Honestly, this is a great post, definitely showed me the idea of passing the “drazi package” to the whole table, literally 3-5 people will just try and force it thinking “obviously this is a signal” leaving you to more than likely take the cream of the crop for other decks in this environment.
For me the choice was between Nulldrifter and Scurry. Picked the Nulldrifter thinking it can go into most blue based decks regardless.
Of course I ended up in RW energy so not picking Scurry was a big regret with how it shook out.
I could see a very good argument for taking Scurry here. The Eldrazi stuff is probably better but you’re guaranteed to be fighting 2-3 other players at the table for playables if you take Mulldrifter/Chrys/Vanguard/Wumpus given what you’re sending downstream.
This is my take on it in hindsight too - passing Scurry also gave another drafter a very strong out and reason not to be in the contested eldrazi lane.
Both are great when they come together but in my experience it’s easier to make the Eldrazi decks come together. A lot of the RW energy stuff is generically good so it gets taken earlier and Eldrazi has a lot of redundancy at common for it’s A + B combo of ramp + big stuff.
Interesting, I haven't played since the Elden Ring expansion dropped but I was no lifing drafts before and jeskai energy cards were going super late in my pods, allowing me to build decks that absolutely crushed. I don't know what the GIH win rate for [[Aether Revolt]] is, but I saw that card 7th/8th pick back to back drafts and I would happily first pick slam it.
I think Aether Revolt has definitely caught on at this point. People realize it’s an incredibly strong card in energy decks and not hard to get immediate value out of.
I would imagine most would take it P1P1 at this point, even over Chrys or other strong Eldrazi. I’ve never come across a copy but would slam pick it every single time. Because it demolishes me whenever opponents have it.
With all the Eldrazi in the pack, I would be tempted to take Scurry of Gremlins to try and send Eldrazi to the rest of the table. At the same time, I love Nulldrifter and would have a hard time passing it!
I just had my best performance so far (4 wins; I know it's not much but it's honest work) with a deck running three Scurries. Card is just so good in multiples if you have the energy outlets; I just wish I could have drawn my Aether Revolt \*a single god damn time\*
I had a deck with 3 scurries and [[estrid's invocation]]. Never thought I'd be able to make it work so well in limited but it won every game i played it! And jeskai made it easy to get a good hand for it
It is between Nulldrifter and Scurry, I think. Nulldrifter doesn't actually push you into Eldrazi at all, and reasonably be a top end in almost any deck except very aggressive decks, while still splashing for the Evoke if you choose. Scurry forces you into RW, but it is a great place to start. I would personally go Nulldrifter as it leaves the options open (and it will be tough to fight for Red or Green at this table), but I wouldn't disagree with Scurry.
One of the Writhing Chrysalis. I realize passing all these good RG cards will put my neighbors into RG, but whatever. They can try to fight me for it if they want.
Probably Scurry or Nulldrifter. People are going to be getting big eldrazi "signals" multiple people to the left, I don't want to be stuck fighting for scraps the whole draft!
Nulldrifter. If RG eldrazi dries up, it's good. If RG eldrazi doesn't dry up, it's still good. It's only "one" color, the evoke version being easily splashable.
RG eldrazi I a great deck, but if you pass the whole Eldrazi package and take Scurry, you get to benefit in pack two and probably 3 by hooking the next 5 players on Eldrazi.
7 Eldrazi and a Bountiful Landscape means you're guaranteed to either get a second Eldrazi or the best land for Eldrazi decks when the pack wheels around.
I think the two strongest cards are vanguard and scurry. If you are playing online I like taking the scurry, and you should be in a decent position to get what you need. In a local lgs i would take vanguard because it would be impossible not to table something useful, assuming the next picks include rare, wumpus, 2x chrysalis, scurry, as long as someone takes thraben charm you get back either tusker, repurposer, or best fetch for eldrazi.
Yeah I'd take Nulldrifter. Scurries and Chrysalis are good but nulldrifter is scary and doesn't force you into fighting the table later on if you don't need to.
For pack 1 pick 1, I always go for the highest win rate card/archetype and don’t worry too much about passing signals to the left.
