R2G1
I win the toss and pull seven on the play:
T2 I rip an (Infest) and drop the (Putrid Leech). He answers with a (Vedalken Outlander), which is annoying, but it should die to (Infest) at some point.
I hit for 4 and summon the (Sprouting Thrinax) as planned, having drawn (Suicidal Charge). He matches my Jundatron with Espertron on T3 and makes a (Frontline Sage) with it. I draw (Dark Temper), swing for another 4 with the leech and pass.
He loots away a (Jhessian Zombie), plays a second Island and passes with Esper mana up. He mulliganed, so it's possible he simply has no play, but my radar is up for (Ethersworn Shieldmage) or (Soul Manipulation).
I rip the second Swamp and drop it into play. What's your plan for the turn with the board below?
The play is to swing with the leech and see what happens. If he does nothing, I can pump then (Infest) without fear of (Soul Manipulation). If he has (Ethersworn Shieldmage), I will lose the leech, but will still get a 3:2 with a post combat (Infest).
In actuality, I swing in, he declines to block, I pump the leech and...pass the turn. This is pure (Infest) greed. I have a 2:1. (Soul Manipulation) can't stop it. His board would be empty, my board would have (Putrid Leech) and (Sprouting Thrinax) with (Goblin Deathraiders) and (Dark Temper) in hand! Why is 2:1 not good enough for me, here? I might get a 3:1!
The lesson here: don't let sweeper greed keep you from doing the right thing at the right time because you want to gamble on something even more advantageous.
He cycles (Valley Rannet) for a Forest at EOT, drops a fifth land and (Oblivion Ring)s my leech and taps out for an (Armillary Sphere). My greedy dreams of him playing out something for even more of an (Infest) blowout are dashed.
I should be attacking into his empty board, dropping him to 5, and adding a Goblin Deathraiders to the team, ready to (Dark Temper) away any blockers for the win next turn. Instead, sweeper greed has left me with work to do:
With him at 8, the play is to Infest, swing for 1, and drop the deathraiders. Naturally, because I am trying to prove to the world that rating means nothing, I don't do this. I swing in, immediately ask myself what the hell I'm doing, get blocked, and then can't play the Infest unless I want to break the Thrinax.
All things considered, (Infest) is probably still the right play, but I cast (Suicidal Charge) instead, partially because of mistake shame. Anyone else guilty of mistake shame? Screwing up a play precombat, then screwing it up more postcombat because it disguises your first misplay? There ought to be a clinical term for that.
He cracks his sphere in his first main, so I sac the (Suicidal Charge) in response. I don't want him to loot with extra land in hand, and I want that (Vedalken Outlander) attacking and out of the way. He declines to loot in response, which is either a mistake or an indication of a blue spell in hand.
He has full domain with all but green up, and passes. I draw a pain-free (City of Brass) in (Exotic Orchard), swing for 3, then finally (Infest). He uses (Resounding Wave) to save his pro-red bear, and I play out the deathraiders.
He replays (Vedalken Outlanders) and adds (Esper Cormorants) to its side. I draw a Mountain and consider my options:
I can either take out the Cormorants pre-combat with (Dark Temper), or wait until he blocks. Because of the trample, I think he'll put the Cormorants on the Deathraiders in an effort to prevent the most damage.
I attack in, and he does exactly that, allowing me to (Dark Temper) the (Esper Cormorants) and trample for the full three, leaving me with both creatures and him at 2 life.
To really rub in my mistakes, he finds a (Bull Cerodon) on top, swings me to 8, and laughs at my guys. Man, if I don't draw something, I may be forced to...play my (Hellkite Hatchling). How embarrassing.
Thankfully, I mise (Igneous Pouncer) and kill him with a far less humiliating creature.
So, to show off, I give him a few extra turns, then beat him anyway. That's so pro.
I'd really be making a great case for (Infest) in Alara-block drafting if I could find it within myself to play it correctly.
R2G2
Villain chooses to draw, looking for an extra card for more-reliable mana. I get these seven:
No red sources, but a T1 (Noble Hierarch) into T2 (Pestilent Kathari) is enough action for me to take my chances with a keep.
Villain keeps as well and shows Island. I mise a Mountain and for a second think I have T2 (Sprouting Thrinax), but no, that (Noble Hierarch) is not, in fact, a (Birds of Paradise). I settle for the (Pestilent Kathari) and pass.
He plays a Forest and passes, which is great to see. Nothing warms my heart like an opponent with no T2 play in Alara. I pull a (Savage Lands) but play the Mountain to get down the thrinax while hitting for 2 with an exalted kathari.
He plays a Mountain for the turn-three...uh...Randatron, and passes. Smells like (Resounding Wave) based on last game, which would be fine with me. I draw (Putrid Leech) and send in the boys, and he does (Resounding Wave) my thrinax.
I draw (Thunder-Thrash Elder) and swing into his untapped mana again. No response, he drops to 13. Playing the leech is obvious, but what about the TTE? Play him? If so, sacrificing what?
I think standing pat is correct. I have 8 damage coming at him next turn, and if I pull a land, I can (Fiery Fall) any blocker he makes.
Granted, if I TTE and sac the (Noble Hierarch) and (Sprouting Thrinax), I'll have lethal damage on my next attack. I think that play is too aggressive, though, and needlessly overextends when I have a big advantage right now.
