Yeah. I've ended up with completely reasonable white decks because people have avoided it like the plague. If you're getting Serra Angel 4th or 5th pick in pack one, which happens reasonably often in my experience, you should go into white. White is bad, but it's not completely unplayable.
Draft is a self correcting format. Often, at the beginning of the format, colors are drafted roughly evenly. If you're drafting early on in the format or with players with less format experience, it would be best to avoid drafting white or red- the colors aren't nearly as deep as the others. If a table has two other people drafting white cards, then you're not going to get a good deck, even if you're in an open seat. If your environment is like this, you should avoid white like the plague. You should also probably force blue.
If people know the format, then they'll avoid white and there will be one white drafter at the table. That person can have a fairly powerful deck and it is often preferable to have that deck than one of the five blue ones.
It's always important to remember that there's a degree of randomness in draft that's dependant on what gets opened. People have varying degrees of color bias, but people generally won't take Cancel over Serra Angel or Child of Night over Shiv's Embrace. It is entirely possible to get stymied by the makeup of the packs and where people are settling into colour-wise if you decide early on to force a particular strategy, regardless of the power levels involved.
I think you should definitely have some bias against white, but I view those colour and archetype biases more as a tiebreaker. Early in a draft you don't want to give up card quality to be in the 'right' colours. I might be more wary of taking Celestial Flare and Banisher Priest because I don't want white as a main colour, but I'd rather end up with a blue deck that splashes for Pacifism than a blue deck that has an extra Cancel in it.
Also: White is bad on average but the premium white cards (Celestial Flare, Banisher Priest, Serra Angel and Pacifism) are all quite good, as good as the premium cards in any colour. If white is open for you, the high end of white plus the middle to low end of a less open colour probably makes for a better deck than the middle to low end of two other colours, excepting highly synergistic decks.
How do you deal with packs that are "not good". Then again, I have very limited experience with drafting, so I do not have the best judgement.
For example, this is a P1P1 Pack:
Path of Bravery
Accorder's Shield
Shimmering Grotto
Artificer's Hex
Festering Newt
Pacifism
Corpse Hauler
Groundbreaker Sliver
Pay no Heed
Thunderstrike
Pillarfield Ox
Child of Night
Brindle Boar
Duress
I would probably take Pacifism (based on my experience). Is Groundbreaker Sliver worth a P1P1?
How do you deal with packs that are "not good". Then again, I have very limited experience with drafting, so I do not have the best judgement.
For example, this is a P1P1 Pack:
Path of Bravery
Accorder's Shield
Shimmering Grotto
Artificer's Hex
Festering Newt
Pacifism
Corpse Hauler
Groundbreaker Sliver
Pay no Heed
Thunderstrike
Pillarfield Ox
Child of Night
Brindle Boar
Duress
I would probably take Pacifism (based on my experience). Is Groundbreaker Sliver worth a P1P1?
This P1P1 is Pacifism and it isn't even remotely close
And no, Groundbreaker Sliver is not worth a P1P1. I'm not entirely sure what I would take as a P1P1 if pacifism was somehow missing... maybe the newt? I wouldn't be happy about any of these though.
How do you deal with packs that are "not good". Then again, I have very limited experience with drafting, so I do not have the best judgement.
For example, this is a P1P1 Pack:
Path of Bravery
Accorder's Shield
Shimmering Grotto
Artificer's Hex
Festering Newt
Pacifism
Corpse Hauler
Groundbreaker Sliver
Pay no Heed
Thunderstrike
Pillarfield Ox
Child of Night
Brindle Boar
Duress
I would probably take Pacifism (based on my experience). Is Groundbreaker Sliver worth a P1P1?
In the words of the immortal Garvas Ellscott: This pack is horrendous. Taking the pacifism is correct. Whomever's after you probably takes Groundbreaker Sliver (Because it's a rare) or one of the black two-drops. If you see either one of those table that's a reasonable signal that black is open, but I wouldn't let that influence my drafting until I actually see the pack get back to me.
One thing I dislike about this format is that too often it generates an entire pack without any exciting cards in it, which makes signals hard to read.
Private Mod Note
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On average, Magic players are worse at new card evaluation than almost every other skill, except perhaps sideboarding.
Groundshaker Sliver is common and should table. Pacifism is the right pick.
The way you deal with packs that are not good is the same way you deal with a pack full of killer bombs; assess the options and take the best one.
Private Mod Note
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My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
It's always important to remember that there's a degree of randomness in draft that's dependant on what gets opened. People have varying degrees of color bias, but people generally won't take Cancel over Serra Angel or Child of Night over Shiv's Embrace. It is entirely possible to get stymied by the makeup of the packs and where people are settling into colour-wise if you decide early on to force a particular strategy, regardless of the power levels involved.
I think you should definitely have some bias against white, but I view those colour and archetype biases more as a tiebreaker. Early in a draft you don't want to give up card quality to be in the 'right' colours. I might be more wary of taking Celestial Flare and Banisher Priest because I don't want white as a main colour, but I'd rather end up with a blue deck that splashes for Pacifism than a blue deck that has an extra Cancel in it.
Also: White is bad on average but the premium white cards (Celestial Flare, Banisher Priest, Serra Angel and Pacifism) are all quite good, as good as the premium cards in any colour. If white is open for you, the high end of white plus the middle to low end of a less open colour probably makes for a better deck than the middle to low end of two other colours, excepting highly synergistic decks.
For example, this is a P1P1 Pack:
Path of Bravery
Accorder's Shield
Shimmering Grotto
Artificer's Hex
Festering Newt
Pacifism
Corpse Hauler
Groundbreaker Sliver
Pay no Heed
Thunderstrike
Pillarfield Ox
Child of Night
Brindle Boar
Duress
I would probably take Pacifism (based on my experience). Is Groundbreaker Sliver worth a P1P1?
Standard
UR Control
Modern
Merfolk
Burn
Avacyn did nothing wrong!
Purify Innistrad!
#Purge
This P1P1 is Pacifism and it isn't even remotely close
And no, Groundbreaker Sliver is not worth a P1P1. I'm not entirely sure what I would take as a P1P1 if pacifism was somehow missing... maybe the newt? I wouldn't be happy about any of these though.
Standard
UR Control
Modern
Merfolk
Burn
Avacyn did nothing wrong!
Purify Innistrad!
#Purge
I know most of you wouldn't be happy with this pack, but this is my standard open. You get used to it.
~M
In the words of the immortal Garvas Ellscott: This pack is horrendous. Taking the pacifism is correct. Whomever's after you probably takes Groundbreaker Sliver (Because it's a rare) or one of the black two-drops. If you see either one of those table that's a reasonable signal that black is open, but I wouldn't let that influence my drafting until I actually see the pack get back to me.
One thing I dislike about this format is that too often it generates an entire pack without any exciting cards in it, which makes signals hard to read.
The way you deal with packs that are not good is the same way you deal with a pack full of killer bombs; assess the options and take the best one.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge