I've been doing a LOT of ARB-ARB-ARB and BETA-BETA-BETA drafting on MtGO, and have come across a great, totally asymmetrical drafting strategy around these cards.

The centerpiece card of the strategy is Mind Funeral:

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Mind Funeral 1UB
Sorcery (U)
Target opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until four land cards are revealed. That player puts all cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard.
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In limited this card is a powerhouse. You essentially need to hit your opponent with a Mind Funeral three times and that's game. At 1UB this can be easily done. However, due to the speed of some opponent's decks, there are a bunch of cards that can help you buy the time - or find Mind Funeral - to get that strategy across the line.

I've seen a great deal of drafts where the Mind Funerals get picked 10th-13th. If you see this happening, snatch them up. Even getting off a single Mind Funeral and watching your opponent mill away their bombs is always heartening.

In order of drafting perference, if you're going to go down the mill strategy, these are the cards I would go for:

If staying within Esper:

Mind Funeral: As the core of the strategy, you really need three of these, unless you have cards (such as Reborn Hope) that can return a Mind Funeral back to your hand.
Nemesis of Reason (+ Finest Hour): An excellent 5 drop for the mill strategy, it becomes absolutely insane if you splash green for Finest Hour, in which case you hit for a 20 mill advantage.
Wall of Denial: The best delaying card in the format. Almost nothing can touch it. They either have to sneak past with unblockable or fear, or get enough dudes in play to get around it.
Slave of Bolas: One of the best pieces of removal in the format, it's a great top pick.
Kathari Remnant: Another great "wall", with the added benefit of cascading into Mind Funeral.
Deny Reality: Cascading into Mind Funeral is great, especially while your delaying their attack.
Mistvein Borderpost: Mana fixer de jour.
Fieldmist Borderpost: The other Esper fixer.
Ethersworn Shieldmage : A great card for slowing down your opponent, and on the odd occassion acting as removal as well. Perfect against a Grixis Grimblade.
Bant Sureblade: The best defensive 2 drop in the set.
Esper Stormblade: Excellent 2 drop.

If splashing Green:

Reborn Hope: Your fourth, fifth or sixth Mind Funeral.
Lord of Extinction: I attacked with a 37/37 Lord of Extinction today off the back of a couple of Mind Funerals. The two just love each other.
Maelstrom Pulse: The best removal in the format, so why not pick it?
Winged Coatl: I've seen games stall a long time just from this little guy. Well worth grabbing.
Lorescale Coatl: If you're splashing green, he's great to have in order to find your Mind Funeral.
Behemoth Sledge: Buys you the lifegain you need to stick around. Also wins games by itself.
Qasali Pridemage: Great artifact removal, and can act as a beater if need be.

The great thing about drafting the mill strategy is that most opponents don't expect it (yet). The reaction from your opponent when you slam down a Mind Funeral one turn, and a Lord of Extinction or Nemesis of Reason the next is fantastic. If you know your playgroup is avoiding the core Esper cards for the strategy, I recommend you give it a try, and while your opponent tries to figure out how to bring your life from 20 to 0, you play an asymmetrical game where every land they play brings them close to losing.

Labels: analysis, Esper, magic, milling

Sometimes you draft what you think is a great deck.. and then it just doesn’t get there. Here’s what I drafted tonight.

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Here’s the deck:

2 Brackwater Elemental
3 Plains
1 Kederekt Leviathan
1 Manaforce Mace
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Esperzoa
1 Frontline Sage
6 Swamp
1 Windwright Mage
2 Tidehollow Strix
1 Parasitic Strix
2 Agony Warp
1 Cloudheath Drake
1 Faerie Mechanist
1 Skeletal Kathari
1 Kathari Screecher
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Obelisk of Alara
7 Island
1 Salvage Titan
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Armillary Sphere

Match 1: Game 1: He’s playing Bant with some Esper flyers. He nails me fairly quickly in Game 1 when he lays a turn 3 Pancake Flipper and some exalted dudes and I can make no profitable trades.
Game 2: We trade for a bit. He makes a great play using unsummon to save one of his critters from Agony Warp, but eventually I take over the board with Inkwell Leviathan and Kederekt Leviathan.
Game 3: He comes out swinging. He uses Fatestitcher to great effect. I don’t even get a chance to play much that doesn’t either die quick or get turned on it’s side.

Although I didn’t win the game, I think I drafted pretty well. I had a good amount of playable cards, some obvious bombs, and an excellent set of removal. However, sometimes you just don’t get there.

Tomorrow’s another day.

Labels: analysis, draft, Esper, mtgo