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I got this pack as a 2nd pick in a ZZW draft. Do you think it was a mistake from the player to my right to pass me the sphinx?

[[[Sphinx of Jwar Isle]]]
[[[Quest for Pure Flame]]]
[[[Living Tsunami]]]
[[[Kabira Crossroads]]]
[[[Hagra Crocodile]]]
[[[Mold Shambler]]]
[[[Soaring Seacliff]]]
[[[Kor Sanctifiers]]]
[[[Spell Pierce]]]
[[[Bog Tatters]]]
[[[Demolish]]]
[[[Relic Crush]]]
[[[Vampire's Bite]]]

[[Sphinx of Jwar Isle]]

edited Jun 20 at 4:57

asked Feb 15 at 7:38

ripper234♦♦
5,356●7●24

	So basically you're asking, "what could have been that player's first pick?", right? – Avish♦ Feb 15 at 9:00
	Yeah, pretty much, and could his choice be the right one (which I very much doubt). – ripper234♦ Feb 15 at 11:59
	Anything is possible. In one M10 draft, a player passed a Baneslayer because he also drew a foil Baneslayer in the same pack. – CodeSavvyGeek♦ Feb 20 at 3:51
	Could you edit this so the cards have hoverlinks? :) </lazy> – Vespers Jun 19 at 22:54
	@Vespers - there you go. – ripper234♦ Jun 20 at 4:58

Avish · Accepted Answer · 2010-02-15 09:11:37Z UTC

I can see several reasons why this was passed to you.

The first is easy: there was a better card in the pack. The pack is missing an uncommon, so my best guess is a Trusty Machete. This might be considered a better choice if you're afraid of the Sphinx's high casting cost and color commitment (I'd have picked the sphinx in that situation, but go figure).

[[Trusty Machete]]

The second reason is that this pack has two very good blue cards -- the Sphinx and the Tsunami.

[[Sphinx of Jwar Isle]] [[Living Tsunami]]

That player knew that if he picked one of them, you'll pick the other and you'll end up competing with each other for blue. A sensible decision in this situation is to let you and someone else quarrel over blue, while picking a decent card from a different color and somewhat improving your card flow in the following picks.

The third possible reason is that the player to your right wasn't a very good drafter and drafted based on his personal preferences rather than the cards' true value.

rif-raf · Answer 2 · 2010-02-15 10:38:55Z UTC

I agree with all of Avish's reasoning, though personaly I imagine I would never choose a Machete over a sphinx. I think the player who passed it to you moght simply hate blue in zendikar, and by passing a booster with both sphinx of jwar isle and living tsunami, he made sure he will not be passed blue from players to his left in the second booster.

Qwerty Dude · Answer 3 · 2010-06-17 10:07:54Z UTC

0

Additionally, they may have opened a serious money card like a foil Lotus Cobra

answered Jun 17 at 10:07

Qwerty Dude
1

This was netdraft, no money was involved :) – ripper234♦ Jun 17 at 10:27

How did I get 2nd pick Sphinx of Jwar Isle?

3 Answers