Kai Draft #24 (SOM 8-4)

Scars of Mirrodin is now available for drafting online. Let's go!

Pack 1, Pick 1:



My Pick:


P1p1 we have the option of Stinger, Nim, Mamba, Trinket Mage, or Rusted Relic. Of these Stinger is the strongest poison card as it has flying, which is very rare in the format, and Relic is the strongest metalcraft card. Trinket Mage is an all-around value card but blue is very weak in the format as it has no way to remove artifacts efficiently. I prefer poison to metalcraft whenever possible as random metalcraft guys will be picked up by other drafters but infect will not.
Pack 1, Pick 2:

My Pick:


Shatter is almost on the same level as Clasp, but Clasp is insane with the infect strategy as it can proliferate both poison counters and -1/-1 counters.
Pack 1, Pick 3:

My Pick:


Best common poison creature. 2/3 is very hard to block early game.
Pack 1, Pick 4:

My Pick:


No infect cards, Wurm is good at getting Cystbearer and Tel-Jilad Fallen through. Fallen being particular brutal in combination as Intimidate + Pro-artifacts means if your opponent is not playing green, they are going to die.
Pack 1, Pick 5:

My Pick:


5th pick reins is a huge signal. Additionally we are not interested in any other cards in this pack for the poison strategy, so it is a reasonable hatedraft as well as a jumping point in case we need to abandon infect.
Pack 1, Pick 6:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 7:

My Pick:


Vector Asp is the weakest infect creature as he costs mana to activate, and the infect deck thrives on mana efficiency. Infection cantrips off myrs and opposing infect creatures.
Pack 1, Pick 8:

My Pick:


Tel-Jilad Fallen is an elf with infect. And Ezuri is fine by himself as he can just be a 5/5 trample lategame.
Pack 1, Pick 9:

My Pick:

Pack 1, Pick 10:

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Pack 1, Pick 11:

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Pack 1, Pick 12:

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Pack 1, Pick 13:

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Pack 1, Pick 14:

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Pack 1, Pick 15:

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Pack 2, Pick 1:

My Pick:


Here we have to decide whether we are all in on poison or whether we are abandoning the plan. Grasp is almost on par with Untamed Might in the deck, though Might is still better as anytime it resolves successfully your opponent dies. However Grasp is going to valuable if we end up switching, so it is the pick here.
Pack 2, Pick 2:

My Pick:


Cystbearer is extremely good, but Clasp is still better.
Pack 2, Pick 3:

My Pick:

Step 1.
Pack 2, Pick 4:

My Pick:


Again, Asp is pretty bad, and bird just acts as another poison guy in the deck if we want to splash.
Pack 2, Pick 5:

My Pick:


Fume Spitter is good for killing mana myr and infect creatures, but Silver Myr allows easier splash for the Thrummingbird.
Pack 2, Pick 6:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 7:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 8:

My Pick:


Curve is important, making Mamba stronger than Call.
Pack 2, Pick 9:

My Pick:


Yes!
Pack 2, Pick 10:

My Pick:

Pack 2, Pick 11:

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Pack 2, Pick 12:

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Pack 2, Pick 14:

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Pack 2, Pick 15:

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Pack 3, Pick 1:

My Pick:


Step 2.
Pack 3, Pick 2:

My Pick:


It was foil too.
Pack 3, Pick 3:

My Pick:


Step 3.
Pack 3, Pick 4:

My Pick:


Fast clocks with Stinger. Nonbo with Fallen, but that's acceptable.
Pack 3, Pick 5:

My Pick:


Also foil.
Pack 3, Pick 6:

My Pick:


Kills every creature I have.
Pack 3, Pick 7:

My Pick:

Pack 3, Pick 8:

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Pack 3, Pick 9:

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Pack 3, Pick 10:

My Pick:


This card is green. Green creatures can block Fallen + Tanglewurm. This is not acceptable. Riddlesmith is a much better card.
Pack 3, Pick 11:

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Pack 3, Pick 15:

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Deck:

I was very happy with this deck. And not because of shiny Skittles.

Round 1: TheKunkler with G/B infect

Game 1: I have Ichorclaw Myr trading with Blight Mamba. I don't draw my second Forest so I can't cast Ezuri. My creatures pale in comparison to his Corpse Cur equipped with Strata Scythe. Keep in mind we are the same colors, and thus there are many Swamps in play. 8/8 Cur with Asceticism ends me shortly.

Sideboard: I wanted to board in the blue cards, but there weren't enough to make a coherent deck. So I went with -1 Asp -1 Mamba +1 Molder Beast +1 Carapace Forger since the 1/1 infect guys are terrible in the mirror and I am likely to win on actual damage through bigger guys.

Game 2: I get down Contagion Clasp to kill his Leaden Myr as I am on the draw. Since infect creatures usually cancel each other out having the last card is strong. My opponent has team Molder Beast and Blight Mamba,  which is pretty bad if you think about it. I kill his Beast equipped with Barbed Battlegear, Contagion Clasp the Mamba, and hit him for 3 poison and 5 damage from Trigon of Rage on Ezuri. He concedes as he is very dead.

Sideboard: +1 Mamba -1 Molder Beast
I realized Beast was just awful and was unlikely to kill on its own, which is what it needed to do since almost everyone else had infect.

Game 3: We have a poison race with my Fallen versus his Cystbearer with Accorder's Shield. I have the Grasp, and he respects it, so he just never blocks. I play my own Cystbearer, then Tangle Angler, which lures his team and my guys kill him.

Round 2: Fourth_Phoenix with U/B

Game 1: My opponent casts Vedalken Certarch, Bladed Pinions, and a Tumble Magnet which suits up Moriok Replica. He oddly never activates Tumble Magnet and dies on turn 6 to poison counters.

Sideboard: nothing

Game 2: This game goes super long as he has active Certarch and 2 Tumble Magnets. I put him to low life early in the game with a Tanglewurm that went unblocked then got Trigon of Rage'd. He has a minimal clock of a random guy with Pinion on it, but he eventually runs out of Magnet counters and I Instill Infection his Certarch. He dies very quickly to Ezuri and Tanglewurm evading past his black creatures.

Round 3:

Game 1: I curve Plague Stinger on 2, Vector Asp + Ichoclaw Myr on 3. He exiles my Myr with Revoke Existence and taps my Asp with Rust Tick. I have Turn 4 and 5 Tel-Jilad Fallen and he dies on turn 6.

Game 2:

Lessons Taught.