You can now draft a pack, read a card, build a deck, read signals, plan a mana base, draft aggro or control on purpose, and build, curate, and host a Cube of your own. That is the whole ladder. This last lesson is a map of where to take it next. Cube has no official championship to climb toward; it widens instead.
New ways to draft the same box
The eight-player booster draft is the classic, not the only way. Each of these uses the same Cube and changes the night:
- Two players: Winston, Grid, and Winchester draft turn a quiet evening for two into a real draft.
- Three or four players: Grid draft makes every pick a choice of one full row or column.
- Teams: 3v3 team draft and Two-Headed Giant Cube put friends on the same side.
- Open information: Rochester draft lays every pack face up for the whole table.
- Something different: Glimpse draft, plus rotisserie draft and Cube sealed, change how the cards reach you.
- Multiplayer: Commander Cube drafts decks for four-player games.
New kinds of Cubes
Every Cube plays differently. Once you know one well, try another:
- Vintage Cube, the most powerful environment in Magic. Our guide to drafting Vintage Cube covers how it rewards discipline.
- Pauper and Peasant Cubes, where commons and uncommons carry the game. Compare them in Pauper Cube vs Vintage Cube.
- Set Cubes, which keep a favorite set draftable forever. See Set Cube.
- Themed Cubes, built around a creature type, a card type, or an idea. Start with themed Cube ideas.
- Jumpstart Cubes, with prebuilt half-decks for a fifteen-minute setup. See Jumpstart Cube.
Keeping up with new cards
New Magic sets bring new candidates for Cubes. Reality Fracture came out on October 2, 2026, and the official products page lists Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek next, on November 13, 2026, with Nauctis: The Sunken Realm on February 5, 2027.
You do not need to buy any of them to keep drafting. A Cube changes when its owner decides. If you own one, our method for reviewing a new set and our review of Reality Fracture for Cube show how owners decide what earns a slot.
Drafting online
When you cannot gather a table, Cube still works on a screen:
- Magic Online runs Vintage Cube in limited-time leagues. Our explainer on MTGO Vintage Cube covers what it is, and When Is Vintage Cube on MTGO? tracks the current schedule.
- CubeCobra lets you draft any posted Cube against computer drafters, and its playtesting includes drafting with other people online.
- SpellTable, Wizards’ webcam tool for playing paper Magic at a distance, is listed among the official ways to play Booster Draft.
- MTG Arena, Wizards’ digital game, is on that same list of official ways to play Booster Draft.
Local play and the official path
For in-store play, the Wizards Store and Event Locator finds stores near you. Two official events are worth knowing:
- Magic Academy is Wizards’ beginner program at local stores, with events that teach the rules and deckbuilding. The official page says everything you need is provided.
- Friday Night Magic is the Friday night store event, open to players of all levels, and Booster Draft is one of its formats. It is a store draft with packs rather than a Cube, but it is the same skill, and the table is full of people who might want to draft your Cube.
If your aim is competitive play, a store’s booster drafts are the place to start. Ask your store which events it runs and how they are structured.
In Indianapolis
Our guide to where to play Magic in Indianapolis lists stores by area and how to find a local Cube. Cube Commonwealth, The Ludarium’s Magic Cube community, drafted weekly for about three years and is relaunching as part of The Ludarium. For first word on local learn-to-play nights as The Ludarium grows, join the Indianapolis list.
Pass it on
The best next step is the one that brings someone else in. Teach a friend to draft. Lend them the teach sheet. Save them a seat. Every regular at every Cube table was a first-timer once, and most of them remember the person who showed them how.
The game is the reason. The people are the point.
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