Shards of Alara Draft Critique #1

November 4, 2008

Oblivion RingI found this draft at draftbetter.com. Definitely bookmark that site. It’s got great 8-player draft tournament reports.

For this particular draft, I would’ve drafted this way.

P1P1: Oblivion Ring

One of the best common removal.

P1P2: Jungle Shrine

Uncommon tri-land with one of my colors and there is no bomb in the pack. The draft writer, a Pro Tour player, at Daily MTG says the uncommon tri-lands are top 3 picks. Basically, if the lands were in my colors, I would take them over anything except bombs.

P1P3: Deft Duelist

Necrogenesis is the best card but it’s out of your colors. Hissing Iguanar is not bad but I’ve passed a lot of good red (Soul’s Fire, Vithian Stinger, and Bloodpyre Elemental). I don’t want to fight for red so I take a card that’s insane in exalted.

Also, LSV, the recent Pro Tour winner, said exalted is one of the best archetypes in one of his videos. And in the first US PTQ Kyoto, the winner won by drafting a Bant exalted deck sporting 20 creatures.

Deft Duelist seems amazing in exalted.

P1P4: Sigiled Paladin

Outrider of Jhess is a worse exalted creature. Flyers like Sanctum Gargoyle are good, but I don’t value them as highly because there’s a lot of removal in this format and Branching Bolt is common. Plus, in an exalted deck, I think you take the exalted creature because you need a critical mass of exalted creatures for the deck to be awesome.

P1P5: Angelic Benediction

Excellent in exalted.

P1P6: Waveskimmer Aven

Best exalted creature in the pack.

P1P7: Jungle Weaver

Clarion Ultimatum is too slow for a fast exalted deck. At least Jungle Weaver cycles and blocks flyers.

P1P8: Naya Panorama

Weak pack so I take the land in two of my colors

P1P9: Cylian Elf

Having a lot of two drops is important in an exalted deck

P1P10: Outrider of Jhess

P1P11: Steelclad Serpent

P1P12: Outrider of Jhess

P1P13: Shore Snapper

Hate draft.

P1P14: Island

I want someone to play Shadowfeed :)

P1P15: Forest

P2P1: Rafiq of the Many

Today is my lucky day. If the rare was not in my colors, I’d take Wild Nacatl. One mana for a 2/2 is perfect in a fast beatdown deck.

P2P2: Court Archers

More exalted creatures.

P2P3: Bant Charm

Excellent removal that can also save my creatures from instant removal like Jund Charm.

P2P4: Arcane Sanctum

Tri-land in two of my colors.

P2P5: Naya Battlemage

Tough pick over Resounding Roar but an exalted deck wants a lot of creatures. If you have a lot of creatures, that means you can attack with more with non-exalted guys. This keeps your exalted creatures from dying to Resounding Silence and deathtouch creatures.

Plus, Naya Battlemage can function as removal with her tap ability.

P2P6: Sigil Blessing

Excommunicate is also good in exalted but Sigil Blessing seems more consistent.

P2P7: Dawnray Archer

P2P8: Court Archers

P2P9: Hindering Light

It’s inconsisent but it can be sideboarded in against removal heavy decks.

P2P10: Resounding Wave

I like to have a Naturalize in my sideboard, but I think I can get one in a later pack. Jhessian Lookout is playable, but I try not to play her because she dies to pingers and she doesn’t have exalted.

P2P11: Windwright Mage

Hate draft.

P2P12: Soul’s Might

Hate draft.

P2P13: Jhessian Lookout

P2P14: Lush Growth

P2P15: Mountain

P3P1: Waveskimmer Aven

P3P2: Guardians of Akrasa

P3P3: Akrasan Squire

P3P4: Rhox War Monk

I’d really like to take the Bant Panorama but Rhox War Monk is too strong. Also, I think I can get another fixer in a later pack. If not, I can just play 18 land to have a 7-7-7 mana base.

P3P5: Esper Panorama

There’s my fixer. Now I can play with just 17 land.

P3P6: Elvish Visionary

Believe it or not, this card is good in an exalted deck. You get free card and it oftentimes trades with one of their big guys since you have a lot of exalted creatures. So, it’s a sort of 2-for-1.

P3P7: Excommunicate

P3P8: Sighted-Caste Sorcerer

P3P9: Grixis Battlemage

Hate draft.

P3P10: Tidehollow Sculler

Hate draft.

P3P11: Behemoth’s Herald

Hate draft.

P3P12: Vectis Silencers

P3P13: Sphinx’s Herald

P3P14: Mountain

P3P15: Island

Bant Exalted Beatdown
Creatures (18)
Spells (4)
Lands (18)

Relevant Sideboard Cards

Hindering Light (for removal heavy decks)
Resounding Wave (for devour decks)
Excommunicate (for devour decks)

I decided to go with 18 land to have an 8-7-7 manabase. With 8 sources of white mana, I’ll be able to play Sigiled Paladin sooner. And I have two Panoramas that will help me from getting mana flooded.

With 12 exalted creatures, 18 total creatures, and a really cheap curve, this deck will hit hard and fast.

Posted by Dee | Filed Under Shards of Alara Draft 

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