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Simon Says #43: High-Level Magic (GTC 8-4)
Posted on April 18, 2013 by Simon Goertzen
Simon Goertzen Simon Goertzen is a pro Magic player whose prominent tournament successes include winning Pro Tour San Diego in 2010. In 2012 Simon began providing coverage of European MtG events, including Grands Prix.
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Opening Discussion…? Mmmm, rename to Opening Monologue?
thx for the awesome content, again, Simon!
Maybe “Opening Thoughts” would be a appropriate. Great content as usual!
A fine draft as usual, I agree with pretty much every pick. However, I think the Tin-street market was pretty embarrassing
I admit that the whips have grown on me in the sense that I can see myself boarding them in maybe once in 25 matches.
I realize that the meta game of GTC might have shifted a bit from the ultra-fast format that it initially was, but the Market just seems waaay to slow and insignificant for a 6-drop.
Overall a very powerful Gruul deck. It was nice to see that discipline with sticking Gruul paid off in pack 3 when you got some really nice hook ups. The late pick Rampager, Pit Fight and Guildmage really tied the deck together. I didn’t like the Burst of Strength over Miming Slime pick at that point in the draft. You’re leaning towards Gruul at that point where you can usually get some fat creatures that are worth sliming and Burst of Strength is a fairly replaceable combat trick, as evidenced by the fact that you left the BoS in your sideboard. Furthermore, I thought Tin Street Market was just terrible. I don’t think it’s really a card and it was bad every time you drew it. You had a nice mana sink in Skarrg Guildmage and some high casting cost creatures like Ruination Wurm, Ripscale Predator and Skarrg Goliath, so it seemed a bit unlikely that you were going to have a bunch of dead lands in hand to pitch for value anyways.
Nice draft (as usual), Simon! Thanks for the content. You always seem to play a few cards that others have discounted by the end of each format. I would have loved to seen a game won by Burst of Strength in the last round if you had untapped a Boros Reckoner into an attacking Consuming Aberration – one can dream!
Great draft and comments, as usual, I am just a bit dissapointed that you consider playing 2 Tinstreet Markets, but don’t even mention the possibility of running Glaring Spotlight. Spotlight has won me numerous Gruul drafts, especially in semi-mirrors with Simic, where opponent sets up the defense and wants to finish you with flyers. It’s true you had 2x Gruul Charm, so all-in-all thats prolly enough, but Im surprised you didnt mention it at all. And again, Tin Street Market, really?
haven’t watched the videos yet but i know it’s going to be good. thanks, as always, for the content
Your RD3 opponent splashed green for Greenside Watcher(s)? Really??
Seen at least 4 green sources one game and the only green card in 3 games was Greenside Watcher…
Gruul is a guild I have most struggled with. Lately I completely resigned to draft it, always trying to set myself rather in Boros or Simic depending on what is more open. I just feel that overal power level of Gruul cards is too small (with Zhurta-Swine being the only solid Gruul common in the set).Thus it was interesting to se someone having success with that guild.
But still I think that your deck was just OK, not really amazing and you were kinda lucky as well. Sometimes even if you are the only Gruul drafter at the table you do not get that many powerful uncomons and rarers simply because they are not in the packs at all.
While every fast Gruul deck I have drafted was only a weaker version of Boros deck, those with bigger creatures were just to slow. It seems that you managed to find a potent balance between those two approaches.
Is it possible that due to the shift in meta game Gruul decks are nowadays more viable? Or is it so, that the best limited players do not seek to have an awesome deck but they are content with drafting a mediocre one (with less risk involved) which gives them reasonable shot to win anyway due to their superior playskill?
Not running the spotlight makes me sad. Being able to make a 4/4 land-creature AND make everything you have unblockable is a huge impact late in the game.
Wonderful content as ever — thanks very much! Interesting to see you go bigger, while in past videos you’ve stressed the speed of the format. You did fine work with your big, stompy things!