pick 14: Awe for the Guilds (over goblin test pilot)

pick 15: Azorius Cluestone

Ruric Thar is a legit bomb -- but he isn't in our colors, and our six-drops trade with him.

Carnage gladiator part 2 seems like a strong pick. we'll need to really focus on fixing and ramp this pack and pack 3, but carnage gladiator is almost a bomb, and having 2 of them makes our deck surprisingly consistent -- a huge bonus in limited play.

We'd pass the boros guildgate, tithe drinker, zhur-taa druid, and wind drake, kraul warrior and DttD. I don't think we're in green at all; I don't think we're in WB early enough for tithe drinker, and we're not so set (or abandoned) as to take drake or guildgate over a strong playable like gladiator. As ever, I am happy to be convinced otherwise, but for now my vote is

+1 carnage gladiator.

+1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed This guy is pretty brutal in limited and I would much rather the be the player playing him then the one playing against him. I know he's another 6CMC card, but he's a 6/6 vigilant and reacher which makes up for it. My secondary choice would be a second Gladiator, the Tithe Drinker because lifelink and extort are always amazing, or Wind Drake since not many people think to include air defenses.

+1 Gladiator

Ruric Thar is a beast, but we can deal with him, and the Gladiator is the best pick in our colors.

This seems like a pretty good pack, that Wind Drake could wheel as long as we deterred those to the left of us from going blue.

+1 Carnage Gladiator.

I'm tempted to hate draft ruric thar, but I don't think we'll be getting into green ourselves so lets pass it on and deal with it when we see it. Not much else for us in this pack other than the drake.

Death to the Debtless is very brutal in limited. It's almost blow out card by itself. I hate to see that go by.

Carnage Gladiator is also really good.

Ruric is a bomb and part of me does not want to see him leave our greedy little hands.

I'm torn. Good stuff here. Just no blowouts in our preferred color, unfortunately.

blue is a pretty thin color as far as limited bombs in this set. I think we're doing as well as can be expected. Right now we're set up pretty well for URbw. White is the least important color, but we can go all 4 -- just gotta start looking at gates and removal pretty seriously. I think we should take the gladiator and focus on building a good grixis deck.

I guess I'm going to have to vote for Carnage gladiator. He does get bonuses from the Abomination and Rusher! So, he combos well.

He's not as bomby as the Ruric and Debtless, but I feel like we can definitely run him. He's the best for our deck.

Yeah, gladiator is the best for our deck. The people we're passing to will almost certainly take Ruric, or if not them, then the next.

We are passing quite a few good w/g cards,and some decent green.

Drinker, debt, ruric and the druid will not table. If we pick a second gladiator we're prettymuch set on Grixis, but I don't really see a better option. Since we're legit into black, maybe we can start picking up some removal so the Orzhov deck doesn't get all of it.... pleeeeeeeease.

I hatehatehate watching debt go by again. At least it's going the other way and we know there must be orzhov out the butt in this draft what with all the guildgates. I'd personally not like to see it in multiple decks(and definitely not two in the same deck...), just because it can really change a game around. I stand with the group on whatever is collectively chosen.

I'm hoping the Wind Drake wheels. That's perfect for our colors and our curve.

+1 Gladiator.

Jelenn Sphinx, Izzet guildgate, nivix cyclops are all decent.

DAMMIT. We need to stop getting good white AND black cards. It makes picking one difficult. With that big of a butt AND vigilance, the Jelenn Sphinx is basically a Glorious Anthem (during our turn). As much as I'd like to commit to black, this card is amazing. Not only does it buff our stuff, but it blocks every flying creature in this set, and only a swapped Fluxcharger has the ability to kill it without any help from combat tricks. I don't see how we can't take it.

Needless to say, +1 Jelenn Sphinx

On another note, with all of our azorious cluestones, perhaps 4 color is a possibility? I'd be cool with a deathtouch Jelenn Sphinx from the Maze Abomination. Or a surprise kill from a flashed Deputy of Acquittals and the Abomination out.

What did the guy passing to us take? Did they get a foil? I can't think of many commons taken over the cards in this pack. Maybe punish the enemy?

Maybe I'm too worried about our curve, but taking such high cost cards is risky IMO. The pack holds a lot of decent things. Leaving both the gate and the Cyclops sends a bad signal, but I don't think the cards are good enough to justify taking them. Same with restore. Sphinx is probably the best cardthough, for the reasons others mentioned.

One last thing, shouldn't we have a Riot Piker in our creature list? (I'll stop posting so much. You won't hear from me until our next pick)

I think our curve will set itself right eventually. I have taken to running 24-26 lands in constructed, which equals out to about 43.33% land(when 26), and I never want for mana. If we run 17 we are at 42.4%, 18 = 45%, plus we have the cluestones, so as long as we draft smart we will be fine. We have like 30 picks left, and there are some low cmc cards that I'm sure we'll hit. That being said, God I hope that cyclops wheels.

+1 Jelenn Sphinx

+1 Jelenn Sphinx.

I agree with Unforgivn_II, we are looking red/blue with black and white splashes. It might be best if we start drafting with that in mind and keep an eye out for Dimir and Rakdos cluestones and gates. We need about 2 or more of those.

yes. we need to prioritize gates to make this monstrosity work; but if we do, it'll be fun.

+1 jelenn sphinx

Sphinx sounds good.

I do very much like the Sphinx, but on the other hand, we are fairly solidly in red and blue with the splashes in contention. With that in mind, and with some curve concerns in mind as well, my vote is Nivix Cyclops .

Sadly, I recognize I am fighting an uphill battle with this vote, so I will say that I am not unhappy with the Sphinx. I just think there is a better pick.

+1 Sphinx.

As for deck makeup, I've found 16 lands + 3 cluestones to be very reliable. Just need to pickup ~3 gates in our colours to get a solid base.

I'd meet in the middle at 17. Hitting that 3 drop on turn 3 is just too important