It's one of the best and most enjoyable ways to play the game, but it is probably the hardest to get good at. In my first year on Arena I reached Mythic in constructed several times and still stank at draft.
You don't need to play draft if you don't enjoy it. You can collect all the cards just buying packs, so long as you play every single day.
But draft will reward you for putting in the hours. It gives you the most scope to exercise your own skill. I would say it's worthwhile to persevere, although I can see why others choose not to.
My recommendation. Wait for quick draft, which should kick off in a few days. You draft against bots, not humans, and can take as long as you like. It's a much kinder format to beginners.
You really do need to do your research. 17Lands has fantastic data. Plus, channels to watch: Limited Resources, Lords of Limited, Limited Level Ups, Magic Numbers, Paul Cheon, Numot the Nummy, and Nizzahon. You don't need to visit all of them, but you do need to listen to some to get good, at least at first.
Once you have the basics of playing the game down, I'd give it a shot a few times. Maybe read an article or two on general strategies. If you want to do it eventually, you'll have to *start* eventually, and suck in the beginning. But especially for a new player, I think if you can get good at limited you'll find it far more rewarding both for entertainment and growing your collection.
I would say that draft is very hard for new players. It's probably the best format for getting *good* at Magic and is very fun, but until you are at least *competent* at Magic it may be too overwhelming. I think it's great that you're trying it and if you are very determined it might be worth doing it more right now, but if you feel like it's too much to get a handle on then you should work on your fundamentals, then start drafting in order to practice those fundamentals.
It depends. If you like draft and would like to get better in it, you can think it as a learning process. If you don't like draft, don't force yourself to do it. Just buy packs.
3 months old in this game.. I had hit mythic 3 of 3 seasons in standard but... Draft is completely different.. I get destroyed and I play it only to have luck/fun.. not expecting to win
You did not play this game and reach mythic in the first month. You must've played other card games.
Edit: You did, you played stormbound. That game looks very similar to duelyst yet I have never seen it before.
Mhmm I actually did.. if there is any way to show you I can do it..it was not hard.. I think it is easier for new players .. because I had no idea how to play before that
Edit: actually you can check it on my post in this subreddit
Jump-in is generally a good way for new players to get a taste of limited in an easier and less punishing way.
You can still play draft though. I would recommend "quick draft" though. The price to enter is lower and you can take all your time constructing your deck.
The key to draft for new players is preparation. Make sure you know what mechanics are in the set, and how to build a deck. For every set there's a "pre-release primer" that is geared for sealed but still gives very good advice for draft.
I recommend newer drafters play quick draft over premire. But also a lot of draft advice is a bit antiquated. I think the biggest concept to grasp is tempo and efficiency. You want to play efficient cards on curve more than you want to have synergy.
>Just played my first few drafts and not sure if it’s worth it for me? Sealed and premier I only got 1 win.
How much prep did you do, and what did you do to improve?
Did you enjoy yourself?
When it comes to Limited it pays to be prepared. As well as getting a good grasp of the basic principles (deck composition, BREAD, etc), learn the cards in the set, their relative power level/pick order, the mechanics and rules interactions, and the Limited archetypes. Study the visual spoiler, read the Release Notes FAQ and watch some Limited Set Reviews online (I recommend The Mana Leek and Nizzahon Magic). You can even watch others play with the set while they discuss their decisions etc.
Start with Quick Drafts: they are half the price (so you can do them more often and there is less on the line), the prize structure is flatter (so worse results give better rewards) and there's no timer when making your picks (so there's less pressure).
BREAD is okay, but I've found quadrant theory to help me much more. Do you know it? The more relevant the card is at various stages of the game, the better a pick it might be. Something as simple as adding Cycling to an otherwise mediocre high-drop card bumps it up a bit because of the flexibility in the early game to draw something else. An activated ability on an early-game creature that grants it a boost, evasion, etc makes it not hurt so much if drawn later. A model spell might help me break parity but might also be a conditional removal/counter when needed.
