Draft Report - Dec 8, 2010

Since we had a holiday in the middle of the week, we had a small 4-person draft here on Wednesday evening, and it might have been the most balanced one with my cube.

- WR Aggro (2-1, 5-3)
- UR Control Counter-Burn (2-1, 5-4)
- WBG (1-2, 4-5)
- UB Aggro-Control (1-2, 3-5)

WR Aggro

9 Plains
8 Mountain

Ghost-Lit Redeemer
Soul Warden
Plated Geopede
Kiln Fiend
Fire Imp
Soltari Crusader
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Noggle Bandit
Brion Stoutarm
Celestial Crusader
Emeria Angel
Tephraderm
Firemane Angel
Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Bonesplitter
Trip Noose
Magma Jet
Temporal Isolation
Disenchant
Vulshok Battlegear
Crusher Zendikon
Prison Term
Ray of Distortion

A pretty strong Boros beatdown deck with elements that dillute the aggressiveness a bit but ensure a good fight even in the late game with the angels, equipments and artifact/enchantment hate. Some draws are plain aggressive, able to finish quickly a game in which the opponent stumbled, while in others the deck plays more like aggro-control, bashing with some unblockable creature while life gain and disruption keep the opposition offense at bay.

Although I won this match 2-1, it was a struggle. In game 1 I was killed by an early Akroma, Angel of Wrath after spending my counter on a Trip Noose and not drawing Meloku the Clouded Mirror. Classic misplay. In game 2, we had a long attrition war, eventually won by card advantage via Pyroclasm, after which I stabilized and got to slowly kill my opponent with a Drake. In game 3 I take out three creatures with a Pyroclasm, but that doesn't mean her Brion Stoutarm, Tephraderm and Celestial Crusader dont't cause me trouble. Eventually I stabilize with Slice and Dice and an active Meloku, but at a frail 1 life. Future Sight and a leveled Lighthouse Chronologist help me go off and start to beat for 7-8 life a turn, but she was at 30+ life from Brion and Ghost-Lit Redeemer so she has time to topdeck a Magma Jet, for which I have a Draining Whelk! Epic game, definitely.


UR Control Counter-Burn

8 Island
7 Mountain
Crumbling Necropolis
Izzet Boilerworks

Lighthouse Chronologist
Blood Knight
Sea Gate Oracle
Rosheen Meanderer
Darkslick Drake
Giant Solifuge
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Crater Hellion
Draining Whelk

Everflowing Chalice
Dead/Gone
Flame Slash
Burst Lightning
Pendrell Flux
Impulse
Pyroclasm
Darksteel Ingot
Dissipate
Demolish
Dismiss
Future Sight
Confiscate
Slice and Dice
Rolling Thunder

The weirdest deck I've played lately, but pretty fun also. My control elements were spot burn, mass burn and counterspells, meaning I had trouble with fatties that I couldn't counter. Some tempo tools did help with that, however: Everflowing Chalice and Darksteel Ingot ramped me into my 6 CC spells early, while Demolish, Dead/Gone and Pendrell Flux bought me time. One thing this deck sucked at was finishing the opponent, so much that Darkslick Drake was frequently my finisher.

Lighthouse Chronologist and Future Sight allowed my deck to develop quickly taking huge turns and getting ridiculous amounts of card advantage, while I dug for my finishers. Rosheen Meanderer, Giant Solifuge and Blood Knight may seem weird additions, but they played decently mostly as blockers. Yes, Solifuge was mainly a wall.