Here it is $15 per FNM draft, 1.5 packs/person for prize payout. An 8 person draft pays out 12 boosters to the top 4 seats. More people, more payout.
Some stores that have bad pricing/whatever sometimes just don't know what to do yet. The shop I go to has gone through heavy changes regarding Magic. When I first showed up nothing was sanctioned, packs were full price (being a "premium" MTG store), and a $2 room fee on top of everything. Drafting became pretty pricey so very few people showed up, no one purchased product from the store, and no tournaments were held. The owner complained that he didn't make any money from Magic...no wonder!
We finally got a judge and organizer in the area that talked to the owner. Then he started experimenting and cutting deals. First he waived the room fee if you payed for draft or to be in a tournament. That got more people to pay and play. Then he would discount booster boxes used for draft. Now everything is fair, imo.
He still sells booster boxes for full suggested price...unless it is used for draft in which it is discounted down to $120 (15 each player). If you pre-order a new set with him he will sell you a booster box for $85 each and no shipping charge (IMO very good for new sets). He has singles out, and a lot of them are reasonably priced, but his selection is so poor that no one buys singles from him.
Now we have pretty large tournaments. There are usually at least 2 full pods drafting with a lot of casual deck players. Our last sealed tourney was nearly 50 people. Everyone buys over-priced snacks, sleeves, and dice from him (seriously...$0.75 for nutty butty bars?). At least 50% of the players will buy several boosters just to open each Friday. I'm sure he makes a fair bit now that he has a much larger player base. If a store owner supports his patrons, his patrons will support him.
Great Sable Stag wins a lot of games (I've personally won a few drafts on his back) and you still have a good chance of getting a Lightning Bolt in future picks/packs. Green is a good color to go into, anyway.
Drop 1 Kokusho, 1 Cloud, 1 Solemn and the BoPs. I don't actually like your build much (I'd also take out the Arenas, Mox, Extractions, and Slugs) but will help best I can. I can see dropping 1 Forest, as well (22 is good for this deck). Having only 2 each of Rend and Kodama's doesn't seem like it will help much. I suggest more cuts and add more removal.
I vote BG all the way. Overall it is a much more fun, direct, and, in my opinion, has better matches against a greater variety of the metagame.
I have played both BG and UB. In my experience:
-BG is better vs. affinity (any kind); affinity drops things too quickly and consistently for UG to hold counters or wait for the "right thing" to counter. BG just kills what comes down. Add in Deathcloud (which hurts affinity much more than people give it credit fo) and affinity is very easy to beat.
-UG is better vs. mono-G TnN; I will be the first to admit that TnN gives me problems. UG seems to perform better here.
-BG is better vs. */G decks; say what you want but I can't remember ever losing to a UG deck. BG has many, many threats which can't all be countered. BG also has much more answers to swing board position in their favor. Admittedly I haven't played in 2 weeks but I doubt the whole UG deck-type has changed that drastically that quickly.
-vs. Mono-Red burn; I don't know, here. UG probably has something of an advantage here. All of BG's removal is useless, creatures die fast. UG can counter enough burn to keep their few creatures alive, so I will give it to UG.
-vs. Mono-U; undecided, i havent played enough against this to really tell
I am divided in over-all statistics; UG seems better against TnN while BG is better against affinity, both of which are strong contenders. Because of BG's "fun factor" I will push towards that. I don't know, I suppose I enjoy knowing what to kill rather than guessing which thing I want to prevent.
I have to agree with HKKID, I only see Eradicate being good in the UG match-up making it SB material at best. There really aren't many creatures that I would want to use an expensive sorcery on that a cheaper instant won't kill.
I can see Horobi's Whisper as seeing play. It does cost BB but I think it could be worth it. Many decks already play a few arcane spells (Rend Flesh, Cranial Extraction, Kodama's Reach) and the Splice cost isn't unreasonable. I'd like to tinker with it a while.
Sickening Shoal has possibilities, methinks. The only other two cards I would even consider playing are the green Genju and God's Eye.
I like the set but BG gains little from it. It seems like R&D is trying to push a new TurboLand deck...I might try that...
That's still pretty gay. Out of everything I've seen, our store has the best way (well, we have two ways, I'll go into the other later):
Draft anything you want. All the rares you care for. At the end of the draft, or when you drop out or get eliminated, you keep two of the rares you picked and put any extra in the "pot" along with all foils. The draft organizer keeps track of rare/foil count; if someone decides not to give up all but two they are givin a warning or not welcomed back by the store. Bomb foils (Extraction, Kokusho, etc.) can usually be kept but at a compromise like keeping only it. All other cards are kept.
