Drafting Dominaria with Pros #4

Jeremy Dezani

Today, we will draft with the new set: Dominaria!

I simulate the 8 first pick of a draft and asked to 4 Hareruya Pros Players what they would pick.

Here are the 4 gentlemen who accepted to participate in this experience:

You can see their profiles, more in details, here: Hareruya Pros

It will be interesting to see if they will do the same choices or not.

PICK 1

Zahid, Djinn of the LampGaea's BlessingLingering PhantomNature's SpiralAcademy Drake Keldon OverseerMammoth SpiderSerra DiscipleSkirk ProspectorSoul Salvage Baloth GorgerBlink of an EyeChargeExcavation ElephantPlains

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp

A strong number of blue cards are here but we simply pick the strongest card which is《Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp》. I bet no one hates a 4 mana《Mahamoti Djinn》!

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp

Even the 《Mahamoti Djinn》 mode is good and getting this early means you can make sure to get some artifacts to cast it for 4 where it becomes backbreaking.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp

It’s simply the best card in the pack. We also want to play blue.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp

Easy 1p1p, blue is super deep and Zahid is one of the best cards in the set. Downside is that we are passing other 2 very good blue cards.

Player’s choice:

Zahid, Djinn of the LampZahid, Djinn of the LampZahid, Djinn of the LampZahid, Djinn of the Lamp

PICK 2

mtgIn Bolas's ClutchesLingering PhantomWhisper, Blood LiturgistAcademy Drake Arcane FlightCorrosive OozeFeral AbominationGhitu ChroniclerJousting Lance Seismic ShiftSergeant-at-ArmsSkirk ProspectorWindgrace AcolyteForest

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
In Bolas's Clutches

A card great and strong as《Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp》. There are no other cards that we should consider, so we have no complaints to pick this great card on our 2nd pick!

Marc Tobiash

Pick
In Bolas's Clutches

On color with the first pick, and by far the strongest card in the pack, one of the best uncommons in the set.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
In Bolas's Clutches

It is as strong as a rare. The same color as the first pick and the strongest card makes us pick this with no doubt.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
In Bolas's Clutches

Man, why this didn’t happen to me at the Pro Tour? If you already are in blue I think this is the best card you can pick.

Player’s choice:

In Bolas's ClutchesIn Bolas's ClutchesIn Bolas's ClutchesIn Bolas's Clutches

PICK 3

mtgChampion of the FlameSanctum SpiritmtgArbor Armament Aven SentryBloodstone GoblinBloodtallow CandleFungal InfectionKrosan Druid Tragic PoetUnwindVicious OfferingVoltaic ServantSwamp

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Vicious Offering

Here is also a pick we do not have to think hard so《Vicious Offering》 is our pick. We have 《Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp》so if《Bloodtallow Candle》 comes around, things will be great.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Vicious Offering

There are no blue cards worth taking and a strong cheap removal spell is the best option for a second color card.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Vicious Offering

This is also the strongest card. Our first pick and second pick are both 6 drops which are heavy to play (one of them can be played as a 4 drop) we are happy to pick this.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Vicious Offering

Now we get back to normal. I think offering is the best card in the pack and I see no point of taking a mediocre artifact to boost Zaid this early. 《Aven Sentry》 is my other consideration, since I prefere UW over UB. But offering is just a better card.

Player’s choice:

Vicious OfferingVicious OfferingVicious OfferingVicious Offering

PICK 4

mtgSanctum SpiritThe Flame of KeldmtgGrow from the Ashes OptPrimordial WurmPowerstone ShardRadiating LightningRampaging Cyclops Soul SalvageSyncopateVicious OfferingmtgIsland

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Vicious Offering

Here is another efficient removal. Looks like black is open, but on the other hand, blue does not have a good flow coming through which I am a little concerned. For our future plan, taking a decent number of black cards and then deciding our 2nd color will be ideal.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Vicious Offering

Concerning the relevant cards, it’s the same pack as the one before.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Vicious Offering

Same reason as the 3rd pick and also a second black card which is strong. At this point, we have 2 bombs and 2 removal which is a good start for a blue-black control shell. Another good thing is that not a lot of contestants would choose this deck type so we are 80% on the plan to pick cards for a blue-black control build.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Vicious Offering

I really like 《Syncopate》 but I rather take the best card again. I’m not a big an of the offering outside Saprolings decks, but it’s always fine.

Player’s choice:

Vicious OfferingVicious OfferingVicious OfferingVicious Offering

PICK 5

mtgCurator's WardDiligent ExcavatormtgAven Sentry Vodalian ArcanistCaligo Skin-WitchCall the CavalryFervent StrikeGhitu Lavarunner Llanowar ScoutSergeant-at-ArmsmtgmtgForest

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Caligo Skin-Witch

Lots of efficient cards in colors we are not in, but《Caligo Skin-Witch》 isn’t a bad card and to send a signal we are in black, we pick this.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Caligo Skin-Witch

Good early defensive creature or late game card advantage card. Exactly what we are looking for.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Caligo Skin-Witch

The ONLY choice. Till this 5th pick, I think most of the pros will pick the same. Having these kinds of picks at the Pro Tour level drafts would make things easier and a lot more winnable.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Caligo Skin-Witch

I really like this 1/3 kicker to either play it early if you are defensless or get a good value in the late game.

