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Scott Hunstad
Drafting and Stuff
Scott Hunstad
October 19, 2005
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A long time ago, in another life, it seems, I wrote a column for our sister-site, MTGParadise.

(link: http://www.mtgparadise.com/articles/columns/so_it_goes.shtml )

In doing so, I invariably had a hard time trying to think of a topic to write about, as there was a plethora of information available on the net at the time on nearly every aspect of Magic the Gathering. This was prior to premium memberships and the closure of some of the community sites that offered some of the more quality articles. Finding something to say, that hadn't been said before ad infinitum, was definitely a task. 4,000 word essays on how deck X is different due to a single-card change are really not my thing - to read, much less write. So what I generally focused on was perhaps the community part of Magic, and gaming in general – the ‘social' aspect of the game, as it were.

That's not what I'm doing here*. It's not to say that the community/social aspect of VS isn't important, it's undoubtedly why we have a number of rabid players in our local community, and why we're getting 12 Australians heading over to the next PC in SoCal, but there's a time and place.

I'm really not sure at what stage VS will move beyond being a ‘young game'. It's been a year and a half, which is a fair sight longer than most CCG's last these days, and yet most people still think of VS as something new. But regardless, the body of information available on the net for consumption by the average Joe VS player is still quite small, particularly in relation to a Limited format. And to be bold, (and perhaps suicidal), a lot of it is not all that good.

Internet writers definitely play their part in directing the flow of the game they are writing about. Their words – brutal or subtle – influence players, and Metagames are shifted accordingly. The Metagame.com staff writer may not realize that his coverage of a particular $10K Top 8, and the way in which he does said coverage, will impact the outcomes of PCQ's the world over. After all, a deck can win, and a deck can WIN!!!. It's all a matter of perspective. If an MKKO deck wins what is reported to be a closely fought final against CS, we can dismiss it as an aberration while we sit, rocking back and forth, gently stroking our Reconstruction Programs. If the MKKO deck DESTROYED the CS deck, we will certainly take notice, and we will make the requisite changes. The writer's interpretation of that match will be read and re-read by aspiring tournament goers. And it will be believed.

Case in point. Last year, on the lead up to PC SoCal, Ray Isais did an article on WoS drafting for the site here (it can be found at this link http://www.vsparadise.com/articles/november2004/0711tech_upgrade.shtml ). It was a great article on drafting Web of Spiderman and the card valuations therein. I knew it was good, and of course looking at our web statistics, it's easy to tell that people were reading – but what I didn't expect was to come to PCSoCal soon after and see the would-be ‘Pros' deliberating over dog-eared, printed out copies of that same article. (Neither did Ray) That was a year ago, but the volume of information available about the Sealed Pack format is still quite minimal.

It's not really hard to see why there isn't enough information available. I come from a Magic background myself, and from a city known for its copious amount of Limited players. Making the transition to VS saw that propensity change focus to a new game with similar vigor. We draft a lot. At the beginning of a set it can be 4 or 5 times a week, with ease, and even a few months into this particular set, given the strength of Avengers, we still get a couple of drafts each week. As it turns out, though, we may be unique in our fanaticism. (or maybe not – I'm actually quite interested in hearing of other hardcore-draft pockets elsewhere). Which hopefully means that writing on Limited formats from Australian players can be looked at with some validity.

You see, there are many ‘roads to VS', as it were. There are a wealth of people that came to the game from YuGiOh, LotR, Star Wars, HeroClix or other backgrounds. There are those that started playing VS because they are into the comic medium, or maybe they got a free card in an action figure. They may have even seen Batman Begins and picked up a Starter set at Target. Or it may be that well-meaning aunt who knows that even though you're 28 years old, you still, for some reason, like Spiderman more than her 14 year old son, and gets you some packs because she saw some at the corner store and thought of you. For ALL of these groups of people, the concept of a Draft format is a brand new thing, and this, I think, is one of the main reasons that the state of net writing on Limited topics is lacking – there just aren't enough people drafting!

So – finding a topic for VS is not nearly as hard, and I'll attempt to help fill some of the gaps in the available material. More importantly though – if you haven't or don't draft VS, give it a go. Even if it's only a 4-man – even if it's only a 1-on-1 draft. It's fun, and it's important. I've seen some quality VS constructed players tear their way through Day 1 of a PC, only to crumble dismally on Day 2 because they don't have any drafting experience. The corollary is also true – last year at SoCal, Antonio De Rosa scraped into Day 2 and proceeded to go undefeated in Draft on day 2, obviously calling on his vast MtG limited experience.

I got a bit of flack from the locals last time about giving away secrets or some such (in jest of course - there wasn't really anything groundbreaking there). I feel it's important for people to know about the Limited side of VS, as (insert bias) Booster Draft is clearly the superior format in this game. It really can only be a good thing for the game if more people figure that out. I'm certainly not alone in my opinions - if you ask the majority of Magic pro's what they think the most skill intensive format is, they'll invariably answer the same – Draft.

And now I'm 1,100 words into what was meant to be a 1,500 word bit about the middle stages of drafting Avengers. I guess that will be next time. Damn stream of consciousness.

*As it turned out, on re-reading this, it WAS what I ended up doing here. So it goes.

 

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