xger's picture
By: xger, Xger
Mar 01 2017 1:00pm
0
Login to post comments
1751 views


This pool was interesting - do you run Siege Modification and Consulate Dreadnought? Yes, yes you do.

Click here to jump past the intro.

Introduction to Article Series

With this series, I'm aiming to go through the friendly add-a-pack leagues and give readers a chance to give feedback and hopefully gain some insight. I'll likely vary where I break in the article, and sometimes will ask for community feedback as to how to integrate a new pack before playing more matches. Here is a list of previous entries in this series.

I'll also include a value of the pool and pack, and might do some EV calculations (i.e. how much is the add-a-pack league worth). While it won't be true EV, it will be a real world application, which should highlight some of the variance you'll expect to see. 

Generally, I will do text write-ups, not videos. There may be times where I do include videos, but I will still include a write-up as well. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how to improve the series!

Friendly League 4

Here's my opening pool:

Friendly League 4
A number of options- 84 Cards Total
White
1 Tasseled Dromedary
1 Skyswirl Harrier
1 Built to Last
1 Fumigate
1 Eddytrail Hawk
1 Bastion Enforcer
1 Aether Inspector
1 Alley Evasion
1 Decommission
1 Felidar Guardian
1 Deft Dismissal
11 cards

Blue
1 Vedalken Blademaster
1 Failed Inspection
1 Gearseeker Serpent
1 Weldfast Wingsmith
1 Long-Finned Skywhale
1 Select for Inspection
1 Tezzeret's Ambition
2 Hinterland Drake
1 Bastion Inventor
1 Aether Swooper
1 Take into Custody
1 Ice Over
1 Negate
1 Reverse Engineer
1 Aethertide Whale
16 cards

Black
1 Tidy Conclusion
1 Aetherborn Marauder
1 Alley Strangler
1 Fretwork Colony
1 Aether Poisoner
1 Fatal Push
3 Cruel Finality
1 Mind Rot
1 Perilous Predicament
1 Die Young
1 Underhanded Designs
13 cards
Red
1 Aether Chaser
1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
1 Ravenous Intruder
1 Siege Modification
1 Furious Reprisal
1 Chandra's Revolution
1 Scrapper Champion
1 Spontaneous Artist
1 Sweatworks Brawler
1 Release the Gremlins
1 Hijack
1 Gremlin Infestation
1 Destructive Tampering
13 cards

Green
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
1 Attune with Aether
2 Commencement of Festivities
1 Riparian Tiger
1 Aether Herder
2 Aetherstream Leopard
1 Unbridled Growth
1 Silkweaver Elite
1 Monstrous Onslaught
11 cards

Gold
1 Weldfast Engineer
1 Whirler Virtuoso
2 cards
Colorless
1 Mobile Garrison
1 Renegade Map
1 Consulate Dreadnought
1 Welder Automaton
1 Night Market Guard
1 Reservoir Walker
1 Implement of Malice
1 Mobile Garrison
1 Verdant Automaton
1 Prizefighter Construct
1 Foundry Assembler
1 Universal Solvent
1 Implement of Examination
1 Filigree Crawler
1 Merchant's Dockhand
2 Consulate Turret
17 cards

Land
1 Blooming Marsh
1 cards
 

 

Here is the value (as of evening on Sunday the 26th):

Category Value
Pool Value  $7.55
Costs $1.76 * 2 + $3.68 * 4 + 4 = $22.24 24 tix/240 PP
Outcome - $14.69

So, there are several options I see here.

White: I'm drawn to the white to start with Fumigate, Eddytrail Hawk, and Felidar Guardian. While Fumigate definitely can be a bomb, the remaining white just isn't that strong. Fumigate is also not really a splashable card. It doesn't take long to rule out White.

Blue: My blue is surprisingly deep. I normally don't like blue, so it has to be fairly strong for me to consider playing it. The fliers are quite strong - Aethertide Whale can be nearly unbeatable, 2 Hinterland Drakes provides some early action and Aether Swooper helps with tokens. However, the blue is lacking removal. Ice Over is okay, but you either need to be able to tap something or take a hit to start with. Negate is sometimes just terrible, especially in the late game where you are just trying to get creatures. Blue is an option, but my natural disinclinations make it unlikely.

Black: Wow, there is a lot of removal. While Cruel Finality is strong, I would be pretty unlikely to play three. Tidy Conclusion is strong as well. Fatal Push is another one that can be amazing, or just okay. It'll nearly always be able to find a target, but sometimes you really want to hit the 5+. And, there is Fretwork Colony, which can be nearly unstoppable when played on turn 2. Black seems likely to be a color, simply because of the removal options it offers.

