Waiting for Godot: M10 #1 – Part 1

The world of Magic Online has M10 on the brain and I wanted to present material accordingly this week, but the lack of replays for the last couple weeks has left me with an incomplete ACR article. With replays back, I felt honor-bound to finish what I’d started, even though M10 is teh new hotness and all.

When we left off, I had drafted a creature-light Grixis deck around (Cruel Ultimatum), and was about to put it to the test in round one. Let’s fire up the replays and see how I did.

*ahem*

I said, “Let’s fire up the replays and see how I did.”

(crickets)

Guess what? The game replays for this draft that I discovered to be non-functioning two weeks ago are apparently still non-functioning today. Replays may be back online, but the game data for the ACR #6 matches is corrupted and still broken.

The bad news is, my wrap-up to ACR#6 part one is simply this: I won the first round, and lost in the second. There were a lot of interesting spots that showed by example the strengths and weaknesses of non-creature, non-removal spells, as discussed in part 1. A couple of the games were epic, and totally worth dedicating a column to. I remember in my second round-two loss, I actually resolved (Cruel Ultimatum), but lost anyway. I was too far back on my heels and it simply delayed my death for a turn or two.

The good news is, I can turn to M10 drafting this week and give the people what they want with a clear conscience. An 84 M10 is filling up when I hit the draft room, but by the time I secure my packs from a bot (I wasn’t about to wait for the store), the 84 was empty and Swiss was at six. I take the hint and start out my M10 drafting career in the Swiss queue.

The Draft

  Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:

(Haunting Echoes) is unplayable in limited, but the pack is weak so I make the ticket grab. With a junk rare in place of the (Haunting Echoes), I would have taken the solid, cheap, instant in (Essence Scatter) over the expensive, hyper-green sorcery with the potential to end games in (Howl of the Night Pack).

  Pack 1 pick 2:

  My Pick:

I take the expensive, hyper-green sorcery with the potential to end games in (Overrun) over the solid, cheap, instant in (Lightning Bolt). I have professed my love for (Colossal Might) on several occasions, and (Overrun) is like casting a (Colossal Might) on each of your creatures. The rare is missing and the pack is insane, so my neighbor’s pick was extremely powerful, extremely valuable, or both. What a pack! I should at least get the (Naturalize) on the way back if not something better.

  Pack 1 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I wouldn’t mind an (Emerald Oryx) for the board, but I’m looking for good (Overrun) cards now, and the cheap flyer qualifies. (mana=G)(mana=B) is a reasonable direction to head from here, although green with (Overrun) and black in general are both very color hungry. If I end up (mana=G)(mana=B), I’ll prioritize (Rampant Growth)s and (Borderland Ranger)s to help with that.

  Pack 1 pick 4:

  My Pick:

This is such an important card for green against blue and white. I’ve passed back-to-back (Seismic Strike)s after passing a (Lightning Bolt), so I’ve probably put my neighbor solidly into red.

  Pack 1 pick 5:

  My Pick:

I do love (Merfolk Looter), and with only the one black card, I take the looter just in case. I dismissed (Weakness) without looking too closely, but it’s not a bad pick with the deck I have going. (Windstorm) is great against flyers, obviously, but being only five picks in I still wanted to be taking potential maindeck cards.

  Pack 1 pick 6:
 
  My Pick:

I’m still in evaluation mode on (Deadly Recluse). Deathtouch plus reach can be a real pain for some decks to aggro their way through, but he’s very defensive, and I generally like my green creatures to be offensive. I love (Giant Spider) despite that preference, but a 2/4 reach guy can provide ongoing problems for an opposing flyers deck, whereas the recluse trades once and is gone. If I’m sure I’m in (mana=g)(mana=b), I take the (Dread Warlock) here, but I’d rather take the card I know will make the cut.

  Pack 1 pick 7:

  My Pick:

(Drudge Skeletons) are solid in a deck that needs to hold the ground while setting up an evasion win, but they are suboptimal paired with green. (Vampire Aristocrat) isn’t as good as it was when it was (Nantuko Husk), but he’s still solid post M10 and works will with green.

  Pack 1 pick 8:

  My Pick:

A fine sideboard card.

