Invasion Draft: Blue Uncommons

Gary Wise
Death By Dragon

While in Dallas, during sealed deck construction, I sat nearby as Dave Williams set about building his deck. Dave, who's recently seen his star rise to point that he'll be playing in his first Masters in Chicago, cracked open his product only to find himself face to face with Rith, the Awakener, the RGW Dragon.

Pouncing upon the obvious, Dave set about using his allotted time to build a WGR deck based around the Dragon as a finisher, going as beatdown as possible. He had available to him the option of splashing black for Tsabo Tavoc and another decent card, but in the end, Dave opted for the version that would most easily find his required mana and get his cards into play as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for Dave, he later came to the realization that he'd made a mistake. No, he didn't err by leaving the black splash out of his deck. His mistake was made the moment he opened his packs: he played the Dragon. Now, you're probably thinking to yourself that the Dragons are 6/6 flying bombs and therefore must make the grade.

The simple truth here is that power cards like the Dragons can blind the owner, filling them with a false belief that those cards must be played. After deck building, Dave talked to a number of players who pointed out how strong his deck would have been if he'd built it as a RBU deck, an option he hadn't even weighed due to the blinding effect the Dragon had.

That Dave made a mistake is obvious, but this scenario brings up a good point about Invasion: You have to be careful when looking at power cards. Yes, cards like Ghitu Fire, Spinal Embrace and Rout should always merit a certain amount of consideration when found in a booster pack, but one should seriously consider the ramifications of splashing a third color, and the validity of that color as one's third. While that one power card is capable of single-handedly winning a duel, it can also screw up mana options to the point where it's more a detriment then a help. You don't splash Fact or Fiction in your Sligh deck, even if it is the best card in the format.

The lesson to be learned here is "keep your options open." When you draft that Dragon first overall, do so with the understanding that, while it would be nice to be able to use it, it isn't worth drafting a bad deck around. If you do, sure, the dragon might win you a game or two, but the simple fact is that you likely aren't going to go 3-0, and that should always be the objective.

Going 3-0 depends on your common base - but it also requires a solid set of uncommons. No color has uncommons like blue, with a couple of the most powerful in Invasion.
Blue Uncommons

Disrupt
While not a great main deck card, there will be times that you'll want to board in Disrupt. While this will not often be the case in Booster Draft, Rochester Draft allows you the opportunity to see who drafts what, meaning that you'll know who has multiple Harrows/Plague Spores in their deck. A lot of the time, a player will cast Ghitu Fire or Spinal Embrace as soon as they can, so a card like this one is an option against those otherwise explosive rares. A 9th-11th pick.

Essence Leak
UB. I constantly see this card go 13th-14th, which I find surprising because it really is a very strong sideboard card against large red or green creatures. An opponent might be able to hold on to the targeted creature for a turn or two in the early/mid game, but realistically, this card will kill a large creature for one mana. Works especially well in UB, where you can bounce other creatures that can't be re-cast as long as the leak is maintained. An 8th - 10th pick.

Fact or Fiction
This card is just great. Everyone knows that. What makes it great is the way it breaks a game open. You've traded card for card, you're both reduced to playing off the top of your deck and then suddenly...WHAM...Game over. Thanks for playing. A 1st-2nd pick.

Manipulate Fate
Well, if you're playing this card, you aren't drafting too well, because it requires the play of four bad cards to be truly useful (the three it removes plus the Fate itself). You don't want to go there. A 13th - 15th pick.

Metathran Transport
Flying is good, this we know. The Transport was likely reprinted in this set because of its ability to make target creature blue, which goes with the set's themes, but unlike the rest of the set, the Transport is relatively difficult to cast for its power level, with the double blue in its casting cost leaving the player frustrated, sometimes. Nonetheless, if you're two colors, the Transport is a playable card that can stabilize early and evade late. A 6th-9th pick.

Rainbow Crow
A very solid card. While the Crow's ability protects it from cards like Agonizing Demise, what makes it really interesting is how it interacts with cards like the Djinns, Barrin's Unmaking and Tsabo's Assassin. The Crow can help you determine which is the highest populated color in play, and this will enable the use of those cards that rely on such things. This makes it a little bit better then Phyrexian Slayer. A 2nd - 4th pick.

Sky Weaver
I originally though this card was subtly incredible, but I'd calmed down on it a bit. The simple fact is that regardless of which color (Black or White) you're playing it with, a lot of your creatures have flying anyways. That said, the Weaver is one of those precious cards that fill your two-slot with two power and a solid ability, so it should be worth the pick. A 5th - 7th pick.

Sway of Illusion
A very interesting card, like the Crow, if nothing else, it allows you to optimize those cards that require their targets to be of the most represented color in play. A way to get around protection creatures and Dark Banishing-style effects, the Sway is a versatile card that will usually find itself a purpose before the end of the game, and that can be cycled if it doesn't. A 7th - 9th pick

Tolarian Emissary
So, if you want to destroy an enchantment, you have two options: pay 5 and get a 1/2 flyer, or pay six and draw two cards. Throw in the fact that Dismantling Blow can destroy artifacts at instant speed and you have a card that only gets sideboarded in against a deck with four or more enchantments you need to destroy. Don't play it unless you didn't get the Blow. A 9th-11th pick.

Vodalian Hypnotist
UB. I'm not certain where I rate this card right now. On the one hand, it serves as a Disrupting Scepter in a format where everyone and their sister has a number of 6 cc cards, but on the other hand it slows your development to activate it every turn. My limited (no pun intended) experience with the card suggests its good enough for the main deck. A 6th - 8th pick?

Wash Out
A very solid card, I've seen people take it over Faerie Squadron and I think that's a little ludicrous. Wash Out can be a race winner, but at the same time, it can be an overcosted, no card advantage, sorcery speed Boomerang. Pick it high, but not too high. A 3rd-5th pick.

Zanam Djinn
Those players who feel the creatures in UB are too weak have never drafted this fatty. If there were a card that read 5U: 3/4 Flying, I'd draft it and draft it high, but the +2/+2 aspect is just a huge bonus. Take out their tappers and this thing is unstoppable. A 1st pick.