Pick 1, Ravnica Pack

Boros Garrison; Tattered Drake; Mortipede; Sadistic Augermage; Thundersong Trumpeter; Ordruun Commando; Dryad's Caress; Dromad Purebred; Dizzy Spell; Sell-Sword Brute; Elves of Deep Shadow; Spectral Searchlight; Sunhome Enforcer; Grifter's Blade; Ursapine

Ursapine by far the best card in this pack. It makes blocking impossible for your opponents. It protects itself and your creatures. It breaks a creature stalled game in your favor. If you have a lot of creatures, your opponents must chump block because Ursapine makes your attack phases lethal. It must be dealt with quickly or your opponents will lose all their creatures as they chump block your Giant-Growthed horde. A bomb is a card that significantly changes the game in your favor when it's played. Ursapine is a bomb.

The second best card is Sunhome Enforcer, but it doesn't change the game like Ursapine does. Note that if you take Ursapine, you'll give the player on your left a reason to go Red/White. You're shipping five solid Boros cards.

My pick: Ursapine

Terraformer; Consult the Necrosages; Barbarian Riftcutter; Sabertooth Alley Cat; Gather Courage; Conclave's Blessing; Dimir Infiltrator; Necromantic Thirst; Shambling Shell; Transluminant; Carrion Howler; Nightmare Void; Telling Time; Molten Sentry

This pack is mediocre. Terraformer, Sabertooth Alley Cat, Dimir Infiltrator, and Telling Time are all playable, but none of these cards are good enough to cause me to switch colors. I look at the Green cards: Shambling Shell, Transluminant, and Gather Courage. Shambling Shell is a better creature than Transluminant. Shambling Shell makes your creatures bigger. Also, it's a 3/1 with dredge while Transluminant is a plain 2/2 with a mediocre ability. Gather Courage is a decent combat trick. However, for my early picks, I like to pick good creatures over good combat tricks. A deck with good creatures and crappy combat tricks will win more than a deck with crappy creatures and good combat tricks. Also, you need more creatures than combat tricks. Creatures are the foundation of a good draft deck. Think of it this way. Creatures stay around to attack, block, and hopefully bring your opponent to zero life, while combat tricks are used once and then go to the graveyard. A combat trick needs a creature to be effective, while a creature can stand alone without a combat trick.

My pick: Shambling Shell

Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi; Viashino Slasher; Farseek; Fists of Ironwood; War-Torch Goblin; Zephyr Spirit; Lurking Informant; Surge of Zeal; Viashino Fangtail; Seeds of Strength; Peregrine Mask; Indentured Oaf; Woodwraith Corrupter

Viashino Fangtail is a great card, but it's Red and there are other great cards in my colors. Farseek is definitely a good card in this multicolored draft environment, but I don't think mana fixers should be taken over great creatures. Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi is a solid creature and Seeds of Strength is a nice combat trick. However, I stuck to my colors and chose Woodwraith Corrupter. It's a slow card, but it's a reasonably big creature with a game-breaking ability. Many games turn into creature stalls, and Woodwraith Corrupter can break those stalls in your favor by creating creatures out of your lands. Mana flooded late in the game? Turn your excess Forests into a 4/4 army.

My pick: Woodwraith Corrupter

Greater Mossdog; Courier Hawk; Stasis Cell; Boros Fury-Shield; Vedalken Dismisser; Goblin Fire Fiend; Perplex; Gate Hound; Golgari Signet; Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree; Suppression Field; Wizened Snitches

There are playable cards in the other colors (Boros Fury-Shield, Vedalken Dismisser) but nothing too spectacular. My colors give me these choices: Greater Mossdog; Golgari Signet; and Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree. Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree is a good card, but it's very slow. It's not good enough for me to go into White. I already have a creature generator from my last pick. I picked Golgari Signet, but I think I took the mana fixer too early. In hindsight, Greater Mossdog is the correct pick. It is a staple card in any Green/Black deck. Golgari decks win by playing bigger creatures than their opponents and by recurring those creatures through the dredge ability. Greater Mossdog's 3/3 for four mana is on par with most four-mana creatures, and it has the dredge ability. Also, by taking Greater Mossdog, I continue to cut Green.

