MTG Draft Guide: Playing, Learning, Tips, and Resources

Today, we'll move on to the second part of our Draft guide for Magic: The Gathering Arena, and learn even more about this format. If you haven't checked out part 1 yet, click here!

In part 1, we learned how to get ready for Draft and build decks, but now it's time to learn how to pilot your builds well, how to use resources efficiently, review your own performance, and apply advanced tactics. If you would like to learn more about the game and consistently win matches, this article is for you. This part of the guide will show you how to put theory into practice, so it's essential!

Magic: The Gathering is still surprising us with deep, complex mechanics and rich strategies all players can use - it's why we love it so much! Now that we know a few basic concepts about Draft, let's see how we can use them in practice.

If you play your deck well, understand the meta, and try to evolve constantly, Draft will be a challenging and exciting learning experience full of opportunities for anyone who wants to stand out.

After drafting and building your deck, the next crucial step is playing it efficiently. Knowing how to pilot your deck is as important as building it because, if you can't execute your strategies well, you might just lose.

In this part of the guide, we'll show you how to get ready for matches, how to deal with your starting hands, and how to adapt during the game.

4.1 Mulligan Strategies

The first important decision you'll have to make at the beginning of each match is the Mulligan, that is, if you want to discard your first starting hand and draw a new one. Knowing when and if you should mulligan your starting hand is essential to get ahead early on.

When Should You Mulligan?

• Unbalanced mana curve: if your starting hand has too many lands or not enough lands, or if it has the wrong mana curve (too many heavy cards, and not enough cards for the first few turns), you should probably mulligan it.

• Not enough answers: if your hand doesn't have ways to interact with the opponent or answer threats, you should probably mulligan after them.

How to See If You Have Enough Interaction and the Right Mana Curve

Before you mulligan your hand, check if your mana curve is alright and if you have ways to interact with your opponent. If your opening hand can put pressure on the opponent early on with low-cost creatures or removals, you should keep it.

Please note that mulligans often punish you quite heavily, particularly in Draft. That's because, statistically, whenever you mulligan your hand, your chances of winning plummet, so you should only do it if it's absolutely necessary.

4.2 Game Tactics

When you begin playing, the way you manage your deck and the cards in your hand will make all the difference in the world. Knowing when to put pressure and when to wait for your opponent to do something first can change the course of the game and give you a victory.

Proactivity vs. Reactivity : When to Attack and When to Answer

• Aggressive decks: if you're playing an aggressive deck, your priority is putting pressure on your opponent right from the start. Attack whenever possible to try to finish the game as fast as possible. This means you'll often have to make unfavorable trades short-term so you can keep the board clear and keep pushing on, always putting pressure on the opponent.

• Control or Midrange Decks: if you're playing control or midrange decks, stalling and answering the opponent is often more efficient than attacking. Keep creatures on your side to block and try to remove enemy threats whenever you can. Time is on your side, so try to lock down the board to make the game last long enough to play your "threats".

Use Removals Efficiently

When you're about to use a removal to destroy a creature or exile a permanent, you need to use it at the right time. Let your opponent try to play their most dangerous threats before you react, or use your removals on their biggest threats before they can cause irreversible damage.

• If your opponent plays a key creature you know you'll have trouble dealing with later on, use your removals immediately to destroy it.

• If your opponent puts many small creatures in play, your best bet might still be waiting until they play a big threat and using your removals to control them.

Your life is a resource, but you must use it wisely too - don't spend "premium" removals on "empty" creatures.

4.3 How to Adapt

One of the most important skills you need to learn to play Draft well is how to adapt during the game. As it goes on, you'll need to adjust to what your opponent does and what happens on the battlefield.

How to Identify What Your Opponent Is Playing

Take note of what your opponent does early on, and try to identify their strategy.

• Aggressive decks: if your opponent is playing many low-cost cards and putting pressure on you very fast, they're probably playing an aggressive deck. In this case, you might have to adjust your strategy. Try to block and remove their creatures as fast as you can.

