Thoughts on dredge hate as a dredge player

I am not a professional or particularly good Dredge player, but this is my observation with regards to graveyard hate against Dredge. Not all of them deal with the graveyard exactly, some of them attack other areas instead. Also am not familiar with LED Dredge, the most popular form of Dredge currently if I’m not wrong, and thus am not sure how effective these are against LED Dredge. Note that every hate, weak or strong, is still hate and thus I hate them! :P

Tormod’s Crypt: Immune to anti-hate hate, you can crack it in response to casting of Pithing Needle which is the only counter I can think of. The problem is when to crack it? Dredge will slow-roll it out and give the impression of “I’m not threatening yet so don’t crack it” while actually gaining zombies. Personally I think it can be activated on two Bridges, Ichorids, Trolls (?) or in response to a draw spell, forcing the Dredge player to actually draw. Best with aggro decks I think, because forcing a slow Dredge usually means you can keep the zombie count low and beat in with better creatures.

Relic of Progenitus: Not as common as Crypt, but IMO it is one of the worst. Turn 1 Relic is basically Leyline because the Dredger will be picked off, unless I am able to pitch two Dredgers. It is good against slow Dredging because the tap ability can continuously take out key cards in early stages such as Bridges and Ichorids. Then it can act as a Crypt when there is need for it to, and has the bonus of cantrip. At the cost of 1 colourless mana it is somewhat resistant against Claim and Chain. It’s probably not as good against LED Dredge though, because LED can flood the graveyard and combo off before the opponent gets to untap for mana. Crypt will be better in that case.

Nihil Spellbomb: I think it is inferior to Crypt, unless you’re running Tarmogoyf or black.

Grafdigger’s Cage: More devastating to LED than to LEDless I think. It can be drawn and cast and affects a developed graveyard, but otherwise I think it’s worse than Leyline because I can still Dredge, or like Leyline I can hit it with Nature’s Claim.

Surgical Extraction is pretty devastating because it will almost always hit all four copies of the target and is instant so it can spring out on top of Dread Return or Cabal Therapy. First target will likely be Bridges, then Ichorids, then as an instant response to Narcomoeba(e?). Very good against Flame-Kin Zealot/Elesh Norn decks, and you can Extract the DR target itself. It really lives up to its name since it hits what is needed and hits all of that, like a needle inside the deck.

Extirpate is inferior to Extraction, because of the mana cost. The Split Second is not useful because Dredge probably doesn’t run Force of Will.

Bojuka Bog is not very popular. As a land it can’t be hit by Cabal Therapy, but otherwise I think it isn’t that great compared to Tormod’s Crypt. It is sorcery speed and uses up a land-drop, coming in tapped to boot.

Ravenous Trap is also not very popular, but almost every time you should always be able to cast it for 0. It is great as a mind game I think, because you can let it sit in your hand for a while and fool the opponent into thinking you have no hate after all, then spring it out on a draw spell. However I think it is not good to run it as the main graveyard hate as the Dredge player will cast Therapy for it. Really dependent on your mind gaming ability IMO.

Faerie Macabre: Weaker than Extraction I think. It hits two targets instantly which is great during the early stages of Dredging. Can be Therapied but usually no one sees it coming. Better than Extraction at picking off DR targets since you just need to hit that one and then target a Bridge or something. Has the benefit of being immune to FoW…?

Leyline of the Void: One of the most common hate. Personally I think it is somewhat easy to get around, unless the opponent has double Leyline (double anything is terrible IMO. I must have Nature’s Claim in hand, but that’s a given in games 2 and 3 and once I have the Claim, I can get around it. Not to mention Chain of Vapor deals with it in a non-black deck as well.

Planar Void: Only used in decks with black mana, but I think it is a better hate than Leyline. It dies to Claim like Leyline, but is resistant against Chain of Vapor. The turn 1 play is alright IMO if the hate involved shuts down the Dredge deck. Once you have the hate, you can do anything you want, or at the very least you’ve delayed the dredging by one turn, kind of like a Time Walk.

Moat: Can randomly appear maindeck and wreck game 1, but Nature’s Claim takes care of it. Furthermore, Iona, Sphinx, Flayer of the Hatebound and the tiny Narco can get around it.

Ghostly Prison, Elephant Grass: Weak to Claim, but the 2 mana prohibition usually hinders every creature already, plus Elephant Grass shuts the zombies down flat.

Yixlid Jailer: Is great since it shuts down all abilities and requires Darkblast to kill. If it has to die it at least takes out all the Bridges. If it comes down on turn 2 it’s good enough against LEDless I think. Not sure about LED.

Jotun Grunt: If he comes down too early he dies due to insufficient food. If he comes down late he will be too slow, I have a turn to spam everything I have. When he dies he takes out the Bridges though, and his 4/4 body is sometimes relevant. Needs to appear just before the stage when DR or zombie spam isn’t ready.

Thalia: !!!!!!!!! Thalia is unexpectedly powerful. Every draw spell and Darkblast becomes two mana. Even worse she can appear maindeck in Maverick or D&T and so you can lose game 1 because of her, plus she will stay there and the opponent will board in his real hate. The only draw that can get around it is Cephalid Coliseum, which means one less land which is not what I want against Thalia. Not to mention she is 2/1 with first strike!!! LED has a better shot against her I think, but again she isn’t the “main” hate, so you will have something else for LED.

Lodestone Golem, Thorn of Amethyst: Same as Thalia. Is vulnerable to Nature’s Claim but their abilities affect it as well.

Scavenging Ooze: Not as devastating as Thalia IMO. Best when it appears in a mid-developed graveyard and machineguns things down. Will always play Thalia before it. LED might be able to race it, however it sticks around and grows big, which is a problem. One of the more common threats recently.

That’s all that I can think of. So based on my experience, the most horrible ones are Relic, Surgical Extraction and Thalia. They have strong impacts and are common. Thoughts?