My pick: Golgari Signet
Should've picked: Greater Mossdog

Dogpile; Selesnya Sanctuary; Wojek Siren; Tidewater Minion; Infectious Host; Rally the Righteous; Elvish Skysweeper; Conclave Equenaut; Ivy Dancer; Bathe in Light; Mnemonic Nexus

I made the same mistake from the last pick by taking Selesnya Sanctuary. The right pick is a very solid card in my color, Elvish Skysweeper. Elvish Skysweeper is a beating, because there are so many good fliers. So many decks, especially Blue decks, lose to an unhindered Elvish Skysweeper. Elvish Skysweeper takes out these good common fliers: Conclave Equenaut, Skyknight Legionnaire, Drift of Phantasms, Snapping Drake, Wee Dragonauts, Assault Zeppelid, Helium Squirter, and more. Every Green deck needs an Elvish Skysweeper.

My pick: Selesnya Sanctuary
Should've picked: Elvish Skysweeper

Boros Garrison; Induce Paranoia; Mortipede; Vedalken Entrancer; Sundering Vitae; Caregiver; Dizzy Spell; Svogthos, the Restless Tomb; Chant of Vitu-Ghazi; Duskmantle, House of Shadow

Easy pick. Mortipede is solid in Golgari decks. Golgari decks don't have much evasion and are susceptible to creature stalls. Mortipede can break those stalls in your favor by forcing your opponent's whole team to block it. Svogthos, the Restless Tomb is too slow, mana intensive, and situational.

My pick: Mortipede

Woodwraith Strangler; Induce Paranoia; Incite Hysteria; Centaur Safeguard; Seismic Spike; Stone-Seeder Hierophant; Dimir Infiltrator; Golgari Thug; Cleansing Beam

I go back to Green by taking Centaur Safeguard. I don't consider Cleansing Beam to be that great of a splash card. It's overcosted for its effect, and it doesn't do much when you're facing fat creatures. Woodwraith Strangler is also overcosted. Its ability is very situational in Golgari decks. Would you remove a Shambling Shell in the graveyard from the game to regenerate Woodwraith Strangler?

My pick: Centaur Safeguard

Torpid Moloch; Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi; Muddle the Mixture; Grayscaled Gharial; Shred Memory; Rain of Embers; Boros Signet; Auratouched Mage

I'm not sure about my pick. I picked Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi, but I think I should've pick Boros Signet. I've passed all the good White cards I've seen (except for Selesnya Sanctuary). Also, I haven't actually seen that many good White cards, so there's a good chance the player on my right is in White. Therefore, I probably won't be playing Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi in the final deck. He's definitely not worth splashing. Neither is Auratouched Mage. So why not take the Boros Signet to keep my options open? Maybe I can move into Gruul in the second pack and/or splash Orzhov, since I already have Selesnya Sanctuary and Golgari Signet.

My pick: Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi
Should've picked: Boros Signet

Boros Garrison; Sadistic Augermage; Ordruun Commando; Dryad's Caress; Dromad Purebred; Dizzy Spell; Sell-Sword Brute

Sadistic Augermage is in my colors and it's playable (barely). I'm surprised that the Ordruun Commando and Boros Garrison tabled. I bet there's only one Boros drafter on this table. If that's true, I may see some great Gruul cards in the Guildpact pack.

My pick: Sadistic Augermage

Barbarian Riftcutter; Sabertooth Alley Cat; Conclave's Blessing; Dimir Infiltrator; Necromantic Thirst; Molten Sentry

Just in case I move to Gruul, I take Sabertooth Alley Cat.

My pick: Sabertooth Alley Cat

For the rest of the Ravnica pack, my playable picks were Seeds of Strength and Rally the Righteous.

Absolver Thrull; Scab-Clan Mauler; Gruul Turf; Ostiary Thrull; Wildsize; Cry of Contrition; Beastmaster's Magemark; Izzet Chronarch; Skyrider Trainee; Gigadrowse; Wild Cantor; Order of the Stars; Skarrgan Skybreaker; Wurmweaver Coil

Wow. It's not often that I get two first-pick bomb rares. Wurmweaver Coil is a serious beating. Six mana for +6/+6. And if my enchanted creature dies, I can play three Green mana to turn Wurmweaver Coil into a 6/6 beatstick. There's a couple of playables in this pack. I'll probably see Beastmaster's Magemark or Gruul Turf again.

