• STORE
  • EVENTS
  • ARTICLES
  • DECKS
  • BUYLIST
  • HELP
  • GAME CENTER
  • NEWSLETTER
Advanced Search
Deck Builder
  • LOGIN /
     REGISTER
  • CART
    #
  • WISH
    LIST
  • Magic Singles
    • English
    • Foil English
    • Non-English
    • Foil Non-English
    • Scanned & Graded Cards
    • Misprints and Rarities
    • Wholesale Lots
  • Magic Sealed Product
    • Booster Boxes
    • Booster Packs
    • Box Sets
    • Bundles & Fat Packs
    • Duel Decks
    • Introductory Products
    • Multiplayer Products
    • Non-English Products
    • Tournament/Starter Packs
  • Gaming Supplies
    • Ultimate Guard®
    • Apparel
    • Binders
    • Books & Fat Pack Guides
    • Boxes & Bags
    • Clothing
    • Collectibles
    • Deck Boxes
    • Life Counters & Dice
    • Miscellaneous
    • Playmats
    • Sleeves
  • Specialty Items
    • Creature Collection
    • Gift Cards
    • Lithographs
    • Next Level Library
  • Digital Products
    • Complete Commander
    • Next Level Library
    • OMG: Official Miser's Guide
    • Tha Gatherin'
  • We Buy

Draft Digest: What You See Is What You Amonkhet

Ryan Saxe
6/06/17
#Select  #Limited  #DailyDigest  #AKH 
  •  

Back to Amonkhet again! This week is time to grind over and over again. While I'll be playing mostly Sealed to prepare for the upcoming RPTQ, Draft is still crucial, as you'll need to play one round of it if you're planning on getting to the Pro Tour.

This draft format has converged to a really interesting point. The aggressive decks, while good, are no longer dominant. The control decks aren't so easy to get anymore because fewer players are forcing aggressive decks. The real piece of information that you should know is that a general midrange "good stuff" deck doesn't seem to work as often. Hyper-aggression, durdly control, and archetypal synergies are really how you need to approach this format. Something in the middle is too easy to go over or under.

All right, let's jump into the draft!

Pack 1, Pick 1

The Pack:

Soul-Scar+Mage Oketra%27s+Monument Ahn-Crop+Crasher Aven+Wind+Guide Colossapede Aven+Initiate In+Oketra%27s+Name Pathmaker+Initiate Binding+Mummy Ancient+Crab Djeru%27s+Resolve Painted+Bluffs Cradle+of+the+Accursed Splendid+Agony

The Pick:

Some players stand by Oketra's Monument so much as to say it's a bomb. I certainly don't pick it that highly, but it can take over a game. I'll sideboard in Forsake the Worldly or Dissenter's Deliverance if I see it, because it is powerful. The problem I have with the card is that it's too slow for most aggressive decks to want, and most of the durdly decks don't have good creature density. It is at its best in the "good stuff" midrange decks that aren't particularly great in this format, which takes it a notch down in my estimation. But don't get me wrong; it's still a very good card.

Aven Wind Guide is one of those cards that works absurdly well with Oketra's Monument. I have lost games I thought I could never lose to the combination of those two cards. And while I like Aven Wind Guide, it's not a powerful enough gold card to justify first-picking. It should also be noted that, in W/U Aggro, Aven Wind Guide is actually worse than Tah-Crop Elite most of the time.

Splendid Agony has gone up for me since the beginning of the format. Currently I would rank the best black common as Cartouche of Ambition, and then Final Reward and Splendid Agony are very close behind (I'm not even sure which is better). It's good at enabling attacks if you're aggressive, and it's very good at combating aggro decks too, which is exactly where you want a card to be in this format.

But now we come across one of the best cards in the set, Ahn-Crop Crasher. And it's the pick by a mile. A three-mana 3/2 with haste is already pretty good, and one that comes with an extremely aggressive ability to boot is just broken. I'm always happy to first-pick the card, and if I see it Pick 4 or later, I usually snap it up and view it as a signal.

There is still debate as to what you take first, Magma Spray or Ahn-Crop Crasher. Ahn-Crop Crasher is likely better in most aggressive decks, but not by that much, and it's much worse in decks like U/R Control. Currently I would take Ahn-Crop Crasher there, but I could be swayed the other direction.