Draft Report for 11 July 2012

Host:
Soon Yoong

Players:
Soon Yoong, Jonlim, Leon, Remus, Jit Yao, Yinkwan, Stanley, Wei Xiang

Draft winner:
Yinkwan

Draft Report for 2 July 2012

Host:
Soon Yoong

Reporter:
Jonlim, with help from Wei Xiang, Jit Yao, Mark Leong, Yinkwan (written notes)

Mark Leong came to spectate for awhile in the morning!

Players:
Front (L-R): Soon Yoong, Jonlim, Yinkwan, Jit Yao
Back (L-R): Clement, Wei Xiang, Sean, Stanley

Surprise visit by Mark Leong!


Format:
3x Avacyn Restored draft.
7 rounds of round robin (everybody plays each other 1 time in best of 3 games), points at the end determine finish

Win = awarded 3 points, Draw = awarded 1 points, Loss = awarded 0 points
If there is a tie in points, tiebreakers (“goal difference”) make the difference.

Round 1 results:

Clement 1 Jit Yao 2


Jonlim 2 Wei Xiang 0 – Round 1 Feature Match – handwritten notes by Mark Leong

Stanley 0 Sean 2


Yinkwan 2 Soon Yoong 1


Round 2 results:

Clement 0 Soon Yoong 2
Jonlim 2 Jit Yao 1
Stanley 1 Wei Xiang 2
Yinkwan 2 Sean 0

Round 3 results:

Clement 0 Wei Xiang 2
Jonlim 2 Sean 1
Stanley 2 Soon Yoong 1
Jit Yao 2 Yinkwan 1

Round 4 results:

Clement 0 Yinkwan 2
Jonlim 0 Stanley 2
Jit Yao 1 Soon Yoong 2
Wei Xiang 0 Sean 2

Round 5 results:

Clement 1 Sean 2


Jonlim 1 Soon Yoong 2
Stanley 1 Jit Yao 2
Yinkwan 2 Wei Xiang 0

Round 6 results:

Stanley 0 Yinkwan 2
Jit Yao 2 Wei Xiang 1 – Round 6 Feature Match – handwritten notes by Jonlim
Sean 0 Soon Yoong 2
Clement 0 Jonlim 2 – Round 6 Feature Match – handwritten notes by Jit Yao

Round 7 results:

Jit Yao 2 Sean 1 – Round 7 Feature Match – handwritten notes by Jonlim + Yinkwan
Clement 0 Stanley 2
Jonlim 1 Yinkwan 2 – Round 7 Feature Match – handwritten notes by Jit Yao
Wei Xiang 2 Soon Yoong 1

Final Standings:
1^st place – Yinkwan (18 points)
2^nd place – Jit Yao (15 points)
3^rd place – Soon Yoong ( 12 points, goal difference of +3)
4^th place – Jonlim (12 points, goal difference of +2)

Metagame:
U/B loners – 1 (Stanley)
B/R aggro – 1 (Sean)
R/W humans – 1 (Clement)
G/R/u/b 4-color – 1 (Jonlim)
U/W fliers – 2 (Yinkwan, Jit Yao)
R/U/G tempo-aggro – 1 (Soon Yoong)
W/G creatures – 1 (Wei Xiang)

Top 3 bombs of the day (in terms of influence):
1^st place – Deadeye Navigator (star player in the top 2 decks, winning games singlehandedly)
2^nd place – Spirit Away (always a 2for1, Yinkwan didn’t lose any games whenever he had it)
3^rd place – Borderland Ranger (the single card that made Jonlim’s deck playable)

Upset of the day:
Sean not placing in top4 – Winner of the last draft but was never in contention for this one, a lot better was expected from Sean by many of the other players. Nevertheless, his take on B/R was rather refreshing, making good use of Predator’s Gambit and Tormentor’s Trident.

Player of the day:
Yinkwan – weathered a long period of hunger when lunch did not arrive, but still managed to emerge in 1^st place after some very hard fought games.

Deck of the day:
Jonlim – very interesting take on a 4 color deck held together by 4 Borderland Ranger. Although it did not do very well, seeing Mountain, Island, Swamp, and Forest on the board at the same time was a breath of fresh air in a format dominated by 2 colour decks.

Thank you all for drafting today! Hope to see you guys again sooner rather than later!

And now we have our Feature Match Reports.

Round 1 feature match:
Jonlim (0 points) vs Wei Xiang (0 points)

Jonlim was spotted drafting a wacky 4 color deck while Wei Xiang went for a W/G deck. While W/G has been seen before, you don’t get to see 4 color decks very often, making this matchup rather intriguing. As this is the opening round, not much is known about the details of either deck at this point, but we know for sure that both players will want to be starting the day on the right note with an opening win.

Game 1

Wei Xiang wins the die roll and chooses to play, but begins with an immediate handicap as he has to mulligan twice before deciding on a keep. Jonlim simply kept his opening hand and said “go”.

T1 saw both players drop matching Forests, while T2 saw both players drop a Wandering Wolf each after hitting their land drops, eliciting a grin from both players. On T3, Wei Xiang played a Nightshade Peddler. He soulbonded his Wandering Wolf to it before passing the turn.

Jonlim untapped for T3 and pushed his own Wandering Wolf in, with Wei Xiang offering up his for a trade.

Both wolves hit the bin and Jonlim cast Borderland Ranger for Island and said “go”, causing Wei Xiang to raise his eyebrows because Jonlim had revealed that he was playing at least 3 colors by this point.

Nevertheless, Wei Xiang had other things to worry about as he passed his T4 without much action, revealing either a landscrew or landflood. Jonlim’s T4 was rather aggressive. Playing a naturally drawn Swamp, he nonchalantly summoned Lightning Mauler and soulbonded it to Borderland Ranger. Using Death Wind for 1 to kill Wei Xiang’s lone Nightshade Peddler, he turned both his creatures sideways for 4 damage. Wei Xiang is rather stunned at this point as Jonlim had Forest, Mountain, Island and Swamp out by T4!

