MagicGenuineDraft: Intro to Magic and Draft
Hey y’all, my name is Starbuck and I’ve been a longtime lurker of this subreddit. I’ve been working the past few months on a project to make Magic and Draft accessible to newcomers. I’ve reached a point though that I could really use some feedback from the community to create the best version of MagicGenuineDraft.
First off, my main goal is to reach people unfamiliar with Magic, people who want to play more casual environments or who tend to enjoy board games. I’ve constructed the Intro Decks(2nd image) to be as beginner friendly as possible including a how to play magic sheet. I’m also looking to run some intro to Magic events(biweekly) along with intro to draft and main draft events (also biweekly).
EDITED: Something I wanted to mention here was this idea came from Bar Cubes. I have an LGS in mind for hosting the Draft events but I’m also trying to reach out to patrons at Bars/Tap house/Coffee shops for casual gaming. Hence the origination of the name MagicGenuineDraft.
Second, my drafts consist of 180-card cubes geared towards four player drafts, a typical commander pod. These cubes are commons and uncommon from one set (Edge of Eternities, Bloomburrow, Ect) that are built on the featured gameplay mechanics of the specific set.
When it comes to 8-player drafts my plan is to put two of the 180-card cubes together that best complement each other mechanics wise. So far some combinations of sets I’ve been planning are:
Edge of Eternities + Lost Caverns of Ixalan (artifacts/land synergies)
Duskmourn + Theroes Beyond Death (enchantment synergies)
Bloomburrow + Lorwyn Eclipsed (Tribes/Hybrid mana)
And more combinations in the works. Ultimately I can see combining any of these to make for more chaotic draft types but I do want to tailor these draft events to be compatible. The power level for these drafts are generally low but I think they’re welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike.
The one thing I’m struggling to figure out is whether it would be better to run these pods tournament style or to do four-player free for alls?
On one hand I’m trying to make a more casual environment for play which people draft then play but I do worry about the time it takes and the fatigue of doing multiple rounds. I don’t know what types of ways people like to draft and play here but I’d love to get some opinions.
If I did it tournament style I have considered small prizes to winners and participants.
Third, I have a draft box I’ve been crafting for purchase to anyone who wants to own a small cube that they can run with friends or at home. These cube booster boxes come with 12 packs of 15 cards shuffled and ready to draft. Each pack has 3 of each color(signposts cards are considered part of this with their primary color.)
Extra stuff I’ve included is a 80 card side board so people can edit and tailor their cubes to their liking, lands, 4 D20s, tokens(if I have them) and extra pack envelopes to repackage for later drafts.
I’d like to ask anyone here if there’s anything more I should include in these Draft Booster Boxes? I’ve thought about a list of the set mechanics, beginner magic rules, etc. These are tailored for newcomers to Magic and are considered more as a board game rather than just bulk for collecting although it is also that.
Genuinely, I want to make Magic Drafting a welcoming format for people who want to play with their friends or have a weekly community to be apart of. I think it’s a format of infinite possibilities and deserves more love. I’ve always liked playing lower powered cards and keep cards to their specific plane or set. It’s what I’ve gotten the most out of Magic after all these years.
I know this is a very long winded post and it’s just me showcasing something I’ve been working on but if you’ve read to this point and could give me some feedback or critique I’d really appreciate it. I’ve been sort of in a vacuum with this and don’t know how to proceed forward, does this sound like something that would take well or does it sound off putting.