This 1/1 Might Be The Best Common Creature In Foundations | Foundations Draft | MTG Arena

[@Canoptopus]

I really love your way of explaining picks and deckbuilding principles whilst making clear when your picks are personal preference. You are also soooo much less greedy than i am XD.

[@haumph]

Thanks!

[@porkbabyy]

"if anything, i'm general meow... you're sergeant at best"

[@minasparker1421]

Squad Rallier so good you didn't even realize you drew every creature in your deck, I definitely have evaluated that card wrong, it looked insane

[@aldeayeah]

It's a much less bananas version of the mythic uncommon from SOI, Duskwatch Recruiter. Still a very nice mana sink in small creature decks like BW tends to be.

[@nazarkirillov3796]

Hi Paul! Thanks for all your explaining through the process of the draft and your plays. I have recently achieved the Platinum rank in limited and after that got some miserable drafts with 0-3, 1-3, 2-3. And after couple of your videos and some researching on what's working in FDN now I got my first trophy 7-2 in the season with WU control fliers without a single rare or mythic card! Love your videos.

[@haumph]

grats on the trophy!

[@duffstrodamus3233]

Man the difference in quality of opponents and their decks, once you reach platinum, is night and day. I can always get to platinum in a few drafts Then it will take me 12 to get diamond

[@きっく-g7k]

I am returning to mtg from Foundation, And I watched your draft video then won 7 games for the first time today! Thank you!

[@haumph]

Nice work!

[@きっく-g7k]

Thanks for the replies! You are a god to me now, Because uploading draft videos with different contents every day. Now I am learning English. I am learning both MTG and English from your easy listening and polite language. I will continue to look forward to your wonderful videos every day!

[@duffstrodamus3233]

​@@きっく-g7k thats great! Love to see stuff like this

[@sinarkrono]

@@きっく-g7k i agree: he's super polite, such a gentle and clean person. I also came back to MTG with blumborrow after 15 years and i really love this about it's community. Genuine, clean and smart!

[@jicarras123456]

I love Paul videos, the rationalization of mistakes or bad picks is so entertaining to hear!

[@haumph]

Thanks!

[@Hitsu1]

Seeker's folly has performed really well for me. Usually either the -1/1 or the mind rot option will at least be worth the card slot, or in some cases can hose the opponent. Getting rid of all of Balmor's friends, or his fuel, or all of Vampire Gourmand's snacks is really a nice silver bullets for some of the more heavily played decks. Thanks for the video's Paul! I just started watching after the World Championship.

[@haumph]

No problem!

[@duffstrodamus3233]

I had a tinybones p1p1 deck where I had 2 follies, and multiple pilfers and rats. It was actually amazing. Even when I didn't have the tinybones. Opponent would be hellbent every game after turn 4

[@minasparker1421]

Seeker's Folly is best mind rot in a long time, getting card disadvantaged in this format is back-breaking, but because of the second mode, it's also not a dead draw late game. Pairs really well with any low curve black aggro strategy.

[@CopperPitch]

1:01:45 It's me! :) Big fan of yours, was an honor to play against you, I learn a lot from your videos!

[@haumph]

ggs!

[@gentnovic4883]

Totally agree with Squad Rallier! Got a trophy with U/W with 2 ralliers and they were the MVPs in quite a few games. So good in stalemates to find those 2/x flyers. And also thanks so much for all your content. I get so much better with making decisions. Plus the videos are highly entertaining!

[@willsegrest1940]

Hey Paul, wanted to say that I have really enjoyed watching your draft videos. I discovered your channel a few days ago. Following your principles, I was able to go 7-2 in a premier draft earlier today with an Angel Orzhov deck, really centering around Exemplar of Light!

[@haumph]

Welcome to the channel and congratulations on the 7-2 finish!

[@OfficialPizza]

Finally someone seeing the Truth of squad rallier. In the b/w deck nearly everything is 2 pwr

[@SirGrimLockSmithVIII]

That Herald of the Eternal Dawn jumpscare at 43:05 was such a "Oh no, anyway" moment lol

[@haumph]

haha yeah!

[@pololoco89]

Paul these videos are the highlight of my day, keep them up

[@haumph]

not a problem. Glad you've enjoyed!

