One Pack One Pick (p1p1 thread)

[Dom Harvey]

Bombardment is the high-variance pick, Guide is the best pick

 

[Aston]

Without looking at the responses I would be torn between Vendilion Clique and Tasigur. I think they're the most flexible without losing out on power level.

I don't like taking Goblin Guide or Emrakul first because whilst they're probably better in the decks they're good in, they're going to be good in fewer decks.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

Does the on vend. clique slant things towards tasigur?

How much is tasigur desirable on the speculation it could go into a UB deck as a primary plan, but if that fails, BG is a fine consolation prize?

I think I'm oddly ok with tasigur, because even if its the flexible "safe" pick, its at least encouraging drafters towards a synergistic deck strategy. Vend. clique not so much, but I'm moderately surprised its still not attracting more attention.

 

[Aston]

I don't know whether on Clique is more committing than the off-colour activations on Tasigur. He is effectively a two-colour card, although you have a choice of which other colour.

I also wouldn't pick him with the primary plan of UB or GB. I think they're both fine colour combinations both for Tasigur specifically and in general.

E: for the record I'd take Clique I think for the reasons it's (usually?) cheaper, I think it's less committal, and I prefer blue flash style decks to Bx grind decks.

 

[inscho]

I don't know whether on Clique is more committing than the off-colour activations on Tasigur. He is effectively a two-colour card, although you have a choice of which other colour.

I also wouldn't pick him with the primary plan of UB or GB. I think they're both fine colour combinations both for Tasigur specifically and in general.

E: for the record I'd take Clique I think for the reasons it's (usually?) cheaper, I think it's less committal, and I prefer blue flash style decks to Bx grind decks.

Exactly my thoughts....I'd pick Clique w/ Tasigur a close second.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

Thank you, my instinct was to p1p1 vend clique as well. All of the other cards require some sort of deck commitment, while the only commitment clique requires is that you be a heavier blue deck, and its not unreasonable to presume that blue is the strongest color in a cube anyways.

If clique is likely first pick in that pack amongst a high percentage of drafters, it worries me, because you have strong competition from goblin guide, tasigur, and maybe emrakul/creeping tar pit. I can't imagine a less favorable pack for clique from non-blue cards, yet its still beating the other cards here.

You can see that relationship here too:



If we are min/maxing, there are only two cards here: clique and liliana, and I can't see liliana really beating out clique. I would much rather see people going for liliana, as her minus encourages a graveyard focused deck, and puts people on a potentially interesting draft path, which clique does not do.

Which begs the question if clique needs to go. I hate having too many of these 3cc or less safe blue card first picks stifling packs.

 

[Dom Harvey]

Clique might be too good. If I'm at a table that favours blue, I'm taking Liliana though and feeling happy about it.

 

[inscho]

I'd definitely still take clique in that pack...no contest.

If clique was something like Venser, Shaper Savant I'd be much more conflicted....maybe still opting for the blue spud, but having a harder time deciding between it and liliana.

 

[Aston]

I hate having too many of these 3cc or less safe blue card first picks stifling packs.

Which other ones do you have?

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

Which other ones do you have?

In that cube?

I've already policed most of them (I think), but the usual suspects are something like:



There are a few 4s too



And still some cards I wonder about sometimes

 

[Aston]

I think trying to get people to take the "interesting" pick over the "safe" pick P1P1 is very difficult because one of the features of a good first pick is flexibility or "safeness". Trying to "put people on a potentially interesting draft path" is always going to be hard because those picks are inherently more risky as there is a higher chance you get cut off.

I think what this boils down to is wanting to push people towards synergy over power, which is not in itself a bad thing, but P1P1 I'm always going for power.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

I think trying to get people to take the "interesting" pick over the "safe" pick P1P1 is very difficult because one of the features of a good first pick is flexibility or "safeness". Trying to "put people on a potentially interesting draft path" is always going to be hard because those picks are inherently more risky as there is a higher chance you get cut off.

I think what this boils down to is wanting to push people towards synergy over power, which is not in itself a bad thing, but P1P1 I'm always going for power.

I agree.

However, I don't want that power pick to disproportionately be a blue power card.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

Necro!

