Fun_NezumiNoMachineGun

Likely my greatest Magic accomplishment. I beat 3 Pro-Tour-prepping players in an after-hours Draft.
I even made the last train home, but not before bumping into a Japanese Hall of Famer as I headed out for the sprint from Hareruya, idiotic smile still splattered across my never-was face. He recognized how huge this 3-0 was for little ol' FNMer me--or maybe he was just that drunk--and said some super kind words of congratulations. Yeah, he was that drunk.

Highlights were using some of the jankiest draft combos M15 can serve up, including the rare-exclusive Goblin Kaboomist + Shield of the Avatar, which I would actively draft towards whenever possible, taking either piece super aggressively since both pieces were such jank, you'd be able to get a pass at them if they were ever opened. This simple combo works by having the equipment prevent at least one dmg to the goblin if attached, easy-peasy. Every additional creature is just insurance, so not even a burn spell could dreamcrush you. Eventually, you'd be ever more risk-free to skip kaboomist flips and start accumulating a western-front-unquieting amount of Land Mine tokens. Given enough red mana, you can then threaten any ground attacker with sudden death. AND, as I screwed up, despite having been actively telling myself not to forget, color protection doesn't save the target since the red-activated mines are still colorless sources of damage. Cost myself a game against my round-two opponent by forgetting that, but worse--the guy didn't realize the nuance himself until later, but still got that crucial free attack in.

But anyway, the more gorgeous combo is a deathly touchy common rat Walker, souped up with an angrily burning machine gun, so anything the rat hits gets deathtouched to...um, death. I had the man of the hour under that very lock, and my gosh, how sweet a feeling. That's why I love the color black--it just makes your opponent helpless, no matter who or what they are.

And that's why I love Drafting--because you can beat your opponent, no matter who or what they are.

2/2/16

Reuxben