Triple Fate Reforged Draft

Every time a small set comes out on Magic Online, I tend to play a lot of triple drafts. The reason is value since being able to open three packs of a new set will find you the most tickets. But another reason is that it's easier to evaluate certain cards. Even though triple Fate Reforged (FFF) is not what you would play anywhere outside of Magic Online, you get to see how the cards work in a vacuum. When you know how cards work in a vacuum, it becomes more clear how they will be in the context of a format. 

I played eight drafts last night, made it to the finals three times, and won two of the finals. I was mildy annoyed at how Magic Online got rid of the 8-4's since they were great value if you knew the format. I had to settle on doing 4-3-2-2's. Here are some of my decks during this drafting binge.

This deck was pretty bad and I was eliminated from the first round with it. I learned quickly that Goblin Kaboom Keg is an awful card since the magic number for toughness is 2 due to manifests and morphs. This means that a removal spell that deals 3 damage is not much different than one that deals 2 in most circumstances. Douse in Gloom is way better since it's an instant, gains life, and is cheaper in mana cost so I was never forced to waste my tempo on it. Noxious Dragon was pretty under whelming as well; this format has fewer CMC< 3 cards due to the absence of morph, and by the time you play Noxious Dragon, your opponent will probably not much that is worth killing. Gurmag Angler was better than I predicted and so was Reach of Shadows. Reach of Shadows is probably worse in KKF since FFF was slow and more midrangey, but I can still see Reach of Shadows being reasonable. Ugin's Construct is probably better in KKF, but still good if you get some Sultai Emissary. Sultai Emissary was very good, almost too good since it pushes 1-toughness creatures out of decks. Sultai Emissary and Jeskai Sage now make 1-toughness creatures a lot worst, which is a big thing to keep in mind while drafting KKF.

This was my first win and the obvious MVP here was Warden of the First Tree. Warden of the First Tree was the reason I won my games since the rest of the deck is mediocre. In an epic finals Game 3, I was double queuing and down to 2 minutes left on the clock. Warden of the First Tree came in through the clutch since I jammed him on Turn 1 and the game was basically over in 7-8 turns. Even in a KKF draft Warden of the First Tree will be ridiculous there aren't many ways to answer it outside of a Wild Slash. Hooded Assassin was a card that I felt less and less high about as the day went on, since a majority of the time it was only a 2/3. You can get people with its second ability right now, but as players get familiar with the format it will get harder and harder to get value. Mardu Strike Leader was no bomb but was solid if it went unanswered. A 3/2 does not match up very well against most cards in the format, which means Mardu Strike Leader is best when your opponent is stumbling, and worse when they have a 2-drops in their deck that can defend it. Return to the Earth was surprisingly good in this format since it takes down Dragons and Sieges, but is probably also reasonable in KKF since it hits Ascendencies, and other relevant flyers. Ainok Guide was so-so, probably better in a 3-color deck where his ability matters. Abzan Beastmaster was a beast, since it says so in his name. No but really, it was a pretty strong card in certain situations and it puts you very far ahead if you have the right board state. I can easily see it being a better card in KKF with all the high toughness creatures like Archers' Parapet and Sage-Eye Harrier.

This deck looks a lot better than it actually is. I don't think the red cards were really worth splashing for. Wild Slash, while a fine card if you're in red, isn't splash-worthy and same goes for Flamerush Rider. Flamerush Rider was not that great, at least not in this deck. The Fierce Invocation was just filler since I was needed a 23rd card and did not have anything else. The whole manifest cycle was not very impressive since manifest was a swingy mechanic like I anticipated. Most games I got a 2/2 that did nothing, but sometimes I'd get lucky and get something great. Grim Contest was very good and I expect it to be one of the top cards drafted since it's very good removal and only gets better with KTK cards. Orc Sureshot is also a top tier card that gets better with KTK. I never got to cast Brutal Hordechief, but I assume that it's a powerful card. Whispering of the Wilds was disappointing since it felt like an 18th land that I didn't want. Unless you have tons of mana sinks, Whispering of the Wilds is not very good. Hunt the Weak was surprisingly decent and is probably better card in KTK due to its synergy with the Outlast mechanic.

This deck was worth 15-17 tix at the time with Valorous Stance at 2 tix, Tasigur, the Golden Fang at 7-8 tix, and Polluted Delta at 4 tix. In terms of playability, this deck was also insane, but sadly I lost in a very close game 3 in the finals. You can't get a better deck than this in terms of playability and value. Maybe it could have used Reach of the Shadows and some Typhoid Rats, but this was pretty close to perfect. Tasigur, the Golden Fang was a house in this deck and so was Valorous Stance. Write into Being was probably my weakest card since I had so many enter the battlefield triggers that I didn't actually want to manifest. As I mentioned earlier, Jeskai Sage is a format defining card since it makes 1-toughness creatures pretty bad. Harsh Sustenance is another top pick, even though it was probably at its worst in this deck. Shifting Loyalties was surprisingly reasonable, but I don't think I would play it too often since it lacks consistency. This was my favorite deck to play even though it didn't go the distance.

This was my last and final draft. We have some obvious all-stars here such as Silumgar, the Drifting Death, Flamewake Phoenix, and Cloudform. Cloudform and Flamewake Phoenix really turned on the jets most games since they were pretty unstoppable. Supplant Form ranged from average to bad, and I assume it's worse in a faster format like KKF. Bloodfire Enforcers was pretty good since I had some cute little synergies involving him and Sultai Skullkeeper. Cunning Strike was surprisingly good in this format, but I assume that was due to the slow nature of FFF, which probably means that it's only average in KKF.

Conclusion

I had fun playing triple Fate Reforged, but it's probably not something I would do again. I liked how I was not forced into a 3-color deck like with KKK since I think I am getting tired of playing the wedges. Manifest was pretty frustrating as I expected. It's not a well-designed mechanic since it lead to many blowouts based on who got lucky with their manifest. Overall, I made a whopping 10 tix, but I got to play some Magic for free and got a good feel for the new set.

I have some more Magic-related content coming to my new blog. I plan to continue to write here weekly, but having my own site means I can upload content much faster, which means more Magic knowledge being passed on to the masses. Thanks for reading and please be sure to leave any questions or comments below.