Pick-Two Draft
| Pick-Two Draft | |
|---|---|
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| DCI Sanctioned | |
| Paper |
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| Magic Online |
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| Magic Arena |
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| Rules | |
| Type | Limited (Draft) |
| Multiplayer |
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Pick-Two Draft is a Limited format of playing Magic: the Gathering that was introduced by Wizards of the Coast in June 2025.[1][2][3]
Description
Pick-Two Draft is a variant of Booster Draft that is designed to be played with four players as opposed to the usual eight-person pods.
Pick-Two Draft events play out similarly to other Draft events but with a few key differences. When you open your first Play Booster, you take two cards from it and pass it to the left. You repeat this process, taking two cards each time and passing to the left, until there are no more cards being passed. Then, you open your second Play Booster, pick two cards, and pass to the right. You'll do the same for the third Play Booster, taking two cards, passing to the left, and repeating the process.
After you've completed the draft, you'll build a 40-card deck out of the cards you've drafted and any number of basic lands. You'll then play against one of the other drafters, with the winning players from the first round pairing up and the other two players also pairing up.
The format is very fast. In playtests, we were able to draft, build decks, and play a set of matches in 90 minutes or less.
You can play Pick-Two Draft using any Magic: The Gathering booster packs. While the format is designed primarily with Play Boosters in mind, nothing is stopping you from playing Pick-Two Draft with booster packs from across Magic's history.[1]
Sets designed for Pick-Two Draft
Sets designed for Pick-Two Draft, like Marvel's Spider-Man, feature five limited archetypes.[4]
History
During testing, Pick-Two Draft was known as "Lightning Draft".[5]
In June 2025, Pick-Two Draft events were included in the lineup of ticketed play and on-demand events at MagicCons.[1] Pick-Two drafting will be implemented on Magic: The Gathering Arena and Magic Online, with the first event for Arena to be a Magic: The Gathering Foundations draft on August 26–27, 2025.[6][7]
Marvel's Spider-Man was the first premier set designed for Pick-Two Draft.[8] The set's smaller size, relative to other tentpole sets, implied that Pick-Two Draft sets were a follow-up product on the failed Universes Beyond Beyond Booster-sets.
References
- ↑ a b c Wizards of the Coast (June 20, 2025). "Introducing Pick-Two Draft: A New Way to Play". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (June 20, 2025). "Introducing: Four-Player Pick-Two Draft for Magic: The Gathering! (Video)". Good Morning Magic. YouTube.
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering (June 20, 2025). "Pick-2 Draft changes normal draft rules in two ways". Twitter.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 27, 2025). "What are the biggest differences between a set designed for pick two draft and a set designed for normal draft?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 21, 2025). "I've heard it's been sort-of tested as "lightning draft" at events". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering (June 20, 2025). "Mike Turian confirms that Pick-2 drafting will be coming to MTG_Arena as an option for players!". Twitter.
- ↑ John Schork (August 11, 2025). "MTG Arena Announcements – August 11, 2025". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 27, 2025). "As a predominantly limited only player, I am worried about Spider-Man and balancing for sealed/8 player draft.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
External links
- Pick-Two Draft — Wizards of the Coast format hub.