Drafting can be intimidating the first time you start as a new player. It is fast paced and knowing what to grab to build the best deck can be very stressful. These tips will help you get some wins the next time you draft at your local game store.
5: Look Over the Set First Before the Drafting
Every Magic: The Gathering set has themes for each two-color combination. When drafting, if you look over the set before you draft, you will have an idea of what cards work well together in these themes. You will also be able to see what colors in the set are best. As a new player, it may be challenging to determine what makes a card playable. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help out with this problem. A bonus to looking over the set allows you to see the new mechanics in the set. This way you can be knowledgeable about what the new cards do and how you can use them.
4: Stay Focused on Your Colors
When drafting you want to have a plan on what you can and cannot afford to go into. Staying open in the beginning is great but narrowing down your color options by the third pack is a good strategy. Pivoting late could have you end up with a subpar deck that won’t function as well.
3: Draft Deck Ratios
It is the golden rule of a 40-card draft deck to have 23 nonland cards and 17 lands. If you have a more aggressive mana curve getting rid of one land won’t hurt but going below that is ill-advised. The creature/noncreature ratio is bit more flexible but dipping below 13 creatures will leave you stranded without a board in most games.
2: Don’t Forget Fixing
In order for your deck to work well, you need to be able to cast your spells on curve. Any lands that are in the colors you want are highly valuable to your draft deck and should be taken at a high frequency level. This way your deck will be more consistent in every game.
1: Practice Makes Perfect
The best way to learn how to draft is to go out and do it! Practice looking over cards and grading them and comparing them with other players. There are also draft simulators that will help you practice without breaking the bank. The more you draft the better you will become at crafting better decks, playing the game, and most importantly, winning!
Leave a Reply