Article ChannelFireball: Utility Land Draft

CML

CML

Contributor
+1 to something wicked this way waddells

gemstone mine is super-cool, i was a skeptic but then i TRIED IT. and that ladies and gentlemen is all the difference between us and the modo frauds

you know what would be perfect? 'wedge lands.' i'd put 5 of those in immediately.

i'm gonna try vivids next time, i think.

5 tec edges might be right, the number for my cube is certainly not lower than 4 and it could be as high as 6

i'm not reintroducing crucible, i don't think. well, i might. yeah, i think i'll try it. did you guys watch caleb durward's UB Legacy videos feat. THE CRUCIBLE OF WORLDS?? you gotta. they're so good!!
 
CML

CML

Contributor
addendum: the mirage fetches are dumb, they're much much worse than the regular ones (if not quite strictly worse) and having them go begging is a waste of slots in a way contrary to the density of interactions and sweet cards you have in your cube. wilds and terramorphic are fine (they're much stronger cards and more interesting from a 5-color perspective) -- now that i remember you have landfall i don't mind them at all actually.
 
Dom Harvey

Dom Harvey

Contributor
I'd rather run Vivids over trilands but I'd make an exception for Murmuring Bosk. A fetchable wedge-land is sweet.
 
CML

CML

Contributor
i just really want wedge lands and have come up with inappropriate wedge names for all of them.

them shard lands go quick in al'kaabah over here. i enjoy the signaling and direction they provide.

after playing the excellent Modern Masters i am still more resistant to vivids. the counters on them make it hard to put them with the rest of your lands. now in constructed i'm used to having like 4 lands and when i don't having mistveil plains and vault is annoying enough
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
LifeshapersRefuge-1.jpg
SeatoftheJudges-1.jpg
ShrinetotheWarfather-1.jpg
LushFalls.jpg
DarkHeartoftheForest-1.jpg
 
CML

CML

Contributor
I love it. 'shrine to the warfather' is almost close enough to my own idea for that wedge, 'wolf's lair'
 
CML

CML

Contributor
revamped the section in mine. 1 pick after each pack (27/36). design philosophy: colorless lands come with a high opportunity cost, as do CIPT lands, so use sparingly -- basically multiple players misbuild with manabases larded with these kinds of lands each week and it's just a perverse incentive i'm creating. also -- control-oriented (lowish-power) fixing goes here; reward players for having sweet manabases and drafting these lands, but have a nice dynamic counterweight in the form of tectonic edge (when wasteland proved to be too much).

(rest of cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/114)

---

W:karakas, windbrisk heights, kjeldoran outpost
U: cephalid coliseum, shelldock isle, seat of the synod
B: barren moor, urborg, tomb of yawgmoth, bojuka bog, phyrexian tower
R: forgotten cave, ghitu encampment
G: treetop village, tranquil thicket, dryad arbor
FIX: sunpetal grove, glacial fortress, drowned catacomb, dragonskull summit, rootbound crag, jungle shrine, arcane sanctum, horizon canopy, thawing glaciers
UTIL: vault of the archangel, kessig wolf run, slayers' stronghold, moorland haunt, desolate lighthouse, nephalia drownyard, mishra's factory, ancient tomb (gavony township main)
BADASS: tectonic edge, tectonic edge, tectonic edge, tectonic edge
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
This looks pretty good. I do think some of the monocolor sections could be a little deeper though. There are lands you aren't running that get taken every draft here.
 
Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
CML said:
control-oriented (lowish-power) fixing goes here

FIX: sunpetal grove, glacial fortress, drowned catacomb, dragonskull summit, rootbound crag, jungle shrine, arcane sanctum, horizon canopy, thawing glaciers
Click to expand...

