Editor: Staff. Monday 21st June 2005.
|
You are: Home -> Articles -> Columns -> Good Games
Editor: Staff. Monday 21st June 2005.
|
 "To the draft, for all the beans." After making top eight I didn't really care who won the whole thing. Seriously. The Australian players in the top Eight had all made a split, as we had spent many months drafting against one another, and knew that any one of us could have won the draft given the right amount of luck with packs and seating. Also, given that two of the quarterfinals were .AU on .AU affairs, there were always going to be losers, and the paltry money (relatively speaking) for a first round elimination was a good enough incentive for me to get in on ‘the splitz'. For me it is all about making top Eight, as I think that gives the best indication of how well you are playing and how much of the kudos pie you deserve to have. In constructed, the elimination rounds are plagued by matchup problems, and in limited you can miss a drop or have to play a card like Varnae twice and just lose. These are often unavoidable situations, and are sometimes even good for the game. However, when looking at who the best players are, etc, I think consistency is the issue, and I would much rather make top Eight at two 10K's than merely win one of them.
Anyway on to the draft, and I was surprisingly nonchalant about it all as I sat down. I wanted to win obviously, but it just felt like any other draft for me. I was seated between two Kiwis, which could be good and bad, but I was also confident with the format, and although had a preference for Underworld, I was willing to draft whatever I thought was coming my way. Vs draft has some rather poorly understood nuances, and I knew that I would have to protect my projected curve at all costs (4-4-4-3-3-2) to give myself the best chance of competing for the trophy.
When I opened the first pack I was very happy. There were three relevant cards, Hypnotic Charms, Midnight Sons and Face The Master. From my own experience with the format, these cards are all of roughly equivalent power, but not as first picks. Luckily for me, I had drawn a pack where my values were different from the majority of drafters. I consider Hypnotic Charms to be the best card here, as first pick first pack it is just a more flexible team up than Midnight Sons (as you can play it with very few Underworld guys at all) and I would rather take a flexible pick first than the raw power Face The Master provides. Fortunately my incursion into Underworld had gotten off to a good start, with me also sending two team-inspiring cards downstream.
I could not believe my eyes when I got passed Crime and Punishment. There are very few cards I will pick over CaP, regardless of affiliation. This threatened to give me a low regard for my dominant in the draft, but I decided to forget how easy I got this pick and just concentrate on what the packs gave me. It helped that the pack really didn't have much more gas, so I wasn't threatening anything with my pilfer there.
Third pack presented a deceptively easy pick. There was a Roscoe Sweeney surrounded by other good Crime Lords guys, a Gravesite and a Day of the Dead. I refused to take any CL card, for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are incredibly overrated for mine, and overdrafted. They don't have a lot of offensive punch, meaning you really have to have a good deck to compensate, which is difficult because their depth means they are typically the most drafted team. More importantly, having already passed the best plot twist for the affiliation, and with a viable number of picks in this pack for CL, I had a real chance of entrenching a number of drafters down the line in Crime Lords, which in my mind was a very good thing, as I had passed a Deathwatch last pack, and if by some small chance I ended up in those affiliations I had given up my number one guy. Thus I am left with Gravesite and Day of the Dead, both strong cards. Gravesite is an incredibly potent card, and becomes insane even if you have only one Strength from the Grave, but Day of the Dead is more flexible at this stage of the draft. At first I thought that was relevant, but really I can only take Gravesite here. If I take Day of the Dead, which is more an Underworld card than an X-Statix card, I am planning on playing Underworld after passing a distinct signal in Underworld. I have already decided to give up Crime Lords, so to pass Gravesite would surprisingly narrow my options, by effectively hedging my bets for too long. I needed to make a move at some point, and third pack is later than most. Gravesite is not a card I mind moving on to be honest, and I mentally locked myself into my favourite affiliation.
My luck continued in the fourth pack, as there were only very slim pickings until I reached Orphan-7. Having drafted this format a lot, I knew a number of things about sevens in this format. The first is that you want two, no more, no less. Games in this format can go to eight, so drawing both is good, but more importantly many decks in this format can just start dealing ridiculous amounts of endurance loss because of concealed, so having a damage sponge on seven is key to winning the late game. This comes to the second point, which is under appreciated for mine, and that is that the visible sevens are a million times better than the hidden ones, for much of the above reason. Bullseye is the best seven, but Orphan is not far behind, particularly when on evens. Everyone needs sevens, and they can be hard to get on some draft tables, so nailing one of the best ones down so early was fortuitous. It must also be noted that the affiliation of sevens should never be relevant, unless considering them against other sevens in the pack. Your seven will rarely want to team attack, and will rarely reinforce or be reinforced. Getting in house sevens is great, but not mandatory.
