Theros Pre-Release Drafts: What to pick?
General forum
Posted on Sept. 16, 2013, 11:03 p.m. by rakdosrunner
I will be doing my first draft at the theros pre-release.
What are good colors or types of cards to stick to?
I usually run R/B aggro/burn, and I know its simple should I stick to that or...?
Never go into a Limited (sealed or draft) tournament with the intention of making a specific deck. The cards you receive will determine what deck you create.
September 17, 2013 12:04 a.m.
The format for Prerelease is Seeded Deck. You will choose a color and receive 5 regular Theros booster packs, 1 Special Pack containing only cards of your chosen color, a special promo card in your chosen color (which I believe you can use in your deck, but I'm not 100% on that) and a bunch of extra flavor stuff. You will have to build a 40-card minimum deck out of those cards + basic lands (which are usually provided by the store). Are you sure that your store is running a draft and that is what you signed up for?
Sealed Deck (which Seeded Deck is base on) is generally easier on beginners than Booster Draft, because you can see all of your cards and you aren't competing for the best cards. You should probably take a look at the Theros cards before you go to the pre-release if you are planning on being competitive. You will almost certainly want to stay in the color you picked, unless you get really crap cards or almost no cards in that color outside of your Seeded booster. You probably want to go mono or two color in this set, as there isn't much mana fixing.
September 17, 2013 12:15 a.m.
beakedbard says... #5
I generally always go two colors because from past experience i don't get enough stuff of one color to go mono and with three colors you always get mana screwed in limited. I might be able to go mono-colored in this kind of set but i still can't decide what color to go. :/
September 17, 2013 12:37 a.m.
What promo do you all think is the best in terms of using them in the pre-release?
Do you think any of them will see competitive play?
September 17, 2013 12:47 a.m.
rakdosrunner says... #7
sorry everyone its a sealed event not draft my bad
September 17, 2013 1:10 a.m.
The most important thing for Limited of any kind is don't be distracted by the Rares. You'll get 6 rares, and if you are lucky 3-4 will be in your colors. They will be lovely card, but don't build your deck around them. Build around the uncommons, you'll see those much more often.
September 17, 2013 1:20 a.m.
beakedbard says... #9
That completely depends I'd say don't build it around any specific thing unless you have the cards to build around something which i find is very rare.
September 17, 2013 1:21 a.m.
In any Limited event, whether it's Sealed Pool or Draft, always remember BREAD: Bombs, Removal, Evasion, Attackers, Defenders. Look for cards in that order. Limited is a creature heavy format, most 40 card decks running 17 creatures on average. You'll see some variation depending on what your pool/draft looks like, but stick close to 17. Also, you should look to run about 23 cards. You DO NOT want to miss a land drop in Limited. The sooner you get your bomb out, the better. And like everyone has said, let your pool dictate your deck, not the other way around.
September 17, 2013 1:52 a.m.
JWiley129 That BREAD tip is amazing. Never heard it before, but will definitely be keeping it in mind on pre-release!
September 17, 2013 9:03 a.m.
harrydemon117 says... #13
Be careful what you consider a "bomb" however....most new sealed/draft players make this mistake and it costs them countless games/matches because they think their 8 drop mythic rare creature is going to win when it will take FOREVER to be able to cast it (without the right build of course).
Bombs to watch out for for in Theros should be: The planeswalkers, the "gods", or other 5 CMC or less than will win the game in a few turns WITHOUT other support
September 17, 2013 9:51 a.m.
Also, don't worry if your "bomb" is a common or uncommon creature. Benthic Giant is pretty horrible for standard play, but is going to be a great limited bomb in the right deck.
Other bombs might be:
Stoneshock Giant
Nessian Asp
Silent Artisan
(??)
Erebos's Emissary
or Keepsake Gorgon
(??)
There seems to be a lack of black and white creatures at common/uncommon that make good limited bombs on their own. They all need additional support to be effective.
September 17, 2013 10:53 a.m.
megawurmple says... #15
Some of the advice I've seen on here is helpful to me, even though I've been to every prerelease since Dark Ascension, so I have a bit of experience. I particularly like the one about BREAD. I know what my priorities are in sealed, but that is the most convenient and useful way of putting it I have ever seen. I'm going to remember that.
I also agree with the comment stating that your deck should be built around commons and uncommons, not rares. That's why I'm choosing red as my colour at the prerelease; it has the best commons and uncommons, at least in my opinion.
September 17, 2013 12:24 p.m.
harrydemon117 says... #16
Ultimately, your sealed pool will determine what you should play. DON'T restrict yourself based on your "favorite colors" or just because you pulled a Heliod, God of the Sun .
If you don't have ample removal or other support for your deck, other decks built that way will take advantage of that
September 17, 2013 2:08 p.m.
TitansFTW is right. Your deck should be built around the commons and uncommons. Odds are, in a 6 booster sealed event, you are going to have a rare that is a dud. And you probably won't be able to play 2-3 of your rares. In M14 draft, my best bombs have been Serra Angel , Banisher Priest , and oddly enough Pitchburn Devils .
September 17, 2013 2:10 p.m.
My first prerelease was Return, and in the last year I missed one prerelease. Early aggression often pays off, however you will lose if the enemy finds the slightest way to slow you down. At the weekends I've played I've also learned that mid game is where you should aim. Play a few quick creatures, so you don't die, but keep your eyes on the mid game and low cost.
All that being said, red and white seem to have the faster creatures. Blue/green have the mid game and black is even across early/mid but heavy late game.
September 17, 2013 2:43 p.m.
I think I'm going to try to go white or black and be aggressive. There's some great control for blue as usual, but I prefer the bombs in white/black.
Like others have said, it totally depends on what cards you get in the 5 regular packs, but 1 seeded pack is a great head start sometimes.
The color I'm least excited for is red.
September 17, 2013 2:53 p.m.
rakdosrunner says... #20
I just want anything besides control. I feel I can build a good creature base with any color and burn or removal come with the territory, however, I hate playing blue and I just never liked the laid back wait for my big guy play style. Hopefully I get steady pulls in one color.
I wouldn't mind Red/black minotaurs lol
September 17, 2013 3:07 p.m.
Picking a specific color or archetype is easier in draft where you can pick-and-choose your cards, but you can't do that in sealed.
Control is a little different in limited. Since you're going to have access to very few counterspells, it's usually advised not to run more than 1 or 2 in a deck. Typically, control in sealed or draft is more tempo-oriented, utilizing bounce and kill effects to set your opponent back a turn until you can drop your own bomb.
DaggerV says... #2
Interesting, are they doing a Theros Draft on top of the sealed event or what set are they drafting? Pre-released is sealed in case you didn't know, a wee bit different.
September 17, 2013 12:04 a.m.