As the Top 24 drafts kick off, Bertram stands as the sole remaining bastion of foreign Sealed Pack skill. One of Singapore’s strongest Sealed Pack specialists, Bertram finished in the quarters of $10K Kuala Lumpur 2004. He is also one of three Singapore players who has made the pilgrimage to a Pro Circuit event. Since then, despite being a consistent Top 8 finisher in local PCQs, Bertram has always fallen a little short at $10K events.
With a current record of 7-1 that puts him second in the standings, Bertram looks well poised to redeem himself with a spot in the Top 8. But will his unfamiliarity with the local Draft customs prove a stumbling block for him?
Bertram’s Draft Picks:
Pack 1
1. Target Acquired; Ted Grant ◊ Wildcat; Bizarro, ME AM BIZARRO #1; Power Girl, Earth 2
2. Alexander Luthor, Diabolical Double; Rann
3. I Still Hate Magic!, Cheshire, Christopher Smith ◊ Peacemaker
4. Defend Yourself!
5. Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight; Forbidden Loyalties
6. Amulet of Nabu, Jacob Lee
7. Alexander Luthor, Diabolical Double
8. Huntress; The Calculator, Noah Kuttler
9. Bizarro, ME AM BIZARRO #1
10. Count Vertigo
11. The Calculator, Crime Broker
12. Multiverse Power Battery
13. Blackbriar Thorn
14. Stepping Between Worlds
Bertram entered the draft intent on drafting Checkmate. He feels that Checkmate is the deepest and most versatile affiliation. He says that you can go the equipment plan with Sasha Bordeaux, Knight; Laser Watch; and the Fate Artifacts; or go with the OMAC Robot plan with Annihilation Protocol. The affiliation also has good locations like Brother Eye and characters with innate combat tricks like Sarge Steel and Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight.
His first-pick Target Acquired was a conscious choice to force Checkmate. Alexander Luthor, Diabolical Double was taken next for his size and ability to net card advantage. Bertram doesn’t like to play 7-drops, so the fact that it makes a decent play when boosted on turn 7 is an added advantage. Bertram’s ninth pick of the returning Bizarro confirmed Villains United as his secondary affiliation.
His sixth pick, Amulet of Nabu, was partially a counter-draft and partially in hopes of getting Dr. Fate's Tower later. That would boost his Checkmate / equipment plan.
By the end of pack 1, Bertram had already filled the sixth spot on his curve and was going Villains United / Checkmate. He had good combat pumps, but no Team-Ups yet.
Pack 2
1. Annihilation Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot; Defend Yourself!; Brother I Satellite; Cloak of Nabu
2. Forbidden Loyalties; Michael Holt ◊ Mr. Terrific; Deathstroke the Terminator, Lethal Weapon
3. Systematic Torture
4. Systematic Torture, Elimination Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
5. Talia, Beloved Betrayer
6. Talia, Daughter of Madness; Talia, Beloved Betrayer
7. Sarge Steel
8. Grand Gesture; Coercion; Sasha Bordeaux, Autonomous Prototype
9. Cloak of Nabu
10. Zazzala ◊ Queen Bee, Mistress of the Hive
11. Justice United
12. The Calculator, Noah Kuttler
13. Dr. Psycho, Twisted Telepath
14. Parademon
In pack 2, Bertram filled out the higher slots along his curve but was still lacking some of the earlier drops. He was understandably nervous when he went into pack 3, as he was afraid he might have missed his chance to draft the lower drops.
His major regret for this pack was taking Talia, Daughter of Madness instead of Talia, Beloved Betrayer. He justified his decision by saying that it could possibly work into a combo in his deck.
Pack 3
1. Knight Armor, Defend Yourself!
2. Graziella Reza, Target Acquired, Watch the Birdie!
3. The Calculator, Evil Oracle; I Still Hate Magic!; Weather Wizard; Dr. Polaris, Force of Nature
4. Bizarro, ME AM BIZARRO #1; Target Acquired; Cheshire
5. Annihilation Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
6. Elimination Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
7. Connie Webb; Ragman, Patchmonger
8. Elimination Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot; Arthur Kendrick
9. Surveillance Pawn
10. Retrieval Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
11. Dr. Polaris, Force of Nature; Weather Wizard
12. Ted Grant ◊ Wildcat, Deadshot, Dead Aim
13. Blackbriar Thorn
14. Obsidian
Given his anxiety over his lower drops, Bertram concentrated on characters for this pack. He managed to find most of the Protocols he required for the OMAC Robots game plan, but he was pretty sore about having to take Graziella Reza over some of the better plot twists in pack 2.
Generally, he managed to fill out his curve, though he did mention that it wasn’t really optimal.
Bertram’s Draft Deck
Checkmate
2 Annihilation Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
1 Connie Webb
2 Elimination Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
1 Graziella Reza
1 Retrieval Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot
1 Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight
1 Sarge Steel
1 Surveillance Pawn
Villains United
2 Alexander Luthor, Diabolical Double
2 Bizarro, ME AM BIZARRO #1
1 Count Vertigo
1 Dr. Polaris, Force of Nature
1 Dr. Psycho, Twisted Telepath
1 Talia, Beloved Betrayer
1 The Calculator, Evil Oracle
1 Zazzala ◊ Queen Bee, Mistress of the Hive
Plot Twists
1 Defend Yourself!
1 Forbidden Loyalties
1 Grand Gesture
1 I Still Hate Magic!
1 Justice United
1 Multiverse Power Battery
1 Stepping Between Worlds
2 Systematic Torture
1 Target Acquired
Equipment
1 Knight Armor
Bertram’s game plan with this deck is to gain board control. He hopes to draw into his low drops, especially The Calculator, Evil Oracle, and begin using them to KO his opponent’s characters on turn 4.
He wants the odd initiatives because he is running Annihilation Protocol and Elimination Protocol, both of which can devastate an opponent’s board on turn 5. Sarge Steel is another means for him to avoid losing his bigger drops when attacking across or up the curve.
His prediction is that he will go 2-1 with this deck.