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Draft:

Pack 1:

Chromatic Star, Tolarian Sentinel, Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Spinneret Sliver, Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Watcher Sliver, Thrill of the Hunt, Plunder, Fury Sliver, Harmonic Sliver, Vampiric Sliver, Squall Line, Lightning Angel

Pick: Squall Line

Pack 2:

Ivory Giant, Deathspore Thallid, Flowstone Channeler, Herd Gnarr, Trespasser il-Vec, Bogardan Rager, Sangrophage, D'Avenant Healer, Wormwood Dryad, Fallen Ideal, Ignite Memories, Phthisis, Ixidron, Spined Sliver

Pick: Phthisis

Pack 3:

Gorgon Recluse, Herd Gnarr, Fortify, Coal Stoker, Deathspore Thallid, Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Sidewinder Sliver, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Viashino Bladescout, Aspect of Mongoose, Fungal Reaches, Jolrael, Empress of Beasts

Pick: Jolrael, Empress of Beasts

Pack 4:

Errant Doomsayers, Corpulent Corpse, Viscerid Deepwalker, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Havenwood Wurm, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Thunder Totem, Dread Return, Living End

Pick: Corpulent Corpse

Pack 5:

Bonesplitter Sliver, Tendrils of Corruption, Errant Doomsayers, Subterranean Shambler, Cyclopean Giant, Screeching Sliver, Psychotic Episode, Premature Burial, Fool's Demise, Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician, Funeral Charm

Pick: Tendrils of Corruption

Pack 6:

Drudge Reavers, Goblin Skycutter, Cancel, Pentarch Ward, Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder, Detainment Spell, Psychotic Episode, Faceless Devourer, Magus of the Candelabra

Pick: Faceless Devourer

Pack 7:

Gaze of Justice, Glass Asp, Traitor's Clutch, Plunder, Eternity Snare, Truth or Tale, Aspect of Mongoose, Vampiric Sliver, Resurrection

Pick: Vampiric Sliver

Pack 8:

Errant Doomsayers, Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Faceless Devourer, Haunting Hymn

Pick: Haunting Hymn

Pack 9:

Shadow Sliver, Ophidian Eye, Watcher Sliver, Thrill of the Hunt, Plunder, Fury Sliver, Harmonic Sliver

Pick: Fury Sliver

Pack 10:

Flowstone Channeler, Trespasser il-Vec, Sangrophage, D'Avenant Healer, Fallen Ideal, Ignite Memories

Pick: Trespasser il-Vec

Pack 11:

Eternity Snare, Skulking Knight, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Aspect of Mongoose, Fungal Reaches

Pick: Skulking Knight

Pack 12:

Ironclaw Buzzardiers, Chameleon Blur, Flickering Spirit, Living End

Pick: Ironclaw Buzzardiers

Pack 13:

Cyclopean Giant, Screeching Sliver, Psychotic Episode

Pick: Psychotic Episode

Pack 14:

Ghitu Firebreathing, Bewilder

Pick: Bewilder

Pack 15:

Glass Asp

Pick: Glass Asp

Pack 16:

Icatian Crier, Dark Withering, Goblin Skycutter, Crookclaw Transmuter, Strength in Numbers, Zealot il-Vec, Greenseeker, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Ghostflame Sliver, Tromp the Domains, Firewake Sliver, Spike Tiller, Unstable Mutation

Pick: Spike Tiller

Pack 17:

Amrou Scout, Grapeshot, Scarwood Treefolk, Slipstream Serpent, Gaze of Justice, Mystical Teachings, Two-Headed Sliver, Clockspinning, Sidewinder Sliver, Yavimaya Dryad, Plated Pegasus, Phantom Wurm, Triskelavus, Orgg

Pick: Triskelavus

Pack 18:

Aether Web, Amrou Seekers, Temporal Eddy, Mogg War Marshal, Jedit's Dragoons, Sprout, Foriysian Interceptor, Aetherflame Wall, Detainment Spell, Phyrexian Totem, Quilled Sliver, Draining Whelk, Arena

Pick: Phyrexian Totem

Pack 19:

Tolarian Sentinel, Benalish Cavalry, Orcish Cannonade, Errant Ephemeron, Ophidian Eye, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Paradise Plume, Dread Return, Telekinetic Sliver, Pandemonium, Mountain

Pick: Errant Ephemeron

Pack 20:

