With little fanfare, a rare phenomenon occurred after the 8/18 Magic Online downtime: the introduction of a new Limited format! 4-Booster Sealed has officially replaced traditional Sealed Deck in the Sealed Swiss queues of Magic Online. Between Leagues and Rochester, I’m more used to Magic Online losing formats than gaining them. In fact, this is the first new, officially-supported Limited format that I can remember seeing since the launch of Magic Online, unless you count adding a pack to make traditional Sealed six boosters. So what the heck is it? How can you possibly make a reasonable deck with only four packs to work with? The official rules can be found here, but your executive summary is:
- 8-man queues
- 4 Boosters, 0 tickets required for entry
- Players make 30-card decks from four booster packs
- Three rounds of Swiss
- Prize structure: 5 packs for 3-0, 3 packs for 2-1, and 1 pack for 1-2
(This “voting with your wallet” system is also why I hold such a grudge against 4-3-2-2, by the way. As an informed gambler, it’s frustrating to see people play casino games with poor odds like roulette and slots when the same core experience—the gamble—can be purchased for a much better price right there in the same room. Such is the case with Magic Online draft queues. 8-4 is like blackjack with light counting or craps with a maximum free-odds bet, Swiss is like no-vig pai gow poker (skipping the fortune bet), and 4-3-2-2 is like roulette and slots. Force the house to support games with better odds and stop playing 4-3-2-2s, people!)
Anyway, people must not have been playing much Sealed Swiss, and Wizards of the Coast thinks this is a format people might play instead. One problem with 6-Booster Sealed has that this format solves is the high entry cost. If you have six packs on hand, most people are are more likely to want to play in two drafts than in one sealed deck event, so this structure moves the cost of a sealed much closer to the cost of a draft.
The other big question: 30-card decks? OMGWTF! I find this super interesting. Basically, we shave off 33% of our card pool, but only 25% of our deck size. Ostensibly, this means the decks will be a little worse than the current 40-card, 6-Booster decks, but not by too much. Back in the day, Sealed events used to be 5-Booster affairs (with no basic land in the pack), and these decks will still be better on average than those decks. 30-card decks will produce a more bomb-driven than normal, since the player that lucks into opening the mythic super-bomb of a given set is going to draw it more often.
Another consideration is the effect on mill strategies. While it is hard to open the cards for a legitimate mill deck in most Sealed formats (as opposed to drafting one), the number of mill cards needed before the strategy becomes viable is certainly lower in a 30-card environment. If you play in an M11 4-Booster Sealed and pull triple (Tome Scour) and double (Jace's Erasure), you may have yourself a mill deck if you have the defensive cards to back them up.
Deckbuilding
Excited to try the first new Limited format to hit the online scene in basically forever, I entered the queue and busted open my four packs:
The double (Holy Strength) and double (Tireless Missionaries) are disappointing and the leyline is unplayable, but the (Blinding Mage) is one of the better commons in the set, and the stable of white flyers is appealing. A definite maybe. Blue?
I have a few of the mill ingredients discussed above, but not at a density I’m comfortable enough to run in my first-ever 4-Booster Sealed. The two servants are great, but blue doesn’t feel deep enough overall for me to think that I’ll be running it in my final build unless the next three colors are all extremely disappointing. Black?
If the (Deathmark) and (Assassinate) were a couple of (Doom Blade)s instead, I’d have a great splash option. As it is, the removal I do have in black doesn’t seem worth a maindeck splash, nor does black seem deep enough to be a main color, even taking into account the relativity of “deep” in a 30-card format. Perhaps red has something for us.
It remains to be seen whether or not we maindeck (Naturalize) or either of the (Plummet)s, but green is clearly one of the colors to play. (Brindle Boar) is unexciting, but all the other creatures will make the cut easily. The question now is: what pairs best with green in this pool? Given the complete lack of fixing, I’m hoping to keep this a two-color affair. Red and white were the two colors that stood out as being deep enough to be a main color, so let’s take a look at a green-white build and a green-red build.
Since we are losing 25% of our deck size, we can adjust standard ratios down by that much as well. I consider 15 creatures “par” in a 40-card deck, so I would expect to see 11-12 as par here. Land is usually 17 or 18, and 75% of 17.5 is 13.125, so I am thinking 13 lands and 17 spells is correct in 4-Booster Sealed, perhaps 14 lands if you have an expensive top end.
Here’s how green-red would look:
(Shiv's Embrace) is a nice combo with (Sacred Wolf), but the deck really isn’t doing much until turn four, and lacks any evasion beyond the embrace, the sword, and my seven drop. I don’t like maindecking the (Manic Vandal) with the sword in my deck either, although swapping it out for the (Naturalize) or one of the (Plummet)s in the board is an option too.
How about green-white?
I like this build a little better. Ironically, it’s the build with “removal” thanks to the (Blinding Mage), and it looks like it could apply some early pressure in a format where I expect people will not be as prepared to handle it. (Elite Vanguard) is pretty much only superior to a random bear when he comes down on turn one, but even if he’s relegated to block-and-trade duty fairly quickly, he ought to hit once or twice first and then trade with something more expensive. The sword also has the ability to make weenies relevant in the late game.
