MTG: Playing Limited- Making Picks

[Sergay Wang]

Basically, I decided to make a thread to understand how the MTG players here think.

To do so, I decided that limited was a very good way of understanding how people make decks, play cards, and decide what is good or bad. While limited can very often be vastly different from a constructed deck, it does work to see how people percieve what someone thinks is better then something else.

Anyway, this is how it will work. I will name 15 card: 1 Rare, 3 Uncommon, 11 Common- just like a real pack. Then I want some people to list how they'd likely pick cards. 1 being the card you'd most likely take, 2 being your second most likely, through to 15, which is the card you won't take unless its the last card passed to you.

These will only be the card you take in your first pack of the draft. Perhaps if enough people get involved, I'll change it a bit, like giginv you your first 15 picks and start on pack two. But for now, we'll just start at pack one, pick one.

And now, on to the pack (in no specific order):

Mindleech Mass
Oathsworn Giant
Skyknight Legionnaire
Carven Caryatid
Brainspoil
Vedalken Dismisser
Leave no Trace
Galvanic Arc
Golgari Brownscale
Shambling Shell
Boros Signet
Clinging Darkness
Dizzy Spell
Centaur Safeguard
Smash

 

[chaoslord]

This is actually a pretty hard pack. The top 3 are fairly close, and could go any way. That being said, just looking at this:

1. Skynight Legionnaire
Boros can be godly in ravnica. Looking at this, you could possibly expect at least one more Boros card making it around. I've gotta go with this first.

2. Galvanic Arc
This is a close second, as any removal is good removal in limited. This almost is worth first, but just doesn't really make it. It's also a common, and probably will be opened more because of that.

3. Oathsworn Giant
This card doesn't require you running boros, and is a nice creature. Definately top three for this pack.

4. Carven Caryatid
I know, I know, it's a defender, but face it, it draws you a card for 3 mana and gives you a long lasting chump blocker. Theres not a lot early game that will deal five damage.

5. Brainspoil
Its removal, + transmutes.

6. Boros Signet
Normally, I'd rank this a bit higher, but I just can't justify it here. I mean, I know it's probably top 5, but since this is really looking at it first pick, it loses some of its spots.

7. Smash
It kills artifacts, and while theres not many awesome artifacts in this set, destroying an opposing a signet can be good tempo.

8. Shambling Shell
This is actually a pretty good card.

9. Leave no trace
Can get rid of opposing enchantments in big numbers.

10. Mindleech Mass
This isn't such a bad card, but, in this pack, its not great either.

11. Vedalken Dismisser
Expensive, but hey, it bounces. And is better than anything else left at this point.

12. Golgari Brownscale
Well, for the same 3 mana as the Carven Caryatid, you get a 2/3 that recurs. No thank you.

13. Clinging Darkness
This is longer lasting and better than Dizzy Spell.

14. Dizzy Spell
Mini fog? I don't know how to justify this card, other than its transmute.

15. Centaur Safeguard
Infinite Damage > Infinite life. That being said, a 3/1 for 3 sucks.

Anyways, thats bout how I'd draft the pack, assuming it was first picks. If I were deep into colors, that could change what I'd draft when.

 

[Shadow Trainer]

1. Galvanic Arc
2. Skyknight Legionnaire
3. Brainspoil
4. Shambling Shell
5. Clinging Darkness
6. Carven Caryatid
7. Oathsworn Giant
8. Vedalken Dismisser
9. Mindleech Mass
10. Golgari Brownscale
11. Leave No Trace
12. Boros Signet
13. Dizzy Spell
14. Centaur Safeguard
15. Smash

I agree with chaoslord that this was a hard pack.

 

[klducks]

1*) Mindleech Mass
Being the rare drafter that I am, I'd first pick Mindleech Mass.

1) Galvanic Arc
Removal + Firststrike, love it.

2) Skyshround Legionnaire
I have yet to stumble across this card in drafts. It's a great card, and definately one of the top picks.

3) Oathsworn Giant
Tough pick against the next card

4) Clinging Darkness
Saved me too many times to not be in my top 5.

5) Brainspoil/ Carven Cryatid
Removal vs early defender + draw power. Tough choice.

Anyways, thats bout how I'd draft the pack, assuming it was first picks. If I were deep into colors, that could change what I'd draft when.

I agree. Maybe next time you could give us packs where

a) we already had cards chosen from a previous picks/ pack

b) or there are less cards to choose from so we basically know what our opponent is choosing

I think the picks should be from 2nd pack, otherwise, it'll all be ranking from best card to worst card IMO.

Seems fun.

 

[Sergay Wang]

I said if enough people participated, I'd start doing that. But it's hard because then I'd have to push people into my style of drafting for the first pack, then have people make decisions around that.

