Zendikar/Worlwake Draft by Myrk
Mar
05
5 March 2010, DB User @ 12:01 am

Hi there. This is my first attempt at a draft walkthrough. I hope you guys like it and find it interesting. This draft is a Worldwake Release event and will be the first time I draft using Worldwake packs.
Pack 1 pick 1:

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Really no competition here. Has to be Ob Nixilis. I note that I'm not passing any decent black, so hopefully this should signal that black is not open. I am passing very strong white and a decent red removal spell.

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Tricky pick. I reckon the strongest card in this pack is the windrider eel. I really don't rate Bloodghast in draft. He's easily blocked and his landfall ability is rarely useful seeing as he can't block. I realize I might be passing a black signal but I don't think the vampire or the Hagra Crocodile are worth picking over the eel.

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No decent blue or black. The only 3 cards I'd actually want to maindeck are the two equipments and the mold shambler. It's too early to take the Oran-Rief plus it's only good if you go heavy green. I go for the torch as it is removal, even if it is a bit slow and clunky. I'm hoping to force black but if it doesn't work out at least the torch keeps my options open for now.

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The choice here comes down to Heartstabber Mosquito and the mythic octopus. Lorthos wins games if he hits the table. The problem is he very rarely hits the table. He costs so much that most games are over before you can cast him. I realize that kicking the mosquito costs nearly as much, but it can be cast much earlier than Lorthos if you're in a hard position rather than just being a dead card.

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Great. Blue and Black seemed to have dried up. The only colour in this pack with any strength at all is green. I've not drafted any green up to now and I've sent some decent green down-wind in the last few packs. Still, I've got to keep my options open in case blue/black doesn't work out. I take the Primal Bellow. Not a strong move in hindsight, but I'm not really sure what else would have been better.

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Nice. Little blue flier is the only decent card in here for me and gives me hope that blue might be open.

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The choice here is between the bog tatters and the dual land. I pick the land hoping that it'll discourage anyone else from going blue/black. Plus I might get another bog tatters later.

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I weigh up the options of taking the Soaring Seacliff or hate drafting the Hookmaster. I don't really like hate drafting cards when there are borderline playable cards in the pack. Sure I might weaken someone else's deck, but I definitely weaken my own and I might not even be paired against the person that takes the hookmaster. The blue land could potentially help me push through some extra damage while the hookmaster adds nothing. I take the land.

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My 1st pack back and both black cards are still there. Hardly surprising though as neither of them is that good. All my creatures (except Ob Nixilis) thus far have flying so I stick with the idea of drafting lots of evasive damage. I'll need some decent ground defense for this plan to work, so I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the next pack.

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Hagra Crocodile tabled and since there's nothing else I take him. I note that someone has taken the Bloodghast but the crocodile is still here so that could potentially mean only one other black drafter. I haven't been getting much in the way of black cards though which means the other black drafter is probably quite close to me upstream. Hopefully I've been cutting black enough that I'll get first pick of the decent black in pack 2.

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Down to the dregs now. I take the ally just to deny a potential ally drafter an additional ally.

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Only remotely playable card here is the cobra trap and even that's pushing it. I take it, and leave only junk in the pack.

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Quest for Ancient Secrets might help against a random mill deck, so I take it for the side board.

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I take the mountain on the off chance the player next to me is so bad he'll play the Beast Hunt, I doubt it though.

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Coming into pack 2 I hope to reap the rewards of cutting off black in pack 1. I'm also looking to pick up more evasive creatures and stalling/defense cards.
Pack 2 pick 1:

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Nothing else in the pack comes close to the Disfigure.

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Very tasty. I'll take the Hideous End thank you very much. Nothing else in the pack that I feel bad about passing.

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Oh dear. I consider the puma for blocking creatures with intimidate but since I'm playing a few black creatures the only creature with intimidate I need to worry about is that red boar. I need some decent defense to go along with my small fliers and the Gomazoa gets the job done better than the paralysing grasp.

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Surprised to see the burst lightning here. Don't think I'm going to splash red for that though. Some decent green in this pack but no blue or black. I go for the scope as I can attach it to one of the birds early on and hopefully churn some land out.

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Oh dear oh dear – Very little in this pack. Sadistic Sacrament can get rid of their bombs, but it's color-intensive, has no effect on the board, generates card-disadvantage and has no realistic chance of ever being cast with kicker. I stick with the flying swarm theme and take the merfolk. It's not ideal but I need to make sure I have enough playables at the end of this draft. Plus I seem to be leaning more towards heavier blue than black so might end up having quite a few islands.

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Argh typical! Hardly any playables in the last couple of packs and now 3 decent cards in one. My choices are the Welkin Tern, the Heartstabber Mosquito and the Sky Ruin Drake. I rule out the mosquito first, sure it can be cast for 4 mana but realisticly it's another 7 drop. I then have the choice of going for a faster flying aggro build or a slower more controlling one. Since my other creatures are quite small I think I'm better off going to faster aggro route. The drake and the tern both do the same amount of damage but the tern starts the beats much much earlier so I take it.

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Back to nothing. I take the Reckless Scholar hoping I don't have to play him.

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Now that's a decent late gift. 3 unblockable damage is nothing to be sniffed at and I quickly add the Aether Figment to my pile. Although the Figment costs 2, I rarely want to cast it without kicker so it's essentially another 5 drop. I'll have to keep an eye out for low cost cards as well as decent defense now.

