Kyle M11 Sealed Release Event #1

With the release of M11 on Mtgo and my newly rekindled desire to game after the GP I couldn't wait to do battle.  Here is the pool from the first M11 (click for a bigger image):

The first thing I do when building a sealed deck is look at the rares.  Not only is this because I am greedy and want to see how much money I opened, but you can often times build your deck around the bomb rares that you have.  In this case I have Baneslayer Angel (ding), Angelic Arbiter, baby Jace (ding) and Obstinate Baloth (ding).   My deck wants to have some number of those in it, probably at least Baneslayer and Angelic Arbiter as they are both pretty insane creatures.  In this case, I also have some other decent white cards (pacifism, condemn, wild griffin (he is on a team), and Stormfront Pegasus).  There are also a few other filler cards that I am ok playing.  White is almost certainly one of my colors.

Between Jace and Baloth I would prefer playing the Baloth.  Looking at green, there isn’t much else there.  A couple of bears, a couple of mediocre fattys.  All in all, pretty subpar for the rest of the color.
Blue on the other hand has more bombs.  Aside from jace, it has water elemental and Air servant.  It also has a lot of search in 2 Preordains and 2 Augury Owl, who is much better then Sage Owl of yesteryear.  2 Cancels and Mana Leak are also very good in the format.

I am pretty set on UW at this point, but I will take a look at the other colors to make sure.  Black has basically nothing.  Red on the other hand has two bolts … and then nothing.  That seems like a reasonable splash with the 3 blue filters and a Terramorphic Expanse.  The only artifact that makes the cut is Crystal Ball, which should make the cut in almost every deck.

Making a couple cuts in Excommunicate, Augury Owl #2 and Diminish and we have our 23.

Round 1:  I get pair against a semi-aggressive RB deck.  I start with Augury Owl to find a Baneslayer, Palace Guard, Azure Drake, Baneslayer.  He doesn’t kill the angel and dies soon after.
I don’t really have a sideboard in my deck as we didn’t really have much.  A quick look confirms this and we submit the same 40.

Game 2 the same thing happens.  We have some search in the early game, Palace Guard to hold the ground, then Baneslayer.  This time he untaps and Deathmarks it.  I untap and play Angelic Arbiter.  It gets one shot in, then gets Assassinated.  My Water Servant gets bolted and pinged, my Air Servant gets discarded to the black Specter.  We ended up bashing back and forth for 2.  Eventually he Sign in Blooded me out.

Game 3 was a repeat of game 1.  I played Baneslayer on 5.  He didn’t kill it.

Round 2:
Game 1 I played baneslayer early.  He died.  This guy is good.  I should try to open him more often.
I consider boarding in the Excomunicate since he is blue and might have Mind Control, but I didn’t see it in the replays, so I decide against it.

Game 2 he nut curves me.  He played Infantry Veteran into blinding mage into scroll theif.  He draws a bunch and mind controls my guy. Justice.

Game 3: I have all reactive spells and a Wild Griffin.  I counter his relevant spells, Bolt a couple of dudes, Pacify his Harbor Serpent.  He ends up casting Aether Adept to bounce my Griffin instead of his Harbor Serpent.  Lucky this does nothing and not something.  He ends up dying a slow and miserable death.

Round 3 G1 I get blown out.  I keep a land light hand and never get there.  He also just runs Crudge Troll out there on 4, but I don’t have the red mana in hand for the bolt.  I get baneslayer in play on a turn that I would stabilize, but he has the pacifism.  He also doesn’t use garruk one turn.  Nice opponent I got here.
I saw multiple good artifacts, so I board in the Manic Vandel for something, but I don’t remember what I took out.

G2 is the standard grind.  I play spells, dig though my deck and eventually kill him at my own pace.  One thing of note,  he played Gaea’s Revenge.  It didn’t do much, but good to know.

G3 I play jace on t3 when all he has is Sylvan Ranger.  Jace never dies and I end up easily winning though the card advantage.  At some point I play baneslayer, he tried to kill it, I counter and he concedes.
Round4 my opponent is playing a Bwr deck splashing for Wrath of God and some red card that I never saw in replays or in my games, but I assume it was something like Bolt.

G1: I counter his early discard spells.  Eventually I Air Servant and start bashing.  He gets me hellbent, but I draw Baneslayer.  I consider playing it here, but I figure I should play around wrath.  He played Specter and makes me discard it, awk.  But lucky he can never kill the Air Servant and it goes the whole way.

G2 I keep a poor hand.  I didn’t have blue, but I had Jace, Reiterate, sorcerer’s snuffbox and Owl.  If I get one blue I should get another and be fine.  He has an agro draw though and I never draw blue.  I die quick.

G3 is a classic example of I have everything and you have nothing.  I play a jace on 3 and it never dies.  I end the game like this:

So what did we learn?  Baneslayer is good.  That is all.