CML
Contributor
i don't remember and my writing offers no contextual clues. someone call jacques derrida
Article ChannelFireball: Utility Land Draft
- Thread starter Jason Waddell
- Start date
i don't remember and my writing offers no contextual clues. someone call jacques derrida
hey what if you just had enough lands to put all your lands into a 15-card (or less?) pack 4 (120 for a 8man) and had everyone draft it like that
just thinking out loud for my as-of-yet-undrafted-in-person loam cube ( http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/5125 )
just thinking out loud for my as-of-yet-undrafted-in-person loam cube ( http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/5125 )
Laz
Developer
Utility lands are super poison-y. Also, no one wants 15 utilities, in fact, it is rare for people here to play all 4 of their utility lands (2-3 is the common number). Unless you are thinking about drafting fixing in that draft as well? In which case, utility lands are once more going to be underdrafted.
Maybe for your Loam cube you want a separate lands draft, because Loam & lands are central to the identity? I am not sure.
CML
Contributor
I WISH THIS WORKED
people would get a bunch and not play most of them. the snake format is perfect for these cards.
I'm glad this thread is still active. I'm curious to get more feedback from those that are doing this regularly.
I'm thinking of doing this (whenever I can get a group together which might not be for awhile).
MAIN CUBE:
20 shocks
10 fetches
5 manlands
5 most powerful lands that probably shouldn't be in the utility draft (Horizon Canopy, Shelldock Isle, Mishra's Factory, Mutavault, Volrath's Stronghold) - this is a first cut at this list
UTILTY DRAFT (pick 4 using snake method)
10 pains
4-5 of lands for each color (cycle lands for sure and then whatever looks fun or could really help support a deck or arch type)
Usual suspects for colorless (Rishadan Port, City of Brass, Ancient Tomb, Gemstone Mine, etc.)
1-2 guild lands (stuff like Slayers' Stronghold, Gavony Township, Kessig Wolf Run, etc.)
Lotus lands (requires 2 picks)
Urza lands (requires 2 or 3 picks) - this one might not work but I'm willing to try it
I'm trying to keep things relatively simple for the utility draft (so no tiers) because I don't know if it will be met with enthusiasm if it's overly complicated
I'm thinking of doing this (whenever I can get a group together which might not be for awhile).
MAIN CUBE:
20 shocks
10 fetches
5 manlands
5 most powerful lands that probably shouldn't be in the utility draft (Horizon Canopy, Shelldock Isle, Mishra's Factory, Mutavault, Volrath's Stronghold) - this is a first cut at this list
UTILTY DRAFT (pick 4 using snake method)
10 pains
4-5 of lands for each color (cycle lands for sure and then whatever looks fun or could really help support a deck or arch type)
Usual suspects for colorless (Rishadan Port, City of Brass, Ancient Tomb, Gemstone Mine, etc.)
1-2 guild lands (stuff like Slayers' Stronghold, Gavony Township, Kessig Wolf Run, etc.)
Lotus lands (requires 2 picks)
Urza lands (requires 2 or 3 picks) - this one might not work but I'm willing to try it
I'm trying to keep things relatively simple for the utility draft (so no tiers) because I don't know if it will be met with enthusiasm if it's overly complicated
This seems pretty reasonable. It's probably more fixing than I'd like though (in the utility draft), speaking from experience. If you have 15 fixers people won't spend many picks on actual spell-lands. Maybe that's not considered a bad thing, but to me it feels different when it becomes the "supplemental fixing" draft.
I think the painlands are at about the right power level for utility draft, actually. I might be biased, because I've been running them there for nearly a year, but I love the tension that comes about when you have to balance how much damage you want to take off your shock / fetch manabase while deciding whether you can afford that second painland.
I've tried stuff like the Scars fastlands and the M10 / ISD buddy lands in the utility draft, but those feel a little too good to me to nab without spending an actual draft pick on. I'm probably going to try the temples next, as a a control-friendly alternative to the naturally aggro-friendly painlands.
I've tried stuff like the Scars fastlands and the M10 / ISD buddy lands in the utility draft, but those feel a little too good to me to nab without spending an actual draft pick on. I'm probably going to try the temples next, as a a control-friendly alternative to the naturally aggro-friendly painlands.
FlowerSunRain
Contributor
I mean, if you want to keep the power level down, you could always go to guildgates, but they really suck. I have a friend whose land draft includes x2 guildgates as a pick and it sometimes gets used, but be advised his cube his sort of retail limited with awesomer cards paced and curve out aggro is basically nonexistent.
For what its worth, both pain and temples get picked in my land draft regularly.
For what its worth, both pain and temples get picked in my land draft regularly.
Yeah. Shocks and fetches seem a lot better than pains to me. And I think with all the self inflicting damage with all the dual land choices, you really can't get carried away with your mana base here (no ABU duals after all). But maybe I'm not appreciating the dynamic change with a utility draft? I've admittedly not yet run one.
Oh, and I am moving City of Brass to the main cube I think. It probably belongs there (so one less fixer in the utility draft).
Oh, and I am moving City of Brass to the main cube I think. It probably belongs there (so one less fixer in the utility draft).
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Is mana confluence joining it? I don't have a utility draft, but I've kinda wondered if it's the kind of card people would switch for the new version of.
Like, if I had two foil cultivates, I would totally cut kodama's reach
Like, if I had two foil cultivates, I would totally cut kodama's reach
Chris Taylor
Contributor
You kidding? I love the art on confluence
Can't wait to get a foil one
Can't wait to get a foil one
BTW the "Temple of <CHOICE>" and "Fastland of <CHOICE>" stuff worked great. Highly recommended.
Put a stack on the table or a placeholder that says "Temple" and let the players redeem it afterwards. Same for Fastlands.
Eric, let's talk about this card:
I guess I'm not seeing it. Is this not just an inferior Volrath's Stronghold nearly all of the time...?
Yeah, I remember considering it a long time ago and deciding it was not the direction I wanted to go in, but now that I've nerfed Zombies a bit maybe it's fine.
It uses less mana and will go exclusively to the Zombie player as a 4th pick, whereas Stronghold requires P1 commitment.
Is this actually true? I thought I saw three Gravecrawlers, two Carrion Feeders, and two Bloodghasts during the weekend draft.
Luck of the draw. Drafts have 1-2 Carrions and 2-4 Gravecrawlers.