Player’s choice:

Caligo Skin-WitchCaligo Skin-WitchCaligo Skin-WitchCaligo Skin-Witch

PICK 6

mtgMemorial to UnityNature's SpiralmtgBloodstone Goblin Cabal PaladinFiery InterventionFrenzied RageGrow from the AshesMammoth Spider Serra DisciplemtgmtgmtgMountain

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Fiery Intervention

I feel now that picking blue is a critical option to take. We also do not have black cards here so we are picking a not so bad removal《Fiery Intervention》. We are able to proceed with the black and red build, we want to build this as a midrange-control kind of deck.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Fiery Intervention

No real cards in the colors we have. It’s between this and 《Grow from the Ashes》, if blue dries up further having good removal in multiple colors gives us options.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Fiery Intervention

We can splash this in our blue-black or the option to shift to black-red is fine so we pick this. Looking at green in the past few packs, I have no interest in green so we will pass any green card so it will become a signal that green is open.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Fiery Intervention

Bad news, no UB cards. So we just take the best card. I don’t like 《Grow from the Ashes》 that much.

Player’s choice:

Fiery InterventionFiery InterventionFiery InterventionFiery Intervention

PICK 7

mtgGarna, the BloodflamemtgmtgArtificer's Assistant Gift of GrowthInvoke the DivineKeldon RaiderShort SwordStronghold Confessor Voltaic ServantmtgmtgmtgForest

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Garna, the Bloodflame

When I was thinking black might be also a bad option to proceed, this black red card comes through. I don’t want to give up the black red build and also to not let other players start to play the black and red, rather than picking 《Keldon Raider》, we pick this.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Garna, the Bloodflame

Still no blue cards, might be we go into Black/Red going forward and this is a strong card.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Garna, the Bloodflame

For a possibility to shift to black-red and also, to be able to splash red for our small chance to play blue-black, we pick this. Picking this card at this point is something I am very happy, and it seems that 2 players picking before me at the table is not on black-red.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Keldon Raider

We are going to play the 2 blue cards almost no matter what, so I wouldn’t take Garna. The artifacts for Zahid are good but I rather stablish my colours first. I like taking the Keldon, the last 2 picks tell us that red is really open. And we might end in UW rather than UB. Actually I prefer UR better than UB even if I don’t have much wizards Synergy.

Player’s choice:

Garna, the BloodflameGarna, the BloodflameGarna, the BloodflameKeldon Raider

PICK 8

mtgUrgoros, the Empty OnemtgmtgAesthir Glider Artificer's AssistantCabal EvangelPierce the SkyRadiating LightningSeismic Shift mtgmtgmtgmtgSwamp

Kenji Tsumura

Pick
Urgoros, the Empty One

Having this in our 8th pick seems that we are able to play black. Our 2nd color is to be determined in the future picks, but since we have picked《In Bolas's Clutches》, we haven’t seen many blue cards so at this point we are going for the black and red build.

Marc Tobiash

Pick
Urgoros, the Empty One

Decent finisher if a bit expensive.

Tomoharu Saito

Pick
Urgoros, the Empty One

A finisher in the color we are on. Either on blue-black or black-red, we have in mind a control build in these color so it’s great. At this point, we assume our possibility to build blue-black is 70%, black-red 30%. Looking at our position, black-red seems to have a better possibility, though our first and second pick were powerful blue cards, and at the end, if 2 color aren’t enough to build our deck, we have an option to splash red for the 2 cards.

Sebastian Pozzo

Pick
Urgoros, the Empty One

Well forget the last thing I said, We are playing UB for sure. So far we have 3 good top ends in form of the 3 legendary permanents we took, 2 medium removals and the flexibility of 《Caligo Skin-Witch》.

Player’s choice:

Urgoros, the Empty OneUrgoros, the Empty OneUrgoros, the Empty OneUrgoros, the Empty One

The 8 Picks Together

Kenji Tsumura

Zahid, Djinn of the LampIn Bolas's ClutchesVicious OfferingVicious Offering Caligo Skin-WitchFiery InterventionGarna, the BloodflameUrgoros, the Empty One

Marc Tobiash

Zahid, Djinn of the LampIn Bolas's ClutchesVicious OfferingVicious Offering Caligo Skin-WitchFiery InterventionGarna, the BloodflameUrgoros, the Empty One

Tomoharu Saito

Zahid, Djinn of the LampIn Bolas's ClutchesVicious OfferingVicious Offering Caligo Skin-WitchFiery InterventionGarna, the BloodflameUrgoros, the Empty One

Sebastian Pozzo

Zahid, Djinn of the LampIn Bolas's ClutchesVicious OfferingVicious Offering Caligo Skin-WitchFiery InterventionKeldon RaiderUrgoros, the Empty One

Conclusion

For pros this draft was very easy. Here, they all took the same cards but 1 pick (pick 7). It is interesting to see different advices, but we laso learn when different pro draft the same way.

Thank you for reading,

Jeremy Dezani

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