Scars of Mirrodin Draft 3

I did this 8-4 draft on Sunday as well, immediately after the disaster that was the Ur monstrosity. At Sky's request I doubled the size of all the pictures but they're really not fitting well I don't think. Does anyone know if there's a way to resize the post width on an individual post but not on the entire blog?

Thanks to Matt I can now get around the stupid Magic Online bug which prevented me from replaying some games so I can give more details about all the games even a couple days later. I also commented on my picks themselves.



  Pack 1 pick 1:




  My Pick:




This was a straight up raredraft. I actually opened the marketplace to see if this was worth raredrafting and it's pretty much worth a draft on its own. Add on the fact that it's actually good in the right deck...


  Pack 1 pick 2:




  My Pick:




And that right deck is a metalcraft deck. Metalcraft decks want myr and I seem to always end up blue so silver myr is good for me.

  Pack 1 pick 3:




  My Pick:




Artifact removal and card advantage. Green isn't really big on the metalcraft but I'm not married to playing the mox.

  Pack 1 pick 4:




  My Pick:




Well, maybe I am after all. Forger is amazing if you can get metalcraft early and nothing says early like a mox!

  Pack 1 pick 5:




  My Pick:




More cheap metalcraft dudes. I need some cheap artifacts!


  Pack 1 pick 6:




  My Pick:




Hello cheap artifact!

  Pack 1 pick 7:




  My Pick:




I'm not sure what to think of this guy, but he is a 2 power 2 drop at least. (Which I think is great for an aggressive deck and not as great for a defensive deck to contrast with the 2/1 red dudes from last draft.)

  Pack 1 pick 8:




  My Pick:




I almost took the Warden since a 4/6 for 4 is pretty awesome but I just don't have enough artifacts. I think equipment tends to be awesome in white metalcraft decks anyway since white dudes want to either be equipped or have artifacts sitting around. This is actually one of the better ones since the low equip cost works well with the haste.


  Pack 1 pick 9:




  My Pick:




So I looked at the first card in this pack and was like HELLO on colour myr 9th pick! And then I saw the green replica... This has to bode well for playing green. (Cystbearer was also in this pack as the only other green card.)

  Pack 1 pick 10:




  My Pick:




Am I blue or white? Keeping the blue option open with a cheap artifact.

  Pack 1 pick 11:




  My Pick:




A better trick than withstand death I think.


  Pack 1 pick 12:




  My Pick:






  Pack 1 pick 13:




  My Pick:






  Pack 1 pick 14:




  My Pick:






  Pack 1 pick 15:




  My Pick:






  Pack 2 pick 1:




  My Pick:




So my deck wants cheap artifacts? And powerful equipment? And I have a green replica to combo with it? Sign me up.


  Pack 2 pick 2:




  My Pick:




Now I need to make a choice. White spellbomb is the setup for the sweet WG metalcraft deck that knocked me out of the last draft. Carnifex Demon is the uber powerful card. How committed am I to white? Well, I have one metalcraft dude and one spellbomb which I can splash since it's an artifact mostly anyway. Ok, power me up!

  Pack 2 pick 3:




  My Pick:




Removal to go with my bomb? Sure...

  Pack 2 pick 4:




  My Pick:




Awesome in the slow deck as a way to stay alive until the bombs hit. Awesome in the fast deck to force damage through. Awesome in the metalcraft deck since it's an artifact.

  Pack 2 pick 5:




  My Pick:




I have visions of having an active chrome mox on turn 1. I'm still thinking I'm playing metalcraft and not just a GB non-poison deck for some reason.

  Pack 2 pick 6:




  My Pick:




Maybe I'll splash blue after all?

  Pack 2 pick 7:




  My Pick:




Why did I take this over Blight Mamba? I'm honestly not sure. I guess it is an artifact and it's good on a Memnite? 8P


  Pack 2 pick 8:




  My Pick:




At least it's vaguely playable.

  Pack 2 pick 9:




  My Pick:




Some say it's key to the poison deck. Why can't it finish non-poison games?