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Certainly don't need a second scholar. I take the Gem on the off chance it helps me trigger the landfall on the eel and croc a couple more times. I don't think I'll play it though, not unless I get really desperate. I note that's not anything worth hate drafting either.

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Well there's my low cost creature and ground defense in one neat little package. Easy pick as there's nothing else here.

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I take the card I'd least like to see played on the other side of the table.

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Pack 2 pick 12:

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Shoal Serpent. No other options.

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Coming into pack 3, I need to get some solid defense cards and maybe some more fliers if I'm lucky.
Pack 3 pick 1:

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Some decent cards to consider here. The dead reckoning can be removal but it's very situational and none of my creatures have particularly high power. Halimar Depths is very nice for a land but I don't want to be first picking a land. I have to go for the Bloodhusk Ritualist as it can be devastating if it hits at the right time. I'm also hoping to get my smaller creatures out early leaving me with lots of excess mana to pour into this thing in the later turns.

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Wind Zendikon is nice, I consider picking it since a lot of my low cost creatures have kicker and so I'd rather have decent alternatives than having to cast them without kicker. On the other hand I want to be powering out my cheap fliers quickly and if someone kills the Zendikon the tempo loss could mean game over for me. I take the Jagwasp Swarm as 3 flying power for 4 mana is decent.

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I'm torn over this pick. I could grab the nice rare but it doesn't really add anything to my deck's strategy and could end up hurting me just as much as my opponent. Still, it's very tempting. In the end I take the Enclave Elite as it's a decent all rounder that can randomly hose someone playing islands.

My Pick:

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Nothing much here for me. Scrib Nibblers doesn't fit into my deck at all, niether does the rare Quest. I take the Brink of Disaster as I'm kinda low on removal. It's not the best removal but I can stop a lot of troublesome creatures.

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The turtle is exactly the kind of defense I've been looking for.

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The merfolk guy is interesting. The islandwalk will probably not be relevant that often but the ability to grab someone's Trusty Machete or Adventuring Gear out of their deck is too good to pass up. Also it helps that there's nothing else in this pack that's even remotely as exciting.

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That merfolk would be great if I was playing plains, but since I won't be I rule it out immediately. Aether Tradewinds could be good, but isn't as strong as another decent flier. I have to take the Jagwasp Swarm.

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I don't want to be playing two Brink of Disasters and I don't have anything to accelerate into so the chalice is unappealing. I take the dispel as it's cheap enough that I don't mind keeping mana open for it. Who knows, it might just save one of my creatures from removal as well.

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My pack back. Enclave Elites are still there but I don't need two and the very nice Halimar Depths is there as well. Easy pick.

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I take the Bojuka Bog in case I come up against the guy that took that Bloodghast back in pack 1.

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This is the kind of hate draft I like taking. Cheap white guy that will hurt me bad if he gets played? No thanks!

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May as well grab the rare. It might be interesting in constructed.

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No reason not to take the twitch, just in case.

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Ditto

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This is deck I put together:

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I didn't have a good 22nd card to choose from but I ended up settling on the Twitch because at least it cantrips. I opt for a close to 50/50 mix of blue and black sources. While I have more blue cards I really don't want to be stuck with a Hideous End or Ob Nixilis in my hand. Also the Bloodhusk Ritualist likes lots of black mana.
Overall I'm a little worried about my deck. It feels like it's a bit on the weak side.

Match 1

My rating at the begining of this event is 1710. My first opponent is Atag.

Game 1

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I win the roll and choose to play first.

I keep my starting hand of: Hideous End, Explorer's Scope, Calcite Snapper, Aether Figment, Halimar Depths, Island, Jwar Isle Refuge

My opponent mulligans to 6.

I play Halimar Depths. The three cards I see are: Soaring Seacliff, Tempest Owl and an Island. If I put the owl on top, I can play him next turn and then attach the scope and swing for a guaranteed land on turn 3, so that's exactly what I do.

He plays a swamp and passes the turn.

I draw my owl and play him.

He plays an island and casts Hammer of Ruin. This amuses me a little. I was hoping to discourage other drafters out of blue/black and yet my round 1 opponent is playing those exact colours. At least my islandwalkers will be relevant.

My turn 3 – I draw the island I put second from top, play the scope and attach it to the owl and swing. It's no surprise when the Soaring Seacliff is revealed and drops into play setting me up nicely for a turn 4 kicked Aether Figment.

My opponent plays a Calcite Snapper. He won't be blocking much but he can hit me for 4 a turn which I'll have to watch out for.

I draw a Jagwasp Swarm. I attack with my owl and see a Welkin Tern on top of my library. I play my figment with kicker. This is exactly how I was hoping my deck would play out. I've just got to keep the pressure on my opponent and stop him launching a come-back.

My opponent drops a land and swings for 4 with his turtle. I'm not willing to trade and take the 4. He drops a Tideforce Elemental, which could spell trouble for me.

I attach the scope to the figment and attack with it, keeping my owl back to block his snapper. If he wants to push damage through he'll have to tap it on his turn which hopefully means he won't be able to tap down an attacker when it comes round to my turn. The scope reveals Thada Adel, Acquisitor. My opponent takes 3 going to 15 and I cast the Jagwasp Swarm.

