My Weekly Draft #2

[Klep]

Once again I won my draft.  7 people this week, I went 6-1 in games, only dropping one to the best Orzhov deck ever (3 Pillories, Ange of Despairl, 2 Agent of Masks, 2 Seal of Doom).

This week's draft was substantially better than last weeks, and I felt much more confident about my deck.  I drafted the following:

White
Veteran Armorer

Gaurdian's Magemark
Withstand

Carom

Blue
Compulsive Research
Dizzy Spell
Muddle the Mixture
Peel From Reality (4th pick!!!)
Surveilling Sprite

Runeboggle
Steamcore Weird
Train of Thought

Ocular Halo
Plaxmanta
Silkwing Scout

Black
Roofstalker Wight
Thoughtpicker Witch

Orzhov Euthanist

2 Seal of Doom
Vesper Ghoul

Red
2 Ogre Savant
Scorched Rusalka

Psychotic Fury

Green
Sundering Vitae

Ghor-Clan Savage
Gruul Nodorog
2 Silhana Starfletcher

Sporeback Troll

Multicolored
Lurking Informant
Psychic Drain
Shambling Shell

Assault Zeppelid
Bound & Determined
Minister of Impediments
Rakdos Guildmage
Vigean Hydropon
Vigean Intuition

Other
Cyclopean Snare
Grifter's Blade
Terrarion

2 Izzet Signet


My first pick was the Shambling Shell.  I opened the Guildmage pack three, but passed the first Seal of Doom I saw in favor of an Assault Zeppelid because I wasn't sure how heavy my black would be.  Obviously I took the next 2 Seals. I got some things ridiculously late.  The Peel, as noted, came 4th, and the Plaxmanta and Hydropon were 11th and 12th respectively.

So, how would you build this?

[Matt]

Oucchhhhh. Are those signets really your only manafixing (apart form starfletcher)?

[Klep]

Yup.  Never hurt me.  I've found that this block has really taught me how to build difficult manabases.  In the past 3 weeks I've played 4 colors each time and I've had like 3 games where my colors didn't work out.  One of those I won.

[Apollyon]

My experiences have shown that running weak manabases tends to give you a mulligan or two in 3 rounds because of shitty opening hands.

For example, I Parised away Azorius Chancery, Boros Garrison, Disembowel, Wrecking Ball, Orzhov Signet, Cleansing Beam, and Steamcore Weird earlier today because the hand fell apart without a turn 1 land. If one of the bouncelands was a basic land, that hand was solid. I then drew 5 spells and a Dimir Aqueduct on my next 6.

This format is slow enough and has enough mana fixing that you can stretch 4 colors.

I'd build your deck like this:
Compulsive Research
Peel from Reality
Surveilling Sprite
Steamcore Weird
Silkwing Scout
2 Seal of Doom
2 Ogre Savant
2 Starfletcher
Sporeback Troll
Psychic Drain
Assault Zeppelid
Minister of Impediments
Vigean Hydropon
Plaxmanta
Terrarion
2 Izzet Signet
Grifter's Blade
Rakdos Guildmage
Ghor-Clan Savage
Gruul Nodorog
Orzhov Euthanist
Ocular Halo

[Klep]

I would never drop as low as 14 lands in this format.  15 would be my limit, and I'm certainly not going to go below 16 when I'm playing 4 colors.  The mana just becomes way too unstable.

I also think you're seriously underestimating Shambling Shell and Lurking Informant, both of which easily outclass things like Orzhov Euthanist or Surveilling Sprite.

Here is what I played:

Compulsive Research
Peel From Reality
Ocular Halo
Steamcore Weird
Plaxmanta
Silkwing Scout

Roofstalker Wight
2 Seal of Doom

2 Ogre Savant

Ghor-Clan Savage
Gruul Nodorog
2 Silhana Starfletcher
Sporeback Troll

Lurking Informant
Psychic Drain
Shambling Shell
Assault Zeppelid
Minister of Impediments
Rakdos Guildmage
Vigean Hydropon

Izzet Signet

4 Island
4 Swamp
3 Mountain
5 Forest

[Anusien]

Lurking Informant is riduculous when the board is near stable since it controls topdecks.  I think a lot of players are afraid to use it on themselves too, but I've made critical land drops that way.

Shambling Shell got really ridiculous with the inclusion of Dissenion; I love Shambling Shell + graft.