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I've done a LOT of drafts in #Kaldheim 
and this is a thread about my thoughts on the format. Usually my winrate is much higher at the beginning of the format, but it took a while to find my bearings. I think that many players have been having a hard time since the format is WEIRD
and this is a thread about my thoughts on the format. Usually my winrate is much higher at the beginning of the format, but it took a while to find my bearings. I think that many players have been having a hard time since the format is WEIRD
The statlines of the creatures feel outdated with a TON of Hill Giants and Coral Commandos. Derpy 4 mana 3/3's are hidden behind the allure of Foretell. Traditional qualities of core sets are games being skewed by rares, weak commons, and Revitalize being a random inclusion 
At first I thought that the format would be completely dominated by Snow decks and rares, but after a lot of experimentation, there do exist "pauper" strategies that can put up a good fight, especially if your opponents stumble. Being aggressive punishes people for playing slowly
One of the only ways to be competitive without good rares is to utilize the power of equipment. Creatures (and statlines) are generally terrible in the format so equipment is a way to provide reusable value. The non-rare equipment is actually pretty good this time around for once
Creatures like Deathknoll Berserker, Fearless Pup, and Battlefield Raptor are extremely good wielders of equipment. Otherwise random 1's and 2's which can mine on turn 3 are acceptable too. Focus on the statline of creatures. 2 mana 2/2's are fine while Immerstum Raider is not ok
My ABSOLUTE pet deck of the format is what I like to call "Rainbow Runes" aka 5 color Runes. The concept is to use the Goldvein Pickaxe to mine Treasure tokens which can then allow you to cast any of the 5 uncommon Runes onto the Pickaxes 
Here are the ratings for the uncommon/common equipment/runes:
Equipment:
Goldvein Pickaxe
Tormenter's Helm
Dwarven Hammer
Elven Bow
Valkyrie's Sword
Draugr's Helm
Giant's Amulet
Raven's Wings
Runes:
Rune of Sustenance
Rune of Might
Rune of Mortality
Rune of Flight
Rune of Speed
Equipment:
Goldvein Pickaxe
Tormenter's Helm
Dwarven Hammer
Elven Bow
Valkyrie's Sword
Draugr's Helm
Giant's Amulet
Raven's Wings
Runes:
Rune of Sustenance
Rune of Might
Rune of Mortality
Rune of Flight
Rune of Speed
In these multicolor Pickaxe decks, you can pick up the activated ability lands that are the wrong color on the front side, but match on the double-costed back side. I wouldn't recommend this for focused, aggressive decks, but these are pretty sweet if you're a more value-oriented
The sad part about the Goldvein Pickaxe strategy is that there's a surprising amount of interaction available for the equipment. Masked Vandal is the absolute DEVIL. The counter-counter strategy is to is to have a Runed Crown and some Master Skalds in the deck to rebuild
In my aggressive red decks, I strongly prefer equipment to Run Amok as they are more balanced and provide repetitive value. Equipment helps you attack while simultaneously helping you block, while Run Amok provides a very polarized (and often unnecessary) effect your strategy
Land counts in this format are often incorrect. Most of your Snow decks should be running 18, while aggressive equipment decks can generally spend their mana very well. Run 17 lands usually in these aggressive decks, especially if you have top end you can spend your mana well on
Snow is not only the main theme of Kaldheim, but also perceived to be the best deck in the format. In terms of commons, Icehide Troll, Sculptor of Winter, and Berg Strider come to mind as the biggest reasons to be Snow. Pick up lands highly to cut Snow and find payoffs later
The thing about 5 color snow is that I HATE drafting 5 colors on rails. Snow is designed to be multicolored. 5 color is fun when it isn't meant to be a deck. I'll draft it if I have to, but otherwise it's incredibly boring to me. Derping around with a multicolor Pick deck is fun
After playing with Cycling cards in Ikoria and the MDFC (Spell lands) in Zendikar, the mana flood and screw in this format feels much more amplified. The Foretell mechanic unfortunately doesn't come close to the aforementioned designs in terms of ensuring good games of Magic
In terms of gameplay, the sequencing and mana usage in Kaldheim is certainly complicated since you generally have a lot of actual decisions. In most decks, Foretelling on t2 is generally a trap. Sarulf's Packmate is the best one, but otherwise try to have other real 2 mana plays
Players often ask how aggressive the format is. The format has all types of decks ranging from hyper aggro decks to slow, control decks. Good two drops such as Sculptor of Winter are important to hold off aggression. Even Karfell Harbinger is ok if you have ways to use mana
I'll add more to this Twitter guide thread when anything comes to mind! Even though I don't think Kaldheim is an all-time best format, I've been having a blast messing around with Runes, equipment, and derpy creatures. Follow me http://twitch.tv/deathsie to watch me meme in Mythic
