One-pick Draft · Cards, plans & rules · Arena win rates (Premier Draft, Feb 11–Mar 18, 2025)
Released February 14, 2025
Ask them in this order.
Count actual available creatures, their effective crew power and the blockers left behind. A Vehicle's printed power is not an attacking body by itself.
Read restrictions on Optimizer, exhaust mana and Treasure timing before assuming a spell or upgrade is available this turn.
One useful life-loss event during your turn is enough. Do not spend a second removal spell purely for a speed increase already earned.
Compare the full spell with the value of replacing it now, including any separate cycling or discard trigger.
Look past the power level. Name the job before deciding whether it belongs.
Payoffs
The initial creature offers a board presence, and four more mana through exhaust adds a counter and a 3/3 Elephant. Spreading that mana across turns produces two bodies, but the exhaust reward can normally be used only once.
46 payoffs →
Early plays
The cheap deathtouch creature trades with larger attackers and can crew when blocking is unnecessary. Its six-mana drain is a late mana sink that also advances speed on your turn; do not delay needed spells to activate it early.
24 early plays →
Early plays
A flying artifact body provides both early defense and surveil 2. Put recursion targets into the graveyard when useful, but keep the lands needed to cast your actual hand.
24 early plays →Count creatures that can actually pay your Vehicles' crew costs. Entry effects can make a Vehicle useful immediately, but a hand of uncrewed Vehicles still lacks attackers and blockers.
Learn Aetherdrift mechanics →Start speed early and look for manageable life-loss events on your turns. More damage in one turn does not replace the later turns needed for normal speed increases.
Exhaust gives early creatures a later job, while cycling trades a stranded card for another draw. Choose the action that improves the board or hand now rather than waiting for every maximum payoff.
Stampeding Scurryfoot: 58.7% GIH over 139,570 instances; Engine Rat: 57.9% GIH over 105,550 instances; Wreckage Wickerfolk: 57.7% GIH over 131,361 instances. Games recorded 2025-02-11–2025-03-18. The all-dataset baseline is 54.9%. These recorded Arena results are observational, not a causal ranking or a promise for paper Draft.
Use three Play Boosters per player for ordinary Booster Draft, take one card per pick, and build at least 40 cards. Sealed starts from six Play Boosters.
Outside strategy notes cannot be consulted during sanctioned drafting, construction or games. Brief prewritten notes may be reviewed between games; public Oracle lookup follows separate rules. Ask your organizer about devices and note use.