The Quag Sickness Archetype (a.k.a Black is now in fashion :D)

Quag Sickness. A card that, like many other cards in M14 draft, rewards us for staying strongly black (or even better, mono black). One of the most effective removal spells, in the color with the most removal, is definitely worth staying monoblack.

This archetype isn't something you can draft all the time. It's important to read the signals well, and if you see that not enough black cards are passing, you should start to pick another color.

But then, I said Quag Sickness isn't the only card that rewards us for staying black. What are the others? The most obvious is Corrupt. Having one or two in our deck will make our topdecks much better. Quag is  great removal, Corrupt just unbalances games. But there are also some rares we are always going to pick for this deck: Nightmare is gonna be the biggest creature in the table, needing an immediate answer or closing  out the game. The good thing is that those cards aren't usually high picks (a nightmare in a two color deck will be 4/4 most of the time), so it's easy to see when our archetype is open.

Other cards you want to see in this deck are additional good removal, like Liturgy of Blood and Doom Blade, and creatures with evasion. Black gives us one of the best, Sengir Vampire, which is very difficult to see passing. The Gnawing Zombie/Blood Bairn + Tenacious Dead is also available, and it becomes much better if we're lucky enough to pull a Dark Prophecy. The best creature is Accursed Spirit. This common guy is very hard to block and a good clock on its own, but we're in the color of Mark of the Vampire (and also Dark Favor), and the possible card disadvantage of a removal spell is a risk you should take. The auras are also good with Vampire Warlord. Wring Flesh is a decent late pick, it kills almost anything a Shock could kill.

Our opponents will have it very difficult to race us, since we have early creatures like Child of the Night, and very good removal. Deathgaze Cockatrice is also a decent creature, more defensive than offensive.

This color also has very good rares. Liliana's Reaver are Lifebane Zombie both P1P1.

Bogbrew Witch is a complicated card, and it's only gonna work if you  get enough Festering Newts to support her.

Drafting the deck

The most difficult thing with this deck is to know when to draft it. If you're getting all the good black cards, then it's gona be great, but if you see you're having to pick Sliver Construct or Minotaur Abomination cause there's nothing black, you should really go for the Blood Bairn archetype and add red, forcing monoblack won't be good.

Our first picks are gonna be "good stuff" cards. Sengir Vampire, all the good removal spells, and corrupt are high picks. Seeing Accursed Spirit in picks 4-6 is often a good thing, and so is Mark of the Vampire or Vampire Warlord.

One important thing is to get as many copies as we can of the good cards, specially Quag Sickness or corrupt. These cards are the real reward for staying monocolored, and without them we'll just have a mediocre aggro deck. Of course, if you see obvious signals of another color being totally open, don't fear to go for it.

The cards we pass are also important. If your first booster has two good black cards and you suspect the other guy is gonna 2nd pick the good card you didn't take, then you might have to look for another plan.

Another interesting variation of the deck is going all-in with the Accursed Spirit and the auras, if you have Fireshrieker, good evasive creatures and a bunch of auras. It's very vulnerable to removal, but when you live the dream (and by living the dream i mean attacking with an 8/5 with fear and lifelink).

Playing the deck

The deck isn't specially fast, so we're gonna work like a midrange-control deck: drop some creatures, kill early threats with Wring Flesh and use Quag Sickness on the bigger guys (Rumbling Baloth, or the two blue Servants). Use your removal wisely, just because a flying creature is dealing you 2 damage every turn it's not enough reason to kill it, cause later in the game the big guys will come. Also, don't fear going to low life, Corrupt will refill your life and put you in a better position. We usually need few creatures to win the game. Accursed Spirit is a very good clock for games where nobody can attack, we can even win with a Deathgaze Cockatrice with Mark of the Vampire, for example.

Opening hands and mulliganing

Good hands include 3-5 lands. We're gonna be casting expensive spells, and 2 land hands are usually mull. It's quite easy to see when a hand is good, specially when you know you have game-breaking topdecks.

And that's all. Black is a color that works very well alone, and it's fun to see how the opponent blames our good topdeck luck just because we got the Corrupt again, the turn they were gonna kill us. Feel free to comment about things I might have missed, and have fun!

- Beusapu

My draft deck #1: U/R Time Ebb

 Today I'll be showing you a deck I drafted on Cockatrice, along with discussing some of the picks and one particular play I liked a lot.

So this is the deck itself.

