LORD OF THE RINGS DRAFT GUIDE!!! Top Commons, Color Rankings, Archetype Overviews, and MORE!!!

Welcome to a Lord of the Rings Draft Guide! In this Lord of the Rings Draft Guide I discuss the Top Commons for each Color, I rank each Color based on its power level, I give an overview of every Archetype, I show you all the relevant Combat Tricks, I discuss cards that are Traps, some powerful Combos you can assemble with just Commons and Uncommons, and I provide you with all the information you need to succeed in Lord of the Rings Draft! If you are trying to get ready for your Prerelease or your first Draft of Lord of the Rings, this Draft Guide has all the information you need to crush your competition! Remember to Like, Share, and Subscribe to support the channel! Feel free to discuss any element of the Draft Guide in the Comments and I will gladly respond with my thoughts or answers!
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#LordOfTheRings #LordOfTheRingsDraft #LordOfTheRingsDraftGuide

[@NicolaiBolas]

Looking for even more info on the format? Check out my Lord of the Rings Draft Meta Update: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faTClqtoeZp_Zqs In the update I analyze the best archetypes, revise my color rankings, discuss underrated cards, and provide tons of insights to help you in your next draft! It is a great supplement to this Lord of the Rings Draft Guide, so I think you'll find it helpful!

[@michellimon7955]

This is premium content and it's very well organized. Your draft Guides are always the best.

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy my Draft Guides!

[@ixiix]

I would guess Ringsight wont end up being a trap in this format. Normally it would be but with the ring mechanic you can make a non-legendary into a legendary pretty easily. As long as you have a deck with a decent number of ring tempts you cards you'll be able to use it anytime you have a creature on the board

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good call on the Legendary creature part. It can still be completely useless if you don't have any creatures in play (or significantly worse if you lack one of the proper color), but that is a good point you have made. In my explanation I was also trying to emphasize that even when it works, the effect is just not a strong one for Limited. The best card in a Draft deck is almost never worth spending 3 mana to tutor for, as it is just such an incredibly tempo negative play. Diabolic Tutor is a similar card from previous sets that has always been bad for this exact reason, and I wanted to point out that it is a trap because Tutors tend to look better than they are.

[@ixiix]

@@NicolaiBolas I completely agree with that assessment. It's just interesting to think about how the ring mechanic is going to change a lot of how the legendary matters ends up playing out in this format. I'm excited to see how it shakes out

[@dac2007]

The card tempts you itself before checking, so all you need is any creature in play. Still not a great card for limited but its usable if you have something good to be searching

[@Neon-chan2015]

Even 3 mana unlimited tutor would at best be an ok card in most sets. Add a few hoops and even if they are a bit easier to jump through thanks to tempting the end result is still a bad card

[@gustavschleicher5789]

shadowfax is the best flavorcard they ever introduced xd. The guy who thought of the reminder text idea should get a massive raise

[@NicolaiBolas]

Shadowfax is definitely a major win! I made a whole short just about how much I like the way they implemented Shadowfax when I first saw it. The reminder text is just brilliant!

[@TheVinylFactor]

One friendly suggestion for these videos, it would be great if you add sections of the video, to easily navigate between the different "chapters". Great guide as always! :)

[@markocelenkovic]

One more tip is that the ring tempts you makes one of your creatures legendary, so keep that in mind for all your legendary matters cards.

[@rorobear1940]

Devouring all the limited LOTR content I can before my first prerelease, thank you for this wonderful guide #LordoftheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you found it helpful! Good luck at your Prerelease!

[@thiagoaprovado]

One of the best analyses of LOTR draft! Thx for sharing!!!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I appreciate the kind comment and I'm so glad you found the Draft Guide helpful!

[@thiagoaprovado]

@@NicolaiBolas they always are!

[@juliosamaniego2206]

Nicolai, I really liked this video. Your breakdown was efficient, organized, and easy to follow. Great job! 👍🏻

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thank you!

[@RageKivi]

Lord of the Draft ! Looking forward to drafting with my friends in paper on the weekend, thank you so much for the Draft Guides - invaluable !

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@wapickleball5043]

Thanks again for another great guide! Your videos have definitely helped my insight into the draft format as a whole. I’ve had more fun at sealed events the last few sets thanks to you. Keep it up! #lordofthedrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I am so glad to hear it! I appreciate your kind words!