Anyway, here's my picks:

1- Mindleech Mass- Yes, it is expensive, but 6 toughness makes it hard to kill. Shy of Brainspoil and Disembowel, there's no single common removal spell that kill it. And 6 power with trampling makes it hard to stop. And then the ability allows stealing your opponents spells for free. It's a high draft pick for me.

2- Oarthsworn Giant- Serra's Blessing and +2 Toughness all creatures on a body. Also, it doesn't push me into a specific guild at the moment. Unless I open something Godly, I don't like pushing myself into a guild in the first pack.

3- Skyknight Legionnaire- A strong 2/2 Flyer. It does push me into Boros guild a bit, and Red is IMO the worst color in Ravnica draft. Only one guild and all it's win conditions run out of steam. But it's still a strong pick and it is splashable.

4- Brainspoil- The style I draft, I tend to take removal ver highly. And Brainspoil is possibly the strongest removal spell in Ravnica draft. Can't be regenerated and can potentially transmute.

5- Galvanic Arc- Has a lot of Combo potential. I don't know how many times I lost to Arc + Flickerform or Arc + Mark of Evocation, but it's often enough. And even without combo power, it's card advantage- 3 damage + enchant creature.

6- Carven Caryatid- I thought I may have had misspelled this... Anyway, it's a 2/5 wall with a free draw. It's not too amazing in my option, but it does stop a lot of 3 and 4 drops.

7- Shambling Shell- People change all their plays when this touches a table. It's very easy to slip up when there's this creature ready to throw itself at a friend and help it grow. And then it Dredges itself back. It's painful.

8- Boros Signet- Mana accel is mana accel.

9- Clinging Darkness- It's pretty weak in terms of removal, but it does stop attacks from many creatures.

10- Golgari Brownscale- Personally I find a 2/3 for 1GG to be fine. And being able to recurr itself makes it quite handy.

11- Centaur Safeguard- Not amazing, but it's easy to cast and easy still decently offensive. While gain life isn't amazing, it can save you in very close matches. In fact, I remember one game where I had to use my own Viashino Fangtail to shoot my own Centaur Safeguard to stay life.

12- Vedelkan Dismisser- 6 mana for a Looming Hoverguard that is smaller and no flying. It's not amazing, but it does give you a 'Time Walk' during certain situations. And when combined with milling, it can be removal.

13- Smash- Signets are popular enough and then there's other artifacts that are worth targetting. That and it's a cantrip.

14- Leave No Trace- It's fairly uncommon to see a lot of Enchantments being played. But if I do see some being passed about, I might take it up earlier.

15- Dizzy Spell- Useless. A turn 1 spell tends to not be so useful on turn 3 or 4. And considering the list of 1 cost spells in Ravnica, there's almost nothing really worth transmuting for.

Anyway, that's the way I see things. Generally I pick in order it: Bombs -> Removal -> Other Stuff.

 

[chaoslord]

Blue is the worst color in Ravnica draft.

fixed.

Strangely, blue has good cards, but not enough overall. I actually think it goes green, white, black, red, blue. Though, the last two can go back and forth, so you do have a valid point.

Also strangely enough, have you ever drafted U/R in Rav-Rav-Rav? From what I've read, it can be insane, since its not a guild, so youll get decent from both colors.

Then again, Boros is insane in draft too. Especially on MODO. Those people suck. I've seen the screenshots of the most insane draft deck ever, EVERY card was red or white. Makes me wish I could play MODO, but I'm poor.

 

[Sergay Wang]

The reason I feel Red is weaker then Blue is because Blue's primary win condition is Vedelkan Entracer, which doesn't lose steam as long as it's alive. Red's main victory condition is beatdown, which does lose steam when there's a stalemate or if your opponent gets bigger creatures to block your guys.

And I have seen Red/Blue aggro. It was strangely strong. Mark of Evocation and Galvanic Arc is an insane combo. And of coarse, with Izzet coming in the next set, the combination fo Red and Blue will be more insane in draft.

I was planning on putting down the next pack, but I don't happen to have an unopened, untampered deck off hand. I'll get it done tomorrow.

 

[klducks]

And I have seen Red/Blue aggro. It was strangely strong. Mark of Evocation and Galvanic Arc is an insane combo. And of coarse, with Izzet coming in the next set, the combination fo Red and Blue will be more insane in draft.

Teh Izzet is the Shizzet for Rhizzit Bizzit.

Insane Scientist like Goblins blowing themselves up. How can you not like the Izzet?

I was planning on putting down the next pack, but I don't happen to have an unopened, untampered deck off hand. I'll get it done tomorrow.

These threads are kind of fun, gives me practice on choosing which cards to draft looking at other peoples picks since I dont draft often.

Maybe you can be make these creative and use the spoiler tag and stuff like the articles on the main page. It seems cool, cant wait for it.