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"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a not-just-for-"hardcore"-players environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Grime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Zendikar-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.

"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a not-just-for-"hardcore"-players environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Grime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Zendikar-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.

"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a low-pressure environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Grime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Zendikar-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.

"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a not-just-for-"hardcore"-players environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Grime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Zendikar-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.

"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a low-pressure environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Slime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Scars-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.

"BREAD" is key, but there is another technique that helps a lot in most Limited formats:

Draft archetypes, not colors.

The theory behind "drafting archetypes" is that a great Limited deck, like a great Constructed deck, is defined by the power, consistency, and efficiency of all its cards working together rather than any individual piece by itself.

In a low-pressure environment like FNM, many of the players will be rather busy just trying their best to follow the "BREAD" rules and color-signal to their neighbors. They'll often be drafting cards based on individual perceived value, leading to a field full of "good stuff" decks (individually strong cards with little synergy between them). "Good stuff" decks tend to suck; a reasonably focused deck -- almost independent of the specific focus -- can trounce them. That's what you're trying to draft: not just a color combo with a few bombs but a full concept like "infect aggro", "blue/white flyers", or "reanimator".

Pick a game plan early. Pay close attention to your mana curve. Choose colors based on what has the cards you need and don't be afraid to switch if the well runs dry. Rare-draft a nice mythic if you really want to (you'll likely have more than enough depth in your colors to make up for it), but don't get caught up taking cards just because they're "powerful" individually.

Homing in on cards that complement each other lets you get enormous value out of what would otherwise be middling cards or last-pick trash. Even if you don't see a single powerhouse red bomb or choice red removal card, a steady trickle of aggressive red 1-drops and 2-drops is a solid basis for an aggro deck.

Drafting archetypes still involves signals. Watch especially for enablers. Some of the most obvious examples are tribal "lords" like Rakish Heir and Lord of Illusions. Others are build-a-deck-around-me combo-ish cards like Gutter Grime and Past in Flames. Conventional wisdom is that these cards are all rather weak because it's hard to get enough cards to make them work, but consider that you're likely to see hundreds of cards as the packs make their way around, and many of the cards that complete your deck are likely to be passed as "dregs". Being able to pass a card that you know will win games for you and have it come all the way around back to you is an amazingly rewarding feeling.

The trade-off is that it's hard to really be good at drafting archetypes without spending time learning a particular Limited card pool. Unlike the easier fundamentals, your Zendikar-block archetype drafting skills won't necessarily translate into Innistrad-block archetype drafting skills. Still, it doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to learn the basics -- it's mostly stuff you're already aware of if you're making constructed decks or following new set previews -- and the benefits are sizable.

Basic aggro decks are the easiest archetypes to draft. You can often do well in a draft just by making a deck that's faster than most players'. High-synergy aggro and aggro-control are the next step up in difficulty, because you really do have to know the specific card pool well to hit the critical mass of key cards for your deck. Straight-up control decks are trickier just because the cards you want most are the much-desired "Bombs" and "Removal", but most sets have lots of chronically undervalued control cards like Geistflame and Steel Sabotage.