A Return to (Ravnica) Drafting
Hello my loyal readers!
Do I still have any loyal readers after months of silence?
I don't know!
Let me give you some thoughts on Return to Ravnica Drafting that I have picked up from playing in three different prerelease tournaments each with 30+ attendance, (Yes, I know that it's not quite drafting, but there are certainly corollaries.) and one FNM Draft with 37 people. My record so far for RtR limited is 13-2-3, going 3-0-1(Selesnya pack), 3-1(Selesnya pack), 3-0-1(Selesnya pack), and 4-2(Drafted Selesnya).
First, I'll mostly be talking about drafting GW, as you can see from my record. I've won 19 total prize packs so far in four tournaments.
Before we go any further, let's debunk a myth about RtR limited. It is NOT a slow format. I killed someone on turn 5 with a mediocre draw. I just went turn 1 guy, turn 2 guy, turn 3 wild beast master. Then on turn 4 hit my beast master with a giant growth and swung for lethal with all my dudes getting +3/+3 or +4/+4. I admit one of these cards was a rare, but it was an obviously-undervalued 5th pick rare. In another game I was swinging with 2 7/7's on turn 6. This does not mean that your 7 or 8 mana bombs are unplayable. They are not. In fact, Angel of Serenity is one of the biggest limited bombs in the set despite costing 7. It is not uncommon for players to reach 7 mana. This means that the format is neither as fast as Zendikar limited nor as slow as Rise of the Eldrazi limited. Similarly, a lot of players I knew complained about how swingy games of AVR limited could be when one bomb in an otherwise unremarkable deck just took over games. Although RtR bombs are quite good, capable of taking over games by themselves, this not nearly so pronounced as it was in AVR. I think Wizards may have hit the sweet spot here. I was able to play with strong commons and uncommons with the occasional rare thrown in and deal with every bomb my opponents threw my way. Cards that I beat despite having them cast against me in ways that put me in difficult situations: Trostani, Collective Blessing, Angel of Serenity, Carnival Steed, Cyclonic Rift (overloaded), among many others. The bombs can be beaten, with the right deck. So which cards helped me do that?
Well, the absolute all star was Selesnya Charm.
This card was hands down the best card in my deck every time I was lucky enough to open or get passed one. People are already realizing how good this is in Standard as well. You'll be seeing a lot of this charming little instant. The +2/+2 and trample is relevant, the 2/2 vigilant knight is cheap for the cost at instant speed, and the exile a 5 power or higher creature function deals with almost all of the best threats in the set. This card is a bucket full of utility for a 2 cost instant.
Centaur Healer is also the real deal in limited, and I've been hearing rumblings of playing it in standard as well. It does curve rather nicely into Restoration Angel. In limited, the card frequently allows you to completely invalidate their first two turns. Their 1/1's and 2/2's look at this beefy three drop and decide to stay home on D more often than not. You have, almost incidentally, put your life total back to 20 in the process of stopping their assault in it's tracks. At worst the card draws out a removal spell from Rakdos, Azorius, or Izzet, or a pump/removal spell from Golgari. Selesnya is the guild against whom this 3/3 for 3 is the least effective, trading with a centaur token more often than not. Getting a trick or removal spell out of their hands in the early game is a good thing for you and your hopes of winning the late game.
From the perspective of a Selesnya player, RtR is about 2 things: Having a lot of 3 power or higher dudes starting turn 2, and being able to deal with opposing fliers. The magic number 3 deals with most early drops in the set, and can battle favorably with many of the late drops as well. Having a defense against fliers (or fliers of your own) is the best way to deal with the fliers strategies, which are the ones that have the best chance of beating you.
Giant Spider, I mean Towering Indrik, as a result is a surprisingly useful attacker and blocker. The four toughness is exceptionally relevant, and it is a perfect target for Knightly Valor and other P/T boosting spells and enchantments.
Centaur Herald is a great 1 drop that plays well with both Golgari and Selesnya, makes a token for populate purposes, and fogs an attacker while still advancing your board. It is a very easy card to pick up in multiples late in a draft. It also follows the 3 P/T rule. The centaur tokens are quite useful.
Keening Apparition is a strong card despite losing out on the 3 P/T rule because there are multiple game breaking enchantments in the format at every rarity. Apparition is an early attacker and a late removal spell for their bomb enchantment: Collective Blessing, Growing Ranks, Martial Law, Death's Presence, Knightly Valor, Stab Wound, Pyroconvergence, etc. All these cards can completely change the course of a game. To a lesser extent, Sundering Growth is also quite powerful, allowing for fun instant speed populate tricks while removing one of their enchants or artifacts. The difference between the two is that Apparition advances your board state even if there is no target to destroy, while Sundering Growth sits useless in hand without a target.
Slime Molding is another strong spell. I won one game where I was stuck at 4 lands by casting back to back 3/3 slimes. Remember that Slime, being an X spell, will grow in utility from early to late game. However, I would almost never cast this for less than a 3/3 in this format, unless you just don't want to die. Making a 4/4 or 5/5 slime is really hard for some decks to deal with.
