Getting ready for a booster draft? Consider these notes from someone who's been there, done that. Your strategy will depend largely on what resources you draft, but having a game plan ahead of time can only help.

What Are the Rules?
This is the first thing to keep in mind. In some drafts, you're allowed two elements, as opposed to the typical one. This definitely changes the face of the draft a bit. If you're allowed two elements, there's really no harm in committing very early to one element.

Pick Your Starting Alignment
As you start drafting, within the first booster pack you'll probably choose a dominant starting alignment already. This could change as time passes, but it often doesn't. Based on a few of the most powerful resources you see, you'll likely make some bold decisions. If possible, it's good to be strongly committed to only one alignment right away--this isn't always possible, but try your best. If you commit equally to all of your alignments early, it'll make your decisions very difficult as new booster packs come in. (For instance, if you have 5 resources of each of your alignments and then you draft a dragon in your next pack, now you have to decide if you'll discard 5 resources to use that dragon in your domain. That's a tough decision to make, given how limited on resources you are.)

Here's where the rules come in: If you're only drafting one element each (standard domain building rules), it's best not to commit too strongly to your element right away. Why? Because by a simple numbers game, less people will be drafting the element than the alignments. Half of the people there (approximately) will use order, half chaos, but only one fourth will use the element. So, barring dragons and related power resources, oftentimes your elemental resources will pass through several hands that don't scoop them up. Meanwhile, powerful resources in the ideologies won't last long at all.

Eye Your Opponent's Draws
Unless you're an experienced drafter, it's probably best not to get too caught up in this tactic. However, having an overall idea of what people are drafting is a good idea. It'll become really clear early on what people aren't drafting too, based on the leftovers of the first pack or two. The bottom line: if an alignment that you're so-so on is being pulled from packs like candy, it might be time to switch, assuming you're not too invested.

Tricks Beat Small-Medium Units
Don't get me wrong: small and medium-sized units are the heart and soul of your army. But because most of these resources are common, it won't be hard to get enough through the draft. Don't pass up a few great tricks for more of those base units, because trust me, it's those few tricks that can spell the difference between victory and surrender. In draft wars, tricks are in short supply, so each one is extra valuable.

Go Easy on Defensive Draws
A defensive draw, essentially, is taking something you have no use for just so someone else can't have it. This can be useful, but if you're drafting with more than 8 people, it's really not worth it. Think of it in mathematical terms: If there are 10 people in the draft, that one card would have to be 10 times as valuable to the person that gets it as whatever other resource you would draft. Typically, the tough defensive drafts come when you first open the pack, and there are usually several great resources to choose from. Don't grab an awesome defensive draw if it keeps you away from a really really good resources that you can actually use.

Sculpt Your Domain Carefully
As always, sculpt your final domain carefully. Some drafters tend to just use every resource they can. This isn't a terrible strategy, because your domain might be larger and last longer than your opponents. But, for more expert drafts, you'll likely want to sculpt your domain carefully, selecting the best resources for an early lead, followed by a few tricks that'll clinch the war. In a draft war, a mediocre strategy just won't cut it. Take those handful of super powerful resources and build the domain around them. Protect them at all costs and use them to overpower your opponents.

And remember, if the first war doesn't go so well, you do have the option to adapt your domain between rounds.