Mirrodin Limited Review - Blue
The other articles in this series are as follows: Artifacts, White, Green and Red.
Blue is perhaps the most underrated colour in Mirrodin, as it has solid evasive creatures and tempo cards (which can be easily splashed) that complement any draft archetype. The main problem with blue is its depth - if there are more than 2 blue drafters at the table your chances of getting the good stuff is slim. Blue also has a habit of being drafted by the "good players" because they are under the false assumption that everybody else except them thinks blue is crap.
Here is my listing of the commons:-
1. Neurok Spy
2. Somber Hoverguard
3. Annul
4. Wizard Replica
5. Cobalt Golem
6. Aether Spellbomb
7. Silver Myr
8. Regress
9. Thoughtcast
10. Wanderguard Sentry
11. Inertia Bubble
Blue, like green, has 3 first pick quality commons but the difference between the top 3 is a lot wider.
1. Neurok Spy
The Spy is up there as one of the best commons in the set as it is a clock that your opponent has to deal with. Equipment is a no brainer with this guy but watch out for tricky sacrificing effects (i.e. Krark-Clan Grunt/Atog) when you attack. There is a yawning abyss between the Spy and the Hoverguard so choose wisely.
2. Somber Hoverguard
Yes, this is still first pick material, but there will usually be better cards in the pack. He may be somber but the Hoverguard is a beating and can often hit the table as early as turn 3. CAN being the operative word. I have found some games where I don't draw any artifacts (yes it does happen) and have to hardcast this. That is bad, justifying its slot behind the Spy. I have seen the Hoverguard go around quite late in draft (7th/8th pick), which is a good sign to go into blue.
3. Annul
This is borderline first pick material but wins out due to the sheer number of artifacts in Mirrodin. The thing is it does jack when you draw it a turn after your opponent has played a Loxodon Warhammer but them's the breaks I guess. Another quick tip - make sure you also draft artifact removal in addition to this.
4. Wizard Replica
Pretty much playable in every deck (even if you aren't playing blue!) Wizard is the second best replica - I'm sure you all know what the best one is by now. Counters are scarce in this format and he forces your opponent to play around him, often blunting your opponent's curve. The Wizard can also be used both offensively (with equipment) or defensively, buying enough time to draw your bombs. A good creature and an early pick.
5. Cobalt Golem
6. Aether Spellbomb
7. Silver Myr
These are all quite close but I think I would pick them in the above order. Cobalt Golem gets the nod over the Spellbomb because it's a creature with an evasive ability. I rank the Cobalt behind the Hematite and Pewter and it is a LOT better than its white and green counterparts. There are only 3 playable Spellbombs (well I did say the Lifespark was barely playable!); and the Aether ain't too bad. Tempo is a key part of Mirrodin limited and I rate it over the Myr because you can trash it for a card if necessary. Most of the Myrs have been ranked around 7th on our lists and that is no coincidence (okay we ranked the Copper one a little higher but it is green after all!). The Silver Myr is no different to any of the others and is a good affinity power-upperer for cards like Thoughtcast, Myr Enforcer and Somber Hoverguard. A midrange draft pick.
8. Regress
Regress is a good playable card but I don't think it is better than any of the other cards mentioned above. Most of the times you will be bouncing creatures in draft so the Spellbomb is infinitely better, sure they won't see Regress coming but you don't want to leave 3 mana open each turn, especially if you have equipment in play. In fact if you are doing this your opponent should start getting suspicious.
9. Thoughtcast
This could be better than Regress but for the time being I'm ranking it here. I like this card and would rarely leave it out of my deck but I don't wet my pants every time I draft one (unlike some people I know). In fact I have even seen this card first picked on more than one occasion by very good drafters, but you should be able to pick them up much much later than that...