Pack 1, Pick 7

The Picks So Far:

Ahn-Crop+Crasher Magma+Spray Battlefield+Scavenger Nef-Crop+Entangler Consuming+Fervor Honed+Khopesh

Mono-Red is one of the best archetypes in this format, albeit a rare seat. Many of the aggressive decks can't play less than fifteen lands because of colored sources, but Mono-Red can definitely play fourteen, and with a low enough curve you can even play thirteen lands! I'm looking to just draft red cards for the rest of this pack unless I get a pretty good signal somewhere. Then I'll either find a good open color in Pack 2 or stay the course and play Mono-Red!

The Pack:

Protection+of+the+Hekma Renewed+Faith Hekma+Sentinels Illusory+Wrappings Hyena+Pack In+Oketra%27s+Name Thresher+Lizard Gift+of+Paradise Bloodlust+Inciter

The Pick:

Thresher Lizard is a very solid three-drop. The aggressive decks in this format dump their hands very quickly, and so cards like Thresher Lizard are even more impressive than you would initially think. But given the aggressive curves of these decks, a couple three-drops will do, and it doesn't really make much of a difference what they are. So while I'm happy to include Thresher Lizard in my deck, I'm actually going to take the Bloodlust Inciter.

Bloodlust Inciter is pretty week in a vacuum. But this isn't a vacuum; this is Amonkhet Limited, a format where one-drops are king. I am often unhappy with an aggro deck if it lacks one-drops, and while Inciter gets worse in multiples, I would rather guarantee that I get a copy of it. Bloodlust Inciter enables your most busted draws, often coupled with hard-hitters such as Bloodrage Brawler and Emberhorn Minotaur.

I could imagine a scenario where I would take the Thresher Lizard here, but the cards that I have so far, in my opinion, clearly dictate that Inciter is the correct pick. I already have two cards, Honed Khopesh and Consuming Fervor, that appreciate having little bodies lying around to suit up. Additionally, I already have Ahn-Crop Crasher and two packs to go. I doubt I'll be lacking in the three-drop department.

  •  
#Select  #Limited  #DailyDigest  #AKH 
« Previous Article
Ross VS. Brad: Dredge VS. Grixis Death's Shadow
Next Article »
Command Zone Plays Archenemy & A New Magic Series!

About Ryan Saxe

Ryan has been playing Magic for over ten years and is an avid limited player in New York City's competitive scene. Known for his analytical approach to the game, Ryan prides himself in his efficacy for problem solving. Every set bears an onslaught of new puzzles, and taking these head on is what he does best.

rcsaxe Twitter
ryancsaxe Facebook
ryancsaxe Twitch
Read more by Ryan Saxe


ORGANIZED PLAY
  • THIS WEEK
  • NEXT WEEK
  • +
  • THIS Saturday, April 28
  • Atlanta OPEN
  • IQ Danbury, CT - Gamers Gambit
  • IQ Frederick, MD - Tournament City Games
  • THIS Sunday, April 29
  • Atlanta OPEN
  • Atlanta Modern CLASSIC
  • Atlanta Standard CLASSIC
  • Atlanta Legacy CLASSIC
  • IQ+ New Holland, PA - Six Feet Under Games
  • IQ Newington, CT - Tabletop Shop
  • Saturday, May 5
  • Baltimore OPEN
  • Sunday, May 6
  • Baltimore OPEN
  • Baltimore Modern CLASSIC
  • Baltimore Standard CLASSIC
  • Baltimore Legacy CLASSIC

SCG TOUR ® EVENTS

  • Apr 28 - 29: Atlanta OPEN
  • Apr 29 : Atlanta Modern CLASSIC
  • Apr 29 : Atlanta Standard CLASSIC
  • Apr 29 : Atlanta Legacy CLASSIC
  • May 5 - 6: Baltimore OPEN
  • May 6 : Baltimore Modern CLASSIC
  • May 6 : Baltimore Standard CLASSIC
  • May 6 : Baltimore Legacy CLASSIC
  • May 19 - 20: Louisville OPEN
  • May 20 : Louisville Modern CLASSIC