Unless my opponents have an air force of their own or a (Giant Spider) to make things difficult, I can see this build stealing some fairly quick wins. I submit the green-white build and enter the fray.
R1G1
I choose to play with this aggressive build but have to mulligan a one-lander, finding these six:
Looks like the nice aggressive start I was hoping for! I keep, dropping my plains and the (Elite Vanguard). Villain plays a Forest, and I rip (Sword of Vengeance) before playing a land, casting the (Stormfront Pegasus), and hitting for 2 (20 – 18). Villain has a Mountain and fetches a second with (Sylvan Ranger), the bane of one-toughness, non-evasive aggro creatures everywhere. Hopefully the sword will eventually return the vanguard to relevance, but for now it’s a lesson on why (Elite Vanguard) isn't that good in Limited. I had him in the ideal spot—turn one on the play—and only got through once before having to hold him back.
I pull a Forest, cast the (Sword of Vengeance), and attack for another two in the air (20 – 16). Villain plays a Forest, casts (Birds of Paradise), then passes it back with a Forest and a Mountain up. I draw a Plains and decide between casting the (Assault Griffin) and equipping the sword. What’s your play?
I like the griffin here. While equipping the vanguard would lead to an extra 4 damage right now, casting the griffin leads to an extra 3 damage next turn, and avoids a (Lightning Bolt) blowout. I don’t like equipping creatures in the face of common removal mana unless I have nothing else to do. Also, if I draw one of my other two drops next turn, I can cast and equip. The pegasus hits, the griffin enters the battlefield without incident, and I ship the turn back (20 – 14).
A fireball for an X of 1 targeting my pegasus and vanguard cramp my style, but I take back the turn hoping a sword-wielding (Assault Griffin) will be enough to get there. A land off the top does nothing to change the plan, so the griffin picks up the sword and swings for 5 (20 – 9). Villain has a (Juggernaut) that I’m happy to race, but no land drop, suggesting that five spells remain in hand.
I pull a currently-uncastable (Duskdale Wurm), but it ought to be a nice insurance policy for this game if the griffin doesn’t finish things, as 7 points of toughness is not something red can generally do much about, much less 9 points of first strike, trample and vigilance. I drop land #6 and hit for another 4 after the birds chump to save a point of damage (20 – 5).
I’m considering whether or not to block with the (Assault Griffin) when Villain makes it moot with (Act of Treason). The attack drops me to 9 (9 – 5), and I’m bracing for a (Fling) to complete the dramatic turnaround, but it doesn’t happen and I take the turn back. A seventh land off the top has me feeling good even in the face of something like a (Lightning Bolt), but it proves unnecessary, as the griffin makes it through for lethal.
(Birds of Paradise) isn’t worth a (Plummet) and I decide against bringing in the (Naturalize) based on one target, submitting an unchanged deck for game two.
R1G2
Villain elects to play and mulligans, while I have a keeper:
Turn-one vanguard again for my lucksacky self! Villain has to go to five, and opens on a Forest and a (Llanowar Elves). Another vanguard killer, but given the mull to five, I’ll be happy to offer that trade. I draw (Awakener Druid) and cast the vanguard before passing. Villain has a turn-two (Birds of Paradise), but is already down to two cards in hand. I drop the Forest, send in the vanguard, and pass after it goes unblocked (20 – 18).
Villain drops a third land and casts (Juggernaut), a fine play given the mull to five. The elf hits me for 1 (19 – 18) before I untap and draw (Spined Wurm). I could hold back on the (Awakener Druid) to trade my (Giant Growth) and vanguard for the Juggernaut, but I’m at a healthy life total and would rather try to set up a 1:1 with a 4/5 Forest + (Giant Growth). First I swing with the vanguard, though, as I don’t think the juggernaut will block, and if it does, I will accept the 2:1. The vanguard gets in for 2 as expected (19 – 16), and I drop the druid, making a tapped 4/5 treefolk out of my one Forest.
The (Juggernaut) hits me for 5 before Villain casts (Crystal Ball), one of the more groan-inducing non-rare spells you can cast in the format (14 – 16). I take back the turn and pull a second Forest, making me feel better about turning my first one into a vulnerable creature. I could start racing with the treefolk and vanguard, hold back to (Giant Growth) the treefolk, or cast (Assault Griffin) and trade with that. What’s your play here?
Being up three on cards has me feeling patient. I want to try to spend the (Giant Growth) to take out the Juggernaut, then take over the game from there with big creatures and sheer card advantage. I attack with the vanguard, then pass (14 – 14). Villan uses the ball, putting both cards back on top. Ruh roh. One of the cards is clearly the (Act of Treason) which Villain uses to take my treefolk/forest, and attacks in. New plan?
I’m not comfortable just taking all this damage and going to 4 against an opponent with a (Crystal Ball) in play and a (Fireball) hiding somewhere in his remaining 22 cards. With some high-pressure offense in hand, I elect to block the (Juggernaut) with the druid and (Giant Growth) it to take out the 5/3. I take 5 and turn my treefolk back into a Forest, but I can re-mount an offense with the biggest threat out of the way (9 – 14).
