Every time I try to get last-minute cube drafting in before they turn it off, I always end up having connection or client issues and typically get reimbursed for it--Wizards is amazing for customer service, to compensate for the lackluster software design. I suppose it's a good thing, but it's also kind of stressful. To wit:
Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
This was a tough pick--I was hovering over the Basalt Monolith until the last second. I now think that Monolith is the pick, but Treachery is pretty great and I'm sure it's not a huge difference. In an ironic twist, it didn't matter whatsoever--while Treachery is indeed highlighted in the draft recorder, the uninspiring Steam Vents ended up in my draft pool and in the final deck. In a way, it's almost a relief as I didn't feel like playing heavy blue twice in a row.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
Obviously if I had taken Monolith, then Balance would be the pick here. With Treachery this would likely remain the same pick..
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
Another odd pick--really didn't know what to make of this pack, and decided to take Sorin because he's cool, and I would just see how things developed. With my first pick botched I had a detached view of things..
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Hero's Downfall and Elspeth were tempting here, but here is a fine example of getting a sense of where the draft is going. Nowadays thinking about signals "too much" is discouraged, and the LSV-school of 'take the best card' presides in the discourse. It's true that it was overvalued in the past, but the famed Jon Finkel is so legendary at draft because he had an uncanny sense of where the draft is going from just what was being passed--not so much specific signals from him but what was in the packs and what would come back around to him. It's something I always try to imitate and something I seldom see modern pro players talk about when discussing draft.
It was only the 5th pick here, but from the tendency of the other drafts I saw and the abundant only-average white aggro cards I saw, I could see the winds were blowing me towards "white weenie." It's a mediocre deck and I've often lost with it in cube, but I'm a believer in good positioning in draft. I especially hate how in it splashes red by default in cube, so I was really hoping to fit Sorin in there.
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Such a great, underrated card--and I was going to avoid Figure of Destiny for the above reason.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
With the Batterskull and Sorin I was hoping for a more midrange type of white deck, I'd prefer not to rely on 2/1s to win.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
Looks I was right about white being open...
Pack 1 pick 9:
My Pick:
This was painful--Flagstones is so great with 'Geddon and it was my last chance for it. I ended up too aggressive for the Fetters, so this may be an incorrect pick.
Pack 1 pick 10:
My Pick:
When in doubt, go for the lower mana cost, I say.
Pack 1 pick 11:
My Pick:
One of the red-white duals is probably correct here, but again I was stubbornly avoiding that.
Pack 1 pick 12:
My Pick:
0-o
Pack 1 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 15:
My Pick:
Yep, you can see where this is going...
Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
--BREAK--
This is where I got disconnected--my wi-fi card is just really shit, I think. I can't figure out, I have an amazing internet connection, but if I don't have ethernet plugged in, it occasionally bugs out.
What's great about this, thought, is that as far as I can tell, I missed only two picks (lucky) and they weren't that bad. Swords to Plowshares and Heliod--both on-color! Of course, who knows what I passed..
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 6:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 7:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 8:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 10:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 11:
My Pick:
Calciderm always seemed mediocre to me, and my 4-drop slot was super full at this point.
Pack 2 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 15:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Given the table's total dismissal of white as a color, perhaps Mizzium Mortars should have been my pick here?
Pack 3 pick 2:
My Pick:
My desire not to draft white-red is matched only by my respect for Ajani Vengeant, probably the strongest planeswalker in any cube. So screw it, here we go again.
Pack 3 pick 3:
My Pick:
That does't mean I'll take red-white fixing over O-Ring.
Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 6:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 7:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 8:
My Pick:
Hesitated here, but I didn't see Mindcensor being THAT great, whereas Purge is an amazingly efficient sideboard card.
Pack 3 pick 9:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 10:
My Pick:
Really wanted this to be good...
Pack 3 pick 11:
My Pick:
Look at how open the archetype is by the end of the third pack! Can't say I'm in the wrong colors..however I do wonder if the Wear/Tear is better than a fixer in this case. My red was such a light splash, and I didn't have a dual to fetch. One thing's for sure, I understimated the value of disenchant effects in this draft. I lost to Necropotence and Bitterblossom, amongst other things...
Pack 3 pick 12:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 13:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 14:
My Pick:
Pack 3 pick 15:
My Pick:
Given how many picks I straight up missed, it went pretty incredibly well, right? Here's the deck:
I managed to win 2 out of 3 rounds [2-1], but it definitely seemed like my last round opponent wasn't trying very hard. Maybe the fact that it was the last Cube for awhile had gotten him down? Game 1 he destroyed me with Lifebane Zombie, Necropotence, Bitterblossom, tons of removal, and lots of lifegain, but the next two games he barely played any spells.
So there you have it. Last Magic Online Cube for a long time, it's so bittersweet.
This draft converter created by Benjamin Peebles-Mundy.
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Deck visualizer from deckstats.net
This draft converter created by Benjamin Peebles-Mundy.
Visit the draft converter today!
Deck visualizer from deckstats.net