Jonlim 20 Wei Xiang 16

Wei Xiang did not do anything of note on his T5 and that proved fatal. Jonlim miracled Revenge of the Hunted, targeting his Borderland Ranger. Aware that Wei Xiang was in some sort of trouble, he cast Mass Appeal to draw 2 fresh cards and found a fresh Joint Assault, which he was only too happy to use, for a whopping 14 damage total.

Jonlim 20 Wei Xiang 2

Wei Xiang drew his card for T6 and scooped when there was nothing of note he could do to prevent Jonlim from taking G1.

Jonlim wins Game 1.

Game 2

Wei Xiang once again chose to go first.  Forest by Wei Xiang on T1 was matched by Mountain for Jonlim, Wei Xiang then played plains on T2 while Jonlim played an Island and cast a Lightning Mauler.

Mana problems continued to plague Wei Xiang as he passed T3 without a play. Ironic considering that Jonlim’s 4 color deck had no mana problems while Wei Xiang’s 2 color deck experienced speed bumps in both games.

Jonlim made his land drop for T3 and crashed in with Lightning Mauler for 2 damage.

Jonlim 20 Wei Xiang 18

Wei Xiang found his fourth land, summoned Moonlight Geist on T4 and passed the turn. Jonlim’s T4 saw a hasted Druid’s Familiar hit play, thanks to teaming up with Lightning Mauler. Jonlim turned the human-and-bear tag team sideways, and Wei Xiang opted to take the 8 damage.

Jonlim 20 Wei Xiang 10

Wei Xiang missed his land drop, played Nearheath Pilgrim and soulbonded it to the Moonlight Geist, hoping to stabilize. Unfortunately, Jonlim played a mainphase Death Wind on the Nearheath Pilgrim and crashed in again for 8 damage, which Wei Xiang opted to take.

Jonlim 20 Wei Xiang 2

Wei Xiang drew his card for his turn and packed it up, hoping for better luck in his other matches.

Jonlim wins Game 2.

Jonlim wins match 2-0 (20-2 concession, 20-2 concession).

Round 6 feature matches – part 1:
Jit Yao (9 points) vs Wei Xiang (6 points)

Jit Yao was off to a slow start in this draft, having a 3-2 record so far. Considering that he comfortably won the last draft he took part in, this was definitely not the best start he was hoping for. However, if he was hoping for an easy win over Wei Xiang, he could not be more wrong. Wei Xiang wasn’t in great shape himself, holding a 2-3 record so far. As such, he would need this win as badly as Jit Yao did.

Ln

Wei Xiang’s W/G deck featured the likes of Angel of Jubilation and Goldnight Commander in white and Vorstclaw in green, as well as multiple copies of Moonlight Geist to do the beating. Jit Yao was no slouch either, piloting the classic archetype known as U/W fliers, which aims to stall in the early game before pushing for the win in the mid-late game.

Game 1

Wei Xiang won the roll and both players kept their opening 7. Wei Xiang opened T1 with Plains while Jit Yao played Plains and a Scroll of Avacyn. Wei Xiang summoned his first creature on T2, playing Plains and then Nearheath Pilgrim.

Jit Yao played an Island and cracked his Scroll of Avacyn for a fresh card. T3 saw Wei Xiang playing Plains and a Moonlight Geist (soulbond to Nearheath Pilgrim). He swung with the lifelinking monk for 2 damage.

Jit Yao 18 Wei Xiang 22

Jit Yao’s T3 saw him play Plains and a Midnight Duelist. Wei Xiang continued in his aggressive mode with a big T4, by casting Call to Serve on Nearheath Pilgrim. He came crashing in with 2 lifelinking fliers for 5 damage.

Jit Yao 13 Wei Xiang 27

Jit Yao didn’t seem too pleased with that. He played Plains and attacked with Midnight Duelist for 1 damage.

Jit Yao 13 Wei Xiang 26

It would take a lot to stop Wei Xiang now. He played Plains on T5 and summoned the mighty Angel of Jubilation, and then the flying monk and geist came in again for 7 lifelink damage. At this point, G1 had “blowout” written all over it, Jit Yao was facing lethal next turn.

Jit Yao 6 Wei Xiang 33

Jit Yao was forced to go big or go home. He had a significant T5, casting Defang on Nearheath Pilgrim, before playing Seraph Sanctuary to gain a single point of life. He passed the turn with a serious look.

Jit Yao 7 Wei Xiang 33

Wei Xiang knew that he still had the upper hand unless Jit Yao had the answers, and confidently turned his Angel of Jubilation and Moonlight Geist sideways. Jit Yao swung into action and cast Righteous Blow on the Moonlight Geist, taking 3 and falling to 4.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 33

Jit Yao still needed to answer the Angel of Jubilation. He played and cracked a Scroll of Avacyn and found it: Angelic Wall, which he slammed onto the table. Wei Xiang was forced to pass his own turn with no play or attack after realizing he still had no Forest up to this point, allowing Jit Yao to regain his foothold in the game after being on the back foot for so long.

There was no better way for Jit Yao to kick start the revival than to slam Deadeye Navigator into play (not soulbonded), which is what Jit Yao did after playing Island. Wei Xiang had no play.

Deadeye Navigator turned sideways.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 28

Jit Yao also added Spectral Gateguards, another Midnight Duelist and an Island to the fray, cementing his board position. Wei Xiang summoned a Goldnight Commander (still stuck on multiple Plains) and ended the turn. Deadeye Navigator swung again.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 23

And again.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 18

And again.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 13

And again.

