Which current Magic:The Gathering set is best for casual booster drafts?
July 7, 2013 10:16 AM Subscribe
I'd like to buy a booster box of M:tG to play drafts (and making crappy decks after that) with some friends. We're reasonably experienced players but haven't played seriously for about 5 years. Which set should I buy?
I'm going on a wilderness trip with some like-minded friends and we'd like to play a bunch of Magic, preferably by buying one booster box and a bunch of lands.
Which of the currently available sets do you think would be the most fun for this? Ideally we'd like something with some interesting mechanics (i.e. not the core set) but it shouldn't rely heavily on combos that we're unlikely to be able to achieve during very casual booster drafts. Thanks so much for the help!
I'm going on a wilderness trip with some like-minded friends and we'd like to play a bunch of Magic, preferably by buying one booster box and a bunch of lands.
Which of the currently available sets do you think would be the most fun for this? Ideally we'd like something with some interesting mechanics (i.e. not the core set) but it shouldn't rely heavily on combos that we're unlikely to be able to achieve during very casual booster drafts. Thanks so much for the help!
Even the core sets have interesting mechanics now. The cheapest option would be M13 or M14 (whichever is available based on when you buy). M14 is bringing back slivers and reprinting all the major planeswalkers.
Or buy a Deck Builders Toolkit and work with what it gives you.
posted by fiercekitten at 10:53 AM on July 7, 2013
Or buy a Deck Builders Toolkit and work with what it gives you.
posted by fiercekitten at 10:53 AM on July 7, 2013
I'd suggest one of the core sets, currently M13 with M14 being released in a couple weeks. The game mechanics in the core sets are pretty good and it may be easier to build a few good decks.
Avacyn Restored is a great set and a lot of fun to play. It recently went out of print, so booster box prices have gone up, but you should be able to find one easily enough. If shop prices are out of your budget, try eBay or TCG Player.
The current block--Return to Ravnica--is pretty good. Either Return to Ravnica (part 1) or Gatecrash (part 2) are decent to draft. Avoid Dragon's Maze (part 3) since it's more of an add-on to the first two sets; not playable on its own.
With either the core sets or Avacyn you draft whatever you like and build a deck.
With the RtR block, it is ideal to draft a 2-color guild which can be tricky; some guilds are easier to draft than others. I
Another option, as fiercekitten mentioned, is for each of you to get a Deck Builders Toolkit which gives you a random assortment of cards and a package of land, all for $20.
You could also each get a FatPack which contains 9 booster packs and 80 land, but these run $40 each.
And one last option is each getting a different Event Deck. These will give you playable decks (designed by Wizards) right out of the box for $25 each. Each set has corresponding Event Decks. I can strongly recommend each of the 5 Event Decks from the RtR block. They are very playable.
posted by nickthetourist at 11:27 AM on July 7, 2013
Avacyn Restored is a great set and a lot of fun to play. It recently went out of print, so booster box prices have gone up, but you should be able to find one easily enough. If shop prices are out of your budget, try eBay or TCG Player.
The current block--Return to Ravnica--is pretty good. Either Return to Ravnica (part 1) or Gatecrash (part 2) are decent to draft. Avoid Dragon's Maze (part 3) since it's more of an add-on to the first two sets; not playable on its own.
With either the core sets or Avacyn you draft whatever you like and build a deck.
With the RtR block, it is ideal to draft a 2-color guild which can be tricky; some guilds are easier to draft than others. I
Another option, as fiercekitten mentioned, is for each of you to get a Deck Builders Toolkit which gives you a random assortment of cards and a package of land, all for $20.
You could also each get a FatPack which contains 9 booster packs and 80 land, but these run $40 each.
And one last option is each getting a different Event Deck. These will give you playable decks (designed by Wizards) right out of the box for $25 each. Each set has corresponding Event Decks. I can strongly recommend each of the 5 Event Decks from the RtR block. They are very playable.
posted by nickthetourist at 11:27 AM on July 7, 2013
My recommendation would be M13 or M14.
If you haven't drafted in 5 years then you stopped right before the core sets suddenly got much better to draft, now each core set has a signature mechanic and plays like a proper limited format, rather than how it used to be when they tended to be wierd and dull with lots of stupid bombs.
Next to that, the best two other options would be Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash. Both are a nice nostalgia kick from the original block 8 years ago and draft well. They are pretty complex so it helps to have some idea what you are getting into with these sets.
I would stay away from both Innistrad and Avacyn Restored. Triple Innistrad is a wonderful draft format but had a bunch of double-faced cards and so you really need sleeves to draft it (the boosters do contain some special cards to sub in for double-faced cards but they are horrible to play with). I don't imagine you'd bring sleeves on your camping trick.
Avacyn Restored was a pretty bad draft format. The colour balance was skewed really badly (black was bad enough that you could be the only black drafter and still end up with a terrible deck), and the format plays out like core sets used to in the old days - lots of stupid bombs, bugger all removal and very little room for interesting plays.
posted by Urtylug at 3:10 PM on July 7, 2013
If you haven't drafted in 5 years then you stopped right before the core sets suddenly got much better to draft, now each core set has a signature mechanic and plays like a proper limited format, rather than how it used to be when they tended to be wierd and dull with lots of stupid bombs.