  Pack 1 pick 9:
 
  My Pick:

I really hate this guy. Yes, I like my green creatures offensive, but at the cost of turning into a (Wall of Wood) on defense.

  Pack 1 pick 10:

  My Pick:

The (Deathmark) tables from the sick (Overrun) pack, interestingly over the (Mind Rot).

  My Final Pack One Picks:
   

  Pack 2 pick 1:

  My Pick:

Cast on turn seven, (Hypnotic Specter) is barely better than a (Kelinore Bat), but on turn three, Hyppie can randomly (literally) win you the game.

  Pack 2 pick 2:

  My Pick:

The (Hypnotic Specter) has ratcheted up my black commitment, but I’m not ready to take a (Consume Spirit) over another (Giant Spider) in this spot. With (Overrun), my mana will be a 9/8 split at most, making a (Consume Spirit) at six-mana do about 2 points of damage on average. I would take a (Tendrils of Corruption) here, but not the (Consume Spirit).

  Pack 2 pick 3:

  My Pick:

(Entangling Vines) is not the kind of removal I’m looking for in a (mana=g)(mana=b), and (Borderland Ranger) is exactly the kind of fixing I am looking for in color-hungry (mana=g)(mana=b). (Rampant Growth) helps find the mana for (Overrun), but (Borderland Ranger) finds the mana, then provides a 5/5 trampler for when it goes off.

  Pack 2 pick 4:

  My Pick:

I wouldn’t mind picking up a (Dread Warlock) before this draft is over, but not over strong removal. (Tendrils of Corruption) is fine for 2 or 3 damage.

  Pack 2 pick 5:

  My Pick:

Likely a (Hill Giant) for many matchups, but there’s nothing wrong with a (Hill Giant) or two to pad your creature base in a core-set limited deck.

  Pack 2 pick 6:

  My Pick:

(Diabolic Tutor) can function as a nine-mana (Overrun) paid for on the installment plan, and (Gravedigger) is solid card advantage in a format where that is a precious commodity, but I am really light on removal for halfway through a draft where I’m in black. (Tendrils of Corruption) is better for my deck, here. The late flyers make me thankful for my two (Giant Spider)s.

  Pack 2 pick 7:
 
  My Pick:

I’ll be annoyed if I’m running the first (Bramble Creeper), and I’ll run an 18th land before I run a second. I cut the (Undead Slayer) which might have a number of targets in my deck before this draft is over.

  Pack 2 pick 8:

  My Pick:

I passed the (Mist Leopard) on the theory that (Oakenform) on a black creature actually makes a fairly hard-to-kill target against red, black, and green opponents (although watch out for (Entangling Vines). I never liked (Pincer Beetle) all that much in tenth, and (Mist Leopard) is hardly an improvement with just a point of toughness tacked on for the additional mana, as most playable creatures still trade with it.

  Pack 2 pick 9:

  My Pick:

(Mind Rot) takes just the right circumstances to be awesome, but it’s acceptable maindeck filler if needed. When I do run it main, it’s almost never in after sideboarding, though. It does a solid job of being reasonable against any opponent in game one before making way for pinpoint awesomesauce like (Deathmark) or (Naturalize) in games two and three.

  Pack 2 pick 10:

  My Pick:

A little mid-game refueling with (Sign in Blood) over another (Deadly Recluse). 2cc is a very nice cost for drawing a couple cards—you can usually cast it around turn six and still have enough mana left over to play something you drew.

  Remaining Pack Two Picks:
 

  Pack 3 pick 1:

  My Pick:

An uncomfortable mana cost to be sure, and the (Child of Night) or (Diabolic Tutor) may be more what this deck is looking for, but it was still running about four tickets at the time of the draft and was playable, so I went with it. Maybe (Child of Night) tables, but I’m not counting on it. I really want more (Borderland Ranger)s and (Rampant Growth)s now.

  Pack 3 pick 2:

  My Pick:

What a score! (Master of the Wild Hunt) is a bomb in his own right, but bombs that create tokens are particularly excellent with (Overrun).

  Pack 3 pick 3:

  My Pick:

I take the straightforward beef over the jackknife (Acidic Slime). I’m glad they built (Lure) into a creature instead of leaving it as an aura, but I still don’t trust (Prized Unicorn), it’s only good as an alpha-strike enabler. I’ve got a much better alpha-strike enabler in my pile already, and (Lure) effects have a way of making you look silly against instant-speed removal.