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 8

And finally Wei Xiang found his Forest. Summoning a Druid’s Familiar (soulbonded to Angel of Jubilation),  he turned his Angel of Jubilation sideways only for Jit Yao to block with Angelic Wall and Cloudshift the wall to save it.

This was heart-stopping stuff. Jit Yao was drawing live. Jit Yao ripped a Ghostform and used it on Deadeye Navigator and Spectral Gateguards for 7 unblockable damage, leaving Wei Xiang on 1 life. Could Jit Yao complete the turnaround?

Jit Yao 4 Wei Xiang 1

Wei Xiang was not about to give up just yet. Finding another Forest, he started off by playing Nightshade Peddler (paired to Goldnight Commander), and triggered Goldnight Commander’s ability once. Wandering Wolf came down and triggered Goldnight Commander’s ability a second time. He then swung with Angel of Jubilation and Druid’s Familiar. Angelic Wall jumped in front of the angel while Midnight Duelist stood tall in the face of Druid’s Familiar.

Jit Yao used 2 mana to blink Deadeye Navigator, and it came back soulbonded to Angelic Wall. Jit Yao then blinked his Angelic Wall to save it, leaving Midnight Duelist as the only casualty.

Surviving once more, Jit Yao summoned a Galvanic Alchemist (unpaired). If any of you readers are confused, here is a recap of the board state. On Team Jit Yao, we have Midnight Duelist, Angelic Wall – Deadeye Navigator (soulbonded), Spectral Gateguards, and Galvanic Alchemist. On Team Wei Xiang, we have Angel of Jubilation – Druid’s Familiar (soulbonded), Wandering Wolf, Nearheath Pilgrim (enchanted with Defang and Call to Serve), Goldnight Commander – Nightshade Peddler (soulbonded).

Jit Yao passed the turn. Wei Xiang summoned Nettle Swine (triggering Goldnight Commander’s ability), cast a mainphase Zealous Strike on his Wandering Wolf and swung with his 6/5 wolf (pumped by: Zealous Strike, Angel of Jubilation’s static ability, and Goldnight Commander’s triggered ability). Jit Yao could not block and had no choice but to take the damage and lose G1.

 Jit Yao 0 Wei Xiang 1

Wei Xiang heaved a sigh of relief as he almost threw away a 33-7 lead, but pulled through in the end due to the clutch play on the final turn, enabling him to win the game by the slimmest of margins: 1 life. As for Jit Yao, the comeback was so close yet so far. However, both players will have to put aside that mind-draining Game 1 to regain their focus.

Wei Xiang wins Game 1.

Game 2

Jit Yao indicated that he would start Game 2. After both players kept their opening 7, they were off.

Jit Yao began proceedings with T1 Island and Nephalia Smuggler. Wei Xiang played Forest on T1 and shipped the turn. Jit Yao followed up with Plains and Angelic Wall, but passed the turn before realizing he forgot to attack with the 1/1 for free damage. Wei Xiang grinned and laid a Plains, paving the way to summon T2 Wandering Wolf. Jit Yao continued his one-spell-a-turn streak by hitting Island and summoning a Latch Seeker.

Wei Xiang played a Forest and turned his Wandering Wolf sideways, which Jit Yao chose not to block.

Jit Yao 18 Wei Xiang 20

Wei Xiang then cast a postcombat Eaten by Spiders on Jit Yao’s Angelic Wall. Jit Yao decided to attack with Nephalia Smuggler and Latch Seeker for 4 damage, and now the race was on!

Jit Yao 18 Wei Xiang 16

Wei Xiang needed to increase his damage output in order to win the damage race. He played a Forest on T4 and enlisted the help of Nettle Swine, before attacking with Wandering Wolf once more.

Jit Yao 16 Wei Xiang 16

Jit Yao’s T5 saw him just lay a Plains without playing spells. Latch Seeker attacked alone for 3 damage.

Jit Yao 16 Wei Xiang 13

Wei Xiang came crashing in with Nettle Swine and Wandering Wolf for 6 damage, before hitting a land drop and summoning a postcombat Geist Trappers. He shipped the turn.

Jit Yao 10 Wei Xiang 13

Jit Yao decided to cast Defang on Nettle Swine and attack with Latch Seeker once again, evening the life totals at 10 apiece. This was some race!

Jit Yao 10 Wei Xiang 10

Wei Xiang turned up the heat by introducing Druid Familiar (soulbonded to Wandering Wolf). He then attacked with Geist Trappers and a 4/4 Wandering Wolf. Jit Yao chumped the Geist Trappers with his Nephalia Smuggler and took 4 damage.

Jit Yao 6 Wei Xiang 10

Jit Yao finally found and summoned Deadeye Navigator (soulbonded to Latch Seeker) and passed the turn. He did not want to swing and risk a blowout by Wei Xiang. This paid off and Wei Xiang couldn’t push enough men past Jit Yao (now that Jit Yao could blink creatures at will) and he shipped the turn back.

Jit Yao then pulled the rabbit out of the hat. Ghostform made his creatures unblockable, and Zealous Strike sealed the deal for 11 damage at one go, bringing to an end a most exhilarating damage race.

Jit Yao 6 Wei Xiang 0

While Game 1 saw Jit Yao on the back foot for the most of the match and Wei Xiang pulling off a great escape, the roles were reversed in Game 2. Wei Xiang seemed to be pulling ahead with Nettle Swine and Druid’s Familiar, but Jit Yao topdecked like a champ with Deadeye Navigator and then Ghostform to steal the game at the death. Considering both players have made clutch plays to achieve their respective victories, it will be interesting to see what the final game would serve up.

Jit Yao wins Game 2.

Game 3

Wei Xiang chose to play and both players kept their 7 cards. Wei Xiang kicked off proceedings with Plains and Bladed Bracers. Jit Yao played his own Plains. Wei Xiang then played Forest while Jit Yao played Island. Wei Xiang played Plains on T3 and summoned Moonlight Geist, while Jit Yao played Island. Wei Xiang played Call to Serve on Moonlight Geist and equipped it with Bladed Bracers to make it 4/4 with flying and vigilance. He swung with the buffed Moonlight Geist.

