Limited Resources: BTT Draft #4

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Limited Resources

“Players have hitherto only drafted the world in various ways; the point is to crush it.” — Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach




You can follow Marshall on Twitter @Marshall_LR
or check out the Limited Resources podcast at lrcast.com

 

  1. Very sweet draft, though it was weird seeing how highly you were willing to pick dawn to dusk – I basically jotted it down is a fringe, clunky situational enchantment killing effect.

    I also believe you played M3G1 rather badly, taking a LOT of 100% unnecessary risks, like attacking with your coastline several turns in a row, leaving yourself open to many forms of shannenigans.
    For example, in the turn where you cast a main phase battlewise valor, I think the play is almost certainly just to attack for 3 damage in the air, pass the turn, then use the chimera to block two different creatures with battlewise valor held in reserve in case you’ll need it.
    In addition, scrying and then keeping the Deepwater Hypnotist on top was a pretty terrible idea, I think. you would much, much rather draw a land and cast a horizon scholar if at all possible, and remember – if you put hypnotist on bottom, land is your most likely draw the next turn. Even if it isn’t a land, you are still almost guaranteed to draw a more impactful spell than the hypnotist.

    So I hate to say this, but you kind of deserved to lose the third match on grounds of playing waaaay too aggressively, and making some all around questionable choices.

  2. Surprised that you didn’t give the Satyr Nyx-Smith P1P3 any consideration, it can be quite a strong card with appropriate support cards. Just felt you kinda jumped the gun on the dawn to dusk.

  3. Solid draft, not very exciting matches though. The biggest mistake on M3g1 was to block Labyrinth Champion. The opponent clearly had a trick of some kind and you offered him 2for1 for no reason.

  4. I also think the correct pick P1P3 was the Nyx-Smith. As was proven later in the pack, Dawn to Dusk or other similar effects are much easier to pick up. I think there was some overcommitment to white off that Ornitharch even though it really was not open at all and it seemed like you got cut from both ends.

  5. Nice, another draft.

    Keep them coming, MarshMadness. I can’t wait to watch this one.

  6. Dawn to Dusk is obviously terrible. I don’t think the Nyx-Smith is particularly great, either. So easy to kill and the payoff isn’t that insane, it’s much like the God-favored General, which is also not something I want in my deck.

    Well, at least Marshall got two free wins before throwing the game. I listen to the podcast once in a while, and I’m always astounded how a pretty reasonable take on drafting is translated into these videos.

  7. Nyx-Smith is good enough that every time I played it, it either soaked up some good removal or ended up making me tokens with the appropriate support cards to get it through. It’s also in the right color for getting rid of early blockers. Once you start making 3/1s with haste every turn, it’s hard to lose. The fact that they can trade up is icing on the cake.

  9. Marshall, love the videos, please keep them coming. Wondering on your take on this. Do you think it would have been correct to take some more 2 drops? I didn’t write down the decisions, but I know there were some picks pack 3 before the battlewise hoplite wheeled where you had an opportunity to take some 2 drops (I think snarecatcher and priest), but you took some more powerful cards at higher costs instead. It seemed to me your deck’s largest weakness was a lack of tempo, and even though you had some sweet cards, the sweet expensive removal in black and red allowed your first and third round opponents to get a jump on you. Do you think just developing tempo in W/U with more low drops would have given you a better opportunity to win? Do you think we could extract this and say more broadly for W/U in this block, two drops are key?

  10. What a salty dude on Game 3. I don’t understand how magic players can complain when their opponent has an answer to their spells; that’s what the game is all about.

    I was also surprised Nyx smith didn’t get a mention. Did work for me every time i used it.

  11. Salty and quite wrong, there was also lost in a labyrinth and Triton tactics.

  12. Plus he himself had 2 cards that could be described as “the only thing you could have!!~” in Drown in Sorrow and Pinnacle of Rage, both of which are uncommon while Retraction Helix is common. And 2 Pharika’s Cure. He definitely got luckier than Marshall in those games.

  13. The odds of the last opponent having Pinnacle of Rage and attacking for exact damage in that particular situation was WAY more unlikely than Marshall having 1 of 3 single blue responses for the cure, of which Marshall didn’t get full value anyway.