  Pack 2 pick 10:




  My Pick:




I tried to make this work once in a draft at Matt's and my deck was abysmally bad. I keep comparing it to Myrsmith though and it doesn't compare that unfavourably so I'm not convinced.

  Pack 2 pick 11:




  My Pick:




DO IT! DO IT DO IT DO IT!

  Pack 2 pick 12:




  My Pick:






  Pack 2 pick 13:




  My Pick:






  Pack 2 pick 14:




  My Pick:






  Pack 2 pick 15:




  My Pick:






  Pack 3 pick 1:




  My Pick:




I was actually thinking before I opened this pack that my deck really wanted a green spellbomb so I could justify splashing all kinds of junk with it and the mox. But if you actually have a good aggressive metalcraft deck this guy is fantastic.

  Pack 3 pick 2:




  My Pick:




Still artifact removal. Still an artifact for my metalcraft count. Still combos with the deathmantle.


  Pack 3 pick 3:




  My Pick:




I forget who, but someone at Matt's was trying to convince me this guy is a borderline bomb. It does a lot of things well and the rest of the pack is unexciting. (Splash red?!?)


  Pack 3 pick 4:




  My Pick:




Really wanted a lifestaff but I think that's more for the W metalcraft deck. Here I just want big men.

  Pack 3 pick 5:




  My Pick:




I so badly wanted the black myr here. But the artisan is surprisingly powerful.

  Pack 3 pick 6:




  My Pick:




Against everything but poison this card can just win games.


  Pack 3 pick 7:




  My Pick:




I was tempted to take the rare even though I think it's bad. But maybe I'll end up blue after all and I have lots of good trinket magey targets.

  Pack 3 pick 8:




  My Pick:




I could have had such a good WG deck, but I went for power so I get huge tramplers.

  Pack 3 pick 9:




  My Pick:




The spellbomb came back, woo!

  Pack 3 pick 10:




  My Pick:




This is me taking the card I most don't want to play against.

  Pack 3 pick 11:




  My Pick:




RAWR!

  Pack 3 pick 12:




  My Pick:






  Pack 3 pick 13:




  My Pick:




Actually made it into my deck...

  Pack 3 pick 14:




  My Pick:






  Pack 3 pick 15:




  My Pick:






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Deck

8 Forest
8 Swamp
1 Memnite
1 Rusted Relic
1 Origin Spellbomb
1 Tumble Magnet
1 Horizon Spellbomb
1 Silver Myr
1 Golem Artisan
1 Carnifex Demon
1 Molder Beast
1 Bleak Coven Vampires
1 Untamed Might
1 Strider Harness
1 Acid Web Spider
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Chrome Steed
1 Asceticism
1 Slice in Twain
1 Mox Opal
1 Lifesmith
2 Sylvok Replica
1 Plains
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Carapace Forger

Sideboard
1 Disperse
1 Vault Skyward
1 Grafted Exoskeleton
1 Ichorclaw Myr
1 Alpha Tyrranax
1 Trinket Mage
1 Tel-Jilad Defiance
1 Flight Spellbomb
1 Mountain
1 Oxidda Daredevil
1 Seize the Initiative
1 Razorfield Thresher
1 Whitesun's Passage
1 Forest
1 Vedalken Certarch
2 Soliton
2 Golem Foundry
1 Twisted Image
1 Sky-Eel School
1 Auriok Sunchaser

I ended up deciding that with the green spellbomb and the mox I could afford to play the white spellbomb. Was willing to sac it without drawing a card if it came down to it.

Three black cards, all double black. Several double green cards too. Only mana myr was offcolour but I ran him anyway. (It got me to a mere 11 artifacts... Hello rusted relic...

Round 1 - Game 1

My opponent chooses to go first. My opening hand is S S S F Memnite Carnifex Demon Acid Web Spider which is a little slow but definitely a keeper. My opponent starts off with a first turn goblin gaveleer. This is the first time I've ever seen one of those in play. I draw a forest and play memnite. He plays sylvok lifestaff, equips, and swings with a 4/1 trampler. I trade and take 3 as he gains 3. Nice card! I draw another forest and  say go. He plays a white spellbomb. I draw yet another forest and say go. On his 4th turn he equips his new myr token, swings for 2, and says go. I finally draw a non-forest and play a green replica. 

