Hey Paul! I was your esper opponent in round two. I was really happy with the way that deck came together. 7-1 finish on that one. Agree with your analysis of Mentor, but i do think its way stronger than people give it credit for. Its an engine with all the afterlife creatures and Steward, and pretty much all of my white decks end up wanting one. I will say its a bad "3" drop though, as it gets so much better after opposing removal is cleared as its a bit of a lightning rod. G/W its definitely at its worst. Big fan and GG!
It's funny, after watching your video yesterday I leaned into the aggro life my draft last night and drafted a deck very similar to this one (but leaning a bit more on auras/pilgrims/rhinos with a Gladecover Scout for the occasional cheese out). Currently 4-1, so your advice from yesterday is working well so far, thanks!
Hey thank you for publishing content so regularly, especially over the holiday season! Congrats on a great first year for your channel, I look forward to seeing where 2025 takes you
I love GW! I trophy three times in a row all GW decks. It’s certainly gotta be open, ideally a couple unflinching encourages, a couple charms. I like a slightly more mid version, ideally three rhinos and a couple untap land dudes to get them out on turn three and start the card advantage. I also don’t mind at least one or hexproof folks. 3/3 hex proof life links can stop early aggression on your way to the mid. I’m always afraid of running out of gas so I always try to build some level of card drawing. Audacity is really nice too. Loved your deck fun to watch!
This is more pertinent to yesterday's vid, but I just want to say that I appreciate that you are open to trying decks with lots of contrasting strategies in a given format. Regarding 5c Chromanticore, based on my own drafts and discussions in other limited communities, it seems like Golgari and Gruul as a base can be safer than Simic because you can easily splash the "other side" of Dreadbore. Dreadbore at common is maybe a big reason why Chromanticore seems to excel. Also I think Courier's Briefcase is among the best cards in the entire set when you're in that lane.
Yeah that makes a ton of sense. UG as a combination just seems extremely weak and even the "gates" deck should probably more likely be a jund base with some splashes.
yeah, i do it from time to time in every format. sometimes, decks are just a little too good at drawing cards for a 40 card deck to handle. its rare but it happens.
I’m glad u trophy with this archetype. I can’t seem to win w/ GW, but I get regularly beaten by it. I always seem to face Grixis control decks w/ tons of removal and eventually flood. I’m happy to see PIO drafts to help me prepare for the Arena Open. Thanks!
i think it's fine but i don't think it's the best in an aggressively slanted selesnya deck. creatures also tend to be bigger in w/g. I think it may be nicer in a grindy w/b midrange deck and possibly a u/w fliers deck.
Starting this format, I had a very good win rate and a couple trophies with GW decks. Seemed always open, I had 5 Selys Charms in one deck. Havent seen it open much lately, but that could just be my drafts.
GW is my best performing archetype. I think Hero of Iroas into bestow Leafcrown is the best thing to do with hero, despite it also obviously being very good in boros
"is everyone supposed to play 46 card decks in this format?" I don't know for sure but I did see a streamer mention that with this patch of bonus cards (tome scour, sphinx's tutelage) they consider playing more cards. Whether that's good idk (it seems bad to me???) but I have been seeing it more and more.
got my first 7-0 draft the other day, been watching these videos and they help a lot! I still think I keep struggling with forcing a colour, how do you know when to pivot to a new colour? Keep up the great videos
I know this is less useful on Arena, but the thing that taught me the most about this sort of stuff was team drafting. Having someone on your team sitting two seats away in each direction meant you could ask questions about the draft after, etc.
A good tell for a pivot is seeing a valuable non-rare (usually) or two in a color you are not a few to several picks into the draft. That usually indicates the people ahead of you are not drafting that color as the card or cards you are seeing are essential to that deck.
can be really tough to say in general. you just have to know the set your drafting very well. so you can see when a card is late or not. if one card is way better than everything else in the pack, thats a sign. but you kinda need 2 or 3 signs to really know for sure. sometimes you just have to take a good card as speculation, and see if you get passed more good cards of that color.
Paul, you do amazing videos, man i know you do videos explaning how you build a draft deck, but can you do one for the essencials, i'm no doing well on my drafts and i really need some help, thank you very much
After I saw last video with the crazy game I thought the Statistics Gods were sleeping and it looks like they are not up yet by the number of times you drew that Experiment One and that Smiter these games. You shouldn't be able to curve that well that many times.
Man from my understanding playing this type of deck you need luck and i flood all the time. Playing multicore gate control type deck is more constistance for me.
Hey Paul! I was your esper opponent in round two. I was really happy with the way that deck came together. 7-1 finish on that one. Agree with your analysis of Mentor, but i do think its way stronger than people give it credit for. Its an engine with all the afterlife creatures and Steward, and pretty much all of my white decks end up wanting one. I will say its a bad "3" drop though, as it gets so much better after opposing removal is cleared as its a bit of a lightning rod. G/W its definitely at its worst.
Big fan and GG!
It's funny, after watching your video yesterday I leaned into the aggro life my draft last night and drafted a deck very similar to this one (but leaning a bit more on auras/pilgrims/rhinos with a Gladecover Scout for the occasional cheese out). Currently 4-1, so your advice from yesterday is working well so far, thanks!
Awesome to hear it's working out!
Finally some love for the Smiter! Nice draft and well played, Paul.
first dude's deck was NASTY
well made and well played
TYT!
