Okay, so my second deck went 4-2. It was a hybrid deck. The cards weren't there to fully go one way or the other but I'm happy with the results. It was a elemental/token RG deck. I had the Lavakin Brawler and 2 Scamperer's (fun side note, my first dog was named Scampers, I loved that mut. story has a sad ending so I'll stop there), 2 Healer of the Glades scorch spitters, but none of the big payoff elementals. For tokens I had Woodland Champion, the wolf pup, 2 scamperers (fun side note... j/k), Wolfkin bond, and Howling Giant. This was backed up by an Axe, Wand and Crossbow!!! as well as several combat tricks a shock, reduce to ashes and 2 Chandra's Outrage.

Key cards I didn't include, and I mean Key as they lowered my mana base:
Fire Elemental
Vorstclaw
Drakuseth


There was only one game where I wanted at least one of those cards and that was against another Wand/Crossbow combo. I had to sideboard out both Scamperer's it was so bad.


New Draft and this is what I'm looking at. P1p1 is an Agent of Treachery as rare, but I passed on that expensive piece of potential awesomeness for Empyrean Eagle. P1p2; guess what? ANOTHER Empyrean Eagle. P1p3!!! Warden of Evos Isle

I had to pause and report this ridiculousness once I saw the Aerial Assault in pack4. I'm almost positive that, now that i've spoken on it, I won't see another flyer for the entire draft.


ADDITION: Okay, I need help. With P1p11!!! Pick 11? I shouldn't need help on pick 11 but Arena decided to just give me anything in white and blue. I currently have:
1 x Fencing Ace
1 x Moment of Heroism
1 x Raise the Alarm
1 x Cerulean Drake
1 x Aerial Assault
1 x Befuddle
1 x Frost Lynx
1 x Warden of Evos Isle
2 x Empyrean Eagle

might see a 2nd Moment of Heroism wheel. Cerulean Drake came from the pack I'm about to ask you about.
I skipped a Loyal Pegasus for the Frost Lynx, I've seen Pegasus several times against me, and haven't been impressed. Plus UW doesn't have great removal so this could be the winning move.

My choices are:
1 x Brineborn Cutthroat
1 x Soulmender
1 x Bone to Ash
1 x Faerie Miscreant
1 x Frilled Sea Serpent


I'm leaning towards Bone to Ash, but I also like the potential of the Cutthroat. I have no other Miscreants, but in 2 more packs, I'm sure to see one or two more. Soulmender is out as well as the Serpent. Right now I only have 3 cards that can trigger Cutthroat and Heroism is more likely to be played on my turn.... I'm torn, and, since I don't have a twitch audience to ask, I'm gonna pause here and see what you guys think.

I’d take bone to ash.

Don’t think cutthroat would be a bad speculative pick if you could get more instant speed spells. If you already had the counter it’d look better.

I think both of those have better potential to make the deck than the first miscreant, but if you want to gamble on memeing out if more are available in remaining packs, the 2 eagles make it a palatable gamble.

I don’t think soulmender is playable outside an extremely narrow case of a BW life gain build that could use the synergy with Ajani tokens and the vampires who trigger off life gain.

I don’t like the serpent outside a build that wants to gum up the board and win off its ability. That’s not where you’re at with your picks so far.

Well here’s an interesting run. Noxious drafts 3x Heart-Piercer Bow, 2x Renowned Weaponsmith, and 1x Portal of Sanctuary. All cards I considered pretty bad. Pegged the bow a potential late pick sideboard tool for Bo3 or maybe main deck if you got some of the creatures that can kill something dealt damage, weaponsmith a mediocre at best value engine if you end up with some late picks vials or bow, and Portal completely unplayable.

Portal has a few cute moments (allowing double triggers off some ETB effects) in the run, but overall I still think it’s pretty bad. If you are looking to draft, its best to ignore the auras angle entirely - just forget it’s in the card text - and focus on ETB effects in your deck that you’d like to repeat (the various creatures that put extra bodies in play, Risen Reef, Lynx tap, Cloudkin draw, etc). If you have a critical mass of those effects it could be a solid playable/value engine in your deck.

The multiple bows and weaponsmith were impressive. When you get 2 or 3 bows out you’re shocking or lightning bolting creatures every attack. Crazy as it sounds I might try with up to 5 - functions as an endless removal source. It was way more effective than I would have thought. I don’t think you try it if you don’t have weaponsmiths, but if you do that jank can work some magic. The synergy plays out effectively in a number of his games during the run - but if you’re not interested in watching the whole video, just check out the game that starts at 2:07:10 and ends a minute later after Nox gets 2 bows down and equipped to a spectral sailor T4 - opp just scoops it up .

It's funny you bring up Portal of Sanctuary, I was just coming here with my P2p1.

