Hello! Welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. This past weekend, nearly 2,000 players competed across four different Regional Championships across the world, with 60 coveted Pro Tour invitations and six seats at Magic World Championship 31 up for grabs.
In this article, I'll break down the evolving Standard metagame, spotlight the breakout decks that rose to the top, and highlight the strategies that came out ahead.
Casey Miller Wins Minneapolis with Jeskai Control
Congratulations to Casey Miller, who claimed victory in Minneapolis at the United States Regional Championship! Piloting a finely tuned Jeskai Control list, Miller bested over 1,300 competitors and clinched the title with a decisive finals win over Michael DeBenedetto-Plummer, who was running Jeskai Oculus. "It feels absolutely surreal," the newly crowned champion said. "I feel like I'm dreaming."
Both finalists earned invitations to Magic World Championship 31, which will be held on December 5–7. In addition, the Top 32 unqualified finishers secured seats at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, set to take place during MagicCon: Atlanta on September 26–28.
4 Beza, the Bounding Spring
1 Cori Mountain Monastery
1 Day of Judgment
2 Dispelling Exhale
4 Lightning Helix
4 Floodfarm Verge
2 Marang River Regent
4 Sunbillow Verge
2 Riverpyre Verge
1 Island
1 Split Up
4 Shiko, Paragon of the Way
4 Stock Up
4 Temporary Lockdown
2 Three Steps Ahead
3 Thundering Falls
3 Plains
1 Mistrise Village
3 Get Lost
1 Parting Gust
2 Roiling Dragonstorm
4 Meticulous Archive
3 Elegant Parlor
1 Zurgo and Ojutai
2 Lithomantic Barrage
2 Obstinate Baloth
3 Kutzil's Flanker
2 Tishana's Tidebinder
2 Negate
1 Exorcise
1 Pyroclasm
1 Authority of the Consuls
Miller's Jeskai Control deck, designed to dictate the flow of the game through removal and countermagic, was heavily bolstered by Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Shiko, Paragon of the Way offers both flexibility and card advantage, presenting an enormous Dragon and a free spell like Stock Up or Lightning Helix. Similarly, Marang River Regent shines as a powerful instant-speed card-draw effect in the early game or a way to stabilize the board in the late game.
Jeskai Control represented 5.4% of the metagame across all four Regional Championship events, boasting a favorable 132-106 (55%) matchup result against Izzet Prowess. Miller said that he had tuned his deck for the matchup, choosing his cards with the goal of beating Izzet Prowess.
Although Miller's list stayed close to the archetype's stock build overall, his inclusion of two main-deck copies of Roiling Dragonstorm stood out. While only a minority of Jeskai Control players embraced the card, it proved a potent engine alongside the new Dragons, offering card advantage and filtering to secure long-term inevitability.
Clement Choo Triumphs in Southeast Asia with Izzet Prowess
Congratulations to Clement Choo, who blazed his way to victory at the Regional Championship for Southeast Asia with Izzet Prowess! His 1st-place finish not only netted him the trophy but also an invitation to Magic World Championship 31. Additionally, the Top 6 unqualified players earned spots at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities.
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Stormchaser's Talent
4 Cori-Steel Cutter
2 Slickshot Show-Off
2 Drake Hatcher
4 Stock Up
4 Opt
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Burst Lightning
4 Monstrous Rage
3 Into the Flood Maw
4 Riverpyre Verge
4 Shivan Reef
4 Spirebluff Canal
5 Island
4 Mountain
2 Ral, Crackling Wit
2 Sunspine Lynx
1 Witchstalker Frenzy
2 Pyroclasm
1 Drake Hatcher
2 Torch the Tower
1 Into the Flood Maw
2 Spell Pierce
2 Ghost Vacuum
This past weekend, Izzet Prowess cemented itself as the undisputed frontrunner in Standard, claiming a massive 30.7% share of the metagame across all four Regional Championships. At the heart of the deck is Cori-Steel Cutter. This card, when powered by one-mana spells and card-draw effects, floods the board with Monks. Any opponent who fails to keep up risks being buried beneath a flurry of prowess triggers. Even Temporary Lockdown can sometimes be shrugged off momentarily thanks to multiple copies of Into the Flood Maw.
