This set needs a draft thread too. I've yet to try it, the cards seem rather intimidating given it's not a simple set (looks very synergy-driven), and since all the modes currently available are timed drafts. On the other hand, I do have a spare draft token.

What is good in this format?

White white white. (Inspiring Overseer)

Streets of New Capenna is really color-imbalanced, so white is by far strongest color, white-blue is the strongest color pair, and Brokers (GWU) is the strongest family. But in general, you should be looking to draft two-color decks with maybe a splash; the three-color families are a fallback plan mostly.

After white-blue, green-white Citizens is best. It has been suggested going for blue first is a better option than white because you avoid fighting over white and you can pick it up if it ends up open to get into the best color pair (WU) and blue-black, WUB (Obscura) and UBR (Maestros) are good options too. Blue-black, black-red, and UBR are more control decks with a lot of removal, though BR can try to be an aggressive sacrifice deck. Green is a rougher direction to start because red-green is an unfavored deck.

Two drops are absolutely necessary. Green-white, white-blue, and GWU are basically aggressive to midrange decks that are resilient to removal because of shield counters and have a lot of flyers, so you need to get on the battlefield even if it's just to hold off the opponent before you can start controlling the game.

You can try other strategies or go for red-green Treasures, but that is probably better after you get a better handle on the format.

Any help with cuts here? I am not sure if I navigated this draft right, since I started with Sanguine Spy, and then found that blue wasn't very open and green was my second color. It scared me that you didn't mention BG as a color combination, only Jund, so I tried to find some red cards ... but even then I seem to have a lack of synergy. I got two Body Droppers but not many ways to sacrifice something (or creatures to sacrifice); I've got some self-mill but Sanguine Spy and the two Maestros Initiate (which look like crap filler to me) are the only ways to exploit it. I think I might've stuffed another draft - big surprise, it does look like a pretty complicated format.



Other potential cards in sideboard: For the Family, Social Climber, Warm Welcome, Capenna Express, Glittermonger

Took the Riveteers Charm over a Jewel Thief, not sure if right since 3-mana 3/3 with abilities sounds insane. On the other hand I don't have treasure synergies unless you count Capenna Express.

Jewel Thief is a lot stronger than Riveteers Charm.

IMO, if you are trying to optimize, I would just cut green completely. Like I said, you should be looking to be two-color primarily, splashing for the three-color A/B-level cards. You never want to be splitting your lands like this. The draw lands are not worth including over a basic land if you're not in both colors.

Focusing on an aggressive sacrifice-synergy deck would be a better option with this pool.

If you just want to have fun, Maestros Initiate is just too slow. This is not a format where you really need mana sinks, especially just to draw.

Jewel Thief is very good. Up there with the white flying 2/1 that draws a card for best commons in the set. I would have taken it over jund charm easy.

Revel Ruiner is filler imo. Easy cut options. Dig Up the Body doesn’t seem that good with your pool - not generating much fodder for casualty and not much that’s worth 3 mana and a card to get back. Daring Escape is expendable with the amount of straight up removal you have.

Join the Maestros is pretty solid imo. Casualty cost can upgrade a 2 or 3 drop into a 4/3. Might be worth swapping in for one of your Strongarms. Wrecking Crew is decent with its reach and trample abilities, but none of the cards you list as potential in sideboard are worth subbing in (Glittermonger and Warm Welcome are ok with relevant synergies, but you lack that in your pool)

I don’t see why you’re running the UB dual land?

I haven’t paid attention to the format in a few weeks, has it sped up recently? Maestros Initiate was good early in the format imo. Mana sink option seems good along side the instant speed removal spells, to pop off EoT if not needing to cast one

I have the UB dual land because I need to lay out 23 playable cards before tweaking my lands

I never considered cutting green entirely, in fact in a vacuum I'd have thought green is stronger than red (since Bouncer's Beatdown looks like a premium removal spell, Gaia's Greeters a premium 2-drop, and I got good creatures to receive Strongarm counters). Good to know about the Jewel Thief, I took the charm because I saw it in Modern Jund decks and was like "if this is playable in that deck it must be worth picking too". Draw lands are not better than basics unless in both colors? That's a surprise. I know in other formats off-color duals can still be good to get some extra value from the land slot. If they're not then it sounds like the format is very fast. Cutting green makes more sense then since no time for 6-drops.