I pull a Forest, hit for another 2 with the Vanguard (9 – 12), and drop the (Spined Wurm). I pass, Villain scrys again, putting one card on the bottom and presumably keeping the card on top revealed in the previous scry. The kept card turns out to be an (Arc Runner), which crashes into the red zone along with the (Llanowar Elves). I can’t justify trading my wurm for the lava ox when the lethal (Fireball) is still randomly in the deck somewhere, so I block the elf, drop to 4 and race the crystal ball (4 – 12).
(Greater Basilisk) off the top is redundant pressure, but right now the evasive (Assault Griffin) is the superior choice. Villain can’t chump with the birds and still have the mana to win of a possible (Fireball), so the wurm and vanguard connect before the griffin joins my team (4 – 5). Villain’s end-of-turn scry results in two cards on the bottom, so I’m looking good if I can dodge a topdecked Fireball. Villain draws and plays a land, sealing up the game and match for the good guys.
Stay Tuned!
I thought I might get this all into one article, but in my typically-verbose fashion, stuffing all three matches into a single article would be an produce an uncomfortable word count, so I will submit part two later this week. In the meantime, take a look at the pool for my second 4-Booster Sealed, and let me know in the comments or shoot an email to modogodot @ gmail.com how you would handle this pool, and I’ll discuss my choices for it in part two of this walkthrough.
1 Pyretic Ritual
1 Sleep
1 Tome Scour
1 Safe Passage
1 Ajani's Pridemate
1 Wall of Frost
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Merfolk Spy
1 Fog
1 Augury Owl
1 Maritime Guard
1 Giant Growth
1 Knight Exemplar
2 Ajani's Mantra
1 Inspired Charge
1 Canyon Minotaur
1 Hornet Sting
1 Liliana's Specter
2 Stabbing Pain
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Nether Horror
1 Lava Axe
1 Negate
1 Negate
1 Bog Raiders
2 Giant Spider
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Mind Rot
1 Spined Wurm
1 Mana Leak
1 Air Servant
1 Demon's Horn
1 Child of Night
1 Kraken's Eye
1 Berserkers of Blood Ridge
1 Assassinate
1 Viscera Seer
1 Gargoyle Sentinel
1 Rotting Legion
2 Chandra's Spitfire
1 Garruk's Packleader
1 Naturalize
1 Cloud Elemental
1 Armored Cancrix
1 Æther Adept
1 Traumatize
1 Wild Griffin
1 Captivating Vampire
1 Chandra's Outrage
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Greater Basilisk
1 Gravedigger
Thanks for reading, and check back soon for the thrilling conclusion! Also of note: since my last article for puremtgo, I’ve started doing video walkthroughs with my podcasting partner Marshall. Check them out and let us know what you think!
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Welcome back! If you missed part one, go check it out now. I built a green-white deck from my first 4-Booster Sealed card pool, and took down round one 2-0. I also threw up the card pool from my second 4-Booster Sealed event, and I’ll discuss how I built it at the end of this article.
Back to the event at hand, though. With only three other matches to check out (as opposed to seven others in traditional Sealed), I actually did my scouting homework. Replays showed that my round-two opponent misunderstood the rules and ran a 40-card deck in game one, which showed these cards:
R2G1
I win the roll, and have a fine-looking starter on the play:
Villain keeps as well, and the first play of the game is my turn-two (Garruk's Companion) after drawing (Assault Griffin). Villain answers with a (Goblin Piker), and I draw a Plains. Are we offering a trade here?
As bummed as I am that my turn-two (Garruk's Companion) is facing down a piker that can trade with it, attacking is still the way to go. This game is likely to be won on the strength of (Sacred Wolf) equipped with the (Sword of Vengeance), so I might as well clear the way for that now, as six points of toughness on defense is about the only thing that will stop a vengeant wolf this side of (Pyroclasm). I attack in, trade as expected, and deal 2 in the process (20 – 18). The wolf comes down after combat, and I pass.
Villain has no turn-three play past a land drop, and I draw another Forest. I could cast the sword now, but with no opposing creatures the wolf needs help attacking through, I’d rather max out my mana and get the (Assault Griffin) going. The wolf hits for 3, the griffin hits the skies, and I pass (20 – 15). Villain has a Plains and a (Vulshock Berserker), which stays back on defense. I pull (Giant Growth), which gives me some interesting options. What’s your play?
I start by crashing in, using the growth to clear away the blocking berserker (20 – 12), and then have two legitimate options: cast the (Prized Unicorn) and hope to draw a land that will allow me to cast and equip the sword next turn, or ensure an equipped sword for next turn by casting it now and forsaking the unicorn. Both plays are pretty strong, but I ultimately went with the sure sword next turn by casting it this turn. This earned a snap concession, so it was apparently a reasonable plan in that spot.
Anticipating the black-red build with (Gargoyle Sentinel) and (Howling Banshee) after sideboarding, I bring in one (Plummet) for the (Elite Vanguard), which seems particularly weak on the draw.
