Mono White passed over Golgari and Gruul three weeks ago, but RDW and Dimir weren’t that high on the radar, and many players pivot to other archetypes after Worlds. UW Mentor is a deck I have been claiming as one of the strongest decks of the format since its first iterations. This is an improved version of that archetype, and Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void are still not part of the meta. This result popularized a Golgari iteration without Mosswood Dreadknight.
In subsequent Pro Tours, I stepped away from the Singleton restriction to maximize my chances at success. Even so, my penchant for running one-ofs has always remained strong, and the allure of Singleton remains as captivating as ever. Then you can benefit from casting strong expensive spells, such as Tatyova, Benthic Druid and Prime Speaker Zegana ahead of schedule. You’ll want to cast a lot of cheap instant and sorceries, to enable cards such as Tolarian Terror, Engima Drake, and Balmor, Battlemage Captain.
Burst Lightning proves invaluable as both early-game removal and a late-game finisher, but Boltwave and Boros Charm stand out for their sheer mana efficiency. Lava Spike and Boros Charm were modern burn staples, and now their power is available in Standard. The resulting new Boros Burn archetype has claimed 8.7% of the winner’s metagame over the past week.
Bo3 Standard Metagame Tier List and Rankings
It is a special case in that it will not rotate out of Standard like other regular sets, even when the rotation shifts to the first set in the calendar year in 2027. I was raised on this rotating format when I was learning how to play, and to this day it’s still one of my favorite formats to play. Overall, there’s no denying that Golgari Demons is one of the best MTG decks in Standard right now. In the hands of Javier Domínguez, the deck did win the Magic World Championship 30, so there’s no denying mtg card its strength. Alongside Kellan, Planar Trailblazer who can scale into a surprisingly huge threat, these three creatures are your bread and butter.
His very own platform, MTGGoldfish, is a great source for decklists in a variety of formats, largely pulling from Magic Online and a variety of competitive tournaments from around the world. Unsurprisingly, Golgari Demons also runs a lot of removal to ensure that its opponents are kept in check. Cut Down and Go for the Throat can take care of almost everything, while Nowhere to Run handles tricker threats. There’s even graveyard hate in the form of Scavenging Ooze nowadays which helps against Azorius Tempo. Whether you’re animating Overlord of the Hauntwoods, Floodpits, or Mistmoors, the value you can amass is obscene.
Expecting this archetype to be higher on this tier list next week is logical. Besides Ryan Condon 6-X during World Championship Standard rounds, cftsoc3 won two 70+ players tournaments back to back with this archetype. If you are playing Gruul or going to do so, I highly recommend having Inkeeper’s Talent in your decklist.
What Is Standard Rotation?
It’s preferable to Caustic Bronco, especially as Llanowar Elves allows you to frequently skip the two-drop slot. If you’re looking for an online community to discuss the Standard format, there are lots of options for such a thing. Many local game stores around the world operate online communities through social media, Discord, or other such channels. Joining such a community has the obvious advantage of letting you get to know the players at your store.
Thanks to new sets releasing every few months, and rotation too, there are always new decks and archetypes to contend with. As such, it’s always worth keeping abreast of the latest developments in the metagame so you’re not caught off guard. In September 2024, Xenowan showcased the potential of Lutri in Modern, finishing in the Top 4 of an MTGO Challenge with a carefully crafted deck. Each card in the list is a reasonable inclusion, thanks to the deep pool of options Modern provides. With access to tutors and a broader variety of answers, I could tailor my plays to the specific challenges of each match. For instance, Tunnel Ignus was often just a 2/1 for two mana, but against Scapeshift decks, it could devastate an opponent’s game plan.
Boltwave’s arrival has also given rise to variants like Gruul Burn, Naya Burn, and Mono-Red Burn, making life gain more important to survive in the new Standard. Previously, the key to combating prowess-based aggro decks lay in timely removal of their creatures during combat. Now, however, the raw damage output of burn strategies is making life gain more valuable. On MTG Arena, best-of-one (or BO1 for short) formats are very popular, as opposed to the traditional best-of-three format that is commonplace in live events.
The Most Played Cards from Foundations
This signals that Standard is currently defined by the most efficient one-mana creatures and interactive spells, where the game begins in earnest on turn one, and falling behind is not an option. Standard follows all the normal rules for a one-on-one Constructed format. Your deck should consist of a main deck with at least 60 cards in it (let’s be honest, it should be exactly 60 cards with about lands) and a sideboard of up to 15 cards. Across those 75 cards, you can’t use more than four copies of the same unique card, except basic lands. When playing a best-of-three match, you have the opportunity to switch cards between your main and side to improve difficult matchups for the next games. It’s less overwhelming for new players, allowing them to grasp the mechanics and strategies more quickly .
Standard-legal cards are readily available, making it easier for players to jump in and start building their decks . This accessibility, combined with a lower initial entry cost compared to other formats, makes Standard an attractive option for those looking to dive into competitive play . With Lutri as a Companion, you gain the ability to reuse powerful spells like Flame of Anor and Expressive Iteration, generating significant mid-game value.
Standard games are one-on-one with a 60 card minimum for the main deck (up to 15 card sideboard). These games should last standard length for a game (about 20 minutes on average). However, beginners might still have a hard time with this event, and that’s what this article can help you with. Below, you’ll find quick information on how to play each deck and which of the ten decks is best. One well-timed Ethereal Armor and any of your creatures could be out of Mono-Red removals.
In contrast, excitement over new tools has propelled decks like Golgari Demons and Boros Burn to new heights. These archetypes, along with a host of innovative brews that we’ll examine later, have successfully integrated standout cards from Foundations. For each Standard deck, I assigned points based on its rectified net wins, a value calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values treated as zero. By summing these values across archetypes, we can determine each archetype’s share of total rectified net wins, offering a combined measure of both popularity and performance. In this article, I’ll dive into early results from major Standard tournaments held since the release of Foundations.