Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 23:46:15 -0400 From: Zack Weintraub Subject: Weatherlight Drafting tourny report When I wrote my last letter about Weatherlight drafting, I gave white an unjust bad rep. White is my least favorite color for drafting, so I didn't have all that much experience with it, so I didn't know about all its merits. Yesterday, I was in a small (8 person, not sanctioned) booster draft tournament. We got to keep the cards, so I felt like drafting for rares. The rare in my first pack (all 3 were Weatherligh) was a Peacekeeper, so I jumped on it. Then I decided that I wanted to make a Peacekeeper draft deck, with Firewhips. I went along drafting more white, and got 4 Heavy Ballistas, a Benalish Knight, 4 Ardent Militia, 2 Maro Makers, 2 Firewhips, Master of Arms, Gerrards Wisdom, 2 Benalish Missionaries (1/1; 1WT: Target blocked creature deals no combat damage), and some other fun stuff. I went almost mono-white, but had 2 mountains to support the Firewhips. First round: Justin (white/green) Both games he gets out a first turn rouge elephant (ick). Total, it pounded me for 15 through the 2 games. Both games I drop a 4th turn Peacekeeper. The first game, I quickly whipped him to death, while he could do nothing. 2nd game, he Tarifed my Peacekeeper (ack), so I had to use my defensive measures to hold him off. With 3 Ballistas, 28 life (after a 14 point gerrards blessing), I got a good defence set up, but he just wouldn't die. Through Call of the Wild he got out 5 creatures (he never called anything but a creature :( and he gained enough life from a Soul Sheppard to put him out of Fire Whip range. Eventually I decked him, because he called so many times, played with Striped Bears and the Cantrip wolves, and unsummoned each (I forget with what) once. Round 2: Matt (black/blue) First game was easy. His Fledgling Djinn hit him for about 4, but only hit me for 6 because of my ballista which shot it out of the sky. His manta rays were good blockers, but couldn't stop a fire whip. He was also drafting as a joke (across from me in our 4 person circle) so he wound up with 3 barrow ghouls and a circling vulture, which worked AMAZING for him. My Malitias were a god send, cause he had Shadow Riders and Ghouls I needed to block. 2nd game I lost, cause I got a 5th turn peacekeeper with two whips in hand, but I didn't get a mountain till my 4th to last turn so I was decked :( 3rd game got a quick defence he couldn't penetrate, and when I got a whip out, he conceeded. Final Round: Jeremy (mono-red) We agreed to split the prize before this started (7 packs each), which I thought would be great cause I heard his deck had a god draft (4 lava hounds, Maraxus of Keld, Thundermare as a finisher, 3 Fire Whips, and lots of big creatures and burn. Lucky for me, his deck had a weakness for heavy ballistas (and I had four!! :P ). First game is mine, as I Blessing myself to high on life, I nail two of his Fire Whips with a Thran Tome (while he draws mountains), and proceeded to shoot him to death. 2nd game I die REALLY quick, don't remember the details. 3rd, I get 2 ballistas opening hand, and I am VERY happy. 1st turn Missionary, 2nd turn mind stone, 3rd turn ballista. He uses a Firefiend AND a whip to nail a ballista (2-1 card advantage :). I had cast the 1/3 Banding Knight, earlier, which he doesn't pay much mind. Then the next turn I drop a Maro Maker on it, and attack for 6 (he is now at 10). He asks what it will be after I draw next turn, and I say 6/8, and he breathes a sigh of relief (cause he had a way to kill it). Because of that, I drop another Maro maker on it, so it is 10/12 :P , then I proceed to smash him with it. Don't dis white in weatherlight draft, cause it can be VERY mean. Maro Maker (empherial armor), heavy ballistas, and gerrards wisdom are all amazing cards to look out for, and if you are lucky enough to get a peacekeeper, take it immediately :) ---Zack Weintraub http://www.users.fast.net/~gandalf/index.html Team "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" page located at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5634/IGGYS.html "When a person points a finger at someone else, he should remember that three fingers are pointing back at himself."