[SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE ARTICLE!]

Become a StarCityGames.com Premium Member and receive exclusive access to top-level strategies, new decklists and entertaining reports from many of the best players and writers that the game has to offer! This includes "The Innovator" & Worlds finalist Patrick Chapin, 2010 Player of the Year Brad Nelson, Classic Theorist Mike Flores, Hall of Famer Brian Kibler, GP and SCG Invitational Champion Gerry Thompson, StarCityGames.com Director of Sales Ben Bleiweiss ...and many, many more!

PLUS! StarCityGames.com Premium members now have an EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER sent just to them with the latest tech, exclusive content and exclusive deals along with unprecedented access into America's largest Magic: the Gathering sales database, and can view lists of StarCityGames.com's top-selling items - broken down by category, format legality, and rarity - in real time! When it comes to trading, increased knowledge equals increased profits - and increased knowledge is just one click away for our Premium members!

A StarCityGames.com Premium Membership gives you exclusive access to the best Magic: the Gathering content available and is an amazing bargain for just pennies a day! When you're ready to start getting more out of this game, click here to join StarCityGames.com Premium today!

If you are a valid StarCityGames.com Premium member and still cannot view the article, please consult this FAQ.

Draft:

Pack 1:

Icefall, Grim Harvest, Krovikan Mist, Swift Maneuver, Martyr of Spores, Aurochs Herd, Gelid Shackles, Frost Raptor, Snow-Covered Forest, Chilling Shade, Goblin Furrier, Greater Stone Spirit, Tresserhorn Sinks, Rimehorn Aurochs, Diamond Faerie

Pick: Frost Raptor

Pack 2:

Gelid Shackles, Frost Raptor, Snow-Covered Forest, Chilling Shade, Goblin Furrier, Feast of Flesh, Martyr of Frost, Swift Maneuver, Into the North, Icefall, Krovikan Scoundrel, Resize, Vanish into Memory, Tresserhorn Sinks

Pick: Frost Raptor

Pack 3:

Martyr of Bones, Rune Snag, Sun's Bounty, Simian Brawler, Martyr of Spores, Karplusan Wolverine, Gelid Shackles, Chilling Shade, Goblin Furrier, Arctic Flats, Glacial Plating, Adarkar Windform, Void Maw

Pick: Adarkar Windform

Pack 4:

Rite of Flame, Grim Harvest, Martyr of Frost, Kjeldoran War Cry, Kjeldoran Outrider, Rimewind Taskmage, Boreal Centaur, Snow-Covered Swamp, Glacial Plating, Flashfreeze, Balduvian Fallen, Zur the Enchanter

Pick: Rimewind Taskmage

Pack 5:

Krovikan Scoundrel, Rune Snag, Martyr of Sands, Bull Aurochs, Icefall, Kjeldoran Outrider, Chilling Shade, Boreal Centaur, Snow-Covered Swamp, Rime Transfusion, Greater Stone Spirit

Pick: Snow-Covered Swamp

Pack 6:

Gelid Shackles, Ohran Yeti, Frozen Solid, Sound the Call, Ronom Serpent, Survivor of the Unseen, Ronom Unicorn, Krovikan Scoundrel, Gristle Grinner, Lightning Storm

Pick: Frozen Solid

Pack 7:

Frozen Solid, Sound the Call, Ronom Serpent, Martyr of Spores, Karplusan Wolverine, Feast of Flesh, Krovikan Mist, Kjeldoran War Cry, Bull Aurochs

Pick: Frozen Solid

Pack 8:

Surging Sentinels, Kjeldoran Outrider, Icefall, Krovikan Scoundrel, Survivor of the Unseen, Martyr of Sands, Thermopod, Commandeer

Pick: Survivor of the Unseen

Pack 9:

Icefall, Grim Harvest, Krovikan Mist, Swift Maneuver, Martyr of Spores, Chilling Shade, Goblin Furrier

Pick: Krovikan Mist

Pack 10:

Chilling Shade, Goblin Furrier, Martyr of Frost, Swift Maneuver, Icefall, Krovikan Scoundrel

Pick: Chilling Shade

Pack 11:

Martyr of Bones, Rune Snag, Sun's Bounty, Goblin Furrier, Glacial Plating

Pick: Rune Snag

Pack 12:

Rite of Flame, Martyr of Frost, Kjeldoran War Cry, Glacial Plating

Pick: Kjeldoran War Cry

Pack 13:

