EPTI didn't realize my "Save drafts" option in MTGO was unchecked suddenly, so unfortunately I lost that information. It's now checked, so next time it'll be available. Here's the final deck (btw is there a way to make the images resize automatically here, or make it so you can click to expand it or something?):
![[image loading]](http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/2014_10_12_sultai_fly_zps60c28ffe.png)
(or here: http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/2014_10_12_sultai_fly_zps60c28ffe.png )
My playable sideboard was a Naturalize, Taigem's Scheming (crappy delve enabler - deck manipulator IMO), and Scaldkin.
I'll go through what I remember from the draft anyways:
I P1P1 picked Ghostfire blade. I wanted to try it out and had heard good things of it. I then pulled out a Riverwheel Aerialists and Debilitating Injury and eventually found blue to be wide open (as you'll see in the deck, I got some disgustingly good blue cards). I don't remember the pick order for much of the rest - just went Sultai (though no delve outside of Treasure Cruise), and ended up heavy blue which helped out a lot for Thousand Winds (3rd pack pick 1) and the like.
I was pretty happy with my deck and expected a 2-1. I decided 17 lands and a banner here since my curve was relatively low, I didn't have a better 23rd card than the banner IMO and it can be cycled if needed. I used to be very against banners since they're clunky and a 3 drop where I want to play a morph, but after listening to pros, I decided it might be okay in some decks. You play it later in the game (past turn 3 hopefully) and can later cycle it for another card (unlike what I can do with an 18th land). I also have plenty of draw and loot spells to manipulate my deck further. I was a little light on removal, and I wish I had better cards in my 2nd/3rd colors, so I'm sure I could have chosen better somewhere down the lines. Wish I had the draft record for this one to analyze.
Round 1
In game 1, his first plays were Kill shot and Smite the Monstrous. On my 4th turn played the Mistweaver as a morph despite having mana to hard cast in hopes of trumping another removal. Never happened... just won from playing more stuff than him. Was very confused with what he could possibly be running.
Game two was just 2 drop (yay stupid 2/1 elk) into back to back Jeskai Windscouts and attack to the end. His deck eventually turned out to be a bad abzan deck.
Easy match, so 1st round win.
Round 2
Game 1 I ran into an End Hostilities and made note of that to not overcommit. I still won Game 1 anyways. Simple game - play creatures with mana available and turn sideways and win. Bounce or tap (Singing Bell Strike) any threat while I had a better board presence.
Game 2 I lost. I think I misplayed when to flip my Thousand Winds - he had two tapped creatures (Ainok Bond-kin and Disowned Ancestor) and I used it then just because I had the mana and it would bounce two creatures with counters. Maybe should have waited further? He just had more threats than me on board and surprised me with an Empty The Pits for an additional 3 zombie tokens in the late game. NEVER thought I'd see someone play that card. Made note of it. 4 black in a 3-colored deck... crazy.
Game 3 made me happy for first-picking Ghostfire Blade. Turn 2 Temur Charger, Turn 3 morph Mystic Way, Turn 4 unmorph Mystic and play Ghostfire Blade. Turn 5 equip Ghostfire to Mystic and attack to the end. I had a Disdainful Stroke in hand I made sure to always keep mana up for and deployed threats as usual otherwise. On his turn 7 he tried to End Hostilities my only creature - the Mystic with the Ghostfire and I countered it. He insta-conceeded.
His deck was a mediocre abzan deck with a really unusual Empty The Pits? I guess he expected games to go long and had plenty of black? Just really odd. Anyways, hooray 2nd round win and I'm in finals.
Round 3
Game 1 he played Icefeather Aven on turn two, but I wasn't too worried I had Jeskai windscout to play next turn. Then he Debilitating Injuried it immediately the following turn, so I took note of Debilitating Injury being in there. I took a minute to decide what to do against Rakshasha's Secret. See the picture below for the game state and my hand:
![[image loading]](http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whattodiscard1_zps86c84af3.png)
(or here: http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whattodiscard1_zps86c84af3.png )
I ended up choosing to ditch my lands. Riverwheel is too good, and Treasure cruise will give me the card advantage to equalize the scenario and pitching two cards to my grave makes it easier to cast. I knew I was in trouble at this point as I was looking forward to playing Riverwheel right on time on turn 6 and that became questionable now. Would anyone have played this differently here?
Soon after he played Sultai Scavenger and I had no way to stop the flyers and didn't draw the lands for Riverwheel to stabilize. His only removal/bounce all game was the one Debilitating Injury so I thought he might be light on removal at this point.