R2G2
Villain keeps on the play, and I check my seven:
Getting to (Greater Basilisk) mana with (Giant Growth) in hand is going to be very good against green-red, and if I trade my pegasus now, I should be able to make it to turn five with a solid life total. However, this attack means one of two things: Villain either has a trick, or is willing to trade the hauler for my pegasus. I’m not sure I want to trade my pegasus for a trick right now, and if the trade offer is legitimate, Villain might try to burn out the pegasus anyway if I decline to trade. If I can make it to my next turn before that happens, I can protect with (Giant Growth). If Villain does want to burn it out, the correct play would be to do it before I untap, in which case not blocking here just costs me an extra 2 life in exchange for Villain’s one extra mana.
I think in balance the right thing to do is just trade for the (Ember Hauler) or a trick now. I have to set off the traps at some point anyway, and despite the turn-two pegasus, I don’t exactly have a racing hand here. In the game, I decided to keep my options more open and see if I could untap with the pegasus and make a race of it, and hopefully trade my (Giant Growth) for his hauler at some point. I take 2, and Villain has a post-combat (Cultivate) for two more Forests before passing (18 – 20). It’s looking like I mis-boarded with the (Plummet).
I draw (Assault Griffin) and try to look ahead. Following through on the racing plan, I attack with the pegasus before playing a land and passing (18 – 18). I take another 2 from the hauler before Villain taps out for a (Berserkers of the Blood Ridge). Suddenly racing is not looking quite as hot. I draw (Wild Griffin) and reconsider things.
Now I can cast a creature and have (Giant Growth) mana up, so I swing in with the pegasus, play a Plains, and cast the (Wild Griffin) with a Forest up (16 – 16). I’m going to have to take a punch from the berserkers, but I should be able to draw out the hauler activation one way or another, and set up the basilisk for the berserkers next turn.
Villain drops a sixth land and sends in the berserker only. I can’t block and pump because of the hauler, so I take the 4 (12 – 16). Villain adds a second (Ember Hauler) and a (Goblin Piker), leaving two mana up for a potential double hauler activation. I draw another Forest and plan the turn. The (Greater Basilisk) is going to come down for sure, but are we making any attack here?
If I’m not going to block with the flyers, I should attack. So what happens if I don’t block? The basilisk blocks and kills the berserkers, then after taking 6 from the other guys, an (Ember Hauler) would finish off the basilisk. Then I’d be at 6 facing an (Ember Hauler), a (Goblin Piker) and whatever else Villain adds to the fray. I’d have an (Assault Griffin) and (Giant Growth) at the ready, which I’d think would finally force the other (Ember Hauler) activation, and I would effectively counter it with the (Giant Growth). I’d still have to block the piker at that point or drop to an uncomfortable life total though, so if I’m going to trade with an opposing bear eventually, I might as well do it now.
At the time, I continued to have a race mentality about it and swung with both flyers, but the big problem with that play is that between haste, pump, and burn, I can’t be certain what my life total really is against red-green. I like the safe blocking play now, but let’s see how the attack/basilisk plan works out for me (12 – 12).
Exactly as expected, as it turns out. Villain’s next turn goes unfolds as described above, with the added plus of no additional plays (6 – 12). I draw a (Plains) which puts me at wurm mana next turn. What’s the attack plan now? Are we legitimately beatdown yet?
I’ll have the wurm next turn, but the two cards in Villain’s hand are awfully suspicious. It would be reckless to risk attacking with both, but two blockers and a (Giant Growth) should be enough to see me through the next turn unless Villain is on an unlikely double (Chandra's Outrage) or something. I send in the griffin for 2, cast his big brother, and pass with two blockers back (6 – 10). The (Assault Griffin) finally draws out the (Ember Hauler) activation, and I save the big guy with the (Giant Growth).
Villain untaps and attacks with the (Goblin Piker), and I finally trade the pegasus for an opposing bear. The board is looking good for me, with 5 power in the air and an impending (Duskdale Wurm) to an empty board, but post combat, Villain fills it with a creature that says he can’t lose the game.
Suddenly, topdecking that “mis-boarded” (Plummet) seems pretty golden! Instead I draw my second (Wild Griffin), but cast the wurm, looking to hold the angel at bay with the threat of 4 power in the air until I can find the (Plummet), my one out to the angel. I pass, and to my dismay, Villain sends Platty into the red zone. What does this mean, and what’s to be done about it?
The first thing I think is that playing the wurm over the second griffin was a mistake, as the wurm doesn’t really matter until the angel is gone. A third two-power flyer gives me redundancy against a single removal spell as well as defeating (Giant Growth). Realistically, this is (Chandra's Outrage), (Lightning Bolt), (Plummet), or (Giant Growth), probably topdecked, since all four would have been used in R2G2 #4 had they been available then. Given that three of four kill me if I don’t block at all, I have to bock unless I feel that I will lose anyway if Villain has one of the three non-(Plummet)s.
I don’t think that’s the case, though. If I double-block and give up the 2:1 here, I still have (Inspired Charge) and (Plummet) to take care of the angel outright, or (Sword of Vengeance) and (Blinding Mage) to stall until I can find the (Plummet). Gambling on drawing one of those outs seems better than gambling that Villain’s trick is specifically (Plummet), and that (Chandra's Outrage) isn’t closer to the top of Villain’s dwindling library than my own (Plummet) is to the top of mine.