On his turn my opponent plays a Reckless Scholar and plays a swamp. He opts not to tap down my owl as he only has 1 blue source available and plans on using it to tap down my attackers.

On my turn my opponent taps down the figment and I swing with the Jagwasps. After combat I cast Welkin Tern and Thada Adel, Acquisitor for another 4 unblockable power.

On his turn my opponent activates his Scholar and dumps a second one into his graveyard. He taps my owl and then plays a swamp, untapping his Elemental and switching his Turtle to a 4/1. He swings with it and I take 4.

At the beginning of my turn 7 the board looks like this:

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I've finally drawn my second black source and can now cast the Hideous End. I wait until he activates the elemental tapping the figment, just in case he has a counter, and once all his blue sources are tapped I kill it. I swing with everything except the owl. Thada Adel hits him and I see he has a Hedron Rover, a Hedron Scrabbler and a Pilgrims Eye in his library. I pick the Eye as it's another flier. My opponent is on 3 life after that and needs to draw something pretty big next turn to stay in the game.

He draws for his turn and concedes.

Sideboarding

I don't sideboard anything.

Game 2

My opponent choses to play first and mulligans to 6. My starting 7 are: Jagwasp Swarm, Jagwasp Swarm, Enclave Elite, Hideous End, Hagra Crocodile and 2 Islands.

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I can't keep that and go to 6

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My opponent goes to 5 but I keep my hand of: Jagwasp Swarm, Calcite Snapper, Heartstabber Mosquito, Halimar Depths, Island, Swamp.

Going to 4 and then keeping, my opponent plays an Island and passes.

I draw Hideous End and play Halimar Depths. My top three cards are: Enclave Elite, Island,Thada Adel, Acquisitor. I put Adel on top with the other merfolk second. A nice early Adel might grab me his Hammer of Ruin and then his Pilgrim's Eye to fetch a swamp.

He plays an Island and passes.

I play a Swamp and pass.

He plays another Island and passes.

I play an island and cast Thada Adel which arrives on the battlefield unmolested by any counterspells.

He draws, plays an island and then concedes.

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I feel a bit bad for my opponent. Mulliganing to 4 is never pleasant.

Match 2

My round 2 opponent is S1mon.

Game 1

The Magic client neglected to record this game. I can't remember the exact details of it but I won the game after a very close race.

He's playing white/black which can be a bit clunky as the good white and black cards tend to have high color requirements. The cards at the top end of his curve however, are much more powerful than mine and my best hope to win is to start fast and knock his life down before he has a chance to draw and cast his stronger cards.

Game 2

He wins the roll and decides to go first. We both keep out starting hands:

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If I was on the play I'd consider mulliganing this hand. Since I'm on the draw, I get 3 chances to draw a third land by turn 3 and decide to keep.

He plays a plains and passes.

I draw a swamp, play a swamp and pass.

He plays a swamp. He casts a Cliff Threader which is the Kor landwalker that I'm not afraid of. I hope he doesn't have the other one.

I draw Blazing Torch, play an island and cast Welkin Tern.

He plays a swamp, attacks and passes. I need to get some more creatures out quickly as his Cliff Threader will be one turn ahead of my Tern in race.

I draw Hideous End. I want to save it for his more threatening creatures as I can take out the Cliff Threader with the Blazing Torch. The problem is his better creatures might also be black. Still, holding onto the End for now is the right play I think. I swing for 2 and drop Gomozoa. That should stop his attack for now.

He plays a plains and Tomb Hexes my Gomozoa and swings for 2.

I draw Aether Figment, not the best time to be drawing him really as I'd nearly always prefer to kick him and I need more land to do that. I think I make a mistake here in not casting anything on my turn, electing instead to keep Hideous End mana open.

He plays another swamp and swings for 2 with his Cliff Threader. After combat he casts... Halo Hunter and things start to look bad for me.

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On my turn I draw Calcite Snapper. I desperately need to cast the Brink of Disaster on his Halo Hunter but I need another land for that. I swing with the Tern and leave Hideous End mana up again this turn.

On his turn he swings with both his creatures and I Hideous End the Cliff Threader. After combat he casts Battle Hurda. Typical, I knew I should have held on to the Hideous End.

I finally draw a swamp. I play it and cast Brink of Disaster on his Halo Hunter. I fear it may be too late though.

He attacks with the Hurda and casts Scrib Nibblers. I go down to 5 while he's still on 10.

On my turn I get my second Island and eagerly cast my Calcite Snapper. Hopefully that'll hold off his Hurda while I get the Jagwasp Swarm and Aether Figment out. I attack with the Tern which he Disfigures. After combat I cast Blazing Torch.

On his turn he casts Windborne Charge and it's game over for me.

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Sideboard

I sideboard in a second Twitch and take out Thada Adel. He doesn't seem to have any artifacts and hopefully the Twitch can defuse an explosive Windborne Charge.

Game 3

I choose to play first and see these starting 7:

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Not a good start... I go to 6

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That'll have to do.

I play the Soaring Seacliff as my first land as I don't have a turn 1 play and don't want to stumble on mana later on.

He plays a swamp and a Vampire Lacerator. This doesn't bode well. If I don't assemble a defense quickly it could be all over.

On my turn I draw a Calcite Snapper. I breathe a sigh of relief, that little guy was just what I needed. I play an island and pass.

