Hello and happiest of folks! I am a much better drafter than a Constructed player and back when we had DCI numbers and separate ones, I'd have a much higher one. I have folks that won't even play Limited against me since they want to win. Today we are looking at my Top Draft Variants - this is not formats like Khans of Tarkir or Innistrad but other ways of drafting instead.

Honorable Mention #1 - Pancake Draft

In this draft format designed for two players easily playable with other smaller numbers but wanted to give a more authentic choice of picking from a hidden facedown pack is this thing. In a two-player you have 11 cards in each pack, draft one, then swap, the next one takes 2, and then you bin two removing them from the draft altogether (face down) and then each player grabs two and then bins the last two face down. So, you can do that with three or four, just have the first player draft one, everyone else two, and then bin two after the last one choose, and then continue with everyone getting another two, and then bin. Use a Cube for 11 or 13 cards, but a 15-card booster would work for a 4 player one. It's here.

Honorable Mention #2 - Continuous Draft

Love this one much, used it tons in Arena. You and another crack three packs or Cube 45 cards and review them. You choose one you'll not add to your draft to keep for your deck and then draft with 44. You can use that for a money card or a limited bomb. Shuffle and then reveal four cards face up, and each player takes turns drafting and then build and play your brew. This is great for tournaments, then you can draft 4 at a time instead of packs. Then pair up and then do it again and again each round. They talk about it here - https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Continuous_Draft

Honorable Mention #3 - Grid Draft

This is a draft for two players, meant to be fast. Make 18 packs of nine cards, separate them into a face-up 3x3 Grid, the first player chooses to draft a line or row of three, and then the other does, and then you bin the rest.

Honorable Mention #4 - Auction Draft

This is strong stuff. You give folks a limited amount of cash, like, say, 100 play bucks, that aren't real. Then you have them pay for their cards instead of picking them. There are a few ways to do that. The faster way is to grab 45 cards for each player like packs or Cube, then flip them up a bit one at a time or a pack at a time, and then each one wins. The slower way is to have them all revealed on a giant table then they go around and nominate one for drafting them. Each has its different issues, time spent.

#5. Solomon Draft

https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Solomon_Draft. Grab three booster packs per player, shuffle them into one giant stack. Designed for two or four players. In the 2P player one, the first player grabs a stack of 8 cards, and then splits them into two face-up piles like FOF and then the other chooses the one he wants. In 4P one, you have each player open up a pack on their turns instead of shuffling them together and then splits them into four face-up and they each choose one in draft order.

#4. Your Foes Make Your Draft Deck

This one is fun. It's a booster draft as normal with any number of folks, but each player will hand their drafted stuff to their foe to build around and then they will build a deck and then play it against your foes. Therefore, you will need to draft the worst possible deck! First pick that Chimney Imp!!! Please add around 15 minutes prior to the game built to do so.

#3. Winston Draft shout out to Winchester

Winston Draft (https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Winston_Draft) is my favorite two-player one. You grab 45 cards from three packs and then open them, shuffle, and then flip three cards face down in a stack of one each. Then each player will look at the first pack, place a card there if they don't like it, and then keep looking at cards or sets until they draft, and then they replace it with one card. Or if not, they can take the top card from the stack. Winchester wants to combine this with this my favorite one below where everything is face-up instead.

#2. Anaconda Draft

This is my favorite traditional booster face down draft. It works like normal. Every turn you draft your best card! But then, if you want? You can swap one picked out card on a 1:1 basis as many times as you want. Use that to get more than one great card from your draft pack or if your colors are cut off to get redemption. Draft chaff here? I talk about it here - https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/abesargent-071012-your-anaconda-awaits.

#1. Rochester Draft

This is my favorite draft style!!! Here you are grabbing three booster packs and then one player in draft order flips them all up and then drafts their top card, it goes in draft order, then the wheel takes 2, and it reverses. Then it ends. Then the order turns. This is very skill-intensive since everyone knows what everyone else has. It's also timely. But you'll know you are matched up with each round, across from you, so you can draft to take them out like a White Knight if in Black for your main deck. Love it!

There you all go! What are your favorite draft variants?