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Ilvaldi

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:34 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

--- description ---
If you haven’t tried it in a booster draft, go do so. The deck can play sometimes be better than the suggested Gruul. Read here on how my drafted games went with at the prerelease.
--- end description ---

First of all, I like to say how easy and fun it is to do booster drafting when comparing to sealed at a prerelease. Some of you would agree with me and some of you won’t. For those of you who don’t, let me give you my reasoning:

a) Instant matches.
You don’t have to wait for two hours every round.

b) Spike goes drafting with seven other timmies.
Though I’m not saying I am a Spike, I’m saying that the people you draft with have a motive as to drafting: "I want to rare draft," "I want to draft Izzet," "I want to draft Orzchov," and etc. Thus, if your motives are different from everyone else’s, then you have an advantage in getting what you want. If you don’t, then this could be a disadvantage.

c) Prizes.
They are alot easier to get since all you have to do is to beat your first opponent to be qualified for a pack of cards. Unlike sealed, as to you playing many matches in order for you win something.

d) More bang for the buck.
In booster drafting, you spend somewhere from 10 to 15 dollars. Sealed costs around 30. Tournament packs cost about 15 dollars. Three boosters are also about 15. No thanks, I prefer to play guildpact only in my prerelease, so I don’t want to waste an extra $15 when I can buy a tournament pack for a cheaper price somewhere else.

e) Wait, you have MORE of those?
In sealed, you get about one of every card. In booster, You can get multiples of the same card. Furthermore, you have the will to choose which card you like and which you don’t. Obviously, in sealed, you don’t have that luxury.

Now then, if that does not convince you why booster is more fun and easier to play than sealed, then have it your way. On to the main topic here.

When drafting for booster, I wanted to draft for Izzet just for fun. My intentions motivated me to not digress regardless if the cards I get didn’t sway to what I wanted.

Opening my first pack

Two key cards I see:

Gigadrowse
Skarrgan Firebird

I like the firebird, and I can see potential when playing it. However, I remained focused and chose the gigadrowse. No rare drafting. Ipass the pack to my left.

In my next pack, a gigadrowse opens to me again, but another card catches my eye.

Repeal XU

Return target nonland permanent with converted mana cost X to its owner’s hand.

Draw a card

You could say its a ripoff of disembowel. However, can disembowel target nonland permanents? Can it slow your oppnent down a turn? Also, can it make you draw a card?

I decided to draft the gigadrowse, however. I feal that consistency is better over variety. Interesting enough, when the pile comes back, no one drafted the card. Seeing that there was no better eye candy I went for it.

After that first segment of the draft draft, I scored myself these guys:

1 repeal
2 gigadrowse
1 torch drake
1 vedalken plotter
2 pyromatics
1 benedictions of moon
2 infiltrator’s magemark
2 Runeboggle
1 schismotivate
1 electrolyze
1 shadow lance

Second segment:

There were obvious cards that I drafted in this pile:

1 Wee dragonauts
1 Geletrode

Then I drafted the regular:

1 repeal
1 gigadrowse

Some okay cards for drafting:

2 leap of flame
2 Izzet boilerworks

Some unexpected cards that I would not have drafted but had no other better choice:

1 infiltrator’s magemark
1 runeboggle

Then there are the others:

1 benedictions of moon
1 silhana starfletcher
1 gatherer of graces
1 Guardian’s magemark
1 Beastmaster’s magemark

Overall, my total number of creatures were 4. No good, I hope I get some goods in my next pack.

Third Segment:

Getting nothing good, I sneak a peek to see what the person in my right is drafting. Izzet. No wonder I was getting crap. The guy drafted 2 dragonauts,
a cronarch, 2 geletrodes, and an electrolyze. Coincidential hate drafting.

Thus, I knew I had to play what I have. Looking at my deck, I had to make every single one of my spells count, replicate will have to be heavily utilized.

