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By: Basic Land, Andrew Westin
Jun 29 2009 12:01am
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10th top 8

In the last QP Bandwagon, We went through the swiss portion of 10th Ed Sealed event. My 4-1 record qualified me for the top 8 draft and gave me 3 more QP, arriving us at our goal of 15 and qualifying for MOCS season II. Here is how the top 8 turned out.

Draft

  Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:


I thought about taking the Cephalid Constable, Tidings, or Civic Wayfinder. I do however, love BR in this format. Taking the Robber sends a clear message of no Black in this pack.
  Pack 1 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Easy Pick.
  Pack 1 pick 3:

  My Pick:

This was a close one for me between Afflict and Bogardan Firefiend. If there were more sacrifice outlets, Threaten would be better, but there aren't. Was the Firefiend a mistake?
  Pack 1 pick 4:

  My Pick:

I could have taken removal in Quicksand or Spitting Earth. Since the red card is much better I took it. After the first pack, I've been sending a few Black cards downstream, like Recover, Afflict, and Highway Robber.
  Pack 1 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Severed Legion or Dusk Imp.
  Pack 1 pick 6:

  My Pick:

Easy pick.
  Pack 1 pick 7:

  My Pick:

One of those sacrifice outlets. I probably should have taken the Dusk Imp, who knows.
  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:

I thought about the Soul Feast, but 3/2 with minor evasion felt right at home.
  Pack 1 pick 9:

  My Pick:

I'll take the wheel from the first pack.
  Pack 1 pick 10:

  My Pick:

Although expensive, a nice sideboard card.
  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:

  My Pick:

More removal over Mass of Ghouls. I'm not sure what the blank card was, but it probably wasn't worth noting.
  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Lord of the Pit can be a bomb, but I wanted a more consistent focused deck. A way to 2-for-1 an x/1 is always welcome.
  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I like the Pyromancer and Tutor here as well.
  Pack 2 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Not much here.
  Pack 2 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Another Robber pretty late.
  Pack 2 pick 6:

  My Pick:

I probably should have picked the bodyguard, but I rare drafted instead. This was obviously the wrong pick.
  Pack 2 pick 7:

  My Pick:

Easy
  Pack 2 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Maybe I should have taken the conditional Badger. Wall of Fire isn't really in line with my deck's style.
  Pack 2 pick 9:

  My Pick:

A nice sideboard way to remove Icy's, Platinum Angel, or what have you.
  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 11:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 13:

  My Pick:

Nice gift here.
  Pack 2 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 15:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 1:

  My Pick:

It was tough between the Gravedigger and Phyrexian Rager. Ok, not that tough.
  Pack 3 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Thank you Shock.
  Pack 3 pick 3:

  My Pick:

Thank you Shock.
  Pack 3 pick 4:

  My Pick:

More removal.
  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:

This pack is really filling out my deck.
  Pack 3 pick 6:

  My Pick:

If I had to do again, I think the Hill Giant is better at hanging around.
  Pack 3 pick 7:

  My Pick:

Again, I think I have blinders on for Hill Giants.
  Pack 3 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Nothing here.
  Pack 3 pick 9:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 10:

  My Pick:

Nice 1 drop for my deck.
  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:


Thank you Benjamin Peebles-Mundy for creating the draft converter used in today's article.

Deck

Recap

I started the draft at 1826 limited rating, with my 15 QP. It was all about winning for packs.

Round One: timoK

Game One: I won the die roll and started with Severed Legion, 3x Mountain, Swamp, Shock, and Mindstone in my hand. I draw Bloodrock Cyclops and get down some lands and a Mind Stone. He starts with 2x Swamp. I lead with the Cyclops as the feared creature won't be as good against Black. He adds an Island and Cloud Elemental to the board. I get in for 3 and drop the Legion before he gets a Wall of Air. I sac Mind Stone already having more than enough mana and get 2x Highway Robber on my next draws. I swing and Shock away his Wall of Air and drop a Robber (20-13). He plays a Highway Robber himself and gets in with his Elemental (16-15). I draw a Shock and kill his Robber, playing a second one and swing in for 7 (18-6). He concedes, with my next three cards as Consume Spirit, Spitting Earth and Fear on top of my library.

Game Two:

I side in Plague Beetle for Fear. My starting hand is Bogardan Firefiend, Spitting Earth, Severed Legion, Bloodrock Cyclops, 2x Mountain, and a Swamp. He lets me play first. I get Cyclops turn 3 again and he starts with 2x Swamp, Island and Cloud Elemental. I get Mind Stone, and play that along with Severed Legion. He has Highway Robber which eats a Spitting Earth. I swing in and drop Bogardan Firefiend. He (Essence Drains) my Cyclops and swings 14-17. I draw Rage Weaver and sac Mind Stone for a Mountain, swing in and play the Weaver 14-13. He Afflicts my Wevaer and plays a Dusk Imp. I Highway Robber him and Spitting Earth hits his Imp, after a swing the scores are 14-7. He casts Dehydration on my Legion, and swings again. I draw Consume Spirit with only 2 swamps on the board, swinging puts the score 12-3. He Soul Feasts me, and swings 6-7. I draw a Swamp and swing making it 6-3. He swings again and plays an Aven Windreader 4-3. I swing with both creatures and get through with one, then Consume Spirit for the last point.

