Invasion Draft: Red Uncommons Gary Wise Revisiting the Rule Randy Buehler works for R & D. It is his job to create cards, test cards and develop cards. I am a professional Magic player and strategy writer. It is my job to master formats as they arrive to the best of my ability. In his article, The Unwise Rule, Randy makes a number of broad, sweeping statements about drafting with Invasion that question those things I have tried to teach within the context of this series. Were I the reader, I wouldn't be so quick to listen. I think it's important to read these articles with the understanding that they are designed only as a guide. As Mike Turian's excellent article on www.mindripper.com explains, reading an article on draft will not make one a draft expert, only furnish one with a framework from which to build a base of knowledge. These articles are designed as a starting point from which one might build their Invasion draft experience. Randy argues that the rule is there is no rule, but if he'd bothered to read these articles, he might have come to the understanding that The Rule is not 'draft blue,' but a guideline from which each player might start their draft, with a definite plan of action giving one's draft focus. That my personal version of the rule is to draft UB (Zvi's, as an example of the Rule applying itself individually, is UW, which, as I've explained, is completely different then UB, while players like Chris Benafel go into a draft expecting to draft GW) is only discussed here as a model, not to build your own strategy around so much as to show how such a strategy might be built. To go into a draft with no plan of action is to ensure the wasting of picks. The best draft decks are those that utilize all 45 picks to their fullest advantage. If one goes into a draft without their own Rule guiding their selections, there is no way each pick will be fully utilized when looking back at one's draft. Know the deck you're drafting before you draft it. That is what the Rule preaches. Obviously, the Rule, like any other, is made to be broken. When I open a Ghitu Fire or Rout, I choose them and play them. As much as I like drafting UB, if I see a particular color combination being neglected by the table, I will move into that combo if the option presents itself. If drafting were as easy as 'draft the undrafted color,' we'd all be professionals, and I wouldn't write these articles. I can only hope that you'll keep reading with the understanding that it is my job, and not Randy's, to understand how these cards interact, and how those interactions form the environment that we're all trying to understand better than the player next to us. With that said, here are some of those observations, with today's article focusing on Invasion's red uncommons. Red Uncommons Breath of Darigaaz Now this is power. Not as versatile as its predecessor, Earthquake, the Breath is still an incredibly powerful card. Combining direct damage, mass removal and mana efficiency, the Breath can be used to either wipe the table clean of non-flyers or to kill a collection of tappers while your larger creatures stick around. If you're looking for a card to start your deck with, there aren't too many that do it better. A 1st pick. Chaotic Strike If you're looking for the least playable cycling card in the set, you may have found it. With a missed coin flip potentially losing you a creature, you never want to be running this thing. A 13th-15th pick. Firebrand Ranger While the Ranger's ability could conceivably see usage on turn three, generally you want your 2-power 2 CC creatures attacking on turn three. Fortunately, the Ranger can do so. A 7th - 9th pick. Goblin Spy Doesn't really do enough to ever warrant playing it, but it does have great flavor text...A 13th - 15th pick. Halam Djinn Would you pay 6 mana for a 4/3 creature with haste? You probably wouldn't prefer to. Far better in a 5cdeck or as a splash then in a two-color deck, the Djinn hits hard but at a cost. If you're a two-color player, the only reason to think about taking this over, say Ancient Kavu is to keep others from splashing red. A 3rd-5th pick. Kavu Runner If your opponent controls a blue or white creature, this guy is a mere 3/3 for 4 mana, a rarity in this format. If they don't, it gets in the equivalent of three free points of damage if cast in the early game. A very solid creature in any format, the Runner gets upgraded to strong in a format where 3/3s often cost five mana. A 2nd - 4th pick. Lightning Dart While this card obviously shines against blue and/or white, like Cursed Flesh, it can play a very important role in that its creature kill that you can get sixth or seventh. Think of it as dealing 1 point of damage when drafting it and treat its alternate ability as a bonus, and you'll always be pleased with its selection. A 4th -6th pick. Rage Weaver Competing with Might Weaver for last amongst their ilk, the Rage Weaver, like the Firebrand Ranger, fills the 2-slot admirably thanks more to its power of two then its alternate ability. Only in the late game will you find the Haste ability useful, when you top deck your Serpentine Kavu (just kidding). A 7th - 9th pick. Searing Rays I haven't had a situation where I've wanted to bring it in, but against a near-mono colored deck, if you're racing I could see it...A 12th - 14th pick. Shivan Emissary Dark Banish effects, regardless of casting speed, are always excellent. Those that can be used time and again can be even better. Requiring its owner to use black mana for effectiveness, the Emissary combines especially well with cards like Recover and Nightscape Apprentice that allow for its repeated use. A 1st - 3rd pick. Shivan Harvest Wrong card, wrong format. At least make it rare so there's a reason to pick it! A 15th pick. Skittish Kavu Sideboardable against non-blue, non-white decks, even then it's just a Grizzly Bear. A 10th - 12th pick.