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Mar 12, 2012 -- 9:50AM, Falcon_Uk wrote:

My honest impression is that you ended up with a nice deck but got very lucky.

P1p3 - Crown of Empires is colourless control/quasi removal that will fit in any deck.  Taking the Pegasus here is a real gamble because although the Pegasus is good, you are already commiting to a second colour when the Crown (and Fireslinger) kept it more open. 

P1p4 - Even with the Pegasus this is a risky pick.  Armored Warhorse is a strong card but very colour intensive.  Given that you are alsmost certainly going to be playing Red, you have now nailed your colours as RW by P1p4, which is very early. 

Also, what was the thinking behind Cudgel Troll P2p3?  You clearly aren't going to play it and while hate picking is fine for a bomb or in later picks a wasted P2p3 seems a bit odd.

P2p4 - Circle of Flame is really not very good and can normally be picked up on the wheel much later.

As it happens, you ended up opening the Titan in Pack 2, which secured your deck for you but if you had been RW and opened, say, a Grave Titan (or other non RW bomb) I think you would have been in trouble.  As I said, I like your deck but think you made a few strange (and risky) picks.

P1p3 - I considered the Crown of Empires , but I thought it was a little mana intensitve to pay to tap a creature every turn.  I considered Goblin Fireslinger and going into black for Sorin's Thirst .  I thought the Stormfront Pegasus was a better creature, and the would make it an easier fit as a secondary color into a deck.

P1p4 - I was thinking I need to try to commit to both colors within the first pack.  When is the best time to choose your second color?  My thoughts behind this card was Fling and Slaughter Cry were mediocre cards.  I had already picked white, and thought I could make this my second color.  I was seeing some good white come around, and I know that white is usually not drafted as often as the other colors.  Armored Warhorse was the only option if I wanted to stay with white as Auramancer isn't that good of a card unless you are playing enchantments, something I want to stay away from when I can.

P2p2 - I should mention I debated between Chandra's Phoenix and Gorehorn Minotaurs .  I ultimately picked the Phoenix for it's evasion and recursion, as I consider this a much better option than a probably 5/5 ground pounder.

P2p3 - This was definitely a hate pick.  With white and red being my colors, the 5 options were average picks.  All I would most likely see again as a late pick, either this pack or the next.  I consider Cudgel Troll a big threat to this deck, since it is a quick large bodied creature and hard to kill.

P2p4 - I choose Circle of Flame , was the best option for in color choices.  I did strongly consider Thran Golem , but didn't think it would make the deck, even as a sideboard.  I didn't feel the Golem is very strong in limited, as you have helped me realize from past simulators.  White had Mesa Enchantress , very weak for limited.  Other options for red being Firebreathing and Goblin Tunneler .  Firebreathing isn't very good, and won't be played.  The Tunneler is ok, but I already had one and nothing to use it on yet.  I also thought I would most likely get more chances to pick a Tunneler later, but didn't think that would happen with the Circle.  It was a sideboard card, but may be very useful in certain matchups.

Mar 12, 2012 -- 9:09AM, BlackFro wrote:

Ok, I don't normally do this, but I actually went a solid color.  Pack 1 was hard, not because Fireball isn't a strong card, but it was real tempting to go Belltower Sphinx and then when I saw a 2nd one later in pack 1, I was really wondering what that draft would be.  Then the came along Sun Titan and I was totally not going white, but he almost makes you want to make white be your 2nd color just for him.  Also was wondering if you can sac Chandra's Phoenix to Fling and have that kick off his special ability and bring him back to your hand.  Just a thought.

3 Fiery Hellhound with 3 Goblin Tunneler makes a nasty combo.  I threw in Slaughter Cry figuring I have a bunch of weenies, but giving them +2/+0 and first strike would help them push through early blocks.

It's always fun to go mono color in a draft if you can.  White was a tough color in this draft.  I started as RW, but ended up being more Rw (light on the white).

To answer your question, yes sacing Chandra's Phoenix to Fling will bring the Phoenix back to your hand.  Sac is part of the cost of Fling , so when Fling deals its damage to your opponent, Phoenix will already be in the graveyard activating its ability.  That is a decent combo.  Fiery Hellhound with Goblin Tunneler is a great combo.  Late in the game, use these two together and leave open with a Fling in your hand to deal twice as much as Hellhound's power to your opponent.  That should end the game.

Mar 12, 2012 -- 9:50AM, Falcon_Uk wrote:

P1p3 - Crown of Empires is colourless control/quasi removal that will fit in any deck.  Taking the Pegasus here is a real gamble because although the Pegasus is good, you are already commiting to a second colour when the Crown (and Fireslinger) kept it more open.

I think you are drastically overvaluing the Crown; its a colorless doom blade that requires you to triple stone rain yourself, in a format where all the guys are more or less identical aggressive beaters. In a slower format it might be a higher pick, but in M12, it was barely worth playing. I'd rather just grab some more beaters. For the pick where you chose a crown, I think a Fireslinger is a signifigantly better choice. Its red's premier enabler in M12, which you are already interested in having grabbed Fireball and Blood Ogre, and it sets you up to be much more aggressive (ie, better as far as M12 is concerned). If you absolutely must have removal for that pick, Sorin's Thirst is a better choice, and leads you nicely towards aggressive red/black.

