I made a huge profit on my first MTG Arena competitive draft, but still can't recommend it

I've been having a lot of fun drafting in Magic: The Gathering Arena lately, thanks to back-to-back strong limited sets in TMNT and Secrets of Strixhaven. It's natural, then, that I'll address the new limited-time competitive draft program for Strixhaven, but it's a very risky proposition, and not one I'd recommend for other players if it returns.

After sinking 3,000 gems (estimated value of $18) into one run, I came out with seven wins and a profit of 140 percent on gems alone, but I still can't advise anyone to actually invest in this draft mode. Its rewards are so poorly distributed compared to other, cheaper limited modes in Arena that it's not worth it.

All or nothing

Entering the premier and traditional drafts costs twice as much as a competitive series, four times as much as a quick draft and three times as much as a pick-two draft. For this cost, about $18, remember, once the entries are added up and not small, you expect the prizes to be evenly distributed among the winning totals.

However, the reward for zero, one, and two wins is absolutely nothing. Zilch, nada, nowt. Historically, even if you've only managed one win in a draft run, you've always gotten something in return, but the Contender Series at least seems to be some kind of punishment for players who can't break even with their wins and losses.

If you hit seven wins its offset is the value of the prizes. In Premier Draft, your investment of 1,500 gems returns 2,220 gems and six regular packs of cards. With the competitive streak, if you hit seven wins, you'll get 7,200 gems, 10 mythic packs, and 12 regular packs. Gems alone cost around $45, meaning you've doubled your investment from the entry fee, and the packs are also worth a total of 5,000 gems, or 25,000 coins.

While these rewards are incredibly attractive, the harsh reality of the draft is that much of it is out of your control. You might get some bad packs, have to change your strategy a few times, and potentially end up with a three- or four-color deck, which is far from ideal in Mysteries of Strixhaven, due to the compatibility of Strixhaven colleges. It all comes before you play the game.

So, is $18 a worthwhile investment when the odds suggest you could easily walk away with nothing? It's a tough sell, that's for sure. What further scales against Contender Draft in its current iteration is that you won't break even on your investment until you reach five wins, where the prize is 3,200 gems and eight packs of cards.

Maybe you just aren't a “competitive drafter”.

The twist of the knife in this debacle comes when you read the flavor text on the Contender Draft Arena page. It says, “Are you a competitive drafter?” Before the inclusion of legendary boosters as rewards was particularly hyped.

It doesn't seem intentional, but it feels like the line is giving players a chance to go into the contender draft. Maybe you've had some success with other draft modes, but can you beat this one?

To top it all off, we have a special title. For winning your Contender Draft and hitting seven wins, you earn the title “Draft Contender” which you can proudly display on your profile, so everyone you play with can see your achievement.

Cosmetics are nothing new in the MTG arena, and there is no compulsion to purchase them. But hiding in this particular title is like dangling a carrot for competing players who want to be a part of what we consider to be an exclusive club. When the house wants you to gamble so much, you have to wonder if you're getting a good deal, especially when the mode is only available for a limited time, adding to the urgency it's trying to instill in players.

luck of the draw

After paying my 3,000 gems to enter the Competitive Series, it only seemed right to show you the deck that earned me a 7-2 record. Based on my previous Secrets of Strixhaven draft, I was very comfortable with Witherbloom and Lorehold, so I was happy to put together an incredibly strong Witherbloom deck, which included a copy of Cauldron of Essence, taken as my first card, which did most of the heavy lifting and had six on the battlefield.

Pairing this artifact with cards like Essenceknit Scholar, Lluwen, Exchange Student, Pest Mascot, Teacher's Pest, and Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist meant that I always had access to low-risk token creatures to gain health, deal damage, and sacrifice to return the big hitters of the battlefield.

Throw in some infusion utility in the form of Poisoner's Apprentice , Foolish Fate , and Thornfist Striker , and this Witherbloom deck was an absolute steam train when it went three up.

Still, I'm wondering how this deck would have fared without Cauldron of Essence, or if I had gone on a dry run of Witherbloom cards during the pick phase, forcing me to widen my draft pool. It speaks volumes that even if I come out the other side with more than double the investment I put into it, I still tell players to avoid the Contender Draft unless some serious balancing is done on the rewards.

No game mode in Arena should feel like a gamble, but Contender Draft did. I'll stick with Premier Draft for the time being, until Competitive Draft returns with the launch of Marvel Super Hero's massively reworked rewards scheme.