The Ten Colors of Invasion

Darwin Kastle

I learned quite a bit about drafting with Invasion block while preparing for, playing in, and watching Pro Tour LA. One of the most important things I learned was the value of gold. Because of the high number of gold cards in this block, there are effectively more than five colors to draft.

The way Invasion was designed, there are ten different colors to draft. There are the five colors we are used to: Red, Green, White, Blue, and Black, and the five gold colors: Red/Green, Green/White, White/Blue, Blue/Black, and Black/Red. Some cards fit in the gold colors without being gold themselves, like Shivan Emissary, Probe, and Savage Offensive.

One of the keys to draft (especially Rochester) is finding your own niche. There is pretty much no way you will end up getting one of the five basic colors all to yourself (unless you are at a table with complete idiots). However, many times I've seen someone corner the market on one of the gold colors. This will practically ensure a successful draft. I was an observer at one of the tables at the last draft on Day Two of PTLA. This table included several players I think highly of, including Gary Krakower, Brian Kibler, and Daniel Mandel. I couldn't help but notice one of the gold colors get ignored, Red/Green. There weren't many Red/Green cards early but there were several later. I watched a card that some people like more than any other common or uncommon, Fires of Yavimaya, zoom around the table and bounce back to settle into someone's sideboard as an eleventh pick. I remember at least two Yavimaya Barbarians, two Hunting Kavu, and a Voracious Cobra, all of which were subjected to the indignity of being picked late and whiling away the tournament in various people's sideboards.

There aren't as many Red/Green cards as say, Black cards, but if you don't have to share and you can get them later than the cards in your other colors, this can be a significant boost to your draft. You will rarely, if ever, see someone drafting opposing colors in Invasion draft. By drafting friendly colors, people ensure themselves the opportunity to draft at least one of the gold colors. Let's take a look at the gold colors.

Red/Black is probably my favorite gold color. It includes some very aggressive creatures like Shivan Zombie and Vicious Kavu. Plague Spores combines Red's penchant for land destruction with Black's ability to destroy creatures. Red/Black also has creatures that can kill other creatures, like Cinder Shade and Shivan Emissary. Late game tricks like Backlash and Cauldron Dance can be devastating finishers. A good example of non-gold cards that I only like in Red/Black would be the much-maligned Firescreamer, which can provide good midgame punch and the evasive Hooded Kavu. Some cards are so good that you might play them even if you weren't playing the color that matches their special ability. A good example is Trench Wurm, which is a good creature even without access to its red ability. Some of the best cards in Invasion are rare gold cards. There are the Dragons of course, but how happy is the Red/Black player to get a powerful card like Pyre Zombie, Blazing Specter, or Void?

Black/Blue is very popular on the Pro Tour. Recoil and Probe are some of the most powerful commons in Invasion. Black/Blue also includes some high quality creatures like Vodalian Zombie, Urborg Drake, and Slinking Serpent. If you happen to get Barrin's Spite or Spinal Embrace, you will have some very sad opponents. If you're playing Black and Blue, Phyrexian Infiltrator goes from okay to nuts. Methran Zombie is solid as long as you're playing both colors, you needn't worry about players drafting just blue or just black taking it from you.

Blue/White is one of the gold colors that propelled Mike Pustilnik to victory in PT LA. Angelic Shield, Wings of Hope, Samite Archer, and Reviving Vapors can all be solid additions to a control deck. Galina's Knight can provide early pressure or stem pressure from a red opponent. Cards like Stand and Deliver, Tower Drake, Glimmering Angel, and Stormscape Apprentice can all be fine in other color combinations, but are at their most powerful when serving the Blue/White mage. Armored Guardian and Sunscape Master are the type of rares that can break a game wide open.

White/Green is a favorite of many European pros. Llanowar Knight, Noble Panther, Charging Troll, and Sabertooth Nishoba are some of the best creatures in the set. Armadillo Cloak may be the most game swinging gold common ever printed. Benalish Emissary, Sunscape Apprentice, and Thornscape Apprentice are at their best when played by a Green/White mage.

The sometimes-overlooked gold color, Red/Green, can often provide unstoppable amounts of fast aggression. Thunderscape Apprentice, Yavimaya Barbarian, and Fires of Yavimaya are great additions to an aggressive draft. Hunting Kavu, Voracious Cobra, and Frenzied Tilling are a little slower but can be quite powerful. Simoon is so good it was a secret weapon in the sideboard of Brian Kibler's Red Zone at Pro Tour Chicago.

The legendary dragons are another potential reward for playing friendly colors. Crosis the Purger, Darigaaz the Igniter, Treva the Renewer, Rith the Awakener, and Dromar the Banisher are some of the most powerful creatures ever printed. Why bother paying five mana for a 3/3 ground creature when you could pay six mana for a 6/6 flying creature?

Some might argue that Invasion is designed to have six gold colors. Five color green is another viable draft niche. Certain cards that are not ordinarily high draft picks become powerful in a five color green deck. Strength of Unity, Collective Restraint, Wayfaring Giant, Ordered Migration, and Global Ruin are examples of cards that go from okay to very powerful when played in a five color deck. There is even an actual five color gold card in Invasion, Coalition Victory. Cards like Harrow, Fertile Ground, Quirion Trailblazer, Utopia Tree, and Quirion Elves are at their most valuable in a five color green deck. One of the advantages of this strategy is you fit almost any powerful card you want to draft into your deck.

Now Planeshift has arrived and it has brought more gold with it. Gating creatures like Lava Zombie, Doomsday Specter, Fleetfoot Panther, and Shivan Wurm are potential game breakers. Terminate is so powerful it even has black legendary dragons looking over their shoulders with concern. The three-color gold charms are so good the days of two color draft decks may be ending. At least in Invasion block, drafting decks made up of three friendly colors seems to be the way to go.

Next time you draft with Invasion remember that there are more than just five colors to choose from. If you can find the one being overlooked you may find yourself on the path to victory. Art and in this case games often imitate life, and in Magic as well as life gold is something to be valued. So remember, go for the Gold!