1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Air Servant
1 Messenger Drake
2 Disperse
2 Goblin Shortcutter
2 Act of Treason
2 Water Servant
1 Shiv's Embrace
2 Time Ebb
1 Marauding Maulhorn
1 Regathan Firecat
1 Blur Sliver
2 Pitchburn Devils
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Essence Scatter
1 Chandra's Outrage
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Archaeomancer
8 Mountain
9 Island
SB: 1 Griffin Sentinel
SB: 2 Bramblecrush
SB: 1 Naturalize
SB: 1 Encroaching Wastes
SB: 1 Capashen Knight
SB: 1 Burning Earth
SB: 1 Sporemound
SB: 1 Elvish Mystic
SB: 1 Advocate of the Beast
SB: 1 Seismic Stomp
SB: 1 Divine Favor
SB: 1 Dragon Hatchling
SB: 1 Plummet
SB: 1 Dark Favor
SB: 1 Deadly Recluse
SB: 1 Predatory Sliver

  If you notice, there's only 13 creatures INCLUDING Archaeomancer, which means it's more than a little light on that account. But it makes up for it a little by the fact that it runs THREE servants, two Water Servants and an Air Servant, both cards massively tempo-positive. Chandra, Pyromaster was my P1P1, since not only does she offer tempo in terms of life, she makes creatures unable to block, which is a massive advantage. Her 0 is also a great ability and is nearly card draw in red. Another couple of tempo positive cards I love in M14 draft are Goblin Shortcutters. Not only are they 2/1s for 2 to begin with, late-game making something unable to block can be HUGE. As you can see, I picked up two Time Ebbs and two Disperses, for some massive advantage, as well as a singleton Archaeomancer to recycle my burn/tempo cards. Shiv's Embrace is a card you want to look for if you're in red, hopefully within six picks, as it's card-quality is akin to a bomb.

  In one game, my Water Servant and Marauding Maulhorn were staring down a Predatory Sliver, a Steelform Sliver, a Striking Sliver, and two Hive Stirrings tokens. I had three mana open, those being one mountain and two islands. I swung in with both creatures, the Maulhorn unsurprisingly blocked by the 2/3 striking, and a 2/3 Hive Stirrings token. When the blockers were declared, I cast Disperse on the Predatory sliver, taking away the lord effect, reducing the Striking and the token to 1/2 creatures, and pumping my Water Servant for 1, making it a 4/3. This way I effectively 3-for-1ed his board, and won the game in the subsequent turn.

 If there was anything I would do to this deck, it would be to obtain a few more creatures, possibly fliers such as Nephalia Seakite and Warden of Evos Isle. Besides that, it's quite solid, and I had fun with it.

 The next article will be posted today itself, and it will be by our first guest author. I hope you like his insight and ideas. Until next time, take care, and have fun drafting!

Cheers,
Brick

Drafting Rares: The Hate Cycle

Today I'll be talking about something a little different, specifically drafting the color hate cycle of cards in M14, and when and where to pick them. More often than not, they are not good to pick early, even if they don't wheel most of the time. I'll go over them one by one, discussing their efficacy, mostly with regard to your first pick in your first pack.

 Starting with white, we have Fiendslayer Paladin. At the outset, it has two combat-ready mechanics, and semi-protection from black and red spells. However, it's important to keep in mind that it is but a 2/2, and without significant support, it flat-out gets outclassed by Rumbling Baloth as well. White is also not a particularly strong color in this set, so our knight in shining armor can be passed. This is a rare that depends heavily on the quality of your pack, as Kalonian Tusker, Enlarge, or either of the blue Servants are better picks.

 This is a rare of very weak card quality in draft. It's a bear for two specific colored mana, with a very narrow enters-the-battlefield ability which can be nixed with any removal spell. You will always be passing this rare, and even commons tend to be of higher card quality.

  Lifebane Zombie is a perfectly fine pick one, Intimidate being one of the most powerful  combat mechanic in M14. It's albeit narrow enter-the-battlefield effect can potentially be devastating, possibly being a two-for-one or at the very least providing information about your opponent's hand, while being a 3-power for 3 Intimidate, quite the clock turn 4 onward.

 Cards armed with combat-ready mechanics are always good picks, and this one is no different. 3 power for 3 first strike, with the potential for even more damage given the right match-up is a decent first pick, red being a color you wouldn't mind being in in M14.

  From a distance, it looks great (and with an adorably large head), a 3/3 for three with hexproof at the very least. However, in reality, it's a mediocre topdeck in the late game, and it's very niche second clause hardly ever makes a difference in M14 draft. This is another card that depends on the quality of your pack, and if no uncommons seem like they're worth it, Witchstalker could be the pick for you.

Hopefully, given my fever lets up, I'll continue defining the archetypes in M14 draft next time onward, and as always, have fun drafting!

Cheers,
Brick

The Time Ebb archetype (a.k.a No cake for you! :D)

Time Ebb. Known in some circles as the blue Swords to Plowshares, it forms one of the most powerful tenets in M14 draft. Now, this card is perhaps one of the most sought-after commons in the format, and is potentially a blowout against some decks, and is quite the topdeck in clogged boardstates.