On his turn the Lacerator pings him for 1 and swings and hits me for 2. He plays a Soul Stair Expedition and then a plains putting a counter on the Expedition.

On my turn I draw Halimar Depths, play my swamp and then the Calcite Snapper.

The turtle stops his offense and he simply passes the turn without playing anything. He takes a point of damage from his vampire first though.

I draw a swamp. I play Halimar Depths and see: Twitch, Jagwasp Swarm and Welkin Tern. I put the Swarm on top followed by the Tern.

On his turn he takes another point of damage from his vampire. He plays a swamp and passes the turn. At this point his vampire has now done more damage to him than it has to me. This is why I don't like Vampire Lacerator in drafts.

I draw the swarm and cast it.

On his turn he plays a plains and finally casts another creature. A Shoreline Salvager. I should be able to fend that off with my plucky little turtle. I attack with the swarm and cast the Windrider Eel.

On his turn he takes yet another point of damage from his vampire, going to 12 versus my 18. He attacks with both his creatures which is to be expected. I won't want to trade my Eel for his Vampire so it'll get through while my turtle blocks his Salvager. I do just that and he reveals his combat trick. A Veteran's Reflexes on his Salvager sends my turtle to the bin. Looks like the race is on again but I think I've got the lead already. He finishes his turn by casting Scrib Nibblers.

On my turn 7 the board looks like this:

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I consider my options. I could cast the Bloodhusk Ritualist but he still has 4 cards in his hand so it's unlikely to hit anything good. It'd be better to wait until I get at least one more swamp. I could keep mana open for the Hideous End in case he casts a white creature but it's quite likely he won't and it could be a waste of time. I can hit him for 5 this turn which will leave him at 7. If I draw a land next turn the Eel will be pumped by landfall and will finish him off but if I don't draw that land that gives him one more turn to find an answer. If I cast the Tern, I'll have enough damage on the table to kill him outright next turn and I can leave mana open for either a Hideous End or Twitch in case he has a Windborne Charge waiting. I attack for 5 and cast the Tern.

He draws and then concedes.

Those were some very close games but I manage to scrape my way into the finals. Who knows I might have a chance at winning this.

After the first two games I can't help but notice that my deck is really weak on the defense side. All my wins have come from quick barrages of unblockable damage. That's the plan I'll have to stick to if I want to win the next match.

Match 3

The other finalist is Faceless Butcher

Game 1

I win the roll and choose to go first. I am greeted by these opening 7:

user submissions Magic the Gathering

It's a risky hand to keep but it has both lands I need and a turn 2 play. I keep it. My opponent also keeps his starting hand.

I play a Island and pass.

My opponent plays Khalni Garden and puts a 0/1 plant into play. Interesting... luckily it won't be chumping any of my beaters.

I draw Hideous End, play my swamp and cast the Welkin Tern.

My opponent plays a plains, casts Explore and puts a Kazandu Refuge into play. I wonder if he's playing a 3 coloured ally deck of some kind.

On my third turn I draw Bloodhusk Ritualist and not a land, bugger. I have no choice but to cast the Aether Figment without kicker. I can't afford to hold it back as I have so many other things in my hand I need to cast once I get more mana. I swing with the Tern and cast the Aether Figment as a 1/1.

My opponent casts an unkicked Apex Hawks obviously hoping to stop the Tern from doing too much damage early on. Either he's trying to hold out until he gets more land and can cast his game-winning cards or he's trying to get some damage of his own in. I decide to attack into it, if he blocks and kills the Tern it removes a potential blocker for my bigger fliers, if he lets it through I'm confident I can win the race.

On my turn I draw an island. I attack with both my creatures and he does indeed block the Tern. I take this as a sign he's trying to stem early damage and that I need to keep applying pressure. I cast an unkicked Enclave Elite.

On his turn he plays a plains and drops a Nissa's Chosen which shuts down my Enclave Elite.

I draw a swamp. I can now cast everything in my hand. It's too early for the ritualist and the croc isn't as good as the Eel. I decide to hold on to my Hideous End and cast the Eel after swinging for 1 with the figment.

On his turn he has another plains. He swings with the Chosen. He obviously doesn't have an immediate answer for the Eel and has decided to try and outrace it for now. I take 2, going to 18. He then proceeds to drop a Scute Mob and a River Boa. That's not good. Scute Mob will quickly grow into a massive beater and I can't block the snake at all.

On my turn I draw a swamp and am faced with this:

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I can cast the Hideous End on either his Scute Mob or his River Boa. At this point I have to consider which one of them I want to remove. The Scute Mob will quickly grow out of control but can be chump blocked and killed anytime. The River Boa represents 2 unblockable damage every turn or a very resilient blocker. If I wanted to kill the Boa then now is the time, next turn he'll have green mana open and will be able to regenerate it. Another option is to cast the Crocodile and keep the swamp in my hand for triggering landfall on both the Eel and the Croc next turn. I'll then be able to cast the Bloodhusk Ritualist and kicker it twice. He has 3 cards in his hand at the moment, assuming he plays a land next turn and then another card he will be left with two tricks/bombs which I can pull out of his hand nicely. Holding onto to Hideous End also benefits me as it could lull him into a false sense of security and he might over extend on his attack allowing me to remove a blocker and swing for damage when he isn't expecting it.