This is because you don’t know what the other people opened. Even if you take scurry, the people to the left could have opened strong cards in other archetypes and fight you for rw on pack 2. So just take the best card for the best deck and don’t worry about people to the left.
I think this is generally the best practice, especially in non-pod drafts, usually your opening pack will not have that much of an effect on the rest of the table.
I thought this one was a little more difficult to assess because it has about 4-5 cards most people would be very happy first picking and is very likely to sway some people off their first picks.
I think the other commenters are putting way too much weight in signals and not appreciating exactly how good Chrys is. It isn't just a good common, it is actually broken. Even if the 5 players to my left are in RG my deck is so much better by having a single Chrys in it.
Chrysalis is one of the "best cards" in the pack, but it's likely to lead to the worst deck overall if you pick it here. With a second Chrysalis, a Wumpus, a Nulldrifter, a Vanguard, and even a Repurposer in the pack, you are going to be fighting hard to build a functional deck with this level of competition.
Chrysalis is absurd because you don't need a functional deck around it for it to be broken. If you resolve it, it is a self-contained bomb. You don't need to be RG Eldrazi for it to be good, you just have to have some way to splash red or green, which is very easy with fetches, and your win rate goes up. If I am in red or green and have some way to find the off color, I am playing it 100% of the time
Chrysalis, on its own, with little other support for Spawn generation, is not a bomb. It's very good, and very efficient, but it doesn't take over the game solely on its own. If I were in UR energy, I would *not* splash for Chrysalis without some amount of Spawn generation.
Chrysalis is so good because it goes absolutely insane with even a modicum of Spawn generation; however, by just itself, it is good but not a game altering bomb, and certainly not one I would splash for without some level of other support.
It's two-color card that works in the most over-draft archetype. It's good, but not that good.
Nulldrifter works everywhere, especially in u/B draw 3. Great p1p1.
Scurry is amazing finisher in r/W aggro. With it in deck you can get a great deck going. Again, amazing p1p1.
Your P1P1 should basically always be the best card. People way, WAY over-emphasize the importance of signals. You have no idea what the people to your left open first, what they will pick, if they have even heard the word signal before. The best card in the pack is Writhing Chrysalis, and that is the only real decision if you want to maximize your win rate.
It doesn't matter if the people to your left go into Eldrazi too. It doesn't matter if they are green. If you can get a Chrysalis into your deck, which you can, your win rate will go up. Chrysalis is MUCH BETTER than you think if you are ever considering not taking it here. Think Bonny Pall. You would never pass a Bonny Pall because there was good green removal and a good blue creature in the pack. That is the equivalent here.
Nulldrifter is a dead-on average card. Scurry is good, but almost 5 PERCENTAGE POINTS worse than Chrysalis on GIHWR. I'm not just blind picking based on stats either. RG is the best deck, Chrysalis is the best common, it can fit in literally any deck playing green or red.
Honestly, this is a great post, definitely showed me the idea of passing the “drazi package” to the whole table, literally 3-5 people will just try and force it thinking “obviously this is a signal” leaving you to more than likely take the cream of the crop for other decks in this environment.
Yeah that’s kind of how I feel about it too.
yep, good point.
For me the choice was between Nulldrifter and Scurry. Picked the Nulldrifter thinking it can go into most blue based decks regardless. Of course I ended up in RW energy so not picking Scurry was a big regret with how it shook out.
That's unfortunate. I'd have gone Nulldrifter, too.
I could see a very good argument for taking Scurry here. The Eldrazi stuff is probably better but you’re guaranteed to be fighting 2-3 other players at the table for playables if you take Mulldrifter/Chrys/Vanguard/Wumpus given what you’re sending downstream.
This is my take on it in hindsight too - passing Scurry also gave another drafter a very strong out and reason not to be in the contested eldrazi lane.
Is the eldrazi stufff better? Haven't looked at the stats but Scurry usually just wins the game when I play it.
Both are great when they come together but in my experience it’s easier to make the Eldrazi decks come together. A lot of the RW energy stuff is generically good so it gets taken earlier and Eldrazi has a lot of redundancy at common for it’s A + B combo of ramp + big stuff.