The other way we do it is just paying $2 extra each and getting an entire box. The 12 spare boosters are given as prize in 6, 4, 1, and 1 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively. You keep anything you draft. There are the occasional rare-drafters with this but they always lose. Getting the boosters is usually motivation enough to actually try to build a decent deck.
With the addition of blue you no longer have a BG deck. It has been tried, tested, and otherwise dismissed. Traditionally, BG decks rely on card advantage, removal, and late game winners. The addition of blue does little to help the deck.
I don't know about your decks, but I have never really had problems with affinity. With a little bit of maindeck artifact hate, quick utility creatures, and decent removal affinity isn't a threat (aside from "I Win God" hands).
Tooth and Nail is a problem, though. There isn't much I can think of to really stop them. Hand disruption helps some, land destruction only works if there is an abundance of it, and Extracting their Tooth/Titan only delays them slightly. A hard, fast combination of those three is the only thing I can think of to really stop them (or splashing red for Sowing Salts when Betrayers comes in, but I don't like that idea).
The only other decks I have trouble with are MonoRed burn decks. With no creatures to kill 1/2 of my BG deck is useless. I can still usually win but they are a tough match.
fastjof: I will agree with .5 of your i) point. Barter in Blood will not help but instant speed removal can save your ***. Having two removals in hand is optimal and not difficult to keep against TnN; kill Kiki-Jiki in response to him coming into play, kill Titan in response to Kiki-Jiki's ability being triggered. You still lose 4 lands but makes winning much more possible.
I disagree with most of the choices there. Powerful cards can be used in a variety of ways, in a variety of decks, and do not rely solely on masses of other cards to give it power. Powerful cards are useful by themselves (or with 1 other card) and with other cards.
Cards that people think are powerful but aren't:
1. Archbound Ravager: by itself this card really sucks. It is a 1/1 for 2 mana that is both an artifact and creature making it vulnerable to many, many forms of destruction. Ravager really can't function without other artifacts. Having only 1/2 of the power coin doesn't quite cut it.
2. Disciple of the Vault: see above.
Well, the list isn't big because basically all of Affinity fits this bill. 90% of the cards in Affinity are actually all pretty crappy cards. The beauty, and power, of the deck is that all of the cards work together so perfectly well that they more than make up for the lack of powerful individual cards. I will immediately disregard any card in an Affinity deck as being "most powerful" because of this reason alone.
My list would look something like this:
-Death Cloud: can be played in any deck with B. Powerful because of the variety of what it gets rid of and the control it allows its player (in timing, size, etc.)
-Eternal Witness: played in every deck with G for a reason. The card advantage it allows is phenomenal. Add a body to that and you have a winner.
-Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker: copying other good cards is usually a plus. Again, played in a variety of decks and allows abuse of very good abilities.
-Tooth and Nail: needs nothing but mana to be used. Gets any two creatures from your deck and into play.
-Wrath of God: in a creature-based format, this is gold. It has seen better times but is still powerful.
-Kokusho, the Evening Star: beefy, mana effecient, evasive, and you don't care if he dies. He is just plain advantage.
-Time Stop: isn't really played but only because of its speed. It is a very, very powerful card, however, because there is nothing else like it. Basically a Time Walk that can be used in better utility (and I felt that there should be at least 1 U card in my list).
-Oxidize: because Standard is dominated by artifacts right now, this card is too valuable to not be played. Destroys nearly any artifact threat at cheap, instant speed.
My list isn't in order or even complete. I don't think there is any one "most powerful" card simply because even powerful cards are situational. While Death Cloud can save my game it can cause me to lose, as well. Also keep in mind that even though cards are played in many, many decks that doesn't mean that they are powerful by themselves.
I would much rather play Barter in Blood over Jens. I don't know, I have never really liked Jens in this deck. And swallowing plague is just as slow if not slower then Barter so what's the point of running that?
My logic flows like this:
Barter: always expensive...kills two of their creatures...they choose...kills two of my creatures...too often a dead card...
Plague: targeted removal...hits anything...gains life...nothing of mine dies...can be cheap or expensive...almost never a dead card...
Against agro-type decks gaining life can be more important than getting rid of two creatures of your opponents choosing. I don't know, I said that most think it is iffy (we here in Charleston love it). It may be more of a preference thing but it works.
Barter in Blood is, plain and simply, a bad card for this deck. It is expensive, slow, and against decks that play heavy creatures, not enough. Sure, it gets rid of the two creatures that TnN gets out but if you still have that much mana available then you've already won.
My build has changed a little recently looking like this:
The "others" in my sideboard used to be Horoshi and Nezumi Shortfangs but I've recently sold them. I do need to figure out what to put in their places.