My pick: Wurmweaver Coil

Train of Thought; Beastmaster's Magemark; Wild Cantor; Poisonbelly Ogre; Guardian's Magemark; Wee Dragonauts; Gruul Signet; Ghor-Clan Savage; Repeal; Scab-Clan Mauler; Sinstriker's Will; Mortify; Primeval Light; Petrified Wood-Kin

Mortify is a straightforward pick. It's cheap, good removal. It can even take out enchantments. What's not to like? I already have Selesnya Sanctuary, so I can easily splash it. The rest of the pack is unexciting.

My pick: Mortify

Cremate; Gruul Nodorog; Petrahydrox; Guardian's Magemark; Gigadrowse; Burning-Tree Bloodscale; Orzhov Signet; Steamcore Weird; Withstand; Battering Wurm; Izzet Guildmage; Aetherplasm; Spelltithe Enforcer

I should've picked Orzhov Signet to fix my mana in case I pick up some great Orzhov cards. But for some crazy reason, I picked Gruul Nodorog. Gruul Nodorog is only good if you have access to Red mana. I have no Red mana fixers, and my only other Red playable card is Sabertooth Alley Cat. By the way, Battering Wurm is overcosted and situational.

My pick: Gruul Nodorog
Should've picked: Orzhov Signet

Ghost Warden; Izzet Signet; Orzhov Euthanist; Silhana Starfletcher; Crystal Seer; Silhana Ledgewalker; Restless Bones; Petrahydrox; Skyrider Trainee; Gristleback; Shattering Spree; Siege of Towers

I picked Silhana Starfletcher, but I should've picked Orzhov Euthanist. Silhana Starfletcher is a great card. It fixes mana and even blocks flyers. However, Orzhov Euthanist is creature removal for three mana in this deck. And you even get a 2/2 body.

My pick: Silhana Starfletcher
Should've picked: Orzhov Euthanist

Ostiary Thrull; Streetbreaker Wurm; Gruul Scrapper; Gruul Signet; Infiltrator's Magemark; Wee Dragonauts; Skarrgan Pit-Skulk; Lionheart Maverick; Burning-Tree Bloodscale; Crystal Seer; Aetherplasm

Since I passed Orzhov Euthanist and took Gruul Nodorog over Orzhov Signet, I decided to pass Ostiary Thrull. Ostiary Thrull needs White mana to be effective, but I didn't think I would have a good enough manabase to support Green, Black, and White. I couldn't throw away Green, because both my bomb rares have double Green casting cost. So, I went for a consistent mana base and switched to Red. I figured a fifth pick Streetbreaker Wurm was a good signal to go into Gruul. This may not have been the best choice. Maybe I should've stuck with Black and White. This is the critical pick of the whole draft. Once I made this pick, I knew I had basically switched from Black to Red.

My pick: Streetbreaker Wurm

Silhana Ledgewalker; Mourning Thrull; Restless Bones; Fencer's Magemark; Bloodscale Prowler; Infiltrator's Magemark; Withstand; Droning Bureaucrats; Primeval Light; Exhumer Thrull

Now that I'm in Red instead of Black, I take Bloodscale Prowler. Fencer's Magemark is also playable, but I need solid creatures before creature enchantments. Silhana Ledgewalker is too small. It can usually be blocked, because there are many fliers in this drafting environment. Exhumer Thrull would've been a nice pick had I stayed in Black.

My pick: Bloodscale Prowler

Cremate; Skarrgan Pit-Skulk; Benediction of Moons; Tin Street Hooligan; Orzhov Basilica; Blind Hunter; Bloodscale Prowler; Martyred Rusalka; Sanguine Praetor

Arrgh. I gotta pass Blind Hunter for Tin Street Hooligan. Blind Hunter is four mana for a 2/2 flier and Drain Life your opponent for four. It gives you a huge tempo swing if you're racing. I'm not sure about Sanguine Praetor. He's definitely playable but he costs a lot and his ability may or may not help you.

My pick: Tin Street Hooligan

Pick 8, Guildpact Pack

Castigate; Necromancer's Magemark; Runeboggle; Cry of Contrition; Tin Street Hooligan; Lionheart Maverick; Leap of Flame; Sky Swallower

I should've taken Necromancer's Magemark and splashed it. It works well with my big creatures by giving them second lives. Imagine Necromancer's Magemark on Streetbreaker Wurm. Streetbreaker Wurm becomes a 7/5 creature. The first removal spell from my opponent would only send it to my hand. The same thing would happen if my opponent gang blocks to kill it. However, I took Tin Street Hooligan.