Game 2
Game started off well with trading my Jeskai Windscout for his Icefeather Aven, and then deploying another Windscout right after. Then had fatty Glacial Stalker morph soon after, with Force Away, Disdainful Stroke, and Treasure Cruise in hand. I really don't like a play I did on turn 8 - he casts Set Adrift tarketing my Glacial Stalker, and I COUNTER it?? What the hell was I thinking? I think I was just tired - it was nearly 3am at this point. I could have bounced my creature, or just let it happen and play him out next turn without much worry. This was a bad play. Then on the same turn I do another questionable play, See pictures below:
What the hell was I thinking #1
![[image loading]](http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whycounterthis1_zpsaa4406f9.png)
(or here: http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whycounterthis1_zpsaa4406f9.png )
What the hell was I thinking #2
![[image loading]](http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whyforceawaynow1_zpsfe3fa7a7.png)
(or here: http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/whyforceawaynow1_zpsfe3fa7a7.png )
I didn't need to preserve my health, and I kept forgetting about my Prowess ability on my flyer. This was totally unnecessary. I think I should have just let the turn go, then bounced on my following turn to get in the damage with the prowess trigger.
Soon after I make another questionable play followed by a blunder. I cast Mistweaver as a morph to possibly make use of the Hexproof (though he already used 2 debilitating injuries and I hadn't seen any other removal in his deck) and to block his 1/2 prowess. It was a totally unnecessary risky play. Maybe the morph was fine, but don't block the 1/2 with it. Best case I prevent 1 damage, worst case I lose my creature to the prowess trigger. Then after combat, I do the blunder of unmorphing it forgetting it still has 1 damage taken - so the 3/1 dies immediately upon unmorphing. See my shameful picture below:
Shame on me:
![[image loading]](http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/stupidunmorph1_zps4b901d1a.png)
(or here: http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/escapeplan9/MTG/stupidunmorph1_zps4b901d1a.png )
Despite all these misplays, I was far enough ahead I still barely won. I feel like I deserved to the lose the game. So... onto the final game!
Game 3
I could have morphed either Sagu Archer or Abomination of Gudul on turn 3. I figured he's going to Debilitating Injury my morph if he has it and hope he went for it, so threw down the Archer first. Luck has it, he killed my archer. Turn 4 I threw down Abomonination morph knowing I was relatively safe and I had the 5th land in hand to unmorph him next turn. I made a bone-headed play later to double block with my Embodiment of Spring and Temur Charger against his morph with all his mana open. What the hell was I thinking? It was like 3am and I was tired I guess. What a waste.
My Abomination was the only thing keeping me in the game. I already used a Disdainful Stroke to counter his Riverwheel Aerialists, but I still had a Force Away in hand. On one turn I could have morphed a creature, but instead hard-cast it not allowing me mana for a Force Away. He savage punched my Abomination and that ended all hopes of me coming away with a 3-0 here. I had 1 out, Thousand Winds, but didn't get it.
Ended up 2-1 without any cards worth tix to sell off.
Lessons Learned / Level Ups / Etc
* I need to stop playing when I know I'll get tired. I couldn't sleep last night for some reason, but I know these drafts eat up 3 hours easily, so made some bone-headed mistakes partially from being tired.
* I've gotten a lot better at memorizing important plays my opponents make and sideboarding appropriately. Unfortunately, my sideboarding options weren't very good here. Still, remembering about the End Hostilities and the only removal being Debilitating Injury helped out in two rounds.
* Ghostfire Blade is first-pick material. It's very versatile, doesn't commit you to anything, and pretty much no one will run a "destroy artifact" of any sort, or even consider sideboarding it in this format. There's so few artifact/enchantment cards worth killing. I would have definitely had a "shatter-pause" if someone destroyed my artifact with a "destroy/exile artifact/enchantment" spell. Tossing him on the unblockable Mystic was SUCH a quick beating. I used to always pass that card early in the pack, but now Ghostfire Blade has jumped up quite a bit in my evaluation.
* Icefeather Aven continues to get higher and higher on my pick list. Another versatile card - an early beater or the potential for a blowout with the morph effect.
* I am still scared shitless when someone starts delving and I have creatures in play. I'm praying every time "Don't be Dead Drop, please don't be Dead Drop". Thankfully I didn't run into it this time around, but man that card is scary and powerful. Goes up a little higher in my card evaluation.
* I need to put an even heavier emphasis on evasion and card advantage in this format. Games very often tend to go long, so cards like Bitter Revelation, Tormenting Voices, Force Away (ferocious), Abomination of Gudul, Treasure Cruise, Weave Fate, etc all are bumped up slightly in my pick order. With regards to evasion, there are a lot of board stalls, so they are more important than ever. The majority of the damage dealt and taken in these games is from evasive creatures.
* Taigem's Scheming I wanted to test out myself for a delve enabling and card manipulation. I really didn't like it. I never thought much of it before and that hasn't changed. Give me Scout the Borders over this any day.
* I need to take more time on important turns. I need to think about what will happen this turn and the next turn by making this play. I need to preserve my counter and bounce spells for when they really matter.
* Riverwheel Aerialists I still consider first-pickable, but 6 drops without morph get awkward. I feel like my evaluation on the card dropped slightly. It's still really good and I would first pick it in many packs though.