10. Wanderguard Sentry
11. Inertia Bubble
Again it is a close call with these two but the creature wins out again. In fact, I have never played with it personally (after 20 or so drafts) but I played Sea Snidd back in Planeshift, so he will often make the cut. Inertia Bubble is an interesting one because it's a bit janky but gets the job done. Some of the most irritating artifacts (Crystal Shard, Skeleton Shard, Icy Manipulator etc) are stopped by the wooden spoon of artifact destruction so don't let this pass you by.
Override, Lumengrid Warden, Neurok Familiar, Disarm and Dream's Grip.
That is the order I would take them with Disarm and Dream's Grip being completely unplayable. Override will often make the maindeck in an artifact heavy deck and Lumengrid Warden and Neurok Familiar are all warm bodies which can be used in dire emergencies.
UNCOMMONS
1. Crystal Shard
This is hands down the best Shard of the bunch and one of the best cards in the set. These may be bold statements but do not underestimate the power of the Crystal Shard. It slows your opponent down, makes combat difficult and is great with other bombs like Viridian Shaman, Looming Hoverguard and Duplicant. Like the Skeleton Shard you can play this in any deck and it is a monster of a first pick.
2. Looming Hoverguard
3. Domineer
It is another close call between these 2 as they have similar effects on gameplay. I rate the Hoverguard higher because it is a 3/3 flyer and, unlike Domineer, your opponent can't really bounce him that easily. The fact you can return lands is a big plus as it is like a Time Walk, but I don't want to steal Domineer's thunder here because this it is very good also. Another thing to bear in mind when using Domineer is that if your opponent has equipped the creature, then you gain the equipment bonus until your opponent re-equips. Both of these are solid first picks.
4. Thirst for Knowledge
This is where the first picks run out and you may often find yourself picking this first in the later boosters if there is nothing else of use in the pack. Still, Thirst for Knowledge is a great card drawer without any down side. It is even splashable but take a look at your creature count before you start drafting cards like this.
5. Lumengrid Sentinel
6. Psychic Membrane
7. Assert Authority
8. Slith Strider
And this is where things take a turn for the worse. Lumengrid Sentinel is playable and combo's well with Nuisance Engine, but that is about it. The Membrane is way too defensive for my tastes, as you want creatures that you can equip and attack with. Assert Authority may see a little bit of play from time to time, like that 5 casting cost flashback counter from Odyssey did and Slith Strider is pure crap. I didn't rank Fabricate as it depends upon what sort of artifacts you have. I would only play it if I had drafted an Oblivion Stone, Loxodon Warhammer or something really broken, but chances are you should be able to pick this up. In which case it fits inbetween Thirst for Knowledge and Lumengrid Sentinel.
RARES
Blue gets a little shafted in the rares department with only 2 cards which command bomb-like status. Broodstar and Quicksilver Elemental look like the best 2 with Lumengrid Augur and Proteus Staff rounding out the quality rares. If you draft Broodstar you really need to snap up as many playable artifacts as possible - lands, welding jars, myrs, even sub-optimal equipment otherwise it isn't worth it. I have played wth this guy a few times now and you really need at least 10 artifacts in your deck to make him playable. Harsh but fair. The Elemental is obviously good and the Lumengrid Augur would be a real bomb if it wasn't for his 2 toughness. I like the Staff but haven't really got it going but it still has quality potential in my opinion. Veldaken Archmage and Fatespinner fall into the "looks good on paper" strategy but are too situational to warrant them being truly broken rares. Don't get me wrong, I would still play them, but I would quite happily take a Neurok Spy or Hoverguard over them. The rest of the rares; Shared Fate, March of the Machines and Temporal Cascade are pretty much unplayable but I could be proved wrong.
Next week I will be wrestling with the toughest colour to draft - black. Is it any good? Can you win with an army of 1 toughness creatures? How good is Terror in this format? All these questions will be answered next week.
Until then, enjoy your drafting
Dan Turner
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Editor: Rebecca Mitchell. Tuesday 18 November 2003.
