Lobster667's DKA Draft #2

http://www.raredraft.com/watch?d=33hwe


I really want some feedback on this deck - I felt like it was extremely promising, but I got out-aggroed by a R/G deck (splashing black) in the first match and was eliminated from the tournament. I want opinions on this: Did I make the right picks? Did I build the right deck? How good does my deck look? What would you expect of it?

Cheers,
Lobster667.

Smerle's DKA draft #1

I definitely went into this one wanting to force UW aggro, as I thought that archetype would be strong.  Turned out pretty well, especially with the Shield's Fateful Hour trick, but ended up losing to a BW deck that was just able to put out as many creatures and had the guy that would tap and create tokens.

http://www.raredraft.com/watch?d=33e1v

Finished 2-1.

LOBSTER667's DKA Draft

Dark Ascension's kicked off with the online prerelease drafts, and I bit the pricy bullet and gave triple Dark Ascension draft a shot! I have to say, it's an extremely interesting format when you take into account that it's three packs of the same small set. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm looking forward to the more reasonably priced queues of it that will be available February 22nd thru March 7th (I advice you all to give those a shot!).

I ended up going 2-1 in the swiss here, losing the first round to a really good deck in esper colors displaying several Hollowhenge Spirits, a Drogskol Captain and a Havengul Lich (who, in game two, ended up bringing my Drogskol Reaver back - it was epic, even if I was at the retrieving end of it!).

I don't recall a lot from my second match, my deck came really well together and just really squished my opponent, but my third match was really interesting - my opponent was in R/G, playing wolves/werewolves with at least two Immerwolves (he had both out at the same time in game two!), which made me bring in the Wolfhunter's Quiver (which sadly got eaten by a Crushing Vines). I had won the first game but was on the defensive the whole game two until I could flash back Lingering Souls and keep my opponent at bay for long enough to play my Reaver. It stuck and took over the game, which means I ended up winning the match 2-0.

What do you guys think? Did I make the right choices in the draft? Would you have built the deck otherwise?

(I already gave Lobster a hard time about doing a pre-release draft... you don't need to)


http://www.raredraft.com/watch?d=338nq

Cheers,
Lobster667.

LOBSTER667 evaluates faithless looting

As a follow-up to last week's discussion on the show (w. Joe Bono) on the card Faithless Looting, I decided to simulate a couple of DKA/ISD/ISD drafts where I made the rule that I had to pick and play any Faithless Lootings I saw. I think it would be interesting to post them for discussion on the blog (are the decks good? Does the Lootings do enough? Etc...).

Our friend, NEX3 has a live question

Hi there,

I drafted a deck with real cardboard tonight that I'd be interested in some feedback on. I certainly don't remember all the picks, but I have pictures of all the cards that might plausibly go in it: http://imgur.com/a/vr2Ks . What I'm wondering of the draft help community is, given those cards, how would they build this UG spider spawning deck? If we're going to play 17 lands and 23 spells, what six cards do we cut, and why? After that, what's our land ratio? Do we play the Drownyard, or are we too concerned about colored mana?

Deranged_Hermit's ISD Draft #3

http://www.raredraft.com/watch?d=32iik

this was a really fun draft. i took a couple chances early with the curse and the drownyard, and they really paid off. i won in a multitude of ways in this swiss. only losing in the last match due to mana screw in both games.

my strategy was to go for the lab maniac win in G1, w/o curses (i've found the curses are too hard to control when trying to get the lab maniac out of the yard. especially in multiples. perhaps this in't the case, i just had enough playables to get by w.o them).  then in G2 i would side out the maniacs and the mem's journey and bring in the curses and additional 'mill-you' cards. and with the alchemist hitting the board in multiple games, it just gets you there.

neat combo btw... undead alchemist and occultist. mill them a few times with a dream twist/drownyard, get some duders from the alchemist, swing in and force them to either block or take 'damage' that creates more milling and more duders.

lost in the "finals" after a game 1 win, with two games of mana screw. M3G2 things were going fine. put a curse on him, then played armored skaab, milling my drownyard (frown). then he fills his board up, plays the skirsdag high-priest. i have victim in hand but i never find a second swamp and he beats me with demons about 5 turns later while he's at 11 cards in library (my math isn't great... but the drownyard over those turns would've gotten me there).

M3G3 i keep a one lander (forest) and a mulch in hand, on the draw. you know how it goes... no 2nd land until turn 5. he curves out and beats me before i get to draw/play the 2nd land. that's how it goes doesn't it

Deranged_Hermit's ISD #2

http://www.raredraft.com/watch?d=32asx

another disappointing draft that lacked a solid direction. i recognize this and know that i need to be more focused in my drafting strategy.  too many times i just take the best card in the pack, hoping that people surrounding me will pass me more good cards in the colors i decide to play.

if i was more adept at reading signals, i would've abandoned white a lot earlier, and gone BUG self mill with the spawning. dont recall however seeing a single gnaw to the bone. but had several shots for enablers in blue while it was being passed, along with overall solid removal and tempo adv.

BUG is my favorite archetype to draft, although i just didn't have the tools to take advantage of the spawning, or the juggernauts. if i had 3 or 4 total mulches, and sac outlet like a hauberk or disciple to untap and keep the juggs attacking, i would've been a lot more comfortable and would've had a great shot in the finals. but as it was, i steamrolled a couple of lesser opponents, and lost 0-2 to the very focused and solidly built UW aggro/tempo.dek


until next time