[@matthewschroeder2008]

Got my first trophy today in draft with boros aggro. (Heroic Reinforcements is a very good card) Truly believe watching your videos helped. You do a great job at explaining everything from each card and your thought process of why you dont and do select cards. Once again keep up the great work!

[@haumph]

Great to hear! Grats!

[@PapaJohnsNapkins]

Having some mana sink seems to be a must in this format because stalls seem happen in at least 1/3 of the games. Rallier, the 1/1 blue pirate, the 4 drop spider etc. Just to let you do something when you inevitably flood in a stall.

[@steven_r7773]

Watch Paul every day. Thanks for update

[@haumph]

np!

[@merfall2224]

Twice so far I've had decks with 3-4 cats and Raise the Past (which goes pretty late for a rare and I think is pretty good in white decks), and it was awesome

[@JANKLORD]

🐈 🟰 🐐? Thanks for the videos, Paul 🤘🏻

[@haumph]

Any time!

[@Clarkiev16]

5:50 On soul-shackled zombie, I’ve really liked it since it is almost always a drain 2 which has been really important in lots of games in this format, since it often comes down to racing. Also since the ETB is quite useful, I don’t feel terrible if it gets removed by stab/burst lightning like I might with a card like eager trufflesnout.

[@rohanport7673]

Also can combo nicely with the rare Zul that lets you cast zombies from the graveyard. If they see you have it they're a lot less likely to block the zombie if you swing in with it.

[@Kendal411]

I’ve never seen someone flood out so much in a 16 land deck. Felt like every game.

[@stevomac102]

"you're a sergeant meow at best" amazing haha.

[@rayswift5711]

I like that in this format you can just pick commons and uncommons and create an awesome deck.

[@haumph]

I think that happened here but I don't think that's always the case in Foundations. Tons of bombs!

[@NKMitch42]

I've gotten a ton of scoops after resolving Elenda and my opponent not realizing that lifelink doesn't use the stack after blocking it and being confused. Most of my trophies have been WB.

[@haumph]

WB very strong

[@therealstrategist]

Wow that first pack was gas

[@haumph]

it sure was

[@YourAdHere4]

I love squad rallier in BW decks. 3 mana instant speed draw a card is pretty pushed for a common with a decent defensive body

[@haumph]

agreed I really like it. I think I rank the 4 drops Felidar Guardian > Squad Rallier > 3/3 flying angel in most instances.

[@OmaSushi-z7k]

I mean the cat is basically Elvish Visionary, which has been great for a long time already.

[@haumph]

Even better here I think with all the great sacrifice synergies

[@minasparker1421]

Best argument for Soulshackle Zombie is just that it does several things that are good, while being easy to get on late picks. It's not amazing, you never feel bad cutting it, but because it has several relevant details to certain strategies tacked onto it, it also doesn't feel bad to play. It has 4 power if you happen to have a density of cards that care about that or you just need a beater, you delete your opponents' best creatures in yard to nix recursion and slow down threshold, you gain life for triggers and survival reasons, you ping your opponent for aggro reasons. You never want to take it early unless the pack is truly dead otherwise, but because good 4 drops are easy to come by, any time you're in a black lane I'd say you get 2 of them second rotation most of the time. And depending on if they have synergy with your deck, you could play 0 of them and feel great, or you could play both and feel great. Maybe at its best in grindy black decks, but it has a little something for any deck that ends up with it.

[@minasparker1421]

Like for instance, the deck you ended up with today, Zombie was an obvious cut 'cause it doesn't do anything special or consistent in this deck. But if you had gone down the life gain tempo path with multiple healers hawks, pridemate, etc, then it can be a threat in multiple ways, getting the ETB trigger, trading off, maybe getting returned to your hand with your opponent at low life from all the pressure in the air. It's usually pretty obvious when the card is gonna over-perform so you'll end up playing it eventually.

[@elornnn]

Hi Paul, you are a cheat code for draft wins! Thanks for sharing so much

[@haumph]

Np!

[@ericcourtaway8920]

This deck was solid! Good run

[@haumph]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Ominyx]

that game 1!

[@roahe]

That BW cat litter deck with no rares super powerful. Rallier 💪 but nighthawk holding down with the waltz value

[@haumph]

Yeah b/w value!

