[TS]Discussion for Time Spiral - Draft

[Cyan]

This thread is for discussing Time Spiral cards in regard to Drafting.

[jozan_destroyer]

IMHO i think that TS will be a set where you are gonna wanna draft a single color heavily and maybe splash an alternate color. The decks are mostly gonna run off of the bonus cards that you get in the packs, since they are hte miost powerful.

You also are gonna probably wanna draft alot of totems when you see them, except for the blue one since chronotog isn't really that hot. But negator is a house and if you happen to open a pack with negator and totem in the next pack o man will you be happy.

Also a hopuse in draft will be the 1RR Task Mage, who basically is a Rakdos Guildmage on steroids. She kills almost anything and has 2 toughness which alows her to stay around longer than other things like Anaba Shaman, Rakdos Ickspitter and other pingers of the like.

The only other thing i can say is if you see Akroma....immediately go into white no matter what, since she cannot be killed in TS draft.

[Dunjohn]

There's only one timeshifted card per pack. It's basically an alternate rare. I wouldn't call that a basis for decks to run off, but every deck's probably gonna have at least two good ones. And they are extremely lethal surprises.

I don't think decks are going to be mono-coloured either. This is the block that follows Ravnica. That alone is enough the suggest two colours will be pretty easy, especially in draft which has always been two-colour-oriented anyway.

Since I've obviously only seen a small portion of the set, I can't say for sure what Draft will be like. Right now, the vibe I'm getting is that it's similar to Onslaught, i.e. bomb-heavy, requiring players to be able to adapt to sudden shifts quickly or die. That usually means red and black will be drafted high.

[TheKaiser]

I haven't had the opportunity to draft this set yet, although I did watch a couple at the prerelease. My impression was that the set is a little closer to Odyssey draft, in that there are some bombs and the format is in general a little slow. Certainly it seems slower than Ravnica draft. The other thing I see is that despite the fact that there are some ridiculous draft cards in the Timeshifted portion of the set, the reality is that they are individually rarer than any rare in the set. There are like 121 of them and they are one to a pack. So, sure, if you see Akroma, you sort of have to slam it (even if you're not playing white, since god knows you don't want to see her on the board across from you), but on the other hand, you're not going to see Akroma that often. Of course, you're also going to get to see such incredibly spicy beaters as Sinbad and Orgg...

TTFn

[Redfalcon]

I think multicolor will be common. With all of the great Flashback cards in the set, (Suttering Soot and Mystical Teachings come to mind.

And one thing I noticed at the PR.. Removal should be drafted highly because there is not as much as in RGD and it is not as good.

[Kuroyanagi]

yup I've been finding X/X/x works really well; although if you can go into a strong mono white it's worth it; mono red should be impossible, but some time it comes up and it's pretty scary when it does.

Personally though I like a U/B madness build with looters, trespassers, gorgons, withering darkness, syphon mage etc.

and the effect of the timeshifted cards is pretty random; getting a random card froma pile with cards from akroma to squire doesn't really have as much of an effect as it seems it might.

[Jos1-1]

stuffy doll is powerful in draft as well. i seen a lot of color combos do well so far as well as mono colors. mono green won a tournament, i seen mono black do well and white. so far it seems anything can happen.

the goblin fungus strength in number combo is nice too.

also if someone gets Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder out, its a HUGE pain in the rear.

[Roo]

I've been doing enough Time Spiral drafts at this point in time to give definitive suggestions on how to play the format.

First of all, Black and Red are by far the strongest colors in the format. I've been winning most of my games by forcing my way into those two colors. To be able to play both of those colors, pick exclusively from one color or the other in the first pack. Then, cut the drafters before you with the other color in the second pack. Finally, you should be able to pull enough of both colors to get a decent deck with the third pack. Of course, you can always be lucky enough to end up open in both, but if you're not, force your way in :)

If you can't get into both, at least get into one of them. You'll at the very least have Feebleness, Strangling Soot, Dark Withering, Phtihisis, Rift Bolt, Sudden Shock and Conflagrate to work with. Every bit of removal is precious in this format.

Otherwise, there are two other options left. The first is to go monowhite. This isn't actually all bad, with D'Avenant Healer and Gaze of Justice for control, cheap creatures like Knight of the Holy Nimbus and Benalish Cavalry for early game pressure, and the always annoying Outrider En-Kor and Jedit's Dragoons combo. If you've got two white mages at the table, then you could be in trouble. But usually, you pick up two white mages, and end up with only 1 before the end of pack 1.

The other always brilliant color combination is blue/green. If you've got the cards, then you can win every time. You have things such as Teferi, Errant Ephemeron, Snapback, Crookclaw Transmuter and the always huge Deep-Sea Kraken in blue, and Penumbra Spider, Thelonite Hermit, Durkwood Tracker and Thallid Shell-Dweller for green. The goal with blue/green is to be able to build a deck that can handle any situation. You've got a combination of beef and evasive creatures, with temporary removal and pump to back your creatures up. Although it's difficult to win with a sub-par card pool, if you've got enough creatures you can pull it off every time.

And if you can go into black, the best three-card combo you can get, period is Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, Conspiracy and Fallen Ideal. With the Breeder and Conspiracy out, you can pull out unlimited 1/1 Thrull tokens. With Breeder and Ideal, you can make a monster positively huge without losing the Breeder. And with all three out, slapping Fallen Ideal on your evasive creature of choice will win the game for you every time.

[Fireball's Wake]

THe other thing that it is technically possible to do is Draft Slivers. You can pull off a rather scary sliver deck with consistant turn 6-7 kills if you find yourself as the only person drafting slivers at your table. If you see the signs of a sliver-drafterless table, start picking up Gemhide Slivers, Watcher Slivers and Bonesplitter Slivers. Even if you can't pull off enough to give you a good sliver deck, Gemhide Slivers are useful for any G/X/x combination. Basal Slivers also work well with the set's Black Fatties (IE Stronghold Overseer, Leige of the Pit, and Avatar of Woe.)

If you are not playing Slivers and you see a hive stone, it should be picked over most other non-bomb cards. Chances are someone has snagged those two Might Slivers you passed up, and you don't want to face them later without something to protect you.

[Roo]

Slivers IMO is an unreliable strategy. It's mostly difficult to win with them because unless your opponent is going green/blue or monowhite, the removal can really hurt the deck. I never draft Hivestone, so I can't say one way or the other

[Fireball's Wake]

Weed, ANY deck becomes unstable when facing proper removal.

The point is that the right Slivers win games really fast. If I crack a Sledge Sliver or Psionic Sliver pack 1, I usually look for the rest of the family (barring something ridiculous like Akroma or Avy of Woe.) It is not a truly reliable strategy, but it is usually pretty obvious when you are the only one drafting slivers. I'm just putting it out there to keep in mind.