Best Draft Picks, Mirrodin to Rise of the Eldrazi

[Thomas David Baker]

We're building a cube composed of the best draft picks (common and uncommon only) from Mirrodin thru Rise of the Eldrazi.  That's 22 sets not including core sets.  We'll take an average of 15 from each set plus leave some extra slots for fixing (Shards trilands, Rav bouncelands, maybe Signets, Vivids, Refuges, Armillary Sphere, Rupture Spire).

To avoid over-representing little sets like Worldwake and Conflux we will do 20 cards from the big sets and 10 from the small sets. 

The idea is that you open your first booster and think, "wow, these are all first picks".

We'll have to force ourselves to include 50-75% creatures as first picks tend to be removal.

We'll aim for about 50% creatures which is the ratio most sets have in common/uncommon.

I will probably print a version of the cube and bring it to Portsmouth tomorrow with commons and sleeves, if I have time.  But still post your opinion if it's after that ... this is a work in progress!

I'm going to actually make the cube and bring it to the Games Club this week.

Post below what you think should make the cut for one or more sets!  Especially the older ones where I don't have a clue!

The Sets:

Rise of the Eldrazi

Worldwake

Zendikar

Alara Reborn

Conflux

Shards of Alara

Eventide

Shadowmoor

Morningtide

Lorwyn

Future Sight

Planar Chaos

Time Spiral

Dissension

Guildpact

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Saviors of Kamigawa

Betrayers of Kamigawa

Champions of Kamigawa

Fifth Dawn

Darksteel

Mirrodin

[Amar Dattani]

Thomas David Baker said:

You have to kill your babies!

:o

[Kieran Symington]

From Eventide, I think Unmake, Snakeform, Puncture Blast, Soul Snuffers, Savage Conception, Hatchet Bully, Noggle Bandit, Desecrator Hag, Wickerbough Elder and Ballynock Trapper. Pretty hard to cut down to ten from a set, though.

[Kieran Symington]

Shadowmoor is really hard - there are so many good cards in it! This is my list for it, though:
Incremental Blight, Burn Trail, Biting Tether, Prison Term, Firespout, Trip Noose, Sinking Feeling, Faerie Swarm, Grief Tyrant, Seedcradle Witch, Briarberry Cohort, Kitchen Finks, Silkbind Faerie, Kulrath Knight, Boggart Ram-Gang, Plumeveil, Murderous Redcap, Mistmeadow Witch, Rune-Cervin Rider and Hungry Spriggan. All the triple hybrid guys, most of the cohorts, some of the "group" creatures and all the "land matters" cards are also amazing. I don't remember liking Shadowmoor at the time, but looking back it was awesome!

[Charlie Grover]

-Sinking feeling, faerie swarm, they are not that good, + Torrent of souls (how did you miss this lol?) and devoted druid (hes really good in the green decks that want him...)

Eventide +flickerwisp - ballyknock trapper + flickerwisp? im not sure about this, but given the format is gonna have all the rav bounce lands/cip effects, flickerwisp looks like he will be cool. And tappers are for pansies. And flickerwisp is at worse a 3 power flier for 3... oh no!

Kieran Symington said:

Shadowmoor is really hard - there are so many good cards in it! This is my list for it, though:
Incremental Blight, Burn Trail, Biting Tether, Prison Term, Firespout, Trip Noose, Sinking Feeling, Faerie Swarm, Grief Tyrant, Seedcradle Witch, Briarberry Cohort, Kitchen Finks, Silkbind Faerie, Kulrath Knight, Boggart Ram-Gang, Plumeveil, Murderous Redcap, Mistmeadow Witch, Rune-Cervin Rider and Hungry Spriggan. All the triple hybrid guys, most of the cohorts, some of the "group" creatures and all the "land matters" cards are also amazing. I don't remember liking Shadowmoor at the time, but looking back it was awesome!

[Thomas David Baker]

Good lists Kieran.

In my not-played-the-formats-much ignorance I agree with Charlie about Sinking Feeling and Faerie Swarm for Devoted Druid and Torrent of Souls (love both of those cards).

Ballyknock Trapper seems very hard to cut, though, and I wouldn't want Flickerwisp over it. Desecrator Hag is a worse Gravedigger and could make way instead?

What's the 10 for Morningtide?

Also, this cube is getting a bit unbalanced in that it doesn't have that many U cards. I'm not massively worried about it but if we get a close call between U and something else we should probably go U from now on!

Also Unmake is pretty much my favorite card of all time.

[Charlie Grover]

I figure i'll start with rav, as that is where my knowledge of cards starts, cos thats when I got good. here we go:
Bathe in Light
Belltower sphinx
Boros Garrison
Boros Guildmage
Boros signet
Carven Caryatid
Civic Wayfinder
Cleansing beam
Compulsive research
Devouring Light
DImir aqueduct
dimir signet
Disembowel
Drooling Groodion
Faiths fetters
Galvanic Arc
Gather Courage
Golgari Rot Farm
Golgari signet
Greater Mossdog
Keening Banshee
Last Gasp
Lightning Helix
Mark of Eviction
Moldervine cloak
Moroii
Oathsworn Giant
Overwhelm
Putrefy
Pollenbright wings
Ribbons of NIght
seeds of stength
selesnya sanctuary
selesnya guildmage
selesnya sanctuary
Shambling shell
trophy hunter (format will have many flyers im guessing)
vedalken dismisser
Watchwolf

Will cut it down to 20 later but..... I think we should make rav/dis/guild counts NOT include the bouncelands and signets, because they all should be included (probs) but mean we dont get many other cards.

