Draft Mode 2.0 Guide
A new scoring system means new strategies. Plus, there have been a bunch of other changes to the mode under the hood. This guide will help you get off to a fast start in the second run of Draft Mode!
The mode will be live from September 28 to October 12, with the shop open for a couple of extra days. For more on the Economy, check out Lauren's article! For more on the Series 4 card available in the mode, The Inversion, check out my guide!
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It Ain’t Just Sanctum Showdown Scoring
The big experiment with this second run of draft is a new scoring system. It’s similar to the system in the Sanctum Showdown LTGM, but with a couple of differences. First, this scoring system goes to 18, rather than 16 meaning games will feel less decided by the first couple of Sanctums. The off locations also gradually gain value, meaning narrow strategies that focus only on the Sanctum won't be the only way to win.
Each turn, one location is designated as the Sanctum and is worth more points. Starting on Turn 3, each player can Snap to add a point to the Sanctum value. If both players Snap, that means the Sanctum will be worth +2 Points. Fight hard for the Sanctum points to become the first to 18 and win.
| Turn | Sanctum | Other Locations | Total Pts Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 4-6 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 5-7 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 6-8 |
| 6 | 5 | 2 | 7-9 |
| 7 | 5 | 3 | 8-10 |
| 8-15 | 8 | 5 | 13-15 |
The soonest someone could win is Turn 5. I expect most games to be over before turn 8, when a huge points increase happens. The game has a hard cap at 15, which is mostly in case players are both board-locked in a tie. Speaking of ties, they no longer count as a loss. They just count for nothing – you don't lose anything or gain anything, you just queue up again. Ties are slightly more common in Sanctum scoring, so it's a very welcome change.
What Else Has Changed
New Augments!
There are some cool new augments, all of which will make a major splash with this new scoring system!
Taunt
On Reveal: your opponent must play their first card at this location next turn.
This can help you get off to a hot start when put on a big Turn 3 play to not only win the Sanctum that Turn, but put your opponent in a bind for the Turn 4 Sanctum. This Augment will also be key to putting games away by winning two consecutive turns later. This also means you'll need to ensure your deck has plenty of low-Cost cards to help you play around this effect. Expect to lose to this a lot!
Slingshot
On Reveal: give another card here +1 Power, then move it right.
Slingshot will be excellent on low-Cost cards to pivot one of your bigger pieces onto the Sanctum – without having to play directly onto it, thus avoiding Guardians and obstacles like Taunt. This gives any deck the extra mobility that is so crucial with this scoring system. Of course, it has added value on Move scalers.
Unstoppable
Can be played anywhere; can’t be destroyed or have its Power reduced.
If you're thinking you can resort to your old Sanctum Showdown tricks of Shang Chi, Shadow King, and other interactive cards to punish early big Sanctum plays, guess again. Unstoppable not only provides safety to big boys and scalers, it also provide Jeff-like reach and an important way to play around Taunt.
Apex
Ongoing: if this is your only card here, double its Power.
Imagine this on a huge 3-Cost card to snap and take at least 4 Points from the first Sanctum. The hot starts this provides on turns 3-5 will more than make up for its diminishing returns later in the game.
New Cards
Draft mode runs on a curated body of cards. The last run of Draft didn't include every card in the game, with only 324 out of the nearly 500 cards actually available to appear in the mode. According to datamines, it's not just new cards FN Carnage, Superior Iron Man, and AP Magneto that will be added. Sanctum all-stars Hydra Bob and Drax will be available too. This is Drax's first stab at a Sanctum scoring mode since being buffed up to the hyper-important 4/10 breakpoint, and Bob is always a killer for those skilled enough to plan around him.
Datamines weren't able to reveal if the two brand new cards will be draftable in the mode, but I would be very surprised if Scarlet Witch, Queen of Chaos wasn't – especially given that she was mistakenly available last time! She would be a really fun addition to this mode.
Cards You Won’t See
Aero, Captain Marvel, Eson, Jubilee Silver Surfer, Kang, Magik, Martyr, and Rama-Tut were available in the last run of Draft, but datamines show they are being removed for this run. Most of these seem to be for functional reasons as they clash with the Sanctum system in various ways.
Other Changes
There are some slightly different mutations, a bunch of rarities have been tweaked (Stick is among them, thankfully), and we’ve been assured that there will be fewer “nonbos,” that is combinations that don’t work or don’t do anything (think Wakandan Tech on a Cosmo or Salvage on an Armor). Some of the starter packs have been tweaked as well. There seems to be a general focus on making Move cards and payoffs stronger, which the scoring system should assist with as well. While there is a lot that is unchanged, there are enough changes that this run will feel completely different!
New Starter Packs!
For my in-depth analysis of each of the new starter packs, plus my final thoughts and strategy tips, consider joining as a paid member today! As always, special thanks to SnapComplete for card art and datamined information found in this article!
