With GP London only 2 weekends away, 13 players arrived at Bazbo to try and grab two byes. My pool had some quality rares, but ultimately I landed in a mediocre green white deck, and missed the top 8 after round 3, as they could lock it up with intentional draws. I thought I would hang around and cover the draft and top 8. I chose to sit behind Adam, who had beaten me in the 3rd round with a red black deck that got to utilize Blazing Hellhound and Priest of the Bloodrite.

You can find all of the top 8 draft decks here.

The Draft

 Adam opens up his pack, and is given a gift in Kytheon’s Irregulars. A fantastic rare, in a good colour, and an easy pick in the pack where nothing else stood out. The second pick is fairly weak, but Adam takes a common that is the best in the pack, Ghirapur Gearcrafter. For me this card is great, and harks back to Sandsteppe Outcast in Fate Reforged, which was good in that format. The 3rd pick is a strange one, as preference takes charge and Adam takes Blazing Hellhound, a multicolored card that is only shared with the Gearcrafter. However this shows that he isn’t married to his first pick, and is trying to find out what is open.

The first notable discussion point to me is in pack 4, as he quickly shuffles a Reave Soul and Cruel Revival to the front of the pack. This one goes right to the wire, and he takes the lower costing spell. After the draft I spoke to him about it, as I would have taken the Cruel Revival, to which he said he wanted the earlier removal.

Pick 5 he stays open to the draft, as he’s not locked into any particular colour, and takes Foundry of the Consuls. With that pick in mind another gold card is taken in Thunderclap Wyvern, and if he plays this colours then his first pick is open to him again. Pick 7 might be my most surprising in the draft in Alhammarret, High Arbiter. Whilst I understand that it is slow, and a heavy commitment to blue, it could possibly be a signal that blue is available to be picked up. The pack rounds out with a Mighty Leap, Mage Ring Bully and Disperse as notable cards.

Pack 2 starts out with a double­faced planeswalker, Nissa, being opened at the table. I missed the rare Adam opened because of this, but Knightly Valor is his pick here. I think he has finally settled into white here, and the next pick is Tragic Arrogance. Whilst not quite a sweeper, it can easily help you stabilize you in a pinch. Topan Freeblade is his pick 3, and the white is now flowing from his left. Chandra’s Ignition is a pick 4 gift, and Adam takes this.

This card can be a blowout when in a stalled board state provided that the creature you target has higher power than your opponents highest toughness. The second interesting pick comes between a Consul’s Lieutenant and Knight of the Pilgrim’s Road. In a vacuum, and played on the first turn you can cast them, then I think that the Lieutenant is a better card, due to the first strike, but Adam took the Knight here. After talking to him about this pick, we both agreed that the double white casting cost can be tricky for turn 2, and 3 power is more important if you can’t play the card on curve. A 9th pick Akroan Sergeant is a great pick up, and the remainder of the pack is filler.

The first 4 picks in pack 3 are all solid red cards in Ravaging Blaze, Fiery Impulse and 2 more Akroan Sergeant, and Enshrouding Mist is his fifth pick which is a great combat trick. I thought the packs had dried up with a Smash to Smithereens, but 7th and 8th Boggart Brutes are great rewards and the 10th pick Charging Griffin would also make his deck. The last card to make Adam’s deck is Fiery Conclusion. Now onto the games.

Quarter Final ­ 1st plays 8th

Steve vs Adam

Steve finishes top of Standings and therefore gets the choice of playing or drawing. Chatting to both guys before Steve he gives himself a solid C+ and Adam a B­. This could be a tight one, and we also know that Steve was the player lucky enough to open Nissa.

Game 1

Steve takes the play and mulligans down to 6 whilst Adam stays on his 7. Steve leads with Leaf gilder and starts early beats, following up with Cleric of the Forward Order to gain 2. Adam follows up with Akroan Sergeant, effectively blanking Steve’s attacks.

A turn 4 Knightly Valor onto the Cleric of the Forward Order, has Adam taking the damage, but he follows up with Enlightened Ascetic, destroying the Knightly Valor, to once again lock up the board. Consul’s Lieutenant on turn 5 is a little below the curve, and Steve passes the turn. Chief of the Foundry is Adam’s follow up, and passes the turn, with the board locked up.

“Cards in hand” from Steve, 5 being the Answer. Valeron Wardens hit the board for Steve, and if he can find a way to get either it or the Lieutenant through, then he may be able to pull ahead with card advantage.

Boggart Brute hits the table for Adam, and this game is well locked up. Nissa’s pilgrimage  puts Steve to his 6th and 7th lands. Assuming Nissa made it into his deck, then she will be flipping over to the planeswalker side relatively easily.

Adam returns the “Cards in Hand question” and Steve is down to 2, one of which is a forest. Chandra’s Ignition onto the Boggart Brute, wipes the board, and Adam starts chipping away.

Topan freeblade, and Knight of the pilgrim’s road increases Adam’s board presence against Steve’s Bonded Construct, but Steve plays Nissa onto the board. ­2 on the planeswalker brings a timely 4/4, and Steve passes the turn.

Adam swings with the team, the Brute at Nissa, and the two renown creatures at Steve. The 4/4 blocks the freeblade, and the construct at the knight. Ravaging Blaze takes out the 4/4 Nissa dies and after the dust has settled the board Boggart Brute and Topan Freeblade.