My pick: Tin Street Hooligan
Should've picked: Necromancer's Magemark

Scab-Clan Mauler; Cry of Contrition; Skyrider Trainee; Gigadrowse; Wild Cantor; Order of the Stars; Skarrgan Skybreaker

Can you believe this draft? I've made awful picks, but I get two first pick bomb rares and a ninth pick Skarrgan Skybreaker! Frickin' lucky me. He is situational because you want to cast him with bloodthirst. However, if you make him bloodthirsty, he's a bomb. And by pumping him up with Ursapine, you can end the game the game in a hurry with a lethal shot to your opponent's dome.

My pick: Skarrgan Skybreaker

Here is the rest of my playable Guildpact picks: Scab-Clan Mauler, Gruul Scrapper (nice), and Fencer's Magemark. I should've taken Burning-Tree Bloodscale over Petrahydrox for my 11th pick. I'm not sure if Petrahydrox is playable while Burning-Tree Bloodscale can at least break a creature stall with enough mana.

Coiling Oracle; Whiptail Moloch; Thrive; Haazda Exonerator; Overrule; Vision Skeins; Wrecking Ball; Cytospawn Shambler; Guardian of the Guildpact; Simic Signet; Seal of Fire; Mistral Charger; Skyscribing; Azorius Guildmage; Lyzolda, the Blood Witch

I took Seal of Fire, but I think I should've splashed for Wrecking Ball or even better, Lyzolda, the Blood Witch. Wrecking Ball is better removal than Seal of Fire. I didn't think I had enough Red creatures for Lyzolda, the Blood Witch, but she doesn't need that many Red creatures to be effective. Plus, I'll be drafting more playable Red creatures in Dissension.

My pick: Seal of Fire
Should've picked: Lyzolda, the Blood Witch

Demon's Jester; Ocular Halo; Aquastrand Spider; Freewind Equenaut; Azorius Chancery; Psychotic Fury; Taste for Mayhem; Simic Initiate; Vigean Hydropon; Nettling Curse; Beacon Hawk; Gnat Alley Creeper; Skullmead Cauldron; Tidespout Tyrant

Aquastrand Spider is the easy, straightforward pick in a boring pack.

My pick: Aquastrand Spider

Overrule; Utvara Scalper; Plumes of Peace; Soulsworn Jury; Vision Skeins; Verdant Eidolon; Plumes of Peace (foil); Silkwing Scout; Macabre Waltz; Pure/Simple; Crypt Champion; Palliation Accord; Nihilistic Glee

Another straightforward pick. Verdant Eidolon is solid because it allows you to play your high casting cost cards 1-2 turns sooner. Then, you can play a multicolored card and bring it back to your hand. Also, it can fix your mana.

My pick: Verdant Eidolon

Simic Ragworm; Steeling Stance; Sandstorm Eidolon; Slaughterhouse Bouncer; Shielding Plax; Vesper Ghoul; Enigma Eidolon; Gobhobbler Rats; Valor Made Real; Nettling Curse; Hit/Run; Swift Silence

Sandstorm Eidolon would be a good pick if I had more multicolored cards. Its ability is very marginal. Simic Ragworm fits my deck by being a relatively big creature for four mana.

My pick: Simic Ragworm

Utopia Sprawl; Simic Signet; Ogre Gatecrasher; Taste for Mayhem; Street Savvy; Vigean Hydropon; Beacon Hawk; Enemy of the Guildpact; Riot Spikes; Hellhole Rats; Nightcreep

Ogre Gatecrasher is another good creature. He can take out good defenders like Benevolent Ancestor, Drift of Phantasms, and Soulsworn Jury.

My pick: Ogre Gatecrasher

Enemy of the Guildpact; Taste for Mayhem; Simic Initiate; Vigean Hydropon; Nettling Curse; Aquastrand Spider; Freewind Equenaut; Psychotic Fury; Ragamuffyn; Gnat Alley Creeper

Another straightforward pick. Third pack picks are pretty straightforward especially in a two-color deck.

My pick: Aquastrand Spider

Taste for Mayhem; Street Savvy; Vigean Hydropon; Beacon Hawk; Simic Signet; Ogre Gatecrasher; Hellhole Rats; Nightcreep; Walking Archive

Another Ogre Gatecrasher. Man, my deck has a lot of fat.

