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Hey everyone, welcome back, and thanks for bearing with me the past couple of weeks while Magic has necessarily occupied my backburner. I left you hanging after part one of my 84 Zendikar draft walkthrough, and today I finally have the wrap up for you—extra-long to make up for the extra-long wait. If you didn’t read the draft portion (or can’t remember it), you can go back and catch up, or just check out the final deck:

Submitted Deck

In Editor

Full discussion of my deck choices can be found at the end of part one, but I’d run the Kabira Crossroads over the Ior Ruin Expedition, and I am also keeping an eye out for two picks I wavered on during the draft: taking Kraken Hatchling over Gomazoa and taking Shepherd of the Lost over Steppe Lynx. I would definitely make the expedition/crossroads change to my decklist if I could do it over again; now let’s see if there are any plays I’d like to do over again as well.

R1G1

I win the toss and assess my seven for the play:

A nice-looking curve if I can find the land for it, and an easy keep. I could fall behind a fast deck if I don’t draw a turn-three play , but I like my chances with this opener on the play.

I pull a Plains and cast the Welkin Tern while Villain drops a couple of swamps and passes, which is great news for the race. I do draw a potential turn-three play in Kor Skyfisher. After attacking, I have to decide whether or not to play it out, and what to bounce if I do. what’s your play here?

R1G1 #1

One option is to play the skyfisher and bounce the tern, which puts a tougher flyer out at no cost to mana development. Another is to play it and bounce a land, setting myself back a turn in development, but getting another two-power flyer out and bashing. Finally, the last option is to do nothing, sit on it and wait.

I think if Villain had come out of the gates stronger, I would at the very least upgrade the tern to a skyfisher. With a fourth land and the Emeria Angel in hand, though, I decide to hold off. If I don’t find a fifth land in the next two draws, I will be able to play the skyfisher and use the land bounce as my fifth land drop, triggering the angel in the process. I’d like to drop the Felidar Sovereign on turn six if possible, and setting myself back a land drop to get an extra flyer online now will likely cost me damage in the long run by potentially slipping deployment of the angel, drake, and Felidar Sovereign by a turn.

Villain Harrows into an Oran-Rief Survivalist, and I am remembering the archer I passed with some wariness. I draw a fifth land and swing in with the tern again. I’ve personally passed two Hideous Ends in this draft, besides any additional copies I never saw. Should I hold off on dropping my bomb to bait removal, or just run her out there?

R1G1 #2

I hold back bombs in spots like this if I have another solid play and no sign Villain is out of removal (generally signaled by something surviving that I would use removal on in their spot), or if I see the bomb as a critical path to victory and have a heightened need to protect it. In this case, I have other paths to victory, so with no reason to believe all the removal is out, the question is whether or not there are any other good plays, here.

There's a solid play I missed during the game that I feel is the correct play in retrospect. I was stuck in my thinking about the Kor Skyfisher in terms of its ability to bounce a land for the angel’s landfall, but I can cast the skyfisher with , bounce and replay the Welkin Tern, and stay on my curve. The clock difference is only one point—the 2/3 skyfisher vs. the 3/3 angel—which seems like a solid price to pay to keep my bomb back and draw out removal for a turn. Not seeing this play at the time, I run Emeria Angel out there, knowing I had solid flyers and Felidar Sovereign as backup.

Villain promptly untaps, dooms the angel to a Hideous End, and adds a Frontier Guide to the team before sending the survivalist at me. I draw Kazandu Blademaster, attack with the tern and consider my options for the second main, having not yet played a land:

R1G1 #3

Two basic options: play out the Sky Ruin Drake and hope to mise the land for the curve-out into the Felidar Sovereign, or drop the blademaster and the skyfisher, which adds twice the power to the board and only holds up my mana development if I draw a land next turn. Given that I’m currently on the aggressive, adding twice the power to the table is the way to go. I cast the blademaster and the skyfisher, bouncing and replaying a plains before passing. Villain adds a Territorial Baloth and passes without a profitable attack.

I pull Kor Hookmaster and drop my Plains. Hookmaster or Sky Ruin Drake here?

R1G1 #3

I try to maximize my mana whenever possible, which in this case is the Sky Ruin Drake. Putting the baloth out of commission for two attacks is the option that best keeps this race in my favor, though, so I hook the 4/4 and attack for 6. The Frontier Guide takes one for the team, chumping the blademaster, and Villain drops to 10 before I pass the turn.

A kicked Mold Shambler sinks my lone Island, but with only two cards left in hand and no apparent means to deal with my flyers, it’s looking very good for the home team. Naturally, I rip a replacement Island off the top and play it before planning for combat. The flyers hit for 4, leaving Villain at 6, and the Sky Ruin Drake joins the team to make it a one-turn clock. Villain has no answer to lethal flying damage, and I move to sideboarding without having to tip the Felidar Sovereign in my deck.

