Magic the Gathering is a collectible card game that is based on the premise of two wizards dueling using their various spells and spell books. You have your library (deck) of spells (60 cards) that include mana (land), creatures, instants, sorcery, auras, enchantments, and so on.

I am fortunate enough to work at a company where we have regular drafts. Drafting MtG is an odd process. You get three booster packs and then sit around a table with 7 other people. You open your booster pack and choose a single card from it, then pass it to the left. You receive packs from your right and take a single card and pass it on. The second pack is exactly the same only passed to the right, then the third is passed back to the left. At the end of the draft you have 45 cards and must create a 40 card deck including lands, which you can add as many as you wish from a communal land box.

You then play your deck against everyone else’s deck. At the end of the draft the rare cards are gathered up and drafted once again, only this time following the order in which people won the draft.

I am abysmal at drafting. I play with several people who are excellent at drafting. Needless to say, I don’t ever win, but enjoy myself nevertheless.

For those of you who are magic nerds I drafted a Bant Esper deck from Alara/Conflux/Reborn. 🙂