The latest evolution in the archetype utilizes Drake Hatcher, a card that was featured prominently in many successful Izzet Prowess builds. Clement Choo, along with Lucas Lim and Kelvin Chew, all reached the Top 8 in Kuala Lumpur with two copies of Drake Hatcher, trimming copies of Slickshot Show-Off to make room. This adjustment was echoed across other events.
Drake Hatcher offers resilience against Cut Down, Lightning Strike, and beyond. It dominates the battlefield against Mono-Red Aggro and Esper Pixie, pairing beautifully with Monstrous Rage. Altogether, Izzet Prowess is being increasingly refined, and Choo's build stands out as a finely tuned example of what the deck can be.
Yasutaka Nagao Victorious in Japan with Orzhov Pixie
Congratulations to Yasutaka Nagao, who conquered the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea with a masterful run on Orzhov Pixie. He claimed victory in a finals showdown against Akira Shibata, who was playing Izzet Prowess. Both finalists secured invitations to Magic World Championship 31, and the Top 16 players who had not yet qualified for Pro Tour Edge of Eternities earned their spots for that event.
4 Nurturing Pixie
4 Sunpearl Kirin
1 Kutzil's Flanker
1 Loran of the Third Path
4 Preacher of the Schism
1 Beza, the Bounding Spring
1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
1 Get Lost
1 Go for the Throat
4 Hopeless Nightmare
4 Momentum Breaker
4 Nowhere to Run
4 Temporary Lockdown
2 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
4 Bleachbone Verge
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Concealed Courtyard
5 Plains
3 Restless Fortress
1 Shadowy Backstreet
3 Swamp
2 Dreams of Steel and Oil
3 Duress
1 Get Lost
2 Rest in Peace
2 Kutzil's Flanker
2 Loran of the Third Path
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
In a field dominated by Izzet Prowess, Orzhov Pixie proved to be an excellent metagame call. Among archetypes with at least ten pilots across the four Regional Championships, Orzhov Pixie had the best record against Izzet Prowess, posting a 93-66 result in the Swiss, good for a 58% matchup. And it was even stronger in the Top 8: Yasutaka Nagao defeated Izzet Prowess opponents in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, reinforcing Orzhov Pixie's strength in the matchup and rewarding him for his excellent deck choice.
The key card tipping the scales is Temporary Lockdown, one of Standard's most efficient answers to Cori-Steel Cutter. With the Tarkir: Dragonstorm addition of Sunpearl Kirin enabling recursive loops (such as bouncing a Temporary Lockdown that had exiled your own Hopeless Nightmare and Nurturing Pixie, then repeating the sequence on the following turn), Orzhov Pixie has been surging ahead. Now, with a major trophy to its name, the archetype has firmly established itself as a prime contender.
Pedro Henrique Flores Takes the Trophy in Brazil with Azorius Omniscience
Congratulations to Pedro Henrique Flores, who captured 1st place at Brazil's Regional Championship with Azorius Omniscience! With this breakout performance, he earned an invitation to Magic World Championship 31. Additionally, the Top 6 unqualified players secured seats at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities.
4 Abuelo's Awakening
3 Adarkar Wastes
1 Blast Zone
4 Ephara's Dispersal
4 Floodfarm Verge
1 Founding the Third Path
3 Island
4 Marang River Regent
4 Meticulous Archive
1 Mistrise Village
4 Moment of Truth
4 Omniscience
2 Plains
4 Roiling Dragonstorm
3 Seachrome Coast
2 Spell Pierce
4 Stock Up
4 Temporary Lockdown
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Fabled Passage
1 Confounding Riddle
1 Refute
2 Beza, the Bounding Spring
2 Change the Equation
2 Clarion Conqueror
2 Get Lost
1 Ghost Vacuum
1 Negate
2 Overlord of the Mistmoors
2 Voice of Victory
1 Spell Pierce
Pedro Henrique Flores has long had a passion for combo decks, and in this tournament, that dedication paid off. Ready with Temporary Lockdown to keep aggressive strategies in check, Azorius Omniscience was the right call. Flores, playing in his first major event, demonstrated impressive mastery of the archetype.