R1G2

I side out Kraken Hatchling for Devout Lightcaster, but in hindsight, I would rather just pull the Ior Ruin Expedition for it. This becomes an ongoing theme, by the way. On the draw this time, I have these seven after Villain keeps:

That's a pretty dreamy starting hand, basically putting Villain in a “remove Kazandu Blademaster or die” scenario. Villain opens strong with a Vampire Lacerator, but I’m happy to race with this hand, and look forward to the lacerator’s upkeep pings to come. I pull my Devout Lightcaster and drop Steppe Lynx, and after losing a life in upkeep, Villain hits me for 2 and casts Frontier Guide.

I rip a third Plains for the eventual lightcaster, but keep the pressure on in the meantime with a lynx attack and the Kazandu Blademaster. Villain plays a Forest and passes, and I start my third turn with no fear of a Hideous End. I draw Windrider Eel, drop a Plains, and decide between Devout Lightcaster and the Trusty Machete. What’s your choice, who do you equip if you play the machete, and are you playing around anything during combat?

R1G2 #1

Machete is the clear play here. Villain is likely to chump with the lacerator pretty soon anyway, so I don’t see the need to use removal on it. A more interesting question is: who picks up the machete? The blademaster is one of the best machete-wielders in the format, but if I start with it on the Steppe Lynx, Villain can’t double-block and trade this turn. Since the machete costs a nontrivial 2 mana to equip, I decide to equip it on the creature where I hope it will stay, the blademaster.

As for playing around tricks—I passed many Vines of Vastwood in the draft so that is a real concern, but I have replacement threats in hand, so I decide not to play around it. I’ll draw it out if he has it, and then keep applying pressure. Sure enough, Villain takes out the blademaster with the ol’ block-and-pump while the lynx connects for 2.

The lacerator drains another upkeep point, then a Crypt Ripper joins Villain’s team and I take 5 from an all-out attack. I untap and pull a Sky Ruin Drake, drop an Island, and decide between playing out the Windrider Eel or playing the lightcaster now. What are the pros and cons, and what’s your ultimate choice?

R1G2 #2

The more aggressive approach is the mana-maximizing eel play. If I cast the eel, I will hit for 2 now, dropping Villain to 11. The lacerator will make that 10, and the counterattack will, depending on pump, drop me to between 6 and 9, turning off the lacerator. On the follow-up, though, I can cast both the lightcaster and equip the machete to the eel, swing for 8 and drop Villain to 2, barring removal.

The more controlling approach is to take care of that Crypt Ripper right now, then follow next turn with the eel. This would make the next few turns awkward mana-wise, as I wouldn’t be able to equip the machete on anything this turn or next turn. The benefit of this play is that it keeps my life total out of the danger zone, and keeps the lacerator feeding on its master.

Both options look great for winning me this game, but at this point, I like maximizing my mana with the eel play. I may have to take another punch, and dropping under 10 is always terrifying in Zendikar limited against red or black in particular, but if Villain doesn’t have removal, I win on turn six. If I do lose my eel, the lightcaster can still swoop in to contain the situation before the drake hits the board to continue the pressure.

In the game, I cast the lightcaster, which is basically the chicken move: playing around some unknown way in which Villain is going to assume control of the race. This was an unusual mistake for me, in that I typically err on the side of aggression and mana maximization. In this case aggressive mana-maximization was correct, and I didn’t do it.

Villain has no immediate removal, but the Sky Ruin Drake ultimately proves essential, as a turn-seven Marsh Casualties wipes out the rest of my team. Villain is at 4, though, and the drake with the machete are enough to take down the game on the follow-up swing. Note that the aggressive option ends the game before the heavy casualties ever even happen. What do you know, it turns out giving opponents extra turns can matter!

R2G1

Scouting replays reveals that my round-two opponent is running a black-red deck with these cards:

Disfigure, Guul Draz Vampire, Quest for the Gravelord, Adventuring Gear, Blazing Torch, Goblin War Paint, Goblin Shortcutter, Slaughter Cry, Ruinous Minotaur, Bladetusk Boar

I lose the toss and we both mulligan, mine a no-brainer one-lander. The six-carder is a big improvement:

A Trusty Machete, an evasive two drop creature, and three lands: the perfect Zendikar opener! I note that in its spot at least, I would like the Shepherd of the Lost to be a Steppe Lynx instead, setting up turn-one lynx, turn-two tern, turn three cast and equip machete.

AS it is, by the time I’m entering the “equip and swing” phase of my three-turn plan with this hand, Villain has played a Ruinous Minotaur, and I’ve pulled a Kor Skyfisher and the Ior Ruin Expedition. Would I prefer having drawn the Kabira Crossroads? I think yes: 2 extra life plus the possibility to bounce it for an extra 2 seems quite good against red black. Stick to the plan, or call an audible?

