Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. We're now eight days and counting from the start of Magic World Championship 31—the capstone event of the Magic year and the culmination of the 2024–25 season. Over a hundred of the world's best players will battle in Standard and Draft for the coveted title of World Champion.

Standard has been reshaped by the recent bans of Vivi Ornitier, Screaming Nemesis, and Proft's Eidetic Memory, as well as the release of Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™. This article takes an early look across the format and outlines what we know, what we don't, and what we can expect to learn at Magic World Championship 31.

The Standard Metagame with Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender

Standard is a rotating 60-card format that currently allows expansion sets from Wilds of Eldraine forward. To capture a snapshot of the metagame immediately following the release of Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender, I analyzed 800 successful tournament decks. My dataset drew from published Magic Online lists from scheduled events held between November 17 and November 24, as well as the Japan Standard Cup and all four RCQ events at SCG CON Las Vegas (Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon). These tabletop events took place alongside various Modern Regional Championships, which I'll cover later in December.

To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins, calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. By combining these points across all events, each archetype's share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner's metagame share.

The "Other" category collects decks with less than one percent winner's metagame share, including Four-Color Control, Mono-White Tokens, Dimir Nashi, Golgari Ouroboroid, Mono-Black Demons, Mono-White Pixie, Simic Landfall, Golgari Ramp, Simic Omniscience, Azorius Control, Orzhov Pixie, Five-Color Legends, Boros Tokens, Selesnya Ouroboroid, Abzan Control, Temur Ferocious, Azorius Pixie, Gruul Landfall, Boros Mice, Jund Surprise, Izzet Pirates, Bant Kona, Esper Artifacts, Azorius Fliers, Selesnya Landfall, Simic Birds, Dimir Reanimator, and more.

As discussed in last week's article, Izzet decks and Mono-Red Aggro remain viable even after the November 10 bans, while Dimir Midrange, Simic Ouroboroid, Sultai Reanimator, and Jeskai Control all surged forward as archetypes that benefited from the bans.

Badgermole Cub [LerH8gGFQprXZ5n6Qbelh]
Boomerang Basics
Aang, Swift Savior [4MHvDH5Uzj8CZ6s3ZAkKwa]

Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender added a massive influx of new tools for both existing and new archetypes, offering a wealth of powerful opportunities for inventive Standard deck builders. To highlight the most-relevant contenders, I constructed aggregate lists using an algorithm that balances popularity and win rate of individual cards. Let's now take a closer look at the thirteen archetypes that each captured at least two percent of the winner's metagame.

1. Dimir Midrange (15.3% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Swamp 4 Island 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Enduring Curiosity 4 Watery Grave 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Deep-Cavern Bat 3 Tishana's Tidebinder 3 Multiversal Passage 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Restless Reef 2 Cecil, Dark Knight 2 Bitter Triumph 2 Shoot the Sheriff 2 Phantom Interference 1 Stab 1 Tragic Trajectory 1 Fountainport 1 Nowhere to Run 1 Faebloom Trick 2 Duress 2 Preacher of the Schism 1 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Faebloom Trick 1 Negate 1 Stab 1 Essence Scatter 1 Strategic Betrayal 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Zero Point Ballad 1 Intimidation Tactics 1 Annul

Heading into Magic World Championship 31, Dimir Midrange stands as one of the premier decks to defeat. It was the most popular deck to emerge from the bans unscathed, and it maintained that position with 15.3% of the winner's metagame across last week's Standard events. Pairing efficient disruption with evasive threats, the deck continues to rely on Enduring Curiosity and Kaito, Bane of Nightmares for steady card advantage, while its pinpoint removal and countermagic keeps opponents off balance.