My pick: Ogre Gatecrasher

Carom; Entropic Eidolon; Kill-Suit Cultist; Street Savvy; Writ of Passage; Vesper Ghoul; Jagged Poppet; Mistral Charger

Nothing in my colors so I hate draft Mistral Charger.

My pick: Mistral Charger

Coiling Oracle; Whiptail Moloch; Haazda Exonerator; Overrule; Vision Skeins; Cytospawn Shambler; Skyscribing

Nice. A late Cytospawn Shambler. Seven mana for a 6/6. It gives my fatties trample. Perfect.

The rest of my Dissension picks are unplayable except for Utvara Scapler.

Here is the deck I played.

Draft Deck Suggested by Planar Mage on 2006-06-25 as a potential deck for Ravnica Limited As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/12163.html Print this deck!
Maindeck: Artifacts 1 Golgari Signet Creatures 2 Aquastrand Spider 1 Bloodscale Prowler 1 Centaur Safeguard 1 Cytospawn Shambler 1 Gruul Nodorog 1 Gruul Scrapper 2 Ogre Gatecrasher 1 Sabertooth Alley Cat 1 Silhana Starfletcher 1 Skarrgan Skybreaker 1 Streetbreaker Wurm 2 Tin Street Hooligan 1 Ursapine 1 Utvara Scalper 1 Verdant Eidolon	Enchantments 1 Seal Of Fire 1 Wurmweaver Coil Instants 1 Rally The Righteous 1 Seeds Of Strength Basic Lands 8 Forest 7 Mountain 1 Plains Lands 1 Selesnya Sanctuary	Stats: Average mana: 2.05 Average creature mana cost: 3.77 Average creature power: 2.27 Average creature toughness: 1.88 Deck Composition: Artifacts: 2.50% Basic Lands: 40.00% Creatures: 45.00% Enchantments: 5.00% Instants: 5.00% Lands: 2.50%
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My rating: 1680
Opponent's rating: 1688

Going first, I have a slow opening hand of three Mountains, a Forest, Streetbreaker Wurm, Ogre Gatecrasher, and Seeds of Strength. I'm glad I'm not going second. I lay a Mountain.

He plays a Forest and lays down Elves of Deep Shadow. Uh oh. This could be bad.

My top deck skills bring me a Tin Street Hooligan.

He plays an Island and then a Coiling Oracle. He flips... another Coiling Oracle.

He attacks with the Elves. I block and hope he doesn't have Gather Courage.

We trade. Wow. Bad play for him. Why would you trade a mana creature for a boring 2/1?

I draw another Ogre Gatecrasher and wish I were playing against Blue/White. Die defenders! Die!

Back to the game. He plays the other Coiling Oracle and reveals the new king of the air, Simic Sky Swallower. He play a Forest and attacks for one.

Turn 4 for me. Here comes a Hill Giant, or Ogre Gatecrasher. (Read the flavor text. I'm glad he's on my team.)

He is stuck on three land. I think, "Alas, the Elves could've saved the day. But they recklessly ran into the midst of the battle." He plays a Vigean Hydropon. I don't think this creature is playable. Would you play an enchantment for 1GU that gives your creatures +1/+1 counters when they come into play? I wouldn't. And Vigean Hydropon is a creature, so he's easier to destroy than an enchantment.

I attack with Ogre Gatecrasher and Coiling Oracle chumps. Hmm, another questionable play. If you're at 20, you can afford to take three damage. I play Streetbreaker Wurm.

He draws and passes.

I beat down with Ogre Gatecrasher and Streetbreaker Wurm. He blocks Ogre Gatecrasher with Coiling Oracle, and plays Wildsize on it. They trade while Streetbreaker Wurm deals six damage. Vigean Hydropon looks on helplessly and wonders why he's not an enchantment. I tell him, "Because if you're an enchantment, Magic players wouldn't play you in their draft decks. But since you have the graft ability, they think you're automatically playable. But you're not. Sorry."

I play the second Ogre Gatecrasher and mock the Vigean Hydropon, "Hey, if you're bored, you can graft my ogre!"

My opponent is still stuck on three land, but he plays a Gruul Signet.

I attack with Ogre Gatecrasher and Streetbreaker Wurm, and they run around Vigean Hydropon and deal nine damage. He's at five life.

He untaps and concedes. 1-0.