[@traviswichtendahl5648]

This draft seemed pretty emblematic of FND for me - Paul was open to drafting around an interesting synergy card at the beginning (Youthful Valkyrie), but as the draft went on, it made more sense to just take intrinsically powerful cards in B and W instead of pursuing that plan.

[@Mitch_Feral]

Do you think it's more this than most core sets? I think most core set synergies look fun, but usually dont beat out having solid removal and a couple big hitters.

[@traviswichtendahl5648]

@@Mitch_Feral In my experience, it is consistent with other Core sets. It's not that you shouldn't think about synergy during the draft, but rather that the good synergy cards are ones that pay you off quickly like Ajani's Pridemate and Vampire Gourmand, since a bigger percentage of your deck is going to be solid removal and big hitters, as you put it, and you won't be in a position to have ~7+ enablers for a really specific strategy.

[@tonygibbons7996]

Thoughts on raise the past? I had it in a couple decks with 10+ hits and ways to sac the cheap creatures for value, and it was an insta scoop whenever it resolved. But the numbers on it are not great I don’t think.

[@angelsoto3874]

When I grow up I want to be like you!

[@Ares42]

Should've probably taken some time to look at the combat math at 34:50. I'm not gonna say for certain there's a good attack, but the stab draw opened a lot of potential and the overwhelming creature count and high health makes it pretty safe.

[@SessionalSalmon]

I don’t fault you for the misreview of Leyline Axe. I feel like you wanted to rate it a little higher and Marshall was dragging you down. F?! Cmon man

[@haumph]

Yeah but I also didn't think it was as good as it ended up being. I think I was probably around a C+/B- for the card but it's playing like a B+/A- level card.

[@clagen86]

I just trophied with a much worse version of this style of deck. Having more fun with the set than I thought. What it lacks in flavor it makes up for by celebrating Magic history. Love seeing all the OG cards like Llanowar elves which was a staple in my Blue/Green brews when I first started playing. Also, the cards are simple but they're still powerful. When a plan comes together, it feels amazing.

[@haumph]

Glad you've been enjoying the set!

[@thezestylime0989]

"looking for angels, going to prioritize angels" passes every angels he sees

[@haumph]

guess I made the right pick every time

[@TheAmericanBR]

Tinybones with two burglar rats and the seeker's folly could've gone crazyy

[@haumph]

It would have been okay

[@NutsackParachute]

What’s up Paul!!!!!

[@haumph]

yoyo

[@tannermarchant8687]

I think Squad Rallier is a lot better than first seems because there aren't a lot of mana sinks in this set. This gives you stuff to do during late games.

[@haumph]

agreed

[@switch788]

❤❤❤ Macabre waltz ? Never even read the card

[@haumph]

tbh i don't really consider it to be a great card but it felt correct to play here

[@switch788]

@@haumph black White sacrifice with 4/5 top curve , it feels good to trade a land turn 5 getting back some fodders

[@JohnGarner-d7i]

Consuming abortion allows for such a fun blue black mill deck.

[@ututat7326]

Good video

[@haumph]

Thanks

[@themurrfish]

Is Elesha not totally splashable on the black white deck?

[@haumph]

You can but I dislike splashing in general if I can take a solid card in my colors.

[@Mitch_Feral]

I think it's either the kerning or the convention of how white cards are designed, but Squad Rallier seems like it has to tap to activate. It doesnt, and it's great, but I think it just looks wrong.

[@liquiduso]

Hey Paul! In game 2, I don't understand why you kept activating the Squad Rallier when it seemed like your best (only?) out was to draw a removal spell. I guess it's additional card draw if you hit creatures, which eventually should increase the chances of drawing removal naturally?

[@haumph]

Activating rallier shouldn’t change my odds of drawing a random spell off the top of my deck

[@haleyalan4780]

No consideration for rise from the last during pack 2? Your deck seemed well set up for it. I’ve found. The card to be quite good with all the 2 mana etb creatures.

[@Neon-chan2015]

How do you get away with 16 lands, 1 dual? I can't even draw 3rd land or second color with 17 lands, 3 duals in a no splash two color deck

[@haumph]

Read thumbnail title

[@Neon-chan2015]

@@haumph So without the cat I need 19 lands and 5 fixers to see a 3rd land?

[@MrJuzam]

Loved the video. A shame you so easily passed over the rare that returns all the mv 2 or less to the bf. Any thoughts on that card?

