Invasion Draft: Green Uncommons

Gary Wise
Speed

Noticeably absent from Invasion

With so much attention being paid to Green's ability to diversify mana, relatively little energy has been used to reflect on the color's other consistently strong attribute: its speed. In a set that doesn't include the one card, Dark Ritual, that enabled Black players to rival Green players' speed in past draft environments, Green not only diversifies one's mana, but is capable of producing it very quickly.

Green's speed manifests itself in two ways: through mana production and creature aggression. The former is accomplished with cards like Harrow, Fertile Ground and Quirion Elf, which allow their owners to cast Dragons before opponents can cast their Ancient Kavu. The latter comes in the form of mana efficient creatures like Llanowar Knight, Nomadic Elf and especially Quirion Sentinel, which allow a fast, efficient offensive that can often overwhelm opposing mages with high-cost bombs before they can stabilize.

The Sentinel is a particularly interesting card in that it combines both of Green's speed aspects. The ability to cast more than one 2-power creature on turn three is a potent one, and the Sentinel makes this very possible. In the later parts of a game, the Sentinel can provide the kind of mana diversity one may need to activate an otherwise unusable off color creature ability.
When drafting Green decks, you should be drafting for speed.upon.

When drafting Green decks, regardless of which colors you're using, you should be drafting for speed. The biggest trap this format seems to offer is that of too many high cost spells for any deck to handle. Draft as many pro-Knights as you can and try to get a number of mana enhancers like Harrow and Fertile Ground proportionate to the number of bombs you get. Too much mana, or not enough, leads to a losing deck.
Green Uncommons

Canopy Surge
With the trend in drafting Green leaning towards speed, this becomes a great card. With no Green flyers out there that are susceptible to the Surge's four points of direct damage, it will usually only kill opposing creatures, all the while being the exclamation mark on an offensive assault. A 3rd - 5th pick.

Elfhame Sanctuary
You have to be really desperate to use this card, which, while finding the required lands for your spells, does so at the cost of a card. Gets a little interesting when you have multiples in play. An 11th-13th pick.

Kavu Chameleon
In an environment lacking beef, this thing is a beast, not only does one get a 4/4 creature, but they can cast the card secure in the knowledge that the Exclude in their opponent's hand will stay there. Once in play, the Chameleon gets around pro-green creatures and Teferi's Moat, not to mention its allowing you to control which is the most populace creature color in play at any one moment. A 2nd - 3rd pick.

Might Weaver
As mentioned above, green should build for speed. A two-power creature with a casting cost of two is almost always playable, and this is no exception. Unfortunately, in a format with relatively little in the way of fat creatures, its trample ability is seldom crucial. A 7th-9th pick

Pulse of Llanowar
If you're five colors, have no Harrows, Fertile Grounds and Quirion Elves, don't have any 'number of basic land type' cards, couldn't find Frenzied Tilling, Quirion Trailblazer or Nomadic Elf, are desperate for mana diversity... ah let's face it, it just sucks. A 12th - 14th pick.

Rooting Kavu
With 3/3 for four being a rarity in this set, a 4/3 for four is a steal. The Kavu hits hard for its casting cost, and its toughness is high enough that more often then not it will take the sacrifice of two creatures to take it down. Throw in an ability that beefs up your draw step and you have a very solid card. A 3rd- 5th pick.

Scouting Trek
If you're still using this card at the end of this series, I should be fired. A 15th pick, though I'd just leave it on the table.

Sulam Djinn
One of the two weaker Djinns (along with Ruham), in a base Green deck I think that Serpentine Kavu is the stronger card. Nonetheless, a 4/4 trampler is always going to be good, so if you draft it you should definitely play it. A 3rd-5th pick.

Tangle
While I haven't had as much success with this card as some, I haven't played it as much as they have. Not just an ordinary Fog, Tangle is a race winner that, while relying upon circumstance, will throw off opposing math completely. Not an automatic main deck card, it is good enough to make it into your starting forty and is a great sideboard card if the two decks are just racing to twenty. A 5th - 7th pick.

Treefolk Healer
Eight mana is a lot to spend in order to prevent two damage, but in this case it's worth it. Large enough to survive a combat encounter with a status quo 2/2, once summoning sickness expires the Healer can dominate the field of play the way Sanctum Custodian used to. Obviously not as efficient as the Saga common, the Healer nevertheless should always be chosen for those GW decks. A 3rd - 5th pick.

Verduran Emissary
In a format where 2/3 for three mana is a decent value and the artifacts are minimal, this Emissary, more then any other, should be judged on its non-kicker merits. Providing a solid body with the possible bonus of killing an Attendant or Alloy Golem, the Emissary is good enough. A 5th-7th pick.

Wallop
Very limited in its application, Wallop is good in that it will almost always be trading card for card with a higher pick than itself. An 8th - 10th pick