I don't play Magic.

Okay, okay, I lied. I play the game. Every newly opened pack is like a breath of pure adrenaline and every tournament a 24-hour high. I itch somewhere deep in my spine if I go too long without thinking about my next hit. Er...game.

If you felt a twinge just now, you have the same addiction. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. All your closest friends already know anyhow, what with your self-imposed incarceration from the harsh daystar. The ones who don't have a similar "problem" have probably tried to tempt you away from the game, to steer you back onto the path of goodness. That is, if you have any non-Magic friends left. I think I still have a couple. Okay, maybe one...if I broaden the definition of "friend."

But, I don't play normal Magic. Not that constructed, paste-it-from-the-internet, striated, stagnant, financial burden that we like to call Type Two (Standard? meh). None of that first-turn-win, singleton decklist of restricted cards that comprises what was once Type One. The closest my delicate fingers reach into the nether realms of Constructed Magic is the random all-commons Saturday tournament or a crazy Carnival of Souls deck challenge.

That's just fine, because Magic doesn't need Constructed. The game was originally designed to be finite in breadth, players running into cards they had never seen from city to city. Thank the beebles that be the ridiculous notion of a limited run such as Alpha was quickly abandoned for cardboard gratification across all the masses. Never forget the concepts of cobbled decks with Sunglasses of Urza and defensive solutions with Deathlace (to protect against Terror, of course) were to be the norm.

Which is why Limited Magic is far more delicious than its rarified counterpart. The name is deceiving; it is far more unlimited in possibilities than the straightforward, humdrum existence of "that other Magic." Let's not bind ourselves to the staples of booster draft and sealed deck (and the long-lost Rochester draft); they may be the standard in the tournament realm, but Magic isn't just a semimonthly, day-long extravaganza. We need to eat, breathe, and-for those of us with fetishes-drink Magic on a regular basis.

Which is why I present this article, Unlimited, presenting new ways to play with old cards and new cards alike. Limited Magic is not just a newly purchased booster pack; it's thousands of cards piled in your closet (perhaps rearranged by set, rarity, color, and alphabetically, not that anyone would take the time to do something ridiculous like that). It's a stack of commons left after the raremongers have swarmed the table. It's a pile of awful, awful, awful rares. It's for two players, for eight, for two hundred three. And most importantly, it is limitless.

Without rehashing the contents of either article, you can find on mtg.com descriptions of two Limited formats called Reject Rare Draft and Winston Draft. The first is a creative way to get extra mileage out of the dregs of Magic society while the latter is a perfect distraction for two players who are lacking six friends.

The three formats below are guidelines. The numbers presented are fake and are used to protect the innocent: change whichever you like. Combine two formats into one. Play decks with 40 Chaos Orbs letting them destroy players. Be creative. That's why it's unlimited.

Fact and Fiction (for 2 players)
Speed: 1 hour draft
Resources: (60 random cards) / player
Skill: Bluffing, value comparisons

This is expandable, but it is most ideal for two players. Grab a stack of random cards, 60 per player, and give it a nice shuffle. (If you don't know how to shuffle 120 cards, then practice with a Battle of Wits deck, you pansy).

The premise is each player takes turns looking at the next five cards of the card pool. S/he then chooses any number of these to put on the table face up while placing the remainder face down. The opposing player then chooses to draft either the face up cards or the face down. The undrafted cards go to the first player and all face down cards remain secret.

Continue until the cards are exhausted. You should then know approximately three quarters of your opponent's draft pool. Make your standard Limited 40-card decks (you know, with all that leftover land you were saving) and have fun.

The best strategy is knowing your opponent. Set up situations where you can take advantage of their innate greed. Your friend will certainly return the favor on the rebound. Depending on the size and quality of your pool of cards, the draft will vary radically. I typically only use commons, but freshly opened sealed decks work too.

Common Poppycock (anyone)
Speed: Fast draft, maybe 5 minutes
Resources: (some random common cards) / player
Skill: Zero, ideal for multiplayer

After one of those booster draft Sundays or a collector's pack-ripping binge, players often find defecated evidence of recent Magic events: stacks of commons.

Without looking at the contents of your stack of cards, flip all of them face down and shuffle judiciously. Divide the cards into twice as many stacks as there are players (normally four equal stacks for two players). Turn half of the cards of each stack face up. In an assigned order, everyone picks up one stack. Then, in reverse order, each person picks up a second stack (the first player will pick the first and last stack).

Now, look at your cards: all of these will be put into your deck. Your only decision now is how you plan on balancing your mana. This format is subtle in its complexity, but it's particularly well-designed for just playing with something new or a trio waiting for a draft to start.

Solomon Exchange (swiss draft table)
Speed: A complete game in itself, 20 minutes of draft per player
Resources: (3 random packs) / player
Skill: Ideal for playgroups with mixed experience levels

Choosing for other people, in your infinite wisdom, is simple. This game highlights how decision making can have lasting and far-reaching effects. Knowing the matchups before the draft begins will drive up the skill level. Fans of Rochester drafts will find this even more rewarding.

Everyone (under careful scrutiny) opens a pack looking only at the face up card. This pile of 15 cards becomes the player's resource pile. On your turn, you have three choices of action: draft the top card of your resource pile, force an opponent to draft the top card of his or her resource pile, or switch your resource pile with an opponent's. If you have an empty resource pile, you may still switch it for a nonempty pile.

If you draft a card or switch resource piles, the play passes to your left. That player has the same choices of action except that s/he can not steal a freshly stolen resource pile (if Player A steals player C's resource pile and it is now Player B's turn, Player B can not steal Player A's new resource pile).

However, if you force a player to draft a card, that player now takes their turn. S/he may draft, force a draft, or switch resource piles as normal. Forcing a draft is a good way to control your desired turn order.

The interesting element (especially with the rares being at the bottom of resource piles) is that you can only get 15 cards from this first pack. Once you have drafted 15 cards, whether by force or choice, you can no longer take a turn (turn order bypasses you) and no one can force you to draft a card. Opponents can still swap their resource pile with yours if you have any cards available. When only two players are left drafting the pack, they no longer have the option to swap resource piles with each other. When only one player is left, s/he gets the remainder of the undrafted cards in the resource piles. Everyone should now have 15 cards.

The first person to draft 15 cards in the first pack has the privilege of being the first player with an action in the next pack.

Solomon Exchange was modeled after a holiday favorite called the Chinese Gift Exchange. Solomon formats give the opportunity to draft for your opponents and can often be brutal. These are also good for putting that highly-skilled player in your group on the ropes, affording inexperienced players the chance to excel.

This is merely a smattering of what you can do with Limited Magic. Let your imagination delve unfettered into the thousands of ways a player can make a choice. The best part is that after all of this drafting, there is still an entire game to be played.

So, remember, any time someone is staring across the table at you with a box of unopened packs, flexing their fingers and getting ready to fly through that packaging in search of elusive rares, stop them. Give them a Limited proposition.

Always, have fun!