There were several times where my opponents commented I got lucky with my draws. This is when I started to understand the importance of setting up your board and hand to make certain draws better. Even if there's a very low chance of winning the game, you might as well play in such a way so that in the chance you top-deck your key card, you can close out the game - the worst that can happen is that you lose a game you were losing anyways.
While there there is an element of luck in this game, I'm starting to understand that putting yourself in the right position will help make you look a lot luckier when you get what you need.
Entry
2 Tix, 1 BNG Booster, 2 THS BoostersRares
NonePrizes/Sold
1 BNG Booster, 1 THS BoosterDraft
Picks
Final Pool
I started off debating whether I should start off with White or Black. In the end I went with the Akroan Phalanx and was greeted with an Ornitharc in the next pack. From there I started to grab red cards due to off color activation, and that they appeared to be the better cards in the packs I got. I had already passed a number of good green cards, so no doubt that someone down from me would be moving into that color. I also took some blue cards in case I needed to abandon one of my colors.
Final Decklist
My main strategy was to try to drop as many low cost creatures as I could and swarm my opponent. In the case I have to trade too many times, I would use my Ornitharc and Portent of Betrayal to finish off the game.
Games
Round 1
First match was against a WU deckGame 1 - 328924172
I opened with a Minotaur Skullcleaver which was counted with Nullify. My opponent plays an Opaline Unicorn and I a Kragma Butcher which is killed with a Divine Verdict. I replace the Butcher with a Cavalry Pegasus and my opponent plays a Great Hart. I play a second Cavalry Pegasus and my opponent plays a Griffin Dreamfinder and plays Stratus Walk on the Hart. I bestow an Observant Alseid, and later a Nyxborn Rollicker, on one of my Pegasus. My opponent plays a Battlewise Hoplite. I block their Unicorn and they use Acolyte's Reward to redirect the damage. I try to kill the unicorn with a Magma Jet before the affect of the Reward happened but they played a second Acolyte's Reward, and all damage was redirected to me, putting me at 2 life against their 11.I swing with the Pegasus to drop them to 7, play Heliod's Emissary and kill the Hoplite with a Bolt of Keranos. On the next turn I play Akroan Phalanx and swing with the Pegasus again to bring them to 3. They play Sealock Monster. I attack again and they block with their flying Hart. They monstrous and attack with their Monster, but I chump block it with my unbestowed Pegasus. They play Akroan Skyguard to block but they don't have enough blockers - I swing with all to win.
Game 2 - 328926440
My opponent opens with a Battlewise Hoplite which I kill with a Magma Jet. They replace their Hoplite with an Omenspeaker and I open with an Arena Athlete. I enchant my Athlete with a Dragon Mantle and play an Akroan Hoplite. They play Ephara, God of the Polis. I swing with both my creatures and they block the Athlete. Rather than give it another attack for the trade, I let it die so I could play Ornitharc, which does not get tribute.My opponent plays Prescient Chimera. I swing with all and my opponent lets it through, taking 10 damage, bringing them down to 4. They play Wingsteed Rider but only attack with the Omenspeaker. I use Portent of Betrayal on the Chimera which they return to their hand with a Voyage's End. I swing for all and win the game.
Round 2
This round was against a BG deck.Game 1 - 328929266
I mulligan to 6 as I had 3 Mountains and mostly White Spells, and keep a hand with only 1 White land, and 5 spells.I open with an Impetuous Sunchaser into two Cavalry Pegasus while my opponent starts with a Grey Merchant of Asphodel. After several swings back and forth, my opponent plays a Nessian Asp. Unable to break through the Asp, my opponent builds up their board with a Disciple of Phenax and Voyaging Satyr, and wins with a Monstrous Asp.
This game I got slightly mana screwed, but it was definitely my own fault. It probably would have been better for me to keep my original hand as all I really needed was one White mana for it to work. The hand I took was terrible, so I should have taken another mulligan down to 5. It also looked like my opponent's opening hand was really slow, which I should have been able to punish playing an aggressive deck.
Game 2 - 328930640
Opponent takes a mulligan to 5 cards.I open with a n Arena Athlete into Minotaur Skullcleaver and my opponent a Nessian Courser. I enchant my Athlete with Chosen by Heliod and swing with all. They play an Ashiok's Adept. I play Dragon Mantle on Athlete to prevent the Courser from blocking, swing with all, the Adept blocks the Minotaur, and I play Heliod's Emissary. My opponent plays Voyaging Satyr. I bestow Hopeful Eidolon and Nyxborn Rollicker on the Athlete to prevent the Courser and Adept from blocking. They kill my minotaur with a Pharika's Cure. They play Nessian Asp.
I swing with all and trade the Courser with the Emissary and chump blocks the Athlete withe the Adept. They play Swordwise Centaur and I play Kragma Butcher. They play Disciple of Phenax. I swing with both, and they block the Athlete with the Swordwise and Minotaur with the Disciple. They try to kill my Athlete with a Boon of Erebos, but I save it with a Mortal's Ardor. I play Akroan Hoplite and my opponent plays a Vulpine Goliath. I bestow an Observant Alseid on my Athlete and they play a Scourgemark on their Goliath and a Tormented Hero. On a later turn, they monstrous the Asp. I eventually manage to play a Cavalry Pegasus to deal the final damage I needed to beat them, but the following turn, they bestow their asp with a Noble Quarry, and exchange it for the Athlete and Pegasus while swinging for all. On the next turn, they use the Unicorn to get through another massive swing for the win.
