Now that you've mastered the Rules and Expert Tips of an MTG Draft found in my previous article, let's explore the different ways you can actually go about drafting. Whether you find it hard to get exactly eight people together for a traditional booster draft or you're just looking to spice up your favorite limited set, these alternatives provide unique advantages for all types of players.

1. Pick-Two Draft

Four Players and three booster packs per player.

How To Play

This variation on traditional draft asks players to take two cards from each pack instead of one. That's it.

Advantages

If you have ever tried to organize a Draft night vs a Commander night, you know how hard it can be to get eight people to commit to a four hour draft. This officially supported draft format was designed to help smaller groups participate in drafts and is WotC's preferred way to draft smaller Limited sets like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Considerations

Though this is WotC's "Official" way to draft with four players, it is far from the only option. The Pick-Two draft is great for folks who don't want to deal with additional set up, and are new to Magic but falls short on fun and re-playability when compared to other variations.

2. Winston Draft

Two Players and 90 cards called the "Reserve."

How To Play

Deal three cards from the reserve, each one into three separate facedown piles on the table. The active player looks at the first pile and either chooses to add the entire pile to their draft pool or move onto the next pile where the process repeats. If they select no pile they take a card at random from the reserve. After a card has been selected, add another card to each pile and rotate the active player. Continue drafting until all cards are depleted.

Advantages

This variation adds more depth to a draft by requiring players to evaluate card quality in addition to card quantity. Additionally, it begins to touch on the idea of hidden versus shared information. It provides more interesting decision making than Sealed and was the gold standard for a 1v1 draft for many years.

Considerations

The random nature of the card pools can sometimes lead to less balance between players, and the draft decks on average will be less powerful than a traditional draft deck. The Winston Draft laid the groundwork to prove that 1v1 drafts could work, but our next variation improves on the formula in many ways.

3. Housman Draft

2-4 Players and 45 cards per player, plus an additional reserve of 81 cards.

How To Play

During each round, five cards are dealt face down to each player and nine cards are placed face up on the table from the reserve. Each player takes turns exchanging a card from their hand with a card from the face up pile, and continues to do so until all players have made three exchanges. After this is completed, the communal pool is discarded and each player puts their hand of 5 cards aside. Complete this process a total of 9 more times until each player has 45 cards to build their deck from. Alternate which player makes the first pick each round.

Advantages

The Housman draft is more involved than either a Pick-Two Draft or Winston Draft, but what it lacks in simplicity it makes up for in fun and depth. The increased card pool means that players will reliably have more powerful decks and the nuance of public information vs private information adds an extra element to the draft. The best players will pick up on what their opponents are drafting and adjust accordingly, the way they might in a traditional draft.

Considerations

This variation of a draft requires more cards and is more complex to set up, and it works better with a Cube where you can simply grab the cards you need as you go rather than opening a large number of booster packs.

4. Team Draft

Six Players and three booster packs per player.

How To Play

Two teams of three players participate in a traditional draft. Seating is arranged so that you are always passing and receiving cards from the opposing team. After the draft, players sit beside their team during deck construction. Teammates can help each make deck and play decisions but may not share cards. Games are typically played in a round robin where everyone on both teams plays each other, and the winner is determined by the overall record across multiple rounds.

Advantages

A Team Draft offers a fun twist on a traditional draft by providing a more collaborative experience. It is particularly fun for advanced players who know each other's draft preferences, but I find it most useful when there is a skill disparity between players in your group. Place the most advanced players on opposite teams so they can help newer players when they get stuck. Team Drafting is one of the best ways for a new player to grow because they get to play on their own with the safety net of having a more experienced player to answer questions.

Considerations

Unlike other variations, a Team Draft needs exactly six players, which makes it less flexible than other options. It is an alternative that you either need to plan on ahead of time or have it in your back pocket if you happen to end up with six players.

5. Grid Draft

2-3 Players and 162 cards for two players, 216 cards for three players.

How To Play

Deal nine cards face up in a 3x3 grid. The first player chooses a row or column they wish to draft, the second player does the same, even if their desired selection only includes two cards. Discard the unselected cards and repeat until all cards have been drafted. If playing with 3 drafters, follow the same steps but refill the row or column after the first player makes their selection. Be sure to rotate who picks first each time so that all players have an equal chance of picking from a full grid.

Advantages

Grid draft relies on fully public information. During the draft you get to know every card your opponent is taking which adds an extra element of counterplay to this variation. For instance, if I knew my opponent was in Blue and I had the first pick I might choose a row or column that would give me the card I want while also depriving them of a card they want.

Considerations

Grid drafting is more thought intensive than other variations and is beloved by players who really like to think a lot during a draft, but is often harder for new players. Additionally, the high amount of dead cards you draft means that finished decks will feel less focused than a traditional draft.

6. Rotisserie Draft

2-12 players and 45 cards per player.

How To Play

Take the entire selection of cards and lay them face up on a table. Players take turns drafting one card at time using the "Snake" system, meaning that the draft order in a six-person Rotisserie Draft would be player 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 followed by 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. This pattern repeats until the entire set is drafted.

Advantages

The Rotisserie Draft is the most thought-provoking variation that gives players perfect knowledge at all times and really tests a players ability to evaluate what they need and when they need to draft it. Additionally, it is one of the only draft variations that can be done asynchronously. Instead of laying the entire pool of cards face up on a table, players could draft remotely one pick at a time using tools like those found at Lucky Paper,

Considerations

Whether you are doing this in person or remotely it takes a lot of time. In person events should expect to take anywhere between 1-4 hours to complete the drafting, and remote events usually take place over the course of a few days/weeks.

7. Cube Draft & Chaos Draft*

While they are not variations on how you draft, Cube Drafts and Chaos Drafts are notable variations because they change what you draft.

Cube Draft

A Cube is a predetermined arrangement of cards designed to be drafted together. For a typical eight-person draft, a Cube curator might assemble a list of 360 cards that get shuffled and broken into 15 card booster packs that you would draft like normal. There are two main advantages of a Cube draft when compared to a traditional Booster draft.

• Firstly, it provides an opportunity for curators and players to experience different draft environments. Just like every set of Magic has a different feel to it, each Cube will include different objectives and cards.
• Additionally, it provides a re-playability and different financial structure than a traditional draft that requires you to buy boosters every time you want to play. Rather than having to buy a new booster box every time you want to draft, you are able to reuse the same Cube over and over again. The variation of who shows up to the draft and how the packs are randomized will keep it feeling fresh each time.

Chaos Draft

A fan favorite at conventions, Chaos draft is a celebration of Magic's robust history. Rather than drafting 3 packs of the same set like you would in a traditional booster draft, a Chaos Draft has its players draft random sets. The booster packs you use might all be Standard legal or they might be from across all of Magic's history. The experience is casual, fun, and usually a little wacky as you will need to be less reliant on cards that were designed to work in unison and more on their individual strengths.

Closing Thoughts

Whether you have one partner that you want to draft with on a rainy day at home or a dedicated group of players who are interested in battling it out in a unique way, there is a Draft format for you. Find the version that best suits your needs and the number of players you have access to and go have fun.