Krovikan Scoundrel, Martyr of Sands, Chilling Shade

Pick: Chilling Shade

Pack 14:

Survivor of the Unseen, Krovikan Scoundrel

Pick: Survivor of the Unseen

Pack 15:

Martyr of Spores

Pick: Martyr of Spores

Pack 16:

Kjeldoran Javelineer, Drelnoch, Gutless Ghoul, Ronom Hulk, Snow-Covered Island, Gelid Shackles, Skred, Martyr of Bones, Rune Snag, Sun's Bounty, Simian Brawler, Krovikan Rot, Lightning Storm, Freyalise's Radiance, Darien, King of Kjeldor

Pick: Skred

Pack 17:

Rimewind Taskmage, Snow-Covered Mountain, Chill to the Bone, Goblin Rimerunner, Surging Might, Skred, Krovikan Scoundrel, Rune Snag, Martyr of Sands, Bull Aurochs, Phyrexian Ironfoot, Kjeldoran Gargoyle, Perilous Research, Thrumming Stone

Pick: Skred

Pack 18:

Squall Drifter, Rimewind Taskmage, Snow-Covered Mountain, Chill to the Bone, Goblin Rimerunner, Surging Might, Thermal Flux, Sun's Bounty, Thermopod, Simian Brawler, Rite of Flame, Greater Stone Spirit, Jester's Scepter

Pick: Rimewind Taskmage

Pack 19:

Rimewind Taskmage, Snow-Covered Mountain, Goblin Rimerunner, Surging Might, Karplusan Wolverine, Surging Dementia, Thermal Flux, Ronom Unicorn, Frostweb Spider, Stromgald Crusader, Magmatic Core, Sheltering Ancient

Pick: Snow-Covered Mountain

Pack 20:

Martyr of Frost, Kjeldoran War Cry, Frostweb Spider, Martyr of Ashes, Surging Dementia, Surging Flame, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Drelnoch, Gutless Ghoul, Sheltering Ancient, Glacial Plating

Pick: Surging Flame

Pack 21:

Icefall, Krovikan Scoundrel, Survivor of the Unseen, Martyr of Sands, Thermopod, Surging Sentinels, Snow-Covered Mountain, Steam Spitter, Tresserhorn Skyknight, Phyrexian Snowcrusher

Pick: Snow-Covered Mountain

Pack 22:

Martyr of Ashes, Surging Dementia, Survivor of the Unseen, Ronom Unicorn, Ohran Yeti, Snow-Covered Mountain, Perilous Research, Ursine Fylgja, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge

Pick: Ohran Yeti

Pack 23:

Rite of Flame, Martyr of Frost, Swift Maneuver, Boreal Griffin, Surging Aether, Orcish Bloodpainter, Flashfreeze, Phobian Phantasm

Pick: Flashfreeze

Pack 24:

Kjeldoran Javelineer, Drelnoch, Gutless Ghoul, Martyr of Bones, Rune Snag, Sun's Bounty, Freyalise's Radiance

Pick: Rune Snag

Pack 25:

Surging Might, Krovikan Scoundrel, Rune Snag, Martyr of Sands, Bull Aurochs, Perilous Research

Pick: Perilous Research

Pack 26:

Surging Might, Thermal Flux, Sun's Bounty, Thermopod, Rite of Flame

Pick: Thermopod

Pack 27:

Karplusan Wolverine, Surging Dementia, Thermal Flux, Frostweb Spider

Pick: Thermal Flux

Pack 28:

Martyr of Frost, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Glacial Plating

Pick: Martyr of Frost

Pack 29:

Krovikan Scoundrel, Martyr of Sands

Pick: Krovikan Scoundrel

Pack 30:

Survivor of the Unseen

Pick: Survivor of the Unseen

Pack 31:

Krovikan Mist, Kjeldoran War Cry, Bull Aurochs, Martyr of Ashes, Martyr of Bones, Snow-Covered Swamp, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Frozen Solid, Zombie Musher, Ronom Hulk, Orcish Bloodpainter, Krovikan Rot, Perilous Research, Ursine Fylgja, Woolly Razorback

Pick: Snow-Covered Swamp

Pack 32:

Kjeldoran Javelineer, Frozen Solid, Zombie Musher, Orcish Bloodpainter, Squall Drifter, Frostweb Spider, Martyr of Ashes, Surging Dementia, Survivor of the Unseen, Ronom Unicorn, Stalking Yeti, Karplusan Strider, Wilderness Elemental, Arcum Dagsson

