BNG Draft #4

Overall, I went 2-1 with a grindy WB deck.  I was really surprised at how well this deck performed- I generally only lost when I had questionable draws, or my opponent got really good ones.  More often then not, I was able to stabilize and slowly chip away at my opponent's life.

I also manage to use Eye Gouge to kill a Cyclops to win a game, which made a guy rage-quit the draft.

Entry

2 Tix. 1 BNG Booster, 1 THS Booster

Rares

Nessian Wilds Ravager, Temple of Silence

Prizes/Sold

1 BNG Booster, 1 THS Booster

Draft

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Final List

This draft, my main focus was on the 2 and 3 cmc creature cards, as I have been finding that there's just so many things I want to be doing with my mana in the late game, I don't necessarily have the mana available to to drop a bomb in the late game.  I also wanted to give black another shot, so in my BNG booster, I mainly focuses on black support cards to set me up in the THS boosters, while trying to find a good supporting color.  I completely avoided red as I didn't want to get stuck competing for the shallow pool in the two THS colors (unless I saw enough Minotaur, but alas, I did not).

I eventually found myself in white, so I went with going for a slow, defensive, life-leech kind of deck.

Final Decklist

The goal of this deck was to just set up a giant wall of defensive creatures my opponent could not get through.  From there, I would use Scholar of Athreos, Servant of Tymaret or Claim of Erebos to slowly whittle down my opponent's life total.  I also had a number of harpies I could use to clog up their air, or get some extra damage in.

Games

Round 1

The first match was against a RB(U) deck.

Game 1

I open with a Traveling Philosopher into Blood Toll-Harpy, while they start with a Felhide Minotaur which I put a Weight of the Underworld on.  They then play their own Blood-Toll.

I Grisly Transformation the philosopher but they hit it with a Rage of Purphoros and the harpies trade.
I replace Blood-Toll with an Insatiable Harpy and they play a Stoneshock Giant and a Kragma Warcaller.

I Excoriate the giant and play Lagonna-Band Elder.  I try to use it to kill the Warcaller, but a Lost in a Labryth is used to prevent that.  My harpy is removed with a Pharika's Cure.

I play a Guardian of Meletis and attach a Claim of Erebos to it.  I play Cavern Lampad.  He bestows the Warcaller with a Baleful Eidolon.  However, I managed to grind him down with my Guardian and Claim of Erebos.

Game 2

+ Dark Betrayal
- Ashiok's Adept

I open with a Returned Phalanx into Lagonna-Band Elder into Blood Toll-Harpy and they start with an Archetype of Aggression into Purphoros's Emissary.

I suspected he had a combat trick so wasn't sure how to block profitably.  I double block the emissary, but they use Boon of Erebos on it, which kills both my Phalanx and Harpy, and I trade centaur with the Archetype.  I play Scholar of Athreos, they play shrike harpy which I pay tribute to., I play Traveling Philosopher, they Rage of Purphoros my Scholar and I die

Game 3

+ Ray of Dissolution
- Last Breath

Mulligan to 6 from a 1 land hand.  Opponent open with Satyr Rambler, while I a Traveling Philosopher which is killed with a Pharika's Cure.  I play Heliod's Emissary and they play two Purphoros's Emissaries.  I play Nyxborn Eidolon. and kill one Emissary with a Gods Willing.  I bestow Observant Alseid onto my Emissary.

They play Disciple of Phenax and a Whip of Erebos.  They use the whip to brings back an emissary which kills my Nyxborn Eidolon.  I Weight of the Underworld the remaining emissary and it blocks my emissary.  They play Shrike Harpy. and I lose the game.

I had 9 mana on turn 12.  Not complete mana flood, but it I didn't draw any answers that I needed to keep myself alive..

Round 2

This match was against a BRG deck.  I manage to make such a huge comeback from game 3, that I think my opponent rage-quit the draft because of it.

Game 1

I open with a Blood Toll-Harpy and they start with a Springleaf Drum and Burnished Hart into Xenagos, God of Revels.  I Last Breath the Hart, and they play Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass which I enchant with a Weight of the Underworld to kill it, but not before it hits me for 10.

They play Nyxborn Rollicker, and I play Insatiable Harpy which they Lash of the Whip.  I bestow Observant Alseid to my Blood-Toll and they play Priest of Iroas and sacrifice it it to remove the bestow creature.  I build my board with a Traveling Philosopher and a Scholar of Athreos.  They play Setessan Starbreaker which is blocked with the Philosopher.  I play Returned Phalanx which trades with the Starbreaker.  I play Servant of Tymaret, they Magma Jet me and play Gray Merchant of Asphodel.  I play Lagonna-Band Elder and win.

Game 2

+ Dark Betrayal
+ Eye Gouge
- Traveling Philosopher
- Last Breath

Mulligan to 5 because 1 land hands both time, and still only had 1 land.  Opponent opened with a Voyaging Satyr  and a Disciple of Phenax while I start with a Nyxborn Eidolon which they Magma Jet.  They then play a Nessian Asp which becomes monstrous, but I kill it with an Excoriate.  I play Guardian of Meletis and they kill me with a Boulderfall.

Game 3

I Mulligan to 6.  I open with a Nyxborn Eidolon into Servant of Tymaret and they with a Voyaging Satyr.  They play a Pharika's Mender which I kill with a Dark Betrayal.  I play a Heliod's Emissary.  They kill my Servant and Emissary with a Pinnacle of Rage.  I play a Ashiok's Adept, Scholar of Athreos, and Returned Phalanx, while they play Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass bestowed with a Spearpoint Oread.

They play Rescue form the Underworld to bring back the Mender.  I play Guardian of Meletis.

I chump block the cyclops with my Nyxborn, and later my Guardians to stay alive.

My opponent plays Disciple of Phenax and I play Baleful Eidolon.  They play Gray Merchant of Asphodel.  I kill the cyclops with an Eye Gouge.  I then slowly grind him down from almost full life (with me around 5 life) with Scholar of Athreos for the win.

Round 3

Last match was against a UR deck.  I didn't get to see many cards, so I wasn't completely sure what it was trying to do.

Game 1

I open with a Traveling Philosopher and a Servant of Tymaretinto Scholar of Athreos.  They start with an Ill-Tempered Cyclops.  I Claim of Erebos on my Servant and they play Steam Augury to draw some cards.  I bestow Observant Alseid onto my Philosopher and win.

Game 2

I open with a Nyxborn Eidolon into Servant of Tymaret and they play a Crackling Triton which I Last Breath.  Opponent plays two Ill-Tempered Cyclops.  I play Insatiable Harpy and a Baleful Eidolon.  They Stratus Walk one cyclops.  I Claim of Erebos my Servant while they bestow Spearpoint Oread on the other cyclops.  They play Sphinx's Disciple which I kill with a Weight of the Underworld, and swing for the win with my Harpy.

Lessons Learned

• While I found that BNG has made the format a tad slower, I found that it was a lot more critical to have more 2 and 3 drops to stabilize in the early game, or to beat down your opponent if their draws
• Even though I didn't have any creatures or spells above 4 cmc, I never felt like I had too much extra mana left over - creature abilities helped me use it all up every turn.
• Using an Eye Gouge to kill a Cyclops to win a game feels really epic