Man, I never get to play Grixis. Until today, that is.
Pack 1
Pick 1
Spoiler:
4 strong red cards in this 4 pack - Skeletonize, Naya Charm, Bull Cerodon, and the less powerful Vithian Stinger. This gave me a strong initial feeling to stay the hell away from red, to avoid fighting over it with my neighbours. However, these was nothing in the other colors even remotely 1st pick material.
And then it hit me - if I send the guys to my left Naya Charm & Bull Cerodon, at least one of them will play Naya. Naya is 2 blocks away from Grixis, even though they share a color (it's virtually impossible not to share a color with anyone in Alara).
I take the highly effective Skeletonize and plan on a Grixis deck.
My pick:
Pick 2
Spoiler:
Drafting is always about balancing the signals you send with the signals you receive. In this pack, There were signals to Bant and Jund, but no Grixis. Nevertheless, I gambled and insisted on drafting Dregescape Zombie instead of taking the Thunder-Thrash Elder or switching to another tribe.
My pick:
Pick 3
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Success! It looks like someone to my right wants me to play Grixis after all. I take the Ogre and keep the strong Naya signals going to my left.
My pick:
Pick 4
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Another drege. I feel more comfortable picking this one 4th than my 2nd pick.
My pick:
Pick 5
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My pick:
Pick 6
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Another general for the Unearth army.
My pick:
Pick 7
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My pick:
Pick 8
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I usualy play the Dragger even when not in Grixis, this is my first chance at actually building a Grixis deck - of course its in it!
(Note the Memory Erosion, we'll come back to it later)
My pick:
Pick 9
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On the other hand, I never play the leouto, it always seems out of place. But it might play better in Grixis (and there's nothing else worth considering besides Coma Veil).
My pick:
Pick 10
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I choose the Silencers instead of hate drafting, because I'm only playing the guy 4 seats away from me. Fat chance Windwright Mage will make it all the way there.
My pick:
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
Pack 2
Pick 1
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3 options here in varying degrees of viability. Maga Spray and Blister Beetle are good cards, but I prefer the long term control of Blood Cultist.
My pick:
Pick 2
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Woot, I can build the army of darkness! A quick count shows 5 zombies and skeletons already (counting the one generated by Skeletonize, of course).
My pick:
Pick 3
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Not sure this way the right decision, I picked the Iguanar here even though I had 0 mana fixers so far.
My pick:
Pick 4
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My pick:
Pick 5
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My pick:
Pick 6
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Finally after all the beetles I pass, I get to keep one.
My pick:
Pick 7
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The value of both the skeleton and the zombie in this pack is slightly increased because I have the Death Baron. I could go either way here, perhaps it was better to take the Kathari as I have only 1 flier so far!
My pick:
Pick 8
Spoiler:
This is exactly the number one reason Leotau and other Unearth creeps play so much better in Grixis.
My pick:
Pick 9
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My pick:
Pick 10
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I find myself often drafting Swerve but never playing it! Probablly this means something.
The usually great Dawnray Archer is just a 2/2 exalted in this deck, and I already have 2 Leotaus.
My pick:
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
Pack 3
Pick 1
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No comments.
My pick:
Pick 2
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My pick:
Pick 3
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Another Connoisseur is tempting but I prefer the growing flier at the moment.
My pick:
Pick 4
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Lucky, being fed well from my right!
My pick:
Pick 5
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My pick:
Pick 6
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His black ability is the most relevant one anyway.
My pick:
Pick 7
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A second Agny Warp is exactly what this deck needed!
My pick:
Pick 8
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A chance for another flier that can be 4/3 if The Master is in play.
My pick:
Pick 9
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My pick:
Pick 10
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Volcanic Submerssion would have been better than hate drafting here. Or not.
My pick:
Pick 11
Spoiler:
I can't chance this getting to my opponent, it kills my deck.
My pick:
I’m rather pleased with this draft. I haven’t played Aggro in a while, and this is a chance to practice. The funny thing is I played against a rather bad deck. Game one ended in about 5 turns, with a full assult by an army of undeads lead by the Baron. In game two, surprise surprise, my opponent played Memory Erosion! Against an Unearth deck!
Most spells I played gave me additional Unearth creatures, and although it took a bit more time (I got to 10 cards in my library), he couldn’t resist the never ending parade from the grave.
I haven’t found any walkthrough yet for Shards of Alara, so I wanted to write one, even though I only drafted the set a couple of times and only on Net Draft. I also noticed that many draft walkthrough I see are not visual, so a person who doesn’t know the new set yet has to find the cards to understand what’s going on. A little bit of programming, and I created the Magic Draft Walkthrough Creator – anyone can just upload a saved replay from Net Draft and get a full visual walkthrough template. So without further delays, here is my humble first walkthrough for a Shards draft.
Pack 1
Pick 1
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My pick: Jund is a very strong clan, and I've seen some Devour 2 creatures get to 10/10. Grixis Charm is sweet but not a first pick here.
Pick 2
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My pick: Nothing in this pack beats the efficiency of Executioner's Capsule. While less powerful with all the multicolored spells, Dark Banishing it still very good (even if it's not a pure instant) .