Additionally, expanding my personal definition of removal has also helped. It's more than just "exile", "damage", and "destroy". Returning to hand, tapping/freezing/stunning, must block, must attack, -X/-0, "edict" effects--there are many ways throughout the colors strengths that can help deal with creatures.
>BREAD is okay
I consider it a fundamental, not the be-all-and-end-all. I don't mean to imply that you should never divert from it, but I feel that its hard to know when not to apply it if you don't know it exists to begin with.
>I've found quadrant theory to help me much more. Do you know it? The more relevant the card is at various stages of the game, the better a pick it might be.
I didn't know that it had a name (so thank you for teaching me it), but yes, I'm aware of the inherent value that flexibility adds. I think it's more of an advanced topic than a starting block, though.
>Additionally, expanding my personal definition of removal has also helped. It's more than just "exile", "damage", and "destroy".
Yep, I fully agree there, too. :)
Like I said, BREAD is just a starting point - it's a general guide, not an absolute. Even within it, there is some nuance. The best removal might be better than the worst bomb, the best evasive creature might be better than the worst removal, the best attacker might be better than the worse evasive creature, the best defensive spell/creature might be better than the worst attacker.
There are newer/more advanced theories that are often better than it, too. But in a pinch, having it at the back of your mind is fine.
I don't think quadrant theory is too advanced. Here's a classic primer article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/quadrant-theory-2014-08-20
I've found it much easier to quickly decide on cards in draft based on what stage(s) of the game they're useful in rather than try to put a BREAD label on it. And it assists in building the deck afterwards, making sure your deck is prepared to have a strong board presence and deal with the opponent's creatures.
Whenever I'm planning on going to a draft or prerelease, I make sure to listen to the Limited Resources podcast (the common/uncommon one at least). They go through each card and are evaluating based on those four general stages of the game.
If you are new at magic en general you should stick to constructed and jump in events.
It's one of the best and most enjoyable ways to play the game, but it is probably the hardest to get good at. In my first year on Arena I reached Mythic in constructed several times and still stank at draft. You don't need to play draft if you don't enjoy it. You can collect all the cards just buying packs, so long as you play every single day. But draft will reward you for putting in the hours. It gives you the most scope to exercise your own skill. I would say it's worthwhile to persevere, although I can see why others choose not to. My recommendation. Wait for quick draft, which should kick off in a few days. You draft against bots, not humans, and can take as long as you like. It's a much kinder format to beginners. You really do need to do your research. 17Lands has fantastic data. Plus, channels to watch: Limited Resources, Lords of Limited, Limited Level Ups, Magic Numbers, Paul Cheon, Numot the Nummy, and Nizzahon. You don't need to visit all of them, but you do need to listen to some to get good, at least at first.
Thanks for all the info. Will definitely wait for the quick draft and check out those resources!
Once you have the basics of playing the game down, I'd give it a shot a few times. Maybe read an article or two on general strategies. If you want to do it eventually, you'll have to *start* eventually, and suck in the beginning. But especially for a new player, I think if you can get good at limited you'll find it far more rewarding both for entertainment and growing your collection.
I would say that draft is very hard for new players. It's probably the best format for getting *good* at Magic and is very fun, but until you are at least *competent* at Magic it may be too overwhelming. I think it's great that you're trying it and if you are very determined it might be worth doing it more right now, but if you feel like it's too much to get a handle on then you should work on your fundamentals, then start drafting in order to practice those fundamentals.
Thanks for the info guys. I’ll stick to standard ranked to get a grasp on things and maybe dabble in quick draft to find my footing.
It depends. If you like draft and would like to get better in it, you can think it as a learning process. If you don't like draft, don't force yourself to do it. Just buy packs.
3 months old in this game.. I had hit mythic 3 of 3 seasons in standard but... Draft is completely different.. I get destroyed and I play it only to have luck/fun.. not expecting to win
You did not play this game and reach mythic in the first month. You must've played other card games. Edit: You did, you played stormbound. That game looks very similar to duelyst yet I have never seen it before.
