Simon Says #70: The Commons of Journey into Nyx (JBT 8-4)

Just in time before Pro Tour Atlanta, Simon Says takes a first look at the Journey into Nyx draft format. In this episode, I try to identify the two best commons in each color. Find out which of them I like to first-pick and why!

Check out our selection of Journey into Nyx cards!

You can follow me on Twitter @simongoertzen,
or check out my Tumblr entitled Strategic Thoughts.

 
  1. Sweet draft. I think the Kiroa’s Dismissal showed it’s worth in your second match, you could even have bounced the Pin to the Earth in the last game. I was surprised that you dismissed it (ha), although I don’t expect it to be as good as it was here all the time. Your round 2 opp had an insane deck, very fun to watch.

  2. Match 2 was intense and well played. It’s a shame you didn’t get to finish the draft by attacking with a flying octopus, but hey, we can’t have it all I guess.

  3. I think your opponent actually had to attack with everything in the last turn of M3G3, because if he just attacked with Agent and cast Aspect on him, you could untap an island with Kiora’s Follower and bounce it.

  4. Really nice draft! A lot of interesting board states for sure.

    On the introduction, I think the fact that white’s top commons are on the expensive side might not necessarily be too great a detriment to aggressive strategies. Having two 2-drops that are just below the top cards means more of them will hopefully end up in your pool compared to if they were easy first-picks (like Akroan Skyguard). This could actually lead to a better curve, and a more consistent deck, even if the ideal draws will be of lower power. Just a thought.

  5. I was really disappointed that you glossed over mortals obstinancy when discussing the white cards in your opening discussion.especially because I’d been waiting to see what your opinion of it was. I’ve been really impressed with it. I think you would always be happy to play one in any deck where heroic mattered. Anyway, I’m a big fan and always enjoy your articles, vids and commentary.

    Best wishes,

    S

  6. No mention of Cast into Darkness in your opening discussion? In an aggressive deck it’s an unconditional removal spell for two mana. I know that black is usually a controlling color in this format but it’s also quite possible to draft aggressive black decks now.

  7. I don’t actually think that giving your opponent the Island in R3G3 hurt you all that much, since he had the Karametra’s Favor on the Leucrocota. All he had to do was declare attacks with both of them, then make it unblockable in Declare Attackers. I definitely think it was the right choice, although it didn’t work out.

    Did you forget that the Cockatrice had deathtouch in R3G1? It seemed like you didn’t even think to flash it in to block the massive Battlemaster.

    In any case, thanks for a really interesting deck with some neat stuff you could do, and some great games.

  8. Watching you draft and play makes me think you’re a…

    Well, let’s just say that sentence does NOT end with “player who once won a Pro Tour”.

  9. Very nice draft. I think G/U is a nice color combination in this format.
    Your round 2 and 3 opponents also had some very nice decks.

    There are a few things I think you could have done differently to give yourself a better chance of winning match 3 game 1.
    In match 3 game 1, it was your turn and you had nothing on board and 5 lands and your opponent had the swordwise centaur and the battlemaster in play.
    You summoned anthousa and passed the turn and your opponent had that ridiculous play where he gave the 2 creatures +4/+4.
    It is easy to say in hindsight but I think your best play was to cast the deathtouch flier after he declared attackers. That plays around any tricks he may have and gets the battlemaster off the board taking a lot of pressure off.

    With your line of play, the best you can hope for is to hold back the swordwise centaur because you lose your creature to any trick your opponent may have if you block the battlemaster.

    Then, on the next turn you considered playing cockatrice but didn’t because you thought it only trades with swordwise centaur and not the battlemaster. I don’t understand why you thought you couldn’t trade with the battlemaster. Your creature has deathtouch and the battlemaster doesn’t have first strike.

    Then your opponent played a creature and you paid tribute giving him a 7/7 instead of letting him gain 4 life. I don’t think you could have won at that point but it did seem odd that you paid the tribute to prevent the lifegain in that spot.

