Twining Twins | Illustration by Fajareka Setiawan
MTG has a new official Draft format, and for those of us whose LGSs have difficulty firing 8-person Drafts, expect to see this new format, designed for pods of four people, at some tables near you.
If you haven’t played a Lightning Draft at a MagicCon, you might not be quite sure of what to expect when Pick-Two Draft comes to Arena. It’s a relatively simple Draft variant compared to things like Winchester Draft or other alternative formats, a guide to which you can find here! But there are some significant strategic implications if you're in it to win it, so read on for a strategic breakdown.
What Is Pick-Two Draft?
Two-Headed Hellkite | Illustration by Fajareka Setiawan
Imagine regular Draft with two key changes: The pods are shrunk from eight to four, and each player takes two cards with each draft pick, similar in that one way to Commander Legends Draft.
Who Is Pick-Two Drafts For?
Everyone! But, more specifically, Commander players, people looking for a faster Draft format, and the strategically curious.
Commander Players
Command Tower | Illustration by Evan Shipard
There’s no accident that the origins of this Draft variant are at cons, where Commander players can square off. Just as Commander originally was created as a space filler between tournament rounds, Pick-Two Draft likely began as a way for Commander pods to quickly draft between EDH slugfests.
I just think four is a way easier number to get than eight. We have a hard time regularly getting six for our pickup basketball games and usually end up 2v2 most mornings, and I have never successfully filled out all eight places in an at-home Draft pod, either.
Faster Drafts
Boots of Speed | Illustration by Chris Rallis
I don’t mean faster gameplay, but both the draft portion and the round robin structure happen quicker in this format.
Only four people drafting is still weak to a single person’s analysis paralysis if you’re not on a timer, but instead of every card slot being pondered over, there are half as many opportunities to think.
Sometimes I get stuck wondering if I should cut a good uncommon with my second pick, but overall, I think the picks go a little faster. You can take the removal spell and the buildaround.
I imagine this will be true on Arena, as well, especially if the format rules allocate the same times for draft decisions as the current formats do.
And then there are only two rounds to determine the pod winner for paper drafts, which is the real time saver if you’re hoping the chips and soda hold out. And really, the people. People who aren’t in the final round peacing out is an inevitable bummer. But here, the two losing players are only in for watching one watch.
Pick-Two Draft Rules
As noted above, it’s regular Draft with two key changes. Smaller pods and two picks at a time. You build decks the same way and play out the games the same as regular Draft.
Where to Play Pick-Two Draft
It’s going to be everywhere, at least in the short term. If it takes off, then it will likely be evergreen. You'll see it on Arena and MTGO. You continue to see it at MagicCons. And I bet it will be an attractive option for LGSs struggling to fire drafts, especially for FNM, when planning for the whole experience puts you into the wee hours of tomorrow morning.
Draft Strategy
There are different strategic decisions in this format, especially in the era of Play boosters. Here are a few key issues to think about:
Rares Will Get Passed Less
For multi-rare packs, well… all the rares are belong to me. Which means, I might need to grab a removal spell and a dual land with the next pick so I can try to play them. I think the temptation toward rare-driven multicolor splashing or soup like that will hit novice drafters hard, and those are usually drafters who are loath to draft lands highly, but having two picks makes those vegetables go down easier.
That should affect your decisions as the kind of veteran who reads Draftsim drafting strategy articles! The second pick(s) will often have some juicy commons and uncommons.
Buildarounds and Synergies Will Be Harder
Fewer packs will be opened total, half as many as in a normal 8-person pod. That means the pressure on uncommons will be, well, uncommonly tough. In sets with only one signpost uncommon in the color pairs, it'll be even harder to get any of those. And if the synergy payoffs in a format are stacked in just a few cards, those synergies will be far more unlikely to materialize.
I’m relying on some analysis on this reddit thread when considering buildarounds, so thanks, redditors! Buildarounds that you move into because they are open will still feel similar, but forcing Izzet in Final Fantasy would be harder in Pick-Two, for example. Cards you’d clock for the wheel are far more likely to just end up a pick here. It's a tough sell nabbing a Sahagin first pick, but if I can get an Ice Magic and the merfolk in one pick, that’s a lot safer feeling.
In Commander Legends drafts, plausible buildarounds were snapped up really quickly. Will this be true once we get data from Arena drafts? That wisdom will shift as practice evolves, but at least at the start of the Pick-Two life, I’d avoid trying to go all in on synergy strategies too early.
Signals Are Back!
And signals will be back, baby! Play boosters muted the power of the wheel a bit, but imagine there are two blue cards and two blue multicolor cards in the pack. You take a rare and one of the multicolor cards. And both of the others wheel. Well, you know what that means. With four players there will be a lot of open color lanes, and sometimes you'll just see a color flowing because literally no one else is in it. And it's even possible that's happening for everyone at the table. It was hard to get cut from your color in Commander Legends, because the format induced you to force drafting around your legends, but if you get cut in Pick-Two, there will almost certainly be an open color to move into, for better or worse.