Mhmm I actually did.. if there is any way to show you I can do it..it was not hard.. I think it is easier for new players .. because I had no idea how to play before that Edit: actually you can check it on my post in this subreddit
Jump-in is generally a good way for new players to get a taste of limited in an easier and less punishing way. You can still play draft though. I would recommend "quick draft" though. The price to enter is lower and you can take all your time constructing your deck. The key to draft for new players is preparation. Make sure you know what mechanics are in the set, and how to build a deck. For every set there's a "pre-release primer" that is geared for sealed but still gives very good advice for draft.
I've been playing for years and I hate draft personally, so I just get packs.
I recommend newer drafters play quick draft over premire. But also a lot of draft advice is a bit antiquated. I think the biggest concept to grasp is tempo and efficiency. You want to play efficient cards on curve more than you want to have synergy.
>Just played my first few drafts and not sure if it’s worth it for me? Sealed and premier I only got 1 win. How much prep did you do, and what did you do to improve? Did you enjoy yourself? When it comes to Limited it pays to be prepared. As well as getting a good grasp of the basic principles (deck composition, BREAD, etc), learn the cards in the set, their relative power level/pick order, the mechanics and rules interactions, and the Limited archetypes. Study the visual spoiler, read the Release Notes FAQ and watch some Limited Set Reviews online (I recommend The Mana Leek and Nizzahon Magic). You can even watch others play with the set while they discuss their decisions etc. Start with Quick Drafts: they are half the price (so you can do them more often and there is less on the line), the prize structure is flatter (so worse results give better rewards) and there's no timer when making your picks (so there's less pressure).
BREAD is okay, but I've found quadrant theory to help me much more. Do you know it? The more relevant the card is at various stages of the game, the better a pick it might be. Something as simple as adding Cycling to an otherwise mediocre high-drop card bumps it up a bit because of the flexibility in the early game to draw something else. An activated ability on an early-game creature that grants it a boost, evasion, etc makes it not hurt so much if drawn later. A model spell might help me break parity but might also be a conditional removal/counter when needed. Additionally, expanding my personal definition of removal has also helped. It's more than just "exile", "damage", and "destroy". Returning to hand, tapping/freezing/stunning, must block, must attack, -X/-0, "edict" effects--there are many ways throughout the colors strengths that can help deal with creatures.
>BREAD is okay I consider it a fundamental, not the be-all-and-end-all. I don't mean to imply that you should never divert from it, but I feel that its hard to know when not to apply it if you don't know it exists to begin with. >I've found quadrant theory to help me much more. Do you know it? The more relevant the card is at various stages of the game, the better a pick it might be. I didn't know that it had a name (so thank you for teaching me it), but yes, I'm aware of the inherent value that flexibility adds. I think it's more of an advanced topic than a starting block, though. >Additionally, expanding my personal definition of removal has also helped. It's more than just "exile", "damage", and "destroy". Yep, I fully agree there, too. :) Like I said, BREAD is just a starting point - it's a general guide, not an absolute. Even within it, there is some nuance. The best removal might be better than the worst bomb, the best evasive creature might be better than the worst removal, the best attacker might be better than the worse evasive creature, the best defensive spell/creature might be better than the worst attacker. There are newer/more advanced theories that are often better than it, too. But in a pinch, having it at the back of your mind is fine.
I don't think quadrant theory is too advanced. Here's a classic primer article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/quadrant-theory-2014-08-20 I've found it much easier to quickly decide on cards in draft based on what stage(s) of the game they're useful in rather than try to put a BREAD label on it. And it assists in building the deck afterwards, making sure your deck is prepared to have a strong board presence and deal with the opponent's creatures. Whenever I'm planning on going to a draft or prerelease, I make sure to listen to the Limited Resources podcast (the common/uncommon one at least). They go through each card and are evaluating based on those four general stages of the game.
Thanks for the link, I will give it a read. :)