Ala Ala Cfx 4-3-2-2 #1

jedlen · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 6

Players:
Aelthain
Vishus One
Belcheck
The_Pummeler
savannahjack
xsessionsx
galldrian
--> JedLen

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

Pack 1 pick 1:
Sigil Blessing
Druid of the Anima
Ridge Rannet
--> Steelclad Serpent
Excommunicate
Banewasp Affliction
Island (FOIL)
Grixis Panorama
Carrion Thrash
Cloudheath Drake
Infest
Qasali Ambusher
Grixis Battlemage
Covenant of Minds
Swamp

MTGO was in the background. I saw the draft starting, and clicked it into the foreground...whoops hello serpent. Luckily I didn't miss out on a bomb.

Pack 1 pick 2:
Welkin Guide
Bone Splinters
Exuberant Firestoker (FOIL)
Savage Hunger
Hissing Iguanar
Steelclad Serpent
Bloodpyre Elemental
--> Agony Warp
Tortoise Formation
Shadowfeed
Grixis Charm
Protomatter Powder
Angel's Herald
Forest

Sure I like the charm more, but my first pick was a sign to go esper!

Pack 1 pick 3:
--> Knight of the Skyward Eye
Cavern Thoctar
Cancel
Esper Charm (FOIL)
Volcanic Submersion
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Shore Snapper
Steward of Valeron
Goblin Mountaineer
Sunseed Nurturer
Mighty Emergence
Ooze Garden
Swamp

...or not. I suppose esper charm's a valid pick, but I just don't like it, and I wanted to hedge my bets.

Pack 1 pick 4:
Obelisk of Grixis
Resounding Scream
Bloodthorn Taunter
Knight of the Skyward Eye
Cavern Thoctar
Cancel
Tortoise Formation
Lush Growth
Rockslide Elemental
--> Algae Gharial
Exuberant Firestoker
Island

This guy can be really scary. I considered taking the second KotSE, but personal preference goes to the algae. Cancels go late so I was willing to pass that on the esper plan.

Pack 1 pick 5:
Kathari Screecher (FOIL)
Excommunicate
Banewasp Affliction
Jungle Weaver
Vectis Silencers
Skeletal Kathari
Goblin Mountaineer
Thoughtcutter Agent
Sunseed Nurturer
--> Kederekt Leviathan
Mountain

I took this as a sign blue would be wide open pack 3. So, off I go!

Pack 1 pick 6:
Shadowfeed
Rip-Clan Crasher
Lush Growth
Vithian Stinger
--> Executioner's Capsule
Carrion Thrash
Blood Cultist
Angel's Herald
Covenant of Minds
Island

Apparently black's wide open too...

Pack 1 pick 7:
Excommunicate
--> Viscera Dragger
Thorn-Thrash Viashino
Yoked Plowbeast
Soul's Grace
Scavenger Drake
Exuberant Firestoker
Ad Nauseam
Forest

Yay for late good playables. Not jund, so I didn't bother with the drake. Yikes, that's the third firestoker...didn't even notice that during the draft.

Pack 1 pick 8:
Yoked Plowbeast
--> Deft Duelist
Island (FOIL)
Lush Growth
Behemoth's Herald
Rockcaster Platoon
Immortal Coil
Plains

Really nice in a W/B base.

Pack 1 pick 9:
Excommunicate
Banewasp Affliction
Island (FOIL)
--> Grixis Panorama
Carrion Thrash
Grixis Battlemage
Swamp

Mmm, fixing. I'm perfectly happy passing that battlemage over most things.

Pack 1 pick 10:
Steelclad Serpent
Tortoise Formation
Shadowfeed
--> Protomatter Powder
Angel's Herald
Forest

Maybe I'll get some artifacts that are worth it.

Pack 1 pick 11:
Shore Snapper
Goblin Mountaineer
--> Sunseed Nurturer
Mighty Emergence
Swamp

Cutting naya fatty support since I can. They never seem to work for me but they're always annoying.

