So far I haven't played limited in a set dominated by multicolor cards so far, and RTR is going to be my first one.
When drafting traditional sets, I can pick the strongest cards at the beginning, and then see what colors should I go for, as well as having a feeling if any colors are under or over drafted. The feel for what color to go for seems to break down when there's so many multicolor cards in a set.
So I'd like to ask the players that have drafted multicolor sets such as Alara, the first Ravnica, etc, before, for strategies:
(1) How many colors should I run? Is 2-color still possible, or 3-color is going to be the starting point? If I run 3+ color, do I have to run a lot more lands?
(2) Is mana-fixing cards a must-draft, ie very high pick?
(3) How to watch for signals in such drafts?
(4) Is the tempo in such drafts always slower than drafting mostly monocolor sets?
There's a longer answer to this, but you need to prioritize fixing. Obviously, you don't take fixing over top removal or bombs, but you're going to have to take the gates and some of the artifact fixing over "real" cards sometimes to make sure your deck functions properly.
Since we don't have the spoiler yet, we can't really know if it's possible to be monocolored or straight two color in ravnica, although I would venture to say that it's likely that there are strong incentives to be more than two colors on a fairly routine basis.
Since we don't have the spoiler yet, we can't really know if it's possible to be monocolored or straight two color in ravnica, although I would venture to say that it's likely that there are strong incentives to be more than two colors on a fairly routine basis.
One thing we do know is the number of cards in each color/color combination. For example, there are only 28 monocolor cards per color, lower (in both absolute number and as a percentage of the set) than SoA or the original Ravnica.
So let's do some math. Suppose I draft Azorius. I will have the following cards to choose from:
28 white + 28 blue monocolored cards = 56 cards
14 Azorius multicolored cards
3 each of Azorius, Selesnya, and Izzet hybrid cards = 9 cards
9 Artifacts
That's a total of 88 spells. This includes, of course, unplayable cards and cards which are playable but don't fit in a U/W deck.
88/249*14=4.95 spells per pack.
Let's compare to M13. In M13 there are
40 white and 40 blue monocolored cards = 80 cards
21 Artifacts
So that's 101 spells.
101/229*14=6.17 spells per pack
This isn't quite accurate since it doesn't take into account rarities (no common artifacts in M13, for example), but as a ballpark we can say that if you try to go 2 colors you'll have 1 fewer card in your colors per pack than in M13.
Fixing is very important to remember, its something that alot of people struggled with in RGD drafting, sometimes you look at a pack and see a decent card or two, but you need to take the bounceland or signet because you are just not going to see them that late, its a hard thing to wrap your head around at times.
As to how many colours? The guilds in both RTR and GateCrash are set up such that each colour is represented exactly twice so I would think that 3 colours will probably be most commmon, I'm not sure if you will always get enough cards in 2 colours to reliably go 2 colours, depending on your fixing it shouldn't be too much of a issue being 3 colours anyway.
The difference between the upcoming draft format and RGD is that karoos were 1st pickable because they were card advantage and fixing. Nothing like that exists in RTR.
The format is probably more comparable to Shards/Conflux/Reborn but with better fixing. You will be tempted to play 3+ colours and take that off colour bomb, but you need to know what you drafted and be disciplined to make the right call between fixing and a decent-strong card
I don't think you really need to prioritize fixing in the first pack because you haven't really committed to anything yet. Of course you would still take the gate lands high, but probably not over a bomb or removal.
In RGD, bounce lands were good because having 3-4 of them meant that you could play less lands in your deck and it was card advantage.
Bouncelands and Sigets were justifiable 1st picks in OG Ravnica and. There do not appear to be fixers that good at common/uncommon in RTR but that should give an indication of how highly valuable fixing is in sets where most decks are 3+ colors.
I am looking forward to drafting RTR because it looks like a very challenging and interesting draft environment.
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I write about cube and run cube drafts on magic online.