He plays a 5th land and says go. I draw a tumble magnet but decide to play my spider and kill his lifestaff. He plays a 6th land and says go. I draw a swamp and decide to hold off on my demon, instead playing tumble magnet. He plays a 7th land and says go. I draw another swamp, play my 7th land, and decide to hold back my demon. I just attack and say go. Not really sure why. (Maybe playing around Turn to Slag?)

He plays an 8th land and casts flameborn hellion. I tap it. I draw my second green replica and finally decide to play my demon. (I have 2 black up so it can live through turn to slag now.) I tap the hellion again. He scoops.

Round 1 - Game 2

He again chooses to play. My opener is F F silver-myr carapace-forger sylvok-replica tumble-magnet ascetisicism. That's a keeper. 

He starts with turn 1 lifestaff. I draw golem artisan and say go. He plays a sunspear shikari. I draw a forest and play silver myr. He plays a second lifestaff, equips both, and gets in for an 8 point life swing. I draw a memnite, play it and tumble magnet, and get in for 1 with the myr. I tap his dude. He plays the white spellbomb, sacs it, and equips it with 1 lifestaff. 

I draw green spellbomb and bust out green replica. I will have metalcraft for my forger, so my plan is to eventually kill off the lifestaff and use the 4/4 to hold off the 3/2 first striking lifelinker. He reequips his shikari and I tap it. He plays perilous myr and equips it. I draw forest and play forger and green spellbomb. 

He reequips his shikari and attacks with it and the perilous myr. I block the myr with my replica, the 4/2 with my 4/4, and kill a lifestaff pre damage. He responds with seize the initiative making his guy 4/3 and killing my forger. He then plays vulshok replica. 

I draw swamp and play asceticism. I spend my last tumble magnet counter on his 3/2 for no good reason. He swings with his other 3 dudes and I trade memnite for red replica. He plays goblin gaveleer. 

I draw forest and play the golem artisan. I have regen mana up so I'm feeling ok but life totals are 14-27. He plays a 6th land and says go. I draw mox opal and play it. I'm pretty safe but I do need to win eventually so I swing with golem artisan. He says go and I sac spellbomb at end of turn. I draw forest off the bomb and search up a swamp. I then draw nim deathmantle. My guys can't die lots of ways now! I swing for 3 again. He says go. I draw another swamp, equip my golem, and swing for 5. He's now down to 16. 

On his turn he plays a 3rd sylvok lifestaff! He equips the two that aren't dead to the shikari and attacks. I only have 6 mana up so I can't kill it now. I block and regenerate, but he gains 4. I draw another swamp and swing for 5. He double equips his gaveleer and swing with his 2 myr and the gaveleer. I have 11 mana, 14 life, and he's coming in for 9. If I block the gaveleer he gets to gain 6 life. If I don't I'm going to die real fast. I decide to block it with the myr, but now how much life do I want to gain by pumping my myr? I decide to go for all, making him 6/6 and regenerating him. He plays Sunblast Angel which kills my two guys who can never die. I don't have any counters on tumble magnet so I can't even kill the angel. (And I did know this was possible, and in fact it was part of my plan in game 1!)

I draw a forest. He kills me.

Round 1 - Game 3

I choose to play and draw S F F sylvok-replica sylvok-replica asceticism acid-web-spider which is obviously a keeper. He's playing cheap dudes and equipment and I have three artifact removal spells that can block and one of my arguable bombs against him. Now that I know he has sunblast angel for sure the asceticism is even better. He mulligans to 6. 

We both do nothing on our first turns and I draw grasp of darkness. He plays sunspear shikari. I draw strider harness and play a replica. He swings and I figure if he has the pump spell he gets to kill my guy and block. Turns out he has a contagion clasp to finish the job. I draw a green spellbomb and play it, but not a land. I don't sac it right away. Not sure why, but I think I wanted to draw a card. He plays lifestaff, equips it, plays a bladed pinions, and swing for 3 lifelink. I sac spellbomb at end of turn so I can cast my grasp. As if to mock me for waiting to fetch a land I draw a forest. I play my swamp and say go, hoping that maybe he'll spend mana to equip his guy and I can tempo him with my kill spell. He casts accorder's shield and equips precombat so I do get to tempo him. 