2-0, 1-0, limited rating: 1838

Round Two:  Foilcards

Game One: He played a Blue White build based around drawing and gaining life. With all of my removal spells, I was able to kill of his crits except for Forbidden Watchtower. With all of the damage I had taken, I was on a 2-3 turn clock. I got stuck at 6 mana with a Bloodfire Colossus and Consume Spirit in hand.

Game Two: He got down Angel of Mercy, and a Loxodon Mystic. His removal came in the form of a Benalish Knight flashing into play. I was able to clear the board with a Bloodfire Colossus but that put me down to 2 and he was at 9. I dropped a Cyclops to start the beats, he followed that up with a Cho-Manno, Revolutionary making the Shock and Spitting Earth in my hand as well as my Cyclops useless.

2-2, 1-1, limited rating: 1823

Recap

I was ok losing in the second round of the top 8 draft, I still got 12 packs, and my 3 QP from the swiss. After reviewing the picks with more time, I may have passed up a great color in Blue. A first pick Tidings could have started me in that color, and I would have been happy to get the Constable pick 9. I also noticed, I was letting Hill Giants go right by me. That to me meant that Red was the color to be in and I could have had a much stronger deck. That's something to think about for next time. For my next Article, I will give you my decklist, and recap how the MOCS Season II went. I hope you are all in full swing of Season IV by now and good luck in all of your sealed events in the future.

8 Comments

mostly decent picks, except by me myself and i (not verified) at Mon, 06/29/2009 - 00:44
me myself and i's picture

mostly decent picks, except for your first. Tidings is huge in limited. Blue is the best color in xxx. And you way way overvalue highway robbers. Congrats though.

Although, I did overlook by Basic Land at Thu, 07/02/2009 - 08:31
Basic Land's picture

Although, I did overlook Tidings, I don't think Blue is the best color in XXX. Even if it is, I would draft Black/Red every time if the removal is there. That might just be a personal preference. I do value highway robbers way too much, first pick was def a mistake.

Phyrexian Vault by Morkje (not verified) at Mon, 06/29/2009 - 15:24
Morkje's picture

Why didnt you run the phyrexian Vault over the Fear?
You mostly have 2 power guys, on who fear is not that scary.
Vault would have worked well with the small guys like rats, festering goblin, firefiend and for the cyclops who always run into something bigger.

Also think you should have hated the Mystic over the Shatterstorm.
You already had a Smash.

Just my thoughts.

Why I ran Fear over Phyrexian by Basic Land at Thu, 07/02/2009 - 08:34
Basic Land's picture

Why I ran Fear over Phyrexian Vault. That's a good question. The only thing I was thinking in running Fear was pushing through some evasion damage in the end. This may or may not have been a mistake. I think Shatterstorm was a better pick over the Mystic. I would much rather have a 2x sideboard cards for the nasty artifact bombs in the format (loxodon warhammer, platinum angel, juggernaut with whispersilk cloak) than to try and hate draft somebody I may not face. Thanks for the comments.
I will go playtest the deck swapping the vault for the fear against some other draft decks.

:-o by ghweiss (not verified) at Tue, 06/30/2009 - 13:48
ghweiss's picture

Black/Red is reasonable in this format because you can spend your early picks on top tier removal and still end up with decent, nice-to-recur guys like Highway Robber and Lightning Elemental to fill out your deck. Taking those guys early defeats the entire purpose of the archetype, though. Does that make sense?

Once you're in Black/Red, you should prioritize card advantage whenever possible. Obviously any deck is happy to get card advantage, but Black/Red needs it in particular because its creatures don't naturally trade up for better cards, force bad blocks, or discourage attacks. Wall of Fire does a great job of the latter. Your comment about it not fitting your deck is misinformed. It is exactly the kind of card you want in Black/Red. So is Phyrexian Vault, which you took but didn't even play.

Thanks for the comment. That by Basic Land at Thu, 07/02/2009 - 08:37
Basic Land's picture

Thanks for the comment. That does make sense, and clearly first pick should have been Tidings. I don't agree that Wall of Fire belonged in this deck. I guess the argument could be made that it could have helped stall long enough to get Bloodfire online, but even then if the Wall isn't dealing damage, you aren't guaranteed to win at that point. I probably should have played the Vault, but Wall of Fire, I'm still out on.

why on earth would you play by Anonymous (not verified) at Tue, 06/30/2009 - 20:56
Anonymous's picture

why on earth would you play fear?

Good Question, playing Fear by Basic Land at Thu, 07/02/2009 - 08:37
Basic Land's picture

Good Question, playing Fear over Vault, was a mistake. See above.