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By: MirrorMage, Daniel Corradi
Mar 29 2008 9:35am
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Just kidding! I'm not premium content... yet.

Now, time for Drafting with Tiago Chan Daniel Corradi on StarCityGames PureMTGO with great advice and tips not so great advice and tips. Read on and gain new insight into Morningtide answer my desperate plee for help.
 
Once again, I'm drafting in the evening early in the morning with a nice glass of wine oatmeal. Like usual, this is a triple Morningtide 8-4  4-3-2-2, so there's no point in rare-drafting I will take just about anything that's either shiny or has any potential value in a standard decklist. But first, a bad Haiku:

Morningtide is gone
Lots of joyful lag was there
I hate faeries lots


A word of advice: when drafting, it is best to do your draft in a place free from distractions. Not in the kitchen, not in the kitchen of an eight-person house and not in the kitchen of an eight-person house with roommates who sit down while you're in a match and try to make small-talk about the weather while sipping on their breakfast beer. Rookie mistake #23 of this draft.

I decided to go Green/White splashing black for Pack's Disdain, which turned out to be a mistake since three-fourths of the time I never had the swamp to play it. Whilst this deck may look like a complete mess, it surprisingly had quite a bit of synergy.
 
If I had to pick a defining moment for this draft, it would be the first pick of pack two between Kinbaile Cavailer and Preeminent Captain. It wasn't made because I'm a stragetic mastermind and it wasn't a stroke of genius on my part. It was a mistake. Yes. You read that right. A mistake. But it was single-handedly the most glorious mistake ever made for reasons you will soon discover. This first pick Kinsbaile Cavalier, without a doubt in the world, saved my draft.

Why did I pick it?
 
Because it was shiny.
 
Though, attacking with 5/3 Doublestrike changelings on turn five is the closest I'll ever be to feeling like a man while playing this game. The Kinsbaile Cavalier ended up being one of the most efficient finishers I've ever played. Few opponents expect your changelings to suddenly all have Double strike.  

I ended up taking the draft. I don't win often, or at all in competitive magic. Yes, it may come as a surprise to those of you who've read my articles, but nonetheless it's unfortunately true. But when I do win, I am far from humble or modest. Instead, I'll post my victory for all to see in chat rooms, I'll private message everyone on my buddy list and call everyone in high school who played or did not play magic. Sometimes, I'll even use it as a pick-up line:

"Hey there sweet thing, you want to know who won a draft on Magic Online recently?"

"Magic what?"

"Yeah, that's right, it was me."

"Wait, didn't I get a restraining order for you?"

"Oh crap, that was you? I got to start writing your names down or something."

Don't worry, she'll be back. But triple Morningtide drafts won't. Oh well, it was a fun format, but grew tiresome quickly. Now I'm sitting back, relaxing, and waiting for MTGSalvation to bring on the flood of Shadowmoor previews.
 
That's right. I joined another Masters Edition league, a format you can love with all your heart, but it will never in a million years love you back. Much like cats, the Washington Bulets Wizards, and ABC's Lost.
 
White: Yes! I can't believe it! Not one, not three, but two, yes two Animate Walls! Sarcasm aside, white is stocked with C+ playables, Benalish Hero, Mesa Pegasus, two Icatian Lieutenant, Righteous Avengers, Samite Healer, and three  A grade cards, Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, Angel of Mercy, Pacifism, and Holy Light. Had those Animate Walls been something else, anything else, white would be bombastic telefantastic.

Blue: I watched Memento the other day. For the sake of anterograde Amnesia I wanted to play the card so that I could Traumatize my opponents. Get it? I embedded card names in clever sentences ergo making me clever. See, any half-witted writer can do it, so for the love of all that is holy, I hope that everyone who embeds magic card names into everyday and noday sentences will realize how stupid it is. Back to blue. There were a couple fliers, a bajillion variants of Unsummon, but no real beef. Sorry, my rant on embedded words took up my blue summary's allotted time. And yes, I am an actually quite a very angry person. Though I won't show it, instead I'll let in brood inside me like a friendly postman.

Black: Black has the removal, Assassinate, Feast or Famine,Phyrexian Boon and Oubliette. It has a house creature in this format Derelor and a few good spells Recover, Diabolic Tutor, and Soul Feast. It also has some good enchantments, I've seen many decks top eight with double Thrull Retainer and Unholy Strength.

