There are many different ways a player can go about drafting in today's Odyssey Block. While there aren't as many color combinations as there were in the previous format, as two colors is almost always preferred over three, there are some that are pretty uncommon and can gain some very advantageous cards in the right deck.
One such color combination is U/W/r. This is my favorite color combination to draft, and I'll go over why it can be good and what cards are under looked that work particularly well in it.
Despite being a rather weak color combination in Ody/Tor/Judgment, the addition of Judgment makes the combination viable yet again.
One advantage in planning on playing three colors in general is that you are looking for bomb cards in three out of the five colors. In this case, you can take either a blue, red, or white card. Even though this seems obvious, this strategy's advantage grows in the second pack.
If your first pick includes any of the three colors (which it should, given this is the strategy you want to go for), you have the same options available in your second pack. With this sort of openness in your thinking, you can be very versatile. Even if one of your colors doesn't work out, you can switch to another color. You won't lose any ground in your first few picks, as you most likely were still picking the best cards in that pack.
What makes U/W/r a better set of colors to start with is the fact that both red and white go very well with both green and black, your other colors. I mention these two colors because they are the least drafted ones, and blue is the most common. The chances of blue being sucked up by the other players adjacent to you is higher than that of red or white. If you are unable to draft red or white, once again, both green and black go well with blue.
U/W/r is a very different style deck to play, because of each color's roles. Typically, blue serves the role of the non-creature color, mostly using trick cards to fill its slots. In this particular strategy, however, it becomes the creature color. As red and white have very little evasion (and even less beef), blue's fliers become very important. While one should still look for Æther Bursts and Psionic Gifts, as these are no-brainers, in questions of what to take: A blue creature takes precedence over a non-creature one.
This makes cards like Aven Fisher and Aven Fogbringer more important than normal. Even though there are better fliers in the format, these cards may be taken higher if you are running low on creatures. This happens sometimes, and they are great tempo cards.
Other good blue creatures to watch for include Thought Nibbler, Thought Eater, and Scrivener. Most of your spells are going to end up being instant speed, and recurring an Æther or Flame Burst can make a huge difference.
With blue's tendency to be offensive, this makes White the defensive color. As stated earlier, the colors together have very little beef, so the stock of White's walls go up. They become the cards that are supposed to clot the bleeding damage you'll be getting early on from green creatures.
For this reason, Aven Flock becomes a great card. It can clog up the ground while still hitting for damage when there is nothing to do. Also, Angelic Wall, Testament of Faith, and Tireless Tribe are all nice picks as well.
Red takes on a very strange role. Except for bombs, Red creatures are fairly non-existent; the U/W/r mage should be looking for better forms of removal. So Flame Burst, Firebolt, etc. become top-notch - if they already weren't top picks for you, of course. There are, however, some creatures to look for.
I really want to take the time to mention Dwarven Driller. This card is a beast. Gary Wise rates it very low, but I think it is one of the best cards from Judgment. If he can stay on the table for a long enough time, he becomes a major threat. Even if he doesn't stay on the table for very long, that means that you just used him to save another of your offensive creatures. Pick him high, mark my words.
U/W/r is a unique draft style to utilize. It changes the roles of its colors from that of what they normally are, and this makes underdrafted cards become very useful in this particular design. I believe that it can be a smart drafting strategy, and I urge all of you to try it next time.
Until then,
Jay McCarron
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