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So GP Melbourne has come and gone with many players still celebrating their victory and others seriously questioning why they still play the game. After hours of quiet contemplation (i.e. down the pub) I decided to continue playing magic for the good of the game and for the fact I have nothing better to do with my spare time (only joking - there is Medieval Total War).

In my last article I looked at the 10 draft archetypes in Onslaught with an emphasis on the key common cards for each deck. This time I will be discussing some of the trickier uncommons and rares with the focus on tribal themes. I will touch on some of the power cards in the set too, but I'm sure most of you are aware by now that Kamahl and Starstorm are no brainers that don't require much thought to draft.

Here is an assortment of uncommons/rares that I have drafted recently and my thoughts on them.

White

Astral Slide - Mike Turian considers this a first pick but I have to disagree. It is a good tempo card if your deck has a lot of cyclers but not first pick material. A good foil for creature enchantments and handy for bringing expensive morphs into play, Astral Slide is suited to a beatdown style - R/W or U/W.

Aven Brigadier - I don't think there is a single better card that demonstrates the raw power of tribes than Aven Brigadier. The main problem with this guy is that he is suited to U/W, which not a favourable combo, especially if you open him in your first booster. Still, don't despair as he is still good in R/W and B/W, but make sure you grab as many Gustcloak Harriers, Dive Bombers and Screeching Buzzards as possible.

Convalescent Care - Is this card any good? Try playing with it and you will realize this is one of the underrated gems in Onslaught. You can mana burn yourself for a couple of points in your opponent's end step to trigger it in your upkeep, which over a few turns should give you enough card advantage to swing the game in your favour. B/W seems the best candidate for this sort of card as it works well with life swingers/preventers such as Cabal Archon and Daru Healer.

Harsh Mercy - I have seen this card passed around the table so many times now I have lost count. Harsh Mercy punishes those who stray from their tribal creatures too much and will wipe the board clean of any unmorphed creatures making it an ideal card for a B/W cleric deck. The majority of creatures in this deck are clerics with the odd zombie and/or soldier, so if you are B/W then take this early.

Shared Triumph - Is this a no-brainer pick? I think it probably is, but I wanted to say this works well in any build that has a lot of tribal creatures. Whether you are playing goblins/soldier, clerics/zombies or bird/soldiers, Shared Triumph is a powerful enchantment that will ensure you win the damage race, unless your opponent is playing the same creatures as you...

Black

Aphetto Vultures - I have rarely seen these used in any draft deck (I have only played them once) but they are not too bad, especially if your deck lacks flyers. The vultures can handle all of the common fliers and can recurse themselves to boot! Still, they are quite expensive and are a late draft pick, but if you are drafting B/G then you may want to play them, as evasion can be scarce sometimes.

Cabal Archon - This guy is a powerhouse in the B/W cleric deck and probably the strongest card for the archetype. When do you draft him? You never really want to open this guy in the first pack but if he is passed to you around 4th or so, chances are the other players aren't drafting clerics.

Entrails Feaster - This cat can soon get out of control as the creatures build up in the graveyard and works wonders in a removal heavy B/R deck as it can't be Cruel Revivaled either! I have seen the feaster come around quite late in drafts and it should definitely be given a little more credit.

Frightshroud Courier - I think this is the only playable courier in the set as the others are all too weak. How does a 4th turn 5/5 feared Wretched Anurid sound? Pretty damn good I reckon. Like the avatars, the couriers require players to go tribal, so the Frightshroud Courier is suited to a B/G (zombie/beast) or a B/R (zombie/goblin) build.

Shade's Breath - The Shade's Breath is possibly one of the toughest picks for the black player as it can be a very situational card. For example, it can be used as a finisher in an alpha strike, defensively against Dirge of Dread (so you can block with your nonblack creatures) and/or a mass removal spell (Slice and Dice for example) or (and this is the tricky part) with tribal effects. How good is Shade's Breath with Crown of Fury/Suspicion? Harsh Mercy? Tribal Unity? As you can see there is much more to this card than meets the eye but at the end of the day I think it is ideally suited to a B/G deck that plays a lot of fat.

Green

Broodhatch Nantuko - At first glance the Broodhatch looks quite average but it is in fact a very useful card. Defensive in nature the hatch can be played on the second turn to help stem the early beats or played as a morph to block a bigger creature later on. It works well with mass removal spells like Slice and Dice and/or Starstorm and can often provide just the right amount of chump so you can finish your opponent off with bigger creatures. This looks like a R/G card to me but would work well in B/G also.

Chain of Acid - The sheer amount of cards out there this can target makes it worthy of a maindeck slot in my book. Enchantments like Centaur Glade, Pacifism and Lavamancer's Skill have a habit of cropping up on a regular basis and it also deals with those pain in the neck artifacts/lands that occasionally surface. Still, Chain of Acid has a slightly higher draft value than Naturalize so don't go picking it early. Every green deck should have at least some way of getting rid of enchantments/artifacts and this is the best card for the job.

Mythic Proportions - This is another card that I have seen lap the table on more than one occasion and I just don't get it. I know it is expensive but it is a green card, which means you should be able to play it out before the seventh turn. Surely +8/+8 and trample is still good nowadays, how about on a flyer? There is hardly any bounce in this format so the only ways of getting rid of it are creature removal (i.e. Cruel Revival) and/or enchantment destruction. There is nothing tribal about this and works better in a deck with evasive creatures, i.e. B/G and/or U/G.

