With the Vs. media in need of more Draft coverage, I took it upon myself to investigate a draft at the Sydney Games Centre. Following one James Kong through his trials and tribulations, I listed his draft card-for-card below. I tried to explain how I thought the draft unfolded, showing both his picks and the picks I would have made. Hopefully, this goes some of the way toward representing what is almost half of a tournament’s work for a Pro Circuit competitor.

Pack 1, Pick 1

Toad, Hopalong; Hellfire Club Mercenary; Scaleface; Exodus; X-Men United; Good Samaritan; Masque; Magnetic Force; Multiple Man; Spoor; The Evil Eye; The Beautiful Dreamer; Shinobi Shaw; Drain Essence

James starts his draft by opening a relatively weak pack. There are only a few above-average cards in this pack and the only candidates for a first pick are Drain Essence and Spoor. Drain Essence is the stronger card in the abstract, though it is often important to pick characters over plot twists early so that you are not forced to pick a lot of characters over what might be even better blue or green later. Really, it comes down to a matter of style, and I have no real issues with the pick even though I would have gone a different way.

James’s pick: Drain Essence
My pick: Spoor

Pack 1, Pick 2

Archangel, Angel; Chrome; The Hill; Exodus; Turnabout; Unuscione; Acolyte Body Armor; Masque; Changeling; Phase Shift; Xorn; Tarot; Bum’s Rush

This is a much stronger pack with a number of options. There are six cards up for consideration in this pack. Tarot is probably the desired 3-drop of choice when drafting Mental, but as it is more of a support card, we can leave it for now. Bum’s Rush is a key card for any Morlock-based deck, and it isn’t completely useless otherwise. Chrome is a very important card for Brotherhood reservist decks, as he is the only non-rare reservist 2-drop available. Then there is the suite of X-Men cards. Archangel is mandatory for an X-Men off-curve strategy. Xorn is a very good card that would complement our Drain Essence. Finally, Turnabout is one of the most powerful cards in the format, but it relies on a strong X-Men presence.

Had we taken Spoor from the first pack, Chrome would have been an almost automatic selection. However, having taken Drain Essence and having passed the Spoor, Chrome would only be coming in as an Energy 2-drop. Frankly, Xorn is just better as an Energy character. Bum’s Rush is a bit of a risk at this stage, as I don’t think you really want to diversify your blue yet without any characters to anchor them. Archangel is also a little too risky right now, as we should wait and see how the table takes to off-curve before we decide to take the plunge. I think the pick is between Xorn, who complements our first pick, and Turnabout.

Obviously, there is something of a contradiction here, as if we take one and pass the other, we will be encouraging another potential X-Men drafter down the line. Still, I think Xorn is the right pick. I would rather have the characters and pass the blue, especially when I am in front of the person taking Turnabout, so that I have more control over that player than he or she does over me. Kongy took Turnabout, which is not terrible by any means, but I think the results of this draft show how risky (and difficult) that pick was. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

James’s pick: Turnabout
My pick: Xorn

Pack 1, Pick 3

Shinobi Shaw; Julia Carpenter; Magnetic Force; Memory Probe; Hemingway; Turnabout; Absorbing Man; Kill the Flatscans; Nightcrawler, Swashbuckler; Witch Woman; Viper; Donald Pierce

Even in the abstract, there are only two cards you would be happy taking third pick here: Viper and Turnabout. The other cards are just nowhere near as powerful. Given our picks so far, Turnabout is clearly the choice, so we ship the Viper to the same happy camper who probably snapped up Archangel. Oh well. Having picked Turnabout earlier, we have incredibly strong support cards, but we are going to need characters really soon or we could be in trouble.

James’s pick: Turnabout
My pick: Turnabout

Pack 1, Pick 4

Mutopia; The Hellfire Club; Selene; Alter Density; Blob, Freedom Force; ; Colossus, Acolyte; Cyclops, Blue Leader; Kill the Flatscans; Phase Shift; Eminent Domain

There are a lot of staple cards in this pack for many different archetypes. Colossus and Alter Density are both optimal reservist cards, and The Hellfire Club is a must for the best decks based in that team. That said, our pick is clearly Cyclops; while a little underpowered for what we would like at fourth pick, he slots perfectly into the pile we already have. There really aren’t any cards to tempt us to go elsewhere.

