Ill-Gotten Games: Theros Block Draft #2

This week on Ill-Gotten Games Grandpa dives into the deep end. This is what happens when you get bored of a draft format. You find yourself trying new things, not to explore the boundaries of strategy, but simply to entertain yourself after the fun has passed.

I find it especially boring because the new PTQ season is for Modern Constructed. Theros block draft is essentially dead only a few weeks after it even became legal. With no high level events in the future, most people will be moving on to play other formats. This is the perfect time for Grandpa to do what he always wants to do: force draft five color.

You Make the Pick Live! Theros Block - Theros

Hello and welcome back to the final installment of You Make the Pick Live! This week on the blog we have been doing special YMTP segments with video! I, Grandpa Growth, cracked real packs and recorded my real live commentary for your viewing pleasure and comedic enjoyment.

These videos are meant to simulate what you would see looking at pick one from each pack of a Theros Block draft. On Monday we looked at Journey into Nyx. Wednesday was Born of the Gods. Today we finish up with Theros.

Links to the previous segments can be found here: Part 1, Part 2. Enjoy the vids!

Ill-Gotten Games: Theros Block Draft #1

Hello Zoners! This week on Ill-Gotten games we have a special treat. Grandpa's first Theros Block Draft on MtGO. Will there be laughs? Will there be "learning moments"? Only one way to find out.

You Make the Pick Live! Theros Block - Born of the Gods

It is time for part two of You Make the Pick Live! On Monday we kicked things off by opening a pack of Journey Into Nyx. Today we continue our mock Theros block draft with Born of the Gods! As a refresher, the link to Monday's video can be found: Here. Enjoy the video and be sure to check back Friday for the final installment with Theros.

You Make the Pick Live! Theros Block - Journey Into Nyx

Hey Zoners! Grandpa Growth here. This week we are bringing you three new YMTP segments and we are doing things a little bit differently. We have video! Yes, you can watch me crack packs and discuss booster draft in glorious, low definition, slightly green-shifted detail.

We will be opening and examining booster packs from each set in Theros block to simulate the full draft experience. Today we will see Journey Into Nyx, Born of the Gods on Wednesday, and on Friday we will finish up with Theros! Enjoy the video and make sure to tune in later this week to see the other segments as they go up on the blog!

You Make the Pick #7: PT JOU Edition

Hey Zoners! Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx was this weekend and, if you're anything like me, you were glued to the webcast the entire weekend soaking up all the coverage you can get LIVE from Atlanta, Georgia. We were treated to a special treat early on in the tournament as we got to watch Pro Tour Theros champion Jeremy Dezani in the day one draft. Dezani is a hot topic right now as he was at the top of the standings for the Player of the Year race going into the event; an award which would cap off a stellar 2013-14 season if he can manage to win it.

So try to picture yourself in his shoes. You are playing the best Magic of your life, it is nine a.m. on the first day of the Pro Tour. You have flown all the way accross the Atlantic ocean, tested for countless hours over the past two weeks to familiarize yourself with the new draft format, there is $40,000 up for grabs, and Player of the Year honors at stake. This is the pack you open:

Rather than tell you about the pack myself, I am going to let you hear it straight from the former PT champ himself. Brian David Marshall met up with Dezani live on stream to break down his picks and get some insight into the thought process he had as he was drafting. Check out the video here:

You can look over the draft viewer which lets you see every pick from every seat in Dezani's pod, as well as tons of other articles and videos at the PT coverage page here if you missed any of the action over the weekend: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptjou14/welcome

So now you know the stakes, you've heard the analysis, and you know what Dezani took. The only question left is...what would you pick?