I was very proud of the pick I made in pack five, and I think that such a pick represented a certain subtlety in skill that could only have been developed through several score drafts in the format. The relevant cards in the pack are Blackout and Morbius, both known as solid cards in the affiliation. A good player will note I have the Hypnotic Charms already, making Morbius very good. However, Blackout is clearly the pick, for a few reasons. Firstly, four-drops, particularly good, eight-power, four-drops, are harder to come by, and more important on the board, than three drops, or even strong-calibre three-drops. Secondly, the ability on Blackout (and for that matter Skinner), to be able to discard cards at will, is the hinge that the affiliation runs on. It also helps that the effect Blackout generates is quite good as well. One of the most important things anyone can learn in limited is how to develop an ‘archetype' rather just drafting cards of an affiliation. In Man of Steel draft, Professor Emil Hamilton greased the wheels of the entire Superman team, due to their reliance on Cosmic. Knowing how important certain cards are to their affiliation is the key to good drafting. I had drafted enough to know there is always another Morbius, and that you don't want to get to excited by him as he often tables. This would prove wrong on this table, but would still yield important information that will be revealed later on.
In pack six I knew I was onto a good thing. The other Morbius was here, but there was also the card I had been waiting for Strength From The Grave. One of the reasons I think Underworld is the best affiliation is this card. An insanely powerful effect that is heavily team-stamped, I have seen many players sigh at passing this card late knowing that they can't possibly splash it but that it will most likely cost them a game in the tournament in someone else's hands. This is also a reason why Gravesite is so ridiculous. I pretty match slammed this card and could not have been happier. I knew I had four blue cards and only two red at this stage, but my blue was so good I could afford to pass over some more good blue to ensure the integrity of my curve.
Picks seven to eleven were what made the draft for me. With my seventh pick I took Vengeance, who until now I thought was mostly unplayable, but it was an extremely weak pack, and I was unsure how the kiwis valued cards so I remember passing more reasonable CL picks over this to keep their paws off any and all Underworld that I could. I also noted that the packs were high on blue and low on red, which you must notice early, as you always need to protect your curve first and foremost, as you can have all the blue in the world and it does jack all without the characters to wear it. After having to make such a bad/conservative pick, I knew I would have to stick to characters now and find an opening for a second affiliation.
Venus Dee Milo is not a good card. However, apart from more CL, it was all I had. She is by no means unplayable, but without much Marvel Knights stuff coming through, I knew she would be good enough to plug a few holes if needed and that securing the curve was my first priority. I took her in what seemed like another conservative pick, and I followed up with Mysterious Fan Boy, another distinctly average card. Sixes are usually pretty easy to cover, particularly X-Statix sixes, but I got the inkling that X-Statix was again being grossly underdrafted. The packs I was picking from here were pretty much just all X-Statix with a smattering of CL and plot twists, so my picks were conservative for the curve, but smart in their affiliation.
This was made obvious when I got passed a tenth pick Spike. Now the earlier X-Statix cards were playable but that is as far as I would go (I don't count Orphan as X-Statix when drafting). However, Spike is fantastic. His application is very narrow, but insanely powerful. Four drops that can get up on five or very important but this pick said something way more important. No one had been willing to commit to X-Statix as a primary team. First things first, X-Statix is the weakest team. Period. Their single character theme is very difficult to pull off in draft, as so many of the necessary cards are rares. What this means is that many of the powerful, single character abilities are lost in the limited format, turning the team into a hodge-podge of average dudes with often irrelevant text. However, where a table only wants two X-Statix drafters, those guys will be able to do whatever they want with their curve because no one wants their guys, freeing them up to get better plot twists later on when the curve rush is on for other teams. The trick is knowing when to jump. The Spike anywhere from pick 7 onwards first pack is a pretty good guide, and often worth the risk. You can't play him very easily, but if you can he is insane.