Pick 3
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My pick: Probablly not strictly the best card in the pack, the Devour 2 on Thorn-Thrash Viashino looks promising. A couple of turns worth of the battlemage, and this baby will be huge.
Pick 4
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My pick: I like to grab in-color obelisks whenever I can. This builds a strong mana base and opens the possibility for a fourth color if I see anything worth while. Besides, nothing else in this pack I want.
Pick 5
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My pick: Mostodon is a solid pick, it triggers the various 5-power goodness if I happen to grab any and it's single green mana makes it easier to put other heavy color cards in, knowning I'll always be able to cast something while waiting for my colors.
Pick 6
Spoiler:
My pick: In retrospective it's possible I should have picked Sangrite Surge to go on some flyer I pick up, but here I chose the solid but otherwise unexciting Carrion Thrash (although one has to remember it plays along with Devour to bring back your dudes)
Pick 7
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My pick: Another mistake here, going to a double-white 7 CC creature instead of the in-color cycler Jungle Weaver. Live and learn.
Pick 8
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My pick: Nothing good in this pack, so I continue my excursion into white with the cycler.
Pick 9
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My pick: I take the obvious fixer here, I don't care much for haste-givers and it can't power up Devour creatures if it's sacrificed to them.
Pick 10
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My pick: Nice! A 10-th pick obelisk in my colors. This might make it possible to splash white if want.
Pick 11
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My pick: Woot, another obelisk. I just can't get enough, though I probablly won't play them all.
Pick 12
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My pick: I take yet another one, it has two of my colors if I decide to include white. Not sure it will happen, but Angelsong doesn't seem to do a lot for my deck.
Pick 13
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My pick: Less trashy card.
Pick 14
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Pack 2
Pick 1
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My pick: I'm conflicted on Goblin Assault, yet another Jund-enabler (even though its critters might die easily). Still, 2 damage to everything at instant speed plus the versatility makes it impossible not to pick Jund Charm.
Pick 2
Spoiler:
My pick: Another mistake, I took the druid here over the stinger. How many fixers must a man play? The druid is not a bad card for me, but the pinger trumps it and combos with other damage dealers I will have.
Pick 3
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My pick: Another Jund bomb - 3 mana for a combined 6/6, that can be sacrificed for much profit. Naya battlemage is another solid card here, but I have some good removal so I can live without the tapper.
Pick 4
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My pick: Now that's what I'm talking about. All this draft I'm waiting for more Thorn-Thrash Viashno, and here they come. This is a kind of multilpication thing - take enough of factor A (token generators) and enough of factor B (strong devourers) so you reap the huge benefits.
Pick 5
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My pick: I have a lack of fliers, and this guy will grow large fast if I start eating up my other dudes.
Pick 6
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My pick: I'm assuming I'll always have some kind of body, so this will mostly be a 3-CC instant removal for at least 2-3 damage.
Pick 7
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My pick: Removal - you grab it even if it's medicore or worse.
Pick 8
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My pick: Lucky 3rd Viashno. These guys will party.
Pick 9
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My pick: I don't have too many high CC creatues, and this one fill the curve with a fat 5/5 body.
Pick 10
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My pick: Nothing here is playable, so I cut the stronger card.
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick: I'm unsure if I'll have enough large creatures, but it's playable and it produces mana (albit colorless).
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
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My pick:
Pack 3
Pick 1
Spoiler:
My pick: Some tempting cards here, from Naya Charm (a strong finisher, but I'm not sure I'm white), and Qasali Ambusher which just looks cool but again is off my colors. Then I see Infest - dillema over.
Pick 2
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My pick: First card in the pack, first pick. Another battlemage to feed the hunger.
Pick 3
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My pick: Nothing exciting here, so I pick the 4/4 body.
Pick 4
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My pick: I don't have too many combat tricks, and even without the cycling option this is nice.
Pick 5
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My pick: I won't play a 3rd Carrion Thrash, so I settle for another Firestoker.
Pick 6
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My pick: While not the best of removals, it takes care of anything and I have some critters I wouldn't mind sacing, including token saporlings.
Pick 7
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My pick: A late blood cultist!
Pick 8
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My pick: In-color obelisk to complete my collection.
Pick 9
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My pick:
Pick 10
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My pick: Another Viashino, I've lost count already.
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
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My pick:
Sadly I don't have war stories or the deck I ended up building, I didn't think I'd be writing a walkthrough. Will do better next time.
My pick: The Angel is top tier (probablly constructed material too, not that I play). I don't see an obvious second pick here, so I'm not sure what the player I'm feeding will pick, but my bet is on Agony Warp, which is my enemy colors and thus perfect for me.
Pick 2
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My pick: Drumhunter is the pick here, by the raw card advantage, and it combos with the Angel (after attacking, it's power is 5!)
Pick 3
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My pick: Another 5 power creature, looks like a fatty deck.
Pick 4
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My pick: I took the platoon here because it's a fatty and has a huge impact once it lives, but the druid might have been better to power this deck up.
