That's all solid advice. I would add that its important to stay away from anything above 5 cmc unless you are in green or its a bomb rare. Removal in this block is weak so pick highly anything that even looks like removal. Curving out is super important. If a turn goes by that you don't play at least one creature it could be hard to make up the tempo loss.
I wouldn't necessarily show him a pick order list; I think trying to fill him in on all the details of draft strategy is just going to be a huge information overload. It will make it harder for him to remember the basics, and for most people I think it diminishes the fun of the draft, because they want to play well and end up worried about trying to remember all the things they're supposed to do. And in the end, so much of being good at drafting is practice that all the advanced information doesn't end up doing them much good.
I would just fill them in on the basics:
- 40 card deck, 23 spells, 17 land
- 2 colors
- Make sure to draft lots of creatures
- Prioritize cheap things, not many spells that cost 5+ because it's easy to end up with a top-heavy mana curve
That's it. I just wouldn't even go into pick orders or reading signals or anything like that. It's hard, but just force yourself to keep quiet about that and let him make mistakes. He's going to make about as many mistakes even with all the extra information, so just stop at the basics so he's got a manageable amount of information that he can easily remember and feel confident about.
If he asks for more information, like, "So what are the best cards to take?" or "How do I know which colors I should pick?" then feel free to provide some more information, remembering to just hit the main ideas and not get into all the nuance and exceptions. If he feels confident in his grasp of the basics and can handle more detailed strategy, he'll signal that by asking more detailed questions.
I think just a pointer to "these commons are good" in two archetypes that he might be interested in playing is about the right level of detail. Anything else might be overload.
Honestly? I'd say tell them of the 23/17 split, two-color rule of thumb, and BREAD (while noting that BREAD is a very basic assessment tool, and will be ditched down the line.) Other than that, have fun. The first time WILL be overwhelming, best not to get to hung up on a bunch of minutiae... it's a super difficult game and format, trying to make a good drafter out of a first-timer may blow their brains up.
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My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Drafted JBT for the first time tonight (also first draft since...... M12..? ) Pretty much BREAD and Pick good creatures should be decent. I went 2-1 (should have been 3-0 but I got mana screwed on a 9/8 land split and hit white 5 white and 0 green over 10 turns during the tiebreaker race aggro vs aggro)
Didn't know what half the cards were but know that JBT removal is still relatively light and evasion is good stuff. 2/3's go far as a lot of creatures looked like bears or have low power.
Heroic can get out of hand quickly and there's a ****ton of enchantments.
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Currently Playing Standard/Modern: Devoted to Monsters
Just check out the MTGO Academy: limited resources channel on youtube. Least annoying nerd I've found explaining draft picks and philosophy. He usually posts new draft videos ~weekly. And if you ever get into the Pro-Tour, he's one of the announcers!
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My friend is coming with us to his first FNM after quitting magic back in high school
My thoughts were to
Show him a pick order list
Tell him to draft lots of creatures in two colors with a low-mid curve
Any other suggestions? Or links to
Articles, videos etc on drafting basics
A good pick order list etc
Thanks
I would just fill them in on the basics:
- 40 card deck, 23 spells, 17 land
- 2 colors
- Make sure to draft lots of creatures
- Prioritize cheap things, not many spells that cost 5+ because it's easy to end up with a top-heavy mana curve
That's it. I just wouldn't even go into pick orders or reading signals or anything like that. It's hard, but just force yourself to keep quiet about that and let him make mistakes. He's going to make about as many mistakes even with all the extra information, so just stop at the basics so he's got a manageable amount of information that he can easily remember and feel confident about.
If he asks for more information, like, "So what are the best cards to take?" or "How do I know which colors I should pick?" then feel free to provide some more information, remembering to just hit the main ideas and not get into all the nuance and exceptions. If he feels confident in his grasp of the basics and can handle more detailed strategy, he'll signal that by asking more detailed questions.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/limited-sealed-draft/552318-new-to-draft-tournament
I think just a pointer to "these commons are good" in two archetypes that he might be interested in playing is about the right level of detail. Anything else might be overload.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
Didn't know what half the cards were but know that JBT removal is still relatively light and evasion is good stuff. 2/3's go far as a lot of creatures looked like bears or have low power.
Heroic can get out of hand quickly and there's a ****ton of enchantments.
Devoted to Monsters
Mono White Allies
TitanShift
Proudly part of Clan Limited