Kai Draft #14 (8-4)

Time to get back to the grind. ROE 8-4's ahoy!




Pack 1, Pick 1:

My Pick:


Magmaw is more powerful than Mammoth Umbra p1p1 because it is good on its own as a solid body, combos incredibly well with spawn tokens and Traitorous Instinct and Conquering Manticore, and can lessen the impact of cards like Narcolepsy or Lust for War.
Pack 1, Pick 2:

My Pick:


Shout to Max Williams, king of Tuk Tuks. Induce Despair is just much better.
Pack 1, Pick 3:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 4:

My Pick:


Apprentice Eldrazi is fine here, as I am not Ari Lax I only take Raid on the wheel or if I have 5+ token producers already.
Pack 1, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 6:

My Pick:


That would be called a signal.
Pack 1, Pick 7:

My Pick:


Yup, strong signal.
Pack 1, Pick 8:

My Pick:


Coming in loud and clear.
Pack 1, Pick 9:

My Pick:


I like this card over Leaf Arrow because it is still pack one and I can always get Arrows later. It solves Dawnglare Invoker just the same while also being strong at getting green fatties through on the ground or being a blowout in the spawn mirror.
Pack 1, Pick 10:

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Pack 1, Pick 11:

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Pack 1, Pick 12:

My Pick:


Happy now Ari?
Pack 1, Pick 13:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 14:

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Pack 1, Pick 15:

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Pack 2, Pick 1:

My Pick:


I briefly considered taking the Consume the Meek. The card is extremely powerful. Entire archetypes like U/W or U/B levelers fall to it, and it cleans up red beaters efficiently. However we have only one good black card and a very strong signal to go into G/R so I take the card that combos with Magmaw.
Pack 2, Pick 2:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 3:

My Pick:


Thanks for playing.
Pack 2, Pick 4:

My Pick:


My curve was very lacking in early plays at this point. But the Predator would synergize much better with the final deck and anything from Nest Invader to Forked Bolt would be a fine replacement for Battlements if I pick them up later.
Pack 2, Pick 5:

My Pick:


Here I really don't need another fatty, so I go for the strong early play that has synergy with the multiple Snake Umbras that could possibly wheel.
Pack 2, Pick 6:

My Pick:


Guess we didn't need the wheel after all.
Pack 2, Pick 7:

My Pick:


Have multiple 3 drops, and still only Spawning Breath on 2. So Invader over Spasm is the clear pick.
Pack 2, Pick 8:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 9:

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Pack 2, Pick 10:

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Pack 2, Pick 11:

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Pack 2, Pick 12:

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Pack 2, Pick 13:

My Pick:


I love the wheel.
Pack 2, Pick 14:

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Pack 2, Pick 15:

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Pack 3, Pick 1:

My Pick:


And it's foil too!
Pack 3, Pick 2:

My Pick:


Channelers is sometimes very bad if it just reveals nonland, noncreatures in a row. But when it is "powered up" it is absolutely absurd. Predator is the safe pick, but I'm not on Team Wild for nothing.
Pack 3, Pick 3:

My Pick:


Temple isn't worth it just for Kozilek while the Wilds will allow the splash of Induce Despair.
Pack 3, Pick 4:

My Pick:


So, this pod hates green.
Pack 3, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Pack 3, Pick 6:

My Pick:


I don't need it as a finisher, but I would have trouble beating one.
Pack 3, Pick 7:

My Pick:


I waivered between the blade, Vampire, and Beetle. Ultimately I decided the Blade would blank my Gnarlids and make Invoker attacks much less effective so it was the best hatedraft.
Pack 3, Pick 8:

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Pack 3, Pick 9:

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Pack 3, Pick 10:

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Pack 3, Pick 11:

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Pack 3, Pick 15:

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The deck:

I left the third Umbra in the board as I didn't have that many early creatures. Crusher is on the bench because I already have insane finishers. I should've played Battle Rampart over Traitorous Instinct main as it is better with any of my fatties while Instinct relies on your opponents to have good creatures. Runed Servitor shores up the early game and I will most likely have more gamebreakers than my opponent so the symmetric draw isn't really symmetric.

