Ok, this week was a doozy. I ended up in 4 colors in an 11-man draft, none of them green, and so my deck was terrible. Nonetheless, I still lucked out and didn't lose until the last round, getting second overall and cracking a Valkyrie in my prize packs to complement the Bob I opened in the draft.
So here's what happened. This is what I draft in Ravnica, in something like this order:
Dark Confidant
Thundersong Trumpeter
Galvanic Arc
Dimir Aqueduct
Devouring Light
Veteran Armorer
Indentured Oaf
Oathsworn Giant
Twilight Drover
Screeching Griffin
Lurking Informant
Greater Forgeling
Fiery Conclusion
Gate Hound
Incite Hysteria
Basically it's clear to me that I'm going to be in Red and White, but I have no idea what else I'm going to be playing.
So i crack my Guildpact pack and there are really only 2 relevant cards:
Stratozeppelid and Blind Hunter
I am now faced with a dilemma. Do I take the Blind Hunter, planning for Rakdos in pack 3 noting that I got very little black in Ravnica but lots of white, or do I take the Stratozeppelid, which is clearly the objectively better card and opens up Azorius for me in pack 3.
I take the Stratozeppelid, which I think was definitely the better decision given what I knew.
My next pack has:
Steamcore Weird
Pillory of the Sleepless
Shrieking Grotesque
Orzhov Basilica
This hurts, given what I just passed. Still, I stick to my plan and take the Weird.
Guildpact proceeds to be very schizophrenic for me, and although I did get a Savant and a Hypervolt Grasp, I also get 2 Basilicas, a Grotesque, a very late Shadow Lance, a Douse, and a Smogsteed Rider. Unfortunately the Orzhov stuff doesn't come until after the Izzet stuff, at which time the Izzet stuff was conveniently dried up.
So in addition to the Ravnica, this is what I have after pack 2 (not in pick order):
Shrieking Grotesque
Shadow Lance
Steamcore Weird
Stratozeppelid
Vedalken Plotter
Douse in Gloom
Poisonbelly Ogre
Smogsteed Rider
Bloodscale Prowler
Ghor-Clan Bloodscale
Hypervolt Grasp
Ogre Savant
Gruul Signet
2x Orzhov Basilica
Looking at this, I'm clearly in trouble. I have a lot of good cards, but they're split among 4 colors, none of which are green. I can still pull myself out of this, but I need a good pack 3 with either Rakdos or Azorius all the way through.
I get neither. Pack 3 is full of Simic cards I can't draft. It starts off with me cracking a Twinstrike, but goes downhill and I end up with the following in Dissension:
2x Aurora Eidolon
Freewind Equenaut
Guardian of the Guildpact
Govern the Guildpact
Slaughterhouse Bouncer
Ogre Gatecrasher
2x Sandstorm Eidolon
Gobhobbler Rats
Jagged Poppet
Rakdos Ickspitter
Twinstrike
Azorius Signet
Azorius Chancery
I look at my cards and curse. I drafted all sorts of good cards, I made the "right" decision at the critical moment at the beginning of pack 2, and I still have ended up with a 4-color pile that doesn't involve green or any of its fixing. I can't really afford to cut any of the colors because doing so costs me too much in either men or tricks (cutting blue, for instance, would leave me without sufficient good finishers like Stratozeppelid and 2 pieces of removal). After thinking about the mana for a good 10 minutes, I end up building the following:
2x Aurora Eidolon
Devouring Light
Freewind Equenaut
Guardian of the Guildpact
Oathsworn Giant
Shadow Lance
Shrieking Grotesque
Veteran Armorer
Govern the Guildless
Steamcore Weird
Stratozeppelid
Douse in Gloom (only 1 mono-black card, but the gold was far too good to cut)
Galvanic Arc
Greater Forgeling
Hypervolt Grasp
Indentured Oaf
Ogre Savant
Gobhobbler Rats
Lurking Informant
Rakdos Ickspitter
Thundersong Trumpeter
Twinstrike
Azorius Signet
2x Orzhov Basilica
Azorius Chancery
3x Plains
2x Island
3x Swamp
5x Mountain
I really think this is just about the best that can be done with what I drafted. I ended up getting lucky, playing against a new guy rounds 1 and 2, and the guy with the Savage Twister in round 3 was terribly color-screwed both games. Things finally caught up with me round 4 with a mull to 5 and then in game 2 a Debtor's Knell when I have him on the ropes followed by Peel, Dismisser, and multiple removal spells.
So, what do you think?
....
....
Oh man I just realized I could have played the Aqueduct. Bad me.
