this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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How to become a better drafter? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by pathief@lemmy.world to c/mtg@mtgzone.com
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Hi all!

I pretty much only play constructed formats, mostly Explorer. I never create my own deck because I suck at it. I play lists made by other people that look fun and engaging. For context, I rank at least Diamond every season.

I tend to play a couple of drafts per set, mostly to get gems for the mastery pass. I also play all free phantom drafts. I find the drafts fun but I'm atrocious at it. I usually go 2-3 and perform pretty terribly. I don't think I've ever gone above the silver rank, but I guess I don't play that much either.

I'd like to educate myself on how to become a better drafter. I like drafting but as a F2P player, my win-rate is unsustainable. I tend to prioritize removal and "bombs" but my decks always feels like a pile of stuff that don't interact very well with eachover. I use the free Untapped extension that ranks the cards but I think it just aggravates my problem of getting a pile of nice cards that don't mesh together that well.

Any resource for a total newbie would be very appreciated. Cheers!

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[–] ech@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Along with the other resources everyone mentioned, I'd recommend two further things.

  1. Use sites like Draftsim to get in "reps" without the pressure or cost of a real draft. It will help you familiarize yourself with each set, and get a feel for a reasonable pick order, even if a real draft will be messier by nature of drafting with real people.

  2. Recording your drafts will do a lot to help you figure out where you made mistakes and how you can improve, either by watching it yourself or asking others to critique it for you. You can use either a screen recorder or something like 17lands, which will make a record of the draft itself and each match that you can step through turn-by-turn. Personally, I would caution against using 17lands for much else as I feel obsessing about those sorts of stats really diminishes the whole experience, but that is me. A lot of people find it very useful, so do with it what you want.

Also, specifically regarding the Limited Resources podcast, I'd suggest focusing on the "Level Up" episodes if you're looking specifically for general advice on drafting. Those will be about general drafting concepts as opposed to set-specific conversations.

And good luck! Drafting is a complicated format, but imo, it's also the most enjoyable way to play Magic. I hope you find some things that will help you improve! ^.^