Are you hard stuck in Platinum? Bronze to Mythic is a show run for every new set on MTG Arena where I draft one of my accounts from Bronze 4 all the way to Mythic. Episode One is always my first draft with the new set, so we learn the whole set together along the way as I show you what you need to do to rank up through each of the levels on your way to Mythic!
New episodes will go up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1pm EST, and during the off season between sets I'll be putting up drafts in Mythic as well as some constructed content focused on helping to rank up to the next level.
I'm your host, Jim Davis, and I have been playing professional Magic for over 15 years, having played in Pro Tours and events all over the world. For more info about me check out my website: www.jimdavismtg.com/about.html
37:09 double blocking was not the play there. Jim could have blocked the 4/3 shepherd with the 3/3 token and blocked the 4/4 token with his 4/3 shepherd. prevents blows out like what just happened 1:14:40 that was a weird play, he basically just turned a 1/1 into a 3/3 but if he bounced the tycoon, he could have just made additional 2/2, more bodies seems better on this board. weird play
This format is so weird. The power level disparity between rares, disparity between packs, how 3 colors are so obviously better than the other 2...yet I keep drafting like an addict hoping for my next Railway Brawler hit. I had a perfect grixis crime deck with low curve, Jasper Flynt and some other bombs yet go 1-3. 4C nonsense pile goes 7-0. Idk anymore. Kind of excited for MH3 so I don't have the option to keep taking hits off the OTJ Bong.
Non-believer, a lot of people pointing out BW was the seat, and probably right with very little green seen, but the biggest surprise was the nimble brigand pick over tether and back for more Even though brigand has become a decent card, back for more was most likely always going to make the deck if you’re planning on running the pest infestation, and tether is decent removal, in a good colour, and easily splashable, plus even if GU was somewhat open, it’s a fairly weak colour pairing unless you happen to have Bonny pall
Ive seen a lot of doom saying in the comments but I think Jim is just in a funk. It happens to all of us but when I'm in a funk I can take a break for a day or two. But when Jim is in a funk, thousands of people are watching and backseat drafting (something I'm guilty of too, so I'm not judging) while he has to keep making content. Just important to keep in mind folks.
In last match could have survived at 1 life by sacrificing tapper also (and reorganizing blocks) to grow townsfolk to 9/9, idk if it would have been the winning play but still one more turn
Prosperity Tycoon can only sacrifice tokens. He could not have sacrificed the tapper. He could have lived a turn longer by tapping Blue on upkeep to play around a top decked snakeskin.
non believer. I feel like it might get closer than the last one. but there's a consistent issue with getting lost in the splashes these last few drafts
I think there are two reasons Jim is having trouble with the last few drafts here. The first is in the spirit of B2M, he's picking the rares, when there are often better uncommons or commons. Plenty of rares aren't good enough (Stoic Sphinx from last draft comes to mind), and splashing/forcing colors to make it work drives him into corners he would never allow himself to be put in during more focused drafts. Second is his infatuation with green. Yes, it's the deepest color, but that doesn't mean it's amazing in every deck, and that a green card is better than any other on-color card. Pack 1 Pick 7, he chose a drover grizzly which had no synergy with anything he was doing over the mourner's surprise which went well with Sheperd, Kambal, and any big green creature he may pick up if he went that route. It wasn't the worst pick, but a signal that he's really not looking at the other commons to see what's open and what will work with what he has.
I think he's also undervaluing removal (p1p3 nimble brigand over the o-ring) I don't draft a lot, but when I watch BtM I often feel like you need removal to break some synergies (like the Baron/Desecrator loop). This is true for all sets, not just this one.
In all fairness, you're beating a dead horse because chat was already saying that and by the time he finished P1 he said hed rather have the two tethers than the brigand and kambal.
That and he's keeping it interesting by trying to force some variety when doing a boring ole WG-ish deck with mostly uncommon/common is the "right" option like half the time
stoic sphinx its super strong to be fair (basically 60% win rate). i think its worth speculating for but you don't want to get married to it, especially in a set where blue tends to have more stinkers than good cards. the real tough choice was when he got passed a second one. i think alot of people would end up trying to make that work. but hard to say if thats correct or not. (honestly dont remember how open blue was that draft)
Non-Believer. Sorry, but I feel like you made a few mistakes in Pack 1. Should've leaned more green. With green, you can splash almost anything. I've splashed double blue/white cards in base GB.