Jit Yao 16 Wei Xiang 20

Jit Yao immediately stuck Defang on the Moonlight Geist and played a Scroll of Avacyn. Wei Xiang played another Moonlight Geist and re-equipped Bladed Bracers onto it. Jit Yao played Plains and summoned his first creature, an Elgaud Shieldmate. Wei Xiang passed the turn without a play and did not swing (perhaps fearing Righteous Blow?). Jit Yao used Wei Xiang’s EOT to crack his Scroll of Avacyn.

This paid off as he found his Deadeye Navigator (soulbonded to Elgaud Shieldmate). He shipped the turn to Wei Xiang and Wei Xiang shipped it back. Jit Yao Swung with Deadeye Navigator but Moonlight Geist stood in its way, and Wei Xiang paid 3W to ensure the blocker survived. Jit Yao then played a postcombat Spectral Gateguards before passing.

Wei Xiang shipped the turn back without a play. Jit Yao attacked with Spectral Gateguards and Deadeye Navigator. Once again Moonlight Geist chumped the Deadeye Navigator, and Wei Xiang paid 3W to keep it alive. Spectral Gateguards got through for 2 damage.

Jit Yao 16 Wei Xiang 18

Wei Xiang cast ANOTHER Moonlight Geist (he has 3 on the board now, although one is under Defang), and passed the turn, but not before Jit Yao played an EOT Restoration Angel. He then bounced his Deadeye Navigator to form a new pairing with the Restoration Angel.

Untapping for his turn, Jit Yao played a Moonlight Duelist and paired it with Spectral Gateguards. Spectral Gateguards, Elgaud Shieldmate, Deadeye Navigator and Restoration Angel rumbled in, while Wei Xiang did the same chump-and-save trick with Moonlight Geist on Deadeye Navigator. Wei Xiang still had to take 7 damage from the other creatures.

Jit Yao 16 Wei Xiang 11

Wei Xiang cast a Geist Trappers (soulbonded to a Moonlight Geist) and shipping the turn. Jit Yao played a Wingcrafter and attacked with the same 4 creatures as he did the previous turn. This time, Wei Xiang blocked Elgaud Shieldmate with Moonlight Geist (the one equipped with Bladed Bracers), and cast Terrifying Presence to try and take down Elgaud Shieldmate, but Jit Yao, sitting on a ton of mana, blinked his Deadeye Navigator, paired it with Elgaud Shieldmate, and then bounced his Elgaud Shieldmate to save it.

Realising the writing was on the wall, Wei Xiang acknowledged that he was not going to get through Deadeye Navigator and his bag of tricks, and promptly scooped up his cards.

Jit Yao wins Game 3.

It is matches like these that remind me why I came to love this game so much. It had all the elements of what a magic: the gathering match should possess. It was a pity that one person had to lose because both players contributed a lot to this very entertaining match.

Jit Yao wins match 2-1 (0-1, 6-0, 16-11 concession).

Round 6 feature matches – part 2:
Jonlim (9 points) vs Clement (0 points)

Jonlim seemed to be cruising after being the only player to win his first 3 matches, however chinks were revealed after he lost his previous 2 matches. He would be looking to get back to winning ways to stay in contention for the title of draft winner.

Clement on the other hand, came back to make a reappearance today after years of inactivity, and was still waiting for his first points after 5 straight losses. He will be looking to get his first points on the board.

Game 1

Jonlim won the roll and after Clement took one mulligan, they were off. Jonlim’s T1 Forest was matched by Clement’s T1 Mountain. Jonlim then played a Forest on T2 and summoned Nightshade Peddler. Clement had the perfect response, playing a Mountain followed by Guise of Fire to kill the Nightshade Peddler. Jonlim shrugged and untapped, playing Forest followed by Borderland Ranger (for a Swamp). Clement missed his land drop and passed the turn. Jonlim played a Mountain and attacked with Borderland Ranger into an open board.

Jonlim 20 Clement 18

Clement once again missed his land drop. Jonlim capitalized on this opportunity to flash a Wolfir Avenger at EOT. Untapping for T5, Jonlim played a Mountain and hardcasted Blessings of Nature (2 counters on Borderland Ranger, 2 counters on Wolfir Avenger) and swung in for 9 damage. What a way to punish a landscrew!

Jonlim 20 Clement 9

Clem finally found Plains, and played Moorland Inquisitor. However he decided that it was too little too late, considering he had to chump with it next turn AND still take damage, and conceded.

Jonlim wins Game 1.

Game 2

Clement was hoping for more luck in this game after Jonlim capitalized on a 2-turn land screw to devastating effect. Signs were looking good as he kept his opening hand. Clement played Plains and Midnight Duelist on T1, while Jonlim played a Forest. Clement then played another Plains before casting Call to Serve on Midnight Duelist and swinging for 2 flying damage.

Jonlim 18 Clement 20

Jonlim could only play a Forest on his own turn. On T3, Clement played a Plains and attacked again.

Jonlim 16 Clement 20

Jonlim played Forest on his own T3, and summoned his first creature, Borderland Ranger (digging for Island). It was now T4 and Clement summoned Moorland Inquisitor before attacking once more with the flying Midnight Duelist. He also played Slayers’ Stronghold.

Jonlim 14 Clement 20

Jonlim made a big play on his T4, playing Mountain and summoning Druid’s Familiar (soulbonded to Borderland Ranger). The now 4/4 Borderland Ranger grabbed a 4-life bite out of Clement.

Jonlim 14 Clement 16

Facing 8 power across the table all of a sudden, Clement was now under some pressure. He tried his best to race by using Slayers’ Stronghold on Midnight Duelist and swooped in for 4 damage with it.