[@RedGazelle1367]

Great job! Very succinct and informative.

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thanks! I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@frogless_]

Great draft guide, thanks man! I really needed it

[@NicolaiBolas]

I’m so glad you liked it!

[@DMCDCW]

Thanks to your guides I've been consistently getting prices on pre-releases ❤.

[@NicolaiBolas]

That is awesome news! I'm so happy to hear it!

[@Lazirus951]

These analysis videos are some of my favorite types of content you make. This was well done and well thought out. Thank you for your efforts!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I really appreciate your kind words! I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying my Draft Guides!

[@user-hu9bq1jn1p]

I love them to!🥰

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@user-hu9bq1jn1p That is great to hear!

[@sonicflash5090]

Great guide love the combos!

[@heatherboone9178]

#lord of the drafts! Thank you so much for this video! It helped immensely!

[@andresmaldonado9429]

Thank you for this, and will be looking out for these when the prerelease hits the store. subbed

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Hazelol1992]

I have only recently started playing MTGO, but with your guides it works really great. Thanks for your great videos 💪🏼 #LordOfTheDrafts 🤓

[@PuddinDH]

Awesome vid, thnx for the great tips. Gonna do my first prerelease party since i just started magic and this will help a bunch

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@duydavidnguyen]

Thanks for the info. I don't play draft very often so this will be quite handy when pre-release night comes around next week

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome! Good luck at your Prerelease!

[@rossetto23]

Another great Draft Guide! I am so excited to play this set! As feedback, I think you should do a ranking of the archetypes. Since we will most likely be playing a two colours deck, it is good to know which ones to choose and which ones to avoid! #LordOfTheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I also appreciate the feedback, but I like to save archetype rankings until my Draft Meta Update, which I usually release a week or so after the set comes to MTG Arena. It just makes the ranking a lot more accurate because it is hard to figure out archetype strength before seeing how everything lines up. Hopefully that makes sense!

[@jmets112]

I love this content! Only small thing I would include. When going through the color combos maybe give us a heat rating on each. You make th sound like they are all equally as effective and that probably isn't the case.

[@mylevin23]

My favorite draft primer every set release. Thanks!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you find them helpful! Your kind comment is appreciated!

[@silvius8103]

Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made” ― JRR Tolkien

[@NicolaiBolas]

Great quote!

[@abelhazeira]

Thanks for your's insights. RW to me is the most straight forward and powerfull combination.

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! Red White looks cool for sure!

[@robertahearne423]

Thanks for this. I always make sure to check your videos before showing up for each Prerelease event. #LordOfTheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome Robert! I’m glad to hear you have been finding my videos helpful!

[@timlundgren6433]

Archetypes, but really all of it, this is my go to before drafting since I don't have time for long guides!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you find it helpful! I try to keep my guides compact, so it is nice to hear that they are hitting that target!

[@AzureBard]

Very well put together. Doing my first sealed with this set tomorrow night, so I needed some good tips. Thanks. #LordofTheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good luck! I'm glad you enjoyed my guide!

[@galicredstone]

Coming back to MtG after a long hiatus, just for LOTR. This video, while draft-focused, helped me quite a bit with what to look for in the pre-release. Thanks! I'll let you know if I use any of your tricks :-)

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you found it helpful! The goal is definitely for it to be useful for the Prerelease as well! This set is going to be awesome!

[@TheTmcabral3]

Excited for this set!

[@NicolaiBolas]

Me too!

[@chefboyardee851]

Im so hyped for prerelease!

[@NicolaiBolas]

Prereleases are awesome!

[@jamesblacklord8372]

This guide will help me with a pre-release event

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad to hear it!

[@NicolaiBolas]

What is your favorite part of the Draft Guide?

[@lorix8335]

The rankings!

[@MELOVISIONHD]

How it came at such a good time 🥰🙏

[@andrewfrete9027]

Remember ringsight tempts you first which makes a creature legendary. That way you can play in decks with low legendaries and tutor your bomb or removal or out

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@andrewfrete9027 Good call. It can still be completely useless if you don't have any creatures in play (or significantly worse if you lack one of the proper color), but that is a good point you have made. In my explanation I was also trying to emphasize that even when it works, the effect is just not a strong one for Limited. The best card in a Draft deck is almost never worth spending 3 mana to tutor for, as it is just such an incredibly tempo negative play. Diabolic Tutor is a similar card from previous sets that has always been bad for this exact reason, and I wanted to point out that it is a trap because Tutors tend to look better than they are.

