Insert Clever Worldwake Pun Here, pt. 2

-Greg

I'll skip the clever introductions this week and cut right to the chase. At the first Sealed event I did with Zen/Zen/Zen/WWK/WWK/WWK, I opened the following pool:

White
2 Kitesale Apprentice
Steppe Lynx
Apex hawks
Lightkeeper of Emeria
Nimbus Wings
Journey to Nowhere
Arrow Volley Trap
Windborn Charge
Rest for the Weary
Cliff Threader
Ruin Ghost
Brave the Elements
Sheildmate's Blessing

Blue
Mindbreak Trap
Jwar Shapeshifter
Spell Pierce
Dispel
AEther Tradewinds
Spell Contortion
Caller of Gales
Quest for Ancient Secrets
Shoal Serpent
2 Twitch
Kraken Hatchling
Calcite Snapper
Sejiri Merfolk
Gomozoa
Windrider Eel
Horizon Drake
Wind Zendikon
Paralyzing Grasp

Black
Abyssal Persecutor
Needlebite Trap
Urge to Feed
Dead Reckoning
Quag Vampires
Corrupted Zendikon
Soul Stair Expedition
Mindles Null
Disfigure
Heartstabber Mosquito

Red
Pyromancer Ascension
2 Skitter of Lizards
Spire Barage
Magma Rift
Molten Ravager
Shatterskull Giant
2 Cosi's Ravager
Torchslinger
Bladetusk Boar
Plated Geopede

Green
Timbermaw Larva
Relic Crush
Nature's Claim
Leatherback Baloth
Gnarlid Pack
Arbor Elf
Snapping Creeper
Grappler Spider
2 Slingbow Trap
Oran-Rief Recluse
Khalni-Heart Expedition
Baloth Cage Trap
Oran-Rief Survivalist
Nature's Claim
Graypelt Hunter

Land
Sejiri Refuge
Aride Mesa
Quicksand
Halimar Depths
Greypelt Refuge
Khalni Garden
Bojuka Bog
Piranha Marsh

Artifact
Amulet of Vigor
Expedition Map
Explorer's Scope
Kitesail
Pilgrim's Eye


Evaluating the bombs
Normally when opening a sealed pool, I start by figuring out which, if any, of my cards are truly "bombs." That is, which of these cards will create an amazing board presence for me, and will reliably help me win any game in which it's cast? Sadly, this pool was a little short on bombs. Abyssal Persecutor is a face-smashing machine, but there was no way I was going to be able to play him and remove him with any consistency. Pyromancer's Ascension is worthless, as there is no way you can open a bunch of the same, good instants and sorceries. Since Amulet of Vigor, Jwar Shapeshifter, and Mindbreak Trap were all equally worthless, I pretty much had to rely on the power of my commons and uncommons to get there every game.

Almost bombs
So what are we left to win with? Well, quite a bit actually. Fliers are worth almost any premium cost associated with them, and here we have some very strong options. Lightkeeper of Emeria is a really strong card, bringing the beats overhead while boosting your life total. Blue also gives us the very powerful Windrider Eel, cheap beats in Horizon Drake, and the surprisingly fast Wind Zendikon. While Bladetusk Boar isn't much of a flier, the intimidate ability means he can start smashing most decks within a relatively short amount of time.

Black, since I'm missing most relevant vampires, lacks much of a bite (har har har). Green presents another interesting conundrum: The meat is there, but not in a form that is easy to cast unless we dedicate ourselves to playing forests in abundance. Timbermaw Larva hits hard, but only if you have lots of trees. Leatherback Baloth is a huge body for a reasonable cost, but it's a very specific cost that makes it very difficult to cast.

At this point, it looks like we're going to have to go with some combination of red, blue, or white.

The Rest
So, now that we've anaylized our win conditions, our next step will be to analyze each color's abillity to remove threats, fix mana, and the strength of utility cards.

Tune into the next installment, where I'll do just that, and show you guys the final forty I decided on. Thanks for reading!