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24-07-2001
Theory Behind Magic: The Colors In My Eyes
I was a bit out of ideas for writing this month's article because my brain has decided to take a break after I drowned it in alcohol to celebrate the end of my finals. Thankfully, the article idea came to me during a booster draft on a Thursday night in Games Paradise.
Normally, we treat these booster drafts pretty casually even though they are DCI sanctioned. We know each other pretty well, and most of the time the prize (which is the first 2 picks for the rares in the pod) isn't something to fret about. However, Ben West managed to rip open a foil Spirit Monger that night, which meant that the person who came first would get it. You would think that he opened a hot blond holding a 6 pack in each hand with all the excitement that was going on in our pod.
This is the deck I ended up with after the draft: 1cc 2 x Ana Disciple 2cc 2 x Llanowar Dead 2 x Yavimaya Barbarian 1 x Terminate 1 x Thornscape Familiar 3cc 2 x Morgue Toad 2 x Lava Zombie 2 x Darigaz's Charm 1 x Kavu Scout 1 x Raging Kavu 4cc 1 x Smouldering Tar 1 x Volcanic Imp 1 x Spark Caster 1 x Mire Kavu 5cc 1 x Stone Kavu 2 x Dusk Walker Lands 6 Swamps 6 Mountains 5 Forests Total = 40 cards Ok for $0, why didn't I win the draft with this deck?Sure you want to lock it in? If you thought the answer was (c), you should have used a lifeline, or better yet, give yourself a good kick in the ass for me :P. The proper answer to that question was (d), as I found out later. When I was playing the deck, I constantly got color screwed, and by the time I got my creatures out I'm one turn away from getting killed. Ever since this regretful defeat of mine, I have used a new approach while drafting Invasion block, which have served me pretty well since I've managed to come first in the last 2 drafts. The only thing is, that whenever I win, the rares seem to be on the crappy side. One of the most difficult things about drafting in Invasion block is choosing the right colors. Since everyone on the table is drafting at least 3 colors, it is more often then not that one of your colors overlaps with the ones that the person to your right is choosing. Sure, they would give you all the signals to go forth at the beginning, but come Apocalypse, he may decided that he would play Green for that Spirit Monger he just opened. Or if he had a strong enough green mana base, he could pretty well decided to draft what ever the hell he wants. Try sitting next to TBS in a draft and you'd know what I mean. Annoying as it is, there is nothing you can do when the person to your right suddenly decides to be a prick. There are however ways to decrease chances of this happening: Choose a Primary Color After about 3 or 4 passes in the Invasion Block, you should have a pretty good idea what color the person to your right is NOT playing, so draft as heavily into it as you can to make sure the person to your left gets the signal so he would pass you cards of that color back to you during Planeshift. Come Apocalypse, you should have enough cards in that color you wouldn't need to worry about if the person to your right decided to cut you off. The key is to make sure that not even pretty good cards of this color can get through you that could arouse their interest if something really good in Apocalypse showed up. Sounds simple huh? It is amazing how many people don't understand this and draft cards in 3 colors or more in Invasion. Leave Your Options Open Unless I open a dragon in my first pack (which happened a whole 2 times in my life) I would always try to stay on to 2 colors before Apocalypse. Think about it, if I've decided that I would draft R/G/B during Planeshift, I would be in trouble if the person to my right decided to go into G in Apocalypse because he opened an Anavolver. Since most people are drafting 3 colors, it is more then likely that another one of his color would over lap one of mine and from then on, he would suck up all the other good G/B cards. However if I had my 3rd color option open, I could change into a color that he is not drafting with ease. Don't Be Greedy If you are not playing the colors, don't go into them just because you opened a Deed or a Monger. I have seen people who win the game without those cards. It is always better to have a good deck then a good card. I hope this article would help those who read it draft better in the Invasion block format. GP Brisbane is only a short way to go. Feel free to email me any comments
Minga Wong
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