Drafting Rares for Fun and Profit

Hello Everyone!

I have not been able to play nearly as much magic as I would have liked this semester. I haven't been able to write as much for this reason, and when I do, it's about MTG politics as opposed to discussing the actual cards. There isn't much for playing on the floor since everyone is so busy in work, so my only outlet is really just FNM drafts at the local shop. This week I was finally able to get myself out to Larry's for some Gatecrash action! However.... they were out of Gatecrash, so we drafted Return to Ravnica instead!

I brought along a friend who had never drafted before to observe my drafting and playing so that next week she would be more comfortable doing so on her own. Here's the deck she watched me assemble:

Deathrite Shaman
Gatecreeper Vine
Azorious Arrester
Sewer Shambler
Axebane Guardian
Loxodon Smiter
2x Selesnya Sentry
Stonefare Crocodile
Korozda Moniter
Sluiceway Spider
Towering Indrik
Corpsejack Menace
Rubbleback Rhino
Zanikev Locust
Necropolis Regent

Swift Justice
Ethereal Armor
Common Bond
Avenging Arrow
Chorus of Might
Trostani's Judgement
Slime Molding

Rogue's Passage
Grove of the Guardian
Temple Guardian
Selesnya Guildgate
Overgrown Tomb
Golgari Guildgate
4x Plains
4x Forest
3x Swamp

This was a pool draft, so you keep what you open, and then at the end there are scalding prizes. So let me draw your attention to this: 7 Rares! (Deathrite Shaman, Loxodon Smiter, Corpsjack Menace, Necropolis Regent, Grove of the Guardian, Temple Guardian, Overgrown Tomb). So I had already won the draft before round one even started!

I put myself in a very interesting position for that draft. I was trying to explain my picks to my friend behind me without giving up any information to the other drafters at the table. So I would constantly gesture to cards and say "I like this" and "I don't like this" but I found it difficult to explain why. Sometimes it was "I really want this, but this is slightly better" and "I'm glad we didn't pick this because it tabled" but besides that I found it really hard to make it a teachable moment for her.

This trickiness continued into the games themselves as I usually block out the entire world when I play. Usually I am completely unaware of my surroundings as I funny invest myself in the game at hand. This didn't do well for teaching. I tried doing things like holding my hand open more so she could view my hand, and I was glad when she would tell me how her line of thinking was the exact same a mine, but regardless I did my best.

I wound up 4-0ing the draft (we had 2 pools of 8 that became a 16-man swiss FNM, which I didn't agree with) dropping only one game in round one. I felt that my deck didn't have any sort of synergy - the most "combo" thing I pulled off was casting Common Bond with a Corpsejack Menace in play - and I didn't adhere to any guild mechanics all too closely. In a way I think this is a great generic deck because it really is just a pile of good cards. When you have enough good cards together, things go over much better for you!

For winning, I won a Gameday Champion playmat for Gatecrash, the full art Firemane Avenger, and 8 packs of RTR. To say the least, I netted A LOT. For the low low cost of $10 and 4 hours of my afternoon I received:

$40 in rares, including 2 shocks and a Deathrite
8 packs of Return to Ravnica (8 * $3 = $24)
Full art foil Firemane Avenger (Ebay: ~$15)
Gameday Champion Playmat (Ebay: ~$50)

Net: +119

Wow! I shocked even myself when I came out with that number! Disregarding any financial implications, I had a ton of fun finally getting back to drafting and hanging out with friends, while making new ones. I look forward to my next draft, when my friend will also take her turn in the hot seat.

That's all I have for today! Until next time, stay classy!

Ryan Lackie
Ryan.Lackie92@gmail.com
@ThingsILack