He streamlined his build, eschewing cards like Invasion of Arcavios to focus on the core combo. Once Abuelo's Awakening puts Omniscience onto the battlefield, the combo kicks into gear: casting Marang River Regent, bouncing a second Regent, and looping the process indefinitely. With Roiling Dragonstorm in the mix, this loop draws your entire deck. From there, Founding the Third Path becomes a win condition, endlessly recast to mill out the opponent.
"Marang River Regent is insane; it does everything the deck wants," the new Regional Champion shared. "It discards Omniscience, enables the combo, and also is a great 6/7 creature that slows down the opponent."
The Standard Metagame and Win Rates
A total of 1,978 Standard decklists from last weekend's Regional Championships were available for analysis. After setting archetype names based on the contents of each deck, I compiled the overall metagame share and match win rates for each deck archetype (excluding mirror matches, byes, and draws). These metrics are provided in the table below, where each archetype name is linked to a top-performing decklist that best represents its aggregate build.
The "Other" category encompassed a wide range of archetypes such as Rakdos Reanimator, Jeskai Convoke, Selesnya Tokens, Sultai Beanstalk, Temur Otters, Simic Terror, Azorius Bunnicorn, Boros Mobilize, Boros Burn, Gruul Delirium, Orzhov Tokens, Boros Monument, Orzhov Life Gain, Dimir Control, Temur Prowess, Rakdos Demons, Golgari Graveyard, Orzhov Demons, Golgari Roots, Azorius Oculus, Dimir Oculus, Mardu Pixie, Gruul Ramp, Boros Tokens, Esper Oculus, Mono-Black Reanimator, and more.
Following their breakout performances at the previous Regional Championship, both Izzet Prowess and Jeskai Oculus surged in popularity. Their increased representation is reflected by upward arrows in the table. In contrast, decks like Mono-Red Aggro and Esper Pixie—both of which had middling results at that RC in Bologna, Italy—saw their numbers decline this past weekend.
In terms of win rate, Izzet Prowess remained a top performer, winning 52.4% of its non-mirror, non-bye, non-draw matches. While this was a slight dip from its dominant 55.8% win rate in Europe, it still signals a strong performance across a much larger field. The dip can be largely attributed to improved preparation and card tweaks from opponents. For example, many successful Mono-Red Aggro builds adopted main-deck copies of Abrade and sideboard Magebane Lizard this past weekend, while Domain Overlord decks added High Noon after sideboard to keep Cori-Steel Cutter under control.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was Dimir Midrange. Despite an unfavorable matchup against Izzet Prowess, it excelled against other major decks like Jeskai Oculus, Azorius Omniscience, and Jeskai Control, ultimately yielding a strong 54.9% win rate across the board. By contrast, Selesnya Cage and Gruul Aggro variants struggled badly, suggesting they may be poorly positioned in the current metagame.
What Will It Take to Beat Izzet Prowess?
With a staggering 30.7% share of the metagame and a formidable 52.4% win rate, Izzet Prowess has firmly established itself as the deck to beat in Standard. If you plan to compete in the format, you'll need a strategy that can reliably answer Cori-Steel Cutter. Fortunately, it's not unbeatable. For example, established archetypes like Jeskai Control and Orzhov Pixie have posted matchup results of 55% or better against Izzet Prowess, largely on the back of Temporary Lockdown, and both these archetypes claimed Regional Championship titles this past weekend.
Beyond these headline decks, a number of lesser-played archetypes also showed real promise, even without main-deck Temporary Lockdown. To spotlight the most exciting options in a metagame dominated by Cori-Steel Cutter, I examined every archetype with three percent or less metagame share across the four Regional Championships. From there, I selected six that boasted a favorable matchup against Izzet Prowess, prioritizing spicy innovation or impressive overall results.
