~~~<3 Click 'play' below to watch our draft! ~~~<3
Click the arrow to download the above video in .mp4 format Click the arrow to download the above video in .mp4 format Click the arrow to download the above video in .mp4 format Click the arrow to download the above video in .mp4 format(1) The early key decisions that decided our Draft and deckbuilding decisions include the following:
(a) Pack 1, Pick 2: Perhaps Reaper of Sheoldred, Razor Swine, or Sensor Splicer would’ve been the right pick. All would’ve been good cards for our deck, and we’re unsure of the power level of the Brutalizer Exarch we took.
(b) Thundering Tanadon vs. Pristine Talisman for P1p3 was a strange decision, and one that worked out for us, but we’re not sure it was the right one.
(c) Artillerize is probably the right pick from P1p4, from which we took the Remember the Fallen. Remember– Remember always comes around later than it should.
(d) Fifth-pick Blighted Agent and Shriek Raptor might have been a signal to play Infect. We’re not sure. Taking one leaves the other in the pack to pick. Later on, it seemed that the unconventional colors with infect creatures were open, but would it have been the right decision to drift into one of these colors of infect cards and then picked up the green infect creatures from Pack 2?
(e) We took a Spin Engine over a Kuldotha Ringleader in P2p5. We’ve grown less fond of the Engine over our experience with it, especially as Pith Driller is playable in every deck. What do you guys think about all of these decisions?
(2) While we were already committed to white heavily (because of White Sun’s Zenith– by the way, this was the best decision we made all Draft) by the time we hit the beginning of Pack 3, which pick would you have taken? Consistent removal in the form of Revoke Existence or the Kemba, Kha Regent? Kemba worked out for us, but was it the right decision?
(3) Cards we think are acceptable to play in NMS drafting, but which everyone seems to think are worse than basic lands: Insatiable Souleater, Scoria Elemental (an awful lot like the green Souleater!), Fulgent Distraction, Seize the Initiative, Rally the Forces, Caustic Hound (especially out of the sideboard against Infect, assuming you don’t have more efficient late-game blockers or beaters), Blunt the Assault, and the two Couriers (Koths Courier and Glissas Courier). We ask that in your comments, you think about these cards. The Couriers are okay as vanilla creatures and are likely unblockable in at least one match out of a Draft. The Scoria Elemental and Insatiable Souleater come down late enough that your opponent’s Blistersticks and Drillers are hopefully already spent (and can do a bit of damage or remove a dino when blocking — almost like bad removal spells but with somewhat more flexibility). I’m always afraid my opponents are running Rally, even though the card is quite situational — it can be such a blowout! Finally, Blunt can completely blow out an Infect deck’s combat tricks and aggressive alpha strikes. What do you guys think about these cards? Sure, they’re not great, but why not bring them in from the board every once in a while? Certainly they’re better than Shriekhorns and basic lands.
(4) Due to an administrative error, we’ve lost all of the videos from our last NMS Draft (the one where we drafted a Blue-Black Infect deck and ended up losing 1-2 in the second match). If anyone has a copy of any of these videos, please email Chris at chris.mtgoacademy@gmail.com. We’d love to be able to repost them!
I enjoyed watching this draft. Nice save with w/r mono cats, haha. Can’t blame you for passing on white infect- it’s hard to know when exactly to move in on that archtype. I think alot has to do with how high you are willing to pick lost leonins and shriek raptors.
I think you guys might value victorious destruction too highly- it’s soooo slow and there’s so many other shatters you can get that I don’t like wasting picks on that card.
Blisterstick was so good. Well done on picking him over corrupter- he’s just more of what your deck needed. These are the kind of disciplined picks that make a draft come together.
I think accorder’s shield may have been the pick over strider harness in that one pack- the vigilance it grants is quite good, and the toughness boost helps with your deck’s defensive theme.
I am a soccer fan… buuuuuuhhhhh….
Planet Kool, obv.
Great work, and I look forward to seeing more from you guys!
We are leaning toward a name but haven’t committed– please keep the suggests coming!
Call Pools/Cool Walls/Planet Kool/Kool Planet/Chris Walls/Clanette Pools
R1G1 was really dumb. like there are dumb games and there’s this game. keep posting these.
Re: Khemba
At that point, I probably would’ve taken the Khemba over the removal as well. You do have quite a bit of artifact removal already, even if some of it is slow and sorcery speed. At this point in the draft, your creature needs are greater than your removal needs. Plus, there’s enough equipment that are generally picked late that you might pick up. That’s how it turned out, and I think it was a justifiable risk. As you said, at the least it’s a 2/4 wall you can drop on turn three.
Re: Infect
If you had taken the Reaper, you could justify a heavier investment in infect. You’d probably have picked up the two Blighted Agents and maybe a couple of other infect guys. Without looking back on the video, it seems like you might have had to go for a three color infect plan for it to work out.
