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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Oct 14 2014 12:00pm
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Last week we did a Prerelease Swiss draft, this week we're running a 4322 release event.  I've got weeks' worth of content ready, as drafting this set is in incredible amount of fun, and quite skill testing.  In its short life span on MTGO, it is already one of my most favorite draft formats (behind Rise of the Eldrazi, Shards of Alara, and Mercadian Masques drafting) and it has been a bit of a rewarding challenge trying to figure out signals from others and adjusting as the draft comes together.

We went Temur in this one, so let's go ahead and check out the actual draft! 

Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:

This pick was down to Narset and the Rider.  I like both, but the idea of casting four spells for free was just too much for me to ignore.  This is also a trap, since I considered the two best cards to be three colors, I think I should have taken the one that has morph. 

  Pack 1 pick 2:

  My Pick:

I enjoy 6 power for 5 mana spread out between two creatures. 

  Pack 1 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I think I should have taken the ape here in hindsight, but Treasure Cruise seems to be really good.  It's a great late game top deck, trading your used up cards for three fresh draws, and hopefully refilling the tank. 
  Pack 1 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Mana Fixing is a good thing.  I took this over the charm because I want to be able to cast my spells. 

  Pack 1 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Nice aggressive morph.  Can trade with x/3s.  Nothing else I really wanted in the pack.

  Pack 1 pick 6:

  My Pick:

I may overvalue this brigade, and should have taken the land here, but it was early and I was not really set in my colors.

  Pack 1 pick 7:

  My Pick:

Hello trample warrior!  You're a welcome addition to my deck! 

  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:

A three drop that can power up ferocious?  Sure, why not?


  Pack 1 pick 9:

  My Pick:

Nice sideboard card against flying dorks. 

  Pack 1 pick 10:

  My Pick:

This was a gross pick and should have been the land.  I am in my mind solidly in Temur right now, but the land would have been.  Still lets me cast blue spells, and gains a life that may or may not be needed.  The dasher is much better suited in a Mardu deck, and had I not taken the land, the elk would have been a fine pick as well.

  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:


After pack one I look to be in Temur with maybe a small splash for Narset. 

  Pack 2 pick 1:

  My Pick:

Mauler?  Never even met her!  *Rimshot* 

Bad, terrible jokes aside, this guy is just great. 
  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Arc Lightning is some solid removal.  Takes out a morph and deals a point of damage.  I can get behind that. 

  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I really like archer.  No.  More than that.  I think Temur is weak to fliers and having at least one of these "spiders" around makes me feel a little bit safer.

  Pack 2 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Nice trick.  I like that it adds counters.  Works nicely in Abzan, but with Temur our giant dummies want to attack, and this allows the attack and the block! 

  Pack 2 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Another morph.  I was stuck on this and Become Immense, and took the creature instead. 

  Pack 2 pick 6:

  My Pick:


A morph that cannot be blocked.  Put a Dragonscale Boon on him and really crank out a clock?  Yeah ok.  While it is not Invisible Stalker levels of annoying, this guy is a must deal with threat in my mind. 

  Pack 2 pick 7:

  My Pick:

Boo Banner.  Boo this pick right now.  Glacial Stalker should have been the pick here. 

  Pack 2 pick 8:

  My Pick:

I think the Embodiment of Spring would have been better.  It is a poor excuse for a Rampant Growth but the blocking abilities and mana fixing are pretty great. 

  Pack 2 pick 9:

  My Pick:

Late pick land.  I'm fine with this.

  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 11:

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  Pack 2 pick 12:

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  Pack 2 pick 13:

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  Pack 2 pick 14:

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  Pack 2 pick 15:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 1:

  My Pick:

Hail (Hooded) Hydra!  This guy was outstanding for me, and helped me beat a Sorin ultimate in the event.  I cast it for seven counters, sacrificed it to the emblem, and then did the same with snake tokens for seven more turns, and eventually made it to where my unblockable guy was able to win out for me. 