Pack 1 pick 12:
Resounding Scream
Bloodthorn Taunter
--> Tortoise Formation
Island

Pack 1 pick 13:
Banewasp Affliction
Goblin Mountaineer
--> Thoughtcutter Agent

Pack 1 pick 14:
--> Shadowfeed
Lush Growth

Pack 1 pick 15:
--> Soul's Grace

No land :'(

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

Pack 2 pick 1:
Savage Hunger
Ridge Rannet
--> Courier's Capsule
Akrasan Squire
Naya Panorama
Cancel
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Bloodthorn Taunter
Naturalize
Angelsong
Drumhunter
Sprouting Thrinax
Scourge Devil
Mycoloth
Forest

Horrible pack for me, but I'm pretty certain esper's open around me, so hopefully I should get passed some nice things later. Reeeeeally hate passing that token engine.

Pack 2 pick 2:
Goblin Deathraiders
Goblin Mountaineer
Elvish Visionary
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Glaze Fiend
Vithian Stinger
Cloudheath Drake
Branching Bolt
--> Oblivion Ring
Jund Panorama
Naya Charm
Metallurgeon
Swerve
Mountain

Ahh, and so I'm rewarded.

Pack 2 pick 3:
Viashino Skeleton
Call to Heel
Excommunicate
Druid of the Anima
Thorn-Thrash Viashino
Jund Panorama
Glaze Fiend
Gift of the Gargantuan
Obelisk of Bant
--> Jund Battlemage
Sphinx's Herald
Sangrite Surge
Mountain

Let's not let token engine #1 meet token engine #2.... Call to heel's great for esper but I'm hoping it'll come back around like that cancel...umm...didn't.

Pack 2 pick 4:
Soul's Fire
Jhessian Lookout
Welkin Guide
Dreg Reaver
Cylian Elf
Resounding Scream
Cancel
Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Bloodthorn Taunter
Grixis Battlemage
--> Gather Specimens
Swamp

Ok, so I'm really light on creatures and this lets me steal a bomb. I spent a long time thinking about it, but eventually pulled it over the welkin guide. I've never played it and I think it can be good.

Pack 2 pick 5:
Yoked Plowbeast
Banewasp Affliction
--> Deft Duelist
Court Archers
Bloodthorn Taunter
Naturalize
Angelsong
Obelisk of Jund
Cathartic Adept
Angelic Benediction
Forest

The more of these you have, the better they get...that's 2!

Pack 2 pick 6:
Etherium Sculptor
Marble Chalice
Deathgreeter
Sigil Blessing
--> Cavern Thoctar
Spell Snip
Volcanic Submersion
Jhessian Infiltrator
Skill Borrower
Plains

Not sure why I hated this & not the submersion. My low artifact count at this point didn't leave me liking the sculptor, but then again if I don't get hooked up with the artifacts in pack 3, I'm in real trouble. Maybe I should have just taken what would potentially work in my deck.

Pack 2 pick 7:
Onyx Goblet
Obelisk of Esper
Godtoucher
Gustrider Exuberant
--> Resounding Wave
Soul's Grace
Skeletal Kathari
Goblin Deathraiders
Swamp

Chose the bounce over the obelisk as my success with esper has been tied to having lots of tricks.

Pack 2 pick 8:
Marble Chalice
Deathgreeter
Viashino Skeleton
--> Call to Heel
Obelisk of Bant
Etherium Astrolabe
Memory Erosion
Swamp

It's between this and the astrolabe obviously. I've had great success with the astrolabe sac'ing my losses to get extra cards, but I'm short on guys & have no sanctum gargoyles so I went with the one-time-use card draw that protects my guy instead of killing it.

Pack 2 pick 9:
Savage Hunger
Ridge Rannet
--> Cancel
Bloodthorn Taunter
Naturalize
Angelsong
Forest

Nobody expects it, and it's great "removal" for fat.

