MTG Introduces Ultra-Fast “Pick-Fifteen” Draft Format

Last updated on May 14, 2026

Lord of Atlantis | Illustration by Billy Christian

MTG took a stab at making people spend gems on Arena faster creating a faster Limited format with Pick-Two Draft, but it's pretty clear at this point that the format only appeals to fathers of newborns, who simply don't have enough time for the normal queues.

Determined to offer a lightning-fast variant for people with Gen Z-level attention spans, the Arena team has whipped up a new offering that promises to be the ultimate “fast-paced” Draft experience. Introducing, Pick-15 Draft.

What Is the Pick-15 Draft Format?

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The rules are pretty simple, and overlap with traditional drafts in most ways.

You and your podmates will each have three Play boosters. Each player will open one at a time, select the 15 cards they want from the pack, and add them to their Limited pool. Any remaining cards will be passed to the left. Players will repeat this for packs two and three, rotating directions each time.

All things considered, the total Draft experience should take roughly 3 minutes in person, and about 15 seconds on Arena. The 2-minute 45-second difference in paper accounts for the one inevitable person in your pod who will fumble with the packs like an idiot trying to get them open.

What If My Pack Has Less Than 15 Cards?

Some draftable boosters have fewer than 15 playable cards, either because they're Play Boosters that have been engineered to give you less cards for more money, or because you just got a bum-ass pack. Either way, you draft as many cards as you can from the pack.

If the basic land, token, or advertisement card would get that pack to 15 cards, you may draft it and add it to your Limited pool. Comprehensive rules for how advertisement cards and tokens work in gameplay will be added with the next Update Bulletin.

What's the Purpose of Pick-15 Draft?

Speedway Fanatic | Illustration by Slawomir Maniak

Speed. “Players just don't have time to think about the text on cards and consider colors, signals, or any of that other nonsense that bogs down normal drafts.” This statement comes from MTGA's Head Limited Specialist and part-time Office Cheesemonger Mark Nosewogger. “With Pick-15,” he adds, chewing one particularly pungent knob of taleggio, “drafters can get right to the action. It really levels the playing field too. No more good players crushing the new guy just because he's worse at drafting.”

Nosewogger had no response when asked if this was just Sealed with half as many packs.

How Much Will Pick-15 Drafts Cost on Arena

Pick-15 will cost 15,000 gold to enter. When asked why the cost was so high compared to a normal Traditional or Premier Draft, the team lead commented: “Well, it's Pick Fifteen, or course it's 15k. What else would it be?”

Also of note, there is no prize payout track planned for this Draft variant. “We want people to be in this for the joy of drafing,” says Nosewogger. “If we offer prizing, people will only be playing for what they can get, instead of immersing themselves into the new format and focusing on what they can experience.”

Pick-15 Draft will go live on Arena February 2027, and debut with the release of Marvel's Howard the Duck.