How to get Better at Drafting in MTG Arena
Drafting is one of my favorite ways to play Magic. The skill cap is high, and the mode involves making a lot of fun decisions. Here are some drafting strategies for MTG Arena that delve into the nuances of gameplay and decision-making. These approaches will challenge you to think differently about how you draft, blending deep strategic planning with psychological tactics and probability management. Whether you're looking to dominate your next draft or just want to understand the game on a deeper level, these strategies are designed to elevate your drafting skills and help you make more informed, impactful choices at every stage of the draft process.
We’ll start with beginning strategies, then we’ll delve into advanced and expert-level strategies.
Understand the Format
Each draft format has its unique dynamics. Knowing the current set's mechanics, key cards, and archetypes is crucial. Spend time reviewing the set before diving into drafts. Websites like MTGGoldfish and ChannelFireball offer great set reviews and tier lists.
Drafting Strategy 101
Stay Open Early: In your first few picks, prioritize strong cards over locking into colors or archetypes. This flexibility allows you to pivot based on what's being passed to you.
Read Signals: Pay attention to what colors or archetypes seem open. If you're consistently seeing powerful cards in a particular color or theme, it might be a sign to pivot.
Curve Matters: A good mana curve is crucial. Ensure you have a good spread of costs to play efficiently each turn. Balancing creatures and other spells is also key.
Practice Makes Perfect
Use Draft Simulators: Tools like draftsim.com allow you to practice drafting without spending any resources. It's a great way to get familiar with the cards and drafting process.
Watch and Learn: Streamers and YouTubers like BenS_MTG and LegenVD offer insightful draft walkthroughs. Watching them can provide valuable perspectives on drafting decisions.
Analyzing Your Draft and Gameplay
Review Your Picks: After each draft, take a moment to review your picks. Consider what worked, what didn't, and how you could adjust your strategy for next time.
Post-Game Analysis: MTGA Assistant and other tools can track your games, offering insights into what went wrong and right. Use these to refine both your drafting and gameplay strategies.
Engage with the Community
The MTG community is full of knowledgeable players who are usually more than happy to discuss strategies and offer advice. Subreddits like r/MagicArena and r/lrcast are great places to ask questions and share experiences.
Advanced Drafting Strategies in MTG Arena
Beyond the Basics: Deep Dive into Draft Dynamics
After mastering the fundamentals of drafting in MTG Arena, it's time to refine your approach with more sophisticated strategies. These tactics can help you navigate complex draft environments and make more informed decisions that align with high-level play.
Synergy Over Raw Power
While it's tempting to always pick the strongest card available, synergy can often trump raw power, especially in later picks. Cards that may seem weak in isolation can become incredibly powerful within the right deck archetype. Look for combinations that work well together, enhancing each other's strengths or mitigating weaknesses.
The Art of the Pivot
One of the most challenging skills to master in drafting is knowing when to pivot - that is, when to switch your focus from one color or archetype to another. This decision often occurs around the end of pack 1 or early in pack 2. Key indicators for a pivot include:
A significant drop in the quality and quantity of cards in your primary colors.
Seeing high-quality cards in another color late in the pack, signaling that color is open.
Realizing an archetype's essential pieces are missing and unlikely to appear.
Pivoting successfully requires a delicate balance of commitment and flexibility. It's about recognizing when your initial path is not the most viable and adapting quickly without derailing your draft.
Advanced Signaling: Sending and Receiving
Signaling is a nuanced aspect of drafting, involving both the signals you send to your neighbors and those you receive. By passing a strong card in a particular color, you might be signaling to the player downstream that this color is open, potentially shaping their choices and the overall draft flow. Conversely, by reading what you're consistently being passed, you can get a sense of what colors or archetypes your upstream neighbor is not in, guiding your selections.
Effective signaling involves a deep understanding of the draft format and the ability to anticipate how other players might interpret your picks. It's a strategy that develops with experience and can significantly influence the draft's outcome.