R2G1 #1

This is exactly why the Ior Ruin Expedition is not good. I need to play it now if I’m going to reliably draw off of it in the next four or five turns, but I want to spend this turn being aggressive, not setting up card draw. Card draw is best when it refills you a bit after you’ve played out your hand, and card advantage beings to be more important than tempo, helping you win the war of attrition.

As for the correct play, I feel it’s yet another Kor Skyfisher opportunity I missed at the time: play the skyfisher, bounce the machete with it, replay the machete, and attack for 2 with the tern. If I don’t draw anything relevant, it sets up a maximum-mana fourth turn, where I cast the expedition, play a land, and equip the machete. It also gives me the option to block the minotaur.

 

Instead, I race with the minotaur a little more bluntly, throwing the machete on the tern and swinging for 4, daring Villain to begin chewing up lands for damage. This is my second Kor Skyfisher error that I noticed pretty plainly during my game review process. A contributing factor is the fact that this was only my 8th Zendikar draft overall, and the first one in which I drafted a Kor Skyfisher. Despite identifying the skyfisher’s potential for shenanigans as soon as I saw it in the spoilers, I failed to see all the options so far in these games. I love cards like this, that require a little practice to maximize, but are still simple and elegant enough to be common.

Back to the game at hand. Villain casts a Bladetusk Boar to tilt the race to his favor, then attacks me for 5, sacrificing a Swamp to pay for it. I pull a Reckless Scholar and once again try to figure out the Kor Skyfisher puzzle:

R2G1 #2

The addition of the Bladetusk Boar to the opposing forces is bad news for my racing potential, so I have to think about blocking the minotaur. I cast Ior Ruin Expedition, play a land, then cast the Kor Skyfisher, bouncing a land. Villain untaps and swings in with both. Am I blocking or taking here?

R2G1 #3

If I take it, I drop to 7—a frightening total against red-black—but Villain loses a land in the process. I do have a two-turn clock with 6 power in the air and Villain on 12, so if I successfully block the minotaur next turn with the Reckless Scholar, both my flyers stay alive, and no additional threats of significance hit the board, I will win this race.

Given the four cards in Villain’s hand, that feels like too many things that have to go right for my two-turn clock to get there. I opt to trade with the minotaur and go with the three-turn machete/tern clock instead. It’s the “control” play, which I’m more inclined to make against an explosive archetype like black-red, which can pull 7 damage out of nowhere. There are no tricks, and I fall to 12 and trade with the minotaur before Villain adds a Plated Geopede to the team, plays a land, casts Highland Berserker, and passes.

I draw an Island, leaving me no plays other than to drop a land and cast the Reckless Scholar before hitting for 4 in the air. Villain rips Adventuring Gear, which he casts and equips to the boar before dropping a land (trading with the minotaur worked out in this case, I’d be dead with five fewer life and a minotaur still on the table).

R2G1 #4

Everything hits the red zone, and I trade with the Highland Berserker, falling to 4. Villain is out of cards, though, and with my Shepherd of the Lost about to join the defense, I can only lose to a topdecked land, Burst Lightning, Punishing Fire, Spire Barrage, Goblin Shortcutter, Goblin Bushwhacker, Vampire's Bite, Goblin War Paint, Slaughter Cry, Blazing Torch, Mark of Mutiny, Crypt Ripper, Hideous End, Grim Discovery, Magma Rift, Hellfire Mongrel, Khalni Gem, Trusty Machete, Unstable Footing, Hagra Diabolist, Tuktuk Grunts, Expedition Map, Goblin Ruinblaster or Inferno Trap, and maybe Explorer's Scope.

Plus some rares. Otherwise, it’s totally in the bag.

OK, maybe Villain has better EV here than I do, but he still has to draw out on me. Maybe he won’t have a land or a spell on top! I draw Sky Ruin Drake, play a land and pop the expedition to find two more Plains. I attack for 4 and play out the shepherd in my last-ditch effort to win the race, but Villain rips Blazing Torch, and I lose. What a lucksack…

R2G2

I side out an Island and Cancel for Devout Lightcaster and Kabira Crossroads, and head to battle needing two in a row. On the play, I find:

A penalty-free 2 life, and a curve-out into my bomb that includes a turn-two Kazandu Blademaster. Seems good!

My blademaster is struck down by Disfigure and Villain has a turn-two Zektar Shrine Expedition. Reckless Scholar continues my curve-out, and Villain has no play besides a land drop. I’ve drawn Felidar Sovereign, Island, and Kor Hookmaster. Am I attacking or looting with the scholar, here? 

R2G2 #1

By playing the Mountain, it seems clear to me that Villain does not have Hideous End, or at least does not have the second Swamp for it. That means Emeria Angel is likely to survive until the next turn at least, and I have a Kor Hookmaster to tap down any blocker for a couple of turns. I have a very aggro start, here, and I want to push that to the maximum with two damage from the scholar instead of increasing in my already-strong card quality.