Pack 2 pick 10:
Goblin Mountaineer
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Glaze Fiend
Jund Panorama
--> Metallurgeon
Mountain

Yay, it came back.

Pack 2 pick 11:
Viashino Skeleton
--> Excommunicate
Thorn-Thrash Viashino
Sphinx's Herald
Sangrite Surge

Pack 2 pick 12:
Jhessian Lookout
--> Dreg Reaver
Cancel
Bloodthorn Taunter

On-color guy, and I badly need guys.

Pack 2 pick 13:
Bloodthorn Taunter
--> Cathartic Adept
Forest

Pack 2 pick 14:
--> Etherium Sculptor
Plains

haha it wheeled.

Pack 2 pick 15:
--> Swamp

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

Pack 3 pick 1:
Faerie Mechanist
Absorb Vis
Valeron Outlander
Sylvan Bounty
Aven Squire
Pestilent Kathari
Brackwater Elemental
Exploding Borders
Maniacal Rage
Nacatl Outlander
Reliquary Tower
Scornful Æther-Lich
--> Path to Exile
Knight of the Reliquary
Island

Knight's insanely scary but unlike the mycoloth this time I have a strong on-color card so I'm not bothered passing the off-color danger here.

Pack 3 pick 2:
Zombie Outlander
Matca Rioters
Darklit Gargoyle
Wretched Banquet
--> Esper Cormorants
Vectis Agents
Molten Frame
Rhox Bodyguard
Scattershot Archer
Shard Convergence
Knotvine Mystic
Scornful Æther-Lich
Kederekt Parasite
Swamp

Just the stuff I wanted.

Pack 3 pick 3:
Beacon Behemoth
--> Darklit Gargoyle
Unsummon
Armillary Sphere
Kranioceros
Goblin Outlander
Court Homunculus
Worldly Counsel
Might of Alara
Salvage Slasher
Shard Convergence
Dreadwing
Plains

Light on fixing but I'm also light on guys. You can win without fixing but you can't win without guys.

Pack 3 pick 4:
Drag Down
Canyon Minotaur
--> Esper Cormorants
Unsummon
Vedalken Outlander
Quenchable Fire
Tukatongue Thallid
Lapse of Certainty
Voices from the Void
Spore Burst
Kederekt Parasite
Forest

Yay more. Sad about passing the drag down, but 3/3 flier for 4 in my 2 primary colors is good stuff.

Pack 3 pick 5:
--> Esper Cormorants
Parasitic Strix
Kaleidostone
Scattershot Archer
Infectious Horror
Worldly Counsel
Quenchable Fire
Rotting Rats
Countersquall
Dreadwing
Mountain

Honestly, this is exactly what I imagined when I picked that leviathan.

Pack 3 pick 6:
Pestilent Kathari
--> Parasitic Strix
Matca Rioters
Bone Saw
Nacatl Savage
Valiant Guard
Yoke of the Damned
Vectis Agents
Scarland Thrinax
Island

Still, I'll admit I'm getting pretty lucky.

Pack 3 pick 7:
Kaleidostone
Toxic Iguanar
Infectious Horror
Worldly Counsel
Quenchable Fire
Rotting Rats
Asha's Favor
Voices from the Void
--> Unstable Frontier

Fixing in a pack that doesn't have much goodness for me...sure it's weak fixing but any port in a storm.

Pack 3 pick 8:
Valiant Guard (FOIL)
--> Kaleidostone
Toxic Iguanar
Infectious Horror
Worldly Counsel
Quenchable Fire
Rotting Rats
Island

Pack 3 pick 9:
--> Absorb Vis
Pestilent Kathari
Maniacal Rage
Nacatl Outlander
Reliquary Tower
Scornful Æther-Lich
Island

It's between this and the lich. I hate lich, but I do need guys, but fixing's nice (and late), but it's a splash, but maybe it'll play...it didn't. I should have taken the lich. Little surprised I didn't get back the brackwater or mechanist.

