First things first: is Skyrim awesome or what? It's been a while since a RPG got me so hooked, but it's finally happened again.
One of my favorite things about the game is how the storyline (mostly) doesn't resort to good / evil labels (a huge pet peeve of mine concerning D&D). You can join the rebellion, you can side with the empire, and each faction has plenty of good and bad characteristics to it. Or you can try and play double agent, or just ignore the civil war altogether and go explore the awesome open world. And the graphics, man, the graphics. Just pick up a copy, play it, and see for yourself.
The collateral damage of my newfound Skyrim addiction is that I've been playing less Magic Online. I was hoping to resume my usual pace during the holidays, but now I don't think it's gonna happen. The reason is that the annual holiday extravaganza Wizards promotes just doesn't appeal to me this time - last year, 4-0 players at daily events got a Premium Fire & Lightning deck, and I was hoping they'd do the same this time around with Graveborn. Alas, it was not to be. Still, I will try and at least enter a couple of Ravnica drafts.
Anyway, on to the point of the article: drafting!
Drafting / deckbuilding
Round 1
First comeback of the day: getting rid of Indomitable Archangel. I honestly didn't think I would be able to kill all his humans and then still somehow destroy his Angel, especially with neither black nor red in my deck, but apparently my fears were unfounded! The second comeback was racing turn 2 Bloodcrazed Neonate, turn 3 Furor of the Bitten on the draw, but that's a bit more doable, I guess. The biggest comeback of all is still to come, however!
Round 2
His deck was an amalgam of mill cards and beatdown stuff. Chances are he tried making one of the fabled mill decks of the format, but didn't quite get there - and that is exactly why I'm not planning on going down that road anytime soon. The format has a lot of very good decks that are relatively easy to build, and this is why I just can't justify trying to get cute if your goal is to win. Maybe that's shortsighted of me, but oh well.
Round 3
And here is comeback #3! It was such a big comeback that my opponent apparently gave up on the entire match in frustration. Can't complain, can I? :)
Thanks for watching (and reading), and see you soon!
I don't think that would have been the right play. He would just have blocked the Geistcatcher's Rig and gone down to one life anyway, so I'd still be dead to a burn spell. Also, he had one card in hand I didn't know, and if it was a removal spell for my Geist (say, Rebuke), I'd be dead on board to a simple Crossway Vampire or Nightbird's Clutches.
I figure there's no reason to overextend when the odds were pretty much in my favor and there was zero chance of killing him that turn.
I know, that's what I meant too. The Chapel Geist would become a 7/5, and he had 8 life. He would block the Geistcatcher's Rig with his horror and still have 1 life left.
Thanks for posting another great isd draft! I like to watch the stuff. Rick you coulda made one crazy black and red deck starting with that brimstone volley. I agree with what you wrote on the mill. every mill deck I played I beat.
Interesting you choose to concede m2 g2 the game when you could have won. Play the spirit, equip the +4+2, and hit for 7. He mills all your cards away, then you untap and shoot him with the torch before you have to draw. Am I missing something here?
You should have chump blocked with the Fox and let de Apprentice alive. That way you could dodge removals and have an endless supply of chumpers. And it combo with the Crow. Pay more attention, man. :)
Game 2 Round 2. You saw the Rig. You got greedy by playing the Crow and the Torch instead of just put a counter with the Travel Prep and dodge the possible removal.
Round 3 the correct attack, since you were afraid of removals was send in the Slayer and the Rig instead of the Crow. That way you would have 3 blockers for his flyer, putting you in a very good spot.
A good blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that qualify a blog to be a good one 1Y0-A15 HP2-E47 000-107 1z0-058 HIT-001 70-648
11 Comments
Pretty horrible of him to flip his human seeing as how u had the looter and torch equipped on him....Just leaving his angel to be destroyed.
Also, you could have midnight haunting main turn, sac a spirit token, equip ur geist and win without worrying about him getting an extra turn
I don't think that would have been the right play. He would just have blocked the Geistcatcher's Rig and gone down to one life anyway, so I'd still be dead to a burn spell. Also, he had one card in hand I didn't know, and if it was a removal spell for my Geist (say, Rebuke), I'd be dead on board to a simple Crossway Vampire or Nightbird's Clutches.
I figure there's no reason to overextend when the odds were pretty much in my favor and there was zero chance of killing him that turn.
When I said geist I meant the chapel geist and not the rig, since the flyer could get through and win you the game on the turn.
I know, that's what I meant too. The Chapel Geist would become a 7/5, and he had 8 life. He would block the Geistcatcher's Rig with his horror and still have 1 life left.
I see your point.
Why are you playing Magic Online? Don't you have dragons to kill!?
Thanks for posting another great isd draft! I like to watch the stuff. Rick you coulda made one crazy black and red deck starting with that brimstone volley. I agree with what you wrote on the mill. every mill deck I played I beat.
Interesting you choose to concede m2 g2 the game when you could have won. Play the spirit, equip the +4+2, and hit for 7. He mills all your cards away, then you untap and shoot him with the torch before you have to draw. Am I missing something here?
You're absolutely right. For some reason I thought the Ghoulcaller Bell would do the trick for him. :(
You should have chump blocked with the Fox and let de Apprentice alive. That way you could dodge removals and have an endless supply of chumpers. And it combo with the Crow. Pay more attention, man. :)
Game 2 Round 2. You saw the Rig. You got greedy by playing the Crow and the Torch instead of just put a counter with the Travel Prep and dodge the possible removal.
Round 3 the correct attack, since you were afraid of removals was send in the Slayer and the Rig instead of the Crow. That way you would have 3 blockers for his flyer, putting you in a very good spot.
Anyway, great drafting and playing.
A good blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that qualify a blog to be a good one
1Y0-A15
HP2-E47
000-107
1z0-058
HIT-001
70-648