So my buddy and I are going to do the draft format for our next game, but we have a x3 collection of cards for both the Core and Skavenblight. How should we go about drafting? By the book it's a 75 card draft, correct? So I guess we could either do shuffle all Order cards together and all Destruction cards together and each pull the top 75 of each pile and that would be our 'draft packs'? I'm guessing that would work ok. Has anyone else done the draft format with other than just the Core set and how did it work out?

blkdymnd said:

I think by the book it comes to 105 cards. 40 twice, 10 random Neutrals, 10 Draft cards and 5 point-ears.

Which always kind made me go "hmm" as to why you draft only 5 packs. I mean, 105 divided by 15 is 7, so why not draft from the full set you have?

Hi,

I recommend 100 order/destruction + 10 neutral + 10 draft card per player, that should work fine.

BTW, I'm a big fan of the draft variant.

Cain

Cain_hu said:

Hi Cain

Can you explain why you're a big fan of draft? What do you like about it (I have WI but haven't had a chance to play yet...).

Thanks.

The reason for only drafting 5 packs out of a 7 pack field is to have some cards left over that no-one gets to draft or counterdraft. It keeps people from counting on a single specific card becaseu it's possible that the card they want is buried at the bottom of the draft pile.

Argonel said:

But that swings both ways, doesn't it? If you draft from 7 packs, both should get their single specific card, unless you allow your opponent to counter-draft it. With 5 packs, it's pure luck if one gets the presumable big-hitter card and the other doesn't.

Exactly - it's an element of chance, but drafting rewards thinking on your feet during the deck construction process. You won't necessarily need your big hitter to make a good deck, and the factor of chance forces you to think outside your comfort zone. Your familiar strategies and go-to cards might not turn up - or worse, they might get counterdrafted. You may need to look at everything with a fresh pair of eyes in order to make the best use of the cards you have. Thus the exclusion of two draft-packs' worth of cards to randomise what both Order and Destruction receive.

I think it's pretty interesting.

Another thought on drafting is that with the smaller size of the final deck trying to build up to playing a heavy hitter is much riskier. It does make the influence of a big hitter more telling if you can get them in play, but it comes with the risk that you'll never get them in play in the first place.