I put both blockers in front of the angel, drawing out (Plummet), which certainly helps explain the red-green choice over the black-green choice given my flyer-heavy deck. I topdeck like a champ, pulling the (Sword of Vengeance), which I cast along with the (Wild Griffin). I have to take 4 to set up the 4/2 first-striking flyer on the following turn (2 – 3), but I will have stabilized if it sticks.
It doesn’t stick. Villain has (Acidic Slime) for the sword, which may have been held back just for this purpose. I have to chump the angel for one final pull at the (Plummet), but I whiff, and fall to the angel on the following attack.
I add a (Naturalize) to the mix for extra angel protection, but not the second (Plummet) which would feel like too many answers for a single card. I believe I took out the (Inspired Charge) for it.
R2G3
Back on the draw, I have a keepable seven:
My turn-two (Stormfront Pegasus) after drawing a Plains is the first play of the game. Let’s see how far I can ride it. Villain responds with a turn-two (Ember Hauler) and I start having flashbacks, although this time I’m on the play, which makes a big difference. I pull a third Forest and attack with the pegasus before casting the (Awakener Druid) (20 – 18). The druid will almost certainly die to the hauler, but that’s fine, as it allows me to keep pressing with the pegasus.
Villain attacks me down to 18, then uses the hauler on the druid before I untap with potential (Giant Growth) mana (18 – 18). I take back the turn and draw (Duskdale Wurm), leaving me without a play other than to drop a land and attack for 2 (18 – 16). (Vulshock Berserker) comes down and swings (15 – 16). I untap and draw (Naturalize), which does nothing to change the obvious play of attacking and casting (Greater Basilisk) (15 – 14).
A (Giant Spider) puts a stop to the damage spree from my pegasus, but a (Blinding Mage) off the top for me threatens to start it up again. I send in the basilisk, happy to trade it for his two men, but Villain declines, taking the 3 instead (15 – 11). I cast the mage and ship the turn. Villain returns some of the pressure with (Volcanic Strength) on the (Vulshock Berserker).
I take 5 from the berserker, but between the (Naturalize) and the (Blinding Mage), I’m not overly concerned about the 5/4 in the long term (10 – 11). Villain adds a (Canyon Minotaur) before passing. I draw and play a Forest before quickly passing it back. Villain adds a Mountain to the board and moves into Beginning of Combat. What are we tapping?
Tapping anything other than the berserker telegraphs that I have a combat trick planned, unless I try to sell it as a misclick by tapping and untapping a Plains after moving into declare attackers. I’m almost to wurm mana though, so at this point I’d rather play it straight and set up for a possible 3:1 when Villain eventually gang-blocks the wurm. I tap the berserker, there’s no attack, and Villain casts (Platinum Angel) after combat. She promptly (Plummet)s into the graveyard, and I take back the turn.
I cast the (Wild Griffin) I draw and pass, and Villain casts a pre-combat (Gargoyle Sentinel) and (Goblin Piker) leaving no cards in hand. Do these new creatures change the combat plan at all?
If not for the gargoyle, I would have skipped through Beginning of Combat without a play, done the naturalize 2:1 on the presumably-attacking berserker, and then tapped the spider to get in there for 4. With the gargoyle in play as well, though, I reconsider my intentions for that (Naturalize). The tapper can clear away one flyer, but two is going to be difficult to break through. I decide to use Naturalize now on the gargoyle as I don’t know if I’ll draw land or not, and clearing away a flyer will make a big difference (even if it can’t be a flyer during my next attack).
I do pull a land, and while it leaves the mage unusable for the turn, I’m happy to drop the fatty. Villain finds a nice topdeck in (Ember Hauler) #2, casts it, and sends in the berserker. Blocks?
Obviously if I block with the wurm, I trade it for the berserker and the hauler, and that seems to be what Villain is hoping for. That’s actually acceptable; it would leave Villain on a three-turn clock with both of us out of cards, and me drawing first. The other option is to block with the basilisk. This would trade the basilisk for the berserker and probably the mage for the hauler, leaving me with two flyers and a 7/7 trample against a 2/4 reach, a 3/3, and a 2/1. If I make this play and Villain lets me untap with the mage before killing it, the game is basically over, as I can tap the spider and get in with both flyers.
Looking at it now, I like just taking the 3:1 being offered for the wurm and going for the tapper/flyer clock. The other choice has the potential to end the game more quickly, but only if Villain makes the mistake of letting me untap with the mage. In the game I block with the basilisk. It isn’t a horrible play, but the fact that Villain seemed to want the wurm trade made me less inclined to want to “walk into the trap.” In this case, though, the “trap” actually led to a better board state than my chosen play.
Fortunately for me, Villain does make the mistake of letting me untap with the mage. I draw a Plains (not pictured below, accidentally grabbed my upkeep screen). How best to take advantage of this?
