Team Draft 3: USA vs. Japan

After a disappointing draw in the first round today the American team rebounded with a victory against Brazil. If they won this round and Finland won as well they would clinch both berths in Sunday's finals.

The Japanese team was close behind them but they needed to win their next two rounds to do so. France was in the same boat paired off against Finland. If the US and Finland won this round next round would be irrelevant for the purpose of the cut to Sunday. All that would be left to play for was pride.

If France or Japan could win this round they would create all sorts of interesting possibilities including the possibility of another playoff like last year's.

"My opponent has Siege-Gang Commander, Ravenous Balothand Kamahl... And he's still not winning," laughed Walls after the draft. His teammates were dubious but they were similarly excited about their own match-ups.

Justin Gary proudly displayed an Alpha Status, "This card is going to be retarded—and we took all the Vigilantes away from him." High fives all the way around. Justin would have had absurd green if Osamu hadn't (in)audibled into it after opening the Kamahl and Baloth in successive packs. "It was a horrid seat to go green in but he kept opening rares."

Joshua Wagener piped in, telling them Gabe had more to worry about than the rares, "He has two of the 4/1 provokes and the Krosan Warchief with Baloth. Its not good."

Justin was not worried because he believed the match-ups on either side of Walls were ridiculous, "Green on green battles tend to be about evasion. I have a lot and he has none."

Gabe was still shaking his head about the way his team was out-opened, "It figures the Japanese players would get Siege-Gang! It was such a high-powered draft. I have the worst deck at the table and it is insane."

Justin had played four colors in the previous two rounds and had not dropped a match yet. He managed to keep this deck to three colors. Actually he had to go up to three colors to maximize his two Crawlers. He played the Valesk as an off color morph and then decided to add the Carbonize and some other red.

Justin Gary, A Seat

Team USA

Main Deck

40 cards

9 Forest
6 Island
3 Mountain

18 lands

1 Ascending Aven
1 Barkhide Mauler
2 Canopy Crawler
1 Crested Craghorn
1 Elvish Aberration
1 Elvish Soultiller
1 Fierce Empath
2 Mistform Seaswift
1 Mistform Warchief
1 Shoreline Ranger
1 Skittish Valesk
1 Snarling Undorak
2 Stonewood Invoker
1 Treespring Lorian

17 creatures

1 Accelerated Mutation
1 Alpha Status
1 Carbonize
1 Choking Tethers
1 Vitality Charm

5 other spells

Joshua Wagener, B Seat

Team USA

Main Deck

41 cards

1 Forgotten Cave
6 Mountain
11 Swamp

18 lands

1 Aphetto Exterminator
1 Boneknitter
1 Corpse Harvester
1 Crested Craghorn
1 Flamewave Invoker
1 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Goblin Goon
1 Goblin Sledder
1 Goblin Turncoat
1 Screeching Buzzard
1 Shepard of Rot
1 Skinthinner
1 Skirk Commando
1 Skirk Marauder
1 Thrashing Mudspawn
2 Undead Warchief
2 Vengeful Dead

19 creatures

1 Lingering Death
1 Reaping the Graves
1 Solar Blast
1 Swat

4 other spells

Gabe Walls, C Seat

Team USA

Main Deck

40 cards

8 Island
10 Plains

18 lands

2 Aven Farseer
1 Aven Fateshaper
1 Catapult Squad
1 Coast Watcher
1 Daru Sanctifier
1 Daru Stinger
1 Deftblade Elite
1 Dive Bomber
1 Echo Tracer
1 Ironfist Crusher
1 Mistform Dreamer
1 Noble Templar
1 Shoreline Ranger
1 Stoic Champion
1 Wingbeat Warrior

16 creatures

1 Akroma's Blessing
1 Astral Steel
1 Dragon Scales
1 Essence Fracture
1 Renewed Faith
1 Temporal Fissure

6 other spells

Hisaya Tanaka, A Seat

Team Japan

Main Deck

40 cards

9 Forest
9 Swamp

18 lands

2 Barkhide Mauler
1 Broodhatch Nantuko
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Elvish Warrior
1 Embalmed Brawler
1 Goblin Turncoat
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Hundroog
1 Infernal Caretaker
2 Skinthinner
1 Sootfeather Flock
2 Stonewood Invoker
1 Symbiotic Elf
1 Wirewood Herald
1 Zombie Cutthroat

18 creatures

1 Accelerated Mutation
1 Aphetto Dredging
1 Lingering Death
1 Primitive Etchings

4 other spells