    Thanks for the draft!

  10. What are you talking about Missed Chance? Simon is one of the best and most consistent players on this entire site

  11. You had lethal in game 2 rounds 2 before he played extinguish all hope. Monstrifying the cockatrice and playing the combat trick for 1 mana would have exactly dealt 10 damage.

  12. I thought annul on weight was a mistake in round 2 game 2. Better to dismiss it and giant in combat and annul the giant later. Nice draft though!

  13. @Missed Chance:

    No, it isn’t. What IS really sad is:

    1. The fact that you seem to believe that comments such as yours add any value to the discussion.
    2. That people still believe that recording a video and commenting while playing is possible without any mistakes.
    3. That you don’t realize how easy it is to criticize a recorded game with the comfort of knowing the complete line of development.
    4. That you don’t offer any information on what you consider a mistake and how you would have done it instead.

    I guess that summarizes what you ment with “Missed Chance”?!

  14. @Missed Chance

    hes right, this site is full of subpar players and Simon is only mediocre, thus shines above the rest.

    his terrible draft picks are from the same bad school of thought Ochoa has: to draft weak, consistent cards while continuously forgoing opportunities to move into bold, powerful strategies; result is always a conservative deck with conservative play and conservative results; never Pro Tour caliber.

  15. @ what is truly sad guy

    1. yours are just as irrelevant
    2. 80%+ of LSVs commentary videos areflawlessly played, throughout
    3. good players see the misplays turns before Simon can make them, often pause and post comments before seeing the actual results (knowing them)
    4. because the extent of Simon’s play mistakes is so tiring that no coherent Magician would invest the time to explain (as his playstyle is already so disjunctive with Magic game theory, that Magic game theory itself would have to be explained)

  16. So much hate here. Just do not understand. Since LSV does not make Theros drafts anymore I would really like you guys to tell me who makes better videos than Simon.
    I also liked the opening discusion. The only card I would remove from the top list is Hubris. Bounce spells have kind of diminishing returns (you do not want to play more than three) and Hubris is the weakest one of them.

  17. I was really looking forward to see you playing Journey into Nyx ! Awesome content as always Simon, keep up the good work !

  18. i enjoyed m2 g3. you didnt interminably explain things. you played well and just used some good instincts. there is a level of explanation that is absorbable (<– ths word is considered misspelled lol) after that its rambling.

    Just the way your show affects me. and it was still worth my time to watch all of them. ty

  19. @rite and @Missed Chance

    Go play your Pro Tours instead of leaving troll comments here.

    This is useful content, you are no wizards, other viewers can also use the hindsight that you are, or accuse Simon of not drafting risky and inconsistent decks.

  20. Whoa, from whence comes all this hate on Simon? He comes from a school of thought that values consistency and conservativeness — he’s quite forthcoming about that, and it’s a perfectly valid approach to drafting. He does a fine job explaining his lines, in pick decisions as well as in play. Simon is absolutely my favorite video drafter, and I’ve learned more from him than from anyone else. I’m not sure why those who dislike him so are here watching his videos and offering ad hominem attacks on Simon without much of any substantive criticism. (“NOT a player who won a pro tour” — thanks, guy.) I appreciate the content as always. Thanks, Simon!

  21. Since LSV hasn’t put up drafts in a while, Simon gets the nod for best draft content in my book. Not surprised to see the trolls are out, but I am surprised at what they had to say, as their opinions are in complete opposite of mine. Love these videos!

  22. Simon is a good drafter. He’s a world class player, just because he doesn’t conform to the “normal” high end player is a good thing – not bad. When everybody plays the same way Magic gets dull, it’s the vibrant and fun game that thousands of people play because of people like Simon.

  23. Round 1 – 10:28,

    I think you would have died to Triton Tactics. Do you think it would be better to play around it by attacking with just the flier?