If I tap down the spider and swing, Villain must block the wurm or die. The only way to kill the wurm will be to put everything on it and not use the (Ember Hauler)’s ability. This is a great example of why the loss of stacked damage was, for the long term, better for the game. Sure, it weakened some beloved cards, but it has allowed WotC to make stronger versions of those cards, like (Ember Hauler), which would have been pretty busted in Limited with stacked damage. Instead, the hauler is strong but not broken, and forces some fascinating battlefield decisions that wouldn’t have existed under stacked-damage rules.
Villain decides to invest all his resources into killing the wurm, which leaves a solitary spider to deal with two flyers and a tapper (10 – 6)
Villain draws, plays, and uses (Terramorphic Expanse) to thin the library, but fails to topdeck, and the flyers finish things in two swings. I don’t feel like I played that endgame optimally, but my options combined together in so many useful ways that it became difficult to lose.
Round-Three Scouting
My round-three opponent had five games to scout. Four of them were black-red, one was black-green. The (Acidic Slime) and (Naturalize) suggest Villain might consider it an option in the face of artifacts and enchantments.
R3G1
I win the roll and draw my seven on the play:
Once again, the shuffler shows that it is clearly broken, just heavily in my favor. (Pyroclasm) would be a blowout, but otherwise this is about as good an opening 7 as I could hope for. I open on the (Elite Vanguard), Villain plays a Mountain and passes, and I draw a Plains. I hit for 2 and drop the (Blinding Mage) (20 – 18), and F8 takes me on autopilot while Villain drops a Swamp and passes. I draw (Inspired Charge), crash for 3, and cast the (Wild Griffin) (20 – 15).
Villain has a (Quag Sickness) for the griffin, but I still have decent pressure going, which only gets better when I draw (Sword of Vengeance). What are you casting this turn?
With the two (Mind Rot)s I saw in scouting, I really want to get the sword down before I have to discard it. I swing with the two creatures and bring out the sword and pass with the (Giant Growth) threat up (20 – 12). Villain plays a fourth land and passes, I draw and drop another Forest. What’s the play this turn?
Most players are going to correctly cast the (Giant Spider) after combat here, but if you are a player looking to improve your Limited game and you chose to equip in this spot, we’ve found a leak you need to plug. It is extremely unlikely that an opponent with two Mountains, two Swapms, and six cards would pass because they actually didn’t have a play, so you should always play around removal here. If your opponent truly has no play, you are still in great shape, and the order in which you cast the spider and equip something with the sword doesn’t matter for long-term damage totals. This is most likely (Doom Blade) or (Chandra's Outrage), as if it were (Lightning Bolt) there probably would have been a way to spend the other three mana.
My attack doesn’t draw it out, but after the post-combat (Giant Spider), Villain aims (Chandra's Outrage) at the (Blinding Mage) (18 – 9) before untapping and casting (Magma Phoenix). A (Forest) off the top for me hits the battlefield, and I plan the turn.
Because a dying phoenix damages players as well as creatures, it’s not such a bad thing to swing into it. The maximum damage play is to equip the vanguard and attack with both creatures, where either block works out well for Villain. I equip and attack with the vanguard, but mistakenly holding back the (Giant Spider), thinking that Villain had a block that could take it out when combined with the phoenix’s exit clause. This was not the case, and I passed up on 2 points of damage. The phoenix blocks, and everything goes down but the spider, with Villain taking 4 along the way (15 – 5). I toss the sword to the spider and pass.
(Liliana's Specter) takes out my (Inspired Charge), and an (Elixir of Immortality) threatens to stretch out the game a little bit. I pull a Plains and keep it in hand, while the spider goes unblocked for 4 (15 – 1). With the score 15 – 1, I’m now officially giving Villain extra turns, as he’d be dead if I’d swung with the spider even if he’d blocked with the specter here (although Villain may have had an alternate play to stay alive). An (Earth Servant) twists the screws of my mistake a little tighter as I lose control of the board with Villain sitting on 1.
With a 6-toughness blocker, I now need to equip the sword to a flyer or a 4-power creature to be able to make a profitable attack, and that number goes up by 1 from here with every additional Mountain Villain plays. A (Garruk's Companion) on my draw doesn’t change the situation much, but at least it’s a non-land, so I’m happy to run it out there. I move the sword to the companion out of wishful thinking more than a real reason, and pass.
Villain (Corrupt)s the spider off an apparent topdeck, which coupled with an attack from the specter start swinging things farther away from me. I take back the turn with totals now (13 – 5), and the elixir putting Villain on a virtual 10 if I allow another untap. I draw looking for a flyer or something with 4+ power, and am rewarded by an (Awakener Druid), which can at least turn a Forest into a 4-power man. What’s your play?
If you said “Cast the (Awakener Druid), equip it with the sword, and swing with everything,” then you were thinking with less tunnel vision than I was at that moment in time. I led up to this “What would you do?” with commentary that reflected the way I was thinking about the situation during the game: I needed a creature with 4 power or a flyer to be able to attack profitably. When I saw that I had effectively drawn one in the druid, I fixated on equipping and attacking with my new fatty, as it is one of the plays I was hoping to draw into. However, the forest/treefolk doesn’t have summoning sickness, so I can actually go for the win here by handing the sword to the druid and swinging with the team.
