So i have lots of draft under my belt.. But me and a couple friends are going to do a sealed draft for the first time. So again it won't be uber competitive like at a shop but there will still be good decks built and i want to give my best chance to succeed.
I know the basic differences between sealed and draft but don't know how to prepare properly for sealed.
So let's take RTR draft for an example on how i prepare.
Usually I'll search Google for any articles written about the set and read all of those and then see what arch types work well together and look at the mechanics of the set and see what seems like the superior mechanic or mechanic i enjoy playing.
Then i do a ton of drafting online at http://syunakira.us/smds/ to get accustomed to all the cards and see where and when i should draft each card.. I prob draft like 50-75 times on there before i do a set i think it really helps me going into drafts.
As far as the draft portion i don't go into a draft with a set color i want but i have an idea of the guilds/or color combos that are superiority and then i find a color that is open and draft it.
I've had very good success with this preparation. Usually always finishing in the top 3. Except that one draft that i went in knowing i was only going to draft a certain arch type and i forced it and didn't just take the open cards that came to me and guess what i did poorly that draft. Anyway.
Should i prepare any differently for sealed then i do for draft?
I mean i still think i should look over the set and see what mechanics and archetypes and even cards are the most powerful and work well together.. But should i spend so much time on just drafting off http://syunakira.us/smds/ like i usually do? I don't feel like that will help as much as i won't have to make those tough decisions on what to pick when..
I almost feel i need to practice building sealed decks and playing them or something like that. Is there anywhere to do that.(i know on that same site i draft on their have a sealed draft simulator.. And i can build a deck but i can't play test it or anything so i have no idea really how it would do.)
Also any other good info on how to prepare for sealed.. I am a person who likes to be prepared i don't like going into a set not knowing as much as i can about it..
So any advice on how to prepare for sealed over draft would be greatly appreciated
Your card evaluation skills from drafts will still be very useful. While you are not picking cards one after the other from packs, you are still picking cards over others when building your deck.
A bigger problem arises for choosing your colors, since you have a more or less even spread over all colors and a greater pool with a lot more chaff. So this is one thing you should practice: identifying your colors. The amount of cards in each pile and where your rares/mythics are is a good starting point for this. The faster you can eliminate a color from consideration the better.
Another thing is splashing. It is far more likely, that you want to splash something in Sealed, usually removal or a great bomb. Sometimes you just need another color to get at least some decent removal, other times you really want that game winning bomb. And many times, you will have to give up on great cards. Train your eye to see good splash options, and your mind to let them go.
Sealed decks in general are more alike, focused on midrange and late game with some early plays and big late game creatures and effects. Dedicated aggro is rare but can happen. Mill decks, too. If you can built such a deck with your pool, most players will be unprepared.
I know the basic differences between sealed and draft but don't know how to prepare properly for sealed.
So let's take RTR draft for an example on how i prepare.
Usually I'll search Google for any articles written about the set and read all of those and then see what arch types work well together and look at the mechanics of the set and see what seems like the superior mechanic or mechanic i enjoy playing.
Then i do a ton of drafting online at http://syunakira.us/smds/ to get accustomed to all the cards and see where and when i should draft each card.. I prob draft like 50-75 times on there before i do a set i think it really helps me going into drafts.
As far as the draft portion i don't go into a draft with a set color i want but i have an idea of the guilds/or color combos that are superiority and then i find a color that is open and draft it.
I've had very good success with this preparation. Usually always finishing in the top 3. Except that one draft that i went in knowing i was only going to draft a certain arch type and i forced it and didn't just take the open cards that came to me and guess what i did poorly that draft. Anyway.
Should i prepare any differently for sealed then i do for draft?
I mean i still think i should look over the set and see what mechanics and archetypes and even cards are the most powerful and work well together.. But should i spend so much time on just drafting off http://syunakira.us/smds/ like i usually do? I don't feel like that will help as much as i won't have to make those tough decisions on what to pick when..
I almost feel i need to practice building sealed decks and playing them or something like that. Is there anywhere to do that.(i know on that same site i draft on their have a sealed draft simulator.. And i can build a deck but i can't play test it or anything so i have no idea really how it would do.)
Also any other good info on how to prepare for sealed.. I am a person who likes to be prepared i don't like going into a set not knowing as much as i can about it..
So any advice on how to prepare for sealed over draft would be greatly appreciated
A bigger problem arises for choosing your colors, since you have a more or less even spread over all colors and a greater pool with a lot more chaff. So this is one thing you should practice: identifying your colors. The amount of cards in each pile and where your rares/mythics are is a good starting point for this. The faster you can eliminate a color from consideration the better.
Another thing is splashing. It is far more likely, that you want to splash something in Sealed, usually removal or a great bomb. Sometimes you just need another color to get at least some decent removal, other times you really want that game winning bomb. And many times, you will have to give up on great cards. Train your eye to see good splash options, and your mind to let them go.
Sealed decks in general are more alike, focused on midrange and late game with some early plays and big late game creatures and effects. Dedicated aggro is rare but can happen. Mill decks, too. If you can built such a deck with your pool, most players will be unprepared.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)