I thought this was interesting. What do you pick? It's from Bonzo cube that I'm still fiddling with oo
http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/276




Edit: took hidden stockpile and ended up with this (much love for the stockpile)

orzhov token sac from CubeTutor.com

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I love Hidden Stockpile and was about to pick it, but then I saw Rise from the Tides. Rise is my jam, I have so much love for that card! Then again, I want to find a second Hidden Stockpile so I can add another copy to my cube. That card is so awesome in multiples

 

[inscho]

I love Hidden Stockpile and was about to pick it, but then I saw Rise from the Tides. Rise is my jam, I have so much love for that card!

Same.

Rise keeps your color options open and typically ends the game once resolved. Easily my favorite spells matter payoff card. The main card a p1p1 stockpile wants to wheel out of this pack is the shrine which is unlikely to happen. So you draft stockpile and get anafenza or rise and get careful consideration. Either is reasonable with rise being the slightly stronger pick imo.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I've got one from my cube that came the up on CubeTutor:



Remember that you get a free Arcane Sanctum with Sen Triplets and a free Sandsteppe Citadel with Karador,

I'ld pick Karador, because I really like the kind of grindy recursion deck he goes in. Plus, hey, free mana fixing!

 

[Fulcrum]

I've got one from my cube that came the up on CubeTutor:

Remember that you get a free Arcane Sanctum with Sen Triplets and a free Sandsteppe Citadel with Karador,

I'ld pick Karador, because I really like the kind of grindy recursion deck he goes in. Plus, hey, free mana fixing!

I think that The Planeswalkers, Venser, and Librarian are the "best" picks while the three color cards are the funnest picks. Personally I'd pick either Sen Triplets of Karador depending on whether I wanted to grind value out of the graveyard or try to find some artifact synergies to exploit. Maybe Sen Triplets is fine in straight Esper Control. Jori En gets an honorable mention since it draws cards and I love doing that so much.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

Daretti, mono colour, looking for gy and artifact synergies. Then zulaport cutthroat next.

 

[inscho]

With all of the recent discussion about colorless p1p1 cards, it seemed like a decent idea to resuscitate this thread. I'd like to encourage that in addition to explaining why we would pick a certain card, that we also talk about how we feel about taking it, and what we think of the options in the pack in general. Going blind into the pack, can you get a clear sense of the what the format is about? Is the pick especially difficult to make? Do you resign yourself to drafting a card you don't like out of power considerations? etc.

(I use www.tinypic.com to share images. If someone has a better option let me know.)

I'll start:

 

[Miasmir]

I think Sneak Attack is the most broken card in the pack.

Show and Tell is close, and might be better because blue has more and better selection for a combo deck, but I think the repeatable effect on Sneak Attack is worth it.
Mindslaver is legit, but I kind of want the Academy Ruins or similar first, you know?
Berserk is a personal favorite, but it tends to be more vulnerable than the above combos, so probably less insane?

I worry that the creatures (Simic Sky Swallower, Bygone Bishop, Ripjaw Raptor) are too slow to be strong first picks in a combo-heavy environment... but the sky swallower is probably one of the better things to show and tell in your list, at least among those not named Borborygmos Enraged. That said, you pick the Sneak Attack over the creature like every time because of relative frequencies and all that.

 

[ravnic]

I would also pick Sneak Attack, usually, but there is also a Show and Tell, so it's possible that I would fight for cards for this kind of deck. So maybe, I would juts pick something like Abrade or Arid Mesa for a safe pick, waiting for the startegy that's open.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I would also pick Sneak Attack, usually, but there is also a Show and Tell, so it's possible that I would fight for cards for this kind of deck. So maybe, I would juts pick something like Abrade or Arid Mesa for a safe pick, waiting for the startegy that's open.

I don't usually concern myself with that too much p1p1. After all, you're feeding the seat to the left in two of the three packs, so the chances of you ruining their draft plan are much greater than the other way around. With that in mind I'ld also pick the Sneak Attack, then ideally look for other ways to sneak fatties into play, probably looking for a reanimator package with some discard outlets. Looking over your list, Flayer of the Hatebound looks particularly great in that package. Looking some more, fatties actually look like fairly high picks in this strategy, as there's not that many to go around. There's less than 10 6+ CMC drops that I would gladly Sneak Attack out in the whole cube.

 

[ravnic]

Since the last post is already three weeks old, I will give it a try with a pack from my cube:



Got a pretty balanced pack here, curious what you guys woul do with it and why

 

[sigh]

Birds of Paradise, I think.

 

[James Stevenson]

I might go straight in on Fallen Angel, or maybe just take Arcane Sanctum and be happy.