  • Complete SCG Tour® Schedule | Coverage Archive
1 CALEB W SCHERER 175
2 BENJAMIN NIKOLICH 169
3 JONATHAN ROSUM 167
4 JIM I DAVIS 156
5 TODD STEVENS 148
6 DANNY JESSUP 147
7 ZAN SYED 143
8 DYLAN DONEGAN 141
9 COLLINS MULLEN 130
10 PIETER TUBERGEN 125
11 BRENNAN M DECANDIO 118
12 ANDREW JESSUP 105
13 KEVIN JONES 102
14 JODY M KEITH 97
15 KAZU NEGRI 96
16 JULIAN JOHN 95
DECKLISTS
  • STANDARD
  • MODERN
  • LEGACY
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Durham, US
  • 4/07 Grand Prix Seattle, US
  • 3/25 SCG Classic Cincinnati, US
  • 3/24 Grand Prix Kyoto, JP
  • 3/24 SCG Team Open Cincinnati, US
  • 3/10 Grand Prix Madrid, ES
  • 3/10 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 2/24 Grand Prix Memphis, US
  • 2/18 Invi Qualifier Medford, US
  • 2/18 SCG Classic Indianapolis, US
  • 2/10 Invi Qualifier Glassboro, US
  • 2/03 Preliminary PTQ Roanoke, US
  • 1/28 SCG Classic Philadelphia, US
  • 1/27 SCG Team Open Philadelphia, US
  • 1/21 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 1/20 SCG Team Open Dallas, US
  • 1/06 Grand Prix Santa Clara, US
  • 12/17 Invi Qualifier Clarksville, US
  • 12/16 Invi Qualifier Port Charlotte, US
  • 12/03 SCG Classic Roanoke, US
View More Standard Decks - Search Decklists
  • 4/15 Invi Qualifier Cary, US
  • 4/15 Invi Qualifier Niles, US
  • 4/14 Invi Qualifier Moore, US
  • 4/14 Invi Qualifier Columbia, US
  • 4/14 Invi Qualifier Roanoke, US
  • 4/14 Grand Prix Hartford, US
  • 4/14 Invi Qualifier Columbia, US
  • 4/14 Grand Prix Sydney, AU
  • 4/08 Invi Qualifier Bernardsville, US
  • 4/08 Invi Qualifier Falls Church, US
  • 4/08 SCG Classic Milwaukee, US
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Denton, US
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Lexington, US
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Kingsport, US
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Toronto, US
  • 4/07 Invi Qualifier Glassboro, US
  • 4/07 SCG Modern Open Milwaukee, US
  • 3/31 Invi Qualifier Bernardsville, US
  • 3/25 Invi Qualifier Middletown, US
  • 3/25 Invi Qualifier Falls Church, US
View More Modern Decks - Search Decklists
  • 4/08 SCG Classic Milwaukee, US
  • 4/06 Grand Prix Seattle, US
  • 3/25 SCG Classic Cincinnati, US
  • 3/24 Grand Prix Kyoto, JP
  • 3/24 SCG Team Open Cincinnati, US
  • 3/10 Grand Prix Madrid, ES
  • 3/04 SCG Classic Worcester, US
  • 3/03 SCG Open Worcester, US
  • 1/28 SCG Classic Philadelphia, US
  • 1/27 Invi Qualifier Columbia, US
  • 1/27 SCG Team Open Philadelphia, US
  • 1/21 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 1/20 SCG Team Open Dallas, US
  • 1/07 SCG Classic Columbus, US
  • 1/06 Grand Prix Santa Clara, US
  • 11/19 SCG Classic Baltimore, US
  • 11/18 SCG Team Open Baltimore, US
  • 10/29 SCG Classic Washington, US
  • 10/28 SCG Open Washington, US
  • 10/22 Invi Qualifier Bristol, US
View More Legacy Decks - Search Decklists

 

Connect with us

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive content, sale notifications, and more!

Need help?
Contact Us
Help Center
Organized Play
SCG Tour
Schedule
Leaderboard
Coverage
Coverage Archives
In-Store Programs
Invitational Qualifiers
Game Night
Prerelease Playmats
Organizers
StarCityGames.com
About Us
Careers
Game Center
5728 Williamson Road NW

Roanoke, VA 24012


© 2018 StarCityGames.com®
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Statement | Refund & Return Policy