Today, I’ll continue the tradition I set with Theros and Born of the Gods by presenting my pick order list for Journey into Nyx draft.

In this list, all cards are ranked from high to low as a guide for the first-pick-first-pack decision in a regular Journey/Born/Theros draft. The list does not take the monetary value of a card into account, and multicolored cards are ranked relatively low because of the loss of flexibility and the danger of committing to two colors right from the start.

Although the list is influenced by discussions with many others (including members of Team ChannelFireball), it is based on my own preferences, experiences, and ideas. Specifically, it is influenced by my strong preference for drafting blue/green. This color combination had an impressive 70% match win percentage in our practice drafts, despite the decks never looking super impressive, which spurred the saying that “’Blue/green crap’ never loses”.

And it makes sense: There is synergy between big green monsters and blue bounce spells, as well as green acceleration and big blue flyers, so you often end up with a nice deck. Moreover, both colors are very deep in every pack in the block, which means that you’ll receive reasonable picks even if someone is drafting the same colors next to you. This is especially true for green, which I consider to be the best color in JBT draft. I would not recommend forcing a color outright, but you’ll see the blue and green cards ranked more highly than you might expect, as it is the color combination I feel most comfortable with.

Another relevant factor that influenced my list is my belief that you have to take early drops (i.e., creatures with mana cost four or less) very highly. You can only play so many combat tricks, bounce spells, and 5+ drops, especially if you want to tempo out. Moreover, in Journey into Nyx, there are strive combat tricks instead of bestow creatures at common, which places an extra premium on having enough creatures. I generally try to have at least 5 creatures after the first booster, 10 creatures after the second, and 15 after the third. If I have a shortage of creatures and already have a bunch of instant-speed spells, then I’ll happily take Swordwise Centaur over Retraction Helix in Born of the Gods, for example. In the end, a deck without creatures will have a hard time getting anywhere.

With that in mind, here is my list:

So, in my opinion, the best rare is Silence the Believers; the best uncommon is Hour of Need; and the best common is Golden Hind.

Twenty Thoughts on Drafting with Journey into Nyx