SHM Draft, UB (this time...with feeling!) (saved)

SHM UB (this time...with feeling!) This deck is saved and currently in my stable of draft test decks. If you'd like to play sometime with one of your old draft decks, msg me and let me know. Sometimes it really helps when we make observations on each other's play. (Great idea AAZipZop2!)

1 Gloomlance
1 River's Grasp
1 Merrow Grimeblotter
8 Island
1 Sygg, River Cutthroat
1 Smolder Initiate
1 Corrosive Mentor
1 Glamer Spinners
1 Biting Tether
1 Wingrattle Scarecrow
2 Helm of the Ghastlord
1 Inkfathom Infiltrator
1 Leechridden Swamp
1 Watchwing Scarecrow
1 Grief Tyrant
8 Swamp
1 Faerie Swarm
2 Gravelgill Duo
1 Kulrath Knight
1 Wasp Lancer
1 Fate Transfer
1 Æthertow
1 Somnomancer
1 Inkfathom Witch

Rarity Breakdown: 1 rare, 12 uncommons, 11 commons + 16 basic land
Number of land: 17

Sideboard
1 Gravelgill Axeshark
1 Cinderhaze Wretch
1 Rattleblaze Scarecrow
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Wanderbrine Rootcutters
1 Merrow Wavebreakers
1 Lockjaw Snapper
1 Prismwake Merrow
1 Torture
1 Fate Transfer
1 Sickle Ripper
1 Torpor Dust
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Cinderbones

I had a hard time on the build. I deleted most of the "chaff" from the sideboard so you could decide if you would have chosen the same build with what I had. It was hard leaving some of the cards out. I tried to get the curve a good as I could.

Shadowmoor draft, UB January 16, 2008 (result: eliminated in second round)

Match 1, UW, a nice deck: The first game was really close. The leechridden swamp ended up making the difference in a big way. I literally had exactly enough to kill him when I did, and if I hadn't he would have totally taken the game the next turn. A neat series of plays in the second game. He throws down a leech bonder, which really throws my hand's game plan (witch and wingrattle scarecrow are down, infiltrator and somnomancer are coming). I have a River's Grasp and use it after he takes out the infiltrator. I reveal an amazing hand. He's got a poppet, gnarled effigy, and a number of other good creatures and the land to get the poppet out on schedule. I decide on the leech bonder, trying to get as much damage is as fast as possible before the poppet hits. What was interesting was the turn before he went online for 7 mana. I had five mana open but passed the turn with several cards in hand. I knew he knew at the poppet, so I figured I'd represent a counterspell. I actually had my glamer spinner in hand, he attacked me, one of the creatures was 3/2 and could have been eliminated by the spinner, but i let it through, again trying to represent a counterspell. He declined to cast poppet instead throwing down the effigy. I eot'ed the faerie and swang with everything. This lead to me being able to race him (took 2 turns I believe)...if he had thrown the poppet down that turn, I'd have never had gotten him down to zero in time.

Match 2, Silversurfer82 1824 playing mono-red: The first game was over quicker than I can even believe. He's almost impossibly aggressive and quick. Intimidator intiate, Boggart ram, Ashmoor Liege, Craggenwick Cremator. I side out grief tyrant and fate transfer opting to give myself a better early game by adding a torpor dust and sickle ripper. Second game he leads with intimidator intiate, I with a somnomancer, then he power of fire's his man. Harsh. I throw down my wingrattle scarecrow, the only butt bigger than 1 I have. But he doesn't follow up with a big 3 or 4 drop. Phew. I get in 2 swings, miss a land drop, and lay down a wasp lancer. He then makes up for the deficit by t5ing a Deus of Kicking my Butt. All the while he's lapsing in and out for extended periods of time...undoubtably writing up his own account of this match, or yelling at his roomates, or playing poker online. Either way, with this deck he doesn't seemed worried about the clock...or me for that matter. I swing and lay a land, he swings and I torpor dust his deus to a more moderate level of butt kicking. It still hurts, but not as much as the Cultbrand cinder that he follows up with. It does my lancer in with the help of his good buddy the initiate with power of Tim. His clock is at 8:30, mine at 23:15 by this point. I imagine he may be engaging in some kind of unclean act while talking dirty about how he's wiping up some poor schlub online simultaneously. Or playing online poker. I swing feebly and lay down two sacrificial 1/1's that are at least making my man fly and persist. He boggart ram gangs then proceeds to tap two of his behemoths for a conspired burn trail crispifying my two remaining men, just in case I get frisky. He mosies over with a mere 3/6 deus. I throw down a token dude for lack of something better to do, missing another land drop and next turn he goes nuclear. Torrent of Souls followed I imagine by bone crushing laughter. I can't even chump block thanks to the intiate. I make him wait a minute or two while I type up my disgrace. I'm at -7, and loving it.