Advice for first time drafter?
Limited forum
Posted on Dec. 16, 2013, 9:52 p.m. by sonicizslow
This Friday (for FNM) the format is draft at my local shop. Never drafted before but have the basic idea. Just wanted to see if anyone had any tips. Thanks!
know the set you're going to draft, know the interactions. Let the cards come to you, don't force anything. If you find that you can't use that bomb you drafted pick 1, pack 1, because you're not getting the colors/cards to go with it, don't be afraid to switch. Draft the best card in the pack for your deck, if you can't find anything that works with what you're going for, draft the best card in the pack. Think aggressively and outside the box. For example Spark jolt on your Anax and Cymede is a good thing. Remember what you passed and what tabled, this gives you a good idea on what people are picking. pack 2 will always be interesting, learn how pack 1 went, what came to you, what didn't, then in pack 2, you can pick what you need and/or hate draft and cut off that side of the table. Don't hate draft unless you're not getting a card for your deck or a card that will wreck your deck.
read trough these articles to get an idea of theros drafts
google for others if you need to.
evasion and removal are great to pick up, but don't rely on good removal or evasion a lot of the time. For example, a great pick is Sedge Scorpion as removal/evasion. Sip of Hemlock is good removal in this format, but not an early pick, mostly mid pack.
get on the drafter here and draft a lot, play out your deck on cockatrice with those willing to do that. Practice a lot.
December 16, 2013 10:11 p.m.
I actually just drafted for my first time last week.
I did a bunch of research beforehand- get to know the set. Also, practice drafting
I learned about the acronym BREAD:
B- Bombs- things that win the game, such as AEtherling , Elspeth, Sun's Champion , or I even used Evangel of Heliod to create tons of hard to remove tokens.
R- Removal- kill spells, burn, exile, self explanatory
E- Evasion/ effectiveness- flying, intimidate, etc. Things that can hit your opponent turn after turn for extra damage OR things that are plain worth their cost (think Accursed Spirit or Grizzly Bears ).
A- Aggressiveness- Fill the early game, or even win in the early game
D- Dreg- Boring stuff that fills your deck and is generally useless.
Honestly, you'll do fine. I was super worried on Saturday, my first draft, and I won my first 2 games and lost my third, giving me 2nd place and some good prizes. You'll do great.
December 16, 2013 11:07 p.m.
MaliciousMac says... #5
Like previously said, know about the BREAD. Remember BREAD, and focus on your curve, and you should be fine. But unlike stated, I don't use "A" as aggressiveness. Use "A" as advantage. Draw power, maybe. Scry. Anything that'll gain you advantage over your opponent.
Rare drafting is ok, but if you have to choose between a $3 card and something that could change your deck for the better, take the playable card rather than the money card.
Evasion is invaluable.
Don't draft a control deck without more experience. Know the set you're drafting, and the archetypes people usually draft. But don't force an archetype. If other people force it, you'll get better passes.
Pay attention to what color cards are coming to you from either direction. It'll help you focus a main color, or your second/third color.
If there is literally nothing for you in a pass, if you've been paying attention to the color of your previous passes, take something of a color that you know someone is playing, or that someone would benefit from greatly. Basically, hate drafting.
Don't get overwhelmed by what people say here though, just go in and do it. The more you draft, the better you get.
And last thing. 15-18 lands is good, depending on your amount of ramp/mana dudes.
December 16, 2013 11:54 p.m.
17 or 18 land is what I feel is appropriate for theros, as it is a slow Limited format. You definitely don't want to run a Vulpine Goliath with 15 lands.
At least 17, and if you're more focused towards the end game, then 18 isn't bad either.
December 17, 2013 5:18 a.m.
One thing I'd like to stress on is what Bombs are in "BREAD." Bombs are cards that should win the game by themselves upon resolution. AEtherling , Stormbreath Dragon , Assemble the Legion , Desecration Demon , and Pack Rat are all good examples. However, bombs are not always in the rare slot. Stab Wound in RtR draft and Bonesplitter in Mirrodin draft are both top picks, often times above rares. Not all rares are bombs, either. Sphinx's Revelation , while a valuable card and great in Constructed, is terrible in Limited.
cschiller says... #2
Evasion + Removal = GG
December 16, 2013 10:01 p.m.