Draft or Card drafting is the process where players pick cards from a limited subset, such as a common pool, to gain some immediate advantage or to assemble hands of cards that are used to meet objectives within the game. Games where cards are simply drawn from a pile are not card drafting games - drafting implies that players have some sort of choice.
The most commonly known draft format in Magic: The Gathering is Booster Draft. But there are many casual variants, as well. Examples are Auction Draft [1] Flavor Draft [2] and Choas Draft. [3]
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 12, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction)
- Draft
- 1. A Limited format in which players choose cards one at a time from booster packs, then construct a deck solely from the chosen cards and basic land cards.
- 2. To choose a card during a draft and put it into your card pool.