following up with Burst Lightning, but for some reason I elect instead to preserve my mana; I merely summon the second Greenie and pass the turn.  Back on his turn, my opponent then swings in for 6, and lacking any good options I take the damage, dropping to 12 life.  My opponent then summons Vastwood Gorger and passes the turn.

I draw a Turntimber Basilisk, and with my opponent tapped out I immediately blast away the Blademaster.  I then swing in with my yummy antelope, which goes unblocked, and use both Greenies to summon Baloth Woodcrasher, leaving a single Forest untapped to Regenerate the Boa after blocking.  My opponent swings in with the mighty Wurm, and after I block with the serpent my opponent brings out Zendikar Farguide, leaving me in serious trouble.

I draw a Shambler, continuing my drought of lands.  I swing in with my Woodcrasher, hoping my opponent's single untapped Forest isn't indicative of Vines of Vastwood.  My opponent double blocks with the Hookmaster and Chosen, and I cast what I think is a kicked Vines.  Turns out it must have been a misclick, as the kicker effect never materializes, and thus I trade my beastie away for a mere pointy-ear.  I go ahead and summon the Turntimber Basilisk, but at this point it the writing is on the wall.

Back on his turn, my opponent taps down my Boa with another Kor Hookmaster and swings in with the Wurm, Farguide, and the first Hookmaster; I trade the Basilisk for the Wurm and the Gladehart for the Hookmaster, dropping me to 9.  My opponent has no further plays, and naturally on my turn I finally draw a land in Kazandu Refuge, instantly regretting my sacking of the yummy antelope.  I play it out, giving me an extra turn of life against the relentless Farguide, and cast a kicked Mold Shambler, eating on of my opponent's Forests.  My opponent finds yet another Hookmaster, tapping down my Shambler, and swings in for 5 damage, dropping me to 4.  In my next two turns I draw a lowly Mountain and Oracle of Mul Daya, but neither are enough to save me, and I concede.

XI. Round Three, Game Three:

I side in Magma Rift for the Shambler, and elect to play first.  Here's my last opener:

 

While a bit slow, certainly nothing worth shipping back for a random six, so I keep.  In my first two turns I drop two Forests, while my opponent uses his two Plains to summon Blazing Torch and Kazandu Blademaster. Meanwhile by turn three I've drawn three Forests, but summon the Oran-Rief Recluse to slow down the Blademaster.  But my opponent's ever trusty Kor Hookmaster taps it down next turn and swings in with the Blademaster anyway.  Fortunately my next draw is the reliable Nissa's Chosen, shutting down my opponent's offense once more.  Back on his turn, my opponent equips the Hookmaster with the Torch, but Primal Bellow allows me to kill off the Blademaster with the Chosen anyway.  My opponent then adds Kor Sanctifiers to his end of the virtual table before passing.

My next draw is even more fortunate, finding my Zendikar Farguide which I summon before ending my turn.  My opponent summons Timbermaw Larva, and we're off to the races.  Back on my turn, I play out my sixth Forest, swing in with the Farguide, and bring the Baloth crashing down, who is not quite mighty enough to block the Larva against my opponent's three Forests.  My opponent finds and plays another Hookmaster, tapping down my Baloth and swinging in with the Larva and Sanctifiers.  While I gladly throw my Recluse in front of the massive Larva, I allow the Sanctifiers through, fearful of a kicked Vines of Vastwood or other trick.  I draw a second Swamp and drop it into play, which seems a minor mistake, as it does nothing for me other than communicate to my opponent that I more than likely have another Land in hand.  Seeing as how I have no intention of blocking with the Farguide, I swing in for another three, bringing my opponent down to 14 and keeping me in the race.

This time when my opponent swings in my Nissa leaps in front of the Larva, and I take another 4, dropping me to 12.  My draw next turn is Harrow, and after dropping my second Swamp I swing in with what is now a Trample 8/8, planning on casting Harrow and finishing off my opponent even if the Baloth is blocked by the untapped Hookmaster.  My opponent blocks, but lacks any relevant tricks after Harrow initiates the two Landfall abilities on the stack, and I trample over the now pulped Hookmaster for the win.  Victory!

XII. Conclusion

Overall this was a fairly satisfying draft.  While I would be the first to admit that my play was nowhere near perfect, I kept my mistakes to a minimum, other than some costly misclicks.  I was surprised at the strength of mono-Green in this draft, especially given that my last round opponent seemed to have several strong Green cards. Of course, splashing for both Disfigure and Burst Lightning went a long way to improve the strength of my decklist; I was also fortunate in that I never once had to mulligan an opener (although, in my defense, neither did my opponents in any of my games!).  While perhaps I went into more detail on these games than is strictly necessary, I hope the details are not only helpful but also allow you, my readers, to point out areas where I need to improve my play.  By all means, please point out where I could have made stronger plays - but please, do so in a way that is courteous.  Like most of you, I'm looking forward to Worldwake shaking things up, and expect to see another Pauper draft from me eventually once I settle into the new format.  Thanks for reading, and see you next time.