What's been helping me a lot as of late is to double check what spells my opponent could be representing when they leave mana up. While I know in general what to watch out for, it still helps to make sure I didn't miss anything.
Entry
2 Tix, 1 BNG Booster, 2 THS BoostersRares
Akroan Horse, Pain Seer, Spear of HeliodPrizes/Sold
1 BNG Booster, 1 THS Booster, Mogis, God of Slaugter (2 Tix), Thassa, God of the Sea (6 Tix)Draft
Picks
Final List
Today, I was hoping to be able to go into WB.
I managed to get a few good picks at the first pack in Black but after that it slowed down so I started to pick up the White cards that I could. In pack 2 I got a ton of good picks in my color, getting a Scholar of Athreos that I opened to table. I also took an Akroan Horse as a backup win condition. In pack 3, I took some fliers to give me another win condition.
I took a 7th pick Lighting strike partially as a hate-draft, and also partially in the very off chance I would be able to splash it. Looking back on it, I would have been better off taking the Last Breath instead, but I don't think it would have affected my games very much.
Final Decklist
I was pretty happy with how this deck turned out. The strategy was to stall in the ground with lots of defensive creatures. I would then either deal all my damage with fliers, or use Scholar of Athreos and Servant of Tymaret to leech life. Finally I could use Akroan Horse and swarm my enemy with tokens.
Games
Round 1
The first match was against a UG that didn't seem to do much other than draw cards all game. It looked like they first picked a Kiora, the Crashing Wave and tried to force the deck after that point.Game 1 - 327836708
I mulligan to 6 due to a 1 land hand.Opponent opened with a Charging Badger into Horizon Chimera while I a Guardian of Meletis. I enchant Guardian with a Chosen by Heliod to draw a card and play Servant of Tymaret. They use Ordeal of Nylea on the Chimera. I try to play a Spear of Heliod but it is countered with a Dissolve. They then play Kiora, the Crashing Wave. I play Akroan Horse. They play Polukranos, World Eater and I lose the game.
There's not much that can really be done against a flier with an early ordeal, backed up with a planeswalker. Oh well.
Game 2- 327838478
I swapped in a Viper's Kiss to help prevent any unwanted effects.+ Viper's Kiss
- Returned Centaur
I open with a Fleshmad Steed into Spear of Heliod and my opponent a Leafcrown Dryad with Feral Invocation. They play Divination and an aqueous form. I kill their Dryad with a Necrobite. They play Mnemonic Wall to get Divination back. I play Wingsteed Rider. They play Triton Fortune Hunter and Divination. I play an Akroan Horse. They play Sphinx's Disciple and Kiora's Follower and attack with the Fortune Hunter which I kill with my Steed. I Chosen by Heliod the Wingsteed.
They play a second Sphinx's Disciple and use the Follower to untap it for a card and for defense. I play Scholar of Athreos. They play Polukranos, World Eater. and a Guardian of Meletis. They double-block my Rider and try to kill with with Aspect of Hydra, but I protect it with Gods Willing. I kill their remaining Disciple with my Spear. They play Thassa's Bounty, and I win the game.
Game 3 - 327840976
Opponent opens with a Leafcrown Dryad into Kiora's Follower and I a Fleshmad Steed. The Steed and Dryad trade. I play Spear of Heliod. I play Guardian of Meletis. They play Benthic Giant.With them tapped out, I take the opportunity to play my Akroan Skyguard and Scholar of Athreos. While I leech my opponents life through the game, they develop their board with a number of low attack creatures, and play Divination several times to look for an answer. However, they are unable to find an answer to my Skyguard, nor can they break through my defenses.
Round 2
This round is against a mid-range WG(R) deck.Game 1 - 327843476
Mulligan to 6 as I only had 1 land with no real plays.I open with an Asphodel Wanderer into Pain Seer into Spear of Heliod while my opponent a Leonin Snarecaster. The Leonin trades with the Wanderer. They replace it with a Lagonna-Band Elder. I play an Akroan Horse and later a.Guardian of Meletis. While I'm building up a token army, they play Pheres-Band Tromper, Nylea's Presence, Nylea's Disciple and Pheres-Band Raiders.
