Ala Ala Cfx Swiss #1

jedlen · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 6

The swiss queue was about to fire so I hopped in. I didn't really find this too interesting but it seems relevant in light of the discussion on Trotsky's No 14.

Players:
radman99
Three Wishes
joseph0708
TigerMark1105
dd_fan
Ixeo
--> JedLen
obrieng18

------ ALA ------

Pack 1 pick 1:
Skeletal Kathari
Goblin Deathraiders
Mosstodon
Dragon Fodder
Wild Nacatl
Incurable Ogre
Windwright Mage
Cloudheath Drake
Obelisk of Naya
--> Oblivion Ring
Filigree Sages
Naya Charm
Jhessian Infiltrator
Sacellum Godspeaker
Swamp

I always dread first-picking o-ring as I've had too many games where it leads me to a junk white deck. That doesn't mean I'm not going to do it, though.

Pack 1 pick 2:
Etherium Sculptor
Akrasan Squire
Dreg Reaver
Sigil Blessing
Cathartic Adept
Blightning
Lightning Talons
Angelsong
Undead Leotau
Bant Panorama
--> Sigiled Paladin
Etherium Astrolabe
Clarion Ultimatum
Forest

Definitely the strongest card here, and it just happens to fit that white thing.

Pack 1 pick 3:
Call to Heel (FOIL)
Welkin Guide
Bone Splinters
Deft Duelist
Volcanic Submersion
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Onyx Goblet
Spell Snip
--> Bant Panorama
Gustrider Exuberant
Rockslide Elemental
Esper Charm
Plains

I decided this was an opportune time to pick up some fixing. To me, the choice was either that or the splinters. The fixing left me open, while I felt the splinters would push me toward esper where I may not find good fodder for it.

Pack 1 pick 4:
Obelisk of Esper
Dispeller's Capsule
Godtoucher
Cathartic Adept
Blightning
Kathari Screecher
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Shore Snapper
--> Steward of Valeron
Tidehollow Sculler
Exuberant Firestoker
Plains

Chose the steward over the screecher because I like the combination of vigilance and ramp. Probably a judgement call. Had I taken the splinters I think the sculler would be the obvious choice.

Pack 1 pick 5:
Shore Snapper
Waveskimmer Aven
Coma Veil
Soul's Grace
Outrider of Jhess
Obelisk of Bant
--> Wild Nacatl
Filigree Sages
Demon's Herald
Sangrite Surge
Mountain

More aggressive than the aven and doesn't add a third color. Naya's still a possibility.

Pack 1 pick 6:
--> Welkin Guide
Dreg Reaver
Cylian Elf
Call to Heel
Soul's Might
Resounding Scream
Cancel
Etherium Astrolabe
Thoughtcutter Agent
Forest

I really like these guys, and only mildly like cylian elf. Still no reason to branch into other colors.

Pack 1 pick 7:
Banewasp Affliction
Vectis Silencers
Cancel
Bloodthorn Taunter
Naturalize
Resounding Wave (FOIL)
--> Jhessian Infiltrator
Dragon's Herald
Swamp

For my aggressive deck, it's either this or the sideboard card. If I can get another one of these guys, or that duelist from pick 3 wheels, bant might be a good place to be.

Pack 1 pick 8:
Savage Hunger (FOIL)
--> Gift of the Gargantuan
Outrider of Jhess
Obelisk of Naya
Behemoth's Herald
Corpse Connoisseur
Memory Erosion
Swamp

Pack 1 pick 9:
Dragon Fodder
Incurable Ogre
Windwright Mage
Obelisk of Naya
--> Jhessian Infiltrator
Sacellum Godspeaker
Swamp

ok, there it is.

Pack 1 pick 10:
Cathartic Adept
Lightning Talons
--> Angelsong
Etherium Astrolabe
Clarion Ultimatum
Forest

Pack 1 pick 11:
--> Deft Duelist
Volcanic Submersion
Onyx Goblet
Spell Snip
Plains

And there that is too.

Pack 1 pick 12:
--> Dispeller's Capsule
Cathartic Adept
Shore Snapper
Plains

Pack 1 pick 13:
--> Soul's Grace
Demon's Herald
Mountain

Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Resounding Scream
Forest

Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Swamp

------ ALA ------

Pack 2 pick 1:
Marble Chalice
Viscera Dragger
Resounding Roar
Viashino Skeleton
Etherium Sculptor
Akrasan Squire
Coma Veil
Shadowfeed
Waveskimmer Aven
Guardians of Akrasa
Qasali Ambusher
Thunder-Thrash Elder
Angel's Herald
--> Sarkhan Vol
Mountain

Umm, sure I'll splash red.

