For first team rochester draft of day, 2017 (featuring David Rood, Elijah Pollock and Guillaume Daoust in the A, B, C seats respectively) squared off against Bergerons (with Ken Ho, Brian Kibler and Ben Rubin) in a battle to stay in contention for the top four. Brian offered to arm wrestle Elijah for choice of who starts the draft, but Mr. Pollock declined and instead opted to roll a die. His team won the roll, and the draft began with Elijah himself opening the first pack. Both teams followed the standard draft rules of this format: The black deck goes in the "A" seat since Torment feeds that seat the most, and the white deck goes in the "C" seat since Judgment does the same.
Here are some of the assorted highlights of the draft:
In the third pack, the Bergerons opened a second Wild Mongrel, but opted to give it to Ben Rubin instead of Brian Kibler. Afterwards they said that they had hoped to draft a Red/White deck in the seat where Ben sat, but the red cards just weren't coming and there was a glut of good green cards throughout the draft.
In pack four, Ken Ho insisted on taking Pardic Firecat and Halberdier on the wheel, although his teammates wanted him to take a Last Rites instead. Although the Last Rites wasn't played, they were obviously concerned with the power of this discard spell (playing both with and against it) compared to the easily killed 3/1 first striker.
2017 's red/black deck seemed to be in trouble right up until the end of the draft, with Ken's deck easily outmatching David's. Fortunately for the 2017's, David was gifted with the absolutely huge Treacherous Vampire and Masked Gorgon in the last three packs, giving him a total of three huge creatures (including a Carrion Wurm from Torment).
While we're talking multiples, Ben Rubin ended up with three Shieldmage Advocates, while Ken had a grand total of twenty-eight mana worth of Ember Shots he could cast in his match. When asked 'how many Ember Shots are too many?', his team replied that three would be pushing it, and four out of the question. Two was the number, and that was that. "It functions a lot like Morbid Hunger. It's one more mana but it draws you a card and can be used as an instant to stop tricks. I've splashed for three before in my draft decks", said Brian Kibler.
The Picks
(1A=Ken Ho. 1B=Brian Kibler. 1C=Ben Rubin. 2A=David Rood. 2B=Elijah Pollock. 2C=Guillaume Daoust.)
Pack One
2B-Nantuko Disciple
2C-Firebolt
1A-Fledgling Imp
1B-Cephalid Scout
1C-Predict
2A-Refresh
2A-Seafloor Debris
1C-Cease-Fire
1B-Deep Reconnaissance
1A-Careful Study
2C-Recoup
2B-Touch of Invisibility
2B-Cephalid Shrine
2C-Ray of Distortion
1A-Pardic Swordsmith
Pack Two
2C-Cephalid Looter
1A-Morbid Hunger
1B-Wild Mongrel
1C-Sylvan Might
2A-Barbarian Lunatic
2B-Muscle Burst
2B-Thought Eater
2A-Bloodcurdler
1C-Careful Study
1B-Escape Artist
1A-Anarchist
2C-Phantom Whelp
2C-Seafloor Debris
1A-Earth Rift
1B-Cephalid Coliseum
Pack Three
1A-Dusk Imp
1B-Aven Windreader
1C-Wild Mongrel
2A-Anarchist
2B-Dreamwinder
2C-Hallowed Healer
2C-Gallantry
2B-Moment's Peace
2A-Bog Wreckage
1C-Howling Gale
1B-Thought Nibbler
1A-Pilgrim of Virtue
1A-Ancestral Tribute
1B-Life Burst
1C-Phantatog
Pack Four
1B-Werebear
1C-Aven Flock
2A-Ghastly Demise
2B-Syncopate
2C-Kirtar's Desire
1A-Pardic Firecat
1A-Halberdier
2C-Skycloud Egg
2B-Last Rites
2A-Minotaur Explorer
1C-Pilgrim of Virtue
1B-Simplify
1B-Buried Alive
1C-Filthy Cur
2A-Extract
Pack Five
1C-Dreamwinder
2A-Patriarch's Desire
2B-Cartographer
2C-Peek
1A-Thermal Blast
1B-Words of Wisdom
1B-Timberland Ruins
1A-Face of Fear
2C-Cognivore
2B-Earth Rift
2A-Cabal Pit
1C-Coffin Purge
1C-Buried Alive
2A-Tireless Tribe
2B-Touch of Invisibility