In order to get a good advantage over replicate, mana acceleration would be necessary. Ignoring every card, I drafted for 4 of the izzet signets and 2 boilworks. The other cards were train of thought, repeal, and a fourth gigadrowse. Stall and draw were what I need right now for this deck.

The rest of the drafted cards were two more leap of flames, and four other useless cards that don’t really contribute to the deck building.

Building the deck:

In the end, my result was:

Instants/Sorceries:

1 Schismotivate
1 electrolyze
1 train of thought
2 pyromatics
3 repeal
3 convolute
4 gigadrowse

Artifacts:

4 Izzet signet

Creatures:

1 Torch Drake
1 Vedalken Plotter
1 Geletrode
1 Wee Dragonauts

Lands:

4 Izzet boilworks
7 Islands
6 Mountains

With a total of four multicolor spells and 2 re spells, I wasn’t worried if the mana balance was a bit off since the signets and boilworks got that covered. Besides, they can help torch drake if I ever draw him.

Match 1:

First one took me three rounds with Gruul. A very rough start since the guy drafted cards like scab clan mauler. With the defense I set up, getting bloodthirst would be easy for him.

Round 1:

Opening hand didn’t look too good, so I mulligan. Luckily, the guy chose to go first when he won the cut, putting me back to seven card in my hand. Mana screw was what brought my opponent to the downfall in the game. Whishing to proceed no further in the round, he conceded and we move into round two.

Round 2:

The guy sideboards in his own pyromatics and he took down my geletrode. With that out of the way, I didn’t really have any matter of winning the game, so it was his victory.

Round 3:

Pulling off 7 damage with my dragonauts and schismotivate on turn four, thanks to mana acceleration from izzet signet. However, that was all the combat it ever saw as a pyromatics swated the dragonauts on my opponent’s turn. Improvising, I first repealed one of his creatures and drew a geletrode. With this guy, I was able to stop most of his blood thirst forces and ping in 3 damage. It was late game now, I performed a pyromatics for 4 damage at the end of the guy’s turn. Then I played one that I drew from the beginning of the game to burn him for 5. Life totals are now 15 to 1. No card in my hand. I need to top deck a finisher. My opponent cuts a third of my life total with his creatures. I REALLY need to top deck a burn spell. No creature in my deck can compete with his, and stalling can’t really stop the beatdown at this point. My opponent taps out and plays a skarrgan skybreaker and then ends his turn. This is it... Very Happy

. Electrolyze, my only burn spell left in the deck, wins me the game and match.

Match 2:

Again, 3 rounds, but I lose this time.

Round 1:

Within four turns, the guy pulls out four creatures and pulls a beatdown that I cannot stop. A quick lost for me.

Round 2:

A very close game. My opponent was mana screwed and I just dropped down a torch drake on turn three with the signet. I hit my opponent for 15 damage overall until he pulls a land and plays Douse in gloom on my drake. Recuperating, he pulls down a Orzhova, the Church of Deals and leeches my life. With a bit of leeching and a beatdown, my life total was 7 and his was 11. Didn’t draw a creature between those time periods, but plenty of runeboggle and gigadrowses to slow down the assault. After runeboggling my opponent, the drawed card turns out to be a gelectrode. Turning the tables, my gelectrode evened out the odds by taking out all of his creatures (they had toughnesses of 1s and 2s) and bringing our life totals to 4 and 8. With no creatures in play, his only weapon was leaching life. First, he eliminates the gelectrode with another douse in gloom. I now need to effectively put myself back to scale with the guy. I take his life-leeching land with the vedalken plotter, rendering my enemy completely useless. He tries to make a comeback with pilory of the sleepless. To counter back, I repealed my plotter and played him again, taking a plains. My opponent attempts to douse my plotter to gloom, but with another repeal, I make the save. I play the plotter and take a swamp. A church of deals, a plains, and swamp. Hmm, time to give the guy a taste of his own medicine. Game was going smooth until he manages to play an ostiary thrull. I realized I only had one burn left in my deck again, this time it was a pyromatics. Luckily, the only card left in my hand was a card drawn from repeal. A train of thought. Utilizing replication with my heavy load of mana, I drew seven cards during my turn, found my pyromatics, and, on my next turn, the guy gets burned down to 1. Then he gets leeched from his own land Very Happy

.