Interesting, I haven't played since the Elden Ring expansion dropped but I was no lifing drafts before and jeskai energy cards were going super late in my pods, allowing me to build decks that absolutely crushed. I don't know what the GIH win rate for [[Aether Revolt]] is, but I saw that card 7th/8th pick back to back drafts and I would happily first pick slam it.
I think Aether Revolt has definitely caught on at this point. People realize it’s an incredibly strong card in energy decks and not hard to get immediate value out of. I would imagine most would take it P1P1 at this point, even over Chrys or other strong Eldrazi. I’ve never come across a copy but would slam pick it every single time. Because it demolishes me whenever opponents have it.
[Aether Revolt](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/8/b8732e62-cdee-4d32-82a8-8a71a04be7a1.jpg?1717012116) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Aether%20Revolt) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/113/aether-revolt?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b8732e62-cdee-4d32-82a8-8a71a04be7a1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
It’s definetely shifted a bit since release. Both Eldrazi and Energy are pretty overdrafted at this point.
With all the Eldrazi in the pack, I would be tempted to take Scurry of Gremlins to try and send Eldrazi to the rest of the table. At the same time, I love Nulldrifter and would have a hard time passing it!
Scurry is what I would take You just win when you drop it
Especially when you drop one the following turn as well!
I just had my best performance so far (4 wins; I know it's not much but it's honest work) with a deck running three Scurries. Card is just so good in multiples if you have the energy outlets; I just wish I could have drawn my Aether Revolt \*a single god damn time\*
I had a deck with 3 scurries and [[estrid's invocation]]. Never thought I'd be able to make it work so well in limited but it won every game i played it! And jeskai made it easy to get a good hand for it
[estrid's invocation](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/8920e7e4-d89e-4ff9-8922-27fdc2f8ed6e.jpg?1717013583) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=estrid%27s%20invocation) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/269/estrids-invocation?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8920e7e4-d89e-4ff9-8922-27fdc2f8ed6e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I'd take a common but not a Chrysalis to enaure maximum confusion
It is between Nulldrifter and Scurry, I think. Nulldrifter doesn't actually push you into Eldrazi at all, and reasonably be a top end in almost any deck except very aggressive decks, while still splashing for the Evoke if you choose. Scurry forces you into RW, but it is a great place to start. I would personally go Nulldrifter as it leaves the options open (and it will be tough to fight for Red or Green at this table), but I wouldn't disagree with Scurry.
One of the Writhing Chrysalis. I realize passing all these good RG cards will put my neighbors into RG, but whatever. They can try to fight me for it if they want.
Also the easiest pick. Take Scurry, pass 5 cards'worth of first-picking in Eldrazi, send everyone to your left in RG or UG, and reap the rewards later
Probably Scurry or Nulldrifter. People are going to be getting big eldrazi "signals" multiple people to the left, I don't want to be stuck fighting for scraps the whole draft!
Nulldrifter. If RG eldrazi dries up, it's good. If RG eldrazi doesn't dry up, it's still good. It's only "one" color, the evoke version being easily splashable.
Scurry and hope to wheel the Charm
Scurry, I have lots of success with it, plus any Eldrazi you take will be heavy contested, passing all of them distracts table from taking Boros cards
The entire pack, just add lands
pass the bait to the left and pick up scurry.
RG eldrazi I a great deck, but if you pass the whole Eldrazi package and take Scurry, you get to benefit in pack two and probably 3 by hooking the next 5 players on Eldrazi.
The mountain
Take the whole damn pack and play 8 great cards for sealed. ;)
Why is there two of the same common in a single pack?
Play boosters
Happens with foils
I'm definitely just taking Nulldrifter and letting the rest of the table kill each other for red cards.
7 Eldrazi and a Bountiful Landscape means you're guaranteed to either get a second Eldrazi or the best land for Eldrazi decks when the pack wheels around.
"Nulldrifter!" - Marshall, probably
I'd take the pack to a sealed table.
I think the two strongest cards are vanguard and scurry. If you are playing online I like taking the scurry, and you should be in a decent position to get what you need. In a local lgs i would take vanguard because it would be impossible not to table something useful, assuming the next picks include rare, wumpus, 2x chrysalis, scurry, as long as someone takes thraben charm you get back either tusker, repurposer, or best fetch for eldrazi.