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@MELOVISIONHD I'm glad to hear it!

[@petem8438]

#lordofthedrafts haha thanks for great take on this set. I am excited to see how the set runs when I hit up my LGS on Friday for prerelease weekend.....

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Good luck at your Prerelease!

[@herobk2768]

Best MTG guide every time!

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@TomEranze]

Great! Thank you very much.

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@fattrodney7306]

so excited for this set, ready for some crazy videos! #lordofthedrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I’m super excited for this set too! They did such a good job bringing the story to life! I will certainly do my best to deliver on the crazy draft videos!

[@wolflion_37]

#LordOfTheDrafts Thank you so much as always for these early and very informative videos!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome! I'm so glad you enjoy them!

[@catit6599]

#LordOfTheDrafts thanks again for another great draft guide cant wait to start drafting this set

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm super excited for this set too!

[@ericd1022]

insanely useful crash course. great video

[@NicolaiBolas]

I am so glad you enjoyed it!

[@DiscipleofVenser1992]

#LordoftheDrafts Favorite part of these guides for me is the common combat tricks and trap cards. Nice to get insight on what might be splash worthy in a pinch and what can fool you into thinking a color pairings aren't going to work out.

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you find those sections helpful! I think knowing what Combat Tricks your opponent could have is always a big confidence booster when Drafting!

[@Jumpstart_My_MTG_Heart]

Solid video, a day after the full set reveal. Very nice! Hail to the #LordOfTheDrafts. You gained a new sub!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind comment!

[@dmclain55]

#Lordofthedrafts ! Great guide, thank you!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are most welcome!

[@dagreen92]

Hi from Chicago! I'll be playing 2 pods next weekend at my LGS prerelease, and I'm super psyched to play the B/W tokens deck! Looks sweet! #LordOfTheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good luck at your Prerelease! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@williamhammock4821]

I haven't played magic in person in years but I'm going out tonight to play this new LOTR set. I used to love that old LOTR CCG as well it was quite good ... , #Lordofthedrafts, this gives me some confidence I won't be totally destroyed by rules and mechanics and upsetting everyone by taking forever. Thanks!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome! I'm glad you found the video helpful and I hope your Prerelease was a success!

[@williamhammock4821]

@NicolaiBolas It was!!! I won all 3 of my sets.

[@mwminnis1]

Thank you!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@robevans6242]

#LordOfTheDrafts Thanks for all your help with this!

[@lordofbible]

I love your video edits becasue im a spanish player and cant understand the speaking very well. Thanks!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you find them helpful!

[@CodyGottman-wr6jn]

THANK YOU!!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@_Seanime]

#lordofthedrafts this was super helpful for the prerelease tonight!

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad to hear it!

[@ThomasSolenberger]

#LordOfTheDraft Best Draft prep video on the Tube!

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thank you for the kind comment!

[@bhopcsgo7172]

Thanks man.

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@croma86]

Thank you so much

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@christian4500052]

#LordoftheDraft amazing content and well put together

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

[@martinln2783]

#LordOfTheDrafts Awesome work you put in for us champ! Super lovely to get some insight into combos, trap cards and great cards. I can't wait to sit down and draft myself in person and online. And wish you a good fun with this too when you get there soon. Will you be let in on a week's early vip online drafting again, or what do you think? I was curious the set don't hit home both online and in real life at the same time this set.

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Draft Guide! I'm really looking forward to this set too! To answer your other question, I will be participating in the Early Access Event, so you can expect to see draft videos from that event once it happens!

[@aidandolinar]

Looks dope

[@NicolaiBolas]

Indeed it does!

[@wtpg4209]

A little tipsy from the "it might not look that impressive" drinking game :) This set looks like a huge drop in power level at common.

[@jonathanarcher5356]

Going to a sealed pre-release. Last time was 2-1-0 (7th place) for MoM completely blind, and after a 3 year break from any magic. Hoping with some prep i can get some packs

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good luck! Prereleases are a blast!