Red Will I ever have a MED league where my red isn’t worse than any Robin Williams film made after Jumanji? I think the answer is the same as “will Robin Williams ever be funny again?” No. Seriously, Crookshank Koboldsdouble Goblin Elite Infantry? Well, I did open Dwarven Catapult and Shock, so I guess it’s not a total loss.

Green: Too few green cards.
 
Multicolour: Walking Wall, Ashnod’s Transmogrant and Bottle Gnomes will make my main deck. There’s nothing I really need Composite Golem for, so I will most likely not play hiim. Hymn of Rebirth is fantastic if I go green/white, which I won’t. Phelddagrif and Rainbow Vale just add insult to injury. I settled on this build:
 

I finished 2-3, which is less and more than I expected this deck to finish. One match was lost to Moat which my opponent had in his opening hand both games. Another was lost to Mirror Universe and Lightning Bolt. In game three, he used Mirror Universe switching my life total out of the range of Bolt.
 
But not out the range of Blaze.
 
Ces't la vie. 
 
In one game, I was able to pin precisely why I lost on a single error on my part, I was able to understand exactly why I lost, and could no longer blame my mistakes on bad draws or good opponents. I was getting better at magic.
 
And I hate it.
 
One thing I've learned is that magic is a game of inches. The difference between a high-rated opponent and an average opponent is marginal in the scope of things. But relatively, that difference is enormous since magic is precisely a game of inches. It's learning to thin your deck, understanding what cards your opponent will most likely play, and coldlessly calculating the possibilities of the late game. These are small things which are quite easy to learn, all it takes a little extra effort.
 
And I hate it. I never did have the patience to play Chess. I might have to change my point of view if I ever hope to get better. Or if I ever want to get better.
 
Until next time companheiros!

Token Rocky Quote: "You gotta be a moron... you gotta be a moron to wanna be a fighter." - Rocky

Song of the Week:  Adele - Chasing Pavement

This Week's League MVP: Kinsbaile Cavalier 

Number of Times “Jon Finkel" appeared in this article: 0


10 Comments

Don't despair by Uludil (Unregistered) 87.57.180.32 (not verified) at Sun, 03/30/2008 - 15:45
Uludil (Unregistered) 87.57.180.32's picture

One day - my young padawan - you shall be come a glorious writer, and we'll see whose turn it is to bring up the subject of restraining orders... keep it coming. I love your articles

 

U.

by MirrorMage at Sun, 03/30/2008 - 16:53
MirrorMage's picture

Haha. I never realised the life of a writer was so dangerous. But then again, I could imagine myself stalking Danielle Steel. Mmm....

Gonna Fly Now #5 - v3! by djdark01 at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 10:26
djdark01's picture

Please....?

 As always, funny stuff!!

Good. by Hollow0n3 at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 10:57
Hollow0n3's picture

Maybe you will try to add some cowbell next... or cow tossing. You know.. *wink*

Awesome by SypherSun at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 11:11
SypherSun's picture

This is quickly becoming my favorite article here. Puts a smile on my face.

by CutToTheChase (Unregistered) 213.42.21.53 (not verified) at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 13:14
CutToTheChase (Unregistered) 213.42.21.53's picture

Write more

Thanks! by MirrorMage at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 17:55
MirrorMage's picture

Thanks guys, this makes losing almost worth it. With the exception of DuckTales and Algerian fresh Dates, writing is all I have.

I wonder how it would feel to have friends... 

MTGO buddies by djdark01 at Sat, 03/29/2008 - 20:40
djdark01's picture

I'll be your friend!

By the way, you should also watch Venture Bro's if you don't already.  I think you'd like it. 

web tasarım fiyatları by webtasarimfiyatlari at Mon, 05/30/2022 - 05:36
webtasarimfiyatlari's picture

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Lor'un Mor'un piyasaya sürülmesi gibi grafiklerdeki bazı referans noktalarıyla ilgilenirim.

web tasarım fiyatları by webtasarimfiyatlari at Mon, 05/30/2022 - 05:37
webtasarimfiyatlari's picture

web tasarım fiyatları

kartal web tasarım

pendik web tasarım

Lor'un Mor'un piyasaya sürülmesi gibi grafiklerdeki bazı referans noktalarıyla ilgilenirim.