The scholar hits for 2 and the Emeria Angel is greeted by an “ewww” from Villain, giving me a lot of confidence as I pass the turn. Villain plays a second Swamp and drops Guul Draz Specter before passing it back. I pull a Sky Ruin Drake and debate the hookmaster vs. the drake, and the loot vs. attack decision again. What’s your call?

R2G2 #2

First, I want to continue to be aggressive with the scholar until I don’t have a profitable attack with it, or the tables have turned and I need an answer. Given that the angel isn’t dead, Villain doesn’t have removal, and if he draws any, it will go to the angel. Therefore if I cast the drake, it almost certainly won’t die, meaning I can play it without risking a counterattack from the specter that will cost me a card. Tapping down the specter with the Kor Hookmaster seems good, but it’s redundant. Villain is unlikely to trade the specter for the scholar and won’t attack back with it if I play the drake, so I already have the effect of the hookmaster going for this turn anyway. No need to use it up now.

I crack with the scholar and the angel, and there are no blocks. One land, one bird, and one drake later, I have a great-looking board as I pass the turn. Villain plays Adventuring Gear but doesn’t equip it or play a land, and then swings in with the specter. Blocks?

R2G2 #2 

Only one card makes sense, here: Slaughter Cry. I’m a bit surprised Villain didn’t wait to try and take out the angel with it, but I’ll grant that it would be telegraphing it if the Adventuring Gear came down without equipping to anything, or if Villain passed the turn with four cards in hand, no play, and no land drop. As it is, I chump with the bird token rather than lose a card or the drake, and a Ruinous Minotaur joins the opposition before I untap for my turn.

I draw the Ior Ruin Expedition, which laughs at me with its crappiness. It should so not be in the deck! More decisions, though, and I certainly have a card I’d like to upgrade with the scholar, now. What’s the plan for the turn?

This is tricky. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Cast the hookmaster targeting the minotaur and swing with everything, and save the expedition for the discard if Villain wants to crack back with the specter.
2. Cast the hookmaster and target the specter to keep it from attacking or blocking next turn, then swing with everything and offer the scholar up for the minotaur.
3. Loot, then reassess, with a backup plan of hooking something if I don’t get a land for the Felidar Sovereign or a better spell than the hookmaster.

Sitting here now, I want to do the most aggressive thing. To me, that means #1. I will drop Villain to 6, add another creature to my board, and keep a key blocker down for the next attack as well. The specter will almost certainly have to stay back on defense to trade with a 2/2, and is not a threat to my life total or cards. In the actual game, I elected for number 2. This isn’t a terrible play, and I’m likely to win this game with any of my options, but I should have been more forward-thinking, taking the absolute most aggressive route instead of concerning myself with the potential attack from the specter, when Villain wouldn’t realistically be able to attack if I tapped down the minotaur anyway.

Instead, the minotaur blocks my scholar, Villain drops to 8, and I compound my slight error with another slight error, playing out the Ior Ruin Expedition when it will do more for me as a a bluff or discard fodder than it will sitting counter-free on the board. Man that card stinks.

Villain draws and plays a land, but passes the turn without casting a spell and three cards in hand, one of which is certainly Slaughter Cry. I draw my other Sky Ruin Drake and attack with everything, fully expecting the Zektar Shrine Expedition to produce a 7/1 blocker for the hookmaster and maybe a kicked Burst Lightning for the angel, but neither happen. I play the drake and pass with Villain at 1, earning the concession after the draw step.

R2G3

I head to game three on the draw, and assess my seven after Villain keeps:

Two-landers make me nervous, I have the stupid expedition, and a lightcaster that needs two more plains, but I have an aggressive early play, the expedition might actually be sorta useful, and a looter if I can find any additional land. Keep.

I draw an Island and my Welkin Tern while Villain plays two Mountains and passes, so I swing for 2 and add pressure with the tern instead of going on a fool’s expedition for a couple extra cards. A Ruinous Minotaur drops to threaten the ground game, and I draw Shepherd of the Lost before playing my Island and attacking with both my guys and casting the Reckless Scholar when Villain declines to block. (Being low on land, neither the shepherd nor a second Steppe Lynx is particularly good in this spot in the “would I rather?” game.)

A little déjà vu when Villain follows the turn-three minotaur with a turn-four Bladetusk Boar, then swings in with the 5/2. Am I trading, or taking five?

