Locations
Welcome to another addition of Very Limited. Over the last few weeks, we’ve explored some of the best archetypes for BTT drafting. Knowing how to draft a particular deck gives us confidence that we’re taking the right cards as we go deeper into pack two. Today, we’ll be concluding our series of columns on BTT Draft archetypes by talking about the best aggressive Draft strategy in the format, Green/White.
What Is Our G/W Deck Trying to Do?
G/W comes out swinging and never stops turning sideways thanks to a seemingly endless stream of combat tricks. Decks like this have terminal velocity in most Limited formats; we can steal the game a good portion of the time, but a small hiccup or a reasonable curve from the opponent will usually spell disaster. BTT isn’t most formats, though, and the bestow mechanic allows even the most aggressive archetype to have a lot of strength as we go deeper into the game.
When Should We Be Drafting G/W?
It’s important that we remember to stay open when drafting BTT. Born of the Gods is a much weaker Limited set than Theros, and we’d rather set ourselves up nicely for packs two and three than cross our fingers and hope that everything falls into place. We should focus on remembering what cards we’ve passed more than what cards we’ve taken during our Born of the Gods pack. This information should give us a clearer picture of the decks being played by the players on our left. After the first pack, we should have a mishmash of playable cards and knowledge that we passed very little of one to three colors.
Of course, there are bombs and occasions when we’re able to pick up multiple copies of a cornerstone common or uncommon in the first pack. We can steer our deck in a particular direction to accommodate those picks.
It’s rare that I’m set on a color anywhere in pack one, barring situations in which I open a very good rare and am passed a couple strong, on-color treats to go with it. Sometimes, it’s just there, though. Swordwise Centaur is the worst offender. It’s a great card in this format, it comes down and beats for a lot of damage, and it isn’t blanked by Nyxborn Triton or Felhide Minotaur, like a lot of the 2-drops in the format are. It’s easy to be a big fan of Swordwise Centaur, but it can be harder to accept the implications of taking Swordwise Centaur as high as we should.
I tend to avoid white in this format, but the G/W deck is an exception. We still want the same cards as our fellow white drafters, but the scraps are much better in our deck than they would be in theirs. Why? Well, let’s say we’re R/W, W/B, or W/U: We’re leaning on white for our best creatures in any of these color combinations. Sure, Battlewise Valor is a fine card, but we’d much rather be taking a reasonable, on-color body for our deck. This isn’t an issue for the G/W deck—we’ll still be taking the best heroic and bestow creatures above the tricks, but we’ll be happy to pick up the tricks that our neighbors are forced to pass.
Let’s Talk Pick Orders!
- Brimaz, King of Oreskos
- Eidolon of Countless Battles
- Hero of Iroas
- Courser of Kruphix
- Hunter's Prowess
- Ornitharch
- Akroan Skyguard
- Glimpse the Sun God
- Archetype of Courage
- Fated Intervention
- Hero of Leina Tower
- Reap What Is Sown
- Raised by Wolves
- Swordwise Centaur
- Vanguard of Brimaz
- Nessian Wilds Ravager
- Ghostblade Eidolon
- Nyxborn Wolf
- Nyxborn Shieldmate
- Scourge of Skola Vale
- Elite Skirmisher
- Oreskos Sun Guide
- Noble Quarry
- Pheres-Band Tromper
- Graverobber Spider
- Setessan Oathsworn
- Nessian Demolok
- Snake of the Golden Grove
- Spirit of the Labyrinth
- Mortal's Resolve
- Mortal's Ardor
- Setessan Starbreaker
- Aspect of Hydra
- Silent Sentinel
- Pheres-Band Raiders
- Unravel the Aether
- Akroan Phalanx
- Excoriate
- Great Hart
To Recap
Best uncommons:
Best commons:
Now We’ll Take a Look at Theros!
- Elspeth, Sun's Champion
- Polukranos, World Eater
- Celestial Archon
- Fabled Hero
- Arbor Colossus
- Spear of Heliod
- Boon Satyr
- Bow of Nylea
- Phalanx Leader
- Hundred-Handed One
- Heliod's Emissary
- Wingsteed Rider
- Mistcutter Hydra
- Leafcrown Dryad
- Sylvan Caryatid
- Voyaging Satyr
- Dauntless Onslaught
- Nylea's Emissary
- Nessian Asp
- Nemesis of Mortals
- Observant Alseid
- Time to Feed
- Gods Willing
- Favored Hoplite
- Nessian Courser
- Sedge Scorpion
- Anthousa, Setessan Hero
- Divine Verdict
- Hopeful Eidolon
- Reverent Hunter
- Feral Invocation
- Heliod, God of the Sun
- Ordeal of Heliod
- Ordeal of Nylea
- Nylea's Disciple
- Centaur Battlemaster
- Staunch-Hearted Warrior
- Nylea, God of the Hunt
- Evangel of Heliod
- Soldier of the Pantheon
- Battlewise Valor
- Savage Surge
- Warriors' Lesson
- Chosen by Heliod
- Lagonna-Band Elder
- Artisan's Sorrow
- Gift of Immortality
- Vulpine Goliath
- Ray of Dissolution
- Leonin Snarecaster
- Traveling Philosopher
- Cavalry Pegasus
- Silent Artisan
- Vanquish the Foul
- Ephara's Warden
- Setessan Battle Priest
To Recap
Best uncommons:
Best commons:
Armed with this knowledge, drafting G/W should be a breeze. G/W offers up the best aggressive strategy in the BTT Draft format. It should be noted that taking cards that kill flyers with our later picks can be rewarding here. Limited sideboarding is very important in the current format.
Next week, we’ll begin taking a look at Journey into Nyx. We’ll discuss early card evaluations in an effort to improve our chances at the prerelease. In the meantime, we should brush up on our Limited skills by reading the following columns: Very Limited, Theros Sealed, and Sideboarding in Limited. These columns lay a strong groundwork for success at the Journey into Nyx prerelease.