A few of my choices seem to be iffy to most but they work well in my metagame. I think that Swallowing Plague is simply one of the best removal cards vs. affinity and red-based decks. MUC and UG Control are gaining more and more popularity in my environment hence the Trolls. Other than that it is a basic version.
I would like to find more room for Beacon of Creation but the only thing I would like to cut are the Solemns. Meh.
As for Molder Slug: I do like him and would play him over Troll Ascetic if U decks weren't so rampant in my area. He is a nice bit 'o beef to have around and helps more than some like to give him credit for. I would cut Rude Awakenings altogether; I have tried them on several occasions and never got favorable results. Like, ever.
Some stores that have bad pricing/whatever sometimes just don't know what to do yet. The shop I go to has gone through heavy changes regarding Magic. When I first showed up nothing was sanctioned, packs were full price (being a "premium" MTG store), and a $2 room fee on top of everything. Drafting became pretty pricey so very few people showed up, no one purchased product from the store, and no tournaments were held. The owner complained that he didn't make any money from Magic...no wonder!
We finally got a judge and organizer in the area that talked to the owner. Then he started experimenting and cutting deals. First he waived the room fee if you payed for draft or to be in a tournament. That got more people to pay and play. Then he would discount booster boxes used for draft. Now everything is fair, imo.
He still sells booster boxes for full suggested price...unless it is used for draft in which it is discounted down to $120 (15 each player). If you pre-order a new set with him he will sell you a booster box for $85 each and no shipping charge (IMO very good for new sets). He has singles out, and a lot of them are reasonably priced, but his selection is so poor that no one buys singles from him.
Now we have pretty large tournaments. There are usually at least 2 full pods drafting with a lot of casual deck players. Our last sealed tourney was nearly 50 people. Everyone buys over-priced snacks, sleeves, and dice from him (seriously...$0.75 for nutty butty bars?). At least 50% of the players will buy several boosters just to open each Friday. I'm sure he makes a fair bit now that he has a much larger player base. If a store owner supports his patrons, his patrons will support him.
I have played both BG and UB. In my experience:
-BG is better vs. affinity (any kind); affinity drops things too quickly and consistently for UG to hold counters or wait for the "right thing" to counter. BG just kills what comes down. Add in Deathcloud (which hurts affinity much more than people give it credit fo) and affinity is very easy to beat.
-UG is better vs. mono-G TnN; I will be the first to admit that TnN gives me problems. UG seems to perform better here.
-BG is better vs. */G decks; say what you want but I can't remember ever losing to a UG deck. BG has many, many threats which can't all be countered. BG also has much more answers to swing board position in their favor. Admittedly I haven't played in 2 weeks but I doubt the whole UG deck-type has changed that drastically that quickly.
-vs. Mono-Red burn; I don't know, here. UG probably has something of an advantage here. All of BG's removal is useless, creatures die fast. UG can counter enough burn to keep their few creatures alive, so I will give it to UG.
-vs. Mono-U; undecided, i havent played enough against this to really tell
I am divided in over-all statistics; UG seems better against TnN while BG is better against affinity, both of which are strong contenders. Because of BG's "fun factor" I will push towards that. I don't know, I suppose I enjoy knowing what to kill rather than guessing which thing I want to prevent.
I can see Horobi's Whisper as seeing play. It does cost BB but I think it could be worth it. Many decks already play a few arcane spells (Rend Flesh, Cranial Extraction, Kodama's Reach) and the Splice cost isn't unreasonable. I'd like to tinker with it a while.
Sickening Shoal has possibilities, methinks. The only other two cards I would even consider playing are the green Genju and God's Eye.
I like the set but BG gains little from it. It seems like R&D is trying to push a new TurboLand deck...I might try that...
Draft anything you want. All the rares you care for. At the end of the draft, or when you drop out or get eliminated, you keep two of the rares you picked and put any extra in the "pot" along with all foils. The draft organizer keeps track of rare/foil count; if someone decides not to give up all but two they are givin a warning or not welcomed back by the store. Bomb foils (Extraction, Kokusho, etc.) can usually be kept but at a compromise like keeping only it. All other cards are kept.
The other way we do it is just paying $2 extra each and getting an entire box. The 12 spare boosters are given as prize in 6, 4, 1, and 1 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively. You keep anything you draft. There are the occasional rare-drafters with this but they always lose. Getting the boosters is usually motivation enough to actually try to build a decent deck.
And I just want B/G to be the End-All, Be-All of Standard decks.