Hey thank you for publishing content so regularly, especially over the holiday season! Congrats on a great first year for your channel, I look forward to seeing where 2025 takes you
Omg, laughing my *** off with the ‘your go’ taunt after the Rogue’s passage on the hero 👍😅
lol it was perfect
I love GW! I trophy three times in a row all GW decks. It’s certainly gotta be open, ideally a couple unflinching encourages, a couple charms. I like a slightly more mid version, ideally three rhinos and a couple untap land dudes to get them out on turn three and start the card advantage. I also don’t mind at least one or hexproof folks. 3/3 hex proof life links can stop early aggression on your way to the mid. I’m always afraid of running out of gas so I always try to build some level of card drawing. Audacity is really nice too. Loved your deck fun to watch!
This is more pertinent to yesterday's vid, but I just want to say that I appreciate that you are open to trying decks with lots of contrasting strategies in a given format. Regarding 5c Chromanticore, based on my own drafts and discussions in other limited communities, it seems like Golgari and Gruul as a base can be safer than Simic because you can easily splash the "other side" of Dreadbore. Dreadbore at common is maybe a big reason why Chromanticore seems to excel. Also I think Courier's Briefcase is among the best cards in the entire set when you're in that lane.
Yeah he was ignoring both those cards.
Yeah that makes a ton of sense. UG as a combination just seems extremely weak and even the "gates" deck should probably more likely be a jund base with some splashes.
That one mana green card that you can pump mana into paired with a bunch of audacity’s got me my first trophy in pioneer masters. I think it’s great.
Ive started playing 43+ cards in this format sometimes cause I legit am drawing my whole deck/playing graveyard decks
Fallaji Archaeologist do be like that
i’ve had to do insane plays like Anchor To Aether on my own skaabs to buy an extra turn or two
still not gonna run more than 40 tho
yeah, i do it from time to time in every format. sometimes, decks are just a little too good at drawing cards for a 40 card deck to handle. its rare but it happens.
40:06 Fight with Fire also kills a 5/5 with 3 mana in Red/White
I’m glad u trophy with this archetype. I can’t seem to win w/ GW, but I get regularly beaten by it. I always seem to face Grixis control decks w/ tons of removal and eventually flood. I’m happy to see PIO drafts to help me prepare for the Arena Open. Thanks!
Yeah the flooding is real in w/g and I think i got pretty luciky with this set tbh.
dont sleep on mentor of the meek. It also used to be a rare
i think it's fine but i don't think it's the best in an aggressively slanted selesnya deck. creatures also tend to be bigger in w/g. I think it may be nicer in a grindy w/b midrange deck and possibly a u/w fliers deck.
Starting this format, I had a very good win rate and a couple trophies with GW decks. Seemed always open, I had 5 Selys Charms in one deck. Havent seen it open much lately, but that could just be my drafts.
The moral is when you are Cheon, it behooves you to always force UW Cheons.
I like to predict how many win Paul can get with each new drafted deck in the episode 💪🏽
GW is my best performing archetype. I think Hero of Iroas into bestow Leafcrown is the best thing to do with hero, despite it also obviously being very good in boros
"is everyone supposed to play 46 card decks in this format?" I don't know for sure but I did see a streamer mention that with this patch of bonus cards (tome scour, sphinx's tutelage) they consider playing more cards. Whether that's good idk (it seems bad to me???) but I have been seeing it more and more.
Couldn't help but say armadillo cloak too to unflinching courage too ahah. But it's because of pauper !
That pack 3 was rough. Azorius would've been insane.
still got 7 wins so...who cares?
got my first 7-0 draft the other day, been watching these videos and they help a lot! I still think I keep struggling with forcing a colour, how do you know when to pivot to a new colour? Keep up the great videos
I know this is less useful on Arena, but the thing that taught me the most about this sort of stuff was team drafting. Having someone on your team sitting two seats away in each direction meant you could ask questions about the draft after, etc.
A good tell for a pivot is seeing a valuable non-rare (usually) or two in a color you are not a few to several picks into the draft. That usually indicates the people ahead of you are not drafting that color as the card or cards you are seeing are essential to that deck.
can be really tough to say in general. you just have to know the set your drafting very well. so you can see when a card is late or not. if one card is way better than everything else in the pack, thats a sign. but you kinda need 2 or 3 signs to really know for sure. sometimes you just have to take a good card as speculation, and see if you get passed more good cards of that color.
Every drafter in this pod: I should have been UW!
Paul, you do amazing videos, man i know you do videos explaning how you build a draft deck, but can you do one for the essencials, i'm no doing well on my drafts and i really need some help, thank you very much
I can consider doing something like that if the demand is big enough!
I guess it's GW Cheons now
Your Go.
After I saw last video with the crazy game I thought the Statistics Gods were sleeping and it looks like they are not up yet by the number of times you drew that Experiment One and that Smiter these games. You shouldn't be able to curve that well that many times.
Selesnya is seBESTnya! Everyone is saying it! (Noone is saying it).
Man from my understanding playing this type of deck you need luck and i flood all the time. Playing multicore gate control type deck is more constistance for me.
Definitely a lot more card flow with the gates deck
a lot of the archetypes in this set don't feel viable, it's really skewed
To be fair, some of your losses in the recent past were related to flooding on lands, or having a really bad draw … not so much your in game choices.
yes but I need to keep a level head since it definitely balances out!
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they dont know what to cut so they jsut run it i guess