Eventide Pre-re #2.

I headed back to MTG Metropolis yesterday for another Pre-re. It was more in the vein of a Release Event, but the set still isn't out, so...it was a bit strange. Only about 25 people showed up, probably because there were multiple other small Pre-res in other stores around Madrid, in addition to a Regionals in Guadalajara on the same day.

My sealed pool (Note: the cards are in Spanish, so alphabetization isn't happening)

1 Barrenton Medic
1 Rune-Cervin Rider
1 Goldenglow Moth
1 Safehold Sentry
1 Barrenton Medic
1 Recumbent Bliss
1 Kithkin Zealot
1 Suture Spirit

1 Nightsky Mimic
1 Beckon Apparition

2 Oona's Grace
1 Faerie Swarm
1 Merrow Levitator
1 Cerulean Wisps
1 Ghastly Discovery
1 Sinking Feeling
1 Thought Reflection
1 Banishing Knack
1 Whimwader

1 Gravelgill Duo
1 Oona's Gatewarden
1 Wanderbrine Rootcutters
1 Dream Salvage

1 Noggle Bandit
1 Riverfall Mimic
1 Stream Hopper

1 Ashling the Extinguisher
1 Ashenmoor Cohort
1 Blowfly Infestation
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Soul Reap
1 Sickle Ripper
1 Corrupt
1 Torture
1 Soul Snuffers
1 Smoldering Butcher
1 Smolder Initiate
1 Crumbling Ashes
1 Syphon Life

1 Sootwalkers
1 Emberstrike Duo
1 Fists of the Demigod
1 Traitor's Roar

1 Desecrator Hag
1 Rendclaw Trow
1 Odious Trow
1 Hag Hedge-Mage

1 Outrage Shaman
1 Cinder Pyromancer
1 Heartlash Cinder
1 Puncture Bolt
1 Flame Jab
1 Ember Gale

1 Giantbaiting
1 Wort, the Raidmother
1 Tattermunge Duo
1 Tattermunge Maniac

1 Hearthfire Hobgoblin
1 Scourge of the Nobilis
1 Battlegate Mimic
1 Double Cleave
1 Fire at Will

2 Nettle Sentinel
1 Aerie Ouphes
1 Monstrify
1 Juvenile Gloomwidow
1 Viridescent Wisps
1 Gloomwidow's Feast
1 Howl of the Night Pack
1 Raking Canopy
1 Tilling Treefolk
1 Crabapple Cohort

1 Old Ghastbark
1 Safehold Duo
1 Mercy Killing

1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Wistful Selkie
1 Slippery Bogle
1 Invert the Skies

1 Tatterkite
1 Elsewhere Flask
1 Wingrattle Scarecrow
1 Fang Skulkin
1 Ward of Bones
3 Jawbone Skulkin (YES!)
1 Thornwatch Scarecrow

1 Leechridden Swamp


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Not very exciting.

Unlike most of the Prerelease sealed pools I've seen so far, this one's pretty straightforward. Black is a guarantee, and it's only really viable to pair it with Red or Green. Red is definitely shallow, but more powerful, and there were enough Black cards where the two fit well together.

1 Fang Skulkin
1 Sickle Ripper

1 Tatterkite
1 Tattermunge Duo
1 Rendclaw Trow
1 Hag Hedge-Mage
1 Noggle Bandit

1 Ashling the Extinguisher
1 Desecrator Hag
1 Sootwalkers
1 Soul Snuffers
1 Wanderbrine Rootcutters

1 Outrage Shaman
1 Puppeteer Clique

1 Wort, the Raidmother

1 Flame Jab
1 Torture
1 Soul Reap
1 Elsewhere Flask
1 Puncture Bolt
1 Fire at Will
1 Syphon Life
1 Corrupt

8 Swamp
8 Mountain
1 Leechridden Swamp

A pretty simple build. The only questionable inclusion is Fire at Will with only eight Mountain, but the deck was already on the weak side so I figured I needed to take a few risks to "get there".

As it turns out, the quality of my deck was largely irrelevant. Everyone I played against was so absurdly bad that I defeated decks of mind-boggling quality with my pile. In the deciding game of the fourth round (at 3-0), my opponent simply decided life wasn't worth living anymore and make an "alpha strike" that was neither alpha, as I didn't die, nor a strike, as I ended up taking no damage. On the other hand, he did die on the swingback, so perhaps it did have some qualities of an alpha strike :P

I lost the last round to a lack of land and came in 4-1. This was only good enough for 4th place, as my tiebreakers were abysmal (unsurprisingly) but I did get the same prize as the Top 3 -- an astounding SEVEN packs.

Overall, not an exciting event, but worthwhile. It was nice to feel like I was just completely outplaying people, as this Sealed Deck is pretty indicative of the average power of what I'm handed, and I'll probably need the playskill factor to overcome this handicap at GP Madrid.

I did make a few observations on specific cards.

• Syphon Life is absolutely amazing in Sealed, and with some planning ahead I was able to take games down out of nowhere. I've never happier about holding five lands in my hand.
• Fire at Will is just underwhelming and astonishingly easy to play around.
• Noggle Bandit is basically unstoppable.
• 2/1s really, really suck in this format.
• Rendclaw Trow has the amazing ability to hold back multiple creatures at a time when your opponent is terrible.
• Ashling is average.
• Soul Snuffers is awesome, and especially awesome when your opponent has more creatures than you and has just played Godhead of Awe.
• Outrage Shaman is ridiculous.
• Flame Jab, like Syphon Life, is so much more effective in use than it is in theory -- and it's not bad at all in theory.
• Desecrator Hag is clearly good but her body is just too small and her ability is hard to work around sometimes. It's no Gravedigger.

Next Time: An introduction to the MagicHouse Cube, and later, an analysis of the White cards in said Cube.

~Andres