I picked up a late Corkscrew, which was very good considering I had no two drops yet (I would need 4 at least, preferable X-Statix at this point) and then took Coach just in case my deck would need him. Micro-Chip can be relevant so I hated him, and then I took home my 436 th Monument to a Madman last pick. w00t. At the pack review I decided a few things. I had insane underworld plot twists but not the character base. I would try to stay Underworld, but if it got cutoff I had to notice and move. The fact that neither of the Morbius's came back signaled that I wasn't going to get a free ride. This was compounded by the fact that I had observed that characters had been less populous in the packs as my regular drafting in Sydney offered. This is important to realize, because you should draft teams depending on the characters you are getting more than the plot twists, as they are more important. It meant that I would have to stay on target on the curve, which I had done a reasonable job preserving early on, and I would have to forgoe some great plot twist to make sure I maintained it. I was happy with my deck so far, but I knew I would have to stay focused on this pack to ensure the early promise it showed flowered.
You can laugh at my pick here if you want. Then go and read the metagame.com coverage (and Paul Ross's report) and see how many times this card pulled its weight. Psychoville is amazing. Good drafters have talked about the need for a card that can pull dudes out of the concealed zone in every draft deck, but how about one that does it every turn, to your guys and theirs, and even has the most underrated activated ability in the format in giving +1DEF to your guys already hidden. The competition was Mist Form, a powerful card, and Nightmare, which is ok, but not something I would risk as a first pick before third pack. Psychoville is not only better than those cards anyway, but I was not 100% sure I was staying Underworld so I needed a card I knew would always be relevant.
I wet my pants when I opened this pack. I put the card in my pile before I even looked at the rest of the cards. Unlike Magic, there are few ‘bombs' in VS limited. However, Varnae is definitely one. I have no doubt that this guy is the best card in the set. No other card can so completely just win a game like Varnae. Having been a little concerned about whether I was Underworld or not, I was now locked. There was a Zarathos in the pack but whatever. I knew my deck was looking very good here, and I steeled myself to make sure I didn't screw up the coming packs. The next pack presented an interesting decision, and one I was loathe to make, but to be honest would much rather have options like these than some of those late picks in the first pack. Luke Cage (6)/Strength From The Grave/Dracula's Castle. Dracula's Castle is a great card, but not really at the extreme power level of the other two. I spent the full time here umming and ahhing but I eventually decided that even though I had two six-drops, Luke Cage was just more important to my deck. Apart from being an absolute beating, he could be an emergency seven-drop, and I already had 5 non character cards in my deck. I still don't know if the decision I made was right, but with that sort of pack I couldn't really cut off Underworld again, and I couldn't really complain anyway.
Pack Four was just one of those packs where you get what you deserve when you draft well. I had choice between a fourth pick Black Magic or Day of the Dead. I knew I had done a great job of cutting off Underworld, and even though I was both X-Statix and Underworld, Black Magic is just way more powerful. Still, I was worried about characters here, I knew there would be a scramble for characters in the third pack, and I could pick up plot twists then. I needed to make curve before the craziness ensued. I was blessed with the fantastic Anarchist 5 in the next pack to give me some gas at five. I awkwardly picked Luke Cage 4 next, as it was the best card in the pack besides an Asmodeus I didn't need (I had 3 sixes). It was a little too close to my other Luke Cage on the curve, but the card is very, very good, and sometimes you have to make ugly picks to maintain curve. In such situations, you begin to realize just how amazing Hypnotic Charms is (there were even times when I could have pitched Luke Cage 4, and turned my dudes MK, and used Crime and Punishment in a preliminary attack). Besides if I could nail an early Gravesite I should avoid an identity crisis between my four and six.
I took Plazm next, a generally mediocre card but having the very important 3 in its recruit cost. I had neglected three up until now but I hadn't really been given many options, and I knew that I would have to snare a couple more threes and fives to avoid being in a bad position in the third pack. Next pick I took the again mediocre Dead Girl, over the much worse Venus Dee Milo, even though I had a power-up synergy going on. Three drops with only 3 power are terrible. The just don't stun anything, allowing your opponent to keep board on offense. She is concealed as well which sucks for a card that is supposed to be defensive. Dead Girl could make the deck, and even though my fives were generally bad, it is much harder to get fives later on than threes, so if I had to make a difficult choice I needed backup.