I really feel like you're not valuing the lands highly enough. You say you never see deserts, but the truth is you pass them early and then dont see them late. Also, just always take every mystical tether you see heh.
From what I've seen you're forcing green A LOT, if it's the "best color" more likely than not people will be fighting over it. Should've picked the bomb massacre wurm over the infestation and there was a solid BW deck in here.
That was P1P1. And it was loaded with green. There's an argument for taking Harvester for sure, but Infestation is a really good card. Hindsight is 20/20 but in that moment he had no way of knowing green wouldn't be as open. If you always shy away from green then you are forcing yourself worse colors all the time.
NONBELIEVER but I think I'm just being defeatist. This feels like one of those things where I'd be making safer picks (probably staying BW from early on and trying to maximise kambal even if it involves running the mid 3/4 tha sacrifices outlaws to make treasures). But I hope I'm wrong!
Yeah but if he's pumping them out at this rate to finish before MH3 he certainly didn't hit the under. It really shows how complex this format is when a pro tour tested player still struggles like he has been.
Nonbeliever. Jim .. sometimes I really don't know. I know U are waaay more pro then me, but I saw so much moves from u in pack 1 that felt heavily wrong. 1.) f.a. I would have stayed boros way, red is pretty bad yes but pick 9 skeyer ( also draft smith recommend 21 points on skeyer and U take hound which is rating 2 just cause of the reason it would fit in multi colour way). Whyy sphinx is very good yes, but double blue in general at beginning and blue wasn't open here. Soo just felt not right behaviour at all sorry. Nonbeliever
Surprised you are so down on Drake. You drafted it in an earlier draft and were impressed with it, I guess the pro tour opened your eyes? It seems like a fine common to me
You're WAY too against wreaths. I think ol Brucey is totally fine to take in the circumstances since he's also a busted card, but Final Showdown is a top card, it's busted, so to give 3 reasons why it's not amazing is wild. Wraths are consistently great cards based on the stats, the times when they're not great are when they give your opponents cards (as was the case with the LCI one and Depopulate). But this one lets you do it at instant speed + save your guy, so it's probably going to be a 3 for 1 most of the time. Also, 3 white pips isn't even hard to cast when you have 7+ mana on board, 3 pips is bad when you want to play something on turn 3 or 4, but not later in the game. Bit of a comment rant, but I think it's worth re-evaluating wraths cause you're very down on them.
I think one big mistake made in this draft was not prioritizing card draw/looting. You passed a Metamorphic Blast, Seize the Secrets, and Harrier Strix which could all help you win the long game which is likely the only way you win unless you stick a sphinx on 4 and just ride it home. In each situation you past these for other cards that weren't even useful. Even then the best card in your deck is the sphinx and you want to draw it as often as you can so the card draw helps with that a lot. Still a really rough draft overall. Just sort of ended up grabbing a lot of scraps of various colors but not a lot great in any color.
Yep blue brain passes green white desert for double blue sphinx even though he picked red white cards before best color in set is green but pass it and lose instead of just taking green desert lands in the colors you already have makes no since I wouldn't recommend uses him as a guideline on how to draft in a set that blue is gabage cause he will always play the worst blue cards over the best colors in set
Nonbeliever - Before I see the first game, I'm just imaging the nightmare scenario of having a Forest and Plains in your opening hand, then having no creatures and only blue/black combat tricks. IMO I would have taken those holy cows, and eventually pivoted to something Green-Red-White.
I took a month break but wanted to hit atleast platmun before the month ends and I got to plat 2 in 3 drafts 7. Went 7-0 7-1 and 7-0. Seems like the people who were playing non stop burnt out and started with the chromatic drafts. I felt I had 2 decks I was like yuck city on that did well. To be fair tho I won more than a few games I shouldn’t have from poor play from OP. Might be a great time for players to grind it out! (5-31)
This set is so punishing to great pod drafters like Jim. You just can’t pick uncommon/common piles and win against people who got lucky enough to draft with mouth-breathers and bronzes. Either needs to be a pile of rares or a super focused lower rarity deck with a lot of removal.