Pack 2 pick 2:
Steelclad Serpent
Excommunicate
Infest (FOIL)
--> Jungle Weaver
Hissing Iguanar
Vectis Silencers
Obelisk of Bant
Hindering Light
Incurable Ogre
Esper Panorama
Tower Gargoyle
Scourge Devil
Titanic Ultimatum
Island

Took a long time on this as titanic ultimatum ends games and there weren't any strong choices for me. I'm pretty certain bant's a good place to be. Ultimately, I felt it was too much of a switch to red with an unknown payoff vs the much more certain payoff in bant. Instead, I took the reaching fatty to help with my endgame & vs flyers.

Pack 2 pick 3:
Welkin Guide
Bone Splinters
Deft Duelist
Savage Hunger
Hissing Iguanar
Steelclad Serpent
Esper Panorama
Hindering Light
--> Wild Nacatl
Rockslide Elemental (FOIL)
Grixis Battlemage
Cradle of Vitality
Island

Another pick 3 duelist...will that table too?

Pack 2 pick 4:
Jhessian Lookout
Dregscape Zombie
Cylian Elf
Soul's Fire
Coma Veil
Sanctum Gargoyle
Shadowfeed
Rip-Clan Crasher
Fire-Field Ogre
Puppet Conjurer
--> Covenant of Minds
Forest

Nice, an opportunity for my aggressive deck to refill my hand

Pack 2 pick 5:
Call to Heel
Excommunicate
--> Druid of the Anima
Gustrider Exuberant
Resounding Wave
Blightning
Naturalize
Obelisk of Grixis
Swerve
Vicious Shadows
Plains

To help me with sarkhan

Pack 2 pick 6:
Courier's Capsule
Akrasan Squire
Bone Splinters
Thorn-Thrash Viashino
Jund Panorama
Relic of Progenitus
Hindering Light
--> Sigiled Paladin
Sphinx's Herald
Swamp

Wow, pretty late. Splinters here too? What was in this pack?!

Pack 2 pick 7:
Cavern Thoctar
Obelisk of Jund
Volcanic Submersion
Shore Snapper
--> Waveskimmer Aven
Coma Veil
Soul's Grace
Dragon's Herald
Plains

Not a huge fan of the thoctar. Maybe if I had some 5-power support dudes I'd consider him.

Pack 2 pick 8:
Marble Chalice
Deathgreeter
--> Sigil Blessing
Viashino Skeleton
Kathari Screecher
Soul's Grace
Demon's Herald
Forest

Pack 2 pick 9:
Marble Chalice
Viashino Skeleton
Coma Veil
Shadowfeed
--> Waveskimmer Aven
Angel's Herald
Mountain

Happy to see that back.

Pack 2 pick 10:
Vectis Silencers
Obelisk of Bant
Hindering Light
--> Incurable Ogre
Esper Panorama
Island

3 cards that I could play/sideboard, and I take a crappy one that I absolutely won't. Umm, yeah...let's move on.

Pack 2 pick 11:
--> Deft Duelist
Hindering Light
Grixis Battlemage
Cradle of Vitality
Island

yay

Pack 2 pick 12:
Jhessian Lookout
--> Dregscape Zombie
Shadowfeed
Forest

Pack 2 pick 13:
Swerve
--> Vicious Shadows
Plains

Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Sphinx's Herald
Swamp

Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Plains

------ CON ------

Pack 3 pick 1:
Vedalken Outlander
Absorb Vis
Ember Weaver
Kranioceros
Mana Cylix
Gleam of Resistance
Tukatongue Thallid
Lapse of Certainty
--> Rupture Spire
Suicidal Charge
Hellspark Elemental
Sludge Strider
Fleshformer
Progenitus
Swamp

I thought about this one for a long time. At this point, I had a few specific things I wanted from confux: fixing and endgame support (specifically I had my mind on wild leotau & manaforce mace as this is just the right deck for that thing). From this pack, I would obviously be taking fixing but is it the gleam or the spire? I love gleam. THe mass untap makes it the most flexible combat trick in the format. But looking at my running deck build, I had about 20 spells already and couldn't find one I was really willing to part with for the gleam (in hindsight, gift decided to be uncooperative that night). So I went with the land-based fixing to leave myself some spell slots.

