One Pack One Pick (p1p1 thread)

[Onderzeeboot]

I'm torn between Noble Hierarch and Archangel of Thune. Noble is probably the correct pick, but Archangel can just run away with games.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I think I'm on profane command.

BTW Safra, the abandoned lands no longer tap for colorless in my cube

 

[cstick]

I'm torn between Rabblemaster, Mulldrifter, Archangel, and Profane Command. I think I would also take the command, though.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Wow, this one is hard. Silence the Believers is a solid removal spell, and mono-colored, so I think I'll pick that one. Liliana Vess is a good pick as well, and I think Golden Hind, Ral Zarek and Rakdos's Return are defensible as well.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

This is slam flickerwisp right?

The debate is, as I see it, between flickerwisp, unburial rites, and ghostly flicker.

 

[safra]

Slam ghostly flicker, force combo.

Flickerwisp is the rational choice though.

e: I think there's also a solid argument for Cagebreakers.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Brimstone Volley is also a contender. It's the only red card in the pack, and a very good one at that!

 

[Aston]

Flickerwisp in the double-bounceland format is insane.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Flickerwisp in the double-bounceland format is insane.

Flickerwisp in the same format as bouncelands? That sounds fun! >_>

 

[Aston]

I think I'm going to cut it from my version of Pincher Cube.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

I've debated trying glimmerpoint stag. Some of these cards just get so iconic though: i'm still lamenting the loss of lumberknot.

 

[safra]

Kill your darlings imo.

 

[Aston]

Yeah it sucks because Flickerwisp is such a cool card. Maybe you could errata it to non-land permanent?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Yeah it sucks because Flickerwisp is such a cool card. Maybe you could errata it to non-land permanent?

Sure, why not?

 

[safra]

Here, rolled an interesting one:

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Knight of the Reliquary. I know it's multicolor, but she's such a beater in a fetch environment!

 

[Chris Taylor]

Time Warp? o.O

I'm probably on profane command here, but thalia might also be a consideration? I haven't played with her in so long, since she runs counter to what I want white doing in my cube most of the time.

Spoiler: Sample Hand

 

[genericco]

Since there's a good chance we can pick a white card and still wheel a good white card, I think that's what we should do - take Thalia or even Bygone Bishop and hope to get something sweet on the wheel like Secure the Wastes or Knight of the Reliquary.

 

[Eric Chan]

I think I'm on the opposite plan, take Secure the Wastes because it goes into any white deck, and then hope to wheel one of Thalia, Guardian of Thraben / Bygone Bishop / Valorous Stance.

Secure is good enough that I don't see it making it past fifth pick or so in a Riptide-style cube, whereas the other three are narrower and have a chance of coming around.

 

[GiftsForgiven]

I'm a bit late to the thread, but I'm assuming this is a 'what's your P1P1 out of this sample pack?'

The cards that stand out to me in Safra's pack are:

• Valorous stance- Power level: Middling. Flexibility: Good. Archetype-specific: No. Will make the cut it most white decks, a solid first pick for the undecided drafter, or one who does not want to go deep just yet. There are also multiple playable white cards in the pack, giving us a good chance to wheel a playable card, even if it's the temple.
• Profane command- Power level: Extreme. Flexibility: Very Good. Archetype-specific: Likely not.- Arguably the strongest card in the pack, extremely flexible and extremely dangerous. It takes a bit more work than Valorous stance, but not enough that you wouldn't jam it in most black decks you run. There is, however, less opportunity to pick up a playable black card from this pack, as both Entomb and Carrion Feeder are very archetype specific, and even if they wheel, may not fit into the plan you have in mind. However, verdant catacombs and polluted delta are both excellent on-color picks (assuming there are shocks/fetches in the draft), and you will likely be able to pick at least one of them up.
• Entomb- Power Level: High. Flexibility: Moderate. Archetype-Specific: Yes.- A very strong card, but not one I would FP before seeing the fatties needed to make it good. Something to note and keep in mind for the wheel, though.
• Secure the Wastes: Power level: High. Flexibility: Low. Archetype-Specific: Not really- This is probably the strongest draft-token generation tool ever printed, honestly. You'd think that something like this would belong in token decks only, but The ability to splash this combined with it's efficiency and potential for blowouts means this card can be run in midrange and controlling decks as well. In my opinion it is the second most powerful card in the pack, after Profane Command. Note that it works very well with Time Warp, as you can EOT jam a bunch of tokens on an empty board after clearing it a turn earlier, and swing for 'surprise lethal' over the course of an extra turn.

Verdict: This is a tough one, but I'm going to have to go with Secure the wastes. It edges out Profane Command as the more disciplined pick, even though I would pick the Command if I was feeling edgy and just wanted to try it out.
Just imo.

 

[Aston]

I'd probably just take Polluted Delta.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

My gut vote is secure the wastes, though I could see command or a fetch depending on mood.

 

[genericco]

Spoiler

 

[Chris Taylor]

Why the spoiler tags?

I'm on snapcaster

 

[safra]

Ooh, tricky. I think I'm on Mentor to stay kind of open? Only having three colours in the pack means you're almost certainly feeding your neighbour heavy blue or heavy green - and there's such great options for heavy blue or green - that I like the idea of taking Mentor first and picking up whichever fantastic card wheels (although you're probably getting, like, Raise the Alarm or Mutagenic Growth, either of which I'd be okay with. As much as I'd prefer to wheel Clique or Library I don't think that's very reasonable).