Pick 5
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My pick: I've heard people complain about the high cost of these cyclers, and I don't understand - this card is very solid 2 for 1 card even without any cycling sugar included.
Pick 6
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My pick: I like the obelisks but can't resist the temptation of another efficient prehistoric animal.
Pick 7
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My pick: Nothing here I really want, because having two Platoons in one deck seems too much. In retrospective, I should have picked Ridge Rannet beacuse of its cycling ability, and this pick didn't make the deck.
Pick 8
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My pick: I ran out of white and green cards, and the riders seems to go along with the exalted angel
Pick 9
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My pick: Still unsure if my 3rd color is blue or red, I take the strong Stinger/pinger.
Pick 10
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My pick: Nothing good to pick here, I go with the weak battlemage because it can fly up my heavy-hitters.
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
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My pick:
Pack 2
Pick 1
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My pick: The Monk is as efficient as they get, grab any you see if you're in the right colors. Resounding Silence is also a good pick, as it removes practically anything (without shroud), but my deck could use cheap efficient creatures.
Pick 2
Spoiler:
My pick: Bant Charm is tempting, because it virtually removes any creature for 3 mana, plus has some interesting alternatives. Nevertheless, Fatesticher is reusable in more way than one, so I pick it.
Pick 3
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My pick: A bit wimpy, but this cheap unblockable could be boosted by Exalted and deliver the final points of damage to an opponent.
Pick 4
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My pick: No interesting spells, but unlike most of my previous drafts I haven't picked up a single obelisk so this comes just in time.
Pick 5
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My pick: I never play "Win more" cards so Emergence is out of the question even though it goes with my theme. I took another Exalted, but ended up not playing it because I had more interesting choices at that mana cost.
Pick 6
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My pick: This guy is another story - it's costed just right to start the offensive and it's effective late game as well.
Pick 7
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My pick: I took the fixer over the Roar, preferring the consistency.
Pick 8
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My pick: I like this "wall" more than most other similar walls because it's effective late game as well, if you play the exalted game and attack alone.
Pick 9
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My pick: A close call here, the blessing is very strong. I end up picking the drake for lack of fliers and its 3/3 body.
Pick 10
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My pick:
Pick 11
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My pick: Another efficient package - I think many Alara cards might be slightly over the usual power curve.
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
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My pick: Yay, a solid 14-th pick! (for this deck especially)
Pack 3
Pick 1
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My pick: A weak first pick, nothing to write home about.
Pick 2
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My pick: Now we're talking!
Pick 3
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My pick: I loved it in Lorwyn and I'm loving it now. So far, whenever Wizards give us planeswalkers they gave us the O-ring.
Pick 4
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My pick: I take this delayer instead of the cycler, already have a number of high CC spells.
Pick 5
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My pick: Still no obelisks but this druid is just as good.
Pick 6
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My pick: I'm not decided about Minion Reflector. It can annoy, but not enough, and in this deck I probablly won't have the 2 mana to activate it. I usually don't draft artifact or enchantment removal, but the versatility and low cost of Naturalize convinces me.
Pick 7
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My pick: Didn't really mean to use it, but I saw no real alternative.
Pick 8
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My pick:
Pick 9
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My pick: I think Spell Snip is good, even though so far I've always cycled it rather than use it.
Pick 10
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My pick:
Pick 11
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My pick:
Pick 12
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My pick:
Pick 13
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My pick:
Pick 14
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My pick:
So, what have we here?
1 Battlegrace Angel
1 Drumhunter
2 Mostodons
1 Rockcaster Platoon
2 Rhox Raw Monks
1 Fatesticher
1 Jhessian Infiltrator
1 Waveskimmer Aven
1 Sigiled Paladin
1 Guardians of Akrasa
1 Cloudheath Drake
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Yoked Plowbeast
1 Druid of the Anima
1 Resounding Roar
1 Angelsong (for the cycling, mostly)
2 Spell snips
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Excommunicate
1 Naturalize
1 Bant Panorama
5 Islands
5 Forests
6 Plains
Game 1 - Rhox kicks on turn 3, to be followed by a turn 5 Angel and game over. Game 2 - Drumhunts is simply insane, drawing me about 7 cards and drowning my opponent. Platoon finishes the game. Game 3 - I delay the game with Fatesticher until Platoon shows up and closes the deal.
What I like about this block is that you don't have to pick a single theme and stick by that alone, there's a lot of bleeding through the colors.
While my colors here are Bant's, I have a nice Naya thing going with Drumhunter without playing a single red card.
This walkthrough is about the good kind of 4-color. The kind you plan around pick 2-3, grab the best bombs in the packs and smash head. Of course, after this one, I’ve had the worst 4-color draft ever, barely having 21 playables over four colors!
Let’s see what made this draft so good.
Pack 1
Pick 1
Spoiler:
The monk is a stronger card, leaving a clear signal to the guy I'm feeding - take Prince of Thrals and play my opposite colors. Then feed me well in the 2nd pack!
My pick:
Pick 2
Spoiler:
Great! Cruel ultimatum is just what I needed to keep the signaling going. I take the ring and let several people I'm feeding fight over red.
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