I draw my plains and bust out asceticism since the board is empty and I'm not under pressure. He plays a 5th land and says go. I draw strider harness, play my spider and have to choose an equipment to kill between pinions, shield, and lifestaff. I decide on the shield since with asceticism I don't think I have to worry about winning unless I can't actually attack and the shield is the one most likely to stop that. He plays a 6th land and says go. I draw white spellbomb. I play harness, equip my spider, and swing for 4. I play the white spellbomb leaving GW up.

He plays another shikari and double equips. I sac my spellbomb end of turn and draw mox opal. I draw black coven vampires. I play the mox which gives me metalcraft and cast the vampire. I use the mox to equip it (again leaving GW up) and swing with a 5/4 past his 3/2 first striker. He plays a 7th land and says go. I draw silver myr and swing for 5. I say go. He plays an 8th land and says go. I draw forest, play it, and swing for 5. This knocks him to 3 and I wonder why I didn't also swing with my spider and kill him. Maybe I was playing around dispense justice. On his turn he casts sunblast angel and I regenerate. I draw molder beast and swing with vampire and he chumps with the shikari gaining 6 life in the process. I cast the beast post combat. He scoops. 

Round 2 - Game 1

He chooses to play last. My hand is F S memnite horizon-spellbomb nim-deathmantle lifesmith rusted relic which is a pretty hot draw. I decide that early pressure is more important than early life and play memnite on turn 1. He does nothing. I draw plains and cast lifesmith. He casts sylvok lifestaff (so many lifestaves!). I draw forest, play it, swing for 3, and play deathmantle gaining 3 life. He revoke existances my deathmantle and says go. I draw tumble magnet, swing for 3, and play a non-active rusted relic. He casts vulshok replica and equips it.

I draw golem artisan and for some reason go for the tricksy play instead of the straightforward play. I cast spellbomb, don't gain life, and swing. He obviously trades for lifesmith. On his turn he has another revoke existance for the relic. I sac my spellbomb end of turn, drawing slice in twain and getting swamp. I draw forest on my turn, swing for 1, and play golem artisan who gets shattered. On his turn he casts saberclaw golem. I draw swamp, kill the golem drawing strider harness, and swing for 1. He plays auriok edgewright and snapslider glider going up to 2 artifacts. I draw forest, play and equip strider harness, and swing. He trades his glider for the memnite. (Not sure why he kept the edgewright and went down to 1 artifact). I play tumble magnet just in case. He plays infiltration lens, double equips, and doesn't attack. (Afraid of my haste I guess?) I draw white spellbomb, play it, sac it, and draw asceticism. I equip, tap his guy, and swing for 2 knocking him to 6. 

He plays barbed battlegear going up to metalcraft and equips. he has a 7/1 doublestriker and swings. Fortunately I'm still at 23 and can take 14. I draw forest, cast asceticism, and swing for 2. I tap his guy and he says go with 1 card in hand and 6 lands in play. I draw grasp of darkness and swing knocking him to 2. He draws a card and scoops.

Round 2 - Game 2

He again chooses to play last. My opener is F F F S mox-opal carapace-forger rusted-relic which is a keeper that has potential to develop into a monster. He plays an infiltration lens on his first turn. I draw acid web spider and play my forger. He plays necropede. I draw grasp of darkness and decide to offer the trade. He accepts. He casts barbed battlegear and says go. I draw lifesmith and play rusted relic as my only artifact. He plays a sylvok lifestaff and revokes my useless relic's existance. I draw forest and play my spider killing his battlegear. (Gotta say... spider has been awesome so far!) He plays auriok edgewright and double equips. I'm now _really_ glad I had a spider. 