Here's the cards from Pack1:
1 x Fencing Ace
1 x Moment of Heroism
1 x Raise the Alarm
1 x Cerulean Drake
1 x Aerial Assault
1 x Gauntlets of Light
1 x Befuddle
1 x Convolute
1 x Frost Lynx
1 x Warden of Evos Isle
2 x Empyrean Eagle
1 x Bone to Ash


and here is my Pack 2:
1 x Kaalia, Zenith Seeker
1 x Portal of Sanctuary
1 x Vampire of the Dire Moon
1 x Scuttlemutt
1 x Griffin Sentinel
Then a bunch of stuff that's not in my colors (murder is in there) Stone Golem, Fortress Crab.
the Griffin is probably going to wheel, although I haven't seen any white flyers except the pegasus, and the 1 Boreal Elemental I saw didn't wheel.

Kaalia isn't in my colors and isn't even good enough to warrant rare drafting in Arena. But the Portal and Scuttlemutt are both very interesting in a timmy kinda way. I have Cerulean Drake so it potentially combos with scuttlemutt, who is also ramp, and blanks Noxious Grasp and Fry.

The portal not only allows ETB abuse, but also blanks removal or allows for unlimited blocking of non-trample fatties. So it's interesting that they both kind of do similar things in different ways. Scuttlemutt is a little more specific, but also a body, and ramp.

I wouldn’t take Portal with what you have so far. You only have 1x lynx for ETB recursion. Portal can only be activated on your turn, so it doesn’t work for blocking or blanking removal (opp can just cast on their turn). You can reset a creature after attacks to have them up for blocking, but that doesn’t offer enough on its own.

I’d take Scuttlemutt. Opens you up to a splash color if you end up wanting that, and like you said - ramps and has synergy with the Drake you have or other color hate you might come across in remaining picks. I’m fairly high on the mutt this set.

Griffin wouldn’t be bad either. Hits hard with the gauntlets you have, and buffs off the eagles.

Glad you talked me down on the Portal. Scuttlebutt it is.

Thank you for the response

Edit: Nobody was in UW flyers, I have so many good cards my sideboard is value. I also only got 1 Miscreant, so he's sideboard

1 x Bag of Holding
1 x Eternal Isolation
2 x Cerulean Drake
2 x Metropolis Sprite
2 x Aerial Assault
2 x Gauntlets of Light
1 x Griffin Sentinel
2 x Befuddle
1 x Cloudkin Seer
1 x Frost Lynx
1 x Warden of Evos Isle
2 x Empyrean Eagle
1 x Scuttlemutt
1 x Inspired Charge
2 x Bone to Ash
1 x Cavalier of Dawn
1 x Dawning Angel
8 x Plains
7 x Islands
1 x Tranquil Cove


Notable exclusions:
1 x Faerie Miscreant
1 x Anticipate
1 x Zephyr Charge
1 x Convolute
1 x Portal of Sanctuary
1 x Winged Words

1 x Glaring Aegis
1 x Daybreak Chaiplin
1 x Fencing Ace
1 x Moment of Heroism
1 x Raise the Alarm
1 x Aerial Assault
1 x Gauntlets of Light

1 x Heart-Piercer Bow

1 x Chandra's Spitfire
1 x Dragon Mage

1 x Wind-Scarred Crag


I'm thinking I may have made a mistake on the 2nd Befuddle instead of including the 3rd Aerial Assault. I grabbed it for the card draw, 5 cantrips in the deck and Bag. I actually dropped the cheaper Divination due to the cantrips. I could also drop the two befuddles for the 3rd Aerial Assault and a Winged Words.

I made the change in bold and went a quick 2-0. It's bedtime now. Drake came down all 4 games and scuttlemutt saved my ass game 1 since he was playing GB. Match 2 was against RB and I got Cerulean both games. He scooped G2t3 when he attacked all instinctively, but forgot I Lynxed his Audacious Thief and was just going to kill the 1/2 he accidentally sent at my lynx. Didn't get to use the Bag.

Artifacts are way more playable this time, from Bag to Diamond Knight or Golos...and some combinations like Steel Overseer + Manifold Key (+ any other artifact creatures, even the damn Anvil Raptor, lol) quite busted.

Even jank like Retributive Wand becomes playable with Destructive Digger

Managed to make it to 7 for the first time in M20 sealed at my 4th try. Initially I was a bit disappointed about the rares I pulled and losing the first 2 games, but in the end the Elementals together with Legion's End and Chandra, Novice Pyromancer pulled me through.

Wasn't going to let saving for a car keep me from tradition. Bought some more gems last night to do Sealed like I do when every new set comes out. Wicked tired last night though and didn't even start. Will report in this evening after work when I get it started. Hoping for some Ebon Knights as I have in mind a second Dimir build for Standard.