For once, I agree with the play I made in the game after the fact. Is anyone else going for the turn-six win, here?
He double-cycles at the end of my turn, and if he's digging that furiously, I don't think my choice is going to matter. He untaps, chats, "Bleh, no white" and concedes.
Off to the finals in an 8-4 train wreck played badly. There's no justice in Magic.
R3G1
I lose the roll and assess my seven for the draw:
Looks good, easy keep with full Jund mana and a (Sprouting Thrinax) by turn three. He plays a Swamp and passes, I draw (Noble Hierarch) and play (Savage Lands), he plays a Mountain and a T2 (Grixis Grimblade).
I pull a Forest and have to decide whether or not to play the (Noble Hierarch) given the (Infest) in hand.
I don't have a compelling four-drop to accelerate to, but I also don't have the second black for the (Infest) yet. I think the play is to swampcycle now, (Sprouting Thrinax) T3, and T4 (Infest)/(Noble Heirarch) if he plays even one more creature with two toughness.
In actuality, I play the (Noble Hierarch), but I had a reason. My deck is not great and is likely an underdog to an unknown 2-0 deck. I felt like if I showed him (Noble Hierarch) and (Sprouting Thrinax) to open the game, he might accept a split.
He cycles (Architects of Will), hits me for two, plays an Island for Grixatron, and passes.
I draw (Thunder-Thrash Elder), play Forest and (Sprouting Thrinax), and offer the split. He decilnes. Well, he ignores. OK, be that way! I'll kick your ass! Noble swings for one, and Villain is up.
He plays (Kederekt Creeper), which is a bummer at three toughness. I take three from the (Grixis Grimblade), he misses his land drop and passes. I draw my favorite bloodsucker and plot how to beat this guy with this board and hand:
No matter what, we make the obvious attack with (Sprouting Thrinax). Eventually we want to make a big (Thunder-Thrash Elder) and then (Infest). That play is no good if he still has the (Kederekt Creeper), though, so we we'll take any reasonable trade for it. He declines to block.
(Putrid Leech) or (Kathari Bomber)?
I maximize my mana and cast the bomber, because a 1/1 token will be a big help trading for the creeper and eventually making a big (Thunder-Thrash Elder).
He hits with the (Kederekt Creeper) and plays (Parasitic Strix) for the four-point swing, but fails to produce his fourth land.
I get a forest and have TTE-(Infest) mana, but still need to kill the creeper, so I make two tokens with an exalted (Kathari Bomber) to set up the trade, and play the leech.
He cracks with the (Parasitic Strix) and the (Kederekt Creeper), and I block with (Sprouting Thrinax) and a goblin token, leaving me with four 1/1s and a (Kederect Creeper)-free board. He adds another (Parasitic Strix) for me to annihilate next turn.
Attack before (Infest)? With which guys?
His (Grixis Grimblade) is mortal again and he's got a big life lead and flyers. I think if I swing with everything but the (Noble Hierarch), he'll only block a token. I'm wrong.
Makes sense, he knows I have to activate the leech to save it, and he's happy to have me at 5 with his flyers, so much so that he doesn't even put the strix in harm's way to take out a token. My leech hits the graveyard and I make a 16/16 (Thunder-Thrash Elder) before (Infest)ing away his team.
He finally draws his fourth land and makes a (Grixis Sojourners), but (Bituminous Blast) clears the way for the win.
R3G2
I have these seven on the draw:
No green, but I have (Infest) and the mana for it, which is good enough to keep against this opponent. My first two draws are (Thunder-Thrash Elder) and (Kathari Bomber), so I can roll the dice on another big TTE even if I don't draw green, now.
He plays a (Kathari Screecher) off two Islands and a Swamp, and I draw a Forest to lay the turn-three (Sprouting Thrinax). He swings with the screecher and finds a Mountain, but doesn't make a play. He obviously has an instant, but I'm happy to have him kill the (Sprouting Thrinax) or counter/kill the (Kathari Bomber), so he can do his worst.
His worst is an end-of-turn (Drag Down) on the bomber, which is fine with me. He adds a (Parasitic Strix) leaving UB up, and I mentally tally another victim of my future (Infest). In the meantime, I untap and can play the (Rakeclaw Gargantuan) or unearth the (Kathari Bomber). What’s the play?
The only relevant spell he could have is (Agony Warp). If he has it and I unearth, he could split a potential (Agony Warp) to kill both my guys, but that leaves me with three 1/1s and the (Thunder-Thrash Elder)/(Infest) play off any land, which is pretty good for a worst-case scenario. I swing in.
He takes it, goes to 12 and I make two 1/1s. I'm in good shape—great shape if he can't muster anything with more than two toughness. He can't, untapping and summoning a (Sewn-Eye Drake). He gets in for 7, but a blowout is around the corner if I can draw any land.
I mise the Plains, swing for 5, make a 7/7 (Thunder-Thrash Elder) and crush his dreams.
He concedes after drawing, and I consider myself extremely lucky to take down 8 packs after a rough draft and some. These are the drafts I try to remember when I draft a monster and screw, flood, or mulligan out in the first round.
I didn't notice any scenarios in which M10 combat rules would have affected player choices or outcome, despite the presence of bounce spells in the games. Let me know if you think I missed one.
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