• Control decks: if your opponent is keeping their board clear and not playing many creatures, they might be setting up for a big control play. Be ready to protect your threats and put more pressure on them.

Pay attention to the signs, try to estimate what they can play, and ask yourself: which strategy would hurt you the most? How can you prepare for that? If you ask yourself these two questions constantly, you'll always be one step ahead.

Adjusting Your Strategy During the Game

During the game, make tactical adjustments whenever necessary. For instance:

• If your opponent is setting up a big play, avoid playing all your threats at once. They might just have a global removal and are waiting for you to do something.

• If you're playing a control deck and your opponent is ahead, your best bet might be waiting for the right time to turn the game back around with a powerful card that will change the course of the game entirely.

To sum up: try to get the most out of every card. Sometimes, it's interesting to wait another turn, give up a few life points so you can, on the next turn, check-mate your opponent. But keep in mind that your opponent can also do that, but, if you play around it, you'll still be ahead.

4.4 Managing Resources

Besides the ones you played on the board, you must remember each card still in your deck is a limited resource. Managing these resources wisely is often the key to winning the game.

Using Your Cards and Lands Efficiently

• Avoid spending all your resources at once: if your deck plays powerful cards, keep your options open so you can use them when your opponent is most vulnerable.

• How to use your lands: don't play all your lands at once if you don't have to. Save a few for cards that need to interact with them (for instance, Chocobo from the new set, Final Fantasy).

Try to focus on using your mana efficiently, more specifically, using all your mana, unless you're playing around something.

With these strategies, you'll be able to enjoy the most out of your deck and pilot it well. Then, if you know how games usually play out, and how to adjust your tactics according to how it is playing out, you'll have better chances of winning.

Next, we'll show you how to manage resources and rewards, and how you can review your progress and adjust your approach to become a better player.

In Magic: The Gathering Arena, playing Draft is not only about winning matches, but also managing your resources and reviewing your progress as time goes on.

Now, we'll show you how to get the most out of your Draft sessions, manage your gems and gold efficiently, and use tools to track your progress and improve your skills. The idea is to not only play better, but also to learn and evolve constantly.

5.1 Managing Resources

As time goes on, you'll get essential gems, gold, and cards to progress in MTG Arena. If you manage these resources well, you'll be able to keep playing and get new cards without wasting precious resources.

How to Use Gold and Gems Efficiently

• Gems and Quick Drafts: in formats like Quick Draft, which you can play for gold or gems, you can use these resources to get as many cards and prizes back. The key is always playing Drafts that give you good rewards compared to what they cost. Keep in mind that you get to keep all the cards you draft.

• Premier Draft Challenge: Premier Draft gives you more rewards (like boosters and possibly more gems), but you need to think twice before entering it because it is often more expensive. Consider each of your options carefully and make sure you'll get enough rewards to make up for how many gems you invested.

Basically, in Quick Draft, you might be better off focusing on getting cards for your collection but also building an interesting deck to win a few matches at the same time. As for Premier, forget about getting cards for your collection: you need to focus on your deck to have a real chance of winning 7 matches. So, Premier tends to be a bit harder than other formats most of the time.

Getting the Most Out of Draft

• Focus on your progress and learning: as you win, you may get valuable prizes, like boosters or extra gems. Then, you'll be able to use these rewards to play more Drafts or get more cards for Constructed formats.

• Don't spend gems impulsively: if you end up losing multiple times in a row, or you're rushing through your games, consider taking a break or revising your strategy before you spend more gems.

Draft can be quite lucrative in Arena, as well as probably the best way to get the new sets. If you play Draft well, you'll be able to get practically any deck for Constructed formats.

5.2 Tracking and Reviewing Your Games

Now that you have some experience, the next step is tracking your progress. Using tools to track your data can often make you a better player.

Using Tools to Track Your Progress

Platforms like 17Lands and Untapped offer you detailed data on your Draft performances.