I side in Scab-Clan Mauler to see how good he is, and take out Tin Street Hooligan. I also take out a Forest and add a Mountain. In building my deck, I was rushed on time and I slightly messed up the manabase.

He goes first, and I keep a five-land hand with Aquastrand Spider and Streetbreaker Wurm.

We both lay lands and his first play is a Gruul Signet. I counter with Aquastrand Spider. By this time, I've drawn Wurmweaver Coil.

He plays Telling Time on his turn, and he's stuck on two land. Incredible.

I topdeck Scab-Clan Mauler. I attack for two and play him as a 3/3 trampler. He's pretty good when your opponent is manascrewed. I also graft a +1/+1 counter on him from Aquastrand Spider. Not sure if this is a good play, but 4/4 trampler is pretty good.

He is stuck on two land again. He plays another Gruul Signet and Elves of Deep Shadow.

I swing with Scab-Clan Mauler and he takes four.

He is still stuck on two land. He plays a Coiling Oracle and reveals Seal of Doom. Is he playing thirteen land, or is this the worst manascrew in the history of sanctioned Magic Online?

I attack for four with my bloodthirsty, trampling Scab-Clan Mauler, and play Streetbreaker Wurm.

He is probably shooting his computer, because he doesn't draw a land. He plays Seal of Doom.

I attack with Scab-Clan Mauler and Streetbreaker Wurm. He chump blocks the Wurm and destroys the Mauler with Seal of Doom. Huh? He should've killed the Wurm instead. I play Wurmweaver Coil on my 1/1 Spider to make him a 7/7.

He does not draw a land and vows never to play Magic again. Well, not really, but that's what I might do if I suffered his awful manascrew. He plays Crypt Champion with mana from Elves of Deep Shadow. He brings back Coiling Oracle, which spits out a Mountain. Finally. Meanwhile, I get back a bloodthirsty 3/3 Scab-Clan Mauler, because my opponent took damage from his Elves.

I attack with everyone. The Crypt Champion blocks Streetbreaker Wurm and they both die. The Coiling Oracle chump blocks my 7/7 Spider. And the Mauler gets through for three damage.

I play Cytospawn Shambler and draw a concession. 2-0 match win. My rating goes from 1680 to 1688.

My rating: 1688
Opponent's rating: 1711

Playing last, I keep a hand of three Forest, Selesnya Sanctuary, Silhana Starfletcher, Sabertooth Alley Cat, and Ursapine.

He plays the first spell, Thundersong Trumpeter, while I continue with my top decking skills by drawing and playing an Aquastrand Spider.

He plays an Island. He's got three colors already with Plains, Mountain, and Island. He lays Izzet Guildmage.

I play Silhana Starfletcher naming Red, since I haven't drawn a Mountain.

He doesn't draw a land, but he plays Wee Dragonauts.

I play a fourth turn Ursapine using Silhana. However, he puts Faith's Fetters on it.

I play Aquastrand Spider. He plays Sandstorm Eidolon.

I play Cytospawn Shambler. He draws and passes the turn.

I declare my attack phase and he activates Trumpeter's ability on Aquastrand Spider instead of Cytospawn Shambler. Interesting. What could my opponent have? He has two Islands, a Plains, and a Mountain untapped.

I attack with Cytospawn Shambler and take six damage from a Boros-Fury Shield. Ouch.

I play Bloodscale Prowler and graft him with Cytospawn Shambler to make him a 4/2.

He counters with Veteran Armorer. Then, he attacks with Sandstorm Eidolon.

I don't block.

Please don't ask me why I didn't block. I have two Aquastrand Spiders and a 4/2 Bloodscale Prowler untapped. I was at 12 life. I had Seeds of Strength in hand. He had a Mountain and an Island untapped. What was I scared of? I should've blocked with Bloodscale Prowler. I didn't so I went to 10 life.

I untap and play a freshly drawn Gruul Nodorog, but it's too late. My mistake has cost me.

On his turn, he plays Bathe in Light on Thundersong Trumpeter, which affects his whole team. He gives his team pro Green. His Wee Dragonauts get +2+0. Then, he copies the spell with Izzet Guildmage and gives his team pro Red. Finally, he swings for eleven damage and the win. 0-1

I side in Scab-Clan Mauler and Mountain again.

Playing first, I start with two Forest, Golgari Signet, Scab-Clan Mauler, Tin Street Hooligan, Ursapine, and Skarrgan Skybreaker.