Re: Deckbuilding
I was kind of pulling out my hair out while you were deckbuilding. You have an acknowledge shortage of creatures in the deck, and an overwhelming amount of artifact removal. I would have seriously considered cutting both of the Victorious Distructions and maybe even the Gremlin Mine in order to fit in a couple more dudes, even if they were sort of borderline (the green Souleater is a passable creature; you’re right that it doesn’t get enough credit). That still leaves you with three pieces of solid artifact removal in white, plus the ability to bring in more if an opponent is running something like a Metalcraft deck.
Re: Artillarize v. Remember
I’d probably have gone for the Artillarize. Although Remember provides good card advantage, Artillarize can swing a lot of situations into your favor as well. Plus, you still have the Besieged packs to pick up Ichor Wellsprings and Myr Sires so the Artillarize doesn’t set you back too far. That also gives the advantage that you might be able to pick up a Rusted Slasher or two (or, quite possibly, something like Gnathosaur) and actually be able to use it profitably.
Re: Tanadon v. Talisman
My personal philosphy is that picking up any of the spells with double Phyrexian mana is a commitment to that color at least as an off-color. Here, you’ve already gotten the Brutalizer Exarch with a hard green requirement. I probably would’ve gone for the Tanadon and hoped for a later Talisman. But at that point, this may also mean staying out of white (it seems that W/G is perhaps the weakest color combo in the format), and everything that came with that.
I could feel myself getting worse at Magic while I watched match1game1. Good job guys very entertaining.
Kool world nuff said
If you go back over your deck, you would see there is absolutely no reason to be running Pristine Talisman. Your curve stopped at 5, of which you had 3 cards, which compared to the amount of 3 drops makes it pretty bad. Additionally it is worse than a land in games like M2G1.
It is a good card, I like where you drafted it, but it just didn’t belong in this deck. I wouldn’t play it in any deck that didn’t have a lot of 5+ drops or a lot of late game power, since it is much worse in agressive/tempo decks.
Because the talisman is so good in the decks in which it is good, I think people forget it is a situational card, not unlike a forced worship in that its value fluctuates greatly depending on your archetype.
Good draft though, I enjoyed it. I would have passed the Brutalizer Exarch and taken a Reaper of Sheoldred and probably wound up with a W/R aggro deck as well. The many wonders of drafting!
Oh, in regards to all the cards you mentioned, most of them are bad/highly situational, except the Couriers which I would play in any deck that supports their colors. A 2/3 for 3 is fine, the landwalk is a bonus.
With the exception of Rusted Slasher and maybe once in a blue moon the Toxic Nim out of the sideboard, I consider x/1′s costing more than 3 mana unplayable. Besides the number of effects in the format which own those cards, they trade with anything, making them generally terrible. 4 or 5 drops that trade with myrs are just not worth playing.
Thanks for the perspectives and series names.
RE: last two folks–
Yes, when we did this Draft, I don’t think we had yet ideologically adjusted to the NMS format (still!). We probably valued artifact removal a little too high. As for the Pristine Talisman, I agree that we should’ve been boarding it out frequently, but I’m not sure that it was per se bad in our deck. A bad land that gains life isn’t that horrible, so I’m not sure it was worse than a land, even given the lack of 5-drops to ramp into
Finally, mentioning those bad-but-not-quite-as-bad-as-people-think cards is not to say that they are anything other than situational. However, I’ve boarded in Caustic Hound vs. Infect when I needed another body to absorb damage, and in that matchup, his (often) lame ability is actually pretty good. I’m not saying these guys need to be picked high, but rather that even 1-toughness four- and five-drops can be traded for creatures on defense. Scoria Elemental costing 5 mana, though — that’s pretty terrible most of the time, even with cards like Pinions.
Signals. Green. 4th pick Corruptor. I’ll stop making obv statements.
My point is that the Spider/Corruptor/Wolf are all very good in non infect and just better cards than the red ones you took. I’ll go back to watching the draft! 
Well, hat in hand. Well played gentlemen! WSZ is sick.
I can’t wait for m12 on modo. I’ve been over nms for a month now.
Please, use instant speed removal sometimes in your turn! If your opponent had an Untamed Might in the last game, you would have lost. Also, it is an unnecessary risk to use Leonin Relic-Warder instead of Revoke Existence. If he can kill it, he gets back his artifact, and you really didn’t need a 6th guy.
Which match are you talking about?
The very last, mostly. Although this conservative timing is quite usual. I mean, usually it is a good thing to use your removal in the very last moment. But in case you know you want to kill that particular guy, but he can save it with a pump spell, it worth to try in your turn, as it means he will waste his pump spell. And it is much clearer in case of the Phyrexian Hydra, of course.
