March of the Machine: The Aftermath Isn't A Normal Set - Here's How Draft Works

Video By Gomlet X

March of the Machine: The Aftermath is a strange set on many levels. It was said that the "miniset" would conclude the story for the main March of the Machine storyline - It contains only 50 cards for the entire set, and each pack has only a few cards inside. It's far from a regular set in almost every regard, and perhaps one of the biggest differences is that the set can't be drafted.

March of the Machine: The Aftermath can't be drafted because the packs contain only five cards per pack, and there are no commons in the set.

Even though you can't pick up MOM Aftermath cards and draft, working the cards into a limited setting isn't impossible. So, let's break down the problems with trying to draft the set further and look at how you can play cards from the set.

Why Can't You Draft March of the Machine: The Aftermath

In short, there aren't enough cards in the set. The set contains 50 unique cards, and a typical limited deck consists of 40 cards, plus many more unused cards that are essentially a sideboard. To get to the same number of cards you'd have from a normal set, you'd have to open 18 packs of Aftermath. And at that rate, every deck would have a very high amount of the same cards, both in individual decks and from deck to deck.

You May Also Like: Highest Win Rates From Pro Tour March of the Machine - Standard

Furthermore, many of the cards in the set have almost no synergy with one another. So, even if you tried to build a deck using the entire set, many cards would be unplayable in a limited setting. Some examples include Spark Rupture, Deification, and Reckless Handling. In other words, each deck would be nearly the same, and none of them would be very good. Not to mention this venture would be outrageous, considering you'd have to buy Collector Boosters.

How Is A March of the Machine: The Aftermath Limited experience possible?

If you do a premiere draft for March of the Machine: The Aftermath on MTG Arena, each pack will contain one Aftermath card, and the best will be cards from the main MOM set. This lets you work the cards from the mini set into a fully draftable set, making it much easier to find homes for some cards. Many of them (like the ones mentioned above) still won't be playable, but others will.

You can find draft rankings for all the Aftermath cards here to see which best lend themselves to the MOM draft archetypes. You could also emulate this in real life by giving each player a single randomized Aftermath card for each pack of MOM they're opening.

Conclusion

Not many players are super hyped for the March of the Machine: The Aftermath set, and if you're a limited player, it probably won't have much for you. Even though you don't draft/play sealed with the set, it can be worked into drafts with the main set, which I wanted to mention. Until next time my friends, get out there and play some MTG.