Drafting the Mechanics of Fate Reforged

Well, after a bit of a hiatus, it's time to get things back into high gear with the release of Fate Reforged. I sat down with some buddies on release weekend and got three drafts in my system, and if there's one thing I noticed it's that its a slow set to draft. While there are obviously some fast and powerful cards in the set, the environment tends to favor stand-off situations, making it almost a game of inches.

With that said, I figured I'd do a quick breakdown of what to look for while drafting the set. Let's take a look at the mechanics, shall we?

Manifest
Let's start with the obvious new stand-out. Manifest took a little while for me to wrap my head around until I played it. Since losing the top card of your library really isn't going to matter unless an opponent is playing mill (which is a feat in this set), Manifest essentially ends up reading "Put a 2/2 creature token onto the battlefield".

There's one big advantage however; if it happens to be a creature card, you can "cast" it at anytime and surprise your opponent with it, getting the full value of your creature. If it's a non-creature card, hold tight; there are a few ways to return it to your hand, giving you the chance to play it properly. If you draft a few Manifest cards, be on the lookout for any shenanigans that can help you abuse them.

Dash
Dash was a big surprise for me in this set. I didn't think too much of it going in, but in my first match of the first draft my opponent steamrolled me to death with Goblin Heelcutters and won a Ugin for his troubles. Despite the fact that your creature won't stick around, the set's rhythm means that your Mardu Scout may be able to connect not only on turn two, but turn three for 6 damage before the game really gets underway. Red's got some decent removal this time around as well, and combined with the Heelcutter a decent red deck can make short work of an opponent in no time. Don't underestimate this ability.

Bolster
Another ability that didn't look too interesting on paper. While this probably won't see too much constructed use, making your guys bigger is always a good thing. This is Outlast's older, wiser brother; you don't need to tap your creature to use it, and you can put more than one token on it, all depending on the ability. This will more often than not make a difference on the board, despite the fact that you don't really choose where the counters go; again, it's a slow environment, so those one or two counters could make the difference between a chump blocker and a solid enforcer. Save for Cached Defenses, all Bolster cards have an effect you'd probably play with anyway, so it ends up being a nice bonus.

Prowess, Ferocious, Delve
Since these are the returning abilities, I won't spend too much time on them. As with Khans, a well-timed Prowess trigger can net you a bit more damage on the attack, or could make the difference in a creature battle. Ferocious seems even easier to trigger in this set, as Wizards has given us an abundance of cheap, top-heavy creatures to play around with. To be fair, though, the only really impressive Ferocious card out of this set is Flamewake Phoenix, so snatch it if you see it (especially if you have a way to sacrifice it). Delve is once again a nice bonus on some cards, but its very nature discourages multiples, so beware.

All in all, I don't think Fate Reforged is going to have a lot of money cards when the dust settles, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun set to draft. And hey, you could walk away with a Ugin!

I should have a post on the top draft cards for the set in the next few days, so don't change that channel.

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