Ravnica block booster draft

[mythosx]

With each set containing set guilds, I am wondering how the booster draft will play out as soon as the third set comes out. I am wondering if it will be difficult to draft because each set has only certain color combination, i am imagining it will be hard to get a solid deck running.

 

[Notepad]

With the sets it will be a lot like IPA draft, in that you craft your first two colors, then get a bridge color in the end. Or hell, with the guilds the way they are, you might be getting the bridge in pack two.

Shouldn't be too bad. The main problem will be that the Ravnica 4 will be the primary color choices, with the other 6 guilds being merely bridge-worthy. Unless, of course, you get lucky in a pod of morons.

 

[Hetemti]

I have a feeling Rav draft will seperate people who know how to draft from those who don't.

I'm certain to be a don't.

 

[Spiderman]

I don't know, it seems to me that each expansion should support the guilds that's part of it. So Ravnica supports the first four guilds, the second will support the next three, and so on. So if you only do a booster draft of the second, you'll be able to find plenty of support for the second three guilds.

Or did I misread the question?

 

[Killer Joe]

my first time drafting Ravnica I'll still be doing the basics:

16 critters with evasion of some sort or fatties.
8 Combat tricks
16 land
put them into cool new sleves and commence the beat-down!

 

[Notepad]

Yeah Spidey, I see this discussion on a lot of other sites, mainly about sanctioned play. At first, RRR, you only have the option of the four guilds (WG, GB, UB, WR) so if you want to play UW it will be pretty annoying, but not impossible. Though you will be dead in the water to a strong guild deck.

Once Guildpact the next set comes out, it will be RRG. So you're still strong in the four main guilds, and the new three will get minimal support. You should be able to make a bridge guild to make a third color and go strong. THis may take some fancy setup in the first packs, though. For example, you may have to dedicate to both RW and WG if Guildpact happens to have a RG guild, for example, and you want to play it. Otherwise, you're as dead as the UW player in the RRR days.

The third set (forget the name) will shake things up as all ten guilds come out, but as drafters know a lot of your setups is based on the first pack. So you dedicate to a color or two colors in the first pack with the four guilds. A problem arises since Ravnica has four guilds. Four...um...while the others have three each. This means your Ravnica pack will be the weakest foundation for any chosen guild, but is the only way to get a foundation set up.

Hetemti's right, it will be a high reward setup for the draft-savvy. It all sounds like IPA, but with a boatload more strategy and planning involved.

 

[Spiderman]

Well, if you've been reading about it on other sites, then you know more about it than I, but I disagree about the "minimal support" statement until I see it. I mean, from what I understand, each expansion is going to be "dedicated" to the guilds it showcases.

And in booster draft, doesn't it depend on what booster you open or start with? So if you start a booster draft with the last expansion, the first several drafters will probably go for those three guilds while the last several have to have the left-overs. Then (hopefully), when the second or later boosters are opened, the tables will be turned (kind of) and the last drafters will see their strength-guilds come out.

Or are you saying all booster drafts are going to start with a Ravnica booster? In which case I can kind of see what you're saying, but again, things might shake out the way I describe anyway.

 

[Notepad]

It sounds like you're thinking unsanctioned rochester draft. Unfortunately, most sanctioned drafts are pod style (forgot the name--doh!) where each player has a pack in front at all times, and the number of cards goes down one with each pick, untill the pack is exhausted, so there is no unfairness in the selection process.

Also, sanctioned events I think require 123 set pack drafting, and can't go 321 or 231. Also, when there is a small set, its 112 and not 122 (though the guy who got suspended with me used to run 122 a lot, haha, a big susprise he's suspended now, not for that though).

Unsanctioned, the freedom is all yours. I agree, things are solved by more fun formats like a 222 or 333 or mix-up 223 or something, not even having to use Rav.

To clear up any thoughts of it--I'm not saying this is all a terrible thing, or even whining about it. I'm just recognizing that this is going to be one tough nut to crack for the uninitiated in the sanctioned circles. I'm glad I won't have to deal with it!

 

[Spiderman]

I was thinking of the format where each player opens a booster, picks a card, and passes it in one direction. Then, when that booster is exhausted, they open another and pass it in the opposite direction.

I didn't know sanctioned events go 123, in which case your statements make more sense.

But I agree it will be interesting

 

[orgg]

From a few years ago, a sanctioned draft could be run as long as each player had the same packs and opened them in the same order...

That may have changed, true enough.