This seems like a really low-impact pick either way. I feel like Tactics is close enough in power level to Focus that I'd rather have Ally Encampment for corner cases where it would be useful.
Really? That card is only good if you want to be attacking with everything every turn... It's worse at blocking than the spirit for the same cost, and doesn't have evasion.
I think in a control deck, I'd rather have Ghostly Sentinel. Better than it looks.
Also, it is starting to look like black is getting but from both sides... which is annoying. Could end up mostly white with just a few strong black cards though, which would be fine.
EDIT: If black is getting cut, we may not be as controlling as we are imagining our deck will be... Hero of Goma Fada is a better card.
Roil Spout is great. But so are flyers, and these two white flyers are exactly what we want to fill out our curve (which is almost empty at the 2-drop and 4-drop). And we don't have to give up grip/emissary or weaken our manabase for either of them...
I think a strong argument can be made for the griffin here, even at the higher cmc. It plays defense much better, and the only other 4cc creatures in black/white are Ondu Greathorn (which we don't really want) and Bloodbond Vampire (which would be sweet). I think the Courier Griffin is less replaceable, because the 4-drop slot is so light in these colors. It also eats both the glider and Skyspawner, instead of trading.
We don't really have any synergies that make Spawning Bed excellent, and Kozilek's Channeler lets us ramp up to 6 or 7, while Spawning Bed can't ramp until we've already hit 7 mana. There are decks where I would prioritize Spawning Bed (GB sac; GX with the team-pumping allies), but this isn't one of them.
I am most interested in either the Channeler or the Kalastria Nightwatch. I have had excellent results with Nightwatch, even in a controlling deck without much lifegain to activate its flying. 5 toughness stops so many threats. But I have never been unhappy to draw a Channeler, and it helps us turn on our late game flying beaters and awaken cards much sooner than would otherwise be possible. I think it is exactly what we want in a 5-drop. Kozilek's Channeler.
Cut Unnatural Aggression instead. The deck has few creatures that can fight profitably until 5cc at the very earliest. Even the 4 drops are 1/1s, and there is only 1 creature with 3 toughness under 5 mana.
Then you can board it back in against decks with must-kill utility creatures (Healer in the nuts WB deck, maybe Mist Intruder in a good processing deck).
But our deck isn't a deck that wants Infuse with the Elements, is it? I haven't played with it, so maybe I am undervaluing it. It seems potentially great (even for 2) on the attack, but like too much mana to leave up for defense. Our deck seems a lot more likely at this point to be playing defense than offense, and I don't want many tricks (if any) in that sort of deck.
Battle of the awful picks. Mortuary Mire vs. Infuse with the Elements I think. Mire is all upside in a color we are likelier to play (since it doesn't take the place of any other spell we could run), but the upside is very minor. Infuse is a card we are vanishingly unlikely to play, but if we did it would be because we ended up in a Converge deck and it would be decent there.
I guess I'll take the Infuse with the Elements?
I think Mortuary Mire is the pick. It's upside is minor. But a minor upside on a card you play is better than a larger upside on a card you don't. And we have nothing that pushes us toward converge at all, and have in fact passed several converge cards and enablers already.
I think Lithomacer's Focus is the best card left in the pack. It's not exactly the best in a control deck, but it has a lot of utility for only one mana. I would be sad to have to include Mind Raker in the deck, but happy to have this in the board or the main if we end up going a more aggro route later. Also it's white.
EDIT: Actually, Puddle Jumper makes a good point. Wave-wing Elemental
I am a bit surprised to see Predator so late. This must have been a very strong pack. Too bad we are last to pick from it.
I was hoping to see Fortified Rampart to help us get a slow control-oriented deck going. But then we got 2 Castigators...
Blighted Fen would be good whichever way our deck goes.
Also, we may be getting passed a second Unified Front, since we passed one in our first pick. If getting 2 of those changes things, it something to consider.
I think in a control deck, I'd rather have Ghostly Sentinel. Better than it looks.Also, it is starting to look like black is getting but from both sides... which is annoying. Could end up mostly white with just a few strong black cards though, which would be fine.
EDIT: If black is getting cut, we may not be as controlling as we are imagining our deck will be... Hero of Goma Fada is a better card.
Roil Spout is great. But so are flyers, and these two white flyers are exactly what we want to fill out our curve (which is almost empty at the 2-drop and 4-drop). And we don't have to give up grip/emissary or weaken our manabase for either of them...
I think a strong argument can be made for the griffin here, even at the higher cmc. It plays defense much better, and the only other 4cc creatures in black/white are Ondu Greathorn (which we don't really want) and Bloodbond Vampire (which would be sweet). I think the Courier Griffin is less replaceable, because the 4-drop slot is so light in these colors. It also eats both the glider and Skyspawner, instead of trading.
I am most interested in either the Channeler or the Kalastria Nightwatch. I have had excellent results with Nightwatch, even in a controlling deck without much lifegain to activate its flying. 5 toughness stops so many threats. But I have never been unhappy to draw a Channeler, and it helps us turn on our late game flying beaters and awaken cards much sooner than would otherwise be possible. I think it is exactly what we want in a 5-drop. Kozilek's Channeler.
Then you can board it back in against decks with must-kill utility creatures (Healer in the nuts WB deck, maybe Mist Intruder in a good processing deck).
I think Mortuary Mire is the pick. It's upside is minor. But a minor upside on a card you play is better than a larger upside on a card you don't. And we have nothing that pushes us toward converge at all, and have in fact passed several converge cards and enablers already.
EDIT: Actually, Puddle Jumper makes a good point. Wave-wing Elemental
I was hoping to see Fortified Rampart to help us get a slow control-oriented deck going. But then we got 2 Castigators...
Blighted Fen would be good whichever way our deck goes.
Also, we may be getting passed a second Unified Front, since we passed one in our first pick. If getting 2 of those changes things, it something to consider.