Drafting with Big Nass, AVR #3

Posted on July 2, 2012

And we’re back. Success in this format continues to elude me, and each Draft I do eats away at my winnings from the previous format. I have a better idea of archetypes since the last Draft I posted, but let’s just say I’m looking forward to the release of the core set. I can’t believe I just said that. As I’ve said before, these are mostly for entertainment value. Text recap follows the video links.

Draft

Match 1, Game 1

Match 1, Game 2

Match 1, Game 3

Pack 1, Pick 1:

My Pick:

I like Angel's Tomb a lot, but it does require you to have a bunch of creatures in your deck. Since removal is generally hard to come by, I’m pretty happy to first-pick a Shock.

Pack 1, Pick 2:

My Pick:

It kind of sucks that the best cards I’ve passed are white, but I’m not passing up a Banishing Stroke.

Pack 1, Pick 3:

My Pick:

Gallows at Willow Hill is fine; it’s just really slow. I’d rather have less situational removal such as Defang.

Pack 1, Pick 4:

My Pick:

Don’t mind if I do. I like having my first four picks be removal spells.

Pack 1, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Not much to say here. There’s exactly one playable in the pack. Classic Avacyn Restored.

Pack 1, Pick 6:

My Pick:

The pick between Farbog Explorer and Gang of Devils is actually pretty close, but I’m a sucker for value. If I had a reason to jam a bunch of Humans in my deck, I’d go with the Explorer, but based on what I’ve drafted so far, I’m going with the Gang of Devils.

Pack 1, Pick 7:

My Pick:

Luke Wilson’s reaction was pretty similar to mine. I really wish I took the Explorer last pack, but I left my Crystal Ball in my other pants.

Pack 1, Pick 8:

My Pick:

Another close pick. Again, I’m not sure if I want to jam a bunch of Humans in my deck yet. Defy Death works pretty well with the Voice of the Provinces I’ve already drafted. If I can pick up an Archangel, that’ll be a big game.

Pack 1, Pick 9:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 10:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 11:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 12:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 13:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 14:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 15:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 1:

My Pick:

R/W mono-removal, here we come! If my deck was more on the aggressive side, I’d go with Thunderous Wrath.

Pack 2, Pick 2:

My Pick:

I’m dangerously short on creatures, but it’s pretty safe to assume that one of these red or white creatures will table.

Pack 2, Pick 3:

My Pick:

I don’t have anything in my deck that rewards having a bunch of Humans, but it’s still early, and I feel that Fervent Cathar has a bigger payoff than Moonlight Geist, even if the latter is a better card on the surface.

Pack 2, Pick 4:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 6:

My Pick:

After playing this format, I’ve decided that I hate Righteous Blow. It never kills anything. Holy Justiciar, while slow, does deal with almost anything.

Pack 2, Pick 7:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 8:

My Pick:

It’s a start.

Pack 2, Pick 9:

My Pick:

I like Heirs of Stromkirk a lot in U/R, but in R/W, you really need 2-drops.

Pack 2, Pick 10:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 11:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 12:

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Pack 2, Pick 13:

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Pack 2, Pick 14:

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Pack 2, Pick 15:

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Pack 3, Pick 1:

My Pick:

Yep. Pick one: exactly one playable. What a great format.

Pack 3, Pick 2:

My Pick:

I don’t think I have enough Humans to justify playing Vigilante Justice. As I mentioned before, I hate Righteous Blow and will take almost any decent playable over it. That leaves Falkenrath Exterminator, which in my experience is awesome half the time and terrible the other.

Pack 3, Pick 3:

My Pick:

Turn-four Mad Prophet discarding Archangel into turn-five Defy Death is a BIG GAME.

Pack 3, Pick 4:

My Pick:

MOAR MIRACLES.

Pack 3, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Pack 3, Pick 6:

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Pack 3, Pick 7:

My Pick:

I feel that I have enough 6-mana cards in my deck, so I’m going to go with something slightly cheaper than a Voice of the Provinces.

Pack 3, Pick 8:

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Pack 3, Pick 9:

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Pack 3, Pick 10:

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Pack 3, Pick 11:

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Pack 3, Pick 12:

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Pack 3, Pick 13:

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Pack 3, Pick 14:

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Pack 3, Pick 15:

My Pick:

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Here’s what I submitted:

"R/W Mono-Removal"

I was happy with the deck for the most part. I like any Draft deck that has a bunch of removal spells, and this deck definitely has that. I ended up losing in the first round to a deck that had both Terminus and Angel of Glory's Rise. He played both in the games that I lost, and there wasn’t much I could have done. Not that I played perfectly—far from it.

For instance, I didn’t realize that Fervent Cathar had haste, and I missed 2 points of damage one game. I ended up winning that game anyway, but it was pretty close to being relevant. Feel free to leave a comment if you saw a way I could have won either of the games I lost. I may not always reply, but I always read the comments.

Until next time, may you be the one with the bomb rares and not your opponent.

Nassim Ketita

arcticninja on Magic Online

www.youtube.com/nketita

TAGS articles, draft, video, limited, drafting, analysis, nassim ketita, avacyn restored