You can use them to check:

• Your win rate.

• Which color combinations and archetypes are working for you.

• The cards you picked the most, and how they affected your gameplay.

These are powerful tools that will help you adjust your approach and improve your drafting skills. With this data, you'll be able to focus on your strong suits and on what you can do to get better. Just register directly on the website.

Learning As You Lose

In Arena, Draft is not only about winning, but also about learning. If you lose multiple times in a row, use this opportunity to reevaluate your choices and ask yourself:

• Was my mana curve balanced?

• Was the synergy between my cards good enough?

• Did I pick the right cards?

These questions are essential, as they'll help you adjust your game style and avoid making the same mistakes in the future. If possible, try to watch your matches again later on. Watching other people play is also useful, but you have to watch them critically. Ask them why they're doing what they're doing in a respectful manner, discuss their options, and try to understand why they did what they did.

5.3 Adjust Your Priorities

As you learn, you might have to adjust your priorities to apply the new concepts you absorbed. For instance, you may notice you're mostly picking control cards when, in fact, an aggressive list could be more efficient in a particular session. That's completely normal, and it's part of the process as you evolve into a better player.

Improve Your Skills Constantly

• Consider each session an opportunity to learn. Understanding each strategy well and learning how to identify the strongest cards in each format will considerably increase your odds of success in future drafts.

If you manage your resources well, track your progress, and constantly adjust your strategies to each situation, you'll be able to get everything you can from Draft in MTG Arena. If you focus on developing your abilities and being efficient, you'll be able to evolve as a player while you enjoy a rich, rewarding game experience. Next, we'll show you a few advanced tips so you can take your Draft abilities to the next level.

Now that you have a solid arsenal of strategies to use and know how Draft works down to the last details, let's explore this format a bit further. We'll show you a few advanced tips that can be the difference between a great Draft player and an excellent Draft player.

To apply these tips, you'll have to understand the game and the format really well, but, with practice, you'll master them and be able to apply them efficiently as you play.

6.1 Predicting What Your Opponent Will Do

An essential concept you need to grasp to get better at Draft (and Magic in general) is knowing how to "read" your opponent. Figuring out what they're doing and what they're not doing is crucial to predict their next moves and adjust your strategy around it.

How to Predict What Your Opponent Will Do Based on How Much Mana They Have

As you draft cards and play, the way your opponent uses their mana can indicate many things. For instance:

• If your opponent didn't spend mana in a certain turn, this may mean they're waiting for a specific moment to play an important card.

• If they have some leftover mana, this may mean they have an expensive card or a combination of cards they're getting ready to play next. If you know this, you'll be able to plan your own strategies so you can disable these threats.

• If they have two separate blue mana, this may mean they have a Counterspell, for instance, and this is a common joke in many MTG formats. Control players only use their mana at the end of their opponent's turn. Whenever possible, play around as many strategies in your opponent's deck as you can.

Pay Attention to What They Do While They Draft

Paying attention to what your opponent does as they draft can also be useful. If you notice a player is getting lots of cards in a specific color, this may mean they're building a deck centered around that type of card. This knowledge, in turn, may help you adjust your choices so you can disable your opponent's game plan, or even take advantage of a strategic window they might be leaving open.

Keep in mind you can take note of their picks when you're playing Draft on tabletop simply by looking around. When you're playing Draft on MTG Arena, you can do this by keeping an eye on the cards that show up for you.

6.2 Exploring Combos in Draft

Understanding and exploring strong combos in a specific format is one of the secrets to becoming an advanced Draft player. Combos can turn a simple match into a decisive game, and offer you a lot of value or control over the battlefield.

Identifying "Combos" in Draft

During Draft, keep an eye on cards that work well together. Sometimes, a combination of two or more cards can affect the game much more than several isolated cards. Some common combos are:

• Cards that create tokens and cards that sacrifice tokens to create value (ex.: tokens you can sacrifice with powerful creatures or "sacrifice" abilities).