Round 1:

G1: I keep a hand of Wildheart Invoker, Magmaw, 4 Forest, and Mountain on the draw. It was pretty lax but I trusted in a little action from my deck. My opponent starts with Null Champion, but plays around Spawning Breath on 3 by casting Sea Gate Oracle instead of leveling. On turn 4 he again has the fear and only levels postcombat. Way to get in your one bro. Of course I have nothing and should've just been at 12 by now. Instead my Invoker trades with his Champion, and Broodwarden brickwalls for a turn before being put to sleep by Narcolepsy. I follow up with Aura Gnarlid which is conveniently a 3/3. He plays some guys and puts my Gnarlid to sleep as well. I Disaster Radius his entire team and he is hellbent. The Sea Gate Oracle he topdecks isn't enough to beat the Magmaw I revealed and he concedes to Snake Umbra.

SB: - Traitorous Instinct +Battle Rampart

G2: He has Zulaport Enforcer into Nirkana Cutthroat into Venenerated Teacher while I play Nest Invader into Predator. He max levels Enforcer and I eat some damage. I manage to rip the 5 cmc creature so I can Disaster his whole team, but his followup 2/3 flier with me at 1 life goes unanswered for the win.

G3: His attacks are slower this time as he has no Enforcer. His only pressure is a fully Leveled Null Champion late in the game, which I am fine blocking with the Runed Servitor. I cast Kozilek off 7 lands, Channerlers, and a Spawn and my opponent concedes.

Round 2: U/W auras
G1: I play Runed Servitor, Aura Gnarlid, Wildheart Invoker, and Muld-Daya Channerlers. He's U/W so he has no answer to active Invoker and just concedes on the spot.

G2: I curve Nest Invader into Kozilek's Predator but hold off on the turn 4 Rapacious One to play around the counterspell. I play Runed Servitor then Wildheart Invoker the turn after that. My opponent has just a Kor Line-Slinger and Training Grounds for defense. The Invoker and Rapacious One that I play eventually is more than enough to bash through his Drake Umbra and Ikiral Outrider. Didn't need to play this Kozilek in my hand.

Round 3: G/B ramp

From replays I know he has a Boar and Bear Umbras, Induce Despair, Corpsehatch, and Pestilence Demon as relevant threats and removal.

G1: He has turn 2 Overgrown Battlements turn 3 Nest Invader. I have Aura Gnarlid into Snake Umbra on the play daring him to have the Induce Despair. Rather than just killing my Gnarlid he instead waits till the next turn so he can preserve one spawn token. I play Predator and Invoker plus another Gnarlid while all he does is play another Battlements and Bloodrite Invoker after suiciding his Invader into my Predator for no reason. It is all for naught as I fail to topdeck the land I need for my Kozilek and his Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre gets there.

SB: - 2 Aura Gnarlid - Snake Umbra + Wrap in Flames - Runed Servitor + Battle Rampart +Daggerback Basilisk + Ulamog's Crusher

Basilisk blocks his umbra'd up guys very nicely, Wrap deals with Spawn, and Rampart gives hast to my Eldrazi so I can annihilate first.

G2: I keep Wildheart, Rapacious, Disaster Radius, and 4 Forests on the play. By turn 3 I've drawn a Growth Spasm and a Mountain. He plays Bear Umbra on his Ondu Giant to bash through my Wildheart, then plays Battlements postcombat. The Disaster Radius 3 for 1's him and I follow up with Predator + Wrap in flames killing 3 spawn tokens from Essence Feed. His follow up of Cadaver Imp for Battlements and Beastbreaker of Bala-Ged just gets munched by my Invoker backed attacks until he dies.

G3: He mulls to 6 on the play and still has the insane start of Nest Invader x2, Bear Umbra, and Boar Umbra by turn 4. My reply was Channlers, into Basilisk and Treespeaker since the Channelers kept missing. I level and play Predator to get some blockers once I'd taken out his Boar Umbra with my Basilisk. I reveal a land finally and use Induce Despair revealing Pelakka Wurm to kill his umbrad Invader and cast Wrap in Flames on his spawn tokens so as to prevent a Pestilence Demon. I play Pelakka Wurm and begin bashing, but the beats are ended by Induce Despair from him. This leaves my Invoker free to get in for 9, then forces him to block with all his guys which lets me trade with Pestilence Demon. I play a Battle Rampart postcombat. At this point we are at a stalemate and a topdeck war ensues. I draw Growth Spasm. He topdecks Dread Drone.

Mine was a little better.

Lessons taught.