  Pack 3 pick 4:

  My Pick:

Without the (Vampire Nocturnus) I might go with another (Kelinore Bat) here, but (Vampire Aristocrat)’s creature type pushes him to the front. I also like (Stampeding Rhino), but cheaper drops are better for building up to devastating (Overrun)s.

  Pack 3 pick 5:

  My Pick:

I couldn't take the the (Rampant Growth) last pack, but here is perfect. Shipping a (Wall of Front) sixth is painful, though.

  Pack 3 pick 6:

  My Pick:

I have six playable three-drop creatures and no tricks; I need to mix some in, here. If this were P1P6, I take the (Vampire Aristocrat). Shipping a (Wall of Front) seventh after passing one sixth is extra painful.

  Pack 3 pick 7:
 
  My Pick:

More fixing over the narrow removal spell, (Weakness); I only wish the (Rampant Growth) were another (Borderland Ranger).

  Pack 3 pick 8:

  My Pick:

Mana elves and (Overrun) go together like chocolate and peanut butter, except, you know, after everyone already knew those two things went great together. Not so much because mana elves accelerate you into the (Overrun), but because they help you dump creatures on the table faster, making for a lethal (Overrun) earlier.

  Pack 3 pick 9:
 
  My Pick:

Fantastic to see the (Child of Night) table, just the kind of two drop this deck is looking for: a vampire that is particularly good with (Overrun).

  Pack 3 pick 10:

  My Pick:

They changed this from a straight-up reprint of Regrowth in development to only target permanents because Regrowth is so abusive with sorceries and instants. I can see why, too: I might actually run this if it could get my non-creature spells back.

  Remaining Pack Three Picks:

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The Deck

My Cup Overrunneth

M10 #01 - Swiss

Creatures 2 Giant Spider 1 Bog Wraith 1 Kelinore Bat 1 Stampeding Rhino 1 Borderland Ranger 1 Child of Night 2 Vampire Aristocrat 1 Llanowar Elves 1 Master of the Wild Hunt 1 Hypnotic Specter 1 Deadly Recluse 1 Bramble Creeper 1 Vampire Nocturnus 15 cards Other Spells 1 Mind Rot 2 Rampant Growth 1 Giant Growth 1 Sign in Blood 2 Tendrils of Corruption 1 Overrun 8 cards

Lands 8 Swamp 9 Forest 17 cards Sideboard 1 Deathmark 1 Nature's Spiral 1 Oakenform 1 Naturalize 4 cards

In Editor

I wavered between a 9/8 and a 10/7 split on Forests and Swamps. 10/7 might have worked better, but I decided to make it roughly even. I need a dash of each early, and as long as I get one Forest, I can use (Rampant Growth) and (Borderland Ranger) to fix for the (Overrun) or the (Vampire Nocturnus), whichever color needs the help.

R1G1

I win the toss and look at seven:

After a generally frustrating twelve matches during M10 prerelease, this may be the prettiest opener I’ve seen in the format, with any land curving me right into a bomb. Those amazing basics don’t hurt the beauty factor, either. I’m running those through land-swapping tech pointed out to me, appropriately enough, by Basic Land:

1. Save your deck in the event deck editor.
2. Load that deck into the standard deck editor.
3. Add the basic lands of your choice from your collection, and resave.
4. Load the deck back into the event deck editor, and submit.

I highly recommend incorporating steps 1 and 2 into your deckbuilding ritual regardless of what lands you use, but given the general unavailability of bling to a limited player, I love this trick. Playing limited Magic with Unhinged basics is a lot like playing poker with casino-quality chips and cards—it absolutely makes a difference to my enjoyment of the experience. Even if you don’t splurge for top-shelf basics, it’s a fun way to make use of the promo lands we’re all earning each month now. In case you are wondering, I tried swapping an Odyssey-block Overrun in for the M10 version, but the event editor rejected it. It’s a trick for basic-land swapping only.