Red: Here is some more removal and other gems like Kari Zev, Skyship Raider and Scrapper Champion. Then, there is Release the Gremlins. If you cast for it for 5, you are 4-for-1ing your opponent. At 7, it is a 6-for-1. While it is possible there are no targets, that rare occasion is far outweighed by the huge options it gives. Red is a strong choice here, even without the best creatures.

Green: There's basically nothing here. Monstrous Onslaught is nice, but there are no big green dudes for it. 

Gold: Both the gold cards are, unsurprisingly, quite strong.

Artifacts: Luckily I got Renegade Map. I also find Mobile Garrison to be fine, neither bad or great. Consulate Dreadnought is a card I haven't played much, but it is quite intriguing with Siege Modification. Otherwise, it's mainly just your typical filler.

In the end, after comparing builds, I went with a decently aggressive Red Black build. Ideally, I would have better artifact creature count for the Weldfast Engineer, but overall I liked the build.

Stage 1 Matches:

Match 1 EdenGardenz: 2 - 0 vs. Red Green Revolt

Game 1: I keep Siege Modification, Tidy Conclusion, Spontaneous Artist, 1 Mountain, and 3 Swamps. My first draw is Consulate Dreadnought, so I am one Mountain away from the dream! Instead, I draw a Swamp and my opponent's Verdant Automaton goes unanswered. They add Lifecrafter's Bestiary and attack. I draw the Mountain and get to Siege Modification the dreadnought, hitting for 10. My opponent plays Aether Chaser, and for some reason attacks with the automaton. I Tidy Conclusion the chaser and swing for the kill, turn 5, less than a minute of play. 

I bring in Destructive Tampering, as an unanswered Lifecrafter's Bestiary can win games.

Game 2:  I keep Kari Zev, Skyship Raider, Destructive Tampering, Night Market Guard, Furious Reprisal, Siege Modification, and 2 Swamp. In retrospect, this hand is questionable because I have all red and no Mountains. My opponent leads with Unbridled Growth and Kujar Seedsculptor. I hit the Mountain to drop a turn 2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider. My opponent adds Verdant Automaton and I add Night Market Guard. My opponent sac's the growth and plays Embraal Gear-Smasher, missing their fourth land drop. I use the Furious Reprisal to kill the automaton and deal 2 to my opponent, then swung in with the guard, which traded with the smasher. My opponent whiffs and I add Sweatworks Brawler. My opponent using Chandra's Revolution to kill the brawler and tap my lone Mountain, so I don't play anything the next turn. My opponent plays Skyship Stalker, gives it haste and attacks. I use my Chandra's Revolution on the dragon and keep attacking. My opponent plays Lifecrafter's Bestiary. I draw Fatal Push and use the Ragavan to trigger revolt so I can kill the gear-smasher, and kill the bestiary with Destructive Tampering. My opponent plays Combustible Gearhulk (foil too). I am at 15, so I take the damage, which ends up being 4. I add Spontaneous Artist and give it Siege Modification to create a board stale after my opponent played Wayward Giant. My opponent hits lands for a bit and I add Weldfast Engineer, Alley Strangler, and Aether Poisoner. My opponent swings in and I offer trades. They have no action, so I kill both of their creatures and am left with Weldfast Engineer and Kari Zev, Skyship Raider. My opponent whiffs, then concedes.

Match 2 Theiz: 2 - 1 vs. Naya

Game 1: I keep Sweatworks Brawler, Night Market Guard, Aetherborn Marauder, and lands. My opponent starts with Druid of the Cowl and Renegade Freighter. I trade my Night Market Guard for their druid and then add Sweatworks Brawler. My opponent whiffs and I start the beats, holding up Tidy Conclusion. My opponent then adds Outland Boar, and then I kill the freighter when they attack. I add Aetherborn Marauder, and my opponent adds Scrounging Bandar and Veteran Motorist. I add Welder Automaton. My opponent attacks, I trade with the motorist, then Fatal Push the boar which had a counter from the cat monkey. My opponent uses Chandra's Pyrohelix and Deadeye Harpooner to wipe my board. I get Reservoir Walker and a bit later my opponent gets Sweatworks Brawler, which they use the last cat monkey token on. I try to Siege Modification on my walker, but it gets hit by Welding Sparks. With no board to my opponent's creatures, I concede. 

Game 2: I keep Aether Poisoner, Siege Modification, Reservoir Walker, Release the Gremlins, and lands. I start with Aether Poisoner, then my opponent adds Scrounging Bandar. I get in, make a servo, and accelerate out Sweatworks Brawler. Stuck on 3 lands, I put the Siege Modification on my brawler and swing for 8. My opponent adds Treasure Keeper and double chumps the next turn, revealing Welder Automaton. Then, I add Mobile Garrison. My opponent adds Reckless Fireweaver. When I add Alley Strangler and crew, my opponent concedes. 