Jonlim 10 Clement 16

Jonlim played Island and sent both his 4/4s into battle. Clement decided to chump 1 with his Moorland Inquisitor and take 4 damage. Jonlim played a postcombat Lightning Mauler to keep up the pressure.

Jonlim 10 Clement 12

Unfortunately, Clement couldn’t find anything and passed the turn without a play, not even daring to attack, Wolfir Avenger was flashed in by Jonlim at EOT. Jonlim played Mountain and Hanweir Lancer (soulbonded with Lightning Mauler), and turned all creatures sideways (4/4 Borderland Ranger, 4/4  Druid’s Familiar, 3/3 Wolfir Avenger, 2/1 haste + first strike Lightning Mauler, 2/2 haste + first strike Hanweir Lancer). Clement blocked the Druid’s Familiar with Midnight Duelist and cast Zealous Strike to save it, but still had to take 11 damage in the process, falling to 1.

Jonlim 10 Clement 1

Unfortunately Clement couldn’t find anything to either win the game or help him survive the next turn so he spared himself the misery by conceding.

Jonlim wins Game 2.

Jonlim wins match 2-0 (20-9 concession, 20-1 concession).

Round 7 feature matches – part 1:
Sean (3 points) vs Jit Yao (12 points)

This is a battle of the two players who have won the 2 previous drafts.

Sean won his very first AVR draft with our playgroup with a very dramatic R/W humans deck. However his 2^nd draft was largely forgettable. After seemingly on course with an easy Round 1 win over Stanley, he lost 5 times in a row and his hopes of finishing in the Top4 vanished. His aggressive B/R deck didn’t plow through the field as well as his previous deck.

Jit Yao won his very first AVR draft with our playgroup with very dramatic bombs: Craterhoof Behemoth and Moonsilver Spear. He nearly achieved the impossible that day: a perfect record, winning 6 matches before losing his final match to Jonlim (and lost bragging rights, though still winning the draft by a mile).

While Sean is playing for pride, Jit Yao is locked in a 3-way race with Jonlim and Soon Yoong for 2^nd-4^th place. Jonlim’s final opponent is Yin Kwan, who already cannot be caught as the draft winner, while Soon Yoong has to negotiate a tricky match with Wei Xiang. Sparing himself the complicated permutations, Jit Yao would like to focus on giving himself the best chance of finishing 2^nd by winning this match. Being the defending champion, Sean might be slightly off-form today but that does not mean he would make it easy for Jit Yao.

Game 1

Jit Yao won the die roll and led with Plains while Sean led with Swamp. Jit Yao played Island on T2 and a Midnight Duelist, while Sean played Mountain and a Butcher Ghoul. Jit played Plains and Angelic Wall, while Midnight Duelist turned sideways. Sean opted to block with Butcher Ghoul, and it was now a 2/2 thanks to undying.

Untapping for his T2, Sean played a Swamp and another copy of Butcher Ghoul. Jit Yao said “Plains GO”. Sean obliged and played Mountain before casting Mental Agony.

“Mental Agony is very agonizing” – Jit Yao (after reading what Mental Agony does)

Jit Yao agonized over the agonizing decision before discarding Island and Zealous Strike and lost 2 life, with much agony. Okay enough of the lameness. Let’s carry on.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 18

Jit Yao passed the turn without a play, still unhappy with how Mental Agony screwed up his plans. Sean played Mountain, then cast + equipped a Tormentor’s Trident onto the 1/1 Butcher Ghoul (ie: the 2^nd one he played, the 1^st one was 2/2). He then went to town with the now 4/1 Butcher Ghoul wielding a pitchfork, which Jit Yao allowed through.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 14

Jit Yao played Seraph Sanctuary to gain 1 life and Spectral Gateguards.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 15

Sean played Mountain and Lightning Prowess on his 2/2 Butcher Ghoul (ie: the 1^st one he played). He then played Hanweir Lancer (soulbonded to the 2^nd Butcher Ghoul wielding the Tormentor’s Trident), and attacked with the 4/1 Butcher Ghoul which now has first strike.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 11

Jit Yao played a 2^nd copy of Moonlight Duelist and opted not to soulbond. Sean pinged Jit Yao at EOT with Lightning Prowess.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 10

Sean swung once again with the 4/1 first striking Butcher Ghoul wielding a pitchfork. Jit Yao chumped with the Moonlight Duelist he just summoned. Jit Yao passed his own turn and got pinged again by Lightning Prowess.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 9

Sean played Predator’s Gambit on Hanweir Lancer just for the +2/+1 buff, then swung with it and the 4/1 butcher ghoul-on-a-pitchfork. Jit Yao chumped with the Moonlight Duelist he had since the start of the game and took 4.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 5

Jit Yao drew and slammed down Voice of the Provinces, gaining 1 life off the trigger from Seraph Sanctuary and getting a 1/1 human token.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 6

Sean pooped on the revival by zapping the 1/1 human token with Lightning Prowess at EOT. Sean attacked once more and Jit Yao was forced to chump with the Voice of the Provinces in order to Defy Death. Unfortunately, he drew his card for the next turn and realized he could not Defy Death next turn.

Sean wins Game 1.

Game 2

Although Sean won Game 1, Jit Yao proved how difficult it was to break down his defenses, surviving turn after turn of attacks from Sean before finally giving in. Jit Yao once again opted to play first. Jit Yao played Plains while Sean played Mountain. Jit Yao then summoned Angelic Wall after playing an Island. Sean played Mountain and a Tormentor’s Trident. Jit Yao played Plains and Galvanic Alchemist, and attempted to swing with Angelic Wall before saying “oops” J

Sean laughed dryly at that, and then played Swamp and Hanweir Lancer. Jit Yao said “Plains GO”. Sean obliged, playing Mountain, equipped the Tormentor’s Trident on Hanweir Lancer, played Predator’s Gambit on Hanweir Lancer, and swung for 7.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 13

Jit Yao played an EOT Restoration Angel, to Oohs and Aahs among the spectators. Jit Yao’s answer to a fat-and-angry Hanweir Lancer”…“keep calm and play Defang”. Defang came down on Hanweir Lancer. So did Wingcrafter (soulbonded with Galvanic Alchemist). Restoration Angel and Galvanic Alchemist attacked for 4 damage. Finally, Jit Yao does his first points of damage in this match! How timely!