There is some risk in attacking for the win, as (Stabbing Pain) or (Lightning Bolt) on the druid in response to an alpha strike leaves the companion charging alone to its death. I didn’t see either in scouting, but is the threat of one of those removal spells here worth risking the alpha? There haven’t been any good targets for either spell for several turns, so Villain has had several pulls at the pain or the bolt. If I want to play around the removal, I should attack with just the treefolk and lose the druid and treefolk before damage, which basically reverts things to the pre-druid board state. Having not seen either bolt or pain in scouting, though, you have to go for the win here.
As it is, I made the one indefensible play: I equipped the treefolk and swung with it and the companion: failing to go for the win, but setting myself up for the same potential bolt/pain blowout as if I had. Fortunately, no removal is forthcoming. Villain chumps the treefolk, and I hit for 3 (13 – 2), not even seeing I could have attacked for the win there until reviewing the game for this article.
This is probably my number-one source of straight-up mistakes in Magic: setting up a reasonable mental shortcut and then failing to recognize an exception. Magic boards can become extremely complex, and must be continually reassessed. We make these reassessments manageable by identifying and focusing on the critical elements, allowing us to measure the overall relevance to a change in the game state quickly. Recognizing that I needed a flyer or a four-power creature to break through was a good mental shortcut for assessing future changes to the game state, but then when I actually drew the means to a four-power creature, I had basically predetermined that “equip it and attack” was the optimal play. I suppose the lesson here is that when you draw something relevant to your mental shortcut, stop and do the longhand if you aren’t low on clock, particularly when it’s not quite in the form you were imagining: in this case a creature that turns a land into a 4-power creature instead of just a 4-power creature.
Villain adds a (Child of Night) to the opposition, leaving up (Elixir of Immortality) mana when passing to be at a virtual 7 life as I start my turn. I pull (Giant Growth) and look for a winning attack. Do we have one?
It’s fairly safe to assume Villain doesn’t have removal here, although it’s certainly a possible topdeck. I’d still have the companion and the sword even in that case, though, so the remote possibility of removal is no reason to hold back here. With 9 points of trample already on the table and a (Giant Growth) for 3 more, I have enough to overcome 2 points of toughness, 2 points of lifelink, 5 life from the elixir, and the baseline 2 life Villain has left. I swing in with the team, cast the pump spell after blockers, and earn a concession.
Despite offering Villain a few extra turns, I pulled this one out, but a nuts-and-bolts assessment of this game doesn’t care whether I won or lost, it only cares that I made two avoidable mistakes (at least).
I bring in both (Plummet)s given the multiple flyers seen in scouting, taking out the (Elite Vanguard) and (Inspired Charge), which both lose value on the draw.
R3G2
I check seven after Villain keeps:
Needs some land and the wurm feels like a quasi-mulligan, but it contains one each of my basics and the (Sword of Vengeance) so I’m going with it, especially on the draw. After a Mountain from Villain, I draw my second (Plummet) and play a Forest. Villain had a swamp but no play, which is almost as welcome a sight as the Forest I draw. I play a Plains and pass, and I get hit with a (Mind Rot). With a Forest and a Plains in play, what are you discarding here?
I’m pretty far away from that (Duskdale Wurm) and two (Plummet)s seem excessive, so I ditch the fatty and one of the flyer killers. I draw another Forest and cast the sword, as I would only run out (Awakener Druid) on three mana when I have no other play. Villain appears to have no other play either, dropping a (Terramorphic Expanse) and then passing it back. I draw a (Wild Griffin), but that doesn’t seem better than turning a Forest into a major threat. You can make a case for playing around removal, but even a worst-case scenario like (Doom Blade) isn’t so bad given my hand and board. Villain has no response to the (Awakener Druid) except to drop from 20 to 16 on the attack (20 – 16).
(Quag Sickness) does the deed at sorcery speed, though; an OK result since the Forest itself doesn’t die, and Villain did nothing on turn four and then used most of turn five on killing the druid. I draw a (Stormfront Pegasus) and plot the course.
(Prized Unicorn) is a pretty sketchy card because of how devastating instant-speed removal is if you are counting on the (Lure) effect, but this is a spot where it could shine: wielding a (Sword of Vengeance) on an otherwise-empty battlefield. When your opponent has to cast five toughness worth of creatures or nothing at all, it’s going to blank a lot of cards and require an answer. I cast the unicorn, and the threat of the sword-unicorn combo is enough to draw out a two-Swamp (Corrupt) before I can untap. When I do I draw (Garruk's Companion), which I summon alongside the pegasus for a lot of power off a little mana.
I’m planning to go to town with a vengeance, but a (Manic Vandal) has other ideas, destroying the sword while daring the companion to attack. I pull an (Assault Griffin), which makes me feel better about offering up the companion on the attack. Villain accepts the trade, taking 1 of the trample and 2 off the pegasus (20 – 15). I cast the (Assault Griffin) and ship the turn.
Villain plays (Dragonskull Summit) and taps all seven lands. With (Plummet) in hand, I’m hoping it’s the seven drop I saw in the scouting, and sure enough, (Ancient Hellkite) hits the battlefield. I untap and draw a land for the maxed-out turn: (Plummet) the dragon, cast the (Wild Griffin), and hit for 5. The clock is really ticking now as I pass it back (20 – 10). Villain casts a (Nightwing Shade), leaving one pump activation up, and passes it back. I draw (Giant Spider). What’s the correct attack?