2. Simic Ouroboroid (10.7% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Forest 4 Willowrush Verge 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Gene Pollinator 4 Breeding Pool 4 Ouroboroid 4 Jackal, Genius Geneticist 4 Botanical Sanctum 4 Pawpatch Recruit 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Innkeeper's Talent 3 Azure Beastbinder 3 Spyglass Siren 2 Tyvar, the Pummeler 2 Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied 1 Floodpits Drowner 3 Repulsive Mutation 3 Tishana's Tidebinder 3 Dragon Sniper 2 Keen-Eyed Curator 2 Spider-Sense 2 Unable to Scream

Simic Ouroboroid, based on results from Magic Spotlight: Spider-Man, is one of the best ways to defeat Dimir Midrange. With Llanowar Elves and Gene Pollinator accelerating its early game, the deck floods the battlefield with cheap creatures while ramping into an early Ouroboroid. Alongside Innkeeper's Talent, its power can scale to astronomical heights. And if you ever copy Ouroboroid at the end of a perfect Jackal, Genius Geneticist chain, you'll need a cosmic supply of dice to keep track of the resulting board state.

An amazing addition from Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender is Badgermole Cub, which has largely supplanted Floodpits Drowner and Keen-Eyed Curator. Badgermole Cub adds two creatures to the board for Ouroboroid, doubles the mana output of Llanowar Elves and Gene Pollinator, and powers out explosive turns when drawn in multiples. This influx of mana has also increased the popularity of Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied. So far, Badgermole Cub has been the most played new-to-Standard card from Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender, and we can expect it to shine at Magic World Championship 31.

3. Izzet Looting (10.2% of the Winner's Metagame)

8 Island 4 Torch the Tower 4 Boomerang Basics 4 Winternight Stories 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Duelist of the Mind 4 Marauding Mako 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Quantum Riddler 3 Stormchaser's Talent 3 Tiger-Seal 3 Mountain 2 Roaring Furnace 1 Frostcliff Siege 2 Disdainful Stroke 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Spider-Sense 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Pyroclasm 1 Spell Pierce 1 Roaring Furnace 1 Abrade 1 Fire Magic 1 Frostcliff Siege 1 Obliterating Bolt

Although Izzet decks can no longer leverage Vivi Ornitier or Proft's Eidetic Memory, a core of efficient creatures and potent noncreature spells remains intact. Moreover, Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender has introduced new build-around tools that let the color pair evolve. In the interactive suite, Boomerang Basics has effectively replaced Into the Flood Maw because it provides a free card when you target your own Stormchaser's Talent or Roaring Furnace. This powerful synergy has quickly made Boomerang Basics one of the most-played cards from the newest set.

There are various Izzet builds, which differ in their creature base. The most prominent one so far, labeled as Izzet Looting, maximizes draw-and-discard synergies to fuel Marauding Mako and the new Tiger-Seal. A 3/3 vigilance creature for a single blue mana is wildly above rate, and the deck runs enough card draw to keep untapping it. The suite of draw-and-discard effects, known as looters, also power up Duelist of the Mind and help enable delirium for Fear of Missing Out, tying everything together synergistically.

4. Bant Airbending (5.9%)

4 Starting Town 4 Breeding Pool 4 Hushwood Verge 4 Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius 4 Appa, Steadfast Guardian 4 Aang, Swift Savior 4 Bramble Familiar 4 Aang, at the Crossroads 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Gene Pollinator 3 Floodfarm Verge 3 Nature's Rhythm 2 Airbender Ascension 2 Botanical Sanctum 1 Plains 1 Quantum Riddler 3 Aven Interrupter 2 Avatar's Wrath 2 Get Lost 2 Seam Rip 2 Spider-Sense 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Quantum Riddler 1 Into the Flood Maw

Bant Airbending is a brand-new Standard archetype enabled by Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender. It uses the namesake mechanic to remove opposing permanents for tempo or to reset your own creatures for fresh enters-the-battlefield value. Appa, Steadfast Guardian and Aang, Swift Savior are among the most-efficient Airbenders in the new set, and alongside Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius, they can airbend each other endlessly, creating infinite Ally tokens.

To assemble the combo, the deck leans on a variety of card-selection effects. Nature's Rhythm may look slow, but with Badgermole Cub supercharging your mana production, fetching two missing combo pieces becomes trivial.

5. Izzet Prowess (5.1%)

6 Island 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Torch the Tower 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Quantum Riddler 4 Thundertrap Trainer 4 Splash Portal 4 Boomerang Basics 3 Opt 3 Stock Up 2 Mountain 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Get Out 2 Roaring Furnace 1 Frostcliff Siege 1 Cori Mountain Monastery 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Thundering Falls 2 Spell Pierce 2 Annul 2 Spider-Sense 2 Fire Magic 2 Enduring Curiosity 1 Pyroclasm 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Broadside Barrage

Izzet Prowess has many cards in common with Izzet Looting, but the two decks differ in their creature bases. Rather than exploiting looters to fuel Marauding Mako and Tiger-Seal, Izzet Prowess focuses on creating tokens via Stormchaser's Talent and Ral, Crackling Wit and pumping them with a barrage of instants and sorceries. Many lists also use Splash Portal to blink a warped Quantum Riddler for increased board presence or a Thundertrap Trainer for a bit of card advantage.

6. Sultai Reanimator (4.7%)

4 Awaken the Honored Dead 4 Bringer of the Last Gift 4 Breeding Pool 4 Superior Spider-Man 4 Watery Grave 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 3 Ardyn, the Usurper 3 Bitter Triumph 3 Blooming Marsh 3 Town Greeter 3 Cache Grab 3 Oblivious Bookworm 2 Cavern of Souls 2 Wastewood Verge 2 Steamcore Scholar 2 Terror of the Peaks 2 Willowrush Verge 1 Swamp 1 Marang River Regent 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Underground Mortuary 1 Gloomlake Verge 1 Forest 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater 1 Botanical Sanctum 4 Intimidation Tactics 2 Heritage Reclamation 2 Malicious Eclipse 2 Duress 2 Myojin of Night's Reach 1 Strategic Betrayal 1 Harvester of Misery 1 Smuggler's Surprise

Sultai Reanimator is a graveyard-centric combo deck that aims to fill the bin while digging for Superior Spider-Man. When cast, Superior Spider-Man can enter as a copy of Bringer of the Last Gift, producing a devastating Living End-style effect. With proper trigger stacking, you can even return the original Bringer of the Last Gift to the battlefield. With Vivi Ornitier gone, Agatha's Soul Cauldron has nearly vanished from Standard, creating a friendlier environment for graveyard strategies.

7. Jeskai Control (4.6%)

4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Meticulous Archive 4 Stock Up 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Riverpyre Verge 3 Marang River Regent 3 Get Lost 3 Shiko, Paragon of the Way 3 Lightning Helix 2 Plains 2 Sunbillow Verge 2 Consult the Star Charts 2 Jeskai Revelation 2 Three Steps Ahead 2 Split Up 2 Dispelling Exhale 2 Fire Magic 2 Seam Rip 2 Scorching Dragonfire 1 Island 1 Mistrise Village 1 Thundering Falls 1 Mountain 1 Elegant Parlor 1 Rediscover the Way 1 Cori Mountain Monastery 1 Ultima 3 Voice of Victory 2 Kutzil's Flanker 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Authority of the Consuls 2 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 1 Ultima 1 Riverchurn Monument 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Rest in Peace

Jeskai Control is a classic control strategy that aims to dictate the pace of the game through countermagic, spot removal, sweepers, and card draw. Its diverse sweeper suite helps contain the explosive Llanowar Elves-Badgermole Cub starts, and Ultima even prevents earthbended lands from returning. Eventually, Shiko, Paragon of the Way can unleash a free Lightning Helix, Split Up, or Stock Up to swing a game in your favor.