You're forgetting the hybrid cards though which in some cases are even easier on the mana base than mono-colored cards. In a deck featuring both colors, a hybrid card is colorless. It will probably balance out and be similar to original Rav.
Ravnica had hybrid cards too, though โ and also had 3 per guild.
The common lands are a lot worse though than the old Karoos since they don't increase mana density.
Depends how hard they push the "Gate" mechanic. Karoos weren't searchable, but it looks like the standard land search text is going to be "basic land or Gate".
If there are more good/decent cards that tutor gates like that green 0/2 for 2 5-color green could be a real deck. If it is I imagine the pick order for it as something like:
1.)Bombs/2-for-1 Removal
2.)Gate Tutors/Gates
3.)Best card in the pack (cause you are all 5 colors)
I know that matches up to the pick order for 4-5cc in cube pretty well.
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I write about cube and run cube drafts on magic online.
The big question to me will be whether the pick orders for Gates and other mana fixing will fluctuate depending on the draft strategy or pack. For example, will it be correct to prioritize it highly in pack 1 and then reap rewards in packs 2 and 3, or will it be better to try to focus on a guild in pack 1, prioritize fixing in pack 2, and work on the splash in pack 3? Or will it be better to focus on a "shard" of 3 colors in pack 1, stick to the plan while slightly more highly prioritizing fixing in pack 2, and then solidifying the manabase while picking up the final pieces in pack 3?
I know there won't be a 100% clear answer to this, but it certainly provides some interesting implications for reading and sending signals as well.
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I think the right answer atm is that we dont know how it is with rtr yet.
In shards it was better to be in 3 colours than 2, the same with the whole block in the first ravnica. However with a single ravnica set is was best to choose a guild.
The big question to me will be whether the pick orders for Gates and other mana fixing will fluctuate depending on the draft strategy or pack. For example, will it be correct to prioritize it highly in pack 1 and then reap rewards in packs 2 and 3, or will it be better to try to focus on a guild in pack 1, prioritize fixing in pack 2, and work on the splash in pack 3? Or will it be better to focus on a "shard" of 3 colors in pack 1, stick to the plan while slightly more highly prioritizing fixing in pack 2, and then solidifying the manabase while picking up the final pieces in pack 3?
I know there won't be a 100% clear answer to this, but it certainly provides some interesting implications for reading and sending signals as well.
I think this is the big question as drafting will be with just one set when RTR comes out. This makes it hard to compare to RGD because there were 10 guilds throughout 3 sets and I believe the strategy was different depending on the order you opened packs.
Not sure if this has been noted yet, but in RTR if you want to have 2 guilds in your 3 colour draft deck, you will have a choice of 3 arcs (adjacent colours) and 2 shards (colour and its enemies). They are
Note if you try to draft Esper or Naya in RTR you will get only one guild each. Then in Gatecrash this is reversed with 2 arcs and 3 shards. Kind of cool if you ask me. I don't believe we haven't had a format that encourages drafting shards before.
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2nd place behind Paulo after round 3 of Pro Tour M15
(finished 8-8, but beat Alexander Hayne and Ben Stark)
The original RGD format encouraged several strange color combos. RUG was a dominant archetype, for example, and RWB, RWU, Esper, Jund, Gixis, and 5-color green were all viable, while other combinations were very much less desirable.
Wit's End is the PERFECT answer to your opponent's Monomania however.
Just hold on to your Wit's End when they Monomania, so you can Wit's End them on your next turn!!!
I think this is fairly reminiscent of the "Jace Battles" we have seen in past standards.. My guess is we will soon witness the great Monomania-Wit's End battles.
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When drafting traditional sets, I can pick the strongest cards at the beginning, and then see what colors should I go for, as well as having a feeling if any colors are under or over drafted. The feel for what color to go for seems to break down when there's so many multicolor cards in a set.