Remember when I wrote about my mediocre RB deck a few days ago?
I finished it today (had no time to play the last couple days) and it went from 1-1 to 5-1 straight; though I'm still semi-questioning how:

2 x Bone Splinters
1 x Disfigure

1 x Blood Burglar
3 x Prismite
1 x Bladebrand

1 x Audacious Thief
1 x Bloodthirsty Aerialist
1 x Gorging Vulture
1 x Mind Rot
1 x Murder

1 x Lavakin Brawler
1 x Agonizing Syphon
1 x Chandra's Outrage

2 x Boneclad Necromancer
1 x Fire Elemental
2 x Reduce to Ashes

1 x Ripscale Predator
1 x Drakuseth, Maw of Flames

8 x Swamp
7 x Mountain
1 x Cryptic Caves
1 x Evolving Wilds

Notable sideboard cards:
1 x Reckless Air Strike
2 x Scorch Spitter
1 x Tectonic Rift
1 x Mountain


Listing the Mountain as a sideboard card. Technically I started it in the first 2 rounds before cutting it for the Fire Elemental ad never boarded up to 18 lands again.
Air Strike was boarded in in rounds 4 and 5 where my opponents had tons of targets for them (replacing a Bone Solinters).
Match 6 I was up against a low-to-the-ground RB aggro deck where I quickly lost round 1. For round 2 (on the play) I kept my deck the same, but cut Mind Rot and Drakuseth for the Scorch Spitters for game 3 (on the draw)

Sealed sure took a nose dive for me after that first run, my last pool was a real mess. No one or two drop creatures in red, blue, or green. Rares were Tale's End, Temple of Triumph, Leyline of Anticipation, Bishop of Wings, Wakeroot Elemental, and Atemsis, All-Seeing. No interaction in black, no good fliers in white. Ended up in UB fliers splashing W for some removal, but it just didn't do anything well - not enough defensive speed nor enough lategame value.

Feels like the gap between the good and bad commons is cavernous. The bombs are mostly double or triple pipped and aren't really splashable, so it's tough to put anything reasonable together if they don't line up with the good commons you do have.

I hear you on the rares part. I started my 5th run and opened up a bunch of lands, a Leyline and Chandra's Regulator, of course without any Chandra.

Luckily I did find some useful flyers and support in Jeskai. Currently at 4-1.

Finished run 6 with 7-2. Manifold Key played an unexpected role in pushing damage through in stalemates.

Cavalier of Night and Vilis, Broker of Blood were real game enders.

Have another 5 win Draft deck for the pile; this Selesnya deck went 5-0:

2 x Might of the Masses

2 x Moorland Inquisitor
1 x Ancestral Blade
1 x Angelic Gift
1 x Pacifism
1 x Raise the Alarm

1 x Steadfast Sentry
1 x Ferocious Pup
2 x Ironroot Warlord
1 x Feral Invocation

2 x Inspiring Captain
1 x Master Splicer
1 x Brightwood Tracker
1 x Wolfrider's Saddle

3 x Dawning Angel
1 x Squad Captain
1 x Wolfkin Bond

8 x Plains
8 x Forest
1 x Cryptic Caves

Notable sideboard cards:
1 x Healer of the Glade
1 x Manifold Key
1 x Disenchant
1 x Plummet
1 x Eternal Isolation
2 x Ferocious Pup
1 x Thicket Crasher
1 x Vorstclaw


Deck would've loved an Inspired Charge, but never saw one, so Inspiring Captains and some enchhantments had to do the trick. Eternal Isolation could've been maindeckable, but I had enough playables that I decided to sideboard it in once I knew which card would be bad (when in doubt I sided out Wolfkin Bond, but Ferocious Pup also got the axe for it once). Healer of the Glade came in once against a very aggressive Rakdos deck; otherwise I don't think I touched my sideboard.

Still not sure about this pick - following P1P1 Murder, do you take Tomebound Lich or Risen Reef P1P2 (assuming no mono color cards worth consideration in the pack)? Reef has an insane ceiling, but I think Lich has a slightly higher floor and of course goes with that Murder. Here's where I ended up anyway:

Before looking at the spoiler; I'd go Risen Reef. I don't like forced looting, especially in draft where the only thing I really wanna discard is lands. Reef is top 3 uncommon in the set and deserves a P1p2.

Edit: that's a hell of a deck

I like Tomebound Lich as the second pick here; mainly because Murder and Risen Reef don't go together in a deck, but Murder and Tomebound do. Reef is the slightly better card, but Lich is not that far behind.

Also concur with Banedon that your deck looks sweet.

I just lost a game and a run because Arena resolved my spell without letting me respond to it. I should learn to hedge against Arena in letting me stack things properly but it's still annoying.

Arena doesn’t hold priority to respond to your own spells normally (with a few exceptions; while you control a League Guildmage or have an Expansion // Explosion in hand off the top of my head). If you want to hold priority otherwise, you’ll need to use full control.

Played the last creature from my hand while ahead on board and thought “huh, maybe I should’ve held that to play around Planar Cleansing.” Sure enough, Opp untaps and plays Cleansing. Sigh. Went 6-3 and actually got some rares in the draft this time, so it ended up being better value than that 7-1 amusingly. Here's the deck:



Fired another draft while a bit spaced out and drafted an absolute garbage fire. Mercifully got two wins out of it at least.