R2G3 #1

What a tough spot. Right now, I effectively have a zero-card hand, and could really use some looting, but if I sit here and take five-point hits from the minotaur, looting won’t mean much. If I trade with the minotaur now, though, I will be drawing off the top in a hunt for the tools to outrace the Bladetusk Boar and whatever else Villain has in hand. I decide that I’m not going to win this game if I don’t hit five mana, and that I need the scholar for another turn at least to help me get there. I take the damage, with the plan to block and loot next turn. It’s risky to take five damage, but at least it costs Villain a land, and it feels even riskier to try and regain control of this game with naked draws off the top.

I rip Trusty Machete and plot my course with little if any margin for error. Am I looting during my turn, here? If so, why, and if not, what’s the plan?

R2G3 #2

Again, let me list the choices I see:

1. Cast and equip the machete to the tern, drop Villain to 10, and plan to block the minotaur with the scholar next attack, then loot before combat damage.
2. Loot now looking for land. If I don’t find it, reassess. If I do find it, ditch something, then:
   1. Cast and equip the machete to the tern and attack for 6 with the tern and the Steppe Lynx.
   2. Cast and equip the machete to the Steppe Lynx, attack with the tern for 2 and keep the lynx back to trade with the minotaur.
   3. Cast and equip the machete to the tern, attack with it for 4, and keep the lynx back to chump.

With a tern carrying a machete, I’m winning the race against a Bladetusk Boar, so I opt for #1. There are a lot of things that can take out the tern, but if it lives, it should go the distance.

Unless, of course, Villain has Goblin War Paint for the Bladetusk Boar, putting me on a three-swing clock, which is what happened. The 5/2 minotaur and the 5/4 unblockable boar crash into the red zone, and I block-and-loot. I pull a Plains and discard the Sky Ruin Drake. It could have been the expedition, but really it doesn’t matter: with the boar bearing down on me, there’s no way I’m casting two 5cc spells this game, so the Ior Ruin Expedition and the drake seem equally dead to me.

Villain has no other play, which gives me hope. I rip Kazandu Blademaster, play the Ior Ruin Expedition, and drop the Plains. Again, the expedition was arguably more useful as a bluff, but mostly it feels moot: Either the tern and the Lynx are going to be enough to race the boar, or Villain is going to use removal on the tern (or Mark of Mutiny), and I’m going to lose.

My attack goes without a disruption, dropping villain to 4 before the Kazandu Blademaster joins my forces and I pass the turn. It it enough? It is. Villain casts a token Slaughter Cry and swings for 8, dropping me to 2, then explains that he needed one more land to cast the second Slaughter Cry in his hand for the win.

R3G1

I scouted two games involving my finals opponent during round one, and came up with this partial decklist:

I would have scouted round two as well, but as I stepped through the second game…

Stupid ReadGamePlayStatusPacket exceptions! Always failing to handle elem #5 and messing up my scouting! Ah well, I restarted Magic Online and lost access to the event room, and with it access to replays. I have to go on the info I have, which is that I’m in a mirror match where it will be tough to keep my Trusty Machete around against the double Kor Sanctifiers.

I lose the roll and after Villain keeps, decide on my seven:

I can’t keep this. With one Plains and one Island it would be tempting and I’d probably go with it, but I need a little too much help off the top for this hand to go anywhere. Six?

Much better. Immediate pressure in the Steppe Lynx, and if I can draw some action for the second or third turns, I’ll flow nicely into the Kor Cartographer and Shepherd of the Lost. I would prefer a second lynx to the shepherd in this spot, particularly with the turn-four cartographer turning lynxes into 4/5s.

Villain opens with a Steppe Lynx, and I mirror his play but with a much cooler Plains. Here is the speed of Zendikar summed up in matching one-drops: We each have, effectively, 2/3s on turn one that can’t block. The race is already on, I’m already behind, and neither of us have two lands in play yet.

An Island triggers the Steppe Lynx and I take 2, but Villain has no additional play. I draw Reckless Scholar, drop a much cooler Island to trigger my Steppe Lynx, swing for 2, and have no additional play. A turn-three Makindi Shieldmate threatens to halt my attack after his lynx cracks back for another 2. I draw my second Reckless Scholar, play a land, take the free attack (I’m not going to block with the lynx and Villain is tapped out, so I make him actually make the block), then cast a scholar.

After taking another attack from the lynx, Villain drops a Kor Hookmaster and pins down my Reckless Scholar. I draw an Island, and the Kor Cartographer comes down to make my cat a 4/5 that can swing successfully for a turn. So far, this game has offered no real decisions, but here’s a screen shot for reference:

R3G1 #1

Villain plays a land, attacks me down to 12 with the lynx, and passes without a further play. I untap and draw into Kor Skyfisher. Unlike R2G2, where my Reckless Scholar spent all of his time on offense, with no profitable attack now, I’m in looting mode. Unless I’m in a position where I need the scholar to chump, trade, or threaten to trade, I will be main-phase looting every turn unless I have specific plans for every card my hand. (For an in-depth discussion of looting philosophy, check out Episode #3 of the Limited Resources podcast.) Accordingly, I activate the scholar and draw Windrider Eel. What do you discard, and what’s the plan for the turn?

