Proper multiplayer draft comes to MTGA

Proper draft mtga — Now we like Ikoria even more! (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

The release of Ikoria, Lair of Behemoths will also bring proper 8-player multiplayer Draft to Magic: The Gathering Arena, a feature that fans have been asking for since the release of the game.

Come April 17, some major changes will come to MTGA in terms of interface improvements and programming of the new mechanics of Ikoria – Mutate, Companion and keyword counters.

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Wizards even released a cute video hosted by MTGA Community Manager Megan O’Mally and Principal Game Director Jay Parker shot from their homes.

But what’s most exciting is the new Draft format. Finally, we get a proper multiplayer Draft!

For the longest time, MTGA offered a simulated limited play experience in which players open packs and draft them against bots that simply remove valuable cards from the packs to enforce choice in deck-building.

This was bad for multiple reasons – mostly because it didn’t do a great job at simulating a common pool. You could easily pick all the best blue cards in the pool just to find yourself playing against somebody who also has access to all the good blue cards and find yourself in a bizarre mirror match that’s not common for Limited play.

Enter Traditional Draft, a proper 8-player best-of-three experience! This comes in addition to the Bot best-of-one. In fact, there’s a new naming convention to avoid confusion:

Premier Draft is a Ranked Best-of-One Player Draft of the current set.
Ranked Draft will now be called Quick Draft and continue to be a Ranked Best-of-One Bot Draft, and its set will rotate Bi-Weekly.
Traditional Draft will keep its name, but it will now mean an Unranked Best-of-Three, Player Draft of the current set.

In terms of prices and rewards, the entry fee will remain 1500 Gems or 10,000 Gold and victories will award as follows:

Premier Draft: