Outlaws of Thunder Junction 2 (WUBRG Drafting)

My Friendly Local Game Store, Intergalactic Plastic, ran an Outlaws of Thunder Junction draft last night.  There is a big convention going on nearby this weekend, but we still managed to get six total people.  I don't have much experience with this format, but I knew that the multi-colored deserts would do me well.  I got real lucky and opened some bombs.

Here's what I drafted:

That's a pretty good way to open a third pack.

I didn't get any Spinewoods Armadillos, but my pool had five big green beatsticks nonetheless: three Cactarantulas, a Colossal Rattlewurm, and a superhero Vaultborn Tyrant.  I hoped to get more lands, but the five fixers I got were good enough.  The pain-deserts commit crimes, so I included the Nimble Brigands to get their Ophidian on.  Here was my deck:

I thought I would run into color fixing problems, but it wasn't really an issue.

 

One interesting thing that happened throughout the games is that instead of opening with a desert from my hand, I would often save it until after a Nimble Brigand came down so I could get a free swing in.  

In my first round I was paired up against an opponent playing synergistic Jund who often beats me at these.  Unfortunately they had to mulligan twice in game one.  I started the game with the Nimble Brigand on turn three, which got hit with Terminal Agony.  Thankfully I had a second one the next turn.  They played a Cactusfolk Sureshot on their turn.  That should have been more scary, but I played a Cactarantula right after and used a Decisive Denial to eat the Cactusfolk.  My opponent used Back for More to kill the damaged Cactarantula, but on the target I drew into another one which I used to win.

My opponent had to mull again in game two (only once).  This time my Hardbristle Bandit showed off its prowess.  Playing a desert meant I still got another tap for mana.  On turn three I played a Nimble Brigand again.  On turn four, I Buried their Rictus Robber in the Garden.  That was a crime, so I had enough mana to also cast Vadmir.  I kept up the pressure on turn five and played Kraum with a Trash the Town on Vadmir to refill my hand with three fresh cards.  The Vaultborn Tyrant came out next turn, followed by Map the Frontier and a Cactarantula.  My opponent scooped with me at 27 life.  1-0.

In the second round I was up against someone I'd never played before, who was running a fast Gruul deck.  They opened game one with a Reckless Lackey followed by a Deadeye Duelist.  I played a turn three Nimble Brigand which wound up getting in many times.  My opponent got stuck on four land, however, and my turn seven Cactarantula was enough to win.  

In game two, I had to mulligan to four.  I was able to claw back into the game with the help of the surveil off of a second-turn Arid Archway.  My opponent played a Discerning Peddler and put Demonic Ruckus on it on turn three.  That wound up hitting me for 19 damage over the course of the game.  I only stayed alive with the help of Rooftop Assassin.  I did manage to get some blockers, but I just didn't often have two at the same time.  Thanks to the Assassin I was able to stay alive and slowly win.  2-0.

In round three I faced off against another player I meet at the table a lot, this time piloting an Azorius lockdown deck.  In the first game I had to mulligan twice, but got right back into the game with a turn two Hardbristle Bandit, turn three Rooftop Assassin, and turn four Trash the Town to draw two and gain four life in the air.  Unfortunately, my opponent bounced it.  Their Daring Thunder Thief and Stagecoach Security were too big for me to handle and I lost.

In the second game, I got the Hardbristle Bandit on turn two again.  This powered out a Map the Frontier on turn three, which got me a desert, which let me attack with the Bandit.  That backfired, though, because it got hit with Steer Clear.  I got out a Rooftop Assassin, then the big beaters started to drop... and immediately get imprisoned.  

Prison effects were the name of this game.

I was winning the game with two Rooftop Assassins swinging in for more than I was losing each turn, but then they played a Shepherd of the Clouds.  Suddenly they had a big board.  My 20-to-4 lead dwindled quickly after some big combats.  I managed to bury the Shepherd in the garden, but they had enough big things to attack with that I was in trouble.  I had many chances to put it away, including when I was winning 11-1, but I just couldn't put it away.  2-1.  I felt like I was close in both of those games.  (Perhaps I should have buried the prison holding my Tyrant in the garden that second game instead of the Shepherd.  I don't know!)

This was a great showing for my deck.  I think heavy-green is the way to go for WUBRG in this set, and the Nimble Brigands are really good.  And, of course, get those deserts.  

Happy Magicking!