I play Wingsteed Rider. They try to kill it with a Time to Feed and Raider, but I turn the tides with a Necrobite. From there I proceed to beatdown with my 4/4 flier and win the game.
Game 2 - 327845684
I mulligan to 6 as my only real plays were on turn 4.
I open with a Fleshmad Steed into Guardian of Meletis, Returned Centaur,and Servant of Tymaret while they a Nyxborn Wolf, Noble Quarry, Pheres-Band Tromper, Nylea's Presence and Leonin Snarecaster.
I play Disciple of Phenax and see a Heliod's Emissary (which I remove), Battlewise Valor, Leafcrown Dryad, and Time to Feed.
They play Leafcrown Dryad bestowed on the Wolf.
I play another Fleshmad Steed, and they play Chronicler of Heros. I play Scholar of Athreos which they kill with a Time to Feed and swing with the wolf and two centaur. I block one centaur with Guardian. They swing with all in the next turn and I'm forced to only block the unicorn, losing the game.
Although the game went long, unfortunately, I didn't really draw into any of my win conditions.
Game 3- 327849008
They open with Leonin Snarecaster into Wingsteed Rider into Nylea's Disciple and I a Servant of Tymaret into my own Wingsteed Rider into Spear of Heliod. They try to kill my Wingsteed with a Battlewise Valor, but I prevent that with a Gods Willing. They play Nylea's Presence and a Lagonna-Band Elder.I play Grisly Transformation on my Wingsteed. They play Pheres-Band Tromper. I play Disciple of Phenax to force them to discard a Plains as that was their only card. They play Nylea's Presence. I play Asphodel Wanderer. They play Fleecemane Lion. They block my rider with theirs, I play Chosen by Heliod on my rider to draw a card, and they monstrous their lion. They Bestow Noble Quarry on their lion and swing with all. I regenerate my Servant, and kill the Tromper with my Spear. They bring me down to 5, but I'm able to swing with my Wingsteed for the win on the next turn.
Round 3
Final round was against an aggressive BG deck. I suspected there was another black drafter as none of my cards where wheeling, but this confirmed who was taking them.Game 1
I open with an Akroan Skyguard which is killed with a Pharika's Cure. They open with a Satyr Wayfinder bestowed with a Nighthowler. I play Fleshmad Steed and they play a Sedge Scorpion. I kill the Satyr with a Necrobite. They play an Erebos's Emissary. I play an Asphodel Wanderer. I kill the Howler with a second Necrobite. They play a Nessian Courser. and a Hythonia the Cruel the next turn. I play Scholar of Athreos, but it is killed with a Sip of Hemlock and they win the game.Got mana flooded that game - Turn 9 and had 9 mana in play and in hand. I also think that I should have mulliganed that hand, as it was a 5 land hand and I had no play once my Skyguard died.
Game 2 - 327853624
+ Viper's Kiss- Returned Centaur
They open with a Sedge Scorpion which I kill with a Viper's Kiss. They replace it with a Satyr Wayfinder into Nessian Courser. I play Disciple of Phenax and they discard a Swamp. They bestow their Satyr with a Nighthowler. I play Asphodel Wanderer. They try to kill my Wanderer with a Pharika's Cure which I save with a regenerate and I chump block their Satyr with my Disciple. I play Guardian of Meletis enchanted with a Chosen by Heliod for card draw. I play Scholar of Athreos and use Necrobite to kill the Satyr. They play Pharika's Mender to get back their Burnished Hart. I use Necrobiteto kill their Howler. They play a second Satyr Wayfinder and Burnished Hart.
They kill my Scholar with a Sip of Hemlock, and lack the blockers to keep myself alive.
In Hindsight, I should have added some enchantment removal.
Lessons Learned
- In Theros, controlling the tempo of the game seems to be the most important thing in winning. This seems to means that you need to be very aggressive, or to be very defensive.
- Rares will help win the game, but as it's only 1 card in a deck of 40, you can't always rely on it to carry you through.
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