Tempo and the Draft Environment
Understanding the tempo of the current draft environment can greatly influence your drafting strategy. Some formats reward fast, aggressive strategies, while others favor a slower, more controlling approach. Recognizing the pace of the game your draft format tends to favor can guide your card selection, helping you to draft a deck that's not only strong but also well-positioned within the format's meta.
Leveraging Sideboards
Unlike traditional Magic, MTG Arena's best-of-one draft format doesn't allow for sideboarding between games. However, this doesn't mean you should ignore the potential of your sideboard entirely. Drafting cards that can act as "silver bullets" against popular strategies or problematic cards can be a game-changer, even if they don't make your main deck. Being prepared for common threats ensures you're never caught off guard.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
The most consistent factor in successful drafting is the willingness to learn and adapt. Each draft is an opportunity to gather more data and refine your strategy. Engaging with the community, reviewing your drafts, and analyzing your gameplay can highlight areas for improvement and new strategies to explore.
Expert-Level Drafting Strategies in MTG Arena
Metagame Mastery
Understanding the broader metagame is crucial for advanced drafters. This goes beyond recognizing which archetypes are strong in a given set; it involves predicting what other players are likely to draft based on popular strategies and adjusting your picks accordingly. This foresight allows you to draft cards that are not only strong in a vacuum but also serve as effective counters to prevalent decks in the meta.
Drafting for the Wheel
An advanced technique involves making picks with the anticipation of which cards are likely to "wheel" or come back around to you. This strategy requires a deep understanding of the draft format and the ability to accurately predict what your opponents are likely to pick. By selecting a card early with the knowledge that another key card for your deck is likely to return, you can optimize your draft picks for synergy and power.
Psychological Tactics and Bluffing
Drafting isn’t just a game of cards but also a game of minds. Sending mixed signals or bluffing about your chosen archetype can mislead opponents into making suboptimal picks. For instance, you might pick a highly sought-after card in a color or archetype you have no intention of pursuing, leading others away from the colors or strategies you're actually focusing on. This level of strategy requires not just an understanding of the game but also of the players.
Risk Management and Draft Variance
An expert drafter knows how to manage risk and exploit draft variance. This involves making picks that have high upside potential while mitigating downside risks. For example, drafting a card that is exceptionally powerful in the right context but mediocre otherwise can be a calculated risk. Balancing your deck’s consistency with these potential high-reward picks can often be the difference between a good and a great draft deck.
Advanced Resource Allocation
In MTG, resources aren't limited to cards and mana but also include information and time. Expert drafters excel in resource allocation, knowing when to spend more time pondering over a critical pick and when to make quick decisions to preserve mental energy for gameplay. Similarly, managing information — both what you reveal to your opponents and what you glean from their actions — can provide a strategic edge.
Deck Building as Drafting Progresses
Unlike beginner drafters who build their deck post-draft, advanced drafters construct their deck as the draft progresses. This means making each pick with an eye towards how it fits into your evolving deck, considering aspects like curve, synergy, and sideboard options from the outset. This dynamic approach allows for on-the-fly adjustments based on the draft flow, leading to more cohesive and powerful decks.
Leveraging Limited Data
The best drafters make use of limited data, such as keeping track of which cards have been passed and estimating what strategies other players might be pursuing. This can influence decisions on which cards to pick or pass, guiding the drafting strategy in real-time. While MTG Arena does not allow for note-taking during drafts, a keen memory and sharp observation skills can serve a similar function.
You’ve got this!
Reaching an expert level in MTG Arena drafting combines deep game knowledge with an understanding of psychology, probability, and strategy. These advanced tactics require not just practice but also a willingness to learn from each draft experience, continuously adapting and refining your approach. Remember, drafting is as much an art as it is a science, with each decision carrying the potential to lead to victory or defeat.
Mastering these advanced strategies will not only enhance your drafting skills but also deepen your overall appreciation and enjoyment of MTG Arena. Embrace the complexity, enjoy the challenge, and may your drafts lead to many 7-win runs!