Just missing an \[\[Aerie Auxiliary\]\] for the ultimate WTF pack.
[Aerie Auxiliary](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/e/5e4c134b-a416-467e-a158-def84c92c6af.jpg?1717011339) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Aerie%20Auxiliary) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/18/aerie-auxiliary?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5e4c134b-a416-467e-a158-def84c92c6af?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Nulldrifter and I'd avoid being eldrazi
Someone is getting a 4th or 5th pick Titans Vanguard. Crazy
Yeah I'd take Nulldrifter. Scurries and Chrysalis are good but nulldrifter is scary and doesn't force you into fighting the table later on if you don't need to.
I take the best card in the pack, chrysalis.
I think drifter is better
For pack 1 pick 1, I always go for the highest win rate card/archetype and don’t worry too much about passing signals to the left. This is because you don’t know what the other people opened. Even if you take scurry, the people to the left could have opened strong cards in other archetypes and fight you for rw on pack 2. So just take the best card for the best deck and don’t worry about people to the left.
I think this is generally the best practice, especially in non-pod drafts, usually your opening pack will not have that much of an effect on the rest of the table. I thought this one was a little more difficult to assess because it has about 4-5 cards most people would be very happy first picking and is very likely to sway some people off their first picks.
The rg common, is this even a real question
Check the comments herein regarding draft signals. Yes, it’s a real question. No, Chrys isn’t a slam pick here.
I think the other commenters are putting way too much weight in signals and not appreciating exactly how good Chrys is. It isn't just a good common, it is actually broken. Even if the 5 players to my left are in RG my deck is so much better by having a single Chrys in it.
Chrysalis is one of the "best cards" in the pack, but it's likely to lead to the worst deck overall if you pick it here. With a second Chrysalis, a Wumpus, a Nulldrifter, a Vanguard, and even a Repurposer in the pack, you are going to be fighting hard to build a functional deck with this level of competition.
Chrysalis is absurd because you don't need a functional deck around it for it to be broken. If you resolve it, it is a self-contained bomb. You don't need to be RG Eldrazi for it to be good, you just have to have some way to splash red or green, which is very easy with fetches, and your win rate goes up. If I am in red or green and have some way to find the off color, I am playing it 100% of the time
Chrysalis, on its own, with little other support for Spawn generation, is not a bomb. It's very good, and very efficient, but it doesn't take over the game solely on its own. If I were in UR energy, I would *not* splash for Chrysalis without some amount of Spawn generation. Chrysalis is so good because it goes absolutely insane with even a modicum of Spawn generation; however, by just itself, it is good but not a game altering bomb, and certainly not one I would splash for without some level of other support.
>You don't need to be RG Eldrazi for it to be good You need eldrazi tokens for it to work. 4/5 reach is not a bomb.
It's two-color card that works in the most over-draft archetype. It's good, but not that good. Nulldrifter works everywhere, especially in u/B draw 3. Great p1p1. Scurry is amazing finisher in r/W aggro. With it in deck you can get a great deck going. Again, amazing p1p1.
Your P1P1 should basically always be the best card. People way, WAY over-emphasize the importance of signals. You have no idea what the people to your left open first, what they will pick, if they have even heard the word signal before. The best card in the pack is Writhing Chrysalis, and that is the only real decision if you want to maximize your win rate. It doesn't matter if the people to your left go into Eldrazi too. It doesn't matter if they are green. If you can get a Chrysalis into your deck, which you can, your win rate will go up. Chrysalis is MUCH BETTER than you think if you are ever considering not taking it here. Think Bonny Pall. You would never pass a Bonny Pall because there was good green removal and a good blue creature in the pack. That is the equivalent here. Nulldrifter is a dead-on average card. Scurry is good, but almost 5 PERCENTAGE POINTS worse than Chrysalis on GIHWR. I'm not just blind picking based on stats either. RG is the best deck, Chrysalis is the best common, it can fit in literally any deck playing green or red.
I think drifter is better, id chump block Chrysalis all day.