[@haumph]

I think the card is generally fairly weak. Was certainly a potential playable in my deck but not a big fan in general.

[@MrJuzam]

@@haumph thank you for the reply :)

[@jasongates6894]

Niz Mizzet triggers from non-combat damage, not from spells only.

[@haumph]

What other cards deal non-combat damage? Firebrand? It's got a comically low win rate for being a dragon so I think it's generally not great.

[@trentmadigan3827]

Helpful Hunter is as strong in foundations as Pond Prophet was in Bloomburrow

[@olliviljami]

Surely Raise the Past shouldve been a consideration at P2P7?

[@lexxxonjoe]

Phyrexian Arena is a bomb!

[@haumph]

It is not. In sealed maybe with enough cheap interaction and life gain.

[@BrainSlug91]

Squad Rallier is much better than it looks! it's also great in Boros to find Dragon Trainer or Guarded Heir.

[@carlosbkn2025]

passing phuyrexian arena on a life gain deck

[@darko-hexar]

As a big fan of Jubilee's art, I'm always sad when you smack-talk her pixel lands, even if I understand 😭 I think it'd be nice if Arena allowed you to toggle certain lands you don't want to see and just swap them for a standard set when an opponent uses them, just to avoid confusion at a glance! In any case, fun video as always!

[@haumph]

I just have no idea what basic lands are in play because the color and art scheme don't match what I would interpret as their respective land types.

[@darko-hexar]

@@haumph Yeah, while those lands are nice in paper, the preview cutting to the skies makes all of them different flavors of blue, so I can see how that'd get tiresome lol

[@lordbenji1989]

Phyrexian arena replaces itself every turn ^^

[@h4wkutd]

Is Niv-Mizzet just worse than shivan dragon? I think i'd rather just have mono colored + firebreathing.

[@haumph]

They're both pretty bad

[@h4wkutd]

@@haumph I don't think either a good, just comparing the two. P1P1, terrible pack, Id rather have Shivan over Niv. They missed on the design unfortunately. I got excited when I first saw it too

[@OfficialPizza]

At least Shivan dragon has an activation that just kills your opponent immediately if they don't have a block

[@h4wkutd]

@@OfficialPizza that’s what I mean. Just missed on Niv

[@OfficialPizza]

@@h4wkutd oh I didn't see the second sentence in your first comment LOL

[@Semnyi]

my last draft went seven wins with my 2 losses to phyrexian arena.

[@haumph]

Happens

[@geddescooper7036]

show me where to sign that petition to outlaw those "gotcha" lands. what color are u playing oppo?

[@haumph]

amen

[@TheFrostArch3r]

Tiny bones was the pick. Its just too much value and all you need to do is play it most of the time. Easy to build around with more value

[@clunky6029]

Did Eric marry himself?

[@haumph]

I'm happy enough saying my brother-in-law's name as I've known him for quite some time but less comfortable revealing his wife's name. Shoutout to you for an excellent MTG strategy related question.

[@Joules_Burne]

This is something I would do unintentionally (and get yelled at). You don't give a shout out to Eric without the "and" shoutout to his wife (or other).

[@Daniel-zs4ww]

i really despise this format. When you take away the bells and whistles that sets usually have, you can really see just how dull limited magic has become.

[@michaelduha]

Did you just say you took a few days off and you are going to be rusty? Lol hell na there is no way that is possible.

[@haumph]

I hold myself to a high standard and I definitely don't feel quite as sharp after a few days especially with a format as new as this one.

[@michaelduha]

@@haumph Interesting I feel like if I take a day or two off I play more disciplined.

[@TheBieza]

Literally already bored of this format. Not a fan. I think i stopped at 10 drafts, it's just so clunky with minimal exciting decisions during the draft.

[@spooky_zen]

i feel like soleum simulacrum isnt that good in draft, like any generic 4 drop uncommon might be better

[@haumph]

Yeah I think I overrated it. It seems just okay.

[@Beelzabar]

No way, Ramps, fixes and draws a card

[@spooky_zen]

@@Beelzabar in the right deck it can be good if u got liek some 6 or 7 mana bomb

[@federicoferrazza764]

link to discord?

[@haumph]

Join patreon and you get the information!