Hello again everyone, thanks for joining me for another Rivals of Ixalan draft. I can tell, this format is better than triple Ixalan - by this stage I was already sick of that format, but I'm still powering along with Rivals. Let's get to it, shall we?

THE DRAFT

THE PICKS

Note - if you have trouble seeing the cards here, you can also view the draft by clicking here.

Pack 1 pick 1:



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Pack 1 pick 15:



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THE DECK

I'm fairly medium on this deck, though I have seen these decks in action and have lost to them a bit. The plan here is to be as aggressive as possible early, then block up the ground while finishing the opponent off with fliers. It's a classic white/blue skies deck, really, and something that seems to be doing well in this format in my experience.

THE MATCHES

My first match was against a blue/red opponent, who was also playing an aggressive deck filled with Frilled Deathspitter s, Headstrong Brute s and Kitesail Corsair s. I won 2-1, winning the first game on the play, losing the second on the draw, and winning the third on the play. The deck played out exactly as I planned; Kitesail Corsairs and Spire Winder s getting in in the air while my other creatures blocked on the ground. In game 2, my opponent was able to Waterknot and Bombard my creatures, which led to them winning, though in the end it was tight; they won the turn before I would have killed them myself.

The second match was against a red/green dinosaurs opponent. I won game one on the play, curving out nicely and despite my opponent playing Etali, Primal Storm . They were also playing Shake the Foundations - a card very good against my deck - so a lot of sideboarding was done before game 2. I still lost this game, though, as my opponent was able to get the Forerunner of the Empire / Needletooth Raptor combo happening. Game 3 was a repeat of game 1, with me being able to curve out and win fairly easily, taking the match 2-1.

Match three was pretty poor as far as Magic matches go. I mulliganed to five in game 1, keeping a 1 lander and not drawing any more; my opponent then mirrored that in game 2, sending us to a third game. My opponent was on blue/red pirates, with a light black splash for Dire Fleet Neckbreaker . Their deck was very aggressive and I never really got started; I was overrun extremely quickly and never stood a chance, losing the match 1-2.

CONCLUSION

I was a little surprised how the deck performed; it was certainly a bit better than I expected. The Spire Winders and Kitesail Corsairs were the all stars of the deck, getting in the bulk of the damage. Captain's Hook worked well, and One with the Wind on a Raptor Companion was a very fast clock. The third match was disappointing though I have a feeling I may have lost had all things been equal; my opponent's deck was super aggressive and when they landed Dire Fleet Neckbreaker, I had nothing to deal with its ability.

Join me again soon for another draft!

FIRST PICK, FIRST PACK

Here is a pack of Rivals of Ixalan. What would you take if this was your first pick of the draft?