Waiting for Godot: ACR #5 – Swiss – Round 2

Welcome back for part two of the draft walkthrough I started last week! If you missed part one or have forgotten what I drafted, go check out part one. Go ahead, I'll wait for you while the others read on. Quick summary: I drafted Naya splashing black for (Obelisk of Alara) and (Slave of Bolas), and defeated my round-one opponent fairly handily in two games.

R2G1

I win the roll and check my seven:

A keeper despite no two drops and an uncastable (Slave of Bolas). A Swamp would put this hand over the top, and I have four outs to getting one. I would be satisfied to hit one of them by turn seven or eight, but I manage to find the natural Swamp by turn four. Not only am I off to a strong start, Villain isn’t, with his first spell being a turn-five (Bituminous Blast) that flips (Lightning Talons) for his empty board:

It will be hard for me to lose from here. I untap, pull (Druid of the Anima), and drop him to 1 on the attack. What’s the play?

I have the win on the table by hitting my own (Jund Sojourners) with the (Naya Charm). Raise your hand if you saw that one. Good! Now raise your hand if you saw that, but recognized that it’s not the correct play. Really? Impressive!

If I play out the druid or the (Stun Sniper), there is no feasible card or combinations cards Villain could play to win this game, since the death of the sojourners means a point to his head. Given my near-absolute checkmate, there is no need to show him my (Naya Charm) or (Slave of Bolas), and maybe he'll show me something on his turn before he dies. I play the (Druid of the Anima) and pass; he draws and scoops.

R2G2

Villain keeps, and I have a tough seven on the draw:

I have a turn-three 3/3 but no red mana. I have four Mountains, three landcyclers, and (Druid of the Anima) in my library. I'm fairly likely to draw a red source soon, most of which will turn (Matca Rioters) into a 4/4, but once red source won’t cast the (Goblin Razerunners).

I said in the comments of my fourth walkthrough not to underestimate the importance of 2RR vs. 3R in the (Goblin Razerunners) casting cost, and this is a great illustration of why. I should draw a single red mana source reasonably soon with this hand, but how long before I get two? This game could be over before I cast the razerunners. So, would this hand without the razerunners better than a fresh six? I think it's close, but I ship it.

I mulligan into what is essentially a four-card hand between the pesky (Goblin Razerunners) and (Slave of Bolas). This isn’t keepable. Five?

Not great, but a castable (Stun Sniper) and I should be able to cycle the (Jund Sojourners) soon. If I can make it to four lands quickly, hopefully I can take out a two-toughness creature as I do.

I find a Forest right away, and he makes a (Nacatl Outlander) and a (Putrid Leech), but unfortunately, I fail to find a fourth land for the (Stun Sniper)/(Zap) combo. I have to pass, and on his turn, he hits my sniper with (Skeletonize) in his main phase. What’s the response?

The lack of a fourth land make this scenario a little awkward. I really want a shot at taking out the leech in response to the +2/+2 with (Naya Charm), but if I’m a good player with nothing in hand, I would tap down the leech in response, here. To fail to do so telegraphs that I’m up to something, or that I’m not a very sophisticated player.

If Villain is not a sophisticated player, it may be moot; he may ignore my telegraph and go for the pump anyway. If so, great. If not, I have a solid backup plan in cycling the (Jund Sojourners) to take out the 1/1 token. This might convince even a good player that this was my plan all along, and Villain may give me a shot later at the leech. I let the (Stun Sniper) go without a response.

Villain swings and, happily, pumps the leech.

He got greedy and either didn’t think things through, or didn’t give me credit, falling into a very telegraphed trap as a result.

I pull my (Wildfield Borderpost), get it into play, and cycle (Jund Sojourners) to take out his skeleton token before he untaps with regeneration mana, drawing a Plains in the process. I’m thinking I can stabilize with a good rip next turn, but he untaps, plays an Island, and taps out for…

(pic=Extractor Demon) Yeah, this is not good. At 14 life facing a 5/5 flying unearth and a 2/2, I basically have a one turn to find an answer. I have no way to exile the (Extractor Demon), and killing it still gives him another swing. I pull a Plains, which isn’t going to cut it. Villain compounds my problem with a (Maniacal Rage) on his (Nacatl Outlander), I’m dropped to 5, and I have no outs. gg.

R2G3

My seven on the play:

Keepable. I have a T3 Nayatron and 3/3 (Matca Rioters) for sure, and if I luck into a Mountain, I can search up my Swamp instead to hard cast (Jund Sojourners) and make a 4/4 rioters.

I do luck into the Mountain, allowing me to landcycle for the Swamp on my second turn after Villain makes a (Mask of Riddles). I drop the rioters on T3 and he casts a (Parasitic Strix) for the two-point life drain. I’ve drawn into (Dark Temper) and hit him for 4. Now what? Pressure with the sojourners, or hold back with (Dark Temper)?

Have to hold back for (Dark Temper). Given Villain’s mistake of pumping (Putrid Leech), I want to offer up more traps—maybe I can burn out the strix in response to equipping the (Mask of Riddles), and if not, I still get to trade the (Dark Temper) for the strix or a trick. I also like giving (Jund Sojourners) another chance at being more useful as a (Zap).

Villain taps three mana in his first main, and I’m about to give credit for avoiding my mask trap until I see where the mana is going.

You have to play around removal against an opponent with four different basic lands untapped and five cards in hand. Villain’s failure to do so has increased my odds of winning this game by a sizeable amount, even if he has an (Unsummon) for the spare blue mana. He doesn’t, and I blow him out with (Dark Temper).

I draw into (Rhox Brute), and this game is looking hard to lose after I knock him to 14 and cast a second 4/4. He plays a land and passes suspiciously, and I draw into (Bull Cerodon) land. Does Villain’s draw-go affect anything here?

(Bituminous Blast) is about the only thing that could turn this around, and he did show it in game one. It’s not 100% that he has it, and even if he does have it and I play the (Bull Cerodon), he still has to get lucky to pull the game out. (Bituminous Blast) does explain his actions, though. If I play around it and he doesn’t have it, I’m still extremely likely to win, and if he does have it, I seriously reduce his chance of clawing back with it.

Given all that, I think the right play here is the more conservative one, which is to attack with (Resounding Roar) at the ready, then play (Jund Sojourners). In the actual game, I take the aggressive route and cast the (Bull Cerodon), figuring that it beats any play but a perfect (Bituminous Blast).

He has no response, drops to 1, untaps, draws, and scoops.