I draw sylvok replica, swing for 3, and play it. He swings for 3 and says go with 1 card in hand and 6 land in play. I draw swamp and swing for 4. (If he has sentinel as his only card I will grasp it, so might as well get in there.) I then play lifesmith and mox opal and gain 3. He plays a second edgewright, swings for 3, and moves the lifestaff over. I draw memnite, cast it and gain 3, and then swing. He trades edgewright for lifesmith and 3 life. He equips and says go. I draw Carnifex Demon. I swing with spider and say go. (Maybe I'm playing around turn to slag again?) He says go. I draw strider harness, play it, equip memnite, and swing with it and spider. He trades edgewright for memnite. On his turn he revokes my harness' existance and says go. I draw asceticism, cast it, and swing for 4 knocking him to 6. He says go. I draw molder beast, knock him to 2, and say go. He draws a card and scoops.

Round 3 - Game 1

He chooses to go first. My hand is F F F S carapace-forger tumble-magnet asceticism which is again a pretty ok keeper. He does nothing on turn 1 and I draw slice in twain. He plays plague stinger on his 2nd turn which shows him as poison. Poison in finals should be pretty good I would think so I'm a little worried. Asceticism sure looks like trash now.

On my turn I draw a forest and play my forger. He swings for a poison and says go. I draw a swamp, swing for 2, and play my tumble magnet. He plays a blackcleave goblin which I tap. I draw a blackcoven vampire and say go. I don't tap his guy and trade my forger for the goblin. He plays contagious nim. I draw chrome steed and play out my asceticism. (My thinking here is he might have removal for my vampire and I can afford to spend a magnet token on the nim to keep my vampire alive.) I tap his nim and he hits me up to 4 poison and casts ichorclaw myr. I draw forest and opt for chrome steed over vampire for no good reason that I can see. I don't tap anything on his turn, trade steed for nim and go to 6 poison. He plays myr battlesphere! Now, a 7 drop that doesn't have poison has no place in a poison deck as far as I'm concerned, but it's still pretty beefy now. 

I draw acid web spider and play it to finally deal with the plague stinger. He plays livewire lash (stupid spider, turn too early) and equips the myr. I tap it with my last counter. He swings with the battlesphere and I block and regenerate, taking 4. I draw a swamp and play my vampire. He swings with the battlesphere and both poison dudes. I trade vampire for myr and kill the stinger, taking 12 from the battlesphere. He casts instill infection on his ichorclaw myr which triggers the lash. He domes me for 2, putting me to 8 poison and 4 life. He then plays a blight mamba and equips it. I draw swamp, slice in twain his battlesphere, and play molder beast (tapping out). He swings with his team and I kill a myr token, going to 1 life. He plays copper myr which is actually pretty good when your opponent is at 1. I draw memnite and scoop. 

Round 3 - Game 2

I choose to play and my hand is F S P grasp-of-darkness untamed-might golem-artisan tel-jilad-defense (which I sided in for asceticism). Slowish, but a keeper. I draw forest on turn 2. He plays a plague stinger and I cycle the defense on it, drawing bleak coven vampires. I draw swamp on my turn and kill his flyer. Probably I should have waited until he attacked... On his turn he casts livewire lash. I draw forest and say go. He plays blackcleave goblin and poisons me for 2. I draw white spellbomb and figure that's as good a card to trade with the goblin as any. He attacks and I make a dude drawing swamp. He plays corpse cur and gets back the goblin. I draw a swamp and play my vampires. Note he is stuck on 4 land so he can't play goblin and equip. (I'd have gotten the stinger back for that reason.) He equips the cur and I trade. He casts tainted strike on his cur and uses the lash proc on the vampire. Note that this accomplishes nothing since my now 2/1 still trades with his now 5/2. He immediately says whoops. I draw a forest and play golem artisan. I figure I can afford a goblin hit so I haste him up and swing for 3. My plan since I'm mana flooded is to race him and win with the untamed might in my hand. He remains stuck on 4 land and goblins me to 4 poison. I draw nim deathmantle, play it, and say go. I guess eating 4 more poison back is pretty scary. He plays prescursor golem and laments in chat that he doesn't have tainted strike anymore. I draw acid web spider and lay my 9th land. I kill his lash and still have deathmantle mana up. 