Fortify, Spiketail Drakeling, Flamecore Elemental, Coral Trickster, Skulking Knight, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Aspect of Mongoose, Skittering Monstrosity, Opaline Sliver, Squire

Pick: Skulking Knight

Pack 21:

Pentarch Ward, Viscerid Deepwalker, Ashcoat Bear, Amrou Seekers, Sage of Epityr, Ghitu Firebreathing, Celestial Crusader, Truth or Tale, Demonic Collusion, *

Pick: Ashcoat Bear

Pack 22:

Aether Web, Temporal Eddy, Mogg War Marshal, Brass Gnat, Savage Thallid, Screeching Sliver, Ancient Grudge, Spirit Loop, Hypergenesis

Pick: Aether Web

Pack 23:

Ivory Giant, Deathspore Thallid, Molder, Children of Korlis, Sangrophage, Conflagrate, Paradise Plume, Cockatrice

Pick: Cockatrice

Pack 24:

Icatian Crier, Crookclaw Transmuter, Zealot il-Vec, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Ghostflame Sliver

Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter

Pack 25:

Scarwood Treefolk, Slipstream Serpent, Gaze of Justice, Mystical Teachings, Clockspinning, Plated Pegasus

Pick: Scarwood Treefolk

Pack 26:

Aether Web, Mogg War Marshal, Jedit's Dragoons, Foriysian Interceptor, Detainment Spell

Pick: Mogg War Marshal

Pack 27:

Ophidian Eye, Children of Korlis, Viscid Lemures, Mountain

Pick: Viscid Lemures

Pack 28:

Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Squire

Pick: Squire

Pack 29:

Pentarch Ward, Ghitu Firebreathing

Pick: Pentarch Ward

Pack 30:

Brass Gnat

Pick: Brass Gnat

Pack 31:

Urborg Syphon-Mage, Snapback, Aether Web, Lightning Axe, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Subterranean Shambler, Mindlash Sliver, Havenwood Wurm, Chameleon Blur, Thick-Skinned Goblin, Sporesower Thallid, Pull from Eternity, Gemstone Caverns, Stupor, Forest

Pick: Sporesower Thallid

Pack 32:

Terramorphic Expanse, Drudge Reavers, Temporal Isolation, Crookclaw Transmuter, Empty the Warrens, Strength in Numbers, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Tromp the Domains, Urza's Factory, Paradox Haze, Weathered Bodyguards, Darkness

Pick: Tromp the Domains

Pack 33:

Mindstab, Gaze of Justice, Durkwood Baloth, Coral Trickster, Ground Rift, Dream Stalker, Wormwood Dryad, Venser's Sliver, Clockspinning, Assembly-Worker, Pendelhaven Elder, Fledgling Mawcor, Wall of Roots

Pick: Wall of Roots

Pack 34:

Tolarian Sentinel, Benalish Cavalry, Orcish Cannonade, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Watcher Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Dread Return, Conflagrate, Nightshade Assassin, Gaea's Blessing, Swamp

Pick: Nightshade Assassin

Pack 35:

Cancel, Empty the Warrens, Icatian Crier, Greenseeker, Pit Keeper, Divine Congregation, Jhoira's Timebug, Chameleon Blur, Sporesower Thallid, Conflagrate, Dodecapod

Pick: Sporesower Thallid

Pack 36:

Flamecore Elemental, Viscid Lemures, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Two-Headed Sliver, Blazing Blade Askari, Paradise Plume, Paradox Haze, Dreadship Reef, Magus of the Mirror, Drudge Reavers

Pick: Magus of the Mirror

Pack 37:

Mana Skimmer, Chromatic Star, D'Avenant Healer, Glass Asp, Ground Rift, Conflagrate, Spirit Loop, Saffi Eriksdotter, Withered Wretch

Pick: Withered Wretch

Pack 38:

Terramorphic Expanse, Drudge Reavers, Empty the Warrens, Strength in Numbers, Foriysian Interceptor, Basal Sliver, Drifter il-Dal, Unyaro Bees

Pick: Terramorphic Expanse

Pack 39:

Aether Web, Cloudchaser Kestrel, Mindlash Sliver, Chameleon Blur, Pull from Eternity, Gemstone Caverns, Forest

Pick: Gemstone Caverns

Pack 40:

Drudge Reavers, Crookclaw Transmuter, Bewilder, Call to the Netherworld, Cyclopean Giant, Paradox Haze