R3G1 #2

As I recently tweeted in defense of playing three Merfolk Looters in an M10 draft, the benefit of multiple looters is that they solve their own redundancy issues. The least-useful card in this hand is the second scholar, with the Island triggering the eel I’ve just drawn. Into the bin goes scholar #2. For the turn, I like playing out the Shepherd of the Lost and passing without a land drop, which I want to save for eel pumping. Villain has three cards in hand, but I’m liking my chances at this point with my current hand and the ongoing looting.

A sixth land drop triggers the opposing lynx, a Journey to Nowhere sends my beefy flyer into exile, and finally, a Windborne Charge on the lynx and the hookmaster dramatically change the complexion of the game, sending 8 points of flying damage to my face and dropping me to 4. Suddenly, I’m not feeling as great about my situation.

I draw and Island and loot into Kraken Hatchling, which would be slightly better as Gomazoa in this spot. What’s the discard, what’s the play, and am I attacking?

R3G1 #3

Villain is down to one card and 14 life. If I swing in with both creatures this turn, I can make that 12. Then, by playing the Windrider Eel and the Kor Skyfisher bouncing a land, I will have 6 power in the air if I make my land drop each turn. That creates a two-turn clock, which is my fastest road to victory, and ditching the Kraken Hatchling here ensures I have all the cards for it. The argument for keeping the kraken is that it will provide extra ground defense starting next turn, and that I’m likely to find the second land I need somewhere in the next four cards.

An additional ground creature alone isn’t going to win the race for Villain, though—not while I have the lynx and the cartographer to chump—but that Whiplash Trap from the scouting could potentially enable an alpha strike before mine, and the kraken defends against that by providing an additional blocker. It’s a fairly fine decision point: guarantee the cards needed for the two-turn clock but risk losing to a sudden alpha strike, or keep some extra defense but slow my clock by a turn if I can’t find a land in the next four cards? I decide to ditch the Island and accept the small chance I’ll disrupt my two-turn clock in exchange for some extra defense.

Villain draws and casts an unkicked Sphinx of Lost Truths, discarding Kor Sanctifiers, Reckless Scholar, and a Plains, and my fine decision point is rendered moot by a big flying headache. Now, neither of my flyers can break through even with landfall, nor can they gang block to take it down. I take the turn back looking for answers and instead draw Ior Ruin Expedition that would definitely be better as Kabira Crossroads. I swear I am never running this card again unless utterly desperate—its primary use in this draft has been as loot fodder. Speaking of which, I loot into Narrow Escape and ditch the expedition. Plan A was “two-turn clock gets there.” What’s plan B?

R3G1 #4

The Narrow Escape gives me some room to race assuming the sphinx attacks, so my new plan is to block the sphinx with the skyfisher, then bounce the skyfisher with the Narrow Escape. This will get me some life back and allow me to at least secure that additional land drop for the eel when I recast the skyfisher. I play out the kraken to follow through on my thinking last turn, but with plan A out the window and the sphinx as the relevant threat, it’s more valuable as looting fodder now (whereas a Gomazoa would be a great play right now).

The sphinx attacks as expected, and I carry out the block-and-bounce plan. Villain plays a land and passes it back to me, and I rip a Kor Hookmaster. What’s the multi-turn game plan from here?

R3G1 #5

I have the tools to win with exactly what I have in hand now, so looting at this point would effectively be milling myself (if I’d kept the kraken in hand I could loot this turn). My plan is to tap down the sphinx for an extra turn with the hookmaster, play the land, and swing in with the eel to bring Villain down to 8. Then cast the skyfisher to return the hookmaster, and next turn, attack Villain down to 2 or 4 depending on landfall. Then let the sphinx untap since it can’t really attack anyway, and finally hook it again the following turn to clear the way for the final 2 or 4 damage. I’m in the catbird seat, and Villain is now the one needing to find an answer.

I execute phase one, also attacking with the lynx and the cartographer, which forces Villain to trade his hookmaster for my cartographer, preventing any possible skyfisher/Narrow Escape/hookmaster shenanigans against me. I pass the turn, and Villain complicates things again by drawing and playing Kor Aeronaut. Being a topdeck champ, I uncomplicate things by drawing my second Kor Skyfisher.

R3G1 #6

I don't have the land to buff the eel, but I use the Kor Hookmaster to tap down the aeronaut and swing in for 4, putting the life totals at 8-4 in my favor. I deploy the second skyfisher to bounce the hookmaster yet again. Villain bounces his own aeronaut with a kicked Into the Roil to set up two flying blockers while digging for an answer, but with 6 points of flying damage on the table and a hookmaster in hand, I earn a concession before my next turn.

