Magic: The Gathering has offered an online version of the iconic card game for years in Magic: The Gathering Online, but Wizards of the Coast has only managed to start to reach a more casual and larger audience with the launch of Magic Arena in the last two years. The modern UI and microtransaction economy make the platform a much more user-friendly jumping on point and the game is only improving with time.
The latest big update to Magic Arena goes one step further in making the experience more similar to in-person or MTGO experiences by adding player drafts to the game. For those who are unaware, so far Magic Arena only allowed players to draft against bots. This led to some interesting problems as certain archetypes or cards were often over or under ranked by the AI and the bot drafting metagame was consistently very different from the actual drafting experience.
That all changed in late April as player drafts finally rolled out for Magic Arena. Players who may be feeling a little intimidated or confused have nothing to worry about. Player drafting is a staple of the Magic experience and it won't take long to adjust to this new world order if you are interested in diving in. To get started, players should make sure they review the following information about how player drafts will work in Magic Arena before they dive into the May 2020 Magic Arena events.
The Basics (What is a player draft?)
Up until recently, Magic Arena only allowed players to draft packs against AI bots. Although this was definitely better than no drafting at all, it doesn't really recreate an actual competitive drafting environment very well. That is all changing now, as WotC rolls out player drafts that allow competitive Magic: The Gathering players to draft their packs against live opponents.
Players who logged into Magic Arena within two weeks of the Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths pre-release events should have also received a free entry to a player draft, so they'll be able to try out the new experience without dropping any additional money in the game.
-Player Draft will be available for Best-of-One and Best-of-Three drafts.
-Best-of-One bot drafts will still be available and will continue to rotate every two weeks.
-Best-of-Three bot drafts will no longer be available; all Best-of-Three drafts will be with players.
If the current Bot Draft and Player Draft feature the same set, they will play in separate queues (players who drafted against bots will not be paired against players who drafted against other players).
Player drafts will function like leagues; you'll be matched against players outside of your draft pod.
How long do I have to wait for a player draft to start?
This is going to vary from table to table as far as the drafts firing off, but once eight players are locked in, the draft itself shouldn't take long at all thanks to a timer on making picks.
"When joining a Player Draft, you'll be placed at a digital table until you are paired with seven other players. Once all eight players are queued up, you'll confirm your readiness before the draft begins. From there, the draft will commence similarly to how it would against bots, with each player picking a card from their current pack and then passing it to other players. We did add one little failsafe to the UX where a single click reserves a card (but doesn't automatically select it as your pick). Double-clicking, dragging the card to your deck, and/or hitting the "Confirm Pick" button will lock in your pick."
How long do I have to make a pick before passing?
This may be an adjustment for players who have only experienced bot drafting so far. Drafting against other players will mean players have to make a decision within roughly 70 seconds. It's very important to select your gut instinct card with a single-click, so that if the pack auto passes when time runs out you'll default to that pick instead of the card that Arena just decides to give you.
"To ensure that Player Draft continues at a reasonable pace, you will only have a limited amount of time to make your choice that will scale depending on your current pack and pick. For example, you'll have the most time for your pack one, pick one decision (approximately 70 seconds), however by the time you get down to pack three, pick seven, this time will be reduced to 30 seconds. If you don't select a card before your time runs out, the game will pick one for you (if you reserved a card via a single-click, it will pick that reserved card when time expires)!"
Do I play against the people from my draft table (pod)?
Not necessarily, though you will play against opponents who also drafted against people. As a general rule, players who draft against bots will play against other players who draft against bots and vice versa.
"Once the drafting portion is complete, you'll be paired with players who have also drafted against others—though not necessarily in the same pod (for those of you familiar with Magic: The Gathering Online leagues, it's a similar system)."
That should be everything players need to know to just into player drafts and get started! The main difference is going to be the clock on making a pick, so just be sure to use the single-click feature to make a quick placeholder pick with thinking things over. Once you master that, the only only obstacle to tackle is just learning how to read what is open when real players are passing packs instead of bots. That's easier said than done, so don't feel bad if it takes some time to get used to.
Be sure to check back in the near future for more Magic: The Gathering and Magic Arena strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, draw well, planeswalkers!
Magic: The Gathering is available now either in physical format or online through Magic Arena on PC.