Pack 3 pick 2:
Drag Down
Aven Trailblazer
Toxic Iguanar
--> Traumatic Visions
Mana Cylix
Wandering Goblins
Might of Alara
Valiant Guard
Salvage Slasher
Ignite Disorder
Grixis Slavedriver
Spore Burst
Mark of Asylum
Forest

Only thing I want out of here is fixing...why couldn't the gleam & visions have swapped places?

Pack 3 pick 3:
Pestilent Kathari
Aven Squire (FOIL)
Matca Rioters
Bone Saw
Drag Down
Exploding Borders
Maniacal Rage
Nacatl Outlander
Nacatl Savage
--> Manaforce Mace
Shard Convergence
Spore Burst
Swamp

There it is.

Pack 3 pick 4:
Kranioceros
Absorb Vis
Valeron Outlander
--> Sylvan Bounty
Court Homunculus
Worldly Counsel
Might of Alara
Salvage Slasher
Brackwater Elemental
Fusion Elemental
Telemin Performance
Island

Pack 3 pick 5:
--> Wild Leotau
Frontline Sage
Aven Squire
Sylvan Bounty
Nacatl Outlander
Grixis Illusionist
Exploding Borders
Lapse of Certainty
Knotvine Mystic
Scornful Æther-Lich
Swamp

And there's the other one.

Pack 3 pick 6:
Zombie Outlander
Darklit Gargoyle
Goblin Outlander
Constricting Tendrils
Tukatongue Thallid
Asha's Favor
--> Celestial Purge
Cumber Stone
Skyward Eye Prophets
Plains

Removal's scarce for bant. I'd happily main deck this, but I didn't.

Pack 3 pick 7:
Zombie Outlander
Darklit Gargoyle
Goblin Outlander
Constricting Tendrils
Tukatongue Thallid
--> Rupture Spire
Elder Mastery
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer
Forest

Pack 3 pick 8:
Unsummon
Frontline Sage (FOIL)
Maniacal Rage
Rotting Rats
Goblin Outlander
--> Filigree Fracture
Aerie Mystics
Forest

I rarely see the shroud ability on mystics significantly (if at all) impact the game. So I went with what might be my last chance to get some artifact hate over the not-so-efficient flyer.

Pack 3 pick 9:
--> Ember Weaver
Kranioceros
Mana Cylix
Tukatongue Thallid
Lapse of Certainty
Suicidal Charge
Swamp

My 3-drops were actually pretty bare, and this guy has more toughness than a lot of my deck.

Pack 3 pick 10:
--> Toxic Iguanar
Mana Cylix
Wandering Goblins
Valiant Guard
Salvage Slasher
Forest

Pack 3 pick 11:
Bone Saw
Maniacal Rage
--> Nacatl Savage
Spore Burst
Swamp

Pack 3 pick 12:
--> Valeron Outlander
Salvage Slasher
Brackwater Elemental
Island

Nice late pick.

Pack 3 pick 13:
Grixis Illusionist
--> Lapse of Certainty
Swamp

Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Constricting Tendrils
Plains

Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Forest

Ultimately, it wasn't a very exciting draft, and while I knew the deck could be dangerous I wasn't all that happy with it.

The Deck:

1x Oblivion Ring
1x Manaforce Mace
1x Sigil Blessing
1x Sarkhan Vol
1x Gift of the Gargantuan
1x Covenant of Minds
1x Filigree Fracture
2x Wild Nacatl
2x Sigiled Paladin
1x Steward of Valeron
2x Jhessian Infiltrator
2x Deft Duelist
1x Ember Weaver
1x Wild Leotau
1x Welkin Guide
2x Waveskimmer Aven
1x Jungle Weaver
1x Sylvan Bounty
2x Rupture Spire
1x Bant Panorama
3x Island
6x Plains
4x Forest
1x Mountain

Round 1:

Some 5 color thing...I honestly didn't see that much of it. Game 1 he spent mana on panorama, armillary sphere, and courier's capsule before dying my 6th turn to infiltrator + mace, steward & sigil blessing. Game 2 I had a slower start with turn 3 gift into turn 4 ember weaver. He had a couple screechers and the same sphere & capsule. Around turn 8 or 9 I drop sarkhan & swing with weaver, paladin & waveskimmer. He plays ambusher & triple blocks waveskimmer. Sigil blessing wins again. I had to mull both games.

Round 2:

Another 5 color thing with a more defined esper base. Fairly similar to round 1 except I don't get the early finishers & he gets cumberstone (both games) to slow me a lot. Both games I remove it & swing for the win. Again had to mull both games (twice on one of them).

