If I had to play Silver Deputy in a draft deck, I was never happy about it. Cards that put the land you're fixing for on top of the deck rather than in your hand have always underperformed. I'd rather find myself in green and draft hardbristle bandits if available. Bloomburrow has a nice variation on that type of card that I think is going to be good for the format, even though the fixing is otherwise pretty abysmal in that set.
I have to disagree that green was the best color because of removal. Don't get me wrong, green had solid removal, but I would still put it behind black and white. Green was the best color for having by far the best creature base, and best fixing, and tumbleweed which is possibly the best common. Being base green meant that you more often than not overrun opponents with board pressure, not giving them time to do what they want to do, it was just the most consistent color IMO.
I liked the exile based removal of Black and White, but 17lands' data says that Throw from the Saddle is tied for the highest %winrate for a common card in deck at 56.7% with Trained Arynx as of this post. Mystical Tether sits at 55.6 and consuming ashes is at 55%. Lassoed by the Law has 57.4% winrate by that same source, but also you're far less likely to get copies of that card at all as an uncommon, and it costs twice as much. I think the efficiency of Throw was a huge factor in why it was so good. I stand by my assessment and allowed green to be as consistent as it was allowed to perform. Pumping a creature (sometimes permanently) and removing something you didn't want your opponent to have is sometimes too much, especially when it costs so little you can reasonably double spell that turn. www.17lands.com/card_data?expansion=OTJ&format=PremierDraft&start=2024-04-16&sort=win_rate%2Cdesc
@@dickreckard Any green card will have a higher win rate simply for being green, doesn't mean much. From that top 10 only 2 are not in green... The green deserts also have the highest win rate, even though they are functionally the same as every other desert, and arguably the black deserts are "better" since they enable crime which is what black wants to do often... By the same metric, giant beaver in a vaccum is better than stoic sphinx, which I think is false. Stoic sphynx in a vacuum is the better creature, but it's hurt by being in blue.
it's still the best removal spell (at common) in the best color. I don't know what else you're looking for. even if it wasn't propped up by being in the best color, sorcery speed pump a creature and kill something of your opponent's is still very good for 2 mana, and especially when you have several copies of it because it's a common. Oh Stoic sphynx was a win condition on its own and a reason to be in the color, and I talk about that briefly. In the almost 30 recorded draft and sealed videos I have on here, if I saw it and thought I could swing it, I was thrilled to take it. Loved that card in draft, even though it was hard to splash. But also you're comparing a draft _rare_ to a draft _common_ - you will see 4 beavers before you see one sphynx (if at all). In constructed, the comparison doesn't matter and you can slot in whatever, but in draft, assuming you're going to get any specific rare is fantasy. Additionally, 1 green pip is far easier to swing in any deck playing G+ something else than double U. If you're in some 4 color soup, beavers are far easier to play on curve. If I was in any blue splash, I would hope it was Grixis with less leaning in blue. A double U pip gives me pause. I'd still play it but wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't reliably cast it until turn 6+ Anecdotally, In an earlier draft, having failed to draw my second U source for a while, While resolving Make your Own Luck, I ended up choosing to plot sphynx over a 5 drop because I couldn't reliably cast it, foregoing any surprise factor. Still was good.