8. Mono-Red Aggro (3.2%)

14 Mountain 4 Hired Claw 4 Lightning Strike 4 Burst Lightning 4 Nova Hellkite 4 Burnout Bashtronaut 4 Razorkin Needlehead 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Scalding Viper 3 Shock 3 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Rockface Village 2 Spirebluff Canal 2 Emberheart Challenger 4 Magebane Lizard 3 Sunspine Lynx 3 Obliterating Bolt 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Fire Magic 1 Shock

Without Screaming Nemesis, Mono-Red Aggro has a harder time punching through life gain and large blockers, but it still boasts a pristine mana base, aggressive curve, and lethal burn suite. The classic formula of cheap, hasty threats backed by burn spells never goes out of style. Ojer Axonil turns every ping from Scalding Viper, Hired Claw, and Razorkin Needlehead into a 4-damage blast, giving the deck a potent mid-game finisher.

9. Allies (3.2%)

4 Invasion Reinforcements 4 South Pole Voyager 4 Starting Town 4 Earth King's Lieutenant 4 Breeding Pool 4 Earth Kingdom Protectors 4 Earthen Ally 4 Great Divide Guide 4 Cavern of Souls 4 Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop 4 Aang, Swift Savior 3 Katara, the Fearless 3 Secluded Courtyard 3 Multiversal Passage 3 Aang, at the Crossroads 2 Wartime Protestors 1 Forest 1 Hakoda, Selfless Commander 4 Allies at Last 4 Boiling Rock Rioter 4 Mai, Scornful Striker 2 Appa, Steadfast Guardian 1 Hakoda, Selfless Commander

Ally typal is one of the main themes in Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the set is brimming with payoffs and enablers. There are many ways to build the archetype, varying in color count and card choices, but well over half the cards in this aggregate list hail from the new set.

A clear standout is Earth King's Lieutenant, which calls back to Thalia's Lieutenant and the Five-Color Humans deck that ruled Modern six years ago. Its effectiveness is doubled by Katara, the Fearless, who supercharges every Ally in the deck. Great Divide Guide and Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop fix your mana, making it easy to run the best Allies from all five colors and turn Earthen Ally into a fast clock. The deck is stuffed with synergy and held together by a surprisingly consistent mana base, making Allies look genuinely competitive in the new Standard.

10. Gruul Leyline (3.1%)

7 Mountain 4 Leyline of Resonance 4 Stomping Ground 4 Thornspire Verge 4 Slickshot Show-Off 4 Starting Town 4 Turn Inside Out 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Full Bore 4 Stadium Headliner 4 Callous Sell-Sword 4 Frantic Scapegoat 3 Snakeskin Veil 3 Dreadmaw's Ire 3 Might of the Meek 4 Questing Druid 3 Pawpatch Recruit 2 Felonious Rage 2 Fire Magic 2 Heritage Reclamation 1 Snakeskin Veil 1 Sunspine Lynx

Gruul Leyline is a blisteringly fast aggro deck that can win as early as turn two with the perfect draw. In the dream scenario, an opening hand featuring two copies of Leyline of Resonance can turn a humble one-drop into a 10-power behemoth with Full Bore or Turn Inside Out on turn two. Combine a 10-point attack with Callous Sell-Sword's Adventure spell, and you've got lethal damage before your opponent can blink.

This list splashes green for Snakeskin Veil, and while it can technically cast the black half of Callous Sell-Sword off Starting Town, it essentially plays as a mono-red shell capable of ending games out of nowhere.

11. Temur Otters (2.6%)

4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Stomping Ground 4 Boomerang Basics 4 Breeding Pool 4 Enduring Vitality 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Botanical Sanctum 4 Torch the Tower 3 Stock Up 3 Thundertrap Trainer 3 Analyze the Pollen 2 Forest 2 Valley Floodcaller 2 Song of Totentanz 2 Nature's Rhythm 2 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 2 Multiversal Passage 2 Bushwhack 1 Island 1 Mountain 1 Willowrush Verge 1 Quantum Riddler 1 Riverpyre Verge 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Fire Magic 2 Spider-Sense 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Origin of Metalbending 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Negate 1 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Quantum Riddler

With Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender providing key upgrades in Badgermole Cub and Boomerang Basics, Temur Otters has made a triumphant return to Standard. Badgermole Cub sets up explosive turns alongside Enduring Vitality, letting each of your creatures tap for two mana. With multiple Otters or Rats, and Valley Floodcaller to untap them after each noncreature spell, the deck can effectively storm off.