Next I got the insane Mind Over Matter, making me feel warm and fuzzy for X-Statix, even though I had to pass Nightmare. I already had two sevens, so Nightmare would have just been a hate, and I can't complain with my pick here, even if I would have taken a necessary character over it if given the option. Club Dead v Rough House was next, and I took Club Dead purely to stem the flow of Underworld, ensuring no one got any wild ideas. It may have made my deck, but I knew I only had a few Underworld characters and that I was unlikely to be pitching them, or putting them anywhere where they couldn't maintain Charms, early on. Orphan 3 was amazing so late, and I took Lacuna, not so much optimistically for Marvel Team Up, but because twos are important, even though they are always going around in the last pack. Lacuna can always team attack and be reinforced when roadblocking, so she had everything I was looking for in a two, and she could conveniently be Underworld in the yard. I hated a Hand next and then took some chaff for my last card.
Going through my pile I was impressed, I knew I needed to pick up some more good threes, at least one four, and possibly some 5's, but I was also in a good position to take good plot twists if they came along. If I cautiously protected my curve, my deck would be insane.
The third pack I opened was terrible generally, but secured my fours with the criminally underrated Anton Hellgate. With Charms and Varnae, even his boost could be very important for bringing them online. I got Blown to Pieces second, continuing my appreciation of my dominant's lack of plot twist knowledge; the card is just stone cold nuts, preventing your opponent from attacking down the curve. Third pick I got the amazing Zarathos, one of the keys to the affiliation, even though I had to pass up Skinner, who is undeniably amazing. It did cross my mind to take the Skinner, but having Dead Girl and Vengeance at five made me try my luck for two better threes rather than going in with only one good five. Five is a crucial drop in this format, and even though my early Underworld was poor, I had to take a risk here, or I would get destroyed by the Blade or Deathwatch deck that was lurking out there somewhere.
Fourth pick Hypnotic Charms could have been seen as lucky here, but I had been confident all along that I would see another one or at least a Morbius. I can't remember what the options were, but having this card meant I had sufficient plot twists, in power and in number, and I could now concentrate on my curve totally. I think I errored slightly with my next pick. I was swayed heavily by the fact I had Spike with this pick, and I probably could have been safer by taking the three drop. Twos were always going to come and I ended up with too many in the end. In the end this ended up being ok, but I probably would have got the Bloke back even, and I should have taken Brother Voodoo.
Sluk made up for this next pack, as he is quite obviously very, very good, even when I had to pass the ridiculous Missed Drop for it. There was not time to screw around with superfluous plot twists here. I needed the three so I took it. I may have errored with my next pick as well, but I was being extremely conservative, and saw a chance to completely sew up my curve but for a final three drop. La Nuit would have come in for Luke Cage 4, or Go In Swinging could have made the cut. I took Gin Genie to ensure I had the four twos I would need. My deck was already gas, I didn't need to take any more risks. I took Dead Weight out of a pack that had really nothing, and then finally got another sorely needed Underworld character with Nekra. A 10 th pick Grandstanding was totally ridiculous.
I am not going to lie. I nearly cried when the Skinner tabled. Not only is he absolutely stupid generally, I really, really needed him for my deck. I needed another three, I needed early Underworld drops, and I needed ways to get Underworld guys in the yard. I knew when I got the Skinner that only a mighty deck indeed would get in my way now. With my deck complete there were only a few random hates to finish the draft and then we went away for deck construction
There really wasn't much for me to decide to do, but I made some interesting decisions and in hindsight I stand by them. I am big fan of the 20/10 ratio for characters to plot twists. My cuts for the plot twists were pretty easy. Dead Weight did absolutely nothing for my deck, and Club Dead could not be supported with enough Characters for the early game. Training Theatre is definitely not horrible, but too narrow to be accommodated in a deck this powerful.
As for characters I only really had two decisions to make, and they were related. Between, Zarathos, The Spike and Hypnotic Charms I had some interesting requirements for my deck. In the end, I decided that the Gin Genie ability and stats were the least relevant, and that Lacuna's ability to be an Underworld Character, even if randomly, won out (obviously she didn't compromise The Spike in anyway). The other decision was more controversial, but I stand by it, particularly as I had a Psychoville. I am not going to pretend that Vengeance is any good as a character , but hot dang what a corpse. I really really needed to make sure my KO'd pile could be Underworld whenever I needed it to be. Once active Hypnotic Charms would take care of the rest. Dead Girl is mediocre, but much better than Vengeance. However, I was comforted with a Gravesite that I wouldn't have to rely on him being recruited that often.
[ Email the Author | Discuss this Article ]
|