Forcing the Worst Color Will Be Viable
We regularly see and hear about Arena data showing that the worst color usually performs much better among the best players. With so many choices at their fingertips, few casual players in Pick-Two will hop on the worst color right away. But if you are willing to do it, you will likely be able to get more than you need in the color.
Best Sets for Pick-Two Drafts
We’ve already had this picking-two structure in Commander Legends, Commander Masters, and Double Masters, so the latter sets would be decent entries, assuming you can get the packs.
Bad Draft sets will likely be worse in Pick-Two, especially when those sets are on the heels of a good 2-color pair, or even a too-good card, as with Azorius (and especially Angelic Observer) in Streets of New Capenna. The power of Azorius in that set didn’t rest with uncommon synergies, which were there, sure, but with the sheer power of the overall card pile in those colors.
But to think about good “regular” sets, let’s remember the strategic notes above. Here are some sets that would be good to try out in this format, if you’ve got product in the closet.
Dominaria United
Dominaria United was a fun and solid format with good color balance and plenty of multicolor options. But a Pick-Two format will put a crimp on the payoff availability for the two format bogeymen, the Wingmantle Chaplain defender deck and the domain deck. I think the Pick-Two version of this format will just feel more balanced and should elevate an already great Draft set.
- 36 Dominaria United MTG Draft Boosters + 1 foil Box Topper card
- Best boosters for drafting Dominaria United
- 15 Magic cards per booster
- 1 Legendary Creature in every pack
- 1 Traditional Foil card in 33% of packs
Core Set 2020
A Draftsim fave, Core Set 2020 has a deep roster of good commons, but as a core set, it's not quite as reliant on tricky synergy decks with one payoff. The one problem, Risen Reef, is less of a problem in Pick-Two. Plus, the last few core sets remain pretty affordable as far as Booster boxes go, so this might be a good way to explore the format.
Okay, the real core set answer is probably Foundations, and that seems likely to be an early option for this format on Arena, and the logic is still sound, as Foundations is very much like an old core set.
- COUNTLESS PATHS TO VICTORY. Includes 36 Core Set 2020 (M20) booster packs, each with 15 Magic cards. Pick your favorites, put them in your deck, and battle.
- IT’S DRAFT NIGHT. Crack your box and booster draft with up to 12 friends for an unforgettable game night filled with epic creatures and devastating spells.
- MAGIC LIKE YOU REMEMBER IT. Core Set 2020 (M20) is the perfect way to get back into the game. Jump back in and experience all the combat, strategy, and art that made the game iconic.
- FILL YOUR BINDER. Righteous angels and ferocious dragons await. Every booster pack includes at least 1 rare or mythic rare card.
- THE GAME THAT STARTED IT ALL. The original strategy card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has inspired more than 20 million fans over 25 years.
Khans of Tarkir
I know, you're rolling your eyes at the boomer writer. Gimme a sec, here!
Imagine a lightning fast format like Phyrexia: All Will Be One in Pick-Two. That feels almost worse than in the original form, as speedy common-heavy decks might be even faster.
But Khans of Tarkir, well, you played it recently on Arena, yes? It’s slow and relatively balanced and is an authentic 3-color experience, with the fixing, the ability to shift in the color space, and the morph mechanic that gives you the time to draw the colors you need.
Look, don’t take my word for it! Fire up Khans on the Draft simulator and take a look. Doesn’t it feel like this old chestnut has some new life when shifted in this way?
Two-Pick Drafts on MTG Arena
Brace yourselves.
We don’t know when it’s coming, but I would guess we’ll see it in the next month, likely on Midweek Magic first, and hopefully, when it rolls into the regular structure, with a Draft token (pretty please, WOTC?).
It will work like other formats, where you compete with others in the format (no mixing with Quick draft or Premier players), as confirmed by WotC employees in a reddit thread. No word yet on prize structure or time for picks, but because players will walk out with the same number of cards, I see no reason why the payout structures should be different. I’d imagine it could even be ranked, but we’ll see.
Wrap Up
Dragon-Style Twins | Illustration by Wesley Burt
I am excited about this. As a person who sometimes fires up a Quick draft because I want draft gameplay but don’t have the time to sit through the full pod draft on Arena with that one person who disconnected and makes everyone wait FOREVER, the idea of playing with three people who might do that instead of seven is really attractive to me.
I also like the idea of being able to play different Draft formats in general.
Finally, as a person whose LGS only runs drafts “when there’s enough interest,” I can see this option really opening up the opportunities for me to have paper Limited play that’s more than prerelease Sealed deck.
How are ya’ feeling, players? Are you into this or not? Let us know in the comments or on Discord if you’ve got a different take.
See y’all in the queues!
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