Pack 3 pick 10:
--> Zombie Outlander
Wretched Banquet
Vectis Agents
Molten Frame
Scattershot Archer
Shard Convergence

I hate agents like I hate lich (not sure why). Pro-green is really good so I grabbed him.

Pack 3 pick 11:
--> Kranioceros
Worldly Counsel
Salvage Slasher
Dreadwing
Plains

Pack 3 pick 12:
--> Canyon Minotaur
Quenchable Fire
Tukatongue Thallid
Spore Burst

Ok, these last two picks I've just been hating off-color decent guys. Considering this is coming from the side I sent the mycoloth to, I'm amazed to see that spore burst still there.

Pack 3 pick 13:
--> Worldly Counsel
Rotting Rats
Mountain

Pack 3 pick 14:
--> Valiant Guard
Island

Pack 3 pick 15:
--> Asha's Favor

The deck:

1x Path to Exile
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Call to Heel
1x Resounding Wave
1x Gather Specimens
1x Cancel
1x Courier's Capsule
1x Executioner's Capsule
1x Agony Warp
2x Deft Duelist
1x Zombie Outlander
1x Metallurgeon
1x Etherium Sculptor
1x Darklit Gargoyle
1x Parasitic Strix
1x Viscera Dragger
3x Esper Cormorants
1x Dreg Reaver
1x Steelclad Serpent
1x Kederekt Leviathan
2x Swamp
6x Plains
7x Island
1x Unstable Frontier
1x Grixis Panorama

I eventually sided out a plains for another swamp.

Round 1:

Game 1 was a really long one. He was fatty bant (with 2 of my capsules Sad

) and put me on the defensive quick. Crack panorama for plains into ambusher ate my early duelist. Resolved feral hydra early and came down with more fat. I got some good early defense with metallurgeon & outlander. Also found a couple cormorants. The whole game I was sitting on gather specimens and wave but I was also sitting on 6-7 mana...not enough to bounce the hydra then steal it when he recasts. Kept having to make plays and spend tricks to stay alive. He o-ringed my outlander surprisingly. Eventually, I had to bounce & cancel the hydra to stay in it, but his board was getting pretty bare and his hand was finally emptying. Finally I feel the pressure's off (none too soon...nothing to play on my turn) and draw-go. He does an ineffective attack then coup's for 6. I'm so glad I had no play and gather all those nice little soldier specimens. Two turns later, he concedes. His comment: "sick".

Game 2 he drops a 2/2 feral hydra 3rd turn. I agony warp it on my turn to avoid tricks & proceed to out aggro him.

Round 2:

Naya. He's got the mycoloth & manages to use it to win a close game 1 (that's all I remember sorry). He proceeds to side-in (probably) 2 naturalizes and a filigree fracture. Game 2 I come out agressively and cut his health quick with duelist and maybe cormorant. He manages to stabilize at 4 health (after using all the afore mentioned spells along with soul's fire and maybe branching bolt) with un-devoured mycoloth vs my lone serpent. I topdeck ex cap and think I have it in the bag, but forget about serpent's drawback and crack the cap too soon. Few turns later I manage to end it still kicking myself.

Game 3 played out much like game 2 except he did better at stabilizing (again with all 3 green artifact hate & branching bolt). Had him down to 3 and he started to take over the board but no flying defense (of course I had no flyers). I'm sitting on gather specimens and he drops steward. I sit there considering stealing it for a long time as I'm going to need blockers very soon, but it's not going to do anything to help me win so I let it go. He then proceeds to drop aven trailblazer & and I happily gather it up for the flying win.

