Upcoming Flashback drafts

As you might know, 2016 is the year of Modern Flashbacks.

This week we are drafting 2 Time Spiral + 1 Planar Chaos. Next week they add 1 Future Sight over 1 Time Spiral and then it is time for 3x10th Edition.

I just wanted to remind you all of this and remember to pick up your TSP block and 10th Edition cards now. Flashback drafts have for many years been a good opportunity to pick up cards and sell them when prices recover (usually 6-9 months unless the card is reprinted for some other reason).

So what are you looking for? Well, Goyf is the big one of course but he is in the third set of which you will only see one pack per draft for a week. He will not drop much because of this.

Time Spiral: Living End, Vesuva, Academy Ruins, Lotus Bloom, Greater Gargadon, Restore Balance, Flagstones of Trokair, Angel's Grace, Gemstone Caverns, Norin

Planar Chaos: Damnation, Urborg, Boom//Bust, Extirpate, Simian Spirit Guide, Harmonize, Sinew Sliver (staple Pauper card)

10th Edition: Crucible of Worlds, Hurkyl's Recall, Wrath of God, Brushland, Caves of Koilos (beware this card dropping out of standard which will drop it severely), Shatterstorm, Howling Mine.


Also, be aware of Eternal Masters coming up this summer. A lot of non-Modern cards will tank. Sell them now if you don't need them.

Play Pauper like Gary Busey (RB Flashback)

Back in December we talked about Mono Black Land Destruction in this article: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2014/12/featured-pauper-gauntlet-deck-mono.html

My Magic mentor, Power_T, took the list, added red and made it into something similar but different.

Lets meet Gary Busey the Pauper Deck.

l1 Mountain
5 Swamp
2 Radiant Fountain
4 Rakdos Carnarium
4 Bloodfell Caves
3 Bojuka Bog
3 Terramorphic Expanse

4 Cuombaij Witches
2 Crypt Rats
4 Phyrexian Rager
4 Chittering Rats

4 Firebolt
4 Dark Ritual
3 unearth
4 Chainers Edict
4 Rancid Earth
2 Stone Rain
4 Earth Rift

Sideboard

1 Unearth
3 Gorilla Shaman
3 Pyroblast
1 Crypt Rats
3 Oubliette
4 Gary Busey from Asphodel

Sideboard plan
Affinity: -10 LD, -2 cuombaij,  +1 unearth, +3 gorilla shaman, +1 crypt rats, +3 oubliette, +4 gary
(Random) Aggro: -9 LD (keep 1 rancid), +1 unearth, +1 crypt rats, +3 oubliette, +4 gary
R Burn: -4 chainer's, -2 firebolt,+4 gary, +1 crypt rats, +1 unearth
Delver: -10 LD, +3 pyroblast, +1 crypt rats, +3 oubliette, +3 gary
Delverfiend: -10 LD, +3 pyroblast, +1 crypt rats, +3 oubliette, +1 unearth, +2 gary
Goblins: = Random aggro
Familiars: -4 chittering rats, +3 pyroblast, +1 crypt rats
Hexproof: -4 firebolt, +1 crypt rats, +1 unearth, +2 gary
Izzet Control: -10 LD, -2 cuombaij, +3 pyroblast, +1 unearth, +1 crypt rats, +3 oubliette, +4 gary
MBC: -4 cuombaij, +1 crypt rats, +1 unearth, +2 oubliette
RUG Tron: -4 cuombaij, -4 firebolt, +3 oubliette, +1 unearth, +1 crypt rats, +3 pyroblast
Stompy: = Random aggro
Ugw Turbomill: -4 chainer's, -2 crypt rats, -1 firebolt, +3 pyroblast, +4 gary

Sample matches
Here are two matches with the deck.



So why is the deck called Gary Busey? Well, it is a long story. Ask Power_T to tell you in a comment to a video on MagicGatheringStrat featuring the deck :)

Two more flashback drafts announced

To my suprise there was the following announcement:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/other/05202014/cube

Its an announcement about the MTGO cube returning, but at the end there was the following:

There are two Flashback Drafts that will run simultaneously with this Cube:

May 28-June 4: Kamigawa Block
June 4-June 11: Dark Ascension and Innistrad from theInnistrad block.