I decide to cast the croc and keep the swamp in my hand with the intention of casting the Ritualist with 2 multi-kicks next turn. I attack with everything first though to see how he reacts. Not wanting to trade the Elite with his Boa he blocks it with his plant token and goes down to 14. I cast the Hagra Crocodile.

On his upkeep the Scute Mob grows to a 5/5. He plays a forest and attacks with everything. I go down to 9. After combat he casts an Arbor Elf. It's not much of a threat but it is an annoying chump blocker. I've got to kill him in the next couple of turns or I'm dead.

On my turn I draw another swamp. I play a swamp pumping my Eel and Crocodile by +2/+2. I've got 12 power on the board now and he's on 12 life. I cast the Ritualist and kick it twice for the remaining two cards in his hand. It turns out one of those cards is a Baloth Cage Trap as he casts it before he's forced to discard. I'm glad I didn't walk into that one. The card he discards is a [card]Gnarlid Pack[card]. Now I have to consider what to attack with. The Eel is obvious but he could block the crocodile with the 4/4 Baloth losing it in the process. The Bloodhusk Ritualist will have to chump the Scute Mob which will be a 9/9 on his turn. Excluding the Scute Mob he has exactly 9 damage on the board so if he attacks with everything and I only block the Scute Mob I still die. I'll have to keep back another blocker. The Enclave Elite is a potential blocker, if I attack with it I could bait him into blocking it with the Baloth so that the croc can get through. The Aether Figment will be guaranteed damage if I attack with it. I attack with the Crocodile, the Eel and the Figment keeping back the Elite. He blocks the crocodile with the elf and drops to 9 life. I'm leaving myself vulnerable to combat tricks or removal but I have to take the risk or lose anyway. Plus his hand is empty so he'll have to draw it this turn.

On his upkeep the Scute Mob grows to 9/9. He attacks with everything but the Baloth. Perfect, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I can Hideous End his Baloth and swing for the win next turn. That all depends on what the card he just drew is though. I block the Scute Mob with the Enclave Elite and take 4 from his Chosen and River Boa and drop to 5 life. After combat he casts an unkicked Kor Sanctifiers and this game is in the bag.

On my turn I draw a Kraken Hatchling but it's irrelevant at this stage in the game. I play the swamp pumping the Eel and Croc. Cast the Hideous End on his Baloth, dropping him to 7 and swing with everything. He blocks the crocodile with the sanctifiers but the other creatures get in for exactly 7 damage.

I normally forget about the 2 damage Hideous End does but in this game it made the difference between winning and losing.

At the end of that first game all I saw were green and white cards. I wonder what he's splashed red for. I suspect a Burst Lightning or Inferno Trap. I didn't think my deck was all that strong but now I'm only one game win away from winning this. I need to stay focused though as I barely won that last game.

Sideboarding
I swap out Thada Adel. His ground creatures are much bigger than mine and Thada Adel is not ever going to get a succesful hit in. I put in a twitch, hoping to repeat the trick I did last game by removing blockers at a crucial moment.

Game 2

My opponent choses to go first. My first 7 are these:

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Plenty of land and a couple of early fliers. Plus turn 2 Welkin Terns have been good to me so far this draft.

He plays a forest and casts Arbor Elf. Looks like there might be a potentially explosive start from him.

I draw Heartstabber Mosquito and play my Island.

On his turn he uses the Elf to cast a turn 2 Harrow and drops a forest and a plains into play. He then casts River Boa before passing. Uh-oh...

I draw a swamp and cast a Welkin Tern.

On his turn he plays a mountain (again with the splash colour, I wonder what was so good it was worth running mountains for). He attacks with the Snake leaving his Elf behind and passes the turn. The Tern can't block the elf so the only possible reason for keeping the Elf behind is because he wants 5 mana on my turn. I think I know what one of the 3 cards in his hand is...

I draw Enclave Elite, attack with the Tern and then play the Elite as a 2/2. Sure enough, at the end of my turn he casts Baloth Cage Trap.

On his turn he attacks with the Boa and the Baloth dropping me to 12. He then passes the turn leaving all his mana open.

At the begining of my Turn 4 the board looks like this:

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I draw Halimar Depths. Since I don't need 4 mana this turn (I'm hoping to kick the mosquito) I play the Depths and see: Blazing Torch, Swamp and Bloodhusk Ritualist. Since I need blockers and my opponent is down to 2 cards in hand I put the Ritualist on top of my library with the Torch 2nd. I attack with both my creatures intending to cast the Owl as a chump blocker. After I swing, he casts a second Harrow followed by a second Baloth Cage Trap. The Baloth promptly devours my poor merfolk. Ouch. I cast the Owl and pass the turn.

He untaps and on turn 5 I'm facing down two 4/4 Baloth tokens and a River Boa. This is just brutal. He swings with everything except the elf. I block a Baloth with the Owl and go to 6 life. He plays Oran-Rief.

At this point I know the game is over. I cast the Ritualist, swing with the Tern and then get pounded into the ground on his next attack.

Sideboarding
Those turn 3 and 4 Baloth Cage Traps are just backbreaking. I swap out a twitch for a Dispel. Being able to counter one of those instants for just 1 mana seems really good right now.

Game 3

I chose to play first. I have to get the damage in as fast as I can and just hope that he doesn't get a start like he did in the last game.