[@jornborlie]

Another combo you can do, which will require a little more luck since it's three cards is; 2 Warbeasts of Gorgoroth and a sac outlet like Denethor, Ruling Steward. Letting you indefinitely sacrifice the orc army to drain out your opponent since the Warbeasts just makes another 4 power army once you kill it. Seems like a good little combo/mana sink if you're lucky enough to assemble all the pieces

[@NicolaiBolas]

That's a cool combination for sure! It is funny to think about endlessly sacrificing a 4/4 cause usually smaller creatures get sacrificed, but if it's just going to come back anyway than it is totally worth it! I guess it's just about building a deck where you'd be happy playing Warbeasts of Gorgoroth and then figuring out which sacrifice outlet fits with whatever other colors you are in!

[@sorin9597]

Thank you

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@joshbowmahn]

good stuff lotd

[@NicolaiBolas]

I’m glad you liked it!

[@Dennis450D]

Going to my first prerelease event next week. Really excited to play sealed and play more drafts after! Do you think anything changes in how you build with a straight up 6 pack sealed event, or does it really just depend on what is in your packs?

[@NicolaiBolas]

Sealed definitely has some differences from Draft. The format is slower because players aren't able to draft low curve decks as easily, the synergy is lower because you can't choose what you get, and there tend to be more bombs to deal with because players essentially have 6 packs to open a bomb rather than 3 (sometimes you get passed a bomb in draft, but it is still less on average). This means removal is a bit more important in Sealed because the games last longer and there are more bombs, so on average more will be drawn per game. This is just some quick differences, but hopefully that helps! Good luck in your Prerelease and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@zeliousNA1]

@@NicolaiBolas great write up! Very informative. Thank you

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@zeliousNA1 I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@Dennis450D]

@@NicolaiBolas Thank you for the detailed response! Definitely something I'll keep in mind while putting my sealed deck together.

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@Dennis450D You are welcome!

[@kyuubifox33]

Haha I won my draft as a Black/Red combo. Managed thanks to ring tempting and all my amass

[@gamefan8552]

#LordoftheDrafts great content, always helps me to better prepare for drafting. I wished there was a quick draft for LOR, seems only option is Premier draft which can be expensive if not getting 3 wins.

[@NicolaiBolas]

I think Quick Draft will come eventually. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Draft Guide and found it helpful!

[@carlrassat1675]

I Appreciate your content! Very helpful! #lordofthedrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the kind words!

[@TheDownSmasher]

that grishnakh + lash combo seems the most potent and only for 4 mana, curious to see the color ratings when the drafts begin

[@NicolaiBolas]

Steal and Sac tends to be a great combo when it is present. This version of the combo is a bit less reliable because Grishnakh is not always going to be able to steal the creature you want, but it makes up for that lower reliability by including Grishnakh instead of an Act of Treason variant, and Grishnakh is just a great card on his own. Act of Treason tends to not be playable without the sacrifice synergy, but Grishnakh is just a card many Red decks will be happy to play! I'm also looking forward to seeing how everything plays out!

[@Matafoca]

Great video, thanks! #LordOfTheDrafts

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm so glad you liked it!

[@mrjelis2390]

Thank you so much for this video it was pretty helpful. I'm fairly new to mtg, can these combo/trick apply at Pre-release or is it really mostly just for drafting? #lordofthedraft

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Most of the concepts do apply to Sealed, as the good cards tend to remain relatively constant between the formats, but decks in Sealed tend to be a bit slower and less focused on synergy, so there are definitely some differences as well.

[@mrjelis2390]

@@NicolaiBolas thank you very much! I'll keep that in mind. I'll focus more on the good common then!

[@forloveofthepage2361]

#lordofthedraft I think all the land cycle cards are great in limited. Once you know your colors they help smooth a deck so well. Ensure a land drop early or play something big later.

[@Neon-chan2015]

Interesting that LSV loves Oath and you have it as a trap. I'd guess the truth is somewhere in between. LSV seems to be a bit too high on it at the moment but it's also not as bad as the other two traps I think

[@Mindslaver0]

thanks mate

[@NicolaiBolas]

You are welcome!

[@haha_Toast]

You don't need to prioritize Legendary creatures that much if you have enough "the ring tempts you" as the first line of the Ring makes your ring-bearer legendary

[@NicolaiBolas]

That is true, but some colors have a lot more, "The Ring tempts you," cards than others, especially ones that you would be happy to include in your deck. It is nice to be able to enable synergies that care about Legendary creatures without having to play cards that may be subpar for a particular strategy.