If you're looking for a fresh, powerful deck to attack the Standard metagame, then these six decks are compelling choices, all with a real shot at taking down the frontrunner.
2 Anoint with Affliction
2 Archfiend of the Dross
4 Cut Down
3 Deep-Cavern Bat
4 Duress
2 Fountainport
1 Gix's Command
3 Go for the Throat
2 Intimidation Tactics
2 Mazemind Tome
2 Preacher of the Schism
3 Qarsi Revenant
3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
4 Soulstone Sanctuary
19 Swamp
4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Gix's Command
4 Caustic Bronco
3 The Filigree Sylex
2 Dreams of Steel and Oil
2 Preacher of the Schism
1 Sheoldred's Edict
Kazutaka Oya soared to 3rd place at the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea with Mono-Black Demons. Tatsuaki Yajima finished in 12th place with a similar build. After seemingly appearing out of nowhere, the archetype captured 2.6% of the metagame across last weekend's events and backed it up with a 54.5% win rate overall, including a 73-59 (55%) matchup against Izzet Prowess. Duress or Intimidation Tactics on turn one, facilitated by a consistent mana base, can strip away Cori-Steel Cutter before it becomes a problem.
Besides strong hand disruption and creature removal, the deck makes great use of Unholy Annex. The card remains an absolute powerhouse, especially when paired with Archfiend of the Dross or Soulstone Sanctuary to drain opponents turn after turn. The recent addition of Qarsi Revenant from Tarkir: Dragonstorm has also been an upgrade, as it dominates mid-game combat, wins damage races against Izzet Prowess, and offers extra value after death. As the numbers of Lightning Strike and Nowhere to Run in the metagame drop, Qarsi Revenant is primed to excel.
With two out of the sixteen Pro Tour slots in Japan going to this archetype, Mono-Black Demons is not just a fringe strategy—it's a Standard contender worth watching.
4 Patchwork Beastie
6 Forest
4 Wildfire Wickerfolk
1 Mountain
4 Fear of Missing Out
3 Violent Urge
1 Balustrade Wurm
4 Keen-Eyed Curator
4 Seed of Hope
4 Break Out
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Tersa Lightshatter
2 Bushwhack
4 Karplusan Forest
4 Thornspire Verge
3 Commercial District
2 Overprotect
1 Pyroclasm
1 Monstrous Rage
1 Lithomantic Barrage
2 Pick Your Poison
1 Ghost Vacuum
1 Pyroclasm
1 Haywire Mite
1 Convenient Target
2 Sunspine Lynx
1 Chandra, Spark Hunter
1 Heritage Reclamation
2 Obliterating Bolt
2 Scrapshooter
Former Rivals League member Shintaro Ishimura piloted Gruul Delirium to an impressive 11th-place finish at the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea. He wasn't alone in his success: Nishi Hiouma finished in 15th place with a similar list, though Hiouma ran Omnivorous Flytrap over Tersa Lightshatter.
The archetype went 23-14 (62.2% win rate) against the field, including a stunning 6-2 (75%) matchup versus Izzet Prowess. While the sample size is admittedly too small to draw strong conclusions, the results are too promising to ignore.
Gruul Delirium revs up with graveyard enablers like Seed of Hope to hit delirium early. Patchwork Beastie and Fear of Missing Out are stronger enablers that come out on later turns. Both contribute multiple card types and help set up your graveyard while advancing your board presence.
Once delirium is online, the deck's threats kick into overdrive. Wildfire Wickerfolk becomes a 4/3 trample, haste creature for just two mana, and when granted double strike with Violent Urge, it threatens to end games in a flash. Keen-Eyed Curator can also grow to an enormous size quickly and trample over opposing boards clogged with 1/1 tokens. Thanks to Break Out, these efficient two-drops are easy to find, and their third point of toughness makes them surprisingly resilient against Burst Lightning, the premier removal spell in Izzet Prowess. So, Gruul Delirium not only has an explosive game plan but also lines up well against the current metagame.