Finals:

Naya again. Game 1 I got in a few early beats with duelist/strix until he dropped double ember weaver & red guy (not that he needs it as I have nothing over 2 power or toughness). I hard cast the leviathan. He drops a fatty to block, and I trade it with call to heel. We rebuild our boards (I've seen enough to know I can't get through with what I have) and leviathan comes down again. Woolly thoctar gets traded with wave and we rebuild again. I finally draw dreg reaver to pair with my parasitic strix (he's at 9 and if I can resolve that combo twice + swing with unearthed leviathan maybe I've got him) so I use the unstable to get a swamp...whoops double clicked the unstable and it just converted itself. Another major misplay and now I have to wait another turn. I combo the strix & reaver then next turn, drop the leviathan, and we proceed to rebuild again. Leviathan sacrifices itself on rakeclaw (after he lets it get through once) and he kills reaver in response to strix. At 2 life, he sylvan bountys in response to unearthed leviathan and I've run out of steam.

Game 2 I again get out to an early lead and he again starts to stabilize, but again he's a little short on mana with not much ramp so it takes him longer than he'd like (especially fighting my removal). He thinks he's got me and taps out for bull cerodon. Thank you, I'll take that specimen and he concedes. Game 3 I come out with an agressive start and have removal to back it up. Win on turn 7.

MVP: Gather Specimens. Runner up: Cormorants x 3.

Like Trotsky, feedback appreciated.

dv8r · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 239

I find it hard to comment on a draft like this when you've made so many mistakes but still seem to come out on top. But I guess it's a useful exercise...

p1p1
Don't waste people's time in the future by posting a draft where you mess up the first pick. Covenant of minds is a bomb, and you've just passed it. Terrible signal, especially as you've taken a common, most likely a red one in terms of signals.

p1p3
No mention of Cancel here? The card is very solid, and probably better than cancel the more aggressive your esper deck is (I don't know enough about your draft preferences to comment on this pick though, I personally love aggro esper, and cancel is one of the best value-added cards in the archtype). KotS is a fine pick, better considering that you passed covenant first pick.

p1p4
In gw, rather than jund, knight of the skyward eye, as an aggressive 2 drop with good late game potential is better than gharail, which is only a 1/1 for 4, and can't be pumped by the 2-3 pump spells you hope to draft for the aggro naya decks. It's ok in bant I guess, but so KotS.

p1p6
Covenant of minds this late? Take it, you can afford to hope for removal later.

p1p7
I agree with the pick but not the logic. By this same logic, you should have passed gharial 3 picks ago.

p1p11
Also good with you knight of the skyward eyes. Nothing to suggest atm you might not be in 5 colour, and the 5+ power plan might not be an option.

p2p1
Mycoloth is so good that it's worth the risk, you have two night of the skyward eyes atm, so you're splashing green anyway, and you're not missing out on anything very important.

p2p2
Rewarded for what? The guy took a rare over it :S

p2p3
One of the most important steps to becoming a better drafter is to have a plan. At the moment your logic is all over the place. You've passed many cards on the basis of colour choice, and now you take jund battlemage over obelisk and druid on the basis that it's a powerful card, what about mycoloth? This is the pick I would have made, but your reasons for taking it are completely wrong, having passed on mycoloth, you really have to pass on this.

p2p5
These go a lot later than they should.

p2p6
Alternatively take sigil blessing or jhessian infiltrator, both of which are good cards you might actually play?

p2p7
Atm, you have one panorama for fixing. This pick is very greedy, and you would prefer to have the fixing in pack 3 so you can take zombie outlanders instead of being forced to take fixing.

p2p8
You have 2 knight of the skyward eye and a jund battlemage, how is this NOT obelisk of bant? Seems a clear pick to me.

p2p9
...maybe in a 4-3-2-2

p2p10
wow that's late....

p3p3
if you'd taken the late obelisks earlier, this pick would be so much easier... I think you have to take sphere with your current picks, unless you are planning to get very lucky in the actual games.

p3p5
I feel very bad for the person you passed p1p2 and p1p8 covenant of minds, and kathari screecher from the leviathan pack, who basically probably followed signalling and ended up getting screwed by your erratic picks (that said, it's not your responsability by any means to help him out)

p3p7
none of your earlier picks were that lucky, this one is, considering how you've consistantly refused to take fixing in this draft

p3p9
see above

p3p10
when I saw this pack I actually laughed irl, and people say playing on modo helps you get better.... this pick wouldn't happen at my fnm (it's def. correct for you, agents isn't that bad a card, it's like a better dreg reaver, which is a card I'm fine playing if my curve demands it)

p3p12
why should he have taken it....?