 This archetype is one of the many goodstuff decks and blue can be paired successfully with any color, and monoblue is also known to be particularly powerful. It's most viable color pairs are Red or Green, the latter being slightly better given the right cards.

 The cards you want to see in this deck type are tempo cards, such as Disperse, and Claustrophobia, and the main intent of this deck is to swing the boardstate in your favor with such tempo plays and fliers, such as Nephalia Seakite, Trained Condor and Air Servant, the latter being on of the strongest creatures in the format, dominating combat in the sky. Water Servant is also a card you want to see in this deck, as it powers through on the ground. An interesting two-card interaction that's possible in this deck is Trained Condor with Scroll Thief, giving evasion to the Thief and drawing you cards with ease, while making a tempo swing of 3 life. Counterspells such as Cancel, and Essence Scatter are welcome in this deck type since they generate immense tempo and are generally Blue's best 1-for-1 against the larger Red or Green creatures. Draw power is also immensely valued in this deck type, and Divination and Opportunity are cards that make the deck resilient. Sensory Deprivation is also a decent late-pick card and is good filler for your deck.

 Pairing Blue with Red means that you want to pick up strong red burn spells such as Shock, Flames of the Firebrand, and Chandra's Outrage. Now these cards are played in almost any Red deck but a high number of these marks a special caveat for this deck. It means that you can run up to two copies of Archaeomancer, recycling good tempo cards and providing a good chump block if need be. The reason you don't want more than two of Archaeomancer is that the card isn't really good at combat, and more than two results in a dead card in your hand with no targets. Other Red goodstuff like Pitchburn Devils or Marauding Maulhorn are always nice to see. In U/R, with a high instant and sorcery count, Young Pyromancer is quite game-changing, as instant speed 1/1 Elemental tokens can't be sneezed at.

 Pairing Blue with Green is a far safer bet, since Green beats is quite strong in this format. The cards you want to look for are high power/high toughness Green creatures, such as Rumbling Baloth, and Advocate of the Beast is it's clear counterpart. Enlarge is probably one of the cards that can win you the game, while taking out your opponent's creatures. Elvish Mystic is probably a card you want to pick up mid-packs since a turn 2 Advocate or a turn 3 Baloth are great plays, and hastens the game. Mystic makes you parallel your opponent's deck even on the draw, a great advantage. And it's always a plus when your Mox Emerald can attack!

Drafting the deck

 Drafting this deck is a lot more straightforward than drafting the Blood Bairn archetype. Your first few picks can include Water and Air Servants, as they are of the highest card quality. These two cards are generally of higher quality than the rare you see. Further on, about pick 5~6 onward, evaluating card quality becomes even more important. Opportunity and Divination are fine picks, but it's usually better to get your creature base settled first over the tempo plays and card draw spells. Remember, it's the creatures that win you the game, not draw. As stated earlier, evaluating card quality is of highest importance, for example, in the middle of pack 1, Opportunity or Divination is stronger than Seacoast Drake. A good creature base of 16~17 is generally recommended here, but even as low as 15 can still win you the game, depending on your non-creature spells. Also, discount Archaeomancer in your creature count when you're making your picks, and think of it as more of a chump block and a regrowth effect.

Playing the deck

 On the draw, it's usually a good idea to leave mana up for your counterspells, especially if you're in U/R. Running out your threats is a good idea, but moving into the control route is easier for U/R. In U/G however, it's a good idea to run out your Baloths and your Advocates and other generally big creatures, and save the tempo for the later game. In M14, there are a large amount of enchantment spells that buff creatures. Be sure to use your Disperses and Time Ebbs on enchanted creatures, and creatures with +1/+1 counters on them for value. Here Disperse shines, since it's at instant speed. Disperse is also a great response to Hunt the Weak, which fizzles the spell itself, along with the potentially devastating fight clause, and leaving you with the stronger board state.

Opening hands and mulliganing

 On the subject of opening hands, a good hand consists of about 3 land and 4 other cards, and at least a couple of nonlands that are castable or close to castable. However, it is possible to keep 2 land hands, given a Divination or a cheap flier or two. Opening hands in this archetype are quite simple to evaluate. Even land-heavy hands (e.g 5 land hands) can be kept, since your draw spells can easily fix your hand. 5 land hands are especially keepable in U/G since your creatures usually are high CMC.

 Well, that's about all I can think of about this archetype at the moment. Blue is a very broad, and strong color, and can be paired with almost any other color in the color pie, and can be played on it's own, as well. Feel free to drop comments on any facets I might have missed and as always, have fun drafting!


