What Is Booster Draft and How Is It Done?
Ixalan, Unstable, Iconic Masters. What do they all have in common?
That's right, they're all excellent Draft products. Magic's end of the year is full of great Draft opportunities!
What is a draft, you ask?
Drafting is way to play Magic where you sit down with other players, each with three packs of cards. You, along with everyone else at the table, open one pack each and select—"draft"—one card from that pack. Then you pass the rest of the cards to the player on your left. The packs get passed around the table until all the cards are gone. You repeat this process for the second pack, passing to the right. For the third pack, you repeat the process once again passing to your left until all the packs are opened and no cards are left. After this, you create a 40-card deck from the card pool you just drafted.
Here's a diagram of the passing process:
Resources for Drafting
If you're new to Magic, drafting might look a little daunting. But that's why we're here. Our vast experience (meaning, we're old) means we know of plenty of resources to help you learn about drafting, learn to be better at drafting, and also learn why it's awesome.
First up is a video that shows you the process of how drafting works, if you learn better that way.
(Note that the "ingredients" for the draft in the video are Kaladesh boosters, but you could just as easily use "ingredients" from any other set, like Ixalan, Iconic Masters, and so on.)
Don't forget that our new Year-End Draft Promotion started on the October 28. When you draft six times in one store between now and the end of the year (December 31) you'll receive two Standard Showdown boosters.
But before you head into your local store to draft, prepare yourself for battle with these helpful resources:
- The Booster Draft format page
- The "Ways to Play Magic: The Gathering" video series, presented by Jimmy Wong
- The Level One introductory series articles on Booster Draft, written by Reid Duke
- How to Booster Draft
- The New Player's Guide To Drafting Magic: The Gathering Cards | Tolarian Community College
- Magic The Gathering Lessons for New Players: Learn How to Draft Better! | Drafting for N00bs | Magic the Amateuring
- MTG – lxalan Draft Guide: Best Commons and Uncommons in Each Color for Magic: The Gathering! | The Mana Source
- ChannelFireball Draft Strategy Archive (once you’ve got the basics down)
- Team Draft Super League (watching the best Drafters in the world)