"He's really good" part 1

Somehow within a weekend in the area, I've garnered a reputation for being "really good". While the reason for this blog is me not being very good at Magic, anyone who thought this could have easily changed their mind by the end of this past weekend.

Friday night I drafted at First Pick. I drafted an aggressive Green deck splashing white for a couple pieces of removal. My first three opponents weren't very strong, then I lost in round 4 to one of the best limited players in the area and won round 5 against another good player. I felt I played pretty well the entire night, and I got my money back in credit, so I felt pretty good.

Saturday was the fifth Draft Extravaganza organized by Eric Reasoner and L3 judge Tony Mayer. Around 56 players showed up to draft 3 different formats and then a draft format of their choosing based on placement (among the choices were Tempest block, Urza block, Invasion, Odyssey, Mirrodin, and Ravnica). The first draft was Invasion-Ravnica hybrid, so each seat alternated between having Invasion-Guildpact-Apocalypse and Ravnica-Planeshift-Dissension. I wasn't familiar with Invasion block cards, so I just tried to pick the best card for the first pack and hope my neighbors set me up. My deck was green-black-red and had Rofellnos, the guy that makes 2/2 Saprolings for kicker, and the guy from Ravnica that makes Forests into 4/4's, and not very much removal with only Consume Strength and Thunderscape Battlemage. I went 0-2-1 in this format, not getting very good draws round 1 and not playing well, punting the end of round 2 by swinging with a guy and forgetting that he could use his two mana up to make two more Goblin Trenches guys and get me on the crack back, and drawing round 3 because I couldn't deal with the equipment that gives untapped/tapped creatures bonuses (read: couldn't draw my Battlemage). I was so upset at my record that I threw my deck into the trash.

Next was triple Champions of Kamigawa, which I don't think I ever went better than 1-2 at my local store with for that entire year. My deck was pretty terrible with only 13 guys with a pretty poor curve, some random white arcane spells so I could max out Glacial Ray, and a Devouring Greed and Rage. The first round I lose to Desperate Ritual.dec where he busts out the Red Myojin like turn 4, then in the third game I stabilize the board at 9, and have the game next turn because he's drawing nothing but land, and he goes Lava Spike splicing Ritual and Glacial Ray, Ritual splicing Glacial Ray, Glacial Ray. The second match I keep hating my deck, getting stuck with Blessed Brath and Ethereal Haze in my hand with no Plains and keep trying to stick a Frostwielder and stuff. I'm at like 2 and stick Kami of Fire's Roar. I drew a Plains, and with my white Spells and Soulless Revival I manage to wipe his board with the Kami and come all the way back. Game 2 I'm able to blow him out with a Hideous Laughter that leaves him with nothing and me with a 3/3 and a 2/3. 1-1 in my least favorite format.

Finally was Onslaught-Lorwyn hybrid, which alternated between Onslaught-Lorwyn-Scourge and Lorwyn-Legions-Morningtide. There were only four common tribes among the two blocks (Elves, Goblins, Soldiers, and Wizards), it's easy to see that if you were Elves or Goblins at your pod you would do pretty darn well. Luck would have it, I was in Elves and drafted an absolutely unreal deck. I 3-0'd to finish at 4-3-1, above .500 for the day.

More later.