Round 3:

Shadow lance on turn two with a maverick. That was definitely over for me.

Assesment:

Some amazing plays happened when playing that deck, though it couldn’t beat some of the most well drafted decks, it did prove one thing: even if you get hate drafted, you could still manage to pull off a victory in situations like these. Not to mention, that this deck was able to beat a solid drafted Gruul deck. Thus, keep in mind Gruul is not always the best way to go in drafting in booster drafts. And obviously, this would be a poor man’s version of control in a draft. If you weren’t being hate drafted, do draft in more than one wee dragonauts and some torch drake.

And, after checking out Grail’s comments as to adding a part on some regrets, I would say that my most greatest regret was not understanding the replicate mechanic (see my reply). A better draft would have been the drafting of the fire bird (as many of you seem to agree). I will be humble: I am a moron for not drafting that bird and I could understand that it would be a game winning piece. However, even without I still won two booster packs--and any prize is satisfactory for me. Thus here are my advices:

a) sneak a peek at what the people next to you are drafting, you may be hate drafted.

b) know the mechanics of the cards you draft.

c) know the set that you draft, so you can figure out the bombs in the draft.

P.S. For those of you who were wondering where was the sequel to my hedious article on rbot, I figured that it wouldn’t be so easy to explain without the aid of images. Nor would it be for the original article. Thus, I digress.

Last edited by Ilvaldi on Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:02 pm; edited 2 times in total

Osion

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:25 pm

Joined: 17 Dec 2005 Posts: 62 Location: MD

Hey welcome back!!

/you are talking about only prereleases, right? Because at many other formats Draft is definitely more skill-intensive; actually I rarely think you get paired with many timmies, because they rarely have the knowledge to draft and thus play sealed. Seems everytime I draft no one raredrafts - I saw stuff like hunted phantasm and three dreams or whatever always lap the table.

That's just me. Regarding the money thing, it is probably a different situation for every player and not that much of a factor in format choice. I mean, come on, a magic player, however dedicated, isn't going to get anywhere if they can't afford to shell out 15$ every so often. My budget is something like 50+ a month, not counting special orders for important tourneys.

Your draft plays were interesting, a 4 creature deck in limited? You should have gotten smashed.

I can't speak much for your draft choices though - you say to keep an open mind in draft and yet it seemed like you were forcing Izzet - besides,

SKARRGAN FIREBIRD is a FREAKING BOMB

If I were the guy you passed it to, I'd be doing a happy dance. I suppose you could be forgiven if you made a good choice over it.

What did you pick instead?
A FRIGGING Gigadrowse?

Okay, I guess the only reasono you wouldn't get banished for such a blasphemous act is if you are heavily in another 2 colors and couldn't fit it it.

THIS WAS FIRST PICK???!?!?! OF FIRST PACK???!?!?!
AND RED WAS YOUR SECOND COLOR ANYWAY?

FIRST PICK Gigadrowse over Skarrgan Firebird?

...I'm cleaning up the puke from the floor.

Think of all those times a gelectrode dealt damage. wouldn't it have been awesome to day, take 1 and I pop out a 6/6 recurring flyer???!!?

Comments from anyone else that is as shocked as I am? Shocked

Osion

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:28 pm

Joined: 17 Dec 2005 Posts: 62 Location: MD

I reposted on finding something else

originally posted by Ilvaldi

Quote:

Utilizing replication with my heavy load of mana, I drew seven cards at the end of my opponent's turn

...You've got to teach me how to do that! Train of Thought is a sorcery.

