Drafting Mirrodin Besieged Part 1: Top 10 Commons & Uncommons (Strategy & Tips) February 7, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, strategy, tips, limited, draft , trackback
Although great rares can help determine what colors you want to play, commons and uncommons are much more reliable and are likely to play an even greater role for that reason. Additionally, the first cards you take are likely to tell you what colors you should play and what colors other people aren’t playing — and they aren’t likely to be rares. The cards on this top 10 list are the cards you hope to take and they will help you choose what colors to play.
Updated 3/21/2011: Added Mortarpod to the list.
10. Blisterstick Shaman
Blisterstick Shaman might not be a Flametongue Kavu, but it’s still likely to result in a 2-for-1.
9. Treasure Mage
Treasure Mage is likely to result in a 2-for-1, but you have to design your deck around it.
8. Divine Offering
Divine Offering is solid removal in a set full of artifact creatures.
7. Burn the Impure
Burn the Impure is solid removal and it has a great bonus against infect decks.
6. Kuldotha Flamefiend
Kuldotha Flamefiend has a chance at devastating the opponent’s team. It can almost win by itself.
5. Into the Core
Into the Core has a chance of devastating the opponent’s side. It’s going to usually be better than Shatterstorm because it’s unlikely the opponent will have many more than 2 artifacts and chances are you will have some artifacts in play as well. And it’s an instant.
4. Leonin Relic-Warder
Leonin-Relic Warder is a creature and it gets rid of something. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a creature that can ruin an artifact in a set full of artifacts.
3. Virdian Corrupter
Viridian Corrupter is like Viridian Shaman except with infect. In other words, it’s going to usually be better than Viridian Shaman. If you get one of these, it’s a great reason to try to get into infect.
2. Go For the Throat
Go for the Throat is pretty much the best creature removal in black that I’ve ever seen.
1. Corrupted Conscience
Corrupted Conscience is pretty much just another control magic. Nothing wrong with that, it’s exactly the kind of card you should hope to get.
0. Mortarpod
Mortarpod is a great card (a colorless Mogg Fanatic that can turn other creatures into Mogg Fanatics). I would consider taking it above just about anything else on this list. The only reason it isn’t part of the top 10 is because it doesn’t help you decide what colors to play.
Conclusion
Although the top 5 cards are all in different colors, red ends up with the largest number of cards on this list. In fact, very few commons are on this list and two of them are red. Based on this list alone, red seems to have a pretty strong advantage in Mirrodin Besieged draft. Of course, a lot of people will probably fight over red cards, so it won’t always be advantageous to be a red player.
Comments»
in a set full of artifacts, u neglected to mention any. here’s one: Mortarpod. awesome card; unbelievable with infect deck.
robert ching,
I’m not super impressed with the artifacts even though there are a lot. I mostly see them as fluff to help fill in the gaps of everyone’s decks. The infect juggernaut is pretty good, but it’s a bit too expensive to put on this list.
If you are playing infect, then Mortarpod’s a good card, but I wouldn’t take mortarpod above anything I listed here early in a draft unless I already knew I was in infect.
yet 5 of your top 10 destroys, exiles, or fetches artifacts. here’s a few more colorless beauties: plague myr, brass squire and sphere of the suns.
the juggernaut isn’t that good. it’s no putrefax.
The problem with Into the Core is that it requires 2 targets. if it was upto 2 then it would be a lot better.
I’m glad Into the Core has that weakness because the card can pretty much automatically win you the game in many situations.
Robert,
The top cards are based on the cards I think are most important to take in a draft. I’m not saying I would take all of these cards for a single deck. Yes, you want things other than removal for a deck, such as artifacts. However, it is a challenge to get the necessary removal and it’s not as challenging to get artifacts — you hardly have any choice in this block.
I agree that Sphere of the Suns is a great card and I would consider putting it on this list, but I don’t know if it’s much better than Blisterstick Shaman and it doesn’t help me choose what colors to play.
The Juggernaut is very good. It’s basically a 10/5 for 6 mana considering that it will kill the opponent in two hits. Saying its not good by comparing it to Putrefax is inappropriate. Putrefax is a rare bomb, but we are only dealing with commons and uncommons here, and none of them are necessarily as good as Putrefax.
i love into the core. in the current environment, i don’t think you’ll have trouble finding targets, and with scars, don’t forget liquid metal.
i know you’re not saying you’d draft all those cards for a single deck, james. i’m just pointing out how important artifacts currently are in draft. against the ubiquitous infect decks, how great is blisterstick shaman, goblin gavaleer,burn the impure, mortarpod, and brass squire together! that’s just red/artifact! you can go mono now with artifacts filling in the weaknesses that was holding ‘em back before.
comparing the new juggarnaut to putrefax was not my intention; just a throwaway line meant to put down the juggarnaut. you were right: an expensive but fat infect creature w/o trample or any other special abilities doesn’t quite cut it. nothin’ to get excited about.
Robert,
What deck you choose to play can certainly change your priorities while drafting, and I will discuss some of my favorites of each color at some point. I have only one infect creature on this list, but a deck full of infect creatures is great even though individually they aren’t always that impressive.
So why isn’t priest of norn here. And I want to see a list of combos that I use like rusted slasher+viridian claw or ichor wellspring+ piston sledger
Nathan,
Thank you for the comment.
I got a Priest of Norn as a last pick in my last draft. It’s not on the list because it doesn’t do as much to win the game as these cards do. Its a good card, but infect is not always useful in white.
The combos are interesting, but I generally don’t talk much about combos. I’ll have to see if I can draft some. If there’s enough for a theme, then I can certainly talk about it. Do you think the sacrifice theme is still strong on Mirrodin Besieged? My impression is that the sacrifice theme is much weaker now than it was before.
I just wanted to mention that the piston sledge with infect is amazing. Swinging for at least 4 on your third turn. hard to over come. Even if you only get one swing your still going to do damage, plus if they destroy the creature than they use the spell on a smaller creature.
Yes, lots of equipments are great with infect. I think Piston Sledge is also good with evasion (flying).
I think you missed the boat with Mortarpod. I would take it above almost every other card on your list above except for maybe the Flamefiend and maybe the Corrupted Conscience. Infect or no Infect.
draftbetter,
Finally got around to adding Mortarpod to the list. I agree that it is a great card and should be mentioned.