Shadowmoor Draft: 5 Principles from Magic the Gathering Limited Experts

Shadowmoor, the newest set, was recently released on May 2, 2008. Many Magic players have begun drafting this new set. Drafting a new Magic the Gathering expansion card set can be an intimidating experience. There are many new cards to learn. There are multiple new mechanics to understand. There are new combos to discover.

Fortunately, noted spell slingers on the internet are more than willing to share their early drafting tips for Shadowmoor. I wanted to gain an edge in my local draft tournament, so I read three articles from popular Magic the Gathering sites. Here are 5 principles I learned in my research.

1. Value Big Creatures Highly

Compared to the previous sets, Lorwyn and Morningtide, Shadowmoor is filled with many more small creatures. Robin Russell of TCG Player says Hill Giants, or 3/3 creatures, and smaller creatures will form the bulk of Shadowmoor draft decks. This places a premium on bigger creatures. Common big creatures like Ashenmoor Cohort (with a P/T of 4/3), Crabapple Cohort (4/4), Rattleblaze Scarecrow (5/3), and Scuzzback Marauders (5/2) should be drafted earlier than usual.

2. Value Quality Two Drops Highly

Zac Hill of Star City Games says quality two drops are hard to come by in Shadowmoor draft. Therefore, make sure to pick up creatures like Safehold Sentry and Briarberry Cohort early.

3. Value The Hybrid Creature Auras Highly

Steve Sadin, in an article for the official Magic the Gathering site, says the five hybrid creature auras are excellent picks because there are few ways to deal with them. To help you remember, here are the names of the five auras.

Fists of the Demigod
Steel of the Godhead
Shield of the Oversoul
Helm of the Ghastlord
Runes of the Deus

4. Value Flyers Highly

Lorwyn had many flyers because of the Faerie tribe. However, Shadowmoor does not have many flyers. Russell notes that there are only 11 common creatures in Shadowmoor that can fly.

5. Value Removal Very Highly

Good removal has always been a part of great draft decks. However, Hill points out that Shadowmoor does not have a lot of removal. You will often have to pick removal in your top two picks to make sure you can deal with problematic creatures and creature enchantments.

Here are some common removal cards to look out for.

Æthertow (devastating when you use its conspire ability)
Burn Trail (also huge with conspire)
Fate Transfer
Inquisitor's Snare
Last Breath
Smash to Smithereens (for scarecrows)

Sources

Robin Russell, "Shadowmoor: Limited Experience." TCG Player.
Zac Hill, "Chatter of the Squirrel - Shadowmoor Signals." Star City Games.
Steve Sadin, "Allies, Enemies, and Auras." Wizards of the Coast.