On my second turn, I draw another forest and lay down Golgari Signet. He plays Izzet Guildmage.

I need a Mountain and I draw Seeds of Strength. He attacks for two and plays a Plains. He ends his turn.

I miss my fourth turn land drop but I draw and play Aquastrand Spider.

He forecasts Writ of Passage to make Izzet Guildmage unblockable. Huh? Why didn't he just enchant Izzet Guildmage? And why is he playing with crappy Writ of Passage?

He attacks with his Guildmage and lays down an Island.

I draw yet another Forest and play Ursapine.

He counters with Azorius First-Wing and passes the turn.

I draw Gruul Nodorog and cringe. I have four Forests in play and a Golgari Signet. But my hand is Scab-Clan Mauler, Tin Street Hooligan, Skarrgan Skybreaker, Seeds of Strength, and Gruul Nodorog.

At least I have Ursapine and four untapped Forest. I attack with Aquastrand Spider and Ursapine. He doesn't block and so I pump my spider to 4/4 and Ursapine to 5/5. My opponent takes nine damage.

He attacks for four damage with his Guildmage and Azorius First-Wing. Then, he plays Sandstorm Eidolon.

I finally draw a Mountain. I play Gruul Nodorog and pass.

He attacks with his 2/2 flier and then plays Compulsive Research. He taps out to play Flight of Fancy on his Guildmage.

I draw another Mountain. I activate Gruul Nodorog's ability so it takes two creatures to block him. Then, I swing with the whole team and use Ursapine to make sure none of my creatures die. He blocks with both of his 2/2s, and they die. Gruul Nodorog gets in for five damage after being pumped by Ursapine. He's at six life. I end the turn by playing a bloodthirsty grafted 4/4 Scab-Clan Mauler. I didn't realize that my spider only had one +1/+1 counter, so I lost him when I grafted the Mauler. Oops.

He responds by playing Transguild Courier, which retrieves back his Sandstorm Eidolon. Then, he plays Thundersong Trumpeter.

I play Tin-Street Hooligan to destroy Transguild Courier. He responds by playing Bathe in Light on the Courier to give it protection from Red. Since the Courier is all colors, every creature is now pro Red. He may have kept his Courier from being destroyed, but two of his three creatures are Red! Only the Azorius First-Wing can block, which makes it easy for me to swing for lethal damage. 1-1.

I'm drawing first and keep a hand of Mountain, Forest, Selesnya Sanctuary, Utvara Scalper, Bloodscale Prowler, Skarrgan Skybreaker, and Cytospawn Shambler.

I draw Seal of Fire and use it to kill his Thundersong Trumpeter.

I play Utvara Scalper and he counters with Wee Dragonauts. I have to attack with Utvara Scalper and expect him to block. Fortunately, he doesn't. He must've expected a combat trick. I'm happy to lay a 4/2 bloodthirsty Bloodscale Prowler.

He attacks with Wee Dragonauts and then plays another one. He misses his fourth turn land drop. I think he should've kept both Dragonauts to block.

I attack with my small flyer and 4/2 creature. He blocks the flyer and takes four from the Bloodscale Prowler. I lay Verdant Eidolon.

He draws and misses his land drop again. He passes.

I attack with Utvara Scalper and Bloodscale Prowler. He blocks each of my creatures with a Wee Dragonauts. Then, he plays Boros Fury-Shield on Bloodscale Prowler. His creatures become 3/3s, and mine die.

I sac Verdant Eidolon and accelerate to a fifth turn Cytospawn Shambler.

He again fails to lay a land. He attacks with both Wee Dragonauts and plays a Ghost Warden.

On my turn, I attack with Cytospawn Shambler. My opponent doesn't block. He goes to nine life. I only have land in my hand, except for Skarrgan Skybreaker. Hopefully, he'll come down next turn with bloodthirst.

He again fails to lay a land. He plays Veteran Armorer and passes.

I draw Streetbreaker Wurm, play it, retrieve Verdant Eidolon, and graft a +1/+1 counter on it from Cytospawn Shambler. Nice turn, huh? I pass.

He finally gets his fourth land. He plays Guardian of the Guildpact and passes.