I don't know about your decks, but I have never really had problems with affinity. With a little bit of maindeck artifact hate, quick utility creatures, and decent removal affinity isn't a threat (aside from "I Win God" hands).
Tooth and Nail is a problem, though. There isn't much I can think of to really stop them. Hand disruption helps some, land destruction only works if there is an abundance of it, and Extracting their Tooth/Titan only delays them slightly. A hard, fast combination of those three is the only thing I can think of to really stop them (or splashing red for Sowing Salts when Betrayers comes in, but I don't like that idea).
The only other decks I have trouble with are MonoRed burn decks. With no creatures to kill 1/2 of my BG deck is useless. I can still usually win but they are a tough match.
fastjof: I will agree with .5 of your i) point. Barter in Blood will not help but instant speed removal can save your ***. Having two removals in hand is optimal and not difficult to keep against TnN; kill Kiki-Jiki in response to him coming into play, kill Titan in response to Kiki-Jiki's ability being triggered. You still lose 4 lands but makes winning much more possible.
*shakes fist*
Cards that people think are powerful but aren't:
1. Archbound Ravager: by itself this card really sucks. It is a 1/1 for 2 mana that is both an artifact and creature making it vulnerable to many, many forms of destruction. Ravager really can't function without other artifacts. Having only 1/2 of the power coin doesn't quite cut it.
2. Disciple of the Vault: see above.
Well, the list isn't big because basically all of Affinity fits this bill. 90% of the cards in Affinity are actually all pretty crappy cards. The beauty, and power, of the deck is that all of the cards work together so perfectly well that they more than make up for the lack of powerful individual cards. I will immediately disregard any card in an Affinity deck as being "most powerful" because of this reason alone.
My list would look something like this:
-Death Cloud: can be played in any deck with B. Powerful because of the variety of what it gets rid of and the control it allows its player (in timing, size, etc.)
-Eternal Witness: played in every deck with G for a reason. The card advantage it allows is phenomenal. Add a body to that and you have a winner.
-Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker: copying other good cards is usually a plus. Again, played in a variety of decks and allows abuse of very good abilities.
-Tooth and Nail: needs nothing but mana to be used. Gets any two creatures from your deck and into play.
-Wrath of God: in a creature-based format, this is gold. It has seen better times but is still powerful.
-Kokusho, the Evening Star: beefy, mana effecient, evasive, and you don't care if he dies. He is just plain advantage.
-Time Stop: isn't really played but only because of its speed. It is a very, very powerful card, however, because there is nothing else like it. Basically a Time Walk that can be used in better utility (and I felt that there should be at least 1 U card in my list).
-Oxidize: because Standard is dominated by artifacts right now, this card is too valuable to not be played. Destroys nearly any artifact threat at cheap, instant speed.
My list isn't in order or even complete. I don't think there is any one "most powerful" card simply because even powerful cards are situational. While Death Cloud can save my game it can cause me to lose, as well. Also keep in mind that even though cards are played in many, many decks that doesn't mean that they are powerful by themselves.
My logic flows like this:
Barter: always expensive...kills two of their creatures...they choose...kills two of my creatures...too often a dead card...
Plague: targeted removal...hits anything...gains life...nothing of mine dies...can be cheap or expensive...almost never a dead card...
Against agro-type decks gaining life can be more important than getting rid of two creatures of your opponents choosing. I don't know, I said that most think it is iffy (we here in Charleston love it). It may be more of a preference thing but it works.
My build has changed a little recently looking like this:
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Eternal Witness
3 Viridian Shaman
3 Troll Ascetic
3 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Kokusho, Evening Star
-----20 Creatures
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Oxidize
3 Echoing Decay
3 Rend Flesh
3 Swallowing Plague
3 Death Cloud
-----18 Spells
12 Forest
10 Swamp
-----22 Land
4 Cranial Extraction
3 Plow Under
3 Grim Reminder
5 others
The "others" in my sideboard used to be Horoshi and Nezumi Shortfangs but I've recently sold them. I do need to figure out what to put in their places.
A few of my choices seem to be iffy to most but they work well in my metagame. I think that Swallowing Plague is simply one of the best removal cards vs. affinity and red-based decks. MUC and UG Control are gaining more and more popularity in my environment hence the Trolls. Other than that it is a basic version.
I would like to find more room for Beacon of Creation but the only thing I would like to cut are the Solemns. Meh.
As for Molder Slug: I do like him and would play him over Troll Ascetic if U decks weren't so rampant in my area. He is a nice bit 'o beef to have around and helps more than some like to give him credit for. I would cut Rude Awakenings altogether; I have tried them on several occasions and never got favorable results. Like, ever.