Drafting with Big Nass, AVR #2

By Nassim Ketita, June 4, 2012

Welcome back to another edition of "Watch Nassim Squirm His Way through AVR Draft”. I still haven’t quite found my groove in the format, though I suspect it’s mostly due to lack of trying. This week, I opened a mythic miracle and went all-in. Read on to find out.

As always, text recap follows the video links.

Draft

Match 1, Game 1

Match 1, Game 2

Pack 1, Pick 1:

My Pick:

OH GG. I think Entreat the Angels might be a tiny bit better than Bonfire, not that I’m complaining. It’s an easy first pick.

 

Pack 1, Pick 2:

My Pick:

Burn at the Stake is a pretty good finisher, but I’m not sure how deep in red I’ll end up being. I kind of want to try out green, and Trusted Forcemage is a good one. Other fine picks are Gryff Vanguard and Defy Death.

 

Pack 1, Pick 3:

My Pick:

I love me a tapper—even one with an expensive activation cost.

 

Pack 1, Pick 4:

My Pick:

Goldnight Redeemer is quite good, but you really need to prioritize removal. I thought about taking Falkenrath Exterminator, but my experience with it hasn’t been the greatest.

 

Pack 1, Pick 5:

My Pick:

Sweet. Fifth pick, and apart from an off-color Searchlight Geist, we have a bunch of twenty-third-pick cards or worse. This is like drafting Fallen Empires.

 

Pack 1, Pick 6:

My Pick:

Yeah, I’m not falling into the black trap again. In any other format, Undead Executioner would be a high pick.

 

Pack 1, Pick 7:

My Pick:

I’m definitely not excited at the prospect of having to play this. 5-drops are replaceable, whereas 1- and 2-drops aren’t.

 

Pack 1, Pick 8:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 9:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 10:

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Pack 1, Pick 11:

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Pack 1, Pick 12:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 13:

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Pack 1, Pick 14:

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Pack 1, Pick 15:

My Pick:

Wow, those packs were awful. At this point, I’ll be happy to scrounge up twenty-three playables.

 

Pack 1, Pick 1:

My Pick:

In retrospect, I really should have been taking those Kruin Strikers. I’d have three of them by this point, though taking one over a Defang would physically hurt me. Getting some late green cards made me think that it might be open, and Borderland Ranger is always awesome.

 

Pack 1, Pick 2:

My Pick:

Since I can only win by playing Bonfire of the Damned, it made sense at the time to take this. I think I should have taken the Riot Ringleader though.

 

Pack 1, Pick 3:

My Pick:

Vindicate is still good at 6 mana.

 

Pack 1, Pick 4:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 5:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 6:

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Pack 1, Pick 7:

My Pick:

It’s no Moonsilver Spear, but it still gets the job done.

 

Pack 1, Pick 8:

My Pick:

 

Pack 1, Pick 9:

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Pack 1, Pick 10:

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Pack 1, Pick 11:

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Pack 1, Pick 12:

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Pack 1, Pick 13:

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Pack 1, Pick 14:

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Pack 1, Pick 15:

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Pack 3, Pick 1:

My Pick:

I don’t actually like Righteous Blow all that much. Many creatures in the format have more than 2 toughness, and there are many situations in which it just sits in your hand. Still, removal is removal.

 

Pack 3, Pick 2:

My Pick:

If I had three Kruin Strikers, Margaret Thatcher Revolt would be the pick, but given the pile that I’ve drafted, Lightning Mauler is going to be better.

 

Pack 3, Pick 3:

My Pick:

So, funny story: I was hovering over Mist Raven while talking about how much I love the card when my finger twitched and clicked it. Awkward. This obviously should have been a Thunderbolt.

 

Pack 3, Pick 4:

My Pick:

Angel's Tomb is quite good in aggressive decks, which is what I’m trying to be. The fact that it dodges most removal is what makes it awesome.

 

Pack 3, Pick 5:

My Pick:

I’m now realizing that my deck could have been insane if I had a better idea of how to draft R/W Humans.

 

Pack 3, Pick 6:

My Pick:

 

Pack 3, Pick 7:

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Pack 3, Pick 8:

My Pick:

 

Pack 3, Pick 9:

My Pick:

Oh wow, here’s a ninth-pick playable!

 

Pack 3, Pick 10:

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Pack 3, Pick 11:

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Pack 3, Pick 12:

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Pack 3, Pick 13:

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Pack 3, Pick 14:

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Pack 3, Pick 15:

My Pick:

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Here’s what I submitted:

I thought the deck was fine at the time, but looking back, I can see how it could have been a lot better. I got the Full Kunkel after losing Round 1 to mana screw and mana flood. Even a Bonfire of the Damned for 6 wasn’t enough to win me a game, as I was already forced to chump with all of my creatures to stay alive while my opponent was holding back gas. I can only look at this as a learning experience and try to do better next time.

I hope you guys enjoyed the videos. I try to make them entertaining even when I’m losing. Until next time, may you always draw your miracles when you need them.

Nassim Ketita
arcticninja on Magic Online
www.youtube.com/nketita