Next to that, the best two other options would be Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash. Both are a nice nostalgia kick from the original block 8 years ago and draft well. They are pretty complex so it helps to have some idea what you are getting into with these sets.
I would stay away from both Innistrad and Avacyn Restored. Triple Innistrad is a wonderful draft format but had a bunch of double-faced cards and so you really need sleeves to draft it (the boosters do contain some special cards to sub in for double-faced cards but they are horrible to play with). I don't imagine you'd bring sleeves on your camping trick.
Avacyn Restored was a pretty bad draft format. The colour balance was skewed really badly (black was bad enough that you could be the only black drafter and still end up with a terrible deck), and the format plays out like core sets used to in the old days - lots of stupid bombs, bugger all removal and very little room for interesting plays.
posted by Urtylug at 3:10 PM on July 7, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice, everyone! I will give the core set a try.
posted by ripley_ at 6:50 PM on July 7, 2013
posted by ripley_ at 6:50 PM on July 7, 2013
Best answer: Oh goody, something I know something about.
When drafting with just one box, going with a large set and avoid the second and third, which tend
If you're buying only one box, I'd probably go with M13 (core set). It's generally acknowledge to be a fantastic draft environment (I'd concur, I drafted a lot of it) with numerous viable strategies and a lot of interesting interactions. It's a core set, so the mechanics aren't brainbusting, but it's not going to bore you. Plus the rares/mythics aren't so overbalanced as it can be.
My other recommendation is triple Innistrad. As previously mentioned, the double faced cards mean that you need sleeves (probably not a bad idea if you're playing outside). But you can just use the checklist cards inserted into the packs (at a fairly high rate). Triple Innistrad is top-down design, with an amazing gothic horror theme. This means that despite the complexity of double-faced cards, players will immediately grok how things work. DFCs really aren't that complex. And among recent sets, it's probably the most highly regarded draft set. There's tribal, cool cards, and lots of interesting ways to play.
If you can get it, triple Rise of the Eldrazi is also supposed to be a very fun set to draft. I liked triple Zendikar when I drafted it, but ROE is supposed to be better. Both are likely going to be more expensive and harder to acquire due to age (and certain money cards).
I'd avoid Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash (both of which are large sets). Each set has five of the ten Ravnica guilds in it, and the design of each means that you're pretty much forced into drafting one of those five guilds. You can try otherwise, but the support just isn't there. Also, each set is heavily focused on multicolor, and each set has five new mechanics in it, which might be confusing for players that have been out of the loop a bit.
I'd also avoid Avacyn Restored, it's just not very good. Black is unplayable, and the draft strategies are very limited. Scars of Mirrodin is not very fun and it's focused on poison. Again, unbalanced.
I personally found triple-Innistrad more fun than triple M13 because it was richer and the theme is amazing. But both are great and M13 is probably easier to play, easier to acquire, and cheaper to buy.
posted by X-Himy at 12:14 PM on July 9, 2013
When drafting with just one box, going with a large set and avoid the second and third, which tend
If you're buying only one box, I'd probably go with M13 (core set). It's generally acknowledge to be a fantastic draft environment (I'd concur, I drafted a lot of it) with numerous viable strategies and a lot of interesting interactions. It's a core set, so the mechanics aren't brainbusting, but it's not going to bore you. Plus the rares/mythics aren't so overbalanced as it can be.
My other recommendation is triple Innistrad. As previously mentioned, the double faced cards mean that you need sleeves (probably not a bad idea if you're playing outside). But you can just use the checklist cards inserted into the packs (at a fairly high rate). Triple Innistrad is top-down design, with an amazing gothic horror theme. This means that despite the complexity of double-faced cards, players will immediately grok how things work. DFCs really aren't that complex. And among recent sets, it's probably the most highly regarded draft set. There's tribal, cool cards, and lots of interesting ways to play.
If you can get it, triple Rise of the Eldrazi is also supposed to be a very fun set to draft. I liked triple Zendikar when I drafted it, but ROE is supposed to be better. Both are likely going to be more expensive and harder to acquire due to age (and certain money cards).
I'd avoid Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash (both of which are large sets). Each set has five of the ten Ravnica guilds in it, and the design of each means that you're pretty much forced into drafting one of those five guilds. You can try otherwise, but the support just isn't there. Also, each set is heavily focused on multicolor, and each set has five new mechanics in it, which might be confusing for players that have been out of the loop a bit.
I'd also avoid Avacyn Restored, it's just not very good. Black is unplayable, and the draft strategies are very limited. Scars of Mirrodin is not very fun and it's focused on poison. Again, unbalanced.
I personally found triple-Innistrad more fun than triple M13 because it was richer and the theme is amazing. But both are great and M13 is probably easier to play, easier to acquire, and cheaper to buy.
posted by X-Himy at 12:14 PM on July 9, 2013
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It's definitely not as complicated as the stuff in the current cycle though and I heard a lot of grumblings from pros and MT:G fans about drafting it. As a casual player I thought it was fun and not too tough to draft.
posted by ODiV at 10:52 AM on July 7, 2013