Ilvaldi

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:49 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

Sorry, I meant to say on my turn for the train of thought (I'll edit that). Furthermore, I didn't really care about winning the draft, but felt more like playing for fun. It would be nice to see how well I can play against an opponent with the firebird and see if I could actually win. In fact, I did win against the person who had and played the firebird (he was the one playing Gruul; it was the third match). Besides, I wanted to draft for an izzet flavor. You would probably puke again if you read that sentance, but yeah, I like flavor.

Last edited by Ilvaldi on Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:54 pm; edited 2 times in total

Ilvaldi

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:52 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

Oh yeah, I guess I didn't make it clear that I wanted to draft izzet REGARDLESS OF WHAT I GOT. So, I was forcing to draft izzet.

La_Sin_Grail

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:32 pm

Joined: 14 Aug 2005 Posts: 806 Location: Maryland

Wow... I know you can do better than that. This mirrors your article point for point.

A) I finished my sealed in just over four hours.
B) I draft to win, I play sealed to win. There's not really any difference. I don't think anybody would really pass anything good (except you taking gigadrowse...)
C) I got a lot more. My eleven packs for not quite 4-0 were far better than anything from the booster drafts. Far, far better.
D) If you win sealed, or even do well, it's at least as good in draft. And it's not single elimination, which is always nice.
E) It takes more skill to build when you don't get four of the best cards.

You remained focused when picking drowse? First off, you're drafting R/U. So, R is focused. Second off, it's amazing! Third off, rare drafting is fun Smile

Repeal is incredible. I would take one good card over one okay card no matter how many copies of the okay one I have.

Nobody really wants to see what finished okayish. People want to see winning decks. You could have written something on how you could have picked better, or something useful to people who plan on drafting...

Ilvaldi

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:47 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

Call me a newb, but you have forced me to go to an explanation that I didn't want to explain due to the fact that it would extend my article. I don't like to write a long article. Well, the reason why I did not drafted the bird was because I did not understand the mechanic of replicate. I thought that the drowse + replicate= more than one spell. Thus, I decided to draft that over the bird, since it could pump my soon-to-be-drafted dragonaut to rediculously high levels. Later on, I realized that I couldn't do that when my second opponent told me about it in our first round (that was the first time I tried to pull off that illegal combo; never got the chance to do that in the last game). Because of that error, it costed me the game. So I was an idiot for that. However, my plaus and luck were able to balance that out for me.

Hmm, well your suggestion is pretty nice about how I should write some regrets in my assessment portion of the article. I'll go edit that, thanks! Very Happy

Ilvaldi

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:17 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

by the way:

Rare drafting is the drafting of pointless rares that you would never incorporate in a drafted deck. What your saying is if you draft a rare to incorporate in a drafted deck.

In booster drafts, you could win games within an hour and thirty minutes. Thus, you get fatser play time and more oppurtunities to win prizes. With that in mind, You could win one match in each in two booster drafts to earn four booster packs within three hours, get more new cards than sealed (if your in a prerelease that is prereleasing the second or third set in a block), and pay as much as the sealed. Therefore, you have to be 2-0 to win four booster packs. In sealed, you have to be 2-1-1 in order to win any. Not to mention, booster draft tests your skill in booster drafting, not deck building. Sure, you could say that it booster drafting is easier of deck building, but wouldn't it just support the statment I made earlier that booster draft is easier?

La_Sin_Grail

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:49 pm

Joined: 14 Aug 2005 Posts: 806 Location: Maryland

Rare drafting is trying to grab some extra tradables instead of cards of questionable usefulness (gigadrowse). I know what rare drafting is, and you've been in many drafts with me- I always rare draft and never finish with a losing record.

If you go 4-0 in sealed (the same as two 2-0's in two drafts), you get 16 packs. And one sealed will take less time. You didn't include drafting time in you time.

Booster draft is easier. I never said it wasn't. Just don't confuse easier with better. Easier makes it easier for your opponents, too.

Ilvaldi

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:42 pm

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 59 Location:

Grail, I never seen you play in a draft nor seal. I never played against you in either formats too.

My drafting time took me two hours.

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