In this article I will be ranking the strength of the commons in each color in the Magic 2012 draft format, from weakest to strongest. Since commons make up the largest portion of your deck, choosing the right ones can have a dramatic effect on your success in draft tournaments.
Green
Green has very few good commons compared to the rest of the colors, making it the weakest color in the Magic 2012 set. The few standouts include Llanowar Elves and Rampant Growth for mana acceleration, Giant Spider for shutting down fliers, and the strong combo of Sacred Wolf/Trollhide. The aforementioned combo can definitely win games for you, but unless you get multiples of each card, more often than not you won’t draw both in the same game. You realistically need to get some of the Green bombs like Overrun, or excellent cards like Stingerfling Spider and Jade Mage, if you want to play Green successfully in a Magic 2012 draft.
Black
Black commons are really only great in one area, removal. Doom Blade is first pick material, while Sorin’s Thirst and Wring Flesh are solid high picks because of all the low toughness creatures in the set. The rest of the black commons are pretty underwhelming; the few bright spots are Gravedigger which can get your best creature back from the graveyard, and Tormented Soul, who can help activate bloodthirst. You really need to get some of the better Black uncommons/rares/mythics if you want to run Black as your main color, but it still can make an excellent secondary color because of all the removal.
Red
Red is a great color to draft in Magic 2012 drafts. It has excellent burn/removal with Chandra’s Outrage, Incinerate, and Shock; excellent bloodthirst creatures with Gorehorn Minotaurs and Blood Ogre; and excellent bloodthirst enablers like Goblin Arsonist and Goblin Fireslinger. So why did I only rank it as third best, you might ask? It’s because you’ll often be fighting three or more other people for the good Red cards. If you are fortunate enough to draft enough of the good Red cards, then it is a very strong color and you should do well.
White
White has some of the best commons in the Magic 2012 set. Pacifism and Gideon’s Lawkeeper can lock down your opponent’s creatures, Stormfront Pegasus and the assorted griffins can give you the advantage in the air, Guardians’ Pledge can end games quickly, and Stave Off is a very flexible card that can turn many battles in your favor. White is also the best color to play as a single color deck, as it is well-rounded enough to handle most situations (Guardians’ Pledge becomes very strong in a Mono White deck).
Blue
Blue gets the top spot because of the many different ways that you can control and put pressure on your opponent. You can counter your opponent’s most powerful spells with any of the three common counterspells, gain card advantage with Merfolk Looter and Divination, gain tempo advantage with Æther Adept and Unsummon, and put pressure on your opponent with cheap, powerful creatures like Phantasmal Bear and Skywinder Drake. Frost Breath is another outstanding Blue common that can let you get through with enough damage to win the game.
Balance of the Colors
Red, White, and Blue are not too far apart in strength, while Black and Green require some of the rarer cards to really shine. You should always try to build around any bombs you open or get passed, but sometimes luck is not on your side and you won’t end up with the strongest cards. As long as you focus on building the best deck you can with the cards that come to you, you can be very competitive. Besides, you don’t always have to have bombs to win a tournament, and sometimes they can even work against you. Just ask the guy I beat in the finals of a draft tournament by Act of Treasoning his Primeval Titan, hitting him with it, and then Flinging it at him…both games.
See also:
Drafting The Magic 2012 Set: Overview
Drafting the Magic 2012 Set: Black Bombs and Black Excellent Cards
Drafting the Magic 2012 Set: Black Average, Reject, and Sideboard Cards