I'll give it a go and see how it turns out.

I don’t think your pool, in what we can see, is right for a RB aggressive sac synergy build. You usually would want more blitz doods like the red 2 drop and more of the 4/4 that dies into a zombie token. They help your Body Droppers grow, and cutting your Strongarms removes blitz options from your deck. Also, your best overall creature is Gala Greeters imo

When I was paying more attention to the format, I would not describe it as a fast one. Maybe format has evolved tho. Maybe much different than when I was more engaged with it.

You can’t draw off draw lands unless you have both sources in your land pool, so def don’t play the UB one if you don’t have another U source in your mana base with which to crack it or a U spell/ability that needs it.

When I fell off SNC, it was a pretty aggressive format. That's why two drops are so very premium and why two-color decks are so much better than three-color usually. My first post in this thread about GWU being able to overrun most decks unless you can stabilize with like a UBR deck was based on that. Even though I haven't drafted SNC in a bit, I am also keeping up with more competitive drafters who have maintained this stance as well.

Looks like I don't have enough playables without green sadly. There are eight green cards. I could play Antagonize and Wrecking Crew, but that still leaves me short on four slots. Guess I have no choice but to run 3 colors. Not looking good, the mana is unworkable. Probably bombing out ...

Edit: Yeah, 4-3, two losses coming to mana. Can't complain, I deserved it.

I haven’t kept up with it at all in several weeks now so I’d defer to you

When I stopped paying attention, WUG was king with UBR being queen (particularly if you get the tri color sweeper), but RB was starting to increase in popularity / success. If folks are rocking the two color decks more now, I could see format being faster now

Swooping Protector or Celestial Regulator? Protector synergizes with Darling of the Masses & is single color, but it seems rather small for the cost. I also took Brokers Hideout over the Azorius dual land, as well as Adjudicators over Illuminator Virtuoso, not sure if right.

If given the choice do I go Selesnya splash blue or Azorius splash green? I'm guessing UW since it is the strongest color pair and Darling doesn't look strong enough to sway that?

I’d take Regulator and hope to be UW splash G. Protector is small body but shield counters are strong - you can *almost* think of it as getting two 2/1 fliers for 4 mana, and the surprise element with flash helps you get 2 for 1 scenarios. The 3 butt and tempo potential at cheaper cmc with Regulator is better tho imo; I really like the card in UW decks.

Virtuoso is pretty meh for me. Don’t trigger the connive ability often, and is usually just a functional 2/1 for 2cmc. I prob would have done same as you, especially assuming you first picked Lagrella and want good mana to cast it

Also, how did your run with the other deck go?

I edited the results to an earlier post: "Edit: Yeah, 4-3, two losses coming to mana. Can't complain, I deserved it." I really deserved it. I can see why neru says it's a 2-color + splash format, the mana doesn't look workable for true 3-color decks.

This draft ended up in what looks like a very tempo-heavy UW deck, although I've yet to see any of the cantripping 2/1 flyers that gain life (ha, that card looks Absurd with a capital A).



Need 11 cuts, probably Sewer Crocodile, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Expendable Lackey x2, Ominous Parcel (I don't have much removal though), Security Bypass, Gathering Throng x2 (I should have snapped these more aggressively), Brass Knuckles, and I guess Case the Joint & a Boon of Safety or Speakeasy Server. My curve still seems rather high for a tempo deck though, especially since two of my 2-drops usually can't attack. Looks like Virtuoso would've been better than Adjudicators as well given the cheap instants. Maybe I'm just not valuing 2-drops sufficiently highly, many of them aren't very good but picking only premium 2-drops should be infeasible.

Expendable Lackey is a solid card. Pulls a lot of weight for a 1 drop with its utility. You want it in your decks with connive especially.

What did you end up doing with final build on your jund deck, to get to 40?

Hmm what do I cut then? The Dapper Shieldmates? I only have Raffine's Informant as a connive creature as well.

I don't remember what I cut in the Jund deck. Most of the cards I used are in the screenshot, though.

0-3. I screwed up really badly one game (multiple mistakes), but overall the deck felt bad. No power level. Opponent plays one big creature and I basically just lose. I can't even race in the air because none of my flyers can attack past a 2/3 flyer unassisted. Rip.