Sean 16 Jit Yao 13

Sean played Swamp and Soulcage Fiend. He played Uncanny Speed to urge it on, and turned sideways, only for Angelic Wall to stand in its way. Jit Yao then pulled ahead, playing Island and Elgaud Shieldmate (soulbonded to Restoration Angel). He then swung with Restoration Angel, Wingcrafter, and Galvanic Alchemist for 5.

Sean 11 Jit Yao 13

Sean played Blood Artist and passed the turn. Perhaps he had a trick? Jit Yao attacked again with the same group for 5 damage, but Sean just let it through.

Sean 6 Jit Yao 13

Sean attempted to sneak some more damage in with his Soulcage Fiend after equipping it with Tormentor’s Trident, but Jit Yao untapped Galvanic Alchemist by paying 2U to block. Jit Yao untapped, cast Ghostform on his Elgaud Shieldmate, and alpha striked for the win.

Sean 0 Jit Yao 13

Jit Yao wins Game 2.

Game 3

At 1-1 and after 2 entertaining games, this was game on. It was a match befitting of two previous champions. Sean opted to play.

Sean played Swamp and Jit Yao opened with Seraph Sanctuary to pseudo-start the game with 21 life.

Sean 20 Jit Yao 21

Sean played Mountain on T2. Jit Yao played Plains and Midnight Duelist. Sean played Swamp on T3, Jit Yao summoned Angelic Wall and swung for 1.

Sean 19 Jit Yao 21

Sean played Swamp on T4 and summoned his first dude: Undead Executioner. Jit Yao does nothing.

T5 – Sean played Mountain, Predator’s Gambit on Undead Executioner and swung with it (it had intimidate) for 4 damage.

Sean 19 Jit Yao 17

Jit Yao: “ keep calm and Defang”…on Undead Executioner.

T6 – Sean does nothing, Jit Yao does nothing.

T7 – Sean plays Hunted Ghoul, casts Uncanny Speed on it, plays Predator’s Gambit on it, and swings with it as a 6/3 haste.

Jit Yao: “keep calm and Zealous Strike”…on his Midnight Duelist, and block, for a 3-for-1. Midnight Duelist survives while Hunted Ghoul dies. Sean doesn’t look too pleased.

Untapping for his turn, Jit Yao plays Island and Elgaud Shieldmate without soulbonding.

T8 – Sean does nothing. Jit Yao plays and cracks Scroll of Avacyn. He finds an Island and plays it, then summons Latch Seeker (soulbonded to Elgaud Shieldmate). THE CLOCK IS ON. TICK TOCK.

T9 – Sean plays Butcher Ghoul. Jit Yao plays Nephalia Smuggler and swings with Latch Seeker.

Sean 16 Jit Yao 17

T10 – Sean plays Swamp and swings with Butcher Ghoul (hoping to grow it?). Jit Yao blocks with Angelic Wall. Sean plays Necrobite to kill the wall. Jit Yao plays Plains and swings with Latch Seeker. He then plays Spectral Gateguards.

Sean 13 Jit Yao 17

T11 – Sean has an eventful turn. He plays Unhallowed Pact on Jit Yao’s Spectral Gateguard, plays Bone Splinters (targeting Spectral Gateguard), sacrificing the Defang-ed Undead Executioner (targeting -2/-2 at Nephalia Smuggler). The result? Sean gains control of Spectral Gateguard and Jit Yao loses Nephalia Smuggler. Sean swings with Butcher Ghoul and Jit Yao blocks with Elgaud Shieldmate. Butcher Ghoul returns as a 2/2.

Jit Yao played his bomb: Deadeye Navigator (bonding with Midnight Duelist), swings with Latch Seeker, and passes.

Sean 10 Jit Yao 17

Sean miracles a Thunderous Wrath to deal with Deadeye Navigator just as Jit Yao is tapped out. He then swings with Spectral Gateguards for 2 damage.

Sean 10 Jit Yao 15

Jit Yao topdecks Defy Death (for real!) and casts it to reanimate Deadeye Navigator (soulbonded to Midnight Duelist). Latch Seeker goes in again.

Sean 7 Jit Yao 15

Sean casts Pillar of Flame on Midnight Duelist, but Jit Yao blinked it in response. Play error on Sean’s part perhaps? Sean swung with his 2/2 Butcher Ghoul and Spectral Gateguards for 4 damage.

Sean 7 Jit Yao 11

Jit Yao plays a Wingcrafter and attacks with Latch Seeker.

Sean 4 Jit Yao 11

Sean tries to attack again, Deadeye Navigator blocks Spectral Gateguards, Midnight Duelist blocks Butcher Ghoul. Sean casts Necrobite. A few deadeye tricks later, nothing dies.

Jit Yao alpha strikes for the win.

Sean 0 Jit Yao 11

Latch Seeker…I mean Jit Yao wins Game 3.

Jit Yao wins match 2-1 (6-20 concession, 13-0, 11-0).

Round 7 feature matches – part 2:
Jonlim (12 points) vs Yinkwan (15 points)

Yinkwan’s superior “goal difference” means that he would not be caught as draft champion, even if Jonlim does win this match. However, Jonlim’s fate hangs in the balance. Jonlim would end up in 2^nd place if he wins this match, but could drop to 4^th if he loses. Hence this match has a lot of importance for him.

