Hello guys.

In this article, I will talk about Amonkhet Draft. After a lot of drafts, one archetype particularly caught my attention. It is Blue / Black Cycling. You can draft it as a control or a combo deck. I will try to make a guide of it and answer to questions like:

1.What are the Advantages of the Archetype?

2.What is the difference between the control and combo version?

3.What are the key cards to draft?

Advantages of U/B

It is a model of stability. Having your expensive spells with cycling ability fight really well against variance and mulligan. You can keep opening hand with one land in this archetype. Also, you dig a lot in your deck. This means you can search for the key cards and rares.

It does a lot of card advantage. Cycling is not a card advantage ability in general. In Amonkhet, a lot of blue and black cards are doing 2 for 1 and you are rarely out of card.

It has a strong end game. You will play a lot of expensive spell and you have to think the mana curve differently. Your early game is about cycling expensive spell to be able to have a decent mid game and then, spam 5 or 6 mana cost creatures every turn.

Differences between Combo and control

The combo is mainly because of 《Faith of the Devoted》. It is an uncommon, but there is not a lot of decks who can play it. If people wants this card to be strong they need a lot of cycling. So, you should jump on it when you see it and try to get 2 or 3. 《Drake Haven》 is also strong, but it is a rare and it is good already after the first cycling. It will be much harder to get it.

The control deck is winning with cycling creatures. The most important is 《Horror of the Broken Lands》. He can be cycling and get benefices of cycling when he is in play.A lot of card are similar between combo UB and control UB. You can draft UB and if you don’t get 《Faith of the Devoted》 just play the control deck.

Key cards in U/B

First the deck need a lot of cycling cards.

How many?

Around 14 cycling cards for combo. Yes, you need a lot because the goal is to cycle to find 《Faith of the Devoted》 as fast as possible and then chain cycling with it into play. 8 creatures with cycling for control and 2 《Wander in Death》.

Cycling/discard cards

1.Cycling for 1 mana

One mana cycling is much better for the combo version because you will pay additional mana you’re your 《Faith of the Devoted》, 《Ruthless Sniper》 or 《Drake Haven》.

2.Cycling for 2 mana

3.Other Cycling or Discard

Cycling benefits

We talk a lot about 《Faith of the Devoted》 but there are other cards who can get bonus with cycling.

Value

Rare

Here is the best card you can open or have for UB. The archetype doesn’t need it but it will be much more powerful with these cards.

Other

Here are the other cards you have access in UB. You will interact with your opponent with these cards. These cards are mainly your IN and Out after sideboard depend of the match up.

Against low mana curve decks

Against midrange and big body deck

I hope this article helped you and you will try Blue Black in Amonkhet Draft.

And here is random match movies.

Thank you for reading.

Jeremy Dezani