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1) Plated Geopede
2) Living Tsunami
3) Surrakar Marauder
4) Kalitas , Bloodchief of Ghet
I don’t really consider picking any of the Black cards here. One is too expensive to be constantly good, while the other is an excellent two drop, but there is just a better option in the pack. Then what’s best? A creature which is generally a 3/3 for two on your turn, or a four-mana 4/4 flyer? The level of both cards is pretty close, but I'd still rather go for the 1/1 for two reasons.

Now that people are realizing that Green is poor in Zendikar, it is becoming more and more interesting to draft it. Indeed, powerful cards like Timbermaw Larva and Nissa’s Chosen often wheel, and people often pass good rares and uncommons.

1-2) Goblin Ruinblaster/Baloth Cage Trap
Of course, a Beast Attack looks a lot better than a simple 2/1 haste guy. However, as far as curve is concerned, RG usually has what it takes as long as expensive casting costs are concerned. Also, I checked this weekend after the first draft of Day 2 of GP: Minneapolis, to see how many non basic lands people played. From the 10 decks I’ve checked, there were 22 targetable (non-fetch) non-basics, which would tend to confirm the card is more often an Avalanche Rider than a small Lightning Elemental.

1) Hellfire Mongrel
2) Predatory Urge
Let’s be honest, I’ve no idea why Predatory Urge is worse. I’ve already played it but never drawn it, and the few times I’ve faced the card it wasn’t exactly impressive. However, the card must be good, so I think it would have been my pick if I had taken the Baloth over the Goblin in pack 3. It would have been better than the dog in a midrange deck, but I trust the 2/2 more in what should be a rather aggressive build.

1) Zektar Shrine Expedition
2) Vines of Vastwood
Vines of Vastwoood is a pretty good card, but it requires heavy Green to be optimal, and the Expedition is one of the top commons for a very aggressive deck.

I love the Larva, but at this point I still have only one Green card, so the pick here is not even questionable as I might simply be Mono Red. If I had 4 Green picks and only one Red one, I’d pick the Green guy.

Even against another Green deck, I won’t necessarily want to board in the slow Farguide (if I admit I am Green), while I don’t want to face the Blessing. Grasp may be better but it’s not a card I fear so much, and I don’t mind reminding people I can pass Blue cards, which hasn’t necessarily been obvious since I have passed the Tsunami.

I’m probably not using it, but it is still the best card left in the pack.

1) Burst Lightning
2) Zektar Shrine Expedition
3) Sphinx of Jwar Isle
If it was for any other Red common, except for Geopede, I would have picked the rare and be glad to switch to UR. Picking the 5/5 could end up being pretty bad, as I passed Tsunami but have received almost no Blue, meaning I could be surrounded by Blue mages. Too bad for the rare... I still have an excellent first pick. Oh and no, actually, I would probably still have picked the Expedition over it. It’s okay to pass a six-mana bomb if you can win the game by turn 6.

1) Molten Ravager
2) Magma Rift
3) Lavaball Trap
The Trap can be pretty good in a control deck, which is the exact opposite of what I am at the moment. Then Molten Ravager is as mediocre in a two-color deck as it’s good in a mono-colored one. Good news, I’m planning on an 18 Mountain manabase.

1) Tuktuk Grunts
2) Hellfire Mongrel
I think I made the wrong pick here. I may like the 2/2 better, but my curve is so low at the moment that a guy a little more expensive wouldn’t hurt, even if it is my first ally.

If I’m a little short on playables, the Demolish plan could be an option. But I hope it won’t be.

Wrong pick here. Unless I receive a Valakut in the last pack, it’s better to take the Blessing.

Yeeeee!!! In a Mono Red deck, I think this card is the fourth best common (Burst Lightning, Plated Geopede, Bladetusk Boar), a little better than a Torch Slinger.

THE card to hate draft when you’re Mono Red.

Could be interesting with double Molten Ravager.

1) Mark of Mutiny
2) Tuktuk Grunts
Have you noticed which creature is being stolen on Mark of Mutiny art? Just a clue... it’s probably the only illegal target in the format!

Concerning this pick, Mark of Mutiny is amazing in a multiple Shrine deck, and even if the Grunts would be good, I don’t think this pick is close.

1) Spire Barrage
2) Punishing Fire
3) Zektar Shrine Expedition
I’m not the hugest fan of spire Barrage, but it’s just a Fireball in my deck. Too bad for the amazing Punishing Fire and for my third Expedition.

Not a great 5th pick, but still a card which fits the deck’s strategy pretty well.

First guy in pack three, it was about time!

18 Mountain
1 Soaring Seacliff
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Plated Geopede
1 Goblin Shortcutter
2 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Hellfire Mongrel
2 Molten Ravager
1 Torch Slinger
1 Unstable Footing
1 Quest for Pure Flame
1 Burst Lightning
1 Goblin War Paint
2 Zektar Shrine Expedition
1 Punishing Fire
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Slaughter Cry
2 Spire Barrage

Even though I’m short both in guys (I only got one in pack three!) and in playables, I still like my deck a lot. The synergy is really good, and half the cards can easily do five damage or more on their own. Even Quest of Pure Flame is okay, with double Spire Barrage, double Zektar Shrine Expedition, Unstable Footing etc.

My Round 1 is pretty fast. I draw more than half my lands (no big deal, as by running 19 I’m expecting it to happen), but it allows Molten Ravager to deal 9 damage, and Spire Barrage 6 to take the win, with the other guys dealing the remainig 5 over the course of the game. And that’s a good summary of what I like about my deck. I don’t need many spells. I don’t even need to draw the best ones if their draws are not spectacular. I feel like I’m running 10 Lava Axes.

In game 2 he opens with Grazing Gladehart, for which I have no removal, but I still win on turn 6 as he refused to trade his precious 2/2 for a Goblin Shortcutter, and then Expedition smashed (along with his Territorial Baloth that I borrowed for a turn) on turn 5. I was able to finish him with Unstable Footing right after.

Round 2 is different, as my Mono White opponent plays first and puts much pressure on me from the start. I still draw fine, but while my deck is as good as crushing my opponent when I control the tempo, it’s bad at defending. In game 2, turn 2 Plated Geopede and a decent draw ensures we will move to game 3. In the third game, a kicked Goblin Ruinblaster helps me take control of the pace, as he destroys Kabira Crossroads when my opponent had missed his fourth land drop. Two turns later, still screwed on two lands, he plays Nimbus Wings on his Hookmaster to try and defend, but I’ve Mark of Mutiny for a giant final swing.

In my final match I’m facing... Mono Green! I take game 1 only because I play first, as Torch Slinger is able to destroy a turn 4 Timbermaw Larva for what ends up being the key play of the game, as he had two Vines of Vastwood in reserve. His pump spells are less efficient on defense, and Soaring Seacliff sends Molten Ravager in for the win. In the second game his draw is the exact nightmare for any Red deck... Turn 2 Nissa’s Chosen, turn 3 Nissa’s Chosen, turn 4 Grazing Glazehart, Forest, Vines to protect his guy from Punishing Fire. Let’s not waste time there, and move on to game 3.

The final game is grotesque. We both mulligan to 5, and are stuck on two lands. However, I open with my two Shrines, and at some point, when I end up drawing lands, I already have him down to 16, so I send in my two 7/1s and finish him with a kicked Burst Lightning. I definitely got lucky here, as his deck was pretty good and the match-up was not in my favor, but it’s interesting to see that I could go Mono Red without the color being excessively open, simply because I wasn’t fighting for the same cards as everyone else.

Until Friday...

Oli