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Vintage Masters – All the Fixin’s

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Yesterday I looked at adding depth to your pool by adding another color or archetype. But how easy is it to do that?

Picture This

You open a Black Lotus. It happens and it can certainly happen to you. It almost doesn't matter what the rest of the pack is. You're inclined to jam storm, anyway, and the pack has a Temporal Fissure that just might wheel. Perfect. Subsequent packs yield some really gassy blue-red combo fodder.

Black LotusHigh TideFrantic Search

TurnaboutGushKaervek's Torch

Someone at the table must have the same idea because that Temporal Fissure does not table. You get a few more copies of High Tide and Turnabout in pack 2 but you don't seem to be any closer to a good finisher besides your miser's Kaervek's Torch. Then, in pack 3, you open it.

Tendrils of Agony

Can you even take it?

What kind of mana fixing is there even in the set?

Lion's Eye Diamond

This shouldn't even count. You're not playing Tendrils off of this unless your pool also contains Yawgmoth's Will which can happen, but let's not pretend we want to count on getting two mythics.

Mana Prism

This will do some work. It's not the best for getting double black, but it will do.

Mox Jet

Sure, but who passes Moxen in draft?

Bad River

These are gross, but in a pinch, they'll do.

Badlands

Obviously. Good luck getting passed one, but you take these if you see them and you play them if you can.

Caldera Lake

Also gross, but we can't have the world's best mana all the time.

Thawing Glaciers

This is a solid choice. Don't forget to take this guy.

 

The Question

So what can we splash? Tendrils is obviously pretty rough. How about Vampiric Tutor? Burning Wish? What is your plan for adding some of the ridiculously powerful cards that are in this set? Faced with the choice between fixing my mana base and passing a Time Walk, I'd say it's a no-brainer.

Tell me about your plan going into thee drafts. Leave it in the comments.

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Jason Alt

Jason Alt is a value trader and writer. He is Quiet Speculation's self-appointed web content archivist and co-captain of the interdepartmental dodgeball team. He enjoys craft microbrews and doing things ironically. You may have seen him at magic events; he wears black t-shirts and has a beard and a backpack so he's pretty easy to spot. You can hear him as co-host on the Brainstorm Brewery podcast or catch his articles on Gatheringmagic.com. He is also the Community Manager at BrainstormBrewery.com and writes the odd article there, too. Follow him on Twitter @JasonEAlt unless you don't like having your mind blown.

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