2 Momentum Breaker
4 Sunpearl Kirin
4 Nurturing Pixie
3 Severance Priest
3 Skirmish Rhino
2 Nowhere to Run
4 Hopeless Nightmare
1 Loran of the Third Path
1 Preacher of the Schism
3 Brushland
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Concealed Courtyard
2 Underground Mortuary
4 Razorverge Thicket
2 Swamp
1 Plains
4 Yathan Roadwatcher
2 Grim Bauble
4 Bleachbone Verge
1 Restless Fortress
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Surgical Suite // Hospital Room
1 Sentinel of the Nameless City
1 Ruthless Lawbringer
2 Duress
2 Dreams of Steel and Oil
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Anoint with Affliction
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
2 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
2 Temporary Lockdown
1 Loran of the Third Path
1 Maelstrom Pulse
Abzan Pixie is a novel archetype that owes its existence to the new tools from Tarkir: Dragonstorm. At its core is Skirmish Rhino, a creature that evokes memories of Siege Rhino, which dominated Standard a decade ago. But this time, the Rhinos come in packs. With help from Nurturing Pixie and Sunpearl Kirin, you can recast Skirmish Rhino for more life drain. If a Rhino dies or gets milled, Yathan Roadwatcher can reanimate them straight from the graveyard. The result is a relentless stampede that drains life turn after turn.
Another standout card from Tarkir: Dragonstorm is Severance Priest, which has a clever interaction with Sunpearl Kirin. If you bounce the Priest in response to its enter trigger, your opponent won't get the Spirit token since nothing was exiled. Afterward, you still get to exile a card from your opponent's hand. It's a subtle trick, but one that exploits the specific wording on Severance Priest in your favor.
While Abzan Pixie faltered at non-US Regional Championships, it showed moderate promise in Minneapolis. Drew Kobus went 9-6 with the list shown above, and Braeden Bierman also went 9-6 with a different mana base. Across all of last weekend's RCs, Abzan Pixie put up a modest 54-60 record (47.4% win rate) against the field but with a favorable 22-17 (56%) edge against Izzet Prowess. The sample size is limited, but if these early numbers are any indication, the Rhinos are worthy of further consideration.
2 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Cache Grab
1 Cankerbloom
2 Disruptive Stormbrood
3 Dredger's Insight
6 Forest
2 Glissa Sunslayer
2 Great Arashin City
2 Harvester of Misery
2 Haywire Mite
4 Insidious Roots
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Molt Tender
4 Overlord of the Balemurk
2 Qarsi Revenant
4 Scavenging Ooze
1 Swamp
3 Wastewood Verge
1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
1 Cankerbloom
2 Cut Down
1 Duress
2 Go for the Throat
1 Haywire Mite
1 Hostile Investigator
2 Kraul Whipcracker
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Qarsi Revenant
1 Vivien Reid
Only three players sleeved up Golgari Roots this past weekend, but Ricky Linn made the archetype shine with a strong 10-4-1 finish. Across all pilots, the deck posted an impressive 18-13 record (58.1% win rate), including a standout 7-3 (70%) matchup against Izzet Prowess.
The key card in the deck is Insidious Roots, an enchantment capable of flooding the board with Plant tokens. Repeated exile effects like Molt Tender, Scavenging Ooze, or Agatha's Soul Cauldron act as the ideal enablers.
However, Linn's build does not go all in on maximizing Insidious Roots. Eschewing typical synergy cards like Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler or Snarling Gorehound, the deck instead leans on a more resilient midrange shell. Cards like Disruptive Stormbrood, Glissa Sunslayer, and Harvester of Misery provide board presence and disruption, ensuring the deck remains functional even without drawing its namesake enchantment. Against Izzet Prowess, Disruptive Stormbrood and Haywire Mite can remove Cori-Steel Cutter, while Harvester of Misery cleans up all the Monk tokens that are left over. The result is a hybrid strategy that blends combo potential with solid standalone threats, making the deck less fragile and more adaptable.