Round 3:

He's won his games about as fast as I have so I correctly guess he's grixis. Game 1 He drops early zombie outlander & scavenger drake. I have nacatl, ember weaver, and waveskimmer. His blightning catches me with mace, 2nd waveskimmer, and sarkhan. I keep sarkhan and play him shortly after trying to get some quick damage in. He drops tidehollow strix and I probably should have played defense but didn't. After sarkhan dies, he drops slavedriver & bloodhall ooze. I've drawn lands after the blightning but now find jungle weaver and that induces him to hold back and play grow the ooze for a while. I find infiltrator & duelist and start swinging for unblockable. He forgets about duelist and thinks he can do the same with outlander. Paladin cuts infiltrator clock by a third, and I find covenant hoping to get either blessing or 2nd paladin. He doesn't let me keep blessing so I get 2nd paladin. He has no answer for infiltrator.

I side -(steward & fracture)/+(outlander & purge)

Game 2 he has 4th turn drake and all the removal he didn't get game 1. No contest. Game 3 he has slightly later drake and a little less removal. Second turn duelist with paladin to follow lets me get damage in every turn. He sacs freshly cast puppet conjurer to splinters waveskimmer--a bit odd, but his life was getting low. I covenant and this time he lets me keep sigil blessing. He gets slavedriver but I get waveskimmer #2 and eventually he has to chump with 5/5 drake knowing I have blessing to kill it. I then drop outlander. He plays pestilent kathari, perhaps sending the message that he could have dealt with waveskimmer, then dies next turn to unblockable outlander.

ik · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 316

Eh... I disagree with some of your early picks (like im not a big fan of Sigiled Paladin) but some of your Conflux picks seem really wrong...

Here are a couple examples ...

P3P1: I woulda gone with the Gleam...
P3P3: SHARD CONVERGENCE!!

hs_3 · Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

Alvaro21k · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 76

I would have picked Akrasan Squire over Paladin anyday, and also, I think you should have taken the ultimatum

dv8r · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 215

I actually have time to do a draft walkthrough....

p1p1
say what your thinking/logic is for taking o-ring over naya charm, it's a fine pick, but it makes it a lot easier for me to comment on the rest of your draft (obvious things like: 3 colours vs 1 will NOT suffice)

p1p3
Deft Deulist, Bone Splinters and Esper Charm are all picks I would make over panorama. you rarely want to splash green or blue as they are both so light on removal, so unless you intend to go bant (worst shard probably, even worse with reckless charge and persistant kathari in pack 3), the panorama isn't particularly useful

p1p5
it's also better than the aven, and you look like an agressive deck

p1p6
judgement call, wouldn't criticize either of the two

p1p11
this was very lucky, and a very strong signal

p2p1
in your agressive base gw deck, too many splashes is a bad thing, in a draft that mattered (say a ptq t8, I'd be very tempted by ambusher). that said, it's money, and the clear pick here

p2p2
it costs 7, and you know you are splashing red already in a very aggressive GWx(x) deck, I would def. take ultimatum here. Jungle Weaver is a fine, if unexciting pick. This pick also helps me understand your p1p1 logic.

p2p8
this is basically a bomb in your deck

p2p10
yeah, lets not dwell on this pick (obelisk is the right one)

p3p1
I would take spire without a second though, you're a 4 colour deck (sometimes fixing one colour just isn't going to get it done). I guess gleam does get your mountain for the two nactls though

p3p2
2 nacatl and 2 sigiled paladin suggest gw base, making visions a much worse fixer, take the might of alara or trailblazer

p3p3
exactly what the heavy 2 drop deck demands

p3p4
you really want the might of alara, but I guess I can sort of understand this pick

p3p5
that's awfully late....

p3p6
I'm a very big fan of cards like skyward eye prophets in aggressive decks to give you a good late game oomph

p3p7
ummm, what? that should NEVER happen

p3p8
3/3 flyer for 5 isn't efficient? and shroud is very relevant in a format full of removal. this pick is wrong

p3p9
arguably best green common, should never go 9th

p3p10
you're more likely to play wandering goblins

asamodious · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 343

lol shard convergence is horrible. It does nothing really unless youre stuck on 4 lands and have nothing but huge drops in your hand.

This is great example of where manaforce mace is at its best.

p3p8 shouldve been mystics. Its ability has defiantly won me a few games.

MikeL123 · Joined: 27 May 2007 Posts: 41

I take the Titanic Ultimatum, go GWr and don't look back.