Scars draft (10/8/10)

[natedog08]

For our first Scars draft, here's what I 3-1'd with, minor card discussion added.

1x Ichor Rats - a high pick for the infect deck. the ability to blast out a poison counter as an ETB trigger increases your clock signifigantly.

1x Cystbearer - While no Ichor Rats, a 2/3 is one of your better options for the 3 drop slot when playing infect.

3x Blight Mamba - I first picked this guy without a hesitation. Even if you end up not being the infect deck, this guy is still one of the best blockers in the format, in my opinion.

2x Blackcleave Goblin - If this guy wasn't hasty, it wouldn't be worth the pick. The haste makes a 4-drop 2/1 a good option, however.

3x Corpse Cur - This guy was a house for me. I honestly can't see myself playing the infect deck without multiples of this guy. Remember how good Gravedigger was in core set? I think this guy might be a little better.

1x Trigon of Infestation - While I think it's a little slow, repeatable infect creatures can be majorly gamebreaking.

1x Plague Stinger - Being able to drop this guy on turn 2 automatically puts your opponent on defense or makes them use removal as fast as possible, leaving room for your later infect guys to get there.

1x Skinrender - You'd have to be drunk, high, and suffering the results of a lobotomy to not run this card. It's that good.

2x Contagious Nim - While being the worst of the 3 drops for the infect deck, it's still efficient for it's cost.

1x Tumble Magnet - Again, a card most decks will benefit from playing.

2x Tel-Jilad Fallen - A card that pushes your win condition while avoiding a majority of the cards in the set? A must play.

1x Carrion Call - I love this card due to being instant speed. Can swing blocking vastly in your favor, or just be an end-of-turn suprise.

1x Grasp of Darkness - Any black deck would benefit greatly from this. One note, I got this card somewhere around 10th-12 pick Friday. This may be one that most of us are severely underrating.

1x Instill Infection - Kills off mana-myr and already infected creatures while replacing itself. If it cost one less it would be amazing, but at 4 it's still decent.

1x Necropede - This guy makes combat awkward early game for your opponent, can easily set up a 2 for 1.

1x Horizon Spellbomb - Fixing and card draw. Definately worth a spot.

1x Sylvok Replica - A good early game blocker that can handle troublesome artifacts. Worth it.


The only problem I have with the deck is the lack of mana myr, but I think I made the right call in the end by pushing infect so heavy.

[pr0b4bi1i7y]

What cards didn't you play Nathan? And what did you first pick Blight Mamba over?

Untamed Might is a house in the Infect deck opening up Fireball-like opportunities with unblocked creatures. Another strong common for the Infect deck is Tainted Strike because it can get you an extra Poison damage across and allows your non-Infect creatures to come through for you (like Skinrender). Equipment also serve as a huge boost for Infecting guys, especially Darksteele Axe, Grafted Exoskeleton, and Bladed Pinions (both first strike and flying are amazing on Infect creatures).

I like the Sylvok Replica alot. It gives you an answer to Arrest and the array of Artifacts in the set. I'm not sold on Instill Infection, it replaces itself but it just doesn't do a whole lot other than that. I think it takes away from your tempo more than it is worth. Horizon Spellbomb is decent, but I don't like it in this deck because early in the game you are wanting to put pressure on your opponent and it is just taking away tempo. If you had drafted an Assault Strobe, I think Horizon Spellbomb becomes more playable as it lets you get red mana for the splash. Trigon of Infestation seems okay against slower decks when you will be able to keep making creatures but there are just better cards in the set for your main deck.

[natedog08]

unfortunately, i the only copy of Untamed Might and the 2 Tainted Strikes I saw for creatures in the 2nd pack. At that point, I was really low on creatures (if i remember right I had 5 creatures by end of pack 1) and I had to pass them for the Infect creatures.

the best card in my opinion outside of the Blight Mamba P1P1 was a foil and nonfoil Dispense Justice. I don't remember the rare, i just remember it being utter trash, so i didn't even consider it. i prefered the Mamba of the 2 Dispense Justice because to me the Mamba will do more for you, and by shipping double Dispense Justice i'm pretty much saying "have fun drafting white, cause I'll pass it all night", which really helped me 2nd pack.

Instill Infection, while not being the best possibility, actual performed decent for me. Being able to finish off a creature in combat instead of having to wait until the next combat step really put me ahead on the board. And, Horizon Spellbomb really went in because it was the only form of fixing I had managed to fix up, and I felt like I needed some slot for it.

[pr0b4bi1i7y]

I think Dispense Justice is the correct pick in the case of just Mamba and Justice, however, in this case, I think you did the right thing by passing them as it sends a strong signal that you aren't in white.