Yesterday, the madness started. I had some phantom points left over, so I jumped into a queue. Here is what I opened:

Pack 1 pick 1
Waxmane Baku
Ghostly Changeling
Viashino Slaughtermaster
Moonlit Strider
Faerie Mechanist
Scatter the Seeds
Steady Progress
Matca Rioters
Skyreach Manta
Evolving Wilds
Qumulox
Dimir Guildmage
Cytoplast Root-Kin
Mirran Crusader
Skyhunter Skirmisher

This format is terrible. Mirran Crusader.

Sure.

Yeah, Crusader.

Crusader seems right, this format really is terrible.

Mirran Crusader

Pack 1 pick 2
Soulbright Flamekin
Conclave Phalanx
Sickleslicer
Mighty Leap
Gust-Skimmer
Sign in Blood
Tribal Flames
Simic Initiate
Rampant Growth
Æthersnipe
Hikari, Twilight Guardian
Myrsmith
Midnight Banshee
Flayer Husk



BTW, I'd like to hear some arguments why you think this format is terrible.

I like Myrsmith.

It just feels awful to play. Aggro decks get to play awkward trash like Sunspear Shikari and have to compete with the super-pushed common removal like Narcolepsy and Nameless Inversion, and most of the archetype cards are worse than just picking random bombs and karoos. The decks end up being less interesting than ones from actual limited formats like DDF.

I also don't like the aesthetics of all the cards having different flavor and mechanics, but that's kind of expected.

I'd also go with Myrsmith. 2/1 body for 2 is decently aggressive and something like Darksteel Axe or Copper Carapace would fit so wonderfully with these two picks.

Hikari, Twilight Guardian

I've never played a draft format where Air Elemental wasn't good. Also, Myrsmith is terrible outside the artifact decks and I'd rather stay open in the first few picks.

I'll throw my hat in with Hikari. He's still good without spirit/arcane support while you really want artifact support for myrsmith.

Midnight Banshee is a ridiculous bomb I feel like we should consider, but I'm ok with Hikari or Myrsmith...Hikari has flying, Myrsmith has synergy potential...

Let's go Myrsmith, there are enough decent artifacts that we may get some value out of it even if we end up going Convoke/Tokens route and can't go Affinity or Double Strike.

The format just hasn't been much fun to play. The existence of +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters together is annoying. It's difficult to craft a strong deck against all archetypes so it feels very rock/paper/scissors-y. Not to mention distribution feels off somehow...I feel like each time I drafted 4 people were drafting the same archetype, which I think ties into what Shazzeh was saying about bombs and karoos. Also, out of curiosity, has domain been good for anything other than making a Lightning Strike? Feels like its too slow for the format.

I hear it's the best deck in Sealed; or at least, the most common deck.

I drafted a pretty consistent one the other day (all 5 by turn 5 each game) and it went 0-3. I forced it and my only "bomb" was Horde of Notions, but I had some decent stuff and few of those Matca Riders, 3 Tribal Flames. Came pretty close each game, but was just out of reach. I've played against two, one I beat, the other one wasn't "Domain" so much as R/G Bloodthirst with black and a bunch of Tribal Flames though.

interested in knowing how the rest of the draft went,
2 strong cards and I agreed with both your picks, pick 2 basically serra angel
so W/R Equips
W/B Spirits maybe

I've reevaluated my thoughts on strong archetypes after playing with and against W/R Equips.
I think it's one of the strongest you can go in, also is the deck you'll want to bring that pick 13 gut shot in for

So Many Double strikers at common and uncommon, and decent equips and even Goblin War paint is considered,
good removal with burst, bolt, sunlance, arrest, o-ring
decent non synergistic cards to fill the deck up like the Gorehorn minotaurs, raise the alarm, kami of ancient law

We've got three Hikari and three Myrsmith. I'll put my favorite in the list, but we can see later how pack one would look like if we took the Myrsmith instead.

Johhny, we'll be getting there. I can't tell you how it would play, since I got disconnected in p3p10 or thereabout, lost first round to inactivity and was dropped from event, but I intend to post all the picks.

Pack 1 pick 3
Inner-Flame Igniter
Raise the Alarm
Sickleslicer
Mighty Leap
Gust-Skimmer
Sign in Blood
Simic Initiate
Wings of Velis Vel
Vines of Vastwood
Bloodshot Trainee
Mortarpod
Etched Monstrosity
Rusted Relic


Mirran Crusader
Hikari, Twilight Guardian

Crusader was obvious first pick.
Hikari was the obvious second pick (Myrsmtih is not in the same league)
Here, I think the pick is Mortarpod. It's the best card in the pack (unless you're trying to force 5-colors, which is always a possibility, and in that case you want Monstrosity) and works well in pretty much any deck.

EDIT: Also, I don't know why you guys hate this format. It looks good to me, and it has some beautiful subtleties that I'm enjoying.

The format is sweet, don't let anyone tell you differently. After playing some high level drafts, I can tell you that aggro and synergy decks are very much things (mostly because the control decks don't get to draft as many Fiery Falls as they want, also $%#^% Glinthawk Idol). U/W artifacts is actually good if you draft it correctly, and B/W spirits is as grindy as advertised.

Anyways, I pick Etched Monstrosity here, I'm not in love with Mortar Pod in this format, the commons are unexciting, the Bloodshot Trainee puts me into a deck (which isn't great) and it isn't a deck I'm super high on. Etched monstrosity is a 5/5 for 5 with random upside that you can jam into any deck. I dunno, maybe you could convince me of bloodshot trainee, but eh.

Motorpod or Etched Monstrosity.

I have to say, I don't GET this format. So of course I don't like it. But I am not paying $30 for a draft anyway so whatvs. I do still have a large amount of Dragons to draft so hopefully MM2 won't get super popular.

It just seems like too many of the archetypes have too many cards that are effective in numerous builds, some of your key Uncommons can get sucked up for another deck, and many of the key Commons are really good in any deck. Which seems to turn it into some weird hybrid-archetype (or switch archetype) format where in game 1 you're against an Affinity deck, but game 2 you're against a Doublestrike deck.

I vote for Etched for the same reasons Dr_D did. Trainee is interesting but so far its weird to turn on in my experience. Pod is...I don't know. I want to feel like it has a place in this format, but I haven't found it yet...spirits?

Etched Monstrosity.

Edit: Also...seriously hate that dang Idol...

Mortarpod please.