[@timz85]

Are you going to do a sealed guide too? Are there many differenced between sealed and draft for this set?

[@NicolaiBolas]

Sealed and Draft tend to be similar enough that I don't make a dedicated Sealed Guide. Sealed is a bit slower and lower on synergy, with a few more strong Rares running around that demand removal. Those are the main differences, but the good cards tend to remain relatively constant between the formats.

[@dac2007]

How is black number 4? It has easily the best removal and some great creatures and sacrifice synergies.

[@pedropfernandes1976]

#LordOfTheDrafts Didn't quite understand the ring mechanic. Cheers from Portugal 👍🇵🇹

[@NicolaiBolas]

Basically whenever you play a card that says, "The Ring temps you," you choose one of your creatures to hold The Ring. That creature will have all of the abilities you've gained from The Ring progression up to that point, so if you have played two, "The Ring tempts you," cards, your Ringbearer (the creature holding The Ring) will have the top two abilities found on The Ring emblem. Hopefully that makes sense, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@pedropfernandes1976]

@@NicolaiBolas Thank you so very much. Seems clear now. Excited to watch your LOTR drafts 💪

[@curreypasuco7281]

ringsight works as long as you have any creature in play because the when the ring tempts you the first ability is the creature becomes legendary. So as long as you have a creature you name it the ring bearer and then search for a card.

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good call. It can still be completely useless if you don't have any creatures in play (or significantly worse if you lack one of the proper color), but that is a good point you have made. In my explanation I was also trying to emphasize that even when it works, the effect is just not a strong one for Limited. The best card in a Draft deck is almost never worth spending 3 mana to tutor for, as it is just such an incredibly tempo negative play. Diabolic Tutor is a similar card from previous sets that has always been bad for this exact reason, and I wanted to point out that it is a trap because Tutors tend to look better than they are.

[@fwopkins]

What makes Birthday Escape a top common?

[@superkid325]

Almost a year later and my LGS is running this draft again. Time to be Tony Stark and become an expert overnight!!

[@NicolaiBolas]

You can also check out my Draft Meta Update on the set for more of this sort of thing.

[@pepeloteroyt9792]

where I can find the deeck code for amass control??

[@mrcobrabubbles6889]

I am The dark lord of the draft. Time for them sweet free packs

[@Billchu13]

If youre doing Commander draft with this set, would you pick 2 cards at once, or just with commander sets?

[@NicolaiBolas]

I don't think this set is designed with Commander Drafting in mind so I'm not sure what the procedure would be for that. Usually sets where you take two cards from a pack also have two Rares in the pack, but again, I've only done those drafts a couple times so I'm not as familiar (and this is just a normal drafting set).

[@Billchu13]

@@NicolaiBolas I feel like you could commander draft in this or any Standard set, considering signpost legends

[@cubandarknez]

#lordofthedrafts I don't think I quite followed on the trading of the amass army since normally a bigger dude survives more combats, but maybe there just is more removal than expected.

[@NicolaiBolas]

It is kind of like why auras are bad in Limited. It is usually better to play a new 2/2 rather than giving another 2/2 an extra couple of counters because it makes it harder to get blown out by removal.

[@nonturtle6430]

Still didn't try 5c invasion of alara, time flying.

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm excited for a whole new set with a whole new list of fun things to try!

[@ZaxploitationFilms]

I'm very surprised you have Red/Black so low and Green so high. I think Green at common is very shallow, outside of Many Partings there aren't any Green commons that I'd take highly. I think Birthday Escape might be a very important card in Blue decks also, its a 1 mana cantrip so enables cast your second spell synergies as well as enabling spells matter payoffs in the UR deck

[@NicolaiBolas]