Steve plays a land, and at the end of turn, with Steve on 8 Adam makes 2 1/1 thopters with Foundry of the Consuls, causing them to move onto game 2.

Steve 0 ­ Adam 1

Between shuffling up into game 2 they discuss how viable Enlightened Ascetic actually is, and Adam admits it was a timely top deck for his 23rd card.

Game 2

Both players keep their 7, and the first play is Steve increasing his life total to 22 with Cleric, to which Adam follows up with Topan Freeblade. Citadel Castellan is Steve’s turn 3 play, and Adam tries to match with Boggart Brute. “Here comes the board clog” Adam says, but Steve cracks in with his gold card, and Adam double blocks. Steve kills the brute, and follow up with Pharika’s Disciple. Adam tries to keep pace with Akroan Sargent, and Steve plays Nissa’s Pilgrimage and passes the turn.

A second Sargent appears, but Steve finds his 7th land as he plays Nissa, followed by the land to flip her. The 4/4 makes it onto the board, and Steve once again passes with no attacks.

Adam goes into thought after playing Foundry of the Consuls, and then Mighty Leaps his Topan Freeblade to take out the Nissa, Steve taps one of the Akroan Sergeant with Heavy Infantry, and cracks in with the 2/3 deathtouch. Adam not wanting to lose one of the Sergeants, takes the damage and this makes the 2/3, a 3/4, due to triggering the renown. Steve’s following turn he cracks in with the deathtouch. With both Sergeants untapped, they are used to double block, and the first strike takes down the Disciple. Activating Foundry of the Consul’s at the end of Steve’s turn,  Adam has decided it is time to start chipping away with 1/1 flyers.

Both players are casting creatures to the board, but the ground is clogged up. Steve finds an Angel’s Tomb, but with it unable to be activated in his opponent’s turn, quickly has taken 10 and Adam increases his air presence, making a 3rd thopter with Ghirapur Gearcrafter.

Fiery conclusion takes out Ashaya, the 4/4 from Nissa, and Adam is in for 3, taking Steve to 9. 7 Mana, Steve casts a Mage Ring Responder, yet Adam has an answer yet again with Ravaging Blaze. Steve bemoans seeing 15 lands, and Adam takes the match.

Steve 0 ­ Adam 2.

Semi ­ Final ­ Mat (5th) ­ Adam (8th)

Game 1

Mat on the play keeps his opening 7 and Adam drops down to 6. Mat’s turn 2 Elvish Visionary is pumped by a Yeva’s Forcemage and gets in for 3, as Adam did not have a turn 2 play. His first creature is a Chief of the Foundry, but Mat keeps hitting curve and plays a Pharika’s Disciple.

Adam misses his 4th land, but is still able to add to his side of the board with Knight of the Pilgrim’s Road, which trades with the Pharika’s Disciple on Mat’s next turn, but makes a swift return after a follow up Necromantic Summons.

The next time the Pharika’s Disciple attacks, it trades with Adam’s turn 5 Boggart Brute, but is replaced on turn 6 with a second one, and the 4th land. A Nantuko Husk from Mat is the lone attacker, but he has 3 available creatures to sacrifice, so no blocks are declared. Mat plays a Returned Centaur, and targets Adam, which puts Ghirapur Gearcrafter, Fiery Impulse, Foundry of the Consul’s and a Plains.

Adam has no follow up play, and on Mat’s next turn plays a Leaf Gilder, and once again attack Nantuko Husk. Adam finally finds a fifth land which results in a huge swing as he casts Tragic Arrogance. Adam is able to keep two of his own creatures in Boggart Brute and Chief of the Foundry, and chooses to leave Mat with the Elvish Visionary.

If that wasn’t enough, on his following turn, Adam enchants the Boggart Brute with Knightly Valor, cast’s mighty leap on the Chief of the Foundry, and attacks to take the first game.

Mat 0 ­ Adam 1.

Game 2

Both players keep their 7, and Mat is quickly out of the gates with a Bonded Construct and Timberpack Wolves. Adam plays an Enlightened Ascetic as a blocker, but Mat clears a path using Eyeblight Assassin and attacks for 4. Once again, Akroan Sergeant proves an effective blocker, and Mat plays an Undead Servant and passes the turn. Charging Griffin is in play for Adam, and on Mat’s turn he once again goes on the offensive by attacking with his entire team. Akroan Sergeant blocks the Timperpack Wolf, but +4/+4 from Might of the Masses, still leaves Mat with a healthy board, and the resulting damage from an attack on the Mat’s turn puts Adam to 3. Adam draws his card and attacks with the Charging Griffin for 3 damage. He plays his second mountain, giving him the 2nd red mana he needed to cast Chandra’s Ignition, and in similar fashion to the 1st game, leaves Mat with no board, and Adam is able to start attacking Mat’s life down. Unfortunately Mat was never able to find his 5th land, and kept drawing expensive cards, leaving Adam to take the match.

A tale of two powerful cards.

Mat 0 ­ Adam 2.

The final would have been Ceejay against Adam, but as Ceejay already has byes for London, he graciously scooped.

Congratulations to Adam on his 2 byes.

A little different this week, but next week I’ll be using a pack Adam opened to discuss a Pick from the Pack.

You can find me on twitter at @TrollTraderAdam

Until next time; draft.