He plays cystbearer, throne of geth, and says go. Throne is very scary here since I have 4 poison and he has 4 artifacts. I draw tumble magnet and swing with my golem. He triple blocks with his golems and I kill the real one. Note that with 10th Ed Rules! that he can't sac to the throne without losing an extra golem. I deathmantle back my golem and say go, leaving the magnet back so I can still deathmantle. He plays another blackcleave goblin and swings with the poison guys. I block cystbearer and a goblin and go to 6 poison. My team gets smaller, too. I draw silver myr and swing with golem. He single blocks this time and thrones the blocker, putting me at 7. I trample the golem to hit him for 2 and play my magnet. He swings with both his guys and I suddenly realize how bad my way is. I have to block the poison guy (why didn't I tap it!?!) but that will kill my spider. If I deathmantle him then my golem dies (no longer has the toughness from the deathmantle and I don't have 8 mana). I do it anyway. He plays a contagious nim which I also don't tap.

I draw swamp and swing for 5. He's at 15 and I have 10 lands in play so I can't kill him. He doesn't block and falls to 10. I play silver myr. He doesn't sac his golem at end of turn and I give a fist pump. I tap the nim and he doesn't attack. He plays myr battlesphere and suddenly I don't think I can dome him out. I draw swamp, play it, and swing in case he feels like not blocking. He blocks with a myr and sacs it to the throne. Gah! Why didn't I keep my flying trample alive? I'm at 8 poison and say go.

He casts ichorclaw myr. I tap the nim. I'm dead if he uses the throne twice more. He attacks with his golem token and the battlesphere. The battlesphere taps his 3 tokens and the new myr. I chump with my myr just in case and deathmantle it back into play. He has no cards in hand and only 1 blocker. I tap it and pump for the inconceivable win. 

Round 3 - Game 3

He's on the play and mulligans to 6. My hand is F F S origin-spellbomb nim-deathmantle sylvok-replica golem-artisan. A clear keeper. I draw swamp on my first turn and play the spellbomb. He again plays plague stinger on turn 2. I draw lifesmith and play it. He hits me for a poison and plays cystbearer. I draw forest and play my replica. He swings with both and I double block. He kills lifesmith and makes my replica 0/2. He then plays contagious nim. I draw horizon spellbomb and play the deathmantle and the spellbomb. He swings and I decide I have the long game wrapped up if I can live that long so I sac the white spellbomb and chump. (It doesn't combo with deathmantle anyway.) He has no play and is stuck on 4 land. I draw acid web spider and say go. He swing with his team and before blockers I sac the replica targeting itself. This triggers the deathmantle letting me get it into play as a 3/5 which kills the nim. Up to 4 poison. He follow up with copper myr and ichorclaw myr. 

I draw strider harness and swing for 1 with my replica. I decide I have to deal with the flyer or I will lose so I bust out the spider and hope. He swings with just ichorclaw myr and I block, killing it and making my spider 0/2. He plays cystbearer. I draw forest and say go. He gets in with the flyer which I chump. He says go and I kill his copper myr at end of turn, resetting my replica as a 3/5. I draw untamed might and swing with the replica.

He swings back and I don't want to screw this up like I did last time by having 2 guys die so I have to let one through. I chump cystbearer and bring the spider back, going to 5 poison. He says go. I draw vampires and decide to bust them out since he doesn't seem to have anything going on and I need attackers. He plays precursor golem and says go. I draw a forest and have to say go. I worry that he has tainted strike for the golem team but forget how the rules work and don't kill the real one right away. Thankfully he doesn't have it. What he does have is myr battlesphere. He says go and I recognize that I was just playing with fire and kill the golem. I draw memnite, play it, and say go. 

He swings with his whole team except the tokens which he taps into the battlesphere. I block spider on stinger, vampire on cystbearer, replica on golem token, memnite on battlesphere. He casts untamed might for 7 on the stinger. I use my spellbomb (no draw) to get the last land I need and cast untamed might on my turn to finish him off.