Magic the Gathering - How to Play the Draft Format!

What is Draft

There a ton of unique and varied formats in the world of Magic the Gathering, and draft stands apart as something different from the commonly played Modern and Commander Formats! If you're not sure how to play a draft, it is very simple, check out our guide down below!

A draft is a great way to experiment and learn the new cards of a set. In the draft format, you construct a deck at the table, using cards you pull from booster packs. A typical drafting experience can accommodate up to 8 players and takes around 2 hours to play.

How to Play

The concept of setting a draft may seem daunting at first, especially for those that have only played constructed formats before (a constructed format is one where you make your deck beforehand.) This step-by-step guide will take you through the entire process and demystify the draft format!

What you need to play:

• Three draft boosters per player (we recommend at least 4 or more players)
• A selection of basic lands (Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests). You will mostly likely need a lot of these.

Drafting Process

• Each player opens a booster pack and picks a single card from the pack in secret
• Everyone then passes the remainder of their booster to player on their left, each player then picks a card from the pack they just received before passing again.
• These steps are replicated until all the cards in the first packs have been selected.
• This process is repeated with the second pack, but instead the remaining cards passed to the right. The third pack is once again passed to the left.
• Once all the packs have been opened and all cards selected, everyone builds a deck from the cards they have gained. You may add as many basic lands to your deck as you’d like, but each deck must have at least 40 cards.

Deckbuilding

Decks in draft should contain a minimum of 40 cards, and although you can include more we recommend that you stay as close to the minimum as possible. Check out the tips and tricks section below for a good idea on how to construct your deck.

Tips and Tricks

Although WOTC (Wizards of the Coast) haven't issued any official advice on deckbuilding for draft, they do include an insert with pre-release kits that advises on deck construction. The Draft and Pre-release formats both utilise 40 card decks, so we recommend taking advantage of the same outline for your decks when drafting. The core idea is that you try to keep the number of lands relatively high and have a low mana curve to account for the much smaller deck.

Typical Deck Profile:

• 15 - 18 creatures
• 5 - 8 other spells
• 17 Lands

Typical Mana Curve:

• Cost 1 0 - 2 cards
• Cost 2 6 - 8 cards
• Cost 3 6 - 8 cards
• Cost 4 3 - 5 cards
• Cost 5 2 - 4 cards
• Cost 6, 7 & 8 1 - 3 cards

A few things to keep in mind:

• Know your set before starting a draft. Doing your research can go a long way in avoiding the bad cards and picking the best cards.
• Don't go for the biggest or strongest cards. Unlike formats like Commander, it's hard to accumulate a lot of mana in the course of a draft game. That's why going for lowest CMC (converted mana cost) cards over high-cost cards is often the best option.
• Try to focus on two colours. Although you may come across a load of fun and powerful cards, trying to devote yourself to more than two colours can leave you strapped for mana.
• Make up your mind early. If you come across a great white card late in the draft but you've been picking red and blue, then its probably too late to switch. We recommend that you settle on a colour combination by the time you reach the second pack.
• Pick strategically. If you keep an eye on what's being picked, then you can work out what the other players are after. If you notice a card that can help another player, then it might be a good move to pick it, even if you're not going to play it yourself.
• Cheap removal spells are your friends here. They can be priceless throughout an entire game.
• Try and avoid cards that have low impact for their cost or are only useful situationally.

You can pick up a draft booster box for a few awesome sets by checking out the related products section below. Each box contains 36 packs, which is enough to support a 12 player draft. If you have fewer than 12 players, you can purchase booster packs individually. You can also view our entire range of Magic the Gathering products by clicking the button below.