Simon Says #53: M14 8-4

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Simon Goertzen

Enjoy this episode of Simon Says, featuring an M14 draft, the matches, and a recap video! I will be reading your comments but won’t be able to respond because I’ll be on vacation. See you soon!

You can follow me on Twitter @simongoertzen,
or check out my Tumblr entitled Strategic Thoughts.

 

  3. Mr. Simon, you uploaded the wrong games, you drafted U/G and rounds are showing a B/G.. might wanna fix this :D

  6. This deck turned out great. Behemoth over a sensory deprivation though. With divination and opportunity you will hit 8 lands.

  9. Fixed now! Sorry about this. I apologize for the inconvenience, but essentially what I did was to move the next draft up, and the current draft back, switching Simon Says #53 and Simon Says #54. (This just means that Simon Says #54 has become Simon Says #53 and vice versa.) Hopefully that will remedy the experience.

  11. The way the deck drew out in the last match/game, there’s no way that playing around essence scatter would have made a difference. If there’s nothing coming after you get witchstalker down, then you’re just screwed.

    Good games either way…even though it wasn’t the deck you drafted. I always love your videos.

  12. Also. I realize the difference between making the right play and the wrong play is what matters in the end. But it’s not something you can plan for if you don’t see it in the first round, so it’s not something you should be scared of in the second round.

  15. Good deck and draft, Simon is a very consistent good player.

    Only funny thing with this video is that when Simon says “A gnawing zombie”, it sounds a lot like “annoying zombie” :)

  17. Thanks for the videos Simon! Indeed a shame that you didn’t end M14 with a win, but not much you could have done differently in Match 2.
    Personally, I am not sure you have enough ways to spend mana in that deck to justify 18 lands. Think it turned out just fine with 17.

  18. Even without mana sinks, the deck has draw spells to get out of flood and bringing in Woodborn Behemoth makes extra lands useful. With the power level of the deck I think you’re better off hedging against mulligans by playing 18 lands. Your spells can already win if you get to cast them, so an extra land versus an extra spell is better IMO.

    Also, I don’t like the sideboard into Coral Merfolk in the final match. Sure, he’s cheaper, but he doesn’t actually do anything against your opponent. He showed a single Regathan Firecat all match that the merfolk could hold off or trade with, but that doesn’t seem worth playing an otherwise ineffective card – no matter how cheap it is.

  21. I enjoy your videos, but I’m wondering what happened to the short introduction you used to give? It was interesting, relevant, and well composed.

  24. I think for the third game you should have taken out the coral merfolk, between the burn, first strike and X/3 creatures it doesn’t match up well despite the opponent being an aggressive deck I don’t think the 2/1 is the man your looking for. I think is a good example of why the 2/1 s are bad in this format, even the decks you want them against make them irreverent most of the time.

  25. Seeing that there is another episode recorded already, but realizing this column is every two weeks makes me a sad slinger :(

  26. Why, why, why did you not respect the Scroll Thief in round one? You were facing a black/blue deck, and every time you did not deal with the thief, you let your opponents removal 2 for 1 you. You had two easy answers in Sensory Deprivation and Hunt the Weak, but you did not use them because you thought the Scroll Thief was beneath your deck. That may have been true in other limited formats, but not in M14.

  28. Great draft, great video. Always learning a lot here. A remark though: imho in game 1, round 1, you were a bit too sure about not dying to gnawing zombie. Actually, after the Seakite Drop in the last turn, you were 1 life away from dying. If opponent had blocked rumbling baloth, sacking the seakite for 1 life drain (you at 6), then attacked with all his guys for 2 damage (you blocking the blightcaster with archaeomancer, taking 2 of seakite and the zombie (4), he would have had 3 life drain on the table – another creature draw and you are dead.