How to host MTG drafts at home with Lorwyn Eclipsed’s Draft Night box

by

The Draft Night box, designed for Magic: The Gathering’s Lorwyn Eclipsed set, is a convenient way to run your own game night. We tested it out before the set officially launched.

Magic: The Gathering is currently doing incredibly well, largely due to the popularity of its recent partnerships with other franchises. The Final Fantasy set releasing in 2025 became the best-selling release in the game’s 33-year existence.

Magic: The Gathering has seen a surge in new players, especially with popular events like the recent Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration. Good news for existing fans – the current ‘Lorwyn Eclipsed’ set brings back one of the most popular worlds from the game’s history.

If you’re an experienced Magic: The Gathering player wanting to share a great format and a classic set with someone new, the Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box is an excellent choice. Here’s a closer look at what it offers.

What’s in the box?

Wizards of the Coast describes the Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box as a “draft party in a box,” and that’s a pretty accurate description. Here’s what’s included:

  • 12 Play Boosters
  • 1 Collector Booster
  • 90 Lorwyn Eclipsed Basic Lands

Here’s everything you need to host a Lorwyn Eclipsed draft for four players. The creators of Magic: The Gathering suggest using the ‘pick 2’ format to make the draft go faster, and after trying it ourselves, we agree – it’s a great way to play!

How to use MTG Lorwyn Elcipsed’s Draft Night box

The Draft Night box is made for four players. To start, have everyone sit around a table in a circle if possible. Then, give each player three of the Play Boosters that came with the box.

After everyone receives their booster packs, each person should open just one and save the other two for later. Then, with the cards from that first pack, each player should choose and keep two cards they like.

Lorwyn Eclipsed is a set built around strong combinations of cards, particularly those focused on specific creature types – what are often called ‘tribal’ strategies. The main strategies in the set are based on combining two colors of mana.

  • Goblins (Black/Red)
  • Elementals (Blue/Red)
  • Kithkin (White/Green)
  • Elves (Black/Green)
  • Merfolk (White/Blue)

If you’re running the draft, it’s a good idea to explain these creature types to everyone before they start picking cards. Then, each player can choose two cards they think will work well together to build a strong deck based on those types.

Ideally, players will pick a strong, rare card to build their draft deck around. After choosing two cards, they should put them aside and pass the rest to the player on their left.

Okay, so after that, I get to pick two more cards from the hand the person on my right gave me. I usually try to grab cards that work well with the ones I already picked, or just generally useful cards that fit the color combination I’m going for. It’s all about building a good combo!

Put those two cards to the side, then pass the rest to the player on your left again. Keep taking two cards from the pile you’re passed until both decks are empty.

Next, players open the second pack of cards and pass them to the person on their right, repeating the same card-drafting process as before. When the second packs are empty, do the same thing with the final pack, but pass any remaining cards to the player on your left.

When building your deck, it’s best to focus on two colors and consider how much mana each card costs. The Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box includes a helpful guide showing how many cards you should have at each mana cost, and the right balance of creatures, enchantments, instants, and sorceries.

Having experienced players available can really help those new to the game learn the ropes. To start, everyone should build a 40-card deck to play Magic: The Gathering.

The Land cards included in the set help you build your deck, but it’s a good idea to have extra Lands available, especially if multiple players choose the same colors. Feel free to create your own scoring system for your small tournament, and you can award the Collector Booster to the winner.

Is the MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box worth it?

Okay, so this Draft Night box costs $95, which is a little steep on its own. I’d definitely recommend grabbing three friends and splitting the cost. That brings it down to around $24 each, and honestly, that’s a way better deal. We can have a really fun night drafting, trying to pull some awesome rare cards, and just generally trash-talking each other – it’s totally worth it for the bragging rights!

This product is especially good for teaching new players how to draft in Magic: The Gathering. Playing at home is more relaxed than at a game store, and you can easily customize the rules – like allowing easier rematches or removing time pressure – which makes it a much friendlier learning environment.

Plus, this is a great way to introduce players to Magic: The Gathering’s classic worlds and deepen their enjoyment of the game. As dedicated fans, we absolutely support that!

The Draft Night box is designed to help new players get involved with events for the Lorwyn Eclipsed set, but experienced players can absolutely still host their own draft nights at home.

If you prefer to draft at a local game store after practicing with the set at home, or if you enjoy playing in bigger events, you can find nearby locations using the Wizards Store Locator.

Read More

2026-01-23 07:50