This means that you, my fellow botters, now have the opportunity to pick up valuable cards from these sets. I don't expect many people to play Kamigawa block but one expensive common will drop sharply in price at least: Ninja of the Deep Hours

Innistrad Block will probably be very popular, making this an ideal time to pick up Thalias, Snapcaster Mages and other rares that will be affected by the drafts.

Modern PTQ season is almost upon us. The safe guess is that Modern card prices will reach new heights during June and July. 

Here are the main targets you want to pick up for both blocks.

Kamigawa: Ninja of the Deep Hours, Azusa, Through the Breach, Kiki-Jiki, Goryo's Vengance, Jitte, Threads of Disloyalty, Gifts Ungiven, Kataki.

Remember, there are no mythic rares in this block, so if there is any interest in the drafts at all, prices for even the most wanted cards should drop at least a little.

Innistrad: Snapcaster Mage, Lingering Souls, Cavern of Souls, Resto, Vexing Devil, Thalia, Grafdigger's Cage, Stony Silence, Sulfur Falls

The mythics are probably affected less than the rares.

A sample invasion block draft

Four days ago I wrote about the Invasion Block Flashback drafts happening this week: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2014/02/drafting-invasion-block.html

As this is one of my favorite draft formats, I quickly jumped into a queue, trying to put my own theories into practice:





This was my deck after the draft portion:

1 Kavu Runner
5 Mountain
1 Reckless Spite
1 Terminal Moraine
1 Tribal Flames
1 Zombie Boa
1 Skittish Kavu
1 Magma Burst
2 Reef Shaman
1 Sea Snidd
1 Quicksilver Dagger
8 Island
1 Bog Down
1 Exclude
1 Hunting Drake
1 Urborg Uprising
1 Tundra Kavu
1 Thunderscape Battlemage
1 Volcano Imp
1 Ancient Kavu
2 Living Airship
2 Arctic Merfolk
4 Swamp

Not the best Grixis deck I have seen. Not by a long shot. Still, there were some decent removal.

After luckboxing the first match, it was time for the second:

And here is the final round video:

Try the format while you can. It will be gone by Wednesday. It is a lot of fun.

Here are some other useful links for the format:

Watch this to see other drafters drafting IPA:
http://www.draftmagic.com/2012/06/22/ipa-invasionplaneshiftapocalypse-draft-1/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItbNlyqc7NY
http://www.mtgoacademy.com/lets-play-magic-online-invasion-block-draft-4/
http://www.twitch.tv/numotthenummy/b/322134802

Read this to get better at IPA draft:
http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2014/02/drafting-invasion-block.html
http://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2013/06/drawing-live-flashback-draft-invasion/

Drafting invasion block

Invasion - Planeshift - Apocalypse is a legendary draft format, maybe because it was one of the two initial formats offered on Magic Online.

This is multicolor draft at its best. This is what Dragon's Maze wanted to be.

Here I will share the strategies that has worked for me in the past and tell you a little about the format.

You want to be the Grixis deck
Try to go UBR every time. That's it. You have now mastered IPA block draft. I am not kidding.

Grixis is just the color combination you want to be. The removal in black and red are off the charts. This is a set from a different age. Creatures will die all the time. You, the Grixis King, will be the one who is killing them.



What if you can't go Grixis?
Try to be Rakdos (BR) or Dimir (BU). You will still have excellent removal. Izzet (UR) could work but is not as strong as the other two.

Some other things to consider

• Armadillo Cloak is a super strong card that you will have a hard time finding a deck for.
• Gruul (GR) works.
• UW Flyers is a deck in this format too, especially with splashed Armadillo Cloaks.
• Five color green is a real strategy. Go base green, get mana fixing and bombs.
• Three colors and 18 lands is a good idea in this format.

Good luck! The Flashback drafts begin today.