Pick: Stalking Yeti

Pack 33:

Surging Aether, Boreal Centaur, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Swamp, Drelnoch, Into the North, Rite of Flame, Grim Harvest, Martyr of Frost, Kjeldoran War Cry, Frostweb Spider, Luminesce, Arctic Flats

Pick: Snow-Covered Island

Pack 34:

Ronom Serpent, Boreal Centaur, Gutless Ghoul, Snow-Covered Swamp, Drelnoch, Thermopod, Simian Brawler, Martyr of Frost, Swift Maneuver, Controvert, Balduvian Warlord, Woolly Razorback

Pick: Ronom Serpent

Pack 35:

Karplusan Wolverine, Surging Dementia, Thermal Flux, Ronom Unicorn, Frostweb Spider, Boreal Griffin, Ronom Serpent, Boreal Druid, Rimebound Dead, Counterbalance, Phyrexian Snowcrusher

Pick: Ronom Serpent

Pack 36:

Survivor of the Unseen, Martyr of Sands, Rite of Flame, Grim Harvest, Boreal Griffin, Ronom Serpent, Boreal Druid, Rimebound Dead, Counterbalance, Magmatic Core

Pick: Magmatic Core

Pack 37:

Martyr of Ashes, Martyr of Bones, Thermal Flux, Sun's Bounty, Thermopod, Simian Brawler, Goblin Furrier, Rimebound Dead, Earthen Goo

Pick: Thermopod

Pack 38:

Kjeldoran Javelineer, Frozen Solid, Krovikan Mist, Swift Maneuver, Martyr of Spores, Vanish into Memory, Counterbalance, Zur the Enchanter

Pick: Frozen Solid

Pack 39:

Kjeldoran War Cry, Bull Aurochs, Martyr of Bones, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Frozen Solid, Perilous Research, Woolly Razorback

Pick: Frozen Solid

Pack 40:

Kjeldoran Javelineer, Orcish Bloodpainter, Frostweb Spider, Surging Dementia, Survivor of the Unseen, Wilderness Elemental

Pick: Orcish Bloodpainter

Pack 41:

Surging Aether, Drelnoch, Rite of Flame, Martyr of Frost, Luminesce

Pick: Surging Aether

Pack 42:

Drelnoch, Martyr of Frost, Swift Maneuver, Controvert

Pick: Controvert

Pack 43:

Karplusan Wolverine, Thermal Flux, Ronom Unicorn

Pick: Thermal Flux

Pack 44:

Martyr of Sands, Rite of Flame

Pick: Martyr of Sands

Pack 45:

Sun's Bounty

Pick: Sun's Bounty

Final Decklist:

Maindeck:

4 Frozen Solid
1 Adarkar Windform
2 Frost Raptor
1 Perilous Research
2 Rimewind Taskmage
1 Ronom Serpent
1 Ronom Serpent [FOIL]
2 Survivor of the Unseen
1 Magmatic Core
1 Ohran Yeti
1 Orcish Bloodpainter
2 Skred
1 Stalking Yeti
1 Surging Flame
1 Thermopod
8 Island
6 Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Island [FOIL]
2 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Swamp

Sideboard:

2 Chilling Shade
1 Controvert
1 Flashfreeze
1 Kjeldoran War Cry
1 Krovikan Mist
1 Krovikan Scoundrel
1 Martyr of Frost
1 Martyr of Sands
1 Martyr of Spores
2 Rune Snag
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Sun's Bounty
1 Surging Aether
1 Survivor of the Unseen
2 Thermal Flux
1 Thermopod

I couldn't decide which Green card I wanted to first pick ... so I took the Blue card. I regretted this when I saw the Resize, but continued down the path I had chosen. It looked pretty scary at some points in the draft, but I ended up with a solid deck. I beat U.S. National team member Luis Scott Vargas's Martyr/Icefall deck in the first round by boarding up to 19 land and bringing in a bunch of counters for the few threats he did have. Then I beat a solid mono-Black deck in the second round before splitting the finals. I would have lost the semifinals if he had been more careful protecting his Grim Harvest, because I really couldn't have beaten it in the long games we played.

Until tomorrow,

Rich

Draft recording done by Blargware's MTGO DraftCap. Support Blargware!