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Drafting With Olivier – Shards/Shards/Conflux #25

Draft with Olivier Ruel... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, May 1st – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

Pack 1 pick 1:

















My Pick:

A weak pack with several passable Esper cards a fine Naya card and a great five-color card. The best card in the funniest archetype to draft… I’m fine with that.

Pack 1 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Easy pick this time. Importantly with two Resounding spells I won’t mind playing lots of Obelisks and lancyclers as mana flooding shouldn’t hurt too much.

Pack 1 pick 3:















My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 4:














My Pick:

Necrogenesis is fantastic but five-color needs a Pyroclasm-like effects. I’ll try to get a Disenchant before the draft ends.

Pack 1 pick 5:













My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 6:












My Pick:

I like Obelisks a little less than Panoramas and Obelisk of Bant is the one I like the least.

Pack 1 pick 7:











My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 8:










My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 9:









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Pack 1 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 11:







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Pack 1 pick 12:






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Pack 1 pick 13:





My Pick:

Pack 1 pick 14:




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Pack 1 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 1:

















My Pick:

Slightly better than Resounding Silence in five-color.

Pack 2 pick 2:
















My Pick:

Of course it’s not a good second pick but at least he’s a guy and a big one. As I tend not to draft enough guys it’s actually fine.

Pack 2 pick 3:















My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 4:














My Pick:

The same thoughts as those for Pack 2 Pick 2.

Pack 2 pick 5:













My Pick:

I’m not sure either Gargoyle or Panorama is the best card. For now the land would be the best but Gargoyle can become good depending on other picks I may get soon.

Pack 2 pick 6:












My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 7:











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Pack 2 pick 8:










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Pack 2 pick 9:









My Pick:

Weee! My deck was really good before the last four picks… it’s now even better with more fixers more card advantage and Sanctum Gargoyle now a strong card.

Pack 2 pick 10:








My Pick:

Pack 2 pick 11:







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Pack 2 pick 12:






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Pack 2 pick 13:





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Pack 2 pick 14:




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Pack 2 pick 15:



My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 1:

















My Pick:

A bomb… the only thing my deck was missing.

Pack 3 pick 2:
















My Pick:

And another great card… the deck is close to perfect.

Pack 3 pick 3:















My Pick:

More mana fixing and a second good target for the Gargoyle.

Pack 3 pick 4:














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Pack 3 pick 5:













My Pick:

Pack 3 pick 6:












My Pick:

I was thinking so hard about what I should take between Rioters Paragon and Rupture Spire that I ended up not paying attention to the clock and not picking anything. I still have no idea what I would have picked to be honest… my three choices seem good.

Pack 3 pick 7:











My Pick:

Once again a tough call and once again it’s the “fixer or good spell” dilemma. I was about to take the discard spell but I realized landscrews were probably the only way my deck could lose.

Pack 3 pick 8:










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Pack 3 pick 9:









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Pack 3 pick 10:








My Pick:

I already have tons of good cards so I’d rather take the good sideboard card over the fine one I won’t run maindeck anyway.

Pack 3 pick 11:







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Pack 3 pick 12:






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Pack 3 pick 13:





My Pick:

Really?

Pack 3 pick 14:




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Pack 3 pick 15:



My Pick:

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4 Island
2 Plains
2 Swamp
3 Forest
2 Mountain
Rupture Spire
Arcane Sanctum
Bant Panorama
2 Jund Panorama
Matca Rioters
Sanctum Gargoyle
Viscera Dragger
Fusion Elemental
Maelstrom Angel
Cavern Thoctar
Jungle Weaver
Ridge Rannet
Apocalypse Hydra
Armillary Sphere
Courier’s Capsule
Agony Warp
Resounding Thunder
Resounding Wave
Jund Charm
Esper Charm
Cancel
Obelisk of Grixis
2 Obelisk of Naya
2 Resounding Silence
Traumatic Visions

Bombs mass removal lots of removal spells fixers consistency several cards to compensate mana flooding and enough win conditions. I think I’ll go 3/0 if Necrogenesis and Voice from the Void didn’t go in the same deck (or if I don’t face them).

ROUND 1: Bant (Limited rating: 1661)

I kill his first guy with Agony Warp then play turn 5 Cavern Thoctar. Then he starts playing lot of 1/1s and 2/2s I don’t really care about as when I reach mana number eight my last three spells in hand say “Resounding.” I attack for six then play Silence. I attack for five then play Wave and to conclude I attack for 9 with my big dude without even needing to play or cycle Thunder.

The second game is fun… at least it is for me. His draw is pretty nice: turn 2 Cylian Elf turn 3 Elvish Visionary and Squire turn 4 Steward of Valeron but when I play turn 4 Fusion Elemental the game is already nearly over. He reacts by playing Island and Fatestitcher but I’ve Agony Warp open and a Jungle Weaver coming soon. When he eventually plays another 2/2 I draw two with Capsule and find Jund Charm killing 4 guys and allowing me to attack for 13. At this point I have Resounding Thunder Resounding Silence Traumatic Visions and Esper Charm left in hand while he has no cards in hand and Rhox Bodyguard on the board. I feel like I hadn’t crushed an opponent in a while. To help me enjoy the moment a little more he’ll keep me waiting for 10 minutes and disconnected.

ROUND 2: Jund (1820)

I mulliganed drew almost all lands and won on turn seven. How so? First he didn’t play a spell for the first three turns. Then I made turn 5 Fusion Elemental and turn 7 Apocalypse Hydra at 14/14 pushing him to scoop. And what did he do in the meantime so I wasn’t actually threatened? Turn 4 Thorn-thrash Viashino. Good decks good draws… this draft could hardly be going any better so far.

Game 2 is a lot more difficult as he opens with an all-in turn 2 Viashino Slaughtermaster turn 3 Maniacal Rage. As it takes me a little time to gather the mana to cast my Agony Warp my slight advantage on the board is compensated by the life difference (8-20). Two turns later I topdecked to get out of an embarrassing situation as he played Extractor Demon and Corpse Connoisseur. Knowing what had happened in the game thus far he presumed I couldn’t have Silence in hand so he attacked with both guys… right into the White cycler I had just drawn. My following draw Fusion Elemental did the rest.

ROUND 3: Naya (1720)

Same story again with a turn 5 Fusion Elemental. He tries the double block plus removal but I have Jund Charm to pump my guy. 1-0

In the second game I’ve the coolest turn 7 ever as Maelstrom Angel allows me to play Fusion Elemental for free. I have a bad feeling about how lonely I could feel for the next ten minutes when I play Apocalypse Hydra (10/10) in the same turn. He keeps on complaining (can I really blame him considering my draws?) and then he concedes. Weeee!

Until Monday…

Oli