James’s pick: Cyclops
My pick: Cyclops

Pack 1, Pick 5

Sovereign Superior; Rebirth; Sentinel Mark VI; Exodus; The Hill; Evil Alliance; Empath; Beast, Feline Geneticist; Destiny, Freedom Force; Eminent Domain

Destiny, Empath, and Mark VI could all be solid picks, but again we have a clear pick in Beast. Beast is one of the best 3-drops in the format at 5 ATK / 5 DEF, and his ability is more than useful. Our double Turnabout makes us a bit more of an X-Men deck than an Energy deck at this stage, and Beast is one of the best targets for it, as he can pump out of stun range of a 7 ATK 4-drop.

James’s pick: Beast
My pick: Beast

Pack 1, Pick 6

X-Corp: Paris; Blob, Freedom Force; Evil Alliance; Destiny, Freedom Force; ; Hellhound; Rebirth; Sentinel Mark VI; James Proudstar ◊ Thunderbird, Hellion

Well, the Destiny is the best card in the pack, but it doesn’t really gel with what we already have. Our other options are Sub-Mariner, who is a bit sub-optimal (heh) here because we already have a 5-drop and don’t really need the pick yet, or Sentinel Mark VI. The Mark VI is the safe pick, but I think Destiny is the better one. We really only have the Drain Essence tying us into Energy, and at this stage, we are likely to have at least an option of a trait Team-Up somewhere down the line if we prioritize it. Sentinel Mark VI is a fine character, but he doesn’t really add anything more to the deck than Destiny does. Having already passed Destiny and Empath, we could be getting ourselves into a bit of a mess. But overall, Destiny just gives us more winning chances, and I think 2-drops are a much more important slot to tie up than 4-drops, which tend to be more common in this set. James went with Sentinel Mark VI.
 
James’s pick: Sentinel Mark VI
My pick: Destiny

Pack 1, Pick 7

The Hill; Crimson Commando; Blob; Evil Alliance; X-Corp: Paris; Mindtap Mechanism; Ape, Metamorph; Genis-Vell ◊ Photon

I am not a big fan of Crimson Commando, but it is a definite contender here if only because we don’t have any 2-drops yet. Genis-Vell is also a good 6-drop, but it’s probably not worth considering this early on. After picking the Sentinel Mark VI, we have sort of declared an intention to play a straight-up curve deck, and there aren’t many 7-drops that are better than Ape if you can support his Energy discard. James seems to have locked himself into Energy with his first-pick Drain Essence, so Ape is the natural pick for him here.

James’s pick: Ape
My pick: Ape

Pack 1, Pick 8

Lady Lark, Skylark; Emma Frost, White Queen; The Hill; Freedom Force; Tommy; Mental Domination; Kill the Flatscans

This is an awkward pack in that the cards are more dependent on archetypes than they are strong in their own right. Freedom Force is a highly underrated card. Emma Frost is one of the better 7-drops in the set. Tommy is a staple in a Morlocks evasion deck. Mental Domination is one of the big payoff cards for anyone going Mental. I think that at this stage, I would just suck it up and take Mental Domination, but I would definitely have taken Destiny so I would have some sort of reasoning for this. It seems that Mental is slightly underappreciated so far, and it’s not like we are getting great picks otherwise. James takes Tommy, which I can also understand. Tommy is a key character for Morlocks decks, and James conceded later that he was looking for a second team and had decided to move here. In hindsight, he would probably have wanted to be Brotherhood, but as I mentioned above, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

James’s pick: Tommy
My pick: Mental Domination

Pack 1, Pick 9

Toad, Hellfire Club Mercenary, Masque, Magnetic Force, Multiple Man, Shinobi Shaw

If you have a great memory, you may be able to determine what is now missing from James’s original pack. This is beyond most players when they are sitting at the Draft table, but as the purpose of this article is instructive, let’s cheat somewhat and see what is missing.

Scaleface, Exodus, X-Men United, Good Samaritan, Spoor, The Evil Eye, and The Beautiful Dreamer are the cards that were taken from this pack after James took Drain Essence. If you had trained yourself to obtain this sort of information, you would have learned a few things that are important. Firstly, Morlocks seems to have a few fans, making James’s efforts to nab them as his second team a bit of a struggle. Secondly, the off-curve plans made open by this pack weren’t really taken up. People picked Exodus and Scaleface over Hellfire Club Mercenary and Toad. Whether James can do anything about this now is unlikely, particularly with no 2-drops. Finally, The Evil Eye was taken quite highly, signaling another dedicated Energy drafter and making the Magnetic Force in this pack less appealing.