Keep in mind that with color rankings it is mostly just a tiebreaker thing and they are all pretty close together. Just because one color is above another doesn't mean it is massively better, and after the first couple picks of a draft, it is way better to just take the cards in the open color. In a ranking of 5 things it might seem like the one at number 5 is vastly worse than the one at number 1, but that is rarely true in Limited. With that out of the way, I'm glad to explain my ranking! First, Blue looks stacked to me, and there were a couple cards that I wanted to include (including Birthday Escape) that I didn't have room for due to the constraints of a Top 3 list. That's one of the reasons I put it at number 1. To me it felt like Green just had tons of strong cards that I would be happy putting into various decks, so maybe we are just evaluating the cards differently. It feels like some of the Green creatures especially are just incredibly problematic to deal with, and something like Bag End Porter could attack for like 5 or even 6 damage on turn 5 which is quite scary. Sometimes a color gets strength not from one or two cards that need to be taken highly, but from the fact that no matter which cards you run from that color, you are going to be happy with them. With regards to Black being low, it just felt like the color had a couple more clunky cards that weren't on par with the power level for the rest of the set, and there weren't that many cards I'd be happy to take early. Red's cards felt solid, but there was nothing spectacular to really blow me away, and it also felt like some of the cards were a bit more niche or toned down compared to versions of those effects we have seen in the past. White just had a nice middle ground of power level and depth which is why I put it in the middle. One of the things that influences my Color Rankings is how difficult it is to make a Top 3 Commons list. If it is difficult because there are too many options to consider, I tend to rank the color a bit higher, and if it is difficult because there aren't any real standouts, I rank it a bit lower. Obviously I have to then factor in the relative strength of the Top Commons for each color, but that is something I think about as well. The colors are usually close together, so ranking them is often a challenge.

[@ZaxploitationFilms]

@@NicolaiBolas Definitely agree that colour rankings are just a tiebreaker (most of the time definitely some sets in recent memory where I would pass insane cards of a colour just to avoid being in it), just felt like I saw very little of value amongst green cards, though at this stage its been quite cursory. I value Birthday Escape much higher than the 2/1 flier that draws on death, I could be offbase here but these effects never seem to be quite as good as they appear. I think the 2 black combat tricks are going to be very high value but I agree with your picks for the top 3.

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@ZaxploitationFilms I also liked Black's Combat Tricks! They just have a lot going on for quite a low mana investment. I agree that the creatures that draw cards when they die have tended to underperform (like Spore Crawler), but often when they are Flyers they have been 4 mana instead of 3 which is a pretty big difference. Also, I think the 2/1 Flyer might end up being a pretty good Ringbearer, as natural evasion stacks pretty well with the evasion provided by The Ring, and that might help ensure that it hits the opponent and gets value. That might incentivize opponents to kill it which will in turn get the card (cause one of the problems is if you attack with the creature and they race it never dies so it's just a small-ish flyer). There also seem to be a decent number of 3/2s, which could make the 2/1 flyer able to trade effectively. We'll see, but it does seem like the sort of card that will basically always be solid. Blue had tons of great looking Commons so that list was hard to make. With regards to Green, I think the 2/2 Dogs that can convert Food into +1/+1 Counters are another card that looked pretty solid to me, and Bag End Porter reminds me of Lattice-Blade Mantis which was also a great card. I think there's a lot of potential in Green.

[@ZaxploitationFilms]

@NicolaiBolas thats fair I hadn't considered the ring painting a target on cards making death triggers a bit better. Will be interesting to see how it plays out, looking forward to getting some drafts in

[@DarkAvenger1234]

Why did you rank blue as the strongest color? It seems the most difficult color to get all the pieces together to do something meaningful. Which blue mechanic are you anticipating to be the strongest?

[@NicolaiBolas]

To me it felt like Blue had strong cards across the board, and that for many of Blue's typical effects (like Countermagic, Card Draw, Flyers, etc.) there were great versions at low rarities. Hopefully that explanation makes sense!

[@Redpoppy80]

The color rankings ended up being entirely different than forecasted. Black is the best, by a fair margin, then Red, White, with Blue and Green fighting to avoid the bottom. The UG Scry deck is also mostly a bust as they lose rather hard to removal and need a lot of creatures to stay in play long enough to generate the value needed to win which Black just says "nope" to.

[@filzie2189]

#Lordofthedrafts good stuff

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@UrielZyx]

15:18 "Ringsight often does nothing if you don't have a legendary creature" - Ringsight's 1st sentence lets you turn any creature you want into a legendary...

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good call on the Legendary creature part. It can still be completely useless if you don't have any creatures in play (or significantly worse if you lack one of the proper color), but that is a good point you have made. In my explanation I was also trying to emphasize that even when it works, the effect is just not a strong one for Limited. The best card in a Draft deck is almost never worth spending 3 mana to tutor for, as it is just such an incredibly tempo negative play. Diabolic Tutor is a similar card from previous sets that has always been bad for this exact reason, and I wanted to point out that it is a trap because Tutors tend to look better than they are.