Cheers,
Brick

  

The Blood Bairn archetype (a.k.a. Eating things is fun :D)

  Ah Blood Bairn. Behind that innocent (as innocent as a sack-outlet can be) visage lies a strong deck that can work for you quite well. This little girl is the card that ties it all together, being the common that would most likely win you the game. Now, in M14, she has a friend who just LOVES to hang out with her on the battlefield.

Now, being an uncommon, this relentless shambling skellie is much harder to come by than Blood Bairn. But if they do manage to hook up on the battlefield, it spells a heap of trouble for your opponent. For every 1B you pour into this guy, you get a Rootwalla that isn't restricted per turn. It's a fantastic deal and very abusable.

 Another few cards you want to see in this deck are Act of Treason, Barrage of Expendables, Gnawing Zombie, Bubbling Cauldron, and cards that like to die, such as Pitchburn Devils, Dragon Egg, and Festering Newt. The rest is pretty much Black goodstuff, with a splash for red. These cards are always a plus to see in a Blood Bairn deck, and will help you remove and kill your opponents creatures with ease. Act of Treason is perhaps the most important card to see in this archetype, since you can sacrifice your opponents creatures for added value, while swinging the boardstate in your favor. Another rather great common to draft in this archetype is Corpse Hauler, who lets you get back your Pitchburn Devils or Dragon Eggs, or even your key sack outlets at instant speed, whilst providing a useful block. Of course the staples in black such as Liturgy of Blood and Doom Blade are always welcome. As an added bonus, your Bubbling Cauldron can engineer a life swing of eight with Festering Newt. Quag Sickness is a good card to pick late since your deck would probably be heavily in black, splashing a little red.

Drafting the deck

 When you open your packs, your first few picks would most likely be black goodstuff, like Sengir Vampire and Doom Blade. A great thing about this deck is that since it's very specific, most cards like Tenacious Dead remain untouched well into the pack. Blood Bairns are also low importance to the other decktypes, and since blue is quite strong in M14, it's likely to be overdrafted, leaving less competition for you and your deck. However, be wary if your black picks dry out. This could likely mean that a player passing to you is in black, especially if it's pack 1 or 3, since you're passing in the same direction. If this does happen, it is imperative to switch decks. This deck type is one of the most narrow decks in this format, and without the right pieces, it can fall apart. A good guideline is that four picks into the second pack, if you don't have at least 2 Blood Bairns and an Act of Treason, it's time to play a more goodstuffy deck. Keep in mind my idea of drafting this deck is but a guideline, and you may still be able to get into the deck late.

Playing this deck

 When playing this deck, it's important to recognize the dead weight even in your own ranks, especially when the game goes late. A Gnawing Zombie can sack your team to win you the game! Especially against blue, Barrage of Expendables can be used to create a 1-for-1 situation with their X/1 fliers, a reasonable threat being Trained Condor. Sacrifice is a mechanic with a great deal of interaction, so it's important to note what you hold in your hand, as well as the on-dying mechanics of your opponents creatures, such as Messenger Drakes, which can generate you card advantage with Act of Treason. In M14, blue and white removal include Pacifism and Claustrophobia. An advantage of playing this deck is the ability to sacrifice the creatures that are frozen with these enchantments, for additional value.

Mulliganing and your opening hand

A good hand consists of about three lands, a sack outlet or general goodstuff in black or red, such as burn spells. Be wary of hands where none of the cards are easily castable, or are low in mana. Mana is quite the requirement in this deck, especially with cards such as Barrage of Expendables or Gnawing Zombie. You ideally want 5 mana by turn 5, while playing out your pieces. This isn't very readily available information in your opening hand, and Lady Luck may yet choose not to smile upon you. A good yardstick is about three land, as I've mentioned earlier.

This deck can be a lot of fun and rather frustrating for your opponent to play against, and I hope this article helped. Good luck with it, and above all, have fun!

Cheers,

Brick

Introducing M14 Draft

 Hey all, I'm Brick and I moderate at Cockatrice, and I want to help new players as well as seasoned, battle-scarred veterans play limited as best I can. I hope you enjoy it!

  Now, M14 draft is a rather engaging limited environment, with a lot of fun two card synergies and even decks built around them. This draft format is primarily a midrange deal, and you can expect games to end within 8~10 turns, if the boardstates don't clog up. By which I mean that the battlefield isn't choked with creatures and both players reaching an impasse, and without a potentially game-changing topdeck, the game isn't going to swing either way. Now, another rather important fact about M14 is that the rare cards are not always higher in card quality than the uncommons or occasionally the commons, even more so than earlier formats. Don't hesitate to pick up the uncommons just because there's a foil Windreader Sphinx in the pack!

   I've classified M14 draft archetypes by the premier common or uncommon played heavily in those decks, and I'll discuss those in later posts.


Cheers,
Brick