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Drafting With Olivier - Zendikar #3

Olivier Ruel

By Olivier Ruel
11/02/2009

About Olivier Ruel: Pro Tour mainstay Olivier Ruel's outstanding career includes five Pro Tour Top 8s, numerous Grand Prix Top 8s (including the recent victory at Grand Prix: Brighton), and induction in the Magic Hall of Fame class of 2008.

#Zendikar Limited, #Olivier Ruel
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  Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:

Terra Stomper is about as good as Burst Lightning, but Terra Stomper is super Green, the color I like the least, when the best common in the format belongs to my favorite color.


  Pack 1 pick 2:
Blessing

Buy This Card!
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  My Pick:

Black is the ideal complement for Red, and Disfigure is just better than the still very good Skyfisher, and than the good but too expensive Baloth Cage Trap, which rarely actually traps as most of the format’s artifacts only cost 1.


  Pack 1 pick 3:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Adventuring Gear is good in RB, but I still like regular two-mana two-power guys better.


  Pack 1 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Hagra Crocodile is good because It is one of the very few RB four-drops. As you shouldn’t miss a guy on turn 2 and 3 anyway, what would you like better on turn 4, Crocodile or Highland Berserker? I’m not saying I’d actually pick the 3/1 over a cheaper drop, but it is still pretty good for a filler.


  Pack 1 pick 6:

  My Pick:

Nothing dreamy here, I could also have counter-drafted the Chosen.


  Pack 1 pick 7:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 9:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 10:
Blessing

Buy This Card!
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  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 11:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 12:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 13:

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  Pack 1 pick 14:

  My Pick:


  Pack 1 pick 15:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 1:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:

More than a simple two-mana Shock, when 6 different lands in the format are life gainers. Still, the Marauder is not so far behind.


  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 4:

  My Pick:

I love the Shrine but the deck needs one-drops, and Lacerator is the best of them.


  Pack 2 pick 5:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 6:

  My Pick:

Pretty close with the Shortcutter, but my two-mana curve is better filled than my one, and with now double Burst Lightning, getting my opponent on 10 should be easier.


  Pack 2 pick 7:

  My Pick:

I like Piranha Marsh when I’m short in one-drops. It doesn’t fit so well here, as the one point difference often won’t match the turn the tapped land made you lose.


  Pack 2 pick 8:
Blessing

Buy This Card!
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  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 9:

  My Pick:


  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:

With more playables and one crocodile already, I’d rather go with the land this time.


  Pack 2 pick 11:

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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:

The archetype’s best four-mana common guy.


  Pack 3 pick 2:

  My Pick:

Just as good as a removal spell in the format in which it almost always comes down to racing.


  Pack 3 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I already have some late drops (which in RB’s case means four mana and above), and I’m a little short in playables so I can’t really pick the land.


  Pack 3 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Mosquito is too expensive to be kicked in this kind of deck. If it’s being cast for four, I’d rather simply take the more aggressive Grunts.


  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 6:

  My Pick:

I’m clearly not playing a second Tuktuk Grunts, as my curve is high enough. Therefore, I’d rather hate-draft the annoying Green guy.


  Pack 3 pick 7:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 8:

  My Pick:

War Paint is about as good as the 1/1, but I’m a little short on early guys.


  Pack 3 pick 9:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 10:

  My Pick:


  Pack 3 pick 11:

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  Pack 3 pick 12:

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  Pack 3 pick 13:

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  Pack 3 pick 14:

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  Pack 3 pick 15:

  My Pick:


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8 Swamp
7 Mountain
2 Teetering Peaks

1 Guul Draz Vampire
2 Vampire Lacerator
3 Goblin Shortcutter
1 Highland Berserker
1 Blood Seeker
2 Zektar Shrine Expedition
1 Giant Scorpion
1 Ruinous Minotaur
2 Hagra Crocodile
1 Bladetusk Boar
1 Tuktuk Grunts

2 Disfigure
2 Burst Lightning
1 Goblin War Paint
1 Punishing Fire
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Slaughter Cry

Sideboard
1 Island
1 Grazing Gladehart
1 Paralyzing Grasp
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Bog Tatters
1 Needlebite Trap
1 Molten Ravager
1 Trapmaker's Snare
1 Demolish
1 Shieldmate's Blessing
1 Desecrated Earth
1 Island
1 Lethargy Trap
1 Mindless Null
1 Narrow Escape
1 Nissa's Chosen
1 Tanglesap
2 Ravenous Trap

In the first game I open with a mulligan and turn 3 Vampire Lacerator, turn 4 Bladetusk Boar. It’s still enough, as he took a mulligan too and only played a couple of Plains and a Scope. In the second game he controls my early beating with a pair of Hookmasters, which allow his Windrider Eel to win the race against my Boar. Game 3 is pretty nice, as he opens with turn 2 Blademaster, turn 3 Umara Raptor, turn 4 Kor Outfitter, turn 5 Journey to Nowhere... and I kill him on my turn 5. I'm glad his Journey removed my Shortcutter rather than my enchantment with two tokens, allowing me to swing for 10 along with Slaughter Cry on the following turn.

In the semis, facing RG, I win the first game on turn 6with triple Shortcutter and Mark of Mutiny. The second is not much longer, as he can’t stop double Expedition.

My last opponent is playing Blue/Red. I open with 2 Shortcutters, then play a removal on his first guy, two on his second guy (Tsunami), and steal his third (Kazuul Warlord) with Mark of Mutiny for the win. The second one is a lot closer. I’m slightly losing the race when I find an Expedition on turn 6. Three turns later, my 7/1 attacks and I have him on one life with Punishing Fire in hand, but he has two cards I don’t know in his hand, so I decide to wait a little in case one of them is Cancel. Anyway he’s on 1 life and I’ve Blood Seeker in play. He manages to deal with my 1/1, then put me down to 4. He then plays Burst Lightning with kicker... and in response, I cast my own burn spell and win.

Until Wednesday...

Oli


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