[@smokedpenguin367]

i think you misread haradrim spearmaster, it only gives the buff to one creature

[@NicolaiBolas]

I didn’t misread it. It is a Valor Singer with Reach, and I was simply saying that if you get multiple into play it’s an effect that stacks pretty nicely, not that it buffs multiple things on its own. Hopefully that clarifies it for you, I think it’s a nice card.

[@ytgentleman7508]

Hi. I only play arena so does anyone if they're gonna do a draft queu for the arena release? I got really interested in drafting this set and i don't know of anywhere close by to go to do it in paper.

[@NicolaiBolas]

The set is going to be on MTG Arena for Draft, so you will definitely have the chance to play it! I'm glad you liked the video!

[@ytgentleman7508]

​@@NicolaiBolas Thanks!👍

[@xerowolf4242]

with a card like ringsight, if you have any creature on board, it will become your ringbearer and it will then be legendary just because it is your ringbearer. so ringsight isn't really that bad of a tutor imo. especially if you have a multicolored bomb in your deck.

[@NicolaiBolas]

Good call on the Legendary creature part. It can still be completely useless if you don't have any creatures in play (or significantly worse if you lack one of the proper color), but that is a good point you have made. In my explanation I was also trying to emphasize that even when it works, the effect is just not a strong one for Limited. The best card in a Draft deck is almost never worth spending 3 mana to tutor for, as it is just such an incredibly tempo negative play. Diabolic Tutor is a similar card from previous sets that has always been bad for this exact reason, and I wanted to point out that it is a trap because Tutors tend to look better than they are.

[@xerowolf4242]

@@NicolaiBolas I agree. tutors definitely aren't good in limited because of tempo. I only meant to point out that if you have a bomb that would be worth putting a tutor in your deck for, that it isn't as bad as it seems at face because of the ring ability.

[@NicolaiBolas]

@@xerowolf4242 It is a valid point and I'm glad you pointed it out. If I had a card on the level of The Scarab God or Tetzimoc, Primal Death in my deck, I could see running the card. I put it in the Trap section because it is the sort of effect that looks way better than it actually is because folks are used to playing in Commander or other formats where tutors are more valuable, and in Draft (as we both seem to agree) the tempo loss is just not worth it almost 100% of the time (even when the card does work as intended, which it doesn't always if you lack a creature or a creature of the proper color). Gold Uncommons tend to be good, so the fact that this one is quite bad also seemed like it could trip people up.

[@josuearteaga158]

Go green white - i went green and blue and my deck was strong but white and green is stronger. Lost to a spell slinger deck

[@BenjaminIMeszaros]

KEL-uh-born

[@marcwilliams1942]

Lord of the drafts🎉

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@oneringtorulethemagicarp7199]

Is it just me or ddoes this kinda feel like a low power set? I mean murder got the #1 spot and blue's second strongest card was a windrake that replaces itself on death.

[@NicolaiBolas]

It feels quite powerful to me. There are several cards that look similar to ones we have seen in the past, but lots of them are just a bit better. For example, Rally at the Hornburg is a better Forbidden Friendship and Glorious Gale is a better Essence Scatter. Lots of cards seem to have a bit of extra strength compared to what we normally see, at least in my opinion.

[@deanfong7589]

#lordofthedrafts !

[@NicolaiBolas]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@GaryGrimtooth]

KEH-LA-BORN.

[@MikeTheLiberal]

#LordOfTheDrafts Now, where's my cookie? 🙃

[@silasvert]

Nicolai. There is a guy copying and pasting your content and translating it to Portuguese. It is the same video... same sequence, same selected cards, same combos, same traps etc. Without mentioning your name.

[@NicolaiBolas]

Thanks for letting me know. One one hand, it feels a bit bad to get plagiarized if it really is a straight up copying (it would be nice to get some credit or something), but it is also quite flattering at the same time! It is cool that people from countries that primarily speak Portugese will also get to benefit from the work I do on my Draft Guides. It's not like there's anything I can do to stop them from copying me, so I think it's best to think about how epic it is that someone values my opinion enough to translate it into their language to help out folks in their country!