This is an interesting choice. Is there any reason you're opting for control fixing in the utility land pile? I'm basically doing the exact opposite, by running a full set of Ice Age / Apocalypse painlands in these slots, which is really rough when you're a three colour control deck. But I really don't know what I should be doing with my fixing selection here. Aggro is in a spot where it's too good here, but at the same time, I'm reluctant to start offering quality fixing like Sunpetal Grove to greedy 4cc durdle decks when it doesn't even require a real draft pick. WHAT TO DO (no seriously, what do I do)
 
CML

CML

Contributor
i woulda explained more last night but god was i tired! my bad.

the AP lands were not great fun to play with.

jason: which lands (aside from depths)? i switched these to the main cube since i feel they're worth a pick (simplification but you know): ruins, cradle, township, stronghold
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
CML said:
revamped the section in mine. 1 pick after each pack (27/36). design philosophy: colorless lands come with a high opportunity cost, as do CIPT lands, so use sparingly -- basically multiple players misbuild with manabases larded with these kinds of lands each week and it's just a perverse incentive i'm creating. also -- control-oriented (lowish-power) fixing goes here; reward players for having sweet manabases and drafting these lands, but have a nice dynamic counterweight in the form of tectonic edge (when wasteland proved to be too much).

(rest of cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/114)

---

W:karakas, windbrisk heights, kjeldoran outpost
U: cephalid coliseum, shelldock isle, seat of the synod
B: barren moor, urborg, tomb of yawgmoth, bojuka bog, phyrexian tower
R: forgotten cave, ghitu encampment
G: treetop village, tranquil thicket, dryad arbor
FIX: sunpetal grove, glacial fortress, drowned catacomb, dragonskull summit, rootbound crag, jungle shrine, arcane sanctum, horizon canopy, thawing glaciers
UTIL: vault of the archangel, kessig wolf run, slayers' stronghold, moorland haunt, desolate lighthouse, nephalia drownyard, mishra's factory, ancient tomb (gavony township main)
BADASS: tectonic edge, tectonic edge, tectonic edge, tectonic edge
Click to expand...

Cycling lands of all colors get taken from time to time
Faerie Conclave
Eiganjo Castle (sometimes better than Karakas)
Teetering Peaks gets taken every time
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Eric Chan said:
This is an interesting choice. Is there any reason you're opting for control fixing in the utility land pile? I'm basically doing the exact opposite, by running a full set of Ice Age / Apocalypse painlands in these slots, which is really rough when you're a three colour control deck. But I really don't know what I should be doing with my fixing selection here. Aggro is in a spot where it's too good here, but at the same time, I'm reluctant to start offering quality fixing like Sunpetal Grove to greedy 4cc durdle decks when it doesn't even require a real draft pick. WHAT TO DO (no seriously, what do I do)
Click to expand...
Add a wrath or two, salt to taste :p
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
Eric, I don't know if you've tried it, but I really like running an assortment of 5C lands with a drawback in the utility stack. Like, 5-6 total.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
City of Brass is out of mine for being too good. But that's a pretty weak argument and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for running it.
 
CML

CML

Contributor
city is all kinds of sweet, the drawback ends up being pretty relevant as the games can go quite long and be very marginal. i'm surprised you think it's too good since its power level is far lower than that of a fetch or dual. it's hard for me to imagine grand coliseum being impressive alongside your 20 fetches, i guess
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
CML said:
city is all kinds of sweet, the drawback ends up being pretty relevant as the games can go quite long and be very marginal. i'm surprised you think it's too good since its power level is far lower than that of a fetch or dual. it's hard for me to imagine grand coliseum being impressive alongside your 20 fetches, i guess
Click to expand...

It's too good for the power level of the utility draft. I had a problem with everybody snap-first picking fixing in the utility land draft, which really wasn't what I was going for. People take and play Grand Coliseum, and it's not impressive, but they have to choose between that and a card that does something cool. Basically I am trying to make the "cards that do something cool" more attractive.
 
CML

CML

Contributor
err, ok, i do the same thing i realize, but vivids and shardlands are so much sweeter and are less likely to be just 'worse than a basic' i think
 
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