It might be helpful to change the way the deck is displayed above from type to converted mana cost to see the curve of the deck/creatures.
Nick Says:
This is my Gatecrash # 3 draft on march 30th that I had with my friends. I won the draft with it. There were 6 people in the draft.
I opened the Crypt Ghast pack 1 pick 1. I got two Grisly Spectacles within the first 4 picks. If that did not sell me on black, a Deathcult Rouge wheeled Pack 1.
Grisly Spectacles and the Deathcult Rouges are high picks if you are playing black. These being passed to you are pretty decent signs that the player passing to you must be playing something else.
Grisly Spectacle saved my ass a lot, or open the way for victory.
Deathcult Rouge wins games on his own. Esp when I had the Vizkopa Guildemage effectively making him swing for 4.
I opened the Vizkopa Guildemage Pack 2 when I was pretty sure I was B/U. I already had two guildegates, so I took him planning on splashing him. I don't know if I would splash him again. Even tho he only needs one white to cast, you really need two so you can activate both of his abilities in one turn. When I had two plains he was really kicking ass. With only one I was only getting life gain out of it, but that did help me survive vs Keith. I would not splash for just lifelink though.
Crypt Ghast was decent. 4 for a 2/2 extorter is not great. But he often allowed you to get extra extorts in. He is pretty strong on turn 4 if you will be able to make use of the extra mana by playing a lot of creatures next turn or a 6 or 7 drop early.
Agoraphobia was a lot better then I though. It stopped some huge guys and flying/unbloackbles.. It didn't come up vs Hacksaw's mill deck, but it would have helped a lot. However it still is no Doomblade or Grisly Spectacles. It will not stop a Guildemage that is causing you problems. It also does not remove blockers. One nice trick was was to bounce it and recast to extort if I had nothing else going on.
Aetherize is good, but not as good as you would think. If you are winning it is probably a dead card in your hand. If you are losing it will only slow them down one turn most of the time. It really helped in a match that was even and at a back and forth kind of state. It also stops auras, bloodrush, and cipher. It is especially good against bloodrush. if you have a blocker that will survive and kill their dude, they must have a combat trick. So try to lure it out. It is a good card just not amazing.
Death's Approach did not pop up often.. It would have been really good against Dave in one game, but he had Midnight Recovery(cipher card that returns creatures from GY to hand). It did pop up once vs Liam in a exhibition game and killed something important. I would play ONE copy again in another deck.
Devour Flesh worked really well. I never was unhappy with the creature it took out. It 2-for-1ed a few people who played auras. There is always the risk it'll be a crappy play and take out something useless if they have a lot of creatures.
Wright of Precinct Six was a 4/4 or bigger a few times. It takes a few turns for him to grow. Cards like Grisly Spectacle or Sage's Row Denizen help. With more of a mill focused deck I'd play more than 1.
Bane Alley Broker was good. Creatures with 3 toughness are important. There are a lot of small creatures with only 2 power. The few times I got her I was able to block, and then dig deeper into my deck.
Dinrova Horror is a decent 6 drop. Not a bomb, but a 4/4 usually puts the pressure on your opponent. The bounce effect is great. If they have no cards in hand it will be removal.
Smog Elemental did not come out very often. One time it did slow down the opponent quite well, I think it is a good card, I just didn't see it more than twice.
Metropolis Sprite is great in dimir or simic. It can block and kill most of the flyers in the set and also Deathcult Rogue. It gets the damage done for you just as well as the Deathcult Rouge. Matt was milling be for 6 cards every time he hit me with his.
Sage's Row Denizen can block all of those 2 drops, kill them, and survive. It is a solid card.
Gutter Skulk is a bear (2/2). Bear's in this set are decent. You need them(or other two drops) for a good curve.
Some changes I would make to this deck (within drafting possibilities) would be:
Replace the Vizkopa Guildmage so I did not have to splash. Needing two white effectively meant I was splashing for a WW card which is no good.
That's about it I guess. Maybe replace one of my six drops with a good 5 drop (can't think of one at the moment).
I was a little creature light, but had a good creature curve, some creatures with evasion, and I had a lot of semi-removal cards.