If you control Valley Floodcaller and your Otters and Rats collectively tap for at least three mana, there's even an infinite loop. Bounce Stormchaser's Talent with Boomerang Basics, replay it, and advance it to its second level to return Boomerang Basics. This sequence costs six mana but untaps and boosts your creatures twice with Valley Floodcaller, allowing you to repeat the loop, draw your deck, and win the game.

12. Boros Mobilize (2.3%)

4 Mountain 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Sunbillow Verge 4 Voice of Victory 4 Torch the Tower 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Lightning Helix 4 Stadium Headliner 4 Hired Claw 4 Firebender Ascension 4 Delney, Streetwise Lookout 3 The Legend of Roku 2 Arabella, Abandoned Doll 2 Sanguine Evangelist 2 Fear of Missing Out 1 Restless Bivouac 1 Fountainport 1 Plains 3 Rest in Peace 3 Sheltered by Ghosts 2 Enduring Innocence 2 Aven Interrupter 2 Get Lost 1 The Legend of Roku 1 Redirect Lightning 1 Pyroclasm

There's a wide diversity of aggressive red strategies in the new Standard. Boros Mobilize is spearheaded by Stadium Headliner and Voice of Victory, both of which create temporary 1/1 tokens whenever they attack. Their token production is doubled by Delney, Streetwise Lookout and lets Arabella, Abandoned Doll deliver enormous drains.

Mobilize also puts quest counters on Firebender Ascension, while The Legend of Roku helps assemble all these synergies before transforming into a formidable creature. With these exciting additions from Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender, Boros Mobilize offers a sweet option for anyone eager to harness red mana.

13. Gruul Delirium (2.3%)

7 Forest 4 Patchwork Beastie 4 Break Out 4 Stomping Ground 4 Wildfire Wickerfolk 4 Thornspire Verge 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Violent Urge 4 Cenote Scout 3 Mountain 2 Overprotect 2 Bushwhack 2 Ouroboroid 2 Torch the Tower 2 Summon: Brynhildr 2 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun 2 Beastie Beatdown 1 Restless Ridgeline 1 Commercial District 1 Tersa Lightshatter 1 Starting Town 3 Fire Magic 2 Sunspine Lynx 2 Keen-Eyed Curator 2 Obliterating Bolt 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 The Legend of Roku 1 Chandra, Spark Hunter 1 Scrapshooter 1 Lightning Strike

Gruul Delirium, the final deck in this overview, is a synergy-driven aggro deck that aims to fill the graveyard through cards like Patchwork Beastie and Fear of Missing Out. Each of these creatures has multiple card types, which is critical for enabling delirium and setting up fast kills. With the ideal sequence of Patchwork Beastie into Fear of Missing Out, delirium could be active by turn three, allowing Wildfire Wickerfolk and Violent Urge to produce a 5-power double striker that gets to attack twice for lethal damage.

The Road to Magic World Championship 31

Standard has felt revitalized after the bans, and there is no shortage of fresh ideas to explore with Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender. What we know is that Badgermole Cub has emerged as one of the set's clear standouts, and any serious competitor needs a plan to handle Dimir Midrange, Simic Ouroboroid, and Izzet Looting. What we don't know is what innovations, surprises, or clever answers the World Championship competitors might unveil. It's always thrilling to see what Standard's sharpest minds will cook up under the brightest lights.

Over 100 top players from across the globe are invited to compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool and the year's most coveted title. Many earned their seats through stellar performances at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™, and Pro Tour Edge of Eternities. The field also features Regional Champions and top performers from Arena Championships, Magic Online Champions Showcases, and last year's World Championship. This impressive array of talent promises high-level gameplay across both Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender Draft and Standard Constructed.

Check out the viewer's guide for all the details and catch all the action live on December 5–7! You can watch coverage of Magic World Championship 31 each day on Twitch and YouTube.