• Cards that interact when you discard other cards or use Flashback (ex.: cards that let you play a card from your graveyard again in exchange for some resources).

When you notice two cards interact really well with each other, you probably should make them your priority as you draft because they can be powerful strategies in the mid to late game. Always go for the famous 2-to-1 cards first.

Simple Combos

Imagine you're playing a deck that creates tokens and that, at the same time, it also sacrifices these tokens to deal damage or draw more cards. The combination of cards you'll use to do this may not seem obvious to your opponent, but it may also give you a lot of value. You'll get ahead of them, particularly if they don't know that particular synergy.

Remember, you should learn all the synergies and archetypes featured in a particular format. At first, this may seem like a lot of work, but it isn't. Even more so considering there are plenty of websites that can help you do this - just use them, and you'll already be ahead of those who don't research anything.

6.3 Preparing for Tournaments

If you want to stand out in Magic: The Gathering tournaments, preparing for competitive Drafts should be an important part of your training. Unlike casual Drafts, which have more space for experimentation, in tournaments you'll need refined strategies and a cool head.

I confess that I still struggle with playing under pressure. Whenever I'm playing an important tournament, I get nervous and anxious, and this definitely affects my performance. So, try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

Adjusting Your Draft for Competitions

When you compete at tournaments, you should:

• Adapt quickly to different types of Draft (for instance, Premier Draft often includes a different card pool and player meta). This means you probably won't be able to draft your "favorite" archetype.

• Prefer high-impact cards that can change the game, like threats (cards that enter play and decide the course of the match) and quality removals.

• Focus on making your deck consistent. Prefer a balanced, solid list instead of risky strategies, unless you're confident you can make them work. The basics work in most situations for a reason.

Understanding the Meta

When you prepare for tournaments, you shouldn't just build the best deck possible, but learn the meta as well. This means you should:

• Study the most popular decks in the format so you know exactly what to expect from your opponents.

• Pick different cards based on what other players are building, which could be the key to standing out.

For instance: if you know that, in a particular format, the most popular deck is Boros Aggro because it has the highest win rate in the set (and this archetype shows up in nearly all sets), you can "avoid" it precisely because it'll be so popular. If too many players are fighting for the same archetype, you might end up with a "worse" Boros. But, on the other side, if other players are also thinking the same thing, you can take advantage of that and build the best Boros list on the table.

6.4 Adapting to How the Format Changes

Draft formats are always changing, particularly as more new sets and rotations come out. If you can adapt to these changes, you'll have no trouble playing Draft competitively, whatever the format may be.

How to Adjust Your Strategy As the Format Changes

• Pay attention to how the new cards impact old synergies and mechanics. As new sets come along, some color combinations and strategies may become weaker or stronger.

• Adjust your focus: for instance, if the new set features many cards that benefit certain mechanics (like exile, discard, or tokens), you could go for cards that interact with these mechanics really well or just try to counter them.

You should remain flexible at all times and adjust your approach as fast as possible so you can get the most out of the changes the format goes through. Whenever a new set comes along lately, new mechanics come out. They're usually simple, but you should take some time to learn them.

6.5 Psychology in Draft

Draft is a game of strategy and ability, but understanding the psychology behind it can also give you a competitive edge. The way players around you make their choices can point you to what they have in their hand and what they're trying to build. Keep an eye on how the other players react to the draft and which cards they're letting go. Keeping track of them can be quite useful, as you might be able to interpret these signs to detect trends and force your opponents to make difficult choices.

For instance, when you get your very first cards, you'll often end up opening a booster that doesn't really have anything useful for you. However, you must pay attention to which strong cards you're passing along because they can encourage your opponent to go for a certain strategy. So, you can use this to lead them to a mistake.

With these advanced tips, you can take your Draft skills to the next level. The key to winning Draft matches on Magic: The Gathering Arena isn't just picking the right cards, but also understanding what other players are doing, identifying strong synergies, and adapting to competitive settings.