Game 3: I keep Consulate Dreadnought, Ravenous Intruder, Spontaneous Artist, and lands. I start with the dreadnought and intruder, while my opponent begins with Aethertorch Renegade. I add Mobile Garrison and my opponent blanks. I add Spontaneous Artist to crew the garrison, which gets hit by Welding Sparks. I add Reservoir Walker and then crew up the dreadnaught, hitting my opponent for 7. My opponent attacks with Welder Automaton and I block, offering the trade once they ping with the Aethertorch Renegade - but that drains my opponent of energy. They play Deadeye Harpooner as well. I get to play my Aether Chaser, which gives me enough to attack with the dreadnought. At this point, my opponent concedes. 

Match 3 blissful1: 2 - 0 vs. Red Black

Game 1: I keep Tidy Conclusion, Scrapper Champion, Sweatworks Brawler, Weldfast Engineer, Renegade Map, and lands. My opponent also leads with a Renegade Map and Implement of Combustion. My opponent adds Foundry Screecher after I added Sweatworks Brawler. I add Scrapper Champion and my opponent adds Pia Nalaar. In a story fail, I kill Pia Nalaar with Chandra's Revolution and then my opponent trades the thopter and bat for my brawler. My opponent adds Augmenting Automaton to chump, and I add Weldfast Engineer and Consulate Dreadnought, which gets the concession. 

Game 2: I do another risky keep with Kari Zev, Skyship Raider, Spontaneous Artist, and lands. My opponent leads with Renegade Map and Augmenting Automaton. I draw and play Fretwork Colony, but my opponent has Fatal Push for it. They also miss their third land drop. My opponent missing their land drop again, and when I add Spontaneous Artist to my Kari Zev, Skyship Raider and attacks with all, they scoop. 

Stage 2 Pack and Pool:

Alright, here is the Aether Revolt pack I opened:

Briefly, here is the pack value:

Category Value
Pool Value  $0.26
Winnings                            40PP
Costs $3.68 or $4.00 or 40 PP
Outcome +40 PP - 40 PP + $0.16
Stage 2 Pool
To change or not… - 97 Cards Total
White
1 Audacious Infiltrator
1 Tasseled Dromedary
1 Skyswirl Harrier
1 Built to Last
1 Fumigate
1 Eddytrail Hawk
1 Bastion Enforcer
1 Aether Inspector
1 Alley Evasion
1 Decommission
1 Felidar Guardian
1 Deft Dismissal
12 cards

Blue
1 Vedalken Blademaster
1 Failed Inspection
1 Gearseeker Serpent
1 Weldfast Wingsmith
1 Long-Finned Skywhale
1 Select for Inspection
1 Tezzeret's Ambition
3 Hinterland Drake
1 Bastion Inventor
1 Aether Swooper
1 Take into Custody
1 Ice Over
1 Negate
1 Reverse Engineer
1 Aethertide Whale
17 cards

Black
1 Fen Hauler
1 Tidy Conclusion
1 Aetherborn Marauder
1 Alley Strangler
1 Fretwork Colony
1 Aether Poisoner
1 Fatal Push
1 Cruel Finality
1 Mind Rot
1 Perilous Predicament
1 Die Young
1 Underhanded Designs
2 Cruel Finality
14 cards
Red
1 Lathnu Sailback
2 Aether Chaser
1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
1 Ravenous Intruder
2 Siege Modification
1 Furious Reprisal
1 Chandra's Revolution
2 Scrapper Champion
1 Spontaneous Artist
2 Sweatworks Brawler
1 Release the Gremlins
1 Quicksmith Rebel
1 Hijack
1 Gremlin Infestation
1 Destructive Tampering
19 cards

Green
1 Scrounging Bandar
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
1 Attune with Aether
2 Commencement of Festivities
1 Riparian Tiger
1 Aether Herder
2 Aetherstream Leopard
1 Unbridled Growth
1 Silkweaver Elite
1 Monstrous Onslaught
12 cards

Gold
1 Weldfast Engineer
1 Whirler Virtuoso
2 cards
Colorless
1 Mobile Garrison
1 Renegade Map
1 Consulate Dreadnought
1 Welder Automaton
1 Night Market Guard
1 Reservoir Walker
2 Implement of Malice
1 Mobile Garrison
1 Verdant Automaton
1 Prizefighter Construct
2 Foundry Assembler
2 Universal Solvent
1 Implement of Examination
1 Filigree Crawler
1 Merchant's Dockhand
2 Consulate Turret
20 cards

Land
1 Blooming Marsh
1 cards
 

Find out what I did next time!

Wrap Up

I hope you enjoyed the next league! As always, I appreciate comments and suggestions!

xger

xger21 on MTGO