So I'd like to ask the players that have drafted multicolor sets such as Alara, the first Ravnica, etc, before, for strategies:
(1) How many colors should I run? Is 2-color still possible, or 3-color is going to be the starting point? If I run 3+ color, do I have to run a lot more lands?
(2) Is mana-fixing cards a must-draft, ie very high pick?
(3) How to watch for signals in such drafts?
(4) Is the tempo in such drafts always slower than drafting mostly monocolor sets?
Since we don't have the spoiler yet, we can't really know if it's possible to be monocolored or straight two color in ravnica, although I would venture to say that it's likely that there are strong incentives to be more than two colors on a fairly routine basis.
*DCI Rules Advisor*
One thing we do know is the number of cards in each color/color combination. For example, there are only 28 monocolor cards per color, lower (in both absolute number and as a percentage of the set) than SoA or the original Ravnica.
So let's do some math. Suppose I draft Azorius. I will have the following cards to choose from:
28 white + 28 blue monocolored cards = 56 cards
14 Azorius multicolored cards
3 each of Azorius, Selesnya, and Izzet hybrid cards = 9 cards
9 Artifacts
That's a total of 88 spells. This includes, of course, unplayable cards and cards which are playable but don't fit in a U/W deck.
88/249*14=4.95 spells per pack.
Let's compare to M13. In M13 there are
40 white and 40 blue monocolored cards = 80 cards
21 Artifacts
So that's 101 spells.
101/229*14=6.17 spells per pack
This isn't quite accurate since it doesn't take into account rarities (no common artifacts in M13, for example), but as a ballpark we can say that if you try to go 2 colors you'll have 1 fewer card in your colors per pack than in M13.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
As to how many colours? The guilds in both RTR and GateCrash are set up such that each colour is represented exactly twice so I would think that 3 colours will probably be most commmon, I'm not sure if you will always get enough cards in 2 colours to reliably go 2 colours, depending on your fixing it shouldn't be too much of a issue being 3 colours anyway.
The format is probably more comparable to Shards/Conflux/Reborn but with better fixing. You will be tempted to play 3+ colours and take that off colour bomb, but you need to know what you drafted and be disciplined to make the right call between fixing and a decent-strong card
In RGD, bounce lands were good because having 3-4 of them meant that you could play less lands in your deck and it was card advantage.
I am looking forward to drafting RTR because it looks like a very challenging and interesting draft environment.
peasantcube.blogspot.com
The common lands are a lot worse though than the old Karoos since they don't increase mana density.
Ravnica had hybrid cards too, though โ and also had 3 per guild.
Depends how hard they push the "Gate" mechanic. Karoos weren't searchable, but it looks like the standard land search text is going to be "basic land or Gate".
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
1.)Bombs/2-for-1 Removal
2.)Gate Tutors/Gates
3.)Best card in the pack (cause you are all 5 colors)
I know that matches up to the pick order for 4-5cc in cube pretty well.
peasantcube.blogspot.com
I know there won't be a 100% clear answer to this, but it certainly provides some interesting implications for reading and sending signals as well.
:dance:Fact or Fiction of the [Limited] Clan:dance:
In shards it was better to be in 3 colours than 2, the same with the whole block in the first ravnica. However with a single ravnica set is was best to choose a guild.
I think this is the big question as drafting will be with just one set when RTR comes out. This makes it hard to compare to RGD because there were 10 guilds throughout 3 sets and I believe the strategy was different depending on the order you opened packs.
Arcs:
Bant (Azorious + Selesnya)
Jund (Rakdos + Golgari)
Grixis (Izzet + Rakdos)
Shards:
RUW (Azorius + Izzet)
BWG (Selsnya + Golgari)
Note if you try to draft Esper or Naya in RTR you will get only one guild each. Then in Gatecrash this is reversed with 2 arcs and 3 shards. Kind of cool if you ask me. I don't believe we haven't had a format that encourages drafting shards before.
2nd place behind Paulo after round 3 of Pro Tour M15
(finished 8-8, but beat Alexander Hayne and Ben Stark)