My opening 7 for the deciding game are:

user submissions Magic the Gathering

It's yet another turn 2 Welkin Tern. Plus I play and equip the torch to the Owl by turn 3. I decide to keep.

I play an island, cast the Blazing Torch and pass.

He plays a forest and passes. No turn one Arbor Elf this time.

I'm very pleased to see a swamp as I draw for the turn. I play the Welkin Tern and pass.

His turn 2 consists of playing a plains and passing.

I draw another swamp which is great as I'm now curving out excellently and will be able to play the Jagwasp Swarm on turn 4. I attack with the Tern and play the Calcite Snapper.

On his turn he plays a mountain and casts a 2/2 Apex Hawks.

On my turn I draw another swamp.

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I now have to consider what to do. I could equip the Torch to the Tern and kill his hawks now but that would mean I would have to wait until next turn to cast my Jagwasps. But if I remove his only creature I could safely swing with the turtle for 4. I decide to equip the torch to the Tern and use it to kill his Hawks. After playing the swamp, the turtle becomes a 4/1 and I knock my opponent down to 14. The pressure is now on my opponent to find an answer to the Turtle and the Tern.

On his turn he plays his Oran-Rief and casts an unkicked Kor Sanctifiers obviously looking to stop any more Snapper shenanigans.

On my turn I draw Bloodhusk Ritualist. He still has 5 cards in his hand so it's a bit too early to cast it, even though I can kick it twice. If I play the Jagwasps this turn, I might get lucky and draw another swamp and be able to wipe out his whole hand next turn. I swing with the Tern and cast the Jagwasps.

On his next turn he finally reveals what he splashed red for. An Electropotence. Normally I wouldn't consider playing Electropotence even if I was in red, let alone splashing for it. Still, he's in the final so he must know what he's doing. He casts an Arbor Elf too, before passing the turn.

I draw Jwar Isle Refuge. He still has 4 cards in his hand, 5 on his next draw. Assuming he plays a land and casts only one other spell that'll leave him with 3 cards in hand which the Ritualist can nab if I wait until my next turn. It's also likely he'll use the Electropotence which further increases the chances of him only casting one spell.. I swing with the Tern and the Wasps knocking him down to 7. Since I'm getting close to 7 mana I choose to keep my Tempest Owl until I can cast him with kicker.

On his turn he plays a plains and casts a Scute Mob. He uses the Oran-Rief to give it a +1/+1 counter so that it's big enough to off my Jagwasps with the Electropotence trigger. This leaves him with a perfect 3 cards in his hand.

I draw an Enclave Elite. I cast the Ritualist kicking it 3 times and make him discard Baloth Cage Trap, Iona's Judgement and Nissa's Chosen. All cards I'm very happy to see go to his bin. I swing with the Welkin Tern knocking him down to 5.

On his turn the Scute Mob grows to a 6/6. He simply draws and passes the turn without casting or attacking.

On my turn I draw Disfigure. If it had been a land I could have cast the Owl with kicker and potentially won the game then and there. Still, he's holding onto a card in his hand and I need to be careful. I attack with the Tern, he's now down to 3 life. I cast the Enclave Elite, kicking it once so it's a 3/3. Assuming he doesn't play another creature on his turn, I can disfigure his Arbor Elf and leave him without enough blockers for my next attack.

On his turn the Scute Mob grows to a 9/9. He can't afford to attack with it though and reveals that his draw for the turn is a forest leaving him with that one card remaining in his hand. On his end step, I cast disfigure on his Elf and he plays the Vines of Vastwood he's been holding onto, to make his Elf untargetable. I don't particularly mind as his hand is now empty.

On my turn I draw a swamp and that's the end of that. A kickered Tempest Owl taps down all his creatures and I swing for the win.

user submissions Magic the Gathering

Against the odds my rather flaky blue/black fliers deck went the distance and won me a nice Anowon, the Ruin Sage avatar. My rating goes up to 1737.

I'd consider playing a similar deck in future but black would definitely have to be open. It's funny if you consider I tried to force black for Ob Nixilis yet I never drew him in a single game.

My first impressions of Worldwake are that black is still overdrafted. I hardly got any black cards even though I was trying to cut it hard. Still, those Jagwasp Swarms are very strong and I'd certainly draft them again. I didn't think that many people drafted blue but it felt like I was fighting for the blue picks in that draft. At times it seemed like blue was open when I got passed 2 Welkin Terns and a late Aether Figment and yet I didn't see a single Whiplash Trap or Into the Roil. Maybe that's just the way the packs were. What's also likely is that the person that picked up that Lorthos I passed was probably trying to go into heavy blue as well.

My other first impressions of the new Worldwake cards I got to play with, in no particular order:

Bloodhusk Ritualist – This card alone won me a couple of games. It's absolutely backbreaking if played at the right time. I would definitely consider first or second picking this again.

Halimar Depths – Amazing utility in a land. Setting up your next few draws is always good, when it comes practically for free, it's great.

Enclave Elite – Underwhelming. Wouldn't maindeck this again if I had better options. If I could choose over, I would have taken the Lodestone Golem

Battle Hurda – A 3/3 for 5 seems weak but there's very few creatures in Zen block that can go up against him. If I'm in white, I'll certainly consider him next time.

Jagwasp Swarm - I definitely underrated this while drafting. This is easily one of the best black commons in Worldwake.