R3G2

The Cliff Threader is fairly weak in the matchup, so I side it out for a second Cancel, which feels much more useful in this matchup. Again, though, the correct swap was for the Ior Ruin Expedition. I’m on the draw this time, and Villain keeps. Keep or ship?

On the plus side, it has a turn-three play that is unlikely to draw removal, and it is a play that will help ensure that I can cast my near-bomb on turn six (I can’t bring myself to call Felidar Sovereign a true bomb because it’s a six-mana creature in Zendikar without evasion, making it tough to just win the game on its own, like Hellkite Charger or Sphinx of Jwar Isle can).

On the minus side, turn three is a bit late to be casting my first spell on the draw, especially one that doesn’t attack or block well. If one of those Islands were a Plains, this would be a no-brainer keep. As it is, it’s a much closer call. I have two pulls to turn-one or turn-two action, either in the form of a Plains, or a relevant spell I can cast with the lands I have. With 33 cards in my library, my outs to relevant action by turn two include nine Plains, Steppe Lynx, Trusty Machete, Kraken Hatchling, Cliff Threader, Welkin Tern, and two Kor Skyfishers, for 16 total cards.

A simple way to do some basic mental math in these situations is actually to calculate the chances of failure. In this case, that's 17 in 33 on the first pull, then 16 in 33 on the second pull. Multiplying the odds of missing on each pull gives me the total chance of failure: (17/33)*(16/32) = .257, or a 25.7% chance of the whiff. Flipping that around gives a 74.3% chance of hitting. I like those odds better than the odds of me being happier with a fresh six, particularly when I factor in the possibility that I will not face a fast start, so it’s a keeper.

Villain opens with a Plains, and my first pull produces a Shepherd of the Lost, which again would look better as a Steppe Lynx in this spot. Villain drops a second Plains, and appropriately enough, casts a Kor Outfitter. I make my 74% with a Plains on my second draw, and I mirror his outfitter play (except, you know, with much cooler Plains). Shortly after, the opposing Kor Outfitter hits the red zone. Block?

R3G2 #1

Unless I have a spell that gets better the more creatures I have, like Overrun, or I feel strongly that racing is in my favor, I usually make the block in these spots. I’m happy to draw out a trick with a Kor Outfitter, and if Villain follows the attack with a creature that can block my outfitter, I will have fallen behind in the race anyway. I block, they trade, and Villain passes without another play.

I draw a fourth Island, play one of them, and cast the Reckless Scholar. Villain answers with a Pillarfield Ox, and I untap and draw Kraken Hatchling, which again would be better as Gomazoa. Looting reveals a Plains. What’s the plan after ditching the obvious Island?

R3G2 #2

With everything in my hand but the kraken needed to curve out turns five and six into the Shepherd of the Lost and the Felidar Sovereign, I decide it’s worth 2 points of ox damage to keep the kraken around for looting instead of casting it. It’s trading life for card quality, but it could backfire if my shepherd is removed and I take more than just 2 from the ox before stabilizing. It’s a risky move, but that sovereign is an awfully nice insurance policy.

After attacking with the ox, Villain taps two lands in the second main, untaps, then passes. A lot of the time, particularly against good players, that’s Villain throwing a false tell, trying to say, “Watch out, I have something I can do!” when it actually means they have no play at all. Sometimes, it legitimately means, “Wait, I don’t want to cast this sorcery-speed spell, I want to keep the option to cast this instant open.”

I draw Kor Hookmaster, and have to decide whether I am looting or attacking with the scholar, and whether I’m casting a creature into five untapped lands, four cards, and a deck containing a known Summoner's Bane.

R3G2 #2

These are the spots where Reckless Scholar is far more interesting than Merfolk Looter. With Merfolk Looter’s single point of power, looting is generally the obvious choice. The 2 damage from the scholar is tougher to pass up for an increase in card quality. In this matchup with a kraken in hand, though, I value the increase in card quality over taking Villain from 20 to 18 and loot, drawing a Sky Ruin Drake and discarding the Kraken Hatchling.

A Summoner's Bane is certainly possible here, but it doesn’t fit my false tell theory. The conservative play is to cast the Sky Ruin Drake to bait either the bane or a possible Journey to Nowhere. I actually start to cast the drake in the replay, undo, and switch to the Shepherd of the Lost. There is no bane, but Villain kicks an Into the Roil on the angel during my end step.

Villain plays a Plains and taps five land for a kicked Æther Figment, and I take 2 more from the ox, bringing the cost of card quality over kraken defense to 4 life. That’s still OK, as I’m anticipating life to spare shortly. I draw a Kor Skyfisher, and plot the turn. Do I loot now or during Villain’s turn, and what am I casting?

