I had a chance to sit down with TCG pro and current TCG US National Champion Craig Krempels and watch his first draft. Although Craig went undefeated in the Constructed portion of the PC, he is known mainly as a Draft specialist. Although DC Origins draft is a largely unexplored format, Craig has actually done quite a bit of practice in the format with his testing group, so it’s interesting to see what strategy he brought to the table.

Craig kicked off his draft with a Tag Team, choosing the plot twist over Tim Drake ◊ Robin, Boy Wonder; Bane, The Man Who Broke The Bat; Batman, Caped Crusader; and Fear and Confusion. Craig then grabbed a second Tag Team, and looked to go Teen Titans with his third pick of Hank Hall ◊ Hawk (over the 5-drop Cassie Sandsmark ◊ Wonder Girl). Pick four, Craig took his third Tag Team, this time over Connor Kent ◊ Superboy, and then found a Dove to go along with his Hawk fifth. Craig picked a Fear and Confusion sixth, and found a Pantha staring at him seventh. Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle, Twin Firearms, and Clocktower rounded out his relevant picks.

Craig opened a very deep second pack, and had to choose between From the Shadows; Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal; Tim Drake ◊ Robin, Young Detective; Megablast; and the 5-drop Wonder Girl. Craig used nearly all of the allotted time before selecting Wonder Girl. In pick two, Craig looked like he wanted to move into Gotham Knights by selecting The Brave and The Bold over Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, Defender of Bludhaven and Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal. Craig then took yet another Tag Team, this time over Wonder Girl. Craig’s next two picks were Pantha and Connor Kent ◊ Superboy, and he finished up the pack with a pair of Crossbows and a Kole.

Craig’s final pack yielded a Break You, which Craig quickly selected over a Superboy and a Tag Team. Pick two Craig picked up his fifth copy of Tag Team, and third he selected Vic Stone ◊ Cyborg over Tim Drake, Robin ◊ Young Detective. Craig filled out his curve with his remaining picks of the draft, selecting two copies of Arsenal, a second Dove, a second Cyborg; a Mirage; and a Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, Defender of Bludhaven.

When I talked to Craig after the draft, he said that he really didn’t go in with any sort of set strategy, but he prefers drafting Teen Titans to any other affiliation. He considers Tag Team to be a highly powerful card and has no problem playing as many of them as he can pick up. Craig said the Brave and The Bold pick was made because he anticipated picking up more Gotham Knights, but he ended up picking up very few and even ended up cutting an Azrael from his deck. Craig also said he wasn’t thrilled with his second pack’s first pick of Wonder Girl given that there were more powerful cards in the pack, but at that point he was really concerned with how his curve was shaping up. In the end, Craig said he is really happy with his deck and expects at least a 2-1. Here’s what the final product looks like:

1 Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle
1 Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, Defender of Bludhaven
2 Cassie Sandsmark ◊ Wonder Girl
2 Conner Kent ◊ Superboy
2 Dawn Granger ◊ Dove
1 Hank Hall ◊ Hawk
1 Kole
2 Pantha
2 Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal
2 Vic Stone ◊ Cyborg
1 Jinx
1 Clocktower
2 Crossbow
1 Escrima Sticks
1 Twin Firearms
1 Break You
1 Fear and Confusion
5 Tag Team
1 The Brave and the Bold