Ended up R/B.  P1p1 was really quite easy for me.  Considered going U/B/r early in the draft with the belltower, but didn't see anything worth taking over the rest of the red I was finding and splashing U for a lonely 2 power sphinx isn't worth it.

Oh yes, you had better believe I am going to redraft mill just for kicks when I'm done here.

Round 1:
Fireball   It's Fireball.  It wins games.  End of discussion.
Blood Ogre With or without bloodthirst this is a decent creature.
Sorin's Thirst Hellooooo removal.
Wring Flesh more removal.  Could have taken the blood seeker here though.
Belltower Sphinx Passed one already maybe blue?
Lava Axe fireball backup.
Disentomb not much else here.  This can get back a bomb later.
Reassembling Skeleton hindsight being 20/20 I should have taken the arsonist, but this guy is annoying.  I never did remember to take a sac outlet for these guys.
Distress why not.
Smallpox sure.
Smallpox sure. (probably won't end up playing both)
Blood Seeker I just realized I really need creatures...XD
Dark Favor whatevs.
Forest whatevs.
Mountain whatevs.


Round 2:
Sun Titan HHHHAAAATTTEEEEE PIIIIICCCCKKKK!!!
Chandra's Phoenix   Ooh.  Me likey. (natch...there's a devouring swarm in here for use with my skeleton...too bad the phoenix is here too.  no contest).
Reassembling Skeleton should have taken arsonist again...but I was dead set on trying to abuse this.  Of course if I'd known I'd pick up so many Fiery Hellhound s later, i'd have snapped up the goblin tunneler. XD
Thran Golem   It was this or the tunneler.
Fiery Hellhound meh.
Tormented Soul no goblins for the grenade, so this.
Child of Night sure.
Ice Cage splash blue?  I don't care for brink of disaster anyway.  but maybe I'm undervaluing it in limited.
Fiery Hellhound more doggies.
Ponder whatevs.
Ice Cage whatevs.
Firebreathing whatevs. (it can go on my golem in a pinch)
Firebreathing whatevs.
Naturalize whatevs.
Mountain whatevs.


Round 3:
Doom Blade I'm not going to be able to turn on bloodthirst reliably enough to make the Vampire outcasts worth it.  Doom blade certainly isn't a bad choice on it's own though.
Volcanic Dragon I soooooo needed this.
Chandra's Outrage burn baby burn.  geh...there's another devouring swarm here.  Still wouldn't take it over the burn though.  tough luck.
Child of Night not bad.
Sorin's Thirst sweet.
Goblin Arsonist had I been thinking of my fiery hellhounds I think I would have taken the tunneler here.
Blood Seeker cool.
Blood Seeker cool.
Fiery Hellhound sure.
Sacred Wolf whatevs.
Levitation whatevs.
Redirect whatevs.
Firebreathing whatevs.
Reclaim whatevs.
Island whatevs.

Creatures (15)
1 x Goblin Arsonist
1 x Tormented Soul
2 x Child of Night
2 x Reassembling Skeleton
3 x Blood Seeker
1 x Blood Ogre
1 x Chandra's Phoenix
3 x Fiery Hellhound
1 x Volcanic Dragon


Non-Creatures (8)
1 x Fireball
2 x Sorin's Thirst
2 x Smallpox Oh wait....the reassembling skeletons are phenomenal with these!  sweet, I did get some synergy.
1 x Doom Blade
1 x Chandra's Outrage
1 x Lava Axe


Yes, I'm leaving the thran golem out.  I have lots of creature enchantments but sooooo much more better removal, so the robot goes.

Lands (17)
8 x Swamp
9 x Mountain


Creatures
1-2
2-4
3-8
4-0
5-0
6-1

Non-Creatures
1-0
2-6
3-0
4-1
5-1
6-0

Total
1-2
2-10
3-8
4-1
5-1
6-1

Talk about a low curve, but boy is it color intensive.  I don't know how I feel about this, but it's decent.

And here's the mill deck:
: Mill Show

Mar 12, 2012 -- 4:09PM, Flyheight wrote:

And here's the mill deck:

Check out P3p9:  There's still a Carnage Wurm here??  Is noone going green??! *checks other drafters' colors* no....there are 2 green drafters.  WHY IS THIS STILL HERE??!

Creatures (6)
2 x Merfolk Looter
2 x Merfolk Mesmerist
2 x Belltower Sphinx

Non-Creatures (17)
2 x Ponder
1 x Unsummon
1 x Redirect
2 x Ice Cage
4 x Jace's Erasure
2 x Mana Leak
2 x Smallpox
1 x Crown of Empires
1 x Kite Shield
1 x Divination


Lands
7 x Swamp
10 x Island


Good crap my curve is low.  Then again I need the mana so I can cast spells and hold up countermagic so I think my land count is good.
Is this likely to win?  Probably not.  Will it be funny?  Oh yes.

You are right, probably won't win much, but would be sooo much fun to play.  I would definitely play this in a friendly/non-tournament draft.  You forgot to include the Drowned Catacomb .  It is a sweet 9th pick.