Unsanctioned....so proxies allowed?  How many?

Just to answer #2, Check out ebay to see increases.  With the history it is pretty easy to find.  A Beta Lotus PSA 10 recently sold for over 8 grand! :shock:   There is defenitely better money in getting them graded.  On average, I have seen PSA 9-10 power easily double normal market price.

Are all the draw7s really worth it?

you have:
Timetwister
Wheel
Memory Jar
Windfall
and SB:
Diminishing Returns
Time Spiral

Seems that since the deck is Blue/Black already, why not try Lim-Dul's Vault in place of the windfall.  I've goldfished a few games and it seems to run a little smoother than the Windfall.  The times the I drew it, the game was over that turn or the next.  I have found that the consistency goes up a little when using those top 5, especially when you can "optimize" an Ancestral, or set up other draw7s better.  Four just seems too many, especially when they all cost 3 mana (Tinker for Jar).  On top of that,  the drawback of Windfall that the number of cards drawn depends on your opponents hand size reduces their effectiveness at times. (Their hand is not always seven.)

Umm, from the finals report by Meddling Mage, Carl casted Twister, had Wheel countered by FoW, brainstormed into Tendril's and then boarded out the Tinker.  All in game one.  And then Tinkered the Jar in game two.  It seems they were playing the exact same deck.

In fact, the only card I did not see was the Windfall.  Was this card in there, or was it replaced by something else, maybe the 2nd Recall?

A booster draft is a whole different monster.  We have been talking about a rotisserie draft.  The entire set is laid out before you and the eight players draft the set.

Stasis w/Birds and Instill energy is funny as hell.  But might be difficult to get the three card combo and it does not lock out someone completely (Especially against the guy who drafted the Serra Angel).  Better would be Instill Energy and force of nature.  Might be a little difficult to cast, but much harder to deal with.  8/8 trampler who doesn't tap to attack?  And both in one color.  Gravy....

How valuable are the biggest stompies of each color?  Lord of the Pit/Shivan Dragon/Serra Angel/Force of Nature/Maamoti Djinn would all be amazing beatdown.  Do you draft at least one, as many as you can (hard with multiple color for each),  or ignore assuming a more beatdown roll and try to kill before any come online?

How important is color hosers?  The COPs could be great against individual decks, but there is Northern Paladin, Life force, etc.  I suppose the stock of these types really go up if you draft something like Sleight of Mind.

I had heard from a couple friends a long time ago that Pandemonium was thinking about it.  And like I said before, we had talked quite a bit about it when we were bored.  My curiosity was piqued after I started reading TMD and what other Type 1 players might think about it if it was available.

I did happen to talk to Brandon over the weekend and he said there may be an actual Unlimited draft.  The set is finished (which is in immaculate condition, absolutely beautiful) and he was deciding how to set up admission, by either running out-dated drafts (like weatherlight, Ice Age) for slots or setting up raffle drawings.  He said that most likely he will set up a single drawing for admission, only one entry per person and charge those people he drew a single price.

Aside from that,  would dual lands be critical to draft early?  Do you start with the removal (WoG, StP, Bolt, etc.) or trying to force picking up creatures?  If you have a deck chock full of creatures, opponents will be hard pressed to deal with them all without board sweepers.  (Which I can only think of five: WoG, Disk, Balance, Hurricane, Earthquake.  With only the first two or three being effective at getting all creatures.)

I would probably try to take the mass removal and leave the spot removal in favor of drafting some of the more powerful creatures.  Which still leaves the question on when do you start drafting duals?

This draft would be for keeps.  Any cards you draft you put into your pockets at the end of the day.

I still think that the moxen would go before anything else.  $$$ speaks volumes.  Besides, would Balance without all the mox acceleration still be that good?  At most, you can only have one mox and not much acceleration.  Balance would not have the same affect as it does in constructed.  I could see mind twist and disk being a house since it would be easier to break the symmetry.

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Samcat

Imagine yourself in an 8-man tourney.  The tournament format is an entire Unlimited set.  Power 9 and all.  The Black Lotus is the prize for winning the whole thing.  By the setup, each person is gauranteed at least one of the remaining 8 power cards.

Aside from the Moxes, etc. there are other bombs that exist in the format.  Wrath of God, Fireball, Shivan Dragon all are potential bombs.  Even shatter, fissure, or Stp would be amazing due to the relatively light removal available.

The question is, what are the best cards for a draft deck?  Do you force a certain archetype?  What is the draft order of the remaining Power 8?

Our asssumption for power 8 draft is:
Ancestral
Time Walk
Mox Sapphire/Pearl (Pearl for extra white removal support)
Mox Pearl/Sapphire
Mox Ruby
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet (Black seems kinda weak for this format)

I wanted to throw this out there since I have these discussions with my play group that mainly do limited drafts.  I would the input from a Type 1 crowd that may have better insight.

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Samcat (Newb looking to make an impact....eventually)