  Pack 3 pick 2:

  My Pick:

In a deck that has red in it, I like having this spell.  Sometimes it kills their second best guy, sometimes it allows me to swing for the win.  I just like it. 

  Pack 3 pick 3:

  My Pick:

So did you know they tried to make a second Yogi the Bear?  It might have worked but during creation, they made a Boo-Boo. 

I saw that joke on my Facebook wall tonight, and decided it would fit well in this article. 

  Pack 3 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Removal is fine.  This is great against the outlast creatures in the format clearly. 

  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Another land, but I probably should have taken the palace there.  While they both tap for two colors that are relevant in the deck, the palace allows me to tap for Blue or Green, and lets me cut something from a Sultai deck. 

  Pack 3 pick 6:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 7:

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  Pack 3 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Nice early drop that can trade with morphs. 
  Pack 3 pick 9:

  My Pick:

Well, that was a might nice 9th pick.  The amount of morphs I have in the deck will help me cycle through the deck, and morph on morph fights are going to be won by me thanks to the extra toughness that this grants.

  Pack 3 pick 10:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 11:

  My Pick:

A late 5/5 trampler is just what my deck wanted, and I greedily scooped it in to my deck.

  Pack 3 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 13:

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  Pack 3 pick 14:

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  Pack 3 pick 15:

  My Pick:


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After the draft I was very pleased with my deck.  I may have taken a mythic that is just stupid busted, but I was able to make adjustments in the draft, and I did not marry myself to my first pick.  Let's take a look at how the deck stacked up after building.

Temur
Clash of the Khans week 2
Creatures
2 Bear's Companion
1 Temur Charger
2 Snowhorn Rider
1 Alpine Grizzly
1 Sagu Mauler
1 Sagu Archer
1 Ainok Tracker
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
1 Whirlwind Adept
1 Woolly Loxodon
1 Hooded Hydra
1 Canyon Lurkers
1 Embodiment of Spring
1 Smoke Teller
  16 cards

Other Spells

1 Arc Lightning
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Temur Banner
1 Act of Treason
1 Bring Low
1 Secret Plans
  6 cards
Lands
5 Island
4 Mountain
6 Forest
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Rugged Highlands
18 cards

Sideboard
1 Windstorm
1 Forest
1 Naturalize
1 Trumpet Blast
6 cards
 

 
One day Khans of Tarkir will be added to the deckbuilder and that will be a great day!  As of now though, it is not, and we'll have to make due.  I went 2-1 with this deck, and in the following replays (again without commentary, my voice may have been okay for a podcast, but an illness is still making it a bit harder to talk than I would like.) you can see the power of Hooded Hydra, Sagu Mauler and Secret Plans!  Enjoy the replays! 

 


Things of note:  In game one of round one, the replay bugged when I cast Arc Lightning.  I killed Sorin with it, but for some reason, killing the vampire killed the replay.  In game two of round one, I may have been too conservative with my attacks, but Sagu Flayer made me have to stay back.  Every creature with a 4 toughness that died that they controlled would earn them four life.  I could not make a profitable attack in my mind.  I ended up winning the match with a card that was in my hand for a very long time.  The Act of Treason stole his only flier and I was able to deal lethal with it, and my unblockable dragonscaled dork. 

Round two was notable because I thought that the foil morph was showing up for my opponent.  That hydra was never really long for the world, but it did play an important role in game two.  While it died it left me some sweet snakes and I was able to keep pressuring my opponent despite the loss of my mythic. 

Round three was meh.  I drew a lot of lands in game one, which will happen with eightteen land, but I was unable to keep anything important on the board.  I got game two, but the quality of removal my opponent had and a battlefly that I may have made a mistake against kept my back against the wall for most of game three.  I played to an Act of Treason out, missed it, and was unable to come back. 

Next week we'll have another 4322, hopefully with a nicely voiced bit of commentary from me. 

Joshua Claytor
@Joshuaclaytor
@puremtgodotcom
www.twitch.tv/joshuaclaytor
www.facebook.com/JoshuaClaytorMTG
www.youtube.com/joshuaclaytor
joshua.claytor@gmail.com