1 Restless Reef
5 Swamp
3 Undercity Sewers
2 Scavenger Regent
2 Soulstone Sanctuary
2 Overlord of the Balemurk
4 No One Left Behind
3 Underground River
4 Abhorrent Oculus
2 Shoot the Sheriff
3 Preacher of the Schism
4 Gloomlake Verge
3 Island
4 Darkslick Shores
3 Go for the Throat
4 Duress
2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
2 Cut Down
3 Roiling Dragonstorm
1 Marang River Regent
3 Fallaji Archaeologist
1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
1 Ghost Vacuum
1 Cut Down
1 Anoint with Affliction
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 The Filigree Sylex
1 Scavenger Regent
1 Liliana of the Veil
2 Negate
2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
1 Unstoppable Slasher
Azorius and Jeskai Oculus builds have seen play before, typically leaning on Helping Hand to circumvent the hefty additional cost of Abhorrent Oculus. But Dimir Oculus, as piloted by Motoaki Ito to an impressive 8-3-1 finish at the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea, takes a different path, using No One Left Behind instead. The shift to black brings a host of benefits: early disruption via Duress, efficient removal like Go for the Throat, and powerful threats such as Preacher of the Schism and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Functionally, this deck plays out as a Dimir Midrange shell with Abhorrent Oculus replacing typical card-advantage engines like Enduring Curiosity or Kaito, Bane of Nightmares. In a metagame defined by Izzet Prowess, the Oculus is a nightmare to answer cleanly—it hits hard, dodges red removal, and warps the battlefield on its own. That potential was on full display last weekend, as Ito notched a 4-1 record against Izzet Prowess on the way to a strong overall finish.
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Sulfurous Springs
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Cori-Steel Cutter
4 Fear of Missing Out
4 Hopeless Nightmare
2 Momentum Breaker
4 Nowhere to Run
4 Nurturing Pixie
4 Optimistic Scavenger
3 Spiteful Hexmage
4 Sunpearl Kirin
3 Overlord of the Balemurk
2 Loran of the Third Path
2 Authority of the Consuls
2 Get Lost
2 Invasion of Gobakhan
1 Kutzil's Flanker
2 Dreams of Steel and Oil
2 Abrade
2 Urabrask's Forge
2 Ghost Vacuum
What happens when you strip Esper Pixie of This Town Ain't Big Enough and Stormchaser's Talent, then pivot into red for Cori-Steel Cutter? You get Mardu Pixie, an inventive deck that delivered an impressive 11-4 finish at the US Regional Championship. As it turns out, the red artifact is potent enough to justify ditching blue entirely. And once you're in red, Fear of Missing Out becomes an easy addition.
Unlike Izzet Prowess lists that rely on blue's card draw to chain spells together, Mardu Pixie uses Nurturing Pixie, Sunpearl Kirin, and Overlord of the Balemurk to play multiple spells per turn. The synergy is particularly striking when one Sunpearl Kirin bounces another copy at instant speed and vice versa, allowing you to generate Monk tokens during your opponent's turn. With this synergy, you might even out-token Izzet Prowess. In fact, this build went 6-1 against Izzet Prowess over the weekend!
What's Next for Standard?
Last weekend's Regional Championships for United States, Southeast Asia, Japan/Korea, and Brazil saw four different decks take the trophy. Yet amidst this diversity of champions, Izzet Prowess has further cemented its status as the deck to beat. Fortunately, the tools to challenge it are out there in Standard, and the metagame is rapidly evolving to meet the moment.
The Standard developments continue over the coming weeks with more Regional Championships around the world, as top players compete for coveted invitations to the Pro Tour and World Championship. Here's the schedule of upcoming events:
This weekend, the Regional Championship in Australia/New Zealand will be livestreamed on YouTube, featuring coverage of both the Swiss rounds and the Top 8. Don't miss your chance to watch the latest Standard developments as a new champion will be crowned!