Now, let's see the tools and resources you can use to make the most out of these tips and concepts. Are you ready to go even further?

Throughout your Draft journey on Magic: The Gathering Arena, you must use the right tools and resources to improve your skills, review your performances, and stay up to date on any game changes. Furthermore, connecting with other people who share your passion for MTG is often an excellent way to learn and evolve fast. Next, we'll show you some of the best tools and resources available if you want to explore Draft a bit more and become a high-level player.

7.1 Useful Websites and Tools

There are many websites and tools that have data, reviews, and simulators, and that are often crucial if you want to get better at Draft. Here are some of the most popular tools:

The most important one - MTG Arena

Magic: The Gathering Arena itself has many resources for players:

• Various Draft Formats: you can play Draft with other people in real time, or play with the "computer" while you draft and then play with real people afterward.

• Metagame Insights: on Arena, you can check out which cards and decks are trending and becoming popular.

• Special Events: you'll often find Draft events on Arena that feature different rules and rewards. Playing these events is a great idea because it forces you to think outside the box.

Draftsim

Draftsim is a very useful tool, as it lets you practice Draft for no cost at all. You can use it to draft the most recent card pools and formats.

Likewise, it is perfect if you want to test out different strategies and see how they fare in a real Draft. You can use it to:

• Practice different Draft formats and sets.

• Check out more tips on how to draft different cards.

In that same sense, you can use Drafmancer, which is also quite intuitive. You can use this platform to play with friends in real time.

MTGGoldfish

Commonly used for Constructed formats, MTGGoldfish is a platform that has decklists, metagame reviews, and Draft strategies.

On this platform, you can:

• Access detailed data on tournament decks that won recently (so you can understand how powerful certain cards are in Limited).

• Keep an eye on any new cards impacting Constructed formats that still haven't lived up to their potential in Limited.

• Get information on how popular certain cards and color combinations are.

17Lands

17Lands has data on how certain decks and cards are performing in Draft. It can be very useful to track how efficient your choices are and to learn by reviewing other players' data. For instance, you can use it to:

• Review Drafts: you can use this platform to input your choices and see how your decks perform as time goes on.

• Card feedback: this platform also has detailed data on how efficient certain cards are in the current meta.

These websites and tools are extremely valuable if you want to study the meta, identify patterns, and get ready for Drafts more efficiently. I also use Untapped because I find it very visually appealing, but 17Lands is often more precise.

Besides digital tools, MTG communities are essential if you want to learn and exchange information about the game. Connecting with other players can help you grow quite fast and give you important insights. Here are a few of the best platforms to connect with other MTG players:

Discord

Discord is one of the best platforms if you want to join new Magic: The Gathering communities. There are many servers entirely dedicated to Magic: The Gathering Arena and Draft around, and some of them even center around specific strategies. Discussing and playing with other members of the community will teach you a lot about the game, as you will be able to ask questions and learn from more experienced players.

Reddit

There are many subreddits entirely dedicated to MTG, such as:

• r/magicTCG: the main Magic: The Gathering subreddit, where players around the world discuss strategies, events, and news.

On this subreddit, you will find reviews, decks, and even Draft pools that players share to get feedback from the community.

Facebook groups

There are many Facebook groups where Magic: The Gathering players get together to share cards, discuss strategies, and even organize tournaments.

Joining these groups could be a great way to learn and keep up to date with the meta.

Now that you know everything about Draft and the tools, and resources you can use to study, your Magic: The Gathering Arena journey is just beginning. Keep in mind that the secret to becoming an excellent Draft player is to practice constantly, reflect on your choices, and take advantage of any opportunity to learn, either from local communities or online resources.

This guide should be just the beginning. Now, you must keep playing, learn, and have fun. You can always learn something new about MTG, and, after each Draft session, you'll be closer to dominating the format!

What do you think of this guide? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!