This sort of information is just hunches right now, but if you can train yourself to do this over time, you will find that the wheels of the first pack can yield an enormous amount of information for you to use. What we want to do is look for possible links across the wheels from the next couple of packs to see if there are any common themes. This is very advanced and extremely difficult to do while sitting at the table, but it is far from impossible.

Anyway, getting back to the pick, James decides on Magnetic Force. This further ties him to Energy without the characters to back it up, but there isn’t much else he can do with the pack. It does suit the projected deck he is trying to build, but it will force his hand in later packs.

James’s pick: Magnetic Force
My pick: Magnetic Force

Pack 1, Pick 10

The Hill, Exodus, Acolyte Body Armor, Changeling, Phase Shift

It is only relevant to know what has been taken in comparison to what is left in the pack. As this pack is a bit dry, we should only be surprised by the fact that Masque and Unuscione were taken over Acolyte Body Armor and Phase Shift. This could confirm our fears that an Energy deck and a few too many Morlocks decks are lurking at the table.

As for the pick, it is too early to take another 7-drop, even if we had taken the other Mental cards earlier. Really, it comes down to Phase Shift against Acolyte Body Armor, as Changeling is never going to be good in our deck. Given the defensive nature of James’s deck and the fact that we have Beast, I think there is enough evidence to go for Acolyte Body Armor.

James’s pick: Acolyte Body Armor
My pick: Acolyte Body Armor

Pack 1, Pick 11

Hemingway, Witch Woman, Absorbing Man, Memory Probe

There’s really no information to gain here except that there probably isn’t a dedicated Mental drafter yet. Absorbing Man could work, particularly if we have Feral or Sunder in the deck, but Witch Woman is easier for our deck to make good and is a potentially juicy target for the Body Armor. At this stage, it’s just scraps anyway.

James’s pick: Witch Woman
My pick: Witch Woman

Pack 1, Pick 12

Colossus, Acolyte; Selene; Kill the Flatscans

If we go back to the first pick from this pack, we can see that a reservist drafter may have been more interested in the Alter Density than the Colossus. James picks Colossus here, admitting that it is a defensive pick; however, I think Selene deserves more attention. She is not very strong, but without a 6-drop at all at this stage, an Energy 6-drop might not go astray. Still, as this deck plans to go to turn 7, if we gift someone with a Colossus from a pack we don’t really care about, it could come back to haunt us.

James’s pick: Colossus
My pick: Colossus

Pack 1, Pick 13

The Hill, Eminent Domain

Pick: The Hill

Pack 1, Pick 14

Pick: Eminent Domain

Pack 2, Pick 1

Plague; Lockheed; Hemingway; Planet X; Selene; Mysterium; X-Treme Maneuver; Witch Woman; Above and Below; Xorn; Tarot; Bum’s Rush; Storm, Leader of the Morlocks; Cardinal Law

This is a very solid pack, but unfortunately, it doesn’t offer that much to James. Planet X is amazing, but he can’t really afford to go into Brotherhood anymore (particularly off of a plot twist). Bum’s Rush is tempting, given that Kongy has decided to push for Morlocks. Really, however, I think the pick comes down to Plague or Xorn.

Plague is a fine character, but I think Xorn is better for James’s deck. It is another perfect character for Turnabout, and any Energy X-Men character is going to be necessary to hold his deck together. James thinks the same thing.

James’s pick: Xorn
My pick: Xorn

Pack 2, Pick 2

Healer; Homo Superior; Psylocke; Blow the Man Down; Neutralized; Tar Baby; District X; Unuscione; Catseye; Archangel, Angel; Image Inducer; Scaleface; Exodus

This pack is another solid one without any real standouts. Image Inducer is very good, and because James is lacking in Team-Ups at this point but has a Beast, it could be the way to go. Homo Superior is an adequate pump. Archangel would be fantastic if Kongy were off-curve, but it is pretty much a blank for the requirements of his deck right now. Healer is an Energy character in a team he wants. Neutralized could even make the deck at a stretch.

Still, at this stage, it would seem that he wants to take characters. Unuscione could be really good for this deck and its developing Energy focus, and he is probably the best target for Acolyte Body Armor in the set. Tar Baby is a character he sorely needs—a quality drop in the slot he needs filled. I would probably go with Tar Baby, but James takes with District X because he is worried he doesn’t have enough Energy guys to take advantage of his plot twists. He said that he didn’t like taking it this early, but that he was really worried about his deck coming together at this stage.