I apologise for what comes across as quite a harsh critique of your draft, but I disagree with so much of your logic for your picks, and the cards you were considering, in spite of how good your deck ended up. This won't happen every time.

Some pointers for the future:
1) HAVE A PLAN. I know I keep saying it, but you want to have a consistant plan when you are drafting, know what your deck is missing, know what fills in the gaps, don't be afraid to take cards like coma veil, dreg reaver, spell snip, obelisks in your aggro deck, etc. Don't pass a mycoloth because you're afraid of a splash due to limited fixing, then take a jund battlemage 2 picks later because it's a powerful card. Don't ignore the fact that you have 2 knight of the skyward eyes, and are thus likely to splash at least one forest in your later picks.

2) TAKE FIXING. Creatures are important, but in a format where you are consistantly 3 colours, having a 6/6/5 mana base is going to cost you more games than having to play suboptimal creatures. A dreg reaver is only a 4/3 for 5, a carrion thrash is only better if you can get the mana in time.

3) KNOW WHAT YOUR DECKS STRATEGY IS. To be fair, you're ok on this point. There were several times later on you could have taken more expensive cards, but realised that you already had the top end of your curve sorted. p2p12 where you took reaver over cancel was a good indication that you at least have this point sorted out.

Hope that was useful.

dv8r

Ludz · Level 1 Judge Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 89

I agree with dv8r. Looked through the draft earlier, and it is just all over the place. Couldn't be bothered to write that though. Dv8r is right on all the points.

Dv8r: "No mention of Cancel here? The card is very solid, and probably better than cancel" <- Should be charm. And I'd pick Charm out of the two, cancel will probably table.

dv8r · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 239

cancel won't table on a good table (11th pick? :S), and yes, I meant charm

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1840

Yeah dv8rs advice is good, I should know ive took enough of it, thanks for that dv8r:P

SugarShark · Joined: 22 Mar 2009 Posts: 659

covenent of minds is a bomb when your deck is full of bombs
courier capsule is more a bomb than it is

no love for grixis battlemage? he does stuff

jedlen · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 6

Thanks for the comments. Sorry if you found this a waste of time, I found the whole thing amusing and shared it in that spirit.

1) Plan: My plan was an esper aggro, either UB on the back of sedraxis alchemist & parasitic strix, or WU flyers. The problem here is that all of this is heavily dependent on pack 3. So I wanted to grab some backups that could play in some kind of fat bant or 4 or 5 color monstrosity as a plan "b", and that at least partially motivated some of those picks (I remembered later that this was the reason for p2p6). Perhaps that's why you felt I was all over the place.

2) Fixing: I love fixing, but have an aversion to obelisks. I had multiple times last night where I would drop early beaters and they'd drop an obelisk letting my guys run through freely. However, in light of the fact that plan "a" was playables from pack 3, maybe I should have valued them higher here.

3) Thanks.

p1p3: Most of my draft experience is coming from RL. I'm used to seeing cancels late. I'll try to remember it shouldn't be so.

p1p4: You're probably right in that KotSE is the smarter choice. I think what tipped it for me was which would I rather play against. Gharial can be a huge headache.

p1p6: You know, I don't think I even noticed that. Still, I'm not sad to have the removal. I've played decks with no removal and hated it.

p1p7: At this point I'm picking a card for plan "a", not "b", so I go with the one that suits my deck, though if I were jund I might still take the dragger. Plus, I find the shroud on gharial much better than the flying on drake.

p2p2: Haha, it didn't escape my notice that he took the rare...I meant this in a karmic sense; pass good things and good things get passed to you (disclaimer: this is BAD draft policy, take it as advice at your own peril).