Drafting Seventh Edition

Gary Wise

For as long as I've been acquainted with Magic on the Internet, it seems like there's been a major rift in our community between the casual and competitive players. Like the Earps and the Clantons, these two factions have lined the OK Corral hurling bullet-like barbs at one another, and while I've never actually been one of the gunslingers in this respect, I've always aligned myself with the competitive (Earps from my viewpoint) players both in the material I write and the approach I take towards the game.

Here are a few of my observations on drafting 7th Edition. Keep in mind that these observations are geared towards straight 7th Limited, meaning that things may change when drafting other sets as well. This installment will focus on the white, blue and black cards in the set, while the second installment will look at red, green, artifacts and lands. If you have any questions about 7th Edition Limited, you can e-mail me at JgaryWise@yahoo.com. Enjoy, and remember, just because you're casual, it doesn't mean winning isn't fun.
White

When looking at the card list for 7th Edition, the most obvious feature that stands out is the repetition involved in the listing of White cards, specifically under the letter C. Cards 6-10 of the set, the Circles of Protection, not only stand out in print, but also in the format. The COPs have always been environment-defining, with the strength of white often wholly dependant upon whether or not they are included. 7th Edition is no different.

You can throw any number of powerful direct damage spells into red and black, but the templates behind these colors ensure that they can't handle the COPs. Your opponent has Blaze? Pay 1 mana. Your opponent has Corrupt? Pay 1 mana. Simply, the COPs allow you to hold off spells that otherwise have few answers while making decking your opponent a realistic possibility. The problem with the COPs, their ineffectiveness against some decks, can be overcome by having multiples of cards like Jalum Tome and Merfolk Looter that allow the strategic discarding of useless card, though I'd recommend keeping your main deck choices to COP Red and COP Black.

After the COPs, White runs a little thin, but it has its merits. This color is full of life gain and damage prevention, epitomized by the life gain creatures Staunch Defenders and Venerable Monk who so aptly help their caster's cause when racing. The defense continues with Sustainer of the Realm and one of the best uncommons in the set, Heavy Ballista as well as a selection of very solid removal like Pacifism. This all said, though, it's the White rares that provide you with a little something special.

Sure, you'll find your share of limp rares like Rolling Stones and Blessed Reversal here, but the flipside shows a lot of power. The set's signature card, Serra Angel is obviously amazing, as is Wrath of God, one of the best cards in the set. Throw in the two Paladins, Master Healer, Elite Archers, Worship and the like and you have a number of cards that can single-handedly alter the course of any game they see play in.
Blue

You want power, you've got power. When playing with Dave Williams, we agreed that along with red, blue was where its at. Counters? You got it. Huge flyers? You got it. Card advantage? You got it. 7th Edition's blue provides all kinds of game-dominating cards your opponent only has a couple of turns to deal with, and here's a little secret: they can't deal with all of them.

We start with the flyers. Sure, Mahamoti is back, but that's only the beginning. Fighting Drake, Vigilant Drake, Mawcor, Thieving Magpie, Air Elemental... it doesn't matter which one's in play, your opponent needs to deal with them immediately or go to the losers bracket, and that not even the worst news.

For those who are lucky enough to open them, there are some absolutely insane rares to be had by blue players. Equilibrium and Opposition each dominated their respective formats the first time around and they'll do it again, as will cards like Temporal Adept and Confiscate. In other words, there are so many power cards that you're bound to get a couple of them.

As always, one of the major benefits of playing blue is that you can protect those power cards with countermagic, and the selection in 7th doesn't disappoint. The thing that makes the 7th Edition counters so good is their respective casting costs. Counterspell costs 2 mana... Remove Soul costs 2 mana... Memory Lapse costs 2 mana... Force Spike costs 1 mana...the list is a strong one. Throw in Deflection, which while not always applicable can single-handedly change the course of a game and you have a very strong core of spells that are very difficult to get around. In other words, there's very little to complain about with regards to blue in this set.
Black

With Black you get Banishes, Banishes, Banishes, Banishes and more Banishes. That this has been a fact has never been in doubt, but it has never been so true as with 7th Edition. From the common Dark Banishing to the uncommon Befoul to the rare Dregs of Sorrow, 7th Edition's black is chock full of efficient kill and discard that makes control virtually impossible for your opponent.

The thing I really like about black in this set is how Duress and Ostracize both fill common slots. Neither one is an especially high pick, but the possibility of trading your 6th or 7th pick for your opponent's best creature or non-creature spell on turn one is a beautiful thing. Granted, both spells become less useful later on, but with the existence of other solid hand depletion cards like Mind Rot, Agonizing Memories, Persecute and the like, you have the basis of a good aggressive control deck that can cripple an opponent before they get started.

With all that said, the key to black in this set is probably color intensity. Sure, you can splash for Dark Banishing and the like, but realistically, a number of the cards black provides only reach the peak of their potential when played with a high number of swamps. From solid cards like Looming Shade to spectacular ones like Crypt Rats, Nightmare and Corrupt, the black cards in this set preach solidarity. If you start black, stay black, only adding on a second color when the packs making it necessary.