[Thomas David Baker]

Lorwyn and Morningtide represent something of a problem in that their focus is so strongly on Tribal.

Having not played the format I found Obsidian Battle-Axe and Spitebellows to be fairly obv picks.

So 10 from: Boldwyr Intimidator, Earthbrawn, Fencer Clique, Festercreep, Game-Trail Changeling, Hunting Triad, Inspired Sprite, Meadowboon, Moonglove Changeling, Nevermaker, Obsidian Battle-Axe, Order of the Golden Cricket, Redeem the Lost, Revive the Fallen, Shard Volley, Spitebellows, Stingmoggie, Stonybrook Schoolmaster, Thornbite Staff, Veteran's Armaments, Violet Pall, Walker of the Grove, War-Spike Changeling, Warren Weirding, Weight of Conscience, Wolf-Skull Shaman.

?????

Or did I miss loads of bombs?

[Thomas David Baker]

( @Amar - see http://everything2.com/title/Kill+your+darlings )

[Thomas David Baker]

Yeah I completely agree with this. I'm making notes of useful lands/fixing in sets as I go but not counting it towards the total for the cube.

So far I have these likely inclusions: Rupture Spire, Shards Trilands, Rav bouncelands, Rav signets.

And these possible inclusions: Sejiri Steppe, ZEN Refuges, Kabira Crossroads, Borderposts, Ancient Ziggurat, Armillary Sphere.

Depending on how much we decide we need.

That Ginger One said:

I figure i'll start with rav, as that is where my knowledge of cards starts, cos thats when I got good. here we go:
..... I think we should make rav/dis/guild counts NOT include the bouncelands and signets, because they all should be included (probs) but mean we dont get many other cards.

[Thomas David Baker]

Loving the RAV list Charlie - you have to kill your darlings, though :)

Here's my top 17 for Lorwyn: Briarhorn, Burrenton Forge-Tender, Cloudgoat Ranger, Crib Swap, Eyeblight's Ending, Goldmeadow Harrier, Imperious Perfect, Knight of Meadowgrain, Lash Out, Marsh Flitter, Mulldrifter, Nameless Inversion, Oblivion Ring, Shriekmaw, Tarfire, Warren Pilferers, Wren's Run Vanquisher.

Plus another three from: AEthersnipe, Adder-Staff Boggart, Avian Changeling, Benthicore, Ceaseless Searblades, Changeling Berserker, Changeling Hero, Changeling Titan, Cloudcrown Oak, Consuming Bonfire, Dreamspoiler Witches, Elvish Harbinger, Elvish Promenade, Faerie Harbinger, Fallowsage, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Gilt-Leaf Seer, Glarewielder, Glimmerdust Nap, Hillcomber Giant, Hornet Harasser, Hunter of Eyeblights, Incremental Growth, Inner-Flame Igniter, Jagged-Scar Archers, Kinsbaile Balloonist, Kithkin Daggerdare, Lace with Moonglove, Lignify, Makeshift Mannequin, Merrow Reejery, Moonglove Extract, Moonglove Winnower, Nath's Elite, Neck Snap, Oakgnarl Warrior, Pestermite, Plover Knights, Protective Bubble, Runed Stalactite, Sentinels of Glen Elendra, Soulbright Flamekin, Spellstutter Sprite, Springjack Knight, Summon the School, Tar Pitcher, Woodland Changeling

???

Possibly Changeling Berserker, Changeling Hero, Changeling Titan???

Could be totally wrong about the top 17 :) Let me know!

(For the lands list: Vivid lands and possibly Shimmering Grotto.)

[Thomas David Baker]

Need help whittling down this list for Future Sight to 10 cards: Arc Blade, Augur of Skulls, Aven Augur, Fatal Attraction, Gathan Raiders, Ghostfire, Imperiosaur, Judge Unworthy, Kavu Primarch, Knight of Sursi, Nacatl War-Pride, Ravaging Riftwurm, Riddle of Lightning, Spin Into Myth, Sporoloth Ancient, Sprout Swarm, Thornweald Archer

Ghostfire, Kavu Primarch, Knight of Sursi, Nacatl War-Pride, ... ???

[Thomas David Baker]

Having drafted Rise of the Eldrazi all of twice here's my top 18: Beastbreaker of Gala Ged, Brimstone Mage, Corpsehatch, Dawnglare Invoker, Enclave Cryptologist, Flame Slash, Forked Bolt, Halimar Wavewatch, Heat Ray, Joraga Treespeaker, Last Kiss, Narcolepsy, Nirkana Cuttthroat, Oust, Smite, Staggershock, Vendetta, Wall of Omens.

Need to add 2 creatures from: Domestication, Drake Umbra, Hyena Umbra, Induce Despair, Kabira Vindicator, Knight of Cliffhaven, Lavafume Invoker, Mammoth Umbra, Merfolk Skyscout, Ogre Cleaver, Pelakka Wurm, Repel the Darkness, Sea Gate Oracle, Ulamog's Crusher, Vent Sentinel, Wildheart Invoker, Zulaport Enforcer.

Probably Pelakka Wurm and Ulamog's Crusher?