The shade will start being able to pump to as much as 5/5 next turn, so there’s no way it will block the (Assault Griffin) this turn. The question is, do I suicide in the other two flyers, trading one of them for 2 extra damage? I might make that play if the spider plus an all-out attack next turn would then be lethal, but it’s not. I play it conservatively and attack only with the 3/2, cast the spider, and pass (20 – 7). Villain adds a (Liliana's Specter) and passes with two shade pumps up. I draw (Greater Basilisk) and have a similar attacking decision. What now?
Any single attacker I have can be eaten by a double-pumped shade, and all but the spider trade with the specter, so the two choices are really attack with nothing or attack with everything. In this case, I lean “attack with everything” because with Villain at 3, the basilisk in hand would apply must-block pressure next turn. I send everything into the red zone, where big griffin trades with the specter and the shade pumps and eats the spider. Two flyers make it through to deal 4, and I cast the basilisk before passing (20 – 3).
Unfortunately, Villain has (Deathmark) for the basilisk, but then passes back without an additional play. I draw another threat in (Wild Griffin), and again consider the suicidal attack option. Swing in or hold back?
If Villain has nothing and draws nothing, there is no difference between attacking all out and holding back, as the follow-up attack next turn is lethal either way. If Villain does have something—either removal or another creature—then attacking here puts me down a creature in my race to retake board control, although it also reduces the number of creatures that need to connect from two to one in the process. That makes the choice almost a wash, but given that, I like the conservative route that leaves me with more creatures should I fail to kill next turn. Perhaps caught up in the suicidal bent of the last attack, I swing with both in the game, dropping Villain to 1 at the cost of a (Wild Griffin), but I promptly replace it with my second one and pass. Villain draws, calls me lucky (well duh), and concedes.
Conclusions
4-Booster Sealed is an interesting format that feels like regular sealed, but with more-pronounced top- and bottom-ends in decks. Wizards may have hit on something here, because I was basically never playing 6-Booster Sealed, but will work 4-Booster Sealed into my regular rotation because of the superior payouts to Swiss Draft while retaining the “three rounds no matter what” aspect of Swiss Draft that has so much appeal. If it required four packs and two tickets, it would be borderline, but shave off those two tickets and it becomes one of the more appealing values in online Limited. Give it a try!
Bonus Pool
In part one, I asked people what they would do with this, my second 4-Booster Sealed pool:
My assessment of this pool was pretty much identical to that of Shaterri’s in the comments:
The red for the exercise pool you posted isn't deep, but Bolt + Outrage + Magma Phoenix is enough for me to want it. Blue seems like the natural pairing here, although Packleader is tempting, because Air Servant and Sleep should both just win games on their own. The R/U build would probably be: Augury Owl, Cloud Elemental, Aether Adept, Wall of Frost, 2x Spitfire, Gargoyle Sentinel, Canyon Minotaur, Air Servant, Berserkers, Phoenix, Cancrix (frown), Lighting Bolt, Mana Leak, Sleep, Chandra's Outrage, Lava Axe. Loads of flyers, a pretty good swath of guys to hold the ground, and the potential to go to the head makes this look pretty good, and 2xNegate in the board should help with some of the bombs in the format. The R/G build is something like 2xSpitfire, Gargoyle, Minotaur, 2xGiant Spider, Berserkers, Phoenix, Packleader, Basilisk, Spined Wurm, Bolt, Giant Growth, Naturalize, Outrage, Lava Axe, and while I like the high end here with Packleader, I'm always leery of Big Dumb Guy strategies, especially when most of the guys don't start until about 4. I think I'd go R/U straight up.
Another key point about this pool and this format was made by Windcoarse, who said after posting a potential build:
I'd also be open to changing the decklist during sideboard. Green's double giant spider and naturalize could be very strong against the right deck.
More so than traditional Sealed, 4-Booster Sealed seems prone to an interesting sideboard metagame. You are frequently going to have many legitimate builds, and some will have pronounced strengths and weaknesses against different strategies. The meh green in a pool that happens to have 2x (Giant Spider) and 2x (Plummet) is going to look must-play against an aggressive blue-white skies deck, for example.
Once you decide on a color pairing in this format, the deck basically builds itself because of the restricted options. Given that, save out builds from multiple color combinations and have them at the ready. Those who are paying close attention to the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents’ decks in game one and have alternate builds either at the ready or at least in mind are going to give themselves a better chance to win games two and three.
I kept three-color versions in mind, but saved out these three decks with this pool, submitting the blue-red version.
I did bring in both alternate builds at some point, although I tweaked green-blue to fight fire with fire against a mill deck by adding (Elixir of Immortality), (Traumatize), and (Tome Scour) for some of the junkier cards in the build (I beat him with damage a couple turns before I would have milled him out). I won the first two rounds, then lost a heartbreaking R3G3 to finish 2-1.
Thanks for reading, may all your boosters contain bombs!
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