Round 3
Final round was against a WU deck.
Game 1 - 328936592
I open with Arena Athlete which they return to my hand with a Voyage's End, followed up with a Divination. I play Minotaur Skullcleaver into Cavalry Pegasus and Arena Athlete and they play Coastline Chimera into Prescient Chimera. I bestow Nyxborn Rollicker onto the Athlete to prevent the Prescient Chimera from blocking, swing with the Minotaur and Athlete, and the Athlete gets blocked by the Chimera. They play Leonin Snarecaster, into a Horizon Scholar. I play another Cavalry Pegasus, and they swing with the Scholar. I enchant my Athlete with Chosen by Heliod to prevent the Prescient Chimera from blocking, play a second Minotaur Skullcleaver, and swing with everything. They block my Athlete with the Coastline, and a Minotaur with Snarecaster. I try to kill the Snarecaster with a Mortal's Ardor, but they save it with a Hold at Bay. They play an Akroan Skyguard, Excoriate my Athlete, and swing with the Prescient and Scholar.I play Ornitharc which does not get tribute. They swing again with the Prescine and Scholar, and I chump block both with a bird token and a Pegasus. They play a Vanguard of Brimaz. I play an Impetuous Sunchaser and swing with it and Ornitharc, and play a Cavalry Pegasus. They bestow the Vanguard with a Nimbus Naiad, swing with the Prescient, Scholar and Vanguard, and I chump the scholar and vanguard with a token and Pegasus. I play a Fanatic of Mogis to bring them down to 1, and swing with all. They use Gods Willing on the Vanguard to give them another token and enough blockers, and I lose the game.
Game 2 - 328939934
I open with a Cavalry Pegasus enchanted with a Dragon Mantle while my opponent plays a Divination into Leonin Snarecaster. I play a Akroan Hoplite and my opponent plays a Prescient Chimera which I kill with a Bolt of Keranos and Magma Jet and swing with all. My opponent plays a Sphinx's Disciple. I play a Minotaur Skullcleaver and swing with all again. My Pegasus trades with the Disciple, and my Minotaur trades with the Snarecaster, and I drop them down to 2.My opponent plays a Nyxborn Triton and Loyal Pegasus, and Mnemonic Wall the following turn to get back their Divination which they play right away, and attack with the Triton. I play Portent of Betrayal on their Pegasus and win the game.
Game 3 - 328941546
My opponent opens with an Akroan Skyguard which I kill with a Magma Jet, and they play a Divination. I play a Cavalry Pegasus and they play a Nyxborn Triton. I attack with the Pegasus and then play Fanatic of Mogis (I mis-clicked and meant to play Borderland Minotaur). My opponent plays a Sphinx's Disciple and I play an Ornitharc which does not get tribute. My opponent bestows his Disciple with a Nyxborn Shieldmate. I swing with all.
The Triton trades with the Fanatic and Disciple blocks the Pegasus. I play Borderland Minotaur and my opponent plays Prescient Chimera and swings with the Disciple. I swing with all again, and the Chimera blocks Ornitharc. I try to kill it with a Mortal's Ardor but they bounce my creature with a Voyage's End. I replay my Archon which gets tribute this time. My opponent bestows his Disciple with an Eidolon of Countless Battles and plays a Leonin Snarecaster to tap my Archon to swing with their Chimera. I play Kragma Butcher and Cavalry Pegasus, and my opponent plays Nimbus Naiad. My opponent swings with the Disciple and I chump block it with a token. I play an Akroan Phalanx and swing with everything.
Their Chimera trades with my Borderland, and they lose their Snarecaster and Naiad. They Excoriate my Archon and play a Heliod's Emissary. However, due to their lack of blockers in the air, I win the game.
The Triton trades with the Fanatic and Disciple blocks the Pegasus. I play Borderland Minotaur and my opponent plays Prescient Chimera and swings with the Disciple. I swing with all again, and the Chimera blocks Ornitharc. I try to kill it with a Mortal's Ardor but they bounce my creature with a Voyage's End. I replay my Archon which gets tribute this time. My opponent bestows his Disciple with an Eidolon of Countless Battles and plays a Leonin Snarecaster to tap my Archon to swing with their Chimera. I play Kragma Butcher and Cavalry Pegasus, and my opponent plays Nimbus Naiad. My opponent swings with the Disciple and I chump block it with a token. I play an Akroan Phalanx and swing with everything.
Their Chimera trades with my Borderland, and they lose their Snarecaster and Naiad. They Excoriate my Archon and play a Heliod's Emissary. However, due to their lack of blockers in the air, I win the game.
Lessons Learned
- In two of my games, my opponents said I got lucky with my draws. However, I would say that while there is an element of luck to the game, it's the setup that that should take most of the credit. If you don't try to put yourself in the right position, you'll just throw away games you would have won.
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