Calcite Snapper - Great card. 4 toughness blocks a lot of creatures in this format and the shroud makes him very hard to remove. He can also swing in for 4 damage if the conditions are right. Pick these guys early, you won't regret it.

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14 Comments to “Zendikar/Worlwake Draft by Myrk”


  1. Mr B — March 5, 2010 @ 1:14 am

    Great draft walk throu !!! ,,,, Thank you and well done !!

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  2. cavegoat — March 5, 2010 @ 5:42 am

    i agree, i like the recap of cards and opinions at the end.

    i am getting a bit tired of www myself and am looking forward to the zzw drafts.

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  3. sf170089 — March 5, 2010 @ 7:20 am

    Good job on the win.  I find it interesting that the bonus Anowon has no text.  I am not sure if this is standard for release.  Just an interesting point.

    But, it is hard to argue picks with win/win/win.  You picked well and played well.  Plus, your walkthrough was a great, entertaining read.  Thanks!

    Here is my take:

    P1P1 – No doubt.  Ob Nixilis is a flat out bomb.  But, it is funny how you never drew him.  I have noticed in all of my drafts that there is at LEAST one card I never draw in all of my games.  This morning, I build a fairly solid deck around Rampaging Baloths.  Not once did I draw him.  Not even in hands that I mulliganed. 

    P1P2 – This pick disappointed me a little.  Yes, Windrider Eel is a nice card, but I think Bloodghast is far superior.  I definitely do not like the “no blocking” creatures, but this guy is pretty great.  Just my thoughts.  Plus, passing this does put the possibility of your neighbor reading that black is open.

    P1P3-P1P4 – ya

    P1P5 – Hating P1P5 is a bit early, bt you re right, there really is nothing here. I would have taken Explorer’s Scope here.  It is much more playable in your deck than Primal Bellow.

    P1P6 – P1P8 – ya

    P1P9 – I have never been impressed with Tempest Owl.  It worked out really well for you, but I really have not seen him be effective.  But, he is a fine pick here as it is late in pack 1. 

    P1P10 – As mentioned earlier, I am not that thrilled about “no blocking” creatures.  Since my picks would have included Bloodghast, I would have skipped the Crocodile and gone for the U/B fixing. 

    P1P11 – P1P15 – ya

    P2P1 – P2P3 – ya

    P2P4 – This one kind of confused me.  You passed a scope earlier to take hate draft Primal Bellow, but you take it instead of Burst Lightning?  It is fine, but I may have taken Burst Lightning here for splash.  Pilgrim’s Eye in WWK make splashing a bit easier.

    P2P5 – This is also questionable.  Some people really like Wayfinder, others do not.  I am one of those who do not.  I would have taken Blood Seeker here.

    P2P6 – Ya.  Makes me mad when this happens.  Turn is good.

    P2P7 – P2P15 – ya

    P3P1 – P3P15 – I am also new to WWK.  But, your WWK picks seem great. 

    Congrats again on the win.  Very nicely done.

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  4. blazed_247 — March 5, 2010 @ 9:52 am

    Man great draft. I think you made all the right choices except for passing on the 5/3 artifact which wasnt that big a deal anyways. Though he can block anything with intimidate, and thats why I like him in draft.

    I stand by your eel pick. He won you some games. Hes great, and somehow people still underestimate him. I’ve gotten him at 11-12th a couple of times!

    I’m also right there with you on the swarm. Hes a better version of bladetusk boar. People arent picking him up because hes almost vanilla and not interesting. But hes definitely a staple card in black now, and I think people will soon realize this.

    When I’ve played battle hurda, I’m unimpressed. Only playable if you’re desperate for a 5 spot.

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  5. zoomacroom — March 5, 2010 @ 10:18 am

    Congrats on the win. I probably would have handled pack 1 differently however.

    On p1p3, I think you should take an Adventuring Gear over a Blazing Torch every time, even if your deck is short on removal (though this is only the third pick so you have plenty of time to pick up removal). It’s just a much stronger card, and it would have been great on your two Welkin Terns.

    p1p7 you say your choice is between the Bog Tatters and the dual land – as though you are already tied to U/B. Black hasn’t actually been coming through at this point, and that is a late Sanctifiers. Seeing as all you are taking is a fixer land instead of an on-color spell, it is definitely worth experimenting with the Sanctifiers to see if white is still open. You would have found out that it was in p1p8 with the late Hookmaster. The white flowed like wine in pack 3, so it was definitely an option.

    Understandably, you want to force black hard because you opened a ridiculous bomb, but venturing into white would not have hurt your quality at all. You took two lands over those white cards, and Soaring Seacliff blows.

    Also, in p1p13, Desecrated Earth is a better board card than the Quest, thanks to the new manlands and Zendikons in WWK.

    Aside from that, good job.

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  6. Myrk — March 5, 2010 @ 10:46 am

    Hi guys, thanks muchly for the feedback

    @ sf170089

    P1P2 – I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on that one. I would say 4 flying damage is hands down far better than 2 easily blocked damage. I think a lot of people overrate Bloodghast in limited because he’s quite good in constructed.

    P2P4 – At this point I knew I was building a faster aggro oriented deck. I didn’t want to slow my deck down by splashing for a 3rd colour. Maybe I could have gotten away with it but I felt that splashing for Lightning Burst would have weakened my deck more than it would have strengthend it.