These are just some of the cards I think are the backbones of the Selesnya deck in RtR limited. Overall, I feel that the commons and uncommons in GW are more universally strong than in the other color combinations.
For me, I intend to be drafting this format every chance I get. It's one of the most fun limited environments I've ever had the pleasure of playing.
Thanks for reading!
Do I still have any loyal readers after months of silence?
I don't know!
Let me give you some thoughts on Return to Ravnica Drafting that I have picked up from playing in three different prerelease tournaments each with 30+ attendance, (Yes, I know that it's not quite drafting, but there are certainly corollaries.) and one FNM Draft with 37 people. My record so far for RtR limited is 13-2-3, going 3-0-1(Selesnya pack), 3-1(Selesnya pack), 3-0-1(Selesnya pack), and 4-2(Drafted Selesnya).
First, I'll mostly be talking about drafting GW, as you can see from my record. I've won 19 total prize packs so far in four tournaments.
Before we go any further, let's debunk a myth about RtR limited. It is NOT a slow format. I killed someone on turn 5 with a mediocre draw. I just went turn 1 guy, turn 2 guy, turn 3 wild beast master. Then on turn 4 hit my beast master with a giant growth and swung for lethal with all my dudes getting +3/+3 or +4/+4. I admit one of these cards was a rare, but it was an obviously-undervalued 5th pick rare. In another game I was swinging with 2 7/7's on turn 6. This does not mean that your 7 or 8 mana bombs are unplayable. They are not. In fact, Angel of Serenity is one of the biggest limited bombs in the set despite costing 7. It is not uncommon for players to reach 7 mana. This means that the format is neither as fast as Zendikar limited nor as slow as Rise of the Eldrazi limited. Similarly, a lot of players I knew complained about how swingy games of AVR limited could be when one bomb in an otherwise unremarkable deck just took over games. Although RtR bombs are quite good, capable of taking over games by themselves, this not nearly so pronounced as it was in AVR. I think Wizards may have hit the sweet spot here. I was able to play with strong commons and uncommons with the occasional rare thrown in and deal with every bomb my opponents threw my way. Cards that I beat despite having them cast against me in ways that put me in difficult situations: Trostani, Collective Blessing, Angel of Serenity, Carnival Steed, Cyclonic Rift (overloaded), among many others. The bombs can be beaten, with the right deck. So which cards helped me do that?
Well, the absolute all star was Selesnya Charm.
Centaur Healer is also the real deal in limited, and I've been hearing rumblings of playing it in standard as well. It does curve rather nicely into Restoration Angel. In limited, the card frequently allows you to completely invalidate their first two turns. Their 1/1's and 2/2's look at this beefy three drop and decide to stay home on D more often than not. You have, almost incidentally, put your life total back to 20 in the process of stopping their assault in it's tracks. At worst the card draws out a removal spell from Rakdos, Azorius, or Izzet, or a pump/removal spell from Golgari. Selesnya is the guild against whom this 3/3 for 3 is the least effective, trading with a centaur token more often than not. Getting a trick or removal spell out of their hands in the early game is a good thing for you and your hopes of winning the late game.
From the perspective of a Selesnya player, RtR is about 2 things: Having a lot of 3 power or higher dudes starting turn 2, and being able to deal with opposing fliers. The magic number 3 deals with most early drops in the set, and can battle favorably with many of the late drops as well. Having a defense against fliers (or fliers of your own) is the best way to deal with the fliers strategies, which are the ones that have the best chance of beating you.
Giant Spider, I mean Towering Indrik, as a result is a surprisingly useful attacker and blocker. The four toughness is exceptionally relevant, and it is a perfect target for Knightly Valor and other P/T boosting spells and enchantments.
Centaur Herald is a great 1 drop that plays well with both Golgari and Selesnya, makes a token for populate purposes, and fogs an attacker while still advancing your board. It is a very easy card to pick up in multiples late in a draft. It also follows the 3 P/T rule. The centaur tokens are quite useful.
Keening Apparition is a strong card despite losing out on the 3 P/T rule because there are multiple game breaking enchantments in the format at every rarity. Apparition is an early attacker and a late removal spell for their bomb enchantment: Collective Blessing, Growing Ranks, Martial Law, Death's Presence, Knightly Valor, Stab Wound, Pyroconvergence, etc. All these cards can completely change the course of a game. To a lesser extent, Sundering Growth is also quite powerful, allowing for fun instant speed populate tricks while removing one of their enchants or artifacts. The difference between the two is that Apparition advances your board state even if there is no target to destroy, while Sundering Growth sits useless in hand without a target.
Slime Molding is another strong spell. I won one game where I was stuck at 4 lands by casting back to back 3/3 slimes. Remember that Slime, being an X spell, will grow in utility from early to late game. However, I would almost never cast this for less than a 3/3 in this format, unless you just don't want to die. Making a 4/4 or 5/5 slime is really hard for some decks to deal with.
These are just some of the cards I think are the backbones of the Selesnya deck in RtR limited. Overall, I feel that the commons and uncommons in GW are more universally strong than in the other color combinations.
For me, I intend to be drafting this format every chance I get. It's one of the most fun limited environments I've ever had the pleasure of playing.
Thanks for reading!
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