I made it to an LCI draft! This is a great set to draft a bunch of colors, and it's not because of the land, but because of the most recent trend in new magic sets: a cycle of basic land cyclers.
To be fair, I had forgotten about the five new land cycling dinosaurs. When I noticed them in the packs, I knew I had a chance. Here were my picks:
With these cards, I built the following deck:
Getting the mana was a bit tough because I somehow managed to only draft the white discover lands. I would have really liked to get some in other colors!
In my first round, I was matched up against someone who was playing for the second time. Nevertheless, she had managed to draft a competent Golgari deck. I won the first game. Time got called during the second, but I still won a few turns in. There were dicey moments in both games, so it was quite exciting.
In my second round, I was up against Boros with lots of crafting, including a splash of blue for two Master's Guide Murals. I put up a good fight, but I got out-valued, and lost both games.
There was no third round. The draft had gotten started late and the store needed to close. I was left desiring more, but knowing full-well that I probably won't get another chance for a LCI draft before the format rotates. Such is the holiday season!
I really think that focusing on three things can make LCI WUBRG drafting work:
- Grab the land cyclers.
- Grab other useful low-cost spells.
- Grab the discover lands.
I also really appreciate how basic land cyclers are more common in packs. I hope this trend continues and that future chaos drafts will be full of them.