Another thing I wanted to mention is Gremlin Mine. If it is in your hand, play it! You lose the surprise element, your opponent can play a smaller threat at first. But in case of your deck, it’s not a big problem, as you have plenty of artifact removal. You kill the small guy with it, he plays the bigger guy, and then you still have a removal. Or he can destroy it, before playing his artifact, but then you should be happy again, as your opponent lost a removal spell. On the other hand, if it’s on the battlefield, you can use it with instant speed and you save a mana in a later turn, when it might be important.
Regarding your picks:
Thanadon: I think the Thanadon is better than Talisman, especially since you already had the green Exarch.
The Talisman can save you in long games, but Thanadon will almost always be good, and sometimes exceptionally.
Thanadon you will always play, and it will always be a strong addition to your creature base. Look at the creature count misery you had in the end of the draft. Picking quality creatures that fit into any deck deck early instead of random mana acceleration is a good step into avoiding such situations.
The Talisman is good, but Thanadon applies pressure!
Spin Engine: I like your decision. Being 2 mana cheaper is almost enough reason. Than consider that Ringleader sucks on defense, and you have it. Sure, Spin Engine often gets killed by Pith Driller or Blisterstick or Virulent Wound, but what are you gonna do? Not play 1-toughness dudes? You already had some of those, so you basically can’t avoid it. Clogging up the 5-drops just to prevent 1-toughness-removals from getting you won’t work if in the meantime you just get overrun by a deck with a real curve. Again, Ringleader sucks at blocking. Spin Engine can take down a Cystbearer.
If you get an aggressive start and they don’t have the precious 1-toughness-removal, Spin Engine can be the nail in the coffin.
So, I really like that pick!
Couriers: I don’t get why people hate them. I usually play them maindeck, when they are in my main color, unless I have plenty of other good options. I usually hope to leave them in the sideboard when they are in my secondary color.
Scoria Elemental / Insatiable Souleater: None of the are good. But they are certainly playable! I would have maindecked the Souleater if I were you. Certainly over something like Corpse Cur in a non-infect deck
In Triple SOM I once had a deck with Bladed Pinions and Accorder Shields. I ran Scoria Elemental and it was awesome! It is a fragile strategy, and certainly not tier 1, but especially when drafts go somewhat poor like the one you had, they become a very viable Plan B strategy, I think!
Casutic Hound / Seize the Initiative: I think the same as you, but never have seen it happen.
Rally the forces, maybe Blunt the Assault : I’d advice against it. The latter is an awesome fog variant for multiplayer, though :-)))
All in all, this was certainly one of the better, and easily the most entertaining draft video i have watched in recent weeks! Kepp it up, guys!
RE: Milegy — I’m curious if you have your sound on when watching the Drafts. It’s perfectly fine if you prefer them without hearing our voices (I’d completely understand, in fact!), but I think we addressed a couple of those issues in game, at the points you were speaking of. We definitely made an error in Round 1 by not playing our Gremlin Mine when we had a chance, and then our opponent was able to equip his artifact creature twice, netting him 6 life from two Lifestaffs (though we talked about that error as soon as we made it). But also holding back a Gremlin Mine in some circumstances opens up your opponent to make an error, for instance, if he wants to cast a valuable low-toughness artifact creature spell before casting the lower-value one. As for the Burn the Impure on the Phyrexian Hydra, while I haven’t watched the video right before writing this response, I believe we did so in order to make sure he committed to an attack with the Hydra before losing the 3 life from Burning his Impure Hydra (and said as much in the video, I hope, but perhaps I’m wrong). Basically, we didn’t want him to have all the information before declaring attacks — he may not have known, in short, that he’d be losing 3 more life.
RE: MightyMosy — Thanks for the compliment about the video. Glad you liked it. We should be posting another one a week from today (every other Friday, according to our current calendar).
In retrospect, Tanadon would’ve been better for our deck, but (1) I’m not sure it’s *always* playable in a deck, and (2) at the time, we probably both imagined playing a more controlling, less Cat-heavy strategy. Plus the Talisman could’ve ramped up to the green Exarch. Nonetheless, your point is well-taken.
About Spin Engine, I’m pretty sure that card just plain sucks now in most matchups, but that could be too strong of a statement. It’s just that it dies to every removal spell in the format, and now that New Phyrexia joined the party, there are fewer playable artifacts to absorb the artifact removal and keep Spin Engine safe. All that said, I think that Spin Engine would be awesome in a deck with Concussive Bolt, and it’s my lifelong dream to keep drafting decks with Concussive Bolt. And it works, like you said, in the same way Insatiable Souleater did in the Infect matchup, versus Cystbearer. But Ringleader blocks once for value, and it would’ve been good with cat tokens. I think the 4 toughness makes him pretty resilient in the format, but I haven’t tested him a lot either.
Thanks, everyone, for the comments.
I would have taken the liquimetal coating. you had 6 pieces of artifact removal, and turns on a rhino if you want to play it.