You could try a Winston Draft. Here's how it works. Each player brings three booster packs. Open ALL of the boosters and shuffle them together without looking at them.
Each deck should have at least 40 cards and should last an average length for a game (about 20 minutes). How to draft: First, players sit around a table in a semi-circle. Each player then opens a booster pack and picks a single card without showing the other players.
Commander is unlike any other format in Magic. For starters, it's multiplayer. You can have as many or as few opponents as you would like (I've played in a pod of 12 before). However, it is definitely recommended to play in groups of four-to-five, due to the lengthy nature of the game.
I did a three player draft with two of my friends once. Each player occupied two seats and made two decks, which required 18 boosters. We had more information about what others drafted this way, but there was plenty of fun to be had with each deck made!
You, along with everyone else at the table, open one pack each and select—"draft"—one card from that pack. Then you pass the rest of the cards to the player on your left. The packs get passed around the table until all the cards are gone. You repeat this process for the second pack, passing to the right.
For 2 players, I prefer a tower draft. Shuffle 92 cards into a pile, then take turns flipping over the top 4 cards. Player 1 takes a card, player 2 takes 2 cards, the player 1 takes the last card. Take turns going first.
So, next time you're stuck at three players for a night of Magic, just lean into it. Like an architectural triangle or a rock n' roll power trio, three stands as a solid gameplay option. Extra points if you make up your own three-player way to play, and let me know if you have a favorite I missed over on Twitter!
A format for up to 8 players to open card packs, then play one-on-one games on the spot! Each deck should have at least 40 cards and should last an average length for a game (about 20 minutes). How to draft: First, players sit around a table in a semi-circle.
To have a Booster Draft, you need three things: 3 Booster packs per player from the current draft format. 8 total players (It's possible to draft with fewer than 8, but 8 is the number needed for sanctioned Magic drafts) A healthy supply of basic lands.