Game 1

This game was rather lopsided, with Yinkwan playing defense the entire game. Jonlim’s Triumph of Cruelty gained him ridiculous amounts of card advantage which Yinkwan was never able to recover from. Yinkwan did not do a single point of damage and by the time Yinkwan lost, Jonlim had 2 Druid’s Familiar, 2 Hanweir Lancer, 2 Borderland Ranger and a Wolfir Avenger out.

Jonlim 20 Yinkwan 0

Jonlim wins Game 1.

Game 2

Yinkwan chooses to start, both players keep their opening 7.

T1:
Yinkwan – Island.
Jonlim – Forest.
T2:
Yinkwan – Plains. Haunted Guardian.
Jonlim – Island.
T3:
Yinkwan – Plains. Silverblade Paladin (no soulbond)
Jonlim – Mountain. Hanweir Lancer.
T4:
Yinkwan – Island. Midvast Protector (targeting Silverblade Paladin naming red + soulbond)
Swing with Silverblade Paladin (doublestrike activated).

Jonlim 16 Yinkwan 20

Jonlim – Miracle Blessings of Nature on Hanweir Lancer. Forest. Attack with 6/6 Hanweir Lancer. Postcombat Nightshade Peddler (soulbonded to Hanweir Lancer).

Jonlim 16 Yinkwan 14

T5:
Yinkwan – Plains. Attack with Silverblade Paladin and Midvast Protector. Nightshade Peddler blocks Silverblade Paladin, Yinkwan Righteous Blow to kill Nightshade Peddler. Jonlim takes 4.

Jonlim 12 Yinkwan 14

Jonlim – Plays 2^nd Nightshade Peddler (soulbonded to Hanweir Lancer). Attacks with Hanweir Lancer. Yinkwan chumps with Haunted Guardian (which dies).
T6:
Yinkwan – Island. Swing with Midvast Protector. Postcombat Spectral Gateguards.

Jonlim 8 Yinkwan 14

Jonlim – Mountain go.
T7:
Yinkwan – Swing with Midvast Protector. Jonlim blocks with Hanweir Lancer. Midvast Protector dies. Postcombat Tandem Lookout (soulbonded to Silverblade Paladin)
EOT Jonlim plays Wolfir Avenger.
Jonlim – Forest. Attack with Hanweir Lancer. Yinkwan chump with Spectral Gateguards (which dies). Postcombat Wandering Wolf.
T8:
Yinkwan – Spectral Prison on Hanweir Lancer.
Jonlim – Miracle Revenge of the Hunted on Wandering Wolf. Druid’s Familiar (soulbonded to Wandering Wolf). Swing for 10.

Jonlim 8 Yinkwan 4

T9:
Yinkwan – Spirit Away on Druid’s Familiar.
Jonlim – no play
T10:
Yinkwan – Archangel, swing with 6/6 Druid’s Familiar.

Jonlim 2 Yinkwan 4

Jonlim – concede

Yinkwan wins Game 2.

Game 3

Jonlim on the play. Both players keep.

T1:
Jonlim – Forest
Yinkwan – Plains
T2:
Jonlim – Mountain. Wandering Wolf.
Yinkwan – Island. Thraben Valiant.
T3:
Jonlim – Mountain. Hanweir Lancer (soulbonded to Wandering Wolf). Wolf attack.

Jonlim 20 Yinkwan 18

Yinkwan – Plains. Angel’s Tomb.
T4:
Jonlim – Island. Wandering Wolf + Hanweir Lancer attack. Postcombat Borderland Ranger (for Swamp).

Jonlim 20 Yinkwan 14

Yinkwan – Plains. Tandem Lookout (soulbonded to Angel’s Tomb). Attack with Angel’s Tomb, draw a card.

Jonlim 17 Yinkwan 14

T5:
Jonlim – Swamp. Lightning Prowess on Borderland Ranger. Wandering Wolf + Hanweir Lancer attack. Thraben Valiant blocks Wandering Wolf. Before damage, Yinkwan uses Righteous Blow on Hanweir Lancer (it dies). Jonlim taps Borderland Ranger to ping Thraben Valiant and save Wandering Wolf.
Yinkwan – Island. Elgaud Shieldmate (soulbonded to Tandem Lookout), but in response, Jonlim casts Death Wind on Tandem Lookout. Swing with Angel’s Tomb.

Jonlim 14 Yinkwan 14

T6:
Jonlim – Attack with Hanweir Lancer. Postcombat Borderland Ranger for Mountain (soulbonded to Hanweir Lancer).

Jonlim 14 Yinkwan 12

Yinkwan – Plains. Voice of the Provinces. Attack with Angel’s Tomb. Jonlim pings 1/1 human token.

Jonlim 11 Yinkwan 12

T7:
Jonlim – Mass Appeal for 4 (but drew all lands). Attack with Hanweir Lancer and Borderland Ranger. Elgaud Shieldmate blocks Hanweir Lancer. Hanweir Lancer dies.

Jonlim 11 Yinkwan 10

Yinkwan – Into the Void on 2 Borderland Rangers (including 1 with Lightning Prowess). Jonlim pings Yinkwan in response.

Jonlim 11 Yinkwan 9

Yinkwan (cont’d) – Swing with Elgaud Shieldmate + Voice of the Provinces.

Jonlim 6 Yinkwan 9

T8:
Jonlim – recast both Borderland Rangers (find random lands). Swing with 1 Borderland Ranger that was already on the board.

Jonlim 6 Yinkwan 7

Yinkwan – Spirit Away on Borderland Ranger. Attack with Voice of the Provinces.

Jonlim 3 Yinkwan 7

T9:
Jonlim – concede

Yinkwan wins Game 3.

Yinkwan wins match 2-1 (0-20, 4-2 concession, 7-3 concession)