James’s pick: District X
My pick: Tar Baby

Pack 2, Pick 3

Morlock Justice; The Beautiful Dreamer; Scanner; Kill or Be Killed; Exodus; The Acolytes; Pyro, Freedom Force; Friedrich Von Roehm; Raising Hell; Storm, Leader of the Morlocks; The Alley; X-Men United

Well, someone is definitely going to get a gift with The Acolytes still in the pack. Unfortunately, James has more pressing concerns. Really, his potential picks here boil down to X-Men United, Friedrich Von Roehm, and The Beautiful Dreamer. He is still short on characters, so he ends up going with The Beautiful Dreamer.

My pick: The Beautiful Dreamer
James’s pick: The Beautiful Dreamer

Pack 2, Pick 4

Toxin; Hellhound; Archangel; Mutopia; The Hellfire Club; Scaleface; Marrow; Mind Control; Silver Sabre; Sebastian Shaw; Mystique, Freedom Force

James’s deck is feeling a bit awkward at the moment and the packs aren’t really doing him many favors. Really, there isn’t a pick here besides Marrow, who is not only a decent 5-drop, but also a Morlock that will firm up James’s second team. Still, it doesn’t really add much to the power of the deck; it only plugs a few holes in what James will later admit was feeling like a sinking ship.

James’s pick: Marrow
My pick: Marrow

Pack 2, Pick 5

Multiple Man; Shinobi Shaw; Kill the Flatscans; Wundagore Citadel; Freedom Force; Nightcrawler, Swashbuckler; Plague; Bevatron; Go Down Fighting; Witch Woman

James again eschews Plague for Nightcrawler. I am almost positive this is a mistake, if only because he still has yet to pick up any 2-drops. The rest of the pack offers very little, but going for his fourth 3-drop before his first 2-drop seems very risky. Nightcrawler is an Energy X-Men character, but I think that with District X and only two real Energy-dependent cards, this isn’t as big a deal as Kongy thinks it is. Sure, he needs X-Men for Turnabout, but he needs 2-drops just as badly.

James’s pick: Nightcrawler
My pick: Plague

Pack 2, Pick 6

Cybelle, Courtney Ross, Massachusetts Academy, Hump, Rebirth, Pack Tactics, Donald Pierce, Hellfire Club Initiate, X-Corp: Amsterdam

The X-Corp: Amsterdam is tempting, as then James will only need one Team-Up, but it must be disheartening to watch Hump go by at this stage. Unfortunately, there is no way Hump can squeeze into his deck. Kongy doesn’t have much to work with here, and his pick of Cybelle gives him a third decent 5-drop for his deck. He really cannot afford to be tempted by plot twists now.

James’s pick: Cybelle
My pick: Cybelle

Pack 2, Pick 7

Julia Carpenter; Hellhound; Stonewall; Memory Probe; Crimson Commando; The Evil Eye; Wolverine, The Best at What He Does; Hellfire Club Initiate

Well, the Freedom Force characters keep on pouring through, and The Evil Eye is in the pack, too. Wolverine this late is a blow because Kongy has already secured three 5-drops and must fill out the rest of his curve. This is what he does by finally getting a 2-drop into his deck in the form of Crimson Commando.

James’s pick: Crimson Commando
My pick: Crimson Commando

Pack 2, Pick 8

Scaleface; X-Corp: Amsterdam; Bum’s Rush; Bloodhound; Magnetic Force; Magneto, Black Lord; Leadership Challenge

It seems as though the Morlock drafters we assumed were hogging pack 1 are to Kongy’s immediate right, as this pack offers no other skill-based explanation. Without 6-drops, there is a case to take Magneto here, but Kongy believes (rightly) that he will see more 6-drops later on and doesn’t think Magneto is that good outside of a Hellfire deck anyway. The second Magnetic Force is probably overkill, and X-Corp: Amsterdam is nowhere near as good as the pump at this stage.

James’s pick: Bum’s Rush
My pick: Bum’s Rush

Pack 2, Pick 9

Above and Below, Selene, Hemingway, Cardinal Law, Mysterium, Witch Woman

There’s not much else to concern himself with here, so James grabs the Team-Up so that no one else can.

James’s pick: Above and Below
My pick: Above and Below

Pack 2, Pick 10

Homo Superior, Archangel, Scaleface, Catseye, Blow the Man Down

This is a surprisingly strong pack at this stage of the draft. Although I have professed a love for Archangel, he gives nothing to Kongy’s deck here. As his deck is defensive, Scaleface is probably too much, as well. Really, the pick is between Homo Superior and Blow the Man Down. Kongy believes it is Blow the Man Down without question, but I would certainly have picked Homo Superior here for some insurance on my attacks.