    @ blazed_247

    Those Jagwasp swarms are great! I’ve just done another draft and I’ve ended up with another U/B deck with 2 Jagwasp Swarms. A lot of people are under-estimating fliers it seems as I’ve managed to draft a deck almost identical to the one above again.

    @ Zoomacroom

    Regarding the Blazing Torch over the Adventuring gear I would have to say I agree with you in retrospect. The Blazing Torch didn’t really do all that much and I felt bad that it was slowing me down a lot when I did use it.

    As for P1P7 at that point I was conciously avoiding white since I had passed a Conquerer’s Pledge in the first pack. I was hoping to send one of the drafters next to me into white so that they would hook me up with the black in pack 2.

    As you can see in pack 2 I think it worked as I saw virtually no playable white cards in the second pack.

    Good call on the Desecrated Earth by the way.

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  7. fredder — March 5, 2010 @ 10:47 am

    Great draft. I’d just like to go over a few of the picks and give my opinion on them. First of all I completely agree with the Windrider Eel pick. I still don’t see why people like bloodghast that much because as soon as they drop a 3 toughness creature he’s just going to sit there for the rest of the game similar to most 2 powered 2 drops although he can’t even block and trade later in the game. The eel does a pretty good Air Elemental impression and I agree is pretty underrated because of how bad blue was in ZZZ. Moving on I think you definitely should’ve taken adventuring gear over blazing torch as it’s pretty amazing in a deck full of evasion. Also Lodestone Golem definitely should’ve been the pick over Enclave Elite. Lodestone Golem is actually very good because while it seems like it’s equal in that it hurts both you and your opponents in the same way what you have to remember is that you get a 5/3 for 4 which is pretty insane and should put you ahead on board and forcing your opponent to try and catch up which is pretty hard when you can’t cast your spells as easily. I’m sure there were other picks I would’ve made differently but for the most part these are the 3 that stuck out. Still a good draft though congrats on winning the finals.

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  8. zoomacroom — March 5, 2010 @ 4:36 pm

    @Myrk: Your logic is fine; the person to your left almost certainly took the Conq Pledge as their second pack, so it is likely they wound up in white. Even if you are trying to land him in white, though, I still think I would have taken the Hookmaster, as you definitely signaled them into white with the pick 7 Signifiers, and Soaring Seacliff is just a card I don’t really like playing at all. Definitely worth a hate there imo, although it’s marginal.

    As for the Bloodghast/Windrider Eel debate: I say Windrider Eel every time. This guy gets no respect! It’s ridiculous how easily he closes out a game. I’ve seen Bloodghast played many times and he’s never once impressed me. He’s too easy to just block out of the game. Windrider Eel on the other hand, always demands to be answered. I’m always happy to have at least two in my pile. I know the format is fast and a 4 caster 2/2 is not a great tempo play and he’s a bad blocker and yada yada, but you can’t argue with the fact that he clocks just as fast Living Tsunami.

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  9. zoomacroom — March 5, 2010 @ 4:37 pm

    ^ Sanctifiers, not Signifiers. Derf.

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  10. sf170089 — March 5, 2010 @ 6:36 pm

    I guess I am out voted on the Bloodghast/Windrider Eel choice.  I have certainly won many a game off the back of a landfell Eel.  He is a solid creatue.  I will back off and agree that my Bloodghast choice was wrong :-) .

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  11. camus — March 6, 2010 @ 12:52 am

    I’d say an overall good draft.  Personally, I think the Reckless Scholar is pretty playable.  Most people don’t feel like wasting removal on him, and in some situations he not only draws, but trades as a blocker and still draws.  But I’d say he’s a matter of personal preference.

    The only glaring mistake I see is P3P3.  The Lodestone Golem is very very good.  People don’t see it, but here’s why:

    1. He’s 5/3.  Now put him in context with the set he’s in.  Most removal either does 2 or 4 damage (burst lightning, Inferno Trap, Disfigure, that landfall black removal – forget the name).  In addition, most creatures are either power 2 or under, or 4 and over.  (few 3/3′s in the format).  Thus, toughness 3 is essentially toughness 4.  Add to that, he comes down on turn 4 with NO mana requirements. 

    2. The fact that he “hurts” you is pretty much false.  His ability actually helps you since it hurts your opponent more.  This is due to 2 reasons.  1, your opponent feels the effect first.  (if you went first, that means he essentially needs to find a 3 drop that is an answer to your 5/3.  Not likely.  In fact, he isn’t even likely to find an answer to your 5/3 on turn 5.  There arent many 4 drops that can take down a 5/3).  2, as someone has already mentioned, this card stalls the game.  Essentially rewinding it backwards a turn.  However, you’re rewinding the game while fastforwarding yourself forward at the same time, since a 5 power toughness creature typically does not come out turn 4.  Think about what this means.  You get to play a 5/3 creature but any response to remove it will immediately cost 1 more to play (inferno trap, kicked burst lightning etc.

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  12. camus — March 6, 2010 @ 12:54 am

    oh double post, but i agree on the windrider eel pick.  There have been some absolutely out of control games with windrider eel + adventuring gear.

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  13. masticorectk — March 7, 2010 @ 4:01 am

    Great game description man, waiting for your next article!

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  14. Taxideos — March 24, 2010 @ 12:19 pm

    Good draft and thanks for sharing it in so much detail!

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