Pick: Crookclaw Transmuter

Pack 41:

Gaze of Justice, Ground Rift, Wormwood Dryad, Clockspinning, Assembly-Worker

Pick: Wormwood Dryad

Pack 42:

Benalish Cavalry, Brass Gnat, Dream Stalker, Swamp

Pick: Benalish Cavalry

Pack 43:

Divine Congregation, Jhoira's Timebug, Chameleon Blur

Pick: Chameleon Blur

Pack 44:

Flamecore Elemental, Paradox Haze

Pick: Flamecore Elemental

Pack 45:

Ground Rift

Pick: Ground Rift

Final Decklist:

9 Forest
8 Swamp
1 Wall of Roots
1 Withered Wretch
1 Ashcoat Bear
1 Corpulent Corpse
1 Magus of the Mirror
1 Nightshade Assassin
1 Phthisis
1 Phyrexian Totem
1 Psychotic Episode
2 Skulking Knight
1 Spike Tiller
2 Sporesower Thallid
1 Squall Line
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Trespasser il-Vec
1 Triskelavus
1 Vampiric Sliver
1 Aether Web
1 Cockatrice
1 Jolrael, Empress of Beasts

Sideboard
1 Squire
1 Benalish Cavalry
1 Bewilder
1 Brass Gnat
1 Chameleon Blur
2 Crookclaw Transmuter
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Faceless Devourer
1 Flamecore Elemental
1 Fury Sliver
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Glass Asp
1 Ground Rift
1 Haunting Hymn
1 Ironclaw Buzzardiers
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Pentarch Ward
1 Scarwood Treefolk
1 Tromp the Domains
1 Viscid Lemures
1 Wormwood Dryad

I do love a good catastrophe. In general, Green / Black sucks, but I don’t see much else I could have done during the first pack. I took the Phthisis second despite knowing Green / Black was bad because I wasn’t married to my first-pick Squall Line; there’s no reason to insist unconditionally upon playing your first pick, obviously. For pick 16, despite not looking particularly good with the cards I had amassed, I think Tromp was still a better choice than Spike Tiller. The second pack as a whole was quite strange. In hindsight I could have moved into Blue / Black, but I had no way of knowing that at the time. I assumed the Whelk was a fluke out of a good pack, and I had no reason to believe I’d get Blue in the third pack. The eighth pick Cockatrice confounded matters further. For pick 33, Durkwood Baloth is ridiculous, and you should almost never pass it, but my deck REALLY wanted a Wall of Roots. It was actually the perfect card at that juncture. And what was Benalish Cavalry still doing in the pack with four cards left? In the end, my deck was subpar, and the main reason for this was the colored mana issue.

In the first round, I mulliganed the first game (a one-lander — not related to deck composition) while my opponent suspended a turn 1 Greater Gargadon. He eventually Tromped me out the turn before I could Squall Line him out. Key play replay: On turn 3, he attacked me with his Gemhide Sliver, I had the Ashcoat Bear (not something I fault him or anyone for not playing around), and he failed to sacrifice the dying Sliver to his Gargadon. (He would also miss a Gargadon sacrifice in the next game.) Game 2 saw him suspend the Gargadon on turn 1 again. After many turns, on my opponent's turn, I had six tapped lands, a tapped Phyrexian Totem, a tapped Skulking Knight and Sporesower, and an untapped Triskelavus; he had four untapped mana sources, a Two-Headed Sliver, a Spinneret Sliver, and the Gargadon suspended with five counters. I was at thirteen life, and he was at seven, so unless he killed my Triskelavus, I was going to win. This is obviously when MTGO crashed. After ten minutes, it still hadn't come back up, and Cedric had woken up, so I simply left to take him home. I checked my rating when I got back to see if I got a refund or a match loss; naturally, it was the latter, but that was pretty much what I expected.

I'm not going to pretend I don't make mistakes. I make many that cost me matches (which are painful) and many that are completely irrelevant (which are embarrassing if I win in spite of them). My griping about mulliganing and losing to beautiful draws on my opponent's part serves to plant the seed of doubt about whether my decks were outright bad these past few days. Maybe they were, and maybe they weren't, but I don't think the results were conclusive. I’d like to know what everyone thinks (especially any “professionals” who are reading) in the forums.

Until next time,

Tim Aten

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