Invasion Draft: Green Rares

Gary Wise

Bind
To quote Bob Maher, "nine times out of ten, you aren't going to want it in your hand." While Bind can usually have a minor effect on the game, it usually won't be good enough to validate running it main deck. It is however a decent sideboard card against cards like Keldon Necropolis and Cinder Shade that require the sacrifice of a creature in order to activate. A 10th - 12th pick.

Blurred Mongoose
The problem with basic 2/1's for 2 is that they're really easy to kill, often giving an opponent card advantage through cards like Zap. Not so with the Mongoose. A solid way to fill your two-slot, the only problem with this little guy is that your opponent knows there aren't any tricks coming. A 7th - 9th pick.

Elvish Champion
Obviously, this card's value depends completely upon how many elves you control. While that statement may seem obvious, what may not be is how completely unplayable it is if you don't control any. This isn't because its 2/2 body for three isn't strong enough so much as because of the effect it has on opposing elves, turning them into powerhouses. A 3rd - 10th pick.

Jade Leech
Now this thing's a monster. 5/5 for four? Derelor's a joke next to this thing. While the Leech's drawback hurts, green more than any other color is capable of producing the mana to make up for it, meaning that this is for all intents and purposes a powerhouse. A 1st - 3rd pick.

Kavu Lair
Don't play it. That is all. A 13th - 15th pick.

Kavu Titan
As good as Jade Leech is, this thing's even better. Fast or big, the Titan gets through regenerators with Trample, beats down early, you name it. I don't think there's a non-rare Green card you'd ever take over this. A 1st - 3rd pick.

Molimo, Maro Sorcerer
Molimo is the Green equivalent of Devouring Strossus or Reya Dawnbringer, in that any spell that costs more than 6 is obviously powerful, but may not be worth the wait. Green will always have large creatures, so speed is of the essence, meaning that a card like Serpentine Kavu, which isn't the finisher that Molimo is, will be preferable in that it lets you play a tempo-based game. A 4th - 6th pick.

Restock
Well, card advantage is a good thing and Restock is obviously card advantage. The big question with this card is whether you'll have the opportunity to take full advantage of it, with the five mana casting cost usually requiring the sacrifice of a turn in order to cast it. In the end, if your deck has power cards you really want back and a number of ways to stabilize the board, you won't be sorry for playing Restock. A 5th - 7th pick.

Saproling Infestation
Snake Pit was a card that really didn't pay for itself unless one's opponent was playing both black and blue. In other words, if half the spells in your opponent's deck set it off, it still wasn't good enough. The same will always be true for the Infestation. A 12th - 14th pick.

Saproling Symbiosis
This is an interesting card. Working from the premise that you'll get approximately 3 creatures, you have a card that isn't too good in the early game, is very solid in the late game, and somewhere in between in the mid-game. Don't invest in this card with a high pick, but understand that as far as 23rd cards go, you can do worse. A 6th - 8th pick.

Thicket Elemental
Some draft sets leave the 4/4 for 5 much to be desired. With the potential combination of there being too many fatties for any given deck and a fast environment where five mana is just too much, its possible that you might want to pass a fatty for a less powerful, more efficient card. I'd advise against doing this with Thicket Elemental. Cast without kicker, it's a very good, solid creature that opponents will have difficulty dealing with. With the kicker, the 4/4 may be the least of their troubles. A 1st - 3rd pick.

Thornscape Master
Do I really still need to waste valuable typing time telling you people how sick the Masters are? I don't think so...a 1st pick.

Utopia Tree
The only creatures the Tree can block and survive against are 1/1 ground creatures, and generally speaking, they aren't the ones you worry about. About as good as Fertile Ground, the Tree is more vulnerable, but should still make do in a deck with a lot of high end spells. A 5th - 7th pick.

Verdeloth the Ancient
Like 4/7 for 6 mana isn't enough! While the game isn't over when this big guy hits the table, its pretty close. I can think of very little you'll want to take over Verdeloth - a 1st - 2nd pick.