James’s pick: Blow the Man Down
My pick: Homo Superior

Pack 2, Pick 11

The Alley, Morlock Justice, Exodus, Raising Hell

It’s an interesting choice between The Alley and Morlock Justice. I was sure the pick was Morlock Justice, but Kongy went with The Alley, stating that the protection against KO effects was useful. I don’t agree because I think Morlock Justice a much more relevant card. At least this pack is a further indication that if you ever need Exodus in your deck, you will get one!

James’s pick: The Alley
My pick: Morlock Justice

Pack 2, Pick 12

The Hellfire Club, Mind Control, Hellhound

Kongy thought the location was more dangerous than Mind Control.

Pack 2, Pick 13

Wundagore Citadel, Kill the Flatscans

Pick: Wundagore Citadel

Pack 2, Pick 14

Pick: Hellfire Club Initiate

Pack 3, Pick 1

Tar Baby; Rem-Ram; Krakoa; Lying in Wait; Piper; Leech; Roberta Da Costa; Beast; Bloodhound; Harry Leland; Mastermind; Psylocke, Armored Empath; Kidney Punch

This is a very strong pack with a number of viable picks. James is still looking to fill out his curve, so this pick will have to be a character, which means we will be ignoring some very good non-character cards. Given that he already has four 3-drops, it looks like the pick is between Tar Baby, Leech, Psylocke, and Roberta Da Costa. Kongy expresses a preference for getting another 2-drop as early as possible in this pack and I agree, but not on which one. James goes for Leech, citing its Energy trait, whereas again I think the raw power of Tar Baby is just that much better, particularly with District X in the deck.

James’s pick: Leech
My pick: Tar Baby

Pack 3, Pick 2

Tar Baby; Storm, Gold Leader; Rem-Ram; Feral; Wundagore Citadel; Hellhound; Krakoa; Stonewall; Harry’s Hideaway; Psychic Armor; Senyaka; Marrow; Magneto

Again, there are a number of strong picks, and again, cards like Harry’s Hideaway and Psychic Armor need to be ignored for the pressing character concerns. As Kongy is relatively happy with his 3-drops and 5-drops, at least to the point where other priorities come first, the pick comes down to Feral versus Tar Baby. Feral is amazing, but really only when it is played as a pseudo 5-drop by paying the resource point to be hidden on turn 5. For this reason, a third 2-drop makes sense, and by now you probably know how much I love Tar Baby.
 
James’s pick: Tar Baby
My pick: Tar Baby

Pack 3, Pick 3

Healer; Memory Probe; Hemingway; Crimson Commando; The Evil Eye; Lockheed; Turnabout; Genis-Vell ◊ Photon; Julia Carpenter; Donald Pierce; Wolverine, The Best at What He Does; Mindtap Mechanism

I have no idea what Kongy is doing here, but he picks Healer. At this stage, I don’t like the deck we have, but I feel as though the 3-drop situation is as good as it is going to get. I would definitely have picked Turnabout from this pack. Really, we are only looking to shore up our 6-drops, grab a few 4-drops, and find another 2-drop to have a passable deck. Right now, the entire strength of our deck comes from the early Turnabouts we picked. As I will explain later, sticking to them so strongly probably ruined James’s deck, or at least made it worse than he wanted it to be. Still, once we had ventured down that path, I think the only thing to do was to follow it through.

James’s pick: Healer
My pick: Turnabout

Pack 3, Pick 4

Psi-Link; Rebirth; Senyaka; Empath; Hellhound; Mystique, Freedom Force; Sovereign Superior; Beast, Feline Geneticist; Caliban; Hemingway; Iceman, Deep Freeze

Given the state of the deck, we are on the lookout for 6-drops, 4-drops, and a 2-drop. The only viable options are Iceman and Empath. Iceman is a much better card in Kongy’s deck, so he makes an easy pick.

James’s pick: Iceman
My pick: Iceman

Pack 3, Pick 5

Longshot, Hero of Mojoworld; Havok, Critical Mass; X-Corp: Paris; Absolute Power; Colossus; Bevatron; Sunder; Rogue, Anna Marie; Immovable; Anne-Marie Cortez

With only one 7-drop, Rogue could be a possibility, but we can always play the Colossus we have in a pinch. Following the logic of the above picks, Longshot and Havok are our options. Both cards are filler, but Havok is much better filler than Longshot, and his Energy status suits our deck more.