Serpentine Basilisk - This may seem like a no-brainer pick but I have to say I value the basilisk dearly. In fact I would go as far to say it is a higher draft pick than Krosan Tusker and Snarling Undorak. It is especially useful if you have little or no removal and should always net you a creature if played face down. I think it is ideally suited to a B/G or R/G deck that has a lot of morph creatures forcing your opponent to consider blocking very carefully. Shame it's not a beast though.

Weird Harvest - The Harvest sums up green pretty well don't you think? Especially when you have creatures like Rorix and/or Silvos in your deck waiting to pummel your opponent into oblivion. Seriously, Weird Harvest is similar to Riptide Shapeshifter as you need broken creatures to play it and is even better in Rochester draft where you can see what sorts of creatures your opponent has.

Red

Aggravated Assault - Quick question: When is an extra attack phase ever bad? Answer: Never, making Aggravated Assault a damn fine card in my opinion. I have had this played against me several times now and respect it a lot. Sure it is a little expensive to activate and you won't be playing it out early but this card will win you games, period. It works well in any deck but is best suited to a fat R/G build with mana rampers and it is also good with activated creature like Sparksmith and Wellwisher as they can be used twice in the same turn. A very good card that should be picked first.

Custody Battle - I've read a lot of reviews on the net about this card and opinions are mixed. The main problem with Custody Battle is that you don't get the creature straight away and even then your opponent can sacrifice a land to retain control of it before smashing you in the face. The loss in tempo (and card advantage) could well swing the game in your opponent's favour making it completely useless, or is it?
Custody Battle is a handy sideboard card if your opponent has expensive bombs, as you will be able to steal a good creature in the mid game forcing your opponent to sacrifice their land (thus reducing the chances of them casting their Rorix, Visara, etc) or get bashed with their own creature. Sure you still have to lose a land yourself but you may be able to deal enough damage to them before they can dominate the board with their bombs.

Embermage Goblin - This is a no brainer pick but still worthy of a mention. Some players in Sydney value Skirk Commando over this but I'm sorry guys there are only 2 other better goblins than this (can you guess them?). The thing to remember about the Embermage is the fact he is a goblin wizard, and has some good synergy in U/R with cards such as Lavamancer's Skill (not the best of combos), Aphetto Grifter and Information Dealer, making him quite useful in that archetype.

Goblin Machinist - If you haven't played with the Machinist before I urge you to do so as he is a little powerhouse in the right deck. Besides the fact he can deal out ludicrous amounts of damage if unblocked, he is also a great blocker himself, handling most of the ground-based creatures in the set with ease. U/R or R/G are the best archetypes for this goblin as blue has plenty of library manipulation (Sage Aven, Information Dealer, Rummaging Wizard, etc) and green has pure fat. Watch out for this guy.

Thoughtbound Primoc - OK a 2/3 flyer for 3 mana is a good deal even with a slight drawback, but it is the dual creature type that is the added bonus. The fact it counts as a beast and a bird is important to remember, making it viable in most of the R/X archetypes. It works best in U/R for obvious reasons but you will need to watch out for rogue wizards in other colours such as Bloodline Shaman, Embermage Goblin and Shieldmage Elder so you don't get caught off guard (or draft them yourself of course!).

Blue

Aphetto Grifter - This guy always seems to end up in the sideboard of most draft decks but I really don't think players have been giving him a chance. A 1/1 for 3 mana with a situational ability is not exactly beatdown material but I have found the grifter has it's uses nonetheless. He is only suited to decks that have a solid curve of wizards and/or mistforms (i.e. Imagecrafters, Information Dealers, Mistform Walls) so when you drop him you can use his ability straight away. Remember the grifter can also target lands and the more wizards you have in play, the more permanents you get to tap! Good in U/R and U/B.

Blatant Thievery - Another card that a lot of players are undecided on, Blatant Thievery can sometimes turn your opponent's bombs against him. 7 mana is a lot to pay for this and if you plan on stealing a creature you better hope there isn't a Nantuko Husk in play. Still I have seen this card go around late in drafts and is worthy of a much higher draft pick, as it works well in any draft archetype (especially if you have no removal!).

Callous Oppressor - Yes I know this guy is good but he is doubly good if you have an Imagecrafter or two. With an Imagecrafter in play, any creature is fair game for the oppressor as it only checks creature type on resolution (same as the couriers) and for pure annoyance change your target into a goblin and sacrifice it to a sledder!

Future Sight - I think this has to be Scott Hunstad's favourite card at the moment and I don't blame him because it is very good. When this hits the table your opponent had better be winning because there is going to be some serious card advantage going down. Just remember that you can't play cycle cards (i.e. use their cycling ability) from the top of your library as they cannot be discarded. A solid rare that works well in any of the archetypes, Future Sight is worthy of a first pick.

Peer Pressure - The blue rares just keep on coming. If you ever needed a card that can deal with cards like Visara, Jareth and the like then Peer Pressure is it. It works best with multiple mistform creatures (how about Mistform Mutant eh?) and Imagecrafters as you gain control of all creatures of that type making it pure card advantage in my book - unless you come up against another blue player. But hey that won't happen because you will be the only one drafting blue on the table J

So there you have it, a selection of some the cards I have found interesting over the last couple of months with a couple of no-brainers just to make sure you were paying attention. Tribal decks can be good in Onslaught if you stick to the theme but strong decks with solid cards can be just as good, or in some cases better. Good luck with your drafting.

Until next time

Dan

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