Pack Six
2A-Morbid Hunger
2B-Concentrate
2C-Shelter
1A-Barbarian Lunatic
1B-Muscle Burst
1C-Skycloud Egg
1C-Seafloor Debris
1B-Careful Study
1A-Crypt Creeper
2C-Divine Sacrament
2B-Thought Nibbler
2A-Mad Dog
2A-Dwarven Grunt
2B-Steam Vines
2C-Life Burst
Pack Seven
2A-Carrion Wurm
1C-Basking Rootwalla
1B-Centaur Chieftain
1A-Cabal Torturer
2C-Reborn Hero
2B-Deep Analysis
2B-Mesmeric Fiend
2C-Floating Shield
1A-Pitchstone Wall
1B-Sonic Seizure
1C-Longhorn Firebeast
2A-Rancid Earth
2A-Pay No Heed
1C-Carrion Rats
1B-Cephalid Snitch
Pack Eight
1C-Basking Rootwalla
1B-Deep Analysis
1A-Violent Eruption
2C-Compulsion
2B-Ghostly Wings
2A-Mesmeric Fiend
2A-Cabal Torturer
2B-Circular Logic
2C-Crackling Club
1A-Petravark
1B-Cephalid Aristocrat
1C-Floating Shield
1C-Dawn of the Dead
1B-Invigorating Falls
1A-Psychotic Haze
Pack Nine
1B-Nantuko Cultivator
1A-Fiery Temper
2C-Hydromorph Gull
2B-Skywing Aven
2A-Soul Scourge
1C-Ghostly Wings
1C-Hypochondria
2A-Gloomdrifter
2B-Petravark
2C-Shade's Form
1A-Psychotic Haze
1B-Far Wanderings
1B-Mystic Familiar
1A-Carrion Rats
1C-Invigorating Falls
Pack Ten
1A-Chainer's Edict
2C-Mystic Familiar
2B-Skywing Aven
2A-Fiery Temper
1C-Cephalid Aristocrat
1B-Soul Scourge
1B-Petravark
1C-Far Wanderings
2A-Gravegouger
2B-Balthor the Stout
2C-Cleansing Meditation
1A-Psychotic Haze
1A-Equal Treatment
2C-Restless Dreams
2B-Invigorating Falls
Pack Eleven
2C-Militant Monk
2B-Hydromorph Guardian
2A-Pardic Collaborator
1C-Balthor the Stout
1B-Slithery Stalker
1A-Crippling Fatigue
1A-Unhinge
1B-Liquify
1C-Sickening Dreams
2A-Sonic Seizure
2B-Krosan Restorer
2C-Cephalid Snitch
2C-Putrid Imp
2B-Centaur Veteran
2A-Kamahl's Sledge
Pack Twelve
2B-Grotesque Hybrid
2A-Fiery Temper
1C-Hypochondria
1B-Hydromorph Guardian
1A-Cabal Torturer
2C-Sickening Dreams
2C-Spirit Flare
1A-Petravark
1B-Alter Reality
1C-Far Wanderings
2A-Gravegouger
2B-Cephalid Aristocrat
2B-Purify
2A-Psychotic Haze
1C-Restless Dreams
Pack Thirteen
2B-Giant Warthog
2C-Shieldmage Advocate
1A-Ember Shot
1B-Sudden Strength
1C-Battlewise Aven
2A-Exoskeletal Armor
2A-Aven Fogbringer
1C-Aven Warcraft
1B-Grip of Amnesia
1A-Spellgorger Barbarian
2C-Lead Astray
2B-Wormfang Newt
2B-Mortality Shift
2C-Rats' Feast
1A-Planar Chaos
Pack Fourteen
2C-Aven Fogbringer
1A-Dwarven Driller
1B-Mental Note
1C-Phantom Nomad
2A-Barbarian Bully
2B-Toxic Stench
2B-Krosan Verge
2A-Treacherous Werewolf
1C-Ray of Revelation
1B-Border Patrol
1A-Earsplitting Rats
2C-Funeral Pyre
2C-Quiet Speculation
1A-Mortality Shift
1B-Krosan Wayfarer
Pack Fifteen
1A-Guided Strike
1B-Wormfang Drake
1C-Anurid Brushhopper
2A-Treacherous Werewolf
2B-Brawn
2C-Phantom Nomad
2C-Envelop
2B-Nullmage Advocate
2A-Firecat Blitz
1C-Centaur Rootcaster
1B-Web of Inertia
1A-Book Burning
1A-Liberated Dwarf
1B-Defy Gravity
1C-Wormfang Newt
Pack Sixteen
1B-Phantom Centaur
1C-Shieldmage Advocate
2A-Treacherous Vampire
2B-Nantuko Tracer
2C-Mirror Wall
1A-Ember Shot
1A-Grip of Amnesia
2C-Flash of Insight
2B-Hapless Researcher
2A-Breaking Point
1C-Swirling Sandstorm
1B-Venemous Vines
1B-Cabal Trainee
1C-Rats' Feast
2A-Flaring Pain
Pack Seventeen
1C-Shieldmage Advocate
2A-Masked Gorgon
2B-Phantom Tiger
2C-Wormfang Turtle
1A-Ember Shot
1B-Nantuko Tracer
1B-Spurnmage Advocate
1A-Guided Strike
2C-Hapless Researcher
2B-Grip of Amnesia
2A-Goretusk Firebeast
1C-Infectious Rage
1C-Centaur Rootcaster
2A-Flaring Pain
2B-Folk Medicine
Pack Eighteen
2A-Sudden Strength
2B-Giant Warthog
2C-Unquestioned Authority
1A-Ember Shot
1B-Aven Fogbringer
1C-Shieldmage Advocate
1C-Battlewise Aven
1B-Wormfang Turtle
1A-Grip of Amnesia
2C-Lead Astray
2B-Wormfang Newt
2A-Infectious Rage
2A-Spellgorger Barbarian
2B-Death Wish
2C-Rats' Feast