I attack with a 5/5 Cytospawn Shambler and a 7/5 Streetbreaker Wurm. He blocks the Shambler with both Dragonauts and Guardian of the Guildpact. He pumps the one of the Dragonauts with Ghost Warden. He blocks my Wurm with Veteran Armorer and Ghost Warden. I give the Wurm trample. When the attack phase is over, I have a 7/5 Wurm left while my opponent has a Dragonauts and Guardian of the Guildpact. Also, I've dealt three trample damage, which puts him at six life. I play a 6/6 bloodthirsty Skarrgan Skybreaker and draw his concession. 2-1 match and my new rating is 1696.

My rating: 1696
Opponent's rating: 1560

It's funny that my finals opponent has rating lower than 1600. This seems to happen more than you would expect, even in a 4-3-2-2 draft.

I lose the die roll and end up drawing first. I keep a hand of Plains, Forest, Selesnya Sanctuary, Centaur Safeguard, Silhana Starfletcher, Gruul Scrapper, and Ogre Gatecrasher.

He starts off with a Rakdos Guildmage and Roofstalker Wight.

I lay Silhana Starfletcher and choose Red. He attacks with both his creatures and I don't block, fearing a combat trick. Plus, I need the Red mana from Silhana Starfletcher. I'm at 14 already. He plays Mortipede.

I play Ogre Gatecrasher.

He uses Mortipede's ability and attacks with all his creatures. I go to 10 and the Gatecrasher and Mortipede trade.

I play Gruul Scrapper and pass. He lays an Island and plays Steamcore Weird, shooting down my Gruul Scrapper. He passes.

I play Aquastrand Spider and Verdant Eidolon. He attacks with Roofstalker Wight. I block with Verdant Eidolon and they trade. Then, he uses Rakdos Guildmage's ability to kill my Spider. He ends his turn by playing Plagued Rusalka.

I play Wurmweaver Coil on Silhana Starfletcher, but I have to tap Starfletcher for mana. I have no blockers for the next turn. However, he only attacks with Rakdos Guildmage. I go to eight life and he plays Flight of Fancy on Rakdos Guildmage.

I finally draw a Mountain and play Bloodscale Prowler. He makes a bad play on his turn. He attacks with Rakdos Guildmage. Then he kills my Prowler using his Guildmage's ability, but his Guildmage dies when I block with my 7/9 Starfletcher. He plays Macabre Waltz and brings back Rakdos Guildmage and Kill-Suit Cultist.

I attack with my 7/9 and he takes seven. I tap out to play my freshly drawn Gruul Nodorog.

He plays Kill-Suit Cultist and Rakdos Guildmage and passes.

I play Tin Street Hooligan and don't attack because of the Kill-Suit Cultist. He plays Brainspoil on the Gruul Nodorog and attacks with Kill-Suit Cultist. I take one damage. At the end of the turn, I turn Wurmweaver Coil into a 6/6 Wurm. However, I take one damage from mana burn because of Selesnya Sanctuary. I'm now at 6 life.

I'm very sleepy at this point, which is my excuse for my next bad play. He Gigadrowses by Wurm. I play Sabertooth Alley Cat, but I have to tap Silhana Starfletcher for mana. At the end of my turn, he sacs Kill-Suit Cultist to Plagued Rusalka's ability to kill my Sabertooth Alley Cat.

On his turn, he uses Rakdos Guildmage ability to destroy my only blocker, Tin Street Hooligan. Then, he makes a Goblin token from Rakdos Guildmage and swings for exactly six damage.

The reason my play is so bad is because I have Rally the Righteous in my hand. I should not have played Sabertooth Alley Cat. Instead, I should've used the Red mana to play Rally the Righteous and untap my Wurm so it could block. 0-1.

Playing first, I mulligan a one land hand into a hand consisting of Forest, Selesnya Sanctuary, Seeds of Strength, Sabertooth Alley Cat, Verdant Eidolon, and Cytospawn Shambler.

He and I both start off slow as I make the first play with a Verdant Eidolon. He counters with Dimir House Guard. I attack with Verdant Eidolon. He blocks but loses his Dimir House Guard because of Seeds of Strength. I lay Sabertooth Alley Cat.

He responds by playing Snapping Drake. He misses his fifth turn land drop.

I attack with my Cat and Eidolon. He blocks and trades his Drake for my Cat.

I play Ogre Gatecrasher and Golgari Signet.

He finds his fifth land, Riot Spikes my Cat, and plays Demon's Jester.

I draw a land, attack for three, and play Cytospawn Shambler.

He