R3G2 #3

With a 3/3 unblockable about to start swinging at me, the sovereign feels crucial enough to my victory that I feel compelled to bait removal for one more turn. If Villain does nothing about the Shepherd of the Lost, I can conclude there is no removal to fear and drop the sovereign with confidence. This may be a more conservative play than many would make, but, per my guidelines mentioned previously, I haven’t ruled out removal, I have an excellent alternate play in the shepherd, and the sovereign feels vital to my path to victory, so I run out the bait. Since I know that is going to be my play no matter what I might loot, I hold off on looting to do it after seeing Villain’s turn.

Villain’s turn, as it happens, rewards my patience, as a Journey to Nowhere comes down to exile the angel, and I literally pat myself on the back before hitting F2.I take 5 from the ox and the figment, a Sky Ruin Drake comes down in the second main, and I loot into and discard a Plains. I untap and draw another Plains, and finally cast the sovereign. Hoping it is enough to mount a recovery, I pass the turn without a land drop or a loot. At this point, I’m dead to a Windborne Charge, and while playing around the journey is looking like genius, trading ox damage for the ability to loot the kraken is looking unnecessarily cocky 6 points of damage later.

Windborne Charge does not show up to end the game, but I do go to 6 on an attack from the figment and the drake. Villain passes with two cards in hand and seven mana up, and, relieved not to be dead, I totally space the end-of-turn loot, which is just awful in a close race like this. We’ll see if it comes back to haunt me. I pull Cancel and plan the turn.

R3G2 #4

The Cancel is a great rip, allowing me to attack without fear of Pitfall Trap and summon without fear of (Summoner’s Bane). I connect with the sovereign without interference, swinging life totals to 10-16. I cast the Kor Hookmaster in my second main, which draws out Summoner's Bane, but my Cancel pushes the tapper through. I opt to pin down the Sky Ruin Drake, which is the creature that can block my sovereign and live. With a Brave the Elements in the deck somewhere and a Plains in hand, I decide to loot in my second main. I find Trusty Machete, and opt to ditch the Plains and pass.

Villain casts a brutal Kor Hookmaster to pin down my sovereign, and swings for 5 with the figment and the ox, dropping me to 5 and making that kraken no-play look worse with each passing turn (if I had cast it, I would have looted away the drake that has been sitting in my hand ever since).

I draw Brave the Elements, which, it’s worth noting, would have been in my hand for the hookmaster response had I not failed to loot. I’ve made my situation a lot tougher than it had to be, but what’s the best play given the circumstances?

R3G2 #5

Surviving one more turn until the sovereign is back on line is obviously paramount. The scholar needs to hold off on looting and represent some D, and for sure the Kor Skyfisher is coming down. I could bounce a land and play the Sky Ruin Drake to block everything but the figment, or I can bounce the Kor Hookmaster and replay that, pinning the figment for one attack. The latter play leaves me with the higher life total after an all-out attack, so that’s my play. It also allows me to cast the machete or leave Brave the Elements mana up. I opt for the machete.

I sigh with relief as Villain draws, declines to attack, and passes. I remember to loot, and draw into Kor Cartographer, which hits the bin over the 2/5 flyer or the trick. I untap and draw my other Cancel, and my confidence returns. Between the machete, the Brave the Elements and the counterspell, the sovereign should be able to take over from here.

R3G2 #6

I equip the machete and swing in unblocked for the six-point life swing, bringing the totals to 11-10. Villain untaps, plays an Island, and passes. I loot into and discard a Plains, untap, draw another plains, and send my 6/7 lifelinker into 9 points of power. Villain has to block with everyone to try and take down the sovereign, but my Cancel-backed Brave the Elements turns it into a dead Æther Figment instead.

R3G2 #7

I loot in the second main and reveal a Welkin Tern, which is slightly better than the Plains for me. I cast the Welkin Tern instead of the drake, as maintaining the current board via Cancel is far more important than getting out the better flyer. That perspective is reinforced when Villain attempts to land the Roil Elemental I passed in the draft, presumably with the land in hand to steal my sovereign. Cancel crushes Villain’s soul, though, and I consider how much better the second Cancel was in that spot over the Cliff Threader I boarded out. The Cancel earns a concession, and what I can only think was a perfectly sincere compliment:

 

 

 

 

Thanks, FJST1640, I totally agree! (See, names like that are why I prefer “Villain.”)

Well, I managed to combine some brilliant moves with some boneheaded moves in the second game, but there was just enough brilliance to take it down. The scholars showed that, while Zendikar is definitely a fast format and lands are more valuable, looting is still quite good.

Thanks for waiting, and thanks for reading. I’m anxious for Worldwake to shake up this draft format, but in the meantime, what would you like to see next week: another Zendikar draft walkthrough, or a theory article of some kind for a change of pace? Or, if I manage to finally play in a PTQ, would you like a recap of that with less game detail? If you’d prefer a theory article, I’m open to topic suggestions. Let me know in the comments, and until next time, happy drafting!

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