Experience one of the most unique formats in the history of Magic, where packs contain cards from nearly every set in the history of Magic! Expand your collection, build wacky combos, and have a great time with this unusual and unusually fun format.
Repack Drafting finds it's inspiration from a conversation years ago. The topic was Final Exams at great schools of Wizardry, like Urza's own Tolarian Academy. The idea was that students would have participated in a draft exam with spells from through out the known multiverse. Repack Drafts also allow me as a Tournament Organizer to address and important community need. Magic is at it's core a collectible card game, so players must have cards in order to participate. In addition, when established players sell or trade cards outside of the local community, it puts a downward presure on the local community, as there a simply less cards available to players. This format allows us to re-purpose otherwise unused cards, and create an environment which is good for new players, and expanding format participation.
It also turns out that this offers a wonderful budget alternative to the drafting concept. The cost of a repack draft ends up being roughly the same cost as a single new pack of retail product, but nets you a drafted collection of 45 cards. I run my drafts at a cost of $5 per participant, covering the cost of the drafted cards and prize support.
Now because of these factors, this draft environment becomes significantly different than what most mages are used to. First off, Rare Drafting as a concept is out. Secondly, block drafting strategies are out the window too. There simply is not enough valuable cards, or single block cards to make either of these a viable option. Beyond that, most of your general draft strategies will still apply.
- You want to keep most of your drafting to two colors. Draft decks of 3+ colors will require dedicated fixing in order to function consistently. Dedicated fixing can be hard to find in this format, since the majority of Magic's history has not focused on such things.
- Aligned colors will be easier to play, as they combine concepts more readily, and are supported by more cards in Magic's history. Enemy pairs will produce more powerful decks when constructed properly, but have seen fewer sets supporting these combinations thus far in Magic's history.
- This format like any other drafting format, is ruled by commons, and it's important to recognize a "bomb" common when it comes around. For instance did you know the two thirds of all the common creatures printed in magic have a power and or toughness of 2 or less. Yes really, 2/3rds! What this means is that a creature with a power and or toughness of 3 or more is a bomb in this format.
- There is very little good removal to be found, and what there is most often is found in red and black. Artifact and Enchantment removal are pretty easy to come by, but tend to be less relevant.
We are currently using the "old" (prior to July 2010) definitions set included in formats. July 2010 definitions, and rotations will be taken into account beginning Fall 2010. The current pack build is;
- Rare 1
- Uncommon 3
- Non-Extended Eternal Commons 3. This includes all white bordered cards, and all cards from "special" releases.
- Non-Standard Extended Commons 4
- Standard Commons 4
Repack Draft Wheel Theory
Should this wheel and why? I use a three point system to analyze a pack In a "normal" pack, there should be 5 cards of each grade in them.
1) Shouldn't Wheel- these are the best cards in the pack, and should be scooped up before the pack comes back around. Your first pick should almost always come from this group, since odds are you shouldn't see any of them again. If one of these does come back around, and it still fits your developing plan, it's almost a sure thing to pick up on the wheel. One of these coming around may also indicate an open color, or deck strategy, and always worth giving a little thought to.
2) May Wheel-I put these at a 50/50 to wheel. your second pick in the pack will usually come from this group, since the #1 in the pack should already be gone. This group will tell you more about the other decks forming at the table then any other source of information. When the pack wheels around to you in pick nine, there should only be two cards from his group left, picks 9 and 10. The three that are already gone tell you a lot about the "best decks" being built by players 6, 7, and 8. Like wise the card you don't pick, will give you a clue to the "best deck" to be built by the player in position 2. This for all intensive purposes gives you a peek at 4 other decks being constructed. Counting your own deck, this gives you some degree of contrived knowledge about 5 out of 8 decks. If you do this type of thinking for all three packs int he draft, in addition to having perfect knowledge of your deck, you have had 3 peeks at 2 decks (positions 2, and 8), 2 peeks at 2 decks (positions 6, and 7), and one peek at 2 additional decks (positions 3, and 4). It's not a perfect world, and certainly as much art as science, but that is a lot of potential information. Since Repack is main deck mod, you should have a good idea of what you may face against nearly any other player at the table.
3) Should Wheel- This is the crap of the crap. If it wheels, it's exactly what I expected, and increases the likeliness of the predictions made from group 2. If it doesn't it makes things a bit more interesting. In essence it tells me that one or more persons isn't building their "best deck" instead making sub-optimal picks. In this case you are much more likely to have four "bester" decks, those that benefited from better then expected late picks, and then four "worster" decks, those making bad picks, or getting the shaft as others jump on cards expected for their "best" deck.
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