Back to the game. Villain plays an eyebrow-raising turn-one (Jackal Familiar). The jury is still out since I can imagine an edge case deck where it could work, but this is probably an inexperienced limited player. I draw a Forest and cast (Deadly Recluse), starting the glorious curve. On T2, Villain plays a (Sparkmage Apprentice) and I do a double take, thinking somehow I'm going to lose my spider. No, Villain just wants a buddy for the (Jackal Familiar), it seems.

I draw (Giant Growth) and play out the (Kelinore Bat), opting to stay back on D with the recluse. Villain attacks with both, and before Declare Blockers, casts (Trumpet Blast), further explaining the second-turn (Sparkmage Apprentice), but solidifying Villain’s place in the Tireless Tribe (Urban Dictionary entry pending) with the timing error. Trade with anything, here?

R1G1 #1

(Deadly Recluse) is best against flyers, but red only has (Dragon Whelp) to be concerned about, so it’s not as valuable to me here as it would be against white or blue. Also, getting randomly burnt out by sheer aggression from an inferior opponent is a loss I want to avoid, and trading here helps accomplish that. I block the (Sparkmage Apprentice), since the familiar is only a threat with a friend around.

Next main I draw a (Sign in Blood) and plan the turn. What’s the play?

R1G1 #2

It’s tempting to get the (Master of the Wild Hunt) going ASAP, but I have a (Giant Growth) in hand, and Villain is red. I am not going to lose this game if I don’t lose the huntmaster, so there is no reason to expose him to removal at this point. Less-skilled players can still be good enough to draft, aim, and fire (Lightning Bolt)s. I swing with the bat and cast the (Giant Spider) instead of the (Master of the Hunt). If I can draw (Giant Growth) mana to protect the bomb, this game will effectively be over with Villain at 18 life.

Then, awesomely, Villain untaps and plays (Manabarbs), which explains the hyper aggression. I am trying to come up with the draft deck where I’d run (Manabarbs). I’m sure it’s out there, but I doubt Villain has it. It can be very interesting for each player to have a finite amount of mana to spend for the rest of the game, but in this case, I draw a Swamp and the path is clear: swing for 4, go to 11 on barbed mana, drop the (Master of the Wild Hunt), leave (Giant Growth) mana up, and take this game over.

R1G1 #3

Villain untaps, plays another Mountain, and taps out for a four-point (Earthquake). (Giant Growth) swoops in to save my bomb as the quake drops Villain to 5 and me to 6, leaving nothing but the (Master of the Wild Hunt) and (Kelinore Bat) in play. That’s five points and gg right there, and I win on the back of the master’s generic 3 power instead of his impressive rules text.

R1G2

I bring in (Oakenform) for the (Mind Rot), as red decks have a very hard time with +3/+3 auras. On the draw, I find these seven:

I have to expect some starters like this with some of the severe casting costs in my deck, but is this good enough to keep? It feels a bit like a mulligan to five already, and there’s a good chance my first play will be a turn-four (Giant Spider). Given Villain’s deck style and skill level, it would be silly to open myself up to an aggro-red blowout by keeping a hand like this.

Again with no Swamps, and this time containing my least-favorite creature in the entire deck, but it does have a (Deadly Recluse) for turn two. This is way better than a random five.

Villain opens with a (Raging Goblin) but misclicks and misses the attack. I draw and drop a Forest, Villain adds a second (Raging Goblin), and this time attacks successfully. I draw (Llanowar Elves) and can either play the accelerator or run out the (Deadly Recluse) as originally planned:

R1G2 #1

With nothing to accelerate to on turn four, the right play is to get the (Deadly Recluse) out now and stop the goblins. If I don't find a Swamp, the (Llanowar Elves) can come down next turn and accelerate me into the (Bramble Creeper). Ugh, I hate that card so much. Get out of my deck, you overpriced, half-time (Wall of Wood)! Villain passes T3 without a play, and I draw (Kelinore bat), play the mana elf, and pass. Villain’s T4 brings (Manabarbs) again, which I am in a good position to play around with pain-free mana from my (Llanowar Elves). I untap and prepare for some serious mana management. My draw is (Bog Wraith), and I employ a positively inspired (Manabarbs) defense: don’t have anything to cast. Villain passes without a play on T5 despite five Mountains, and I draw (Overrun). Some land would be so good right now. I’ll even take Forests! Villain barbs to 17 to make a (Viashino Spearhunter), and I do pull a Forest, dropping to 14 in order to get out the (Bramble Creeper) (shudder). Villain drops another Mountain, Makes a (Wall of Fire) precombat (really a Wall of Backfire with (Manabarbs) in play), and swings with everything. Any blocks?

R1G2 #2

If I block, the devastating card would be (Trumpet Blast), but that card wrecks me even more if I don’t block, so it doesn’t change anything: put the (Deadly Recluse) on a goblin, the (Wall of Wood) on the (Viashino Spearhunter), and wince in anticipation.

Nothing happens. I take 1, the blocked goblin dies, and the spear glances off the wood. Villain passes the turn, and I find another Forest. I can now go to 8 life to cast (Overrun). Do I?

R1G2 #3

If Villain has nothing and I (Overrun), either the wall chumps the 8/6 and Villain falls to 3, or the wall blocks the elf and Villain falls to 2 but keeps the defender. Either way, Villain can’t really cast a spell beyond (Lightning Bolt) for the rest of the game, which puts it into a near lock for me. Even with the wall and the two creatures, at 2 life there just isn’t anything Villain can do except chump in different configurations until he dies.

The big question is: what is that card in Villain’s hand? If it’s (Lightning Bolt) or (Seismic Strike), I’m going to lose my (Bramble Creeper) and not even really be able to attack with my remaining creatures. Based on the suicide attack on the previous turn, though, there is no chance that Villain has removal here: why send in a goblin to die and a spear hunter to bounce off the creeper while holding removal?

Irrational fear of (Lightning Bolt) and awareness that (Overrun) wasn’t alpha in that spot prompted me to pass the turn, but it was clearly a mistake. I was focused on finding a lethal (Overrun) and didn’t properly consider how crippling going to 2 or 3 would be for my opponent, or how clear it was that my opponent wasn’t holding removal based on the suicide attack the previous turn.

Instead of putting the game away right then, we went back and forth doing nothing for a few turns, until Villain again swings and shows me (Trumpet Blast), once again before blockers. Am I blocking here? How?

 R1G2 #4

I managed to process Villain’s lack of removal properly this time and just did math. If the board stays as-is and I take it, I’ll go to 6 from the attack, and then to 1 to cast (Overrun). I’ll have 16 points of trample damage, and Villain can absorb 5 of it with the wall. That’s exactly lethal. Again, though, what about the card in hand? It’s not removal, but what if it’s a creature?

In order to prevent enough of the damage to survive, Villain has to play a red creature whose toughness is greater than its casting cost. There are only two such cards in M10: the wall already in play, and the (Jackal Familiar), which I did see in game one. It’s still a long shot that (Jackal Familiar) was my opponent’s exact draw, though, so I take my chances and decline to block.

I fall to 6, and Villain casts a Back(fiery Hellhound). That seals the game as I go to 1 to cast (Overrun) for the win on the following turn:

R1G2 #5 (We Don’t Need No Steenking Swamps)

(Manabarbs) is rarely going to be worth running in a draft deck, but it certainly makes things interesting when it resolves! It’s not every day you win a limited Magic game with seven cards in hand and no Islands in play, but (Overrun) plus (Manabarbs) plus a flooded opponent made it happen here.

It’s easy to go away feeling good after wins like this: overcoming seven dead cards and a (Manabarbs) to win is undeniably cool. Under the microscope, though, I'm pretty disappointed that I failed to (Overrun) before I did. It can be easy to think of (Overrun) purely as an alpha enabler, and to hold back until it’s the last spell you cast that game. Often, though, an opponent has to take such heavy casualties just to survive your (Overrun) that they didn’t really survive it at all. That’s particularly the case with a (Manabarbs) in play.

Next week in rounds two and three my opponents get tougher—we’ll see if I can play smarter in response, and (Overrun) my way to a 3-0 record.

Bonus Exercise

You’ve just started an 84 M10 draft, and took the bomby (Ant Queen) out of this pack:

  Pack 1 pick 1:

  My Pick:
 

  Pack 1 pick 2:

 

What is your second pick and why? Share your pick in the comments, and I’ll see you next week.