Build a first draft with a simple worksheet
Use a simple worksheet to build your first deck draft. Fill needed card jobs, plan recovery, save the list, and write one question for playtesting.
Start with the needed cards
Choose the cards that make your main plan possible. This group is your starting shell. Add its required support before optional extras.
A normal Standard deck starts with 30 cards. Card text can change deck size or other deck rules. Use the live game's Standard deck builder to check class access, copy limits, and any special rules. Then check that the list fits this site's selected card pool.
Fill the gaps by job
Review what the shell already does. Add useful early plays, answers, draw, and ways to finish where the plan needs them. Some cards can cover two jobs.
Do not use fixed card counts as a rule for every deck. A fast board plan and a slow combo plan have different needs. Write why each choice belongs in this particular list.
If a needed card is missing from your collection, ask whether an owned card can do its job. If the missing card is the whole plan, choose a different plan before spending dust.
Copy this worksheet
| Field | Fill this in |
|---|---|
| Main plan | I plan to win by ... |
| Early turns | I need to ... |
| Key cards | My plan depends on ... |
| Support | Those cards need ... |
| Answers | I handle early threats by ... |
| Refill | After using my hand, I can ... |
| Recovery | If my setup is stopped, I can ... |
| Flexible spaces | These cards could change ... |
| First test | I want to learn whether ... |
| Missing cards | I own these alternatives ... |
A filled-in example
For an imaginary tempo deck, write: “I plan to win by keeping useful minions on the board and protecting their attacks.” Early threats start the plan. Cheap answers clear blockers. Draw supplies more threats after the first wave is removed.
Its first test could be: “After my first board is cleared, can I make another useful threat without spending my whole turn drawing?” If the answer is often no, review refill cards and their costs. Do not add an unrelated finish before testing that gap.
Save a clear first version
Keep the card list or deck code. Call it version one and add a date. Record any substitute cards. That lets you return to the same list later.
Walk through a few possible opening hands. Write a starting mulligan plan for fast and slow opponents. Expect to improve it as you learn.
Finish the draft before judging it
A first list gives you something concrete to test. It does not need to look perfect. Play it long enough to see repeated problems before filling every flexible space with a narrow answer.