James’s pick: Havok
My pick: Havok

Pack 3, Pick 6

Hemingway; Selene; Electric Eve; Blow Hard; Psi-Link; Dazzler, Rock Star; Cyclops; Annalee; Harry’s Hideaway

Again, Kongy’s deck dictates that he pick up Dazzler, which gives him an Energy character and an X-Men character. However, having to let Annalee and Harry’s Hideaway go stings.

James’s pick: Dazzler
My pick: Dazzler

Pack 3, Pick 7

Raising Hell, The Hill, Mystique, Callisto, Witch Woman, Cyclops, Inner Circle,

Although probably not at the panic stage yet, Kongy decides enough is enough and picks up Callisto, a very good 6-drop who isn’t a terrible 7-drop either. The only competition is Phase Shift, which I think his deck might need more, but it’s a very tight call.

James’s pick: Callisto
My pick: Phase Shift

Pack 3, Pick 8

X-Men United; Raising Hell; X-Treme Maneuver; Rogue, Anna Marie; Colossus; Genis-Vell; Gargantua

X-Men United is a great card, and Kongy agrees. He picks up his second Team-Up over a Rogue that would have made his deck. James probably sees one 7-drop as enough in this format, or perhaps he is willing to rely on the Colossus he defensively drafted earlier if he doesn’t see any more 7-drops.

James’s pick: X-Men United
My pick: X-Men United

Pack 3, Pick 9

Mastermind; Psylocke, Armored Empath; Rem-Ram; Krakoa; Lying in Wait; Bloodhound

This is what the third pack can devolve into when everyone’s card requirements are so specific. Fortunately for Kongy, he grabs the last 4-drop he needs to round out his deck. He’s also going to make someone else very happy down the line.

James’s pick: Psylocke
My pick: Psylocke

Pack 3, Pick 10

Storm, Gold Leader; Krakoa; Hellhound; Wundagore Citadel; Stonewall

James decides to take Storm here, which is a card I like. However, I think that he needs the extra 7-drop more and should take the Krakoa, who can get District X for the Drain Essence or Magnetic Force on the final turn. An interesting choice.

James’s pick: Storm
My pick: Krakoa

Pack 3, Pick 11

Lockheed, Memory Probe, Hemingway, Donald Pierce

This is an easy pick for an X-Men deck stocked with Energy characters. It is sort of strange that it came so far around.

James’s pick: Lockheed
My pick: Lockheed

Pack 3, Pick 12

Hemingway, Hellhound, Sovereign Superior

James chooses to deprive someone else of the search card, even when he might be better off taking the 7-drop.

James’s pick: Sovereign Superior
My pick: Hemingway

Pack 3, Pick 13

Rogue, Anna Marie; Immovable

Huh? Two great cards come around second-to-last pick? Geez. Clearly, Rogue is a great fit for Kongy’s deck, and a lucky one at that. Hopefully, he isn’t sending the Immovable to someone who can use it.

James’s pick: Rogue
My pick: Rogue

Pack 3, Pick 14

Pick: Selene

This is the deck James ended up with:

Kongy ended up losing his first match when his opponent was able to reduce him to exactly 0 on turn 6, even after Iceman gained Kongy 6 endurance with Drain Essence. In his second game, Kongy was blown away by a third turn Turnabout and power-up on a Xorn that Psylocke couldn’t deal with (as Turnabout can be played before combat is legal). Then, he was locked out of his initiative by an Iceman and an X-Treme Maneuver. James was able to save face in the last match with all of his pumps turning up, and even though he missed his 6- and 7-drop, he had enough gas to get over the line.

Overall, I think James’s deck suffered because of his first three picks. Drain Essence is an exceptionally powerful card, but I think James erred by locking himself into Energy because of it. Turnabout is incredible, but it dictates that you have a strong X-Men curve. After picking up three blue cards early on, Kongy often found himself in an inflexible position throughout the draft, having to plug holes and fill crevices rather than pick up the best card. In fact, the fourth pick Cyclops may have been the worst thing that happened to him, as he found a card that was able to compound the risk of the picks he had already made.

James believed that the Turnabouts were signals that weren’t followed through on, but I think that perhaps some of the other drafters had the right of it and were picking characters over plot twists, avoiding the sort of situation that James found himself in. Kongy conceded that moving into Morlocks was probably not as good as looking for something like Brotherhood, a team which had a lot more depth in the draft. James was obviously disappointed by his result, but he has had a lot of success in this format so far, so I have no doubt that he will bounce back. There was a lot of pressure on being the guinea pig for this first article, and he handled it admirably.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Thanks to James, and thanks for reading!