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. The current round of Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) events, which runs until November 9, currently offers Standard players a chance to claim their seat in next year's Standard Regional Championships, and the format will also take center stage this weekend at Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation. This marquee tournament, taking place at SCG CON Orlando on August 30–31, boasts a $50,000 prize pool along with eight coveted Pro Tour invites.

To set the stage for Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation, today's article provides a metagame snapshot of Standard along with a closer look at the dominant archetypes you're most likely to encounter. Additionally, we'll look at the clever innovations that have risen to challenge them. Whether your sights are set on conquering a local RCQ or chasing something bigger, this article can serve as a useful guide to get you up to speed with the format.

The Standard Metagame with Edge of Eternities

Standard is a rotating 60-card format that currently allows expansion sets from Wilds of Eldraine forward. To capture a snapshot of today's metagame, I analyzed over 600 successful tournament decks from the past two weeks. My dataset drew from every published Magic Online list from scheduled events between August 12 and August 25, along with Top 8 decklists from the NRG Series $10,000 Standard Showdown, the Standard $20,000 eight-slot RCQ at LDXP Phoenix, and ten smaller RCQs held around the globe.

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 Jeskai Artifacts, Mono-Black Midrange, Four-Color Control, Bant Omniscience, Temur Ferocious, Golgari Midrange, Gruul Kona, Azorius Artifacts, Golgari Kona, Golgari Roots, Sultai Control, Boros Dragons, Mono-Green Landfall, Temur Otters, Orzhov Pixie, Bant Birds, and more.

Since my last metagame snapshot, published shortly after the release of Edge of Eternities, the metagame has churned a bit. Most notably, Dimir Midrange and Mono-Red Dragons have both climbed the rankings. Esper Pixie, by contrast, dropped off in popularity and performance due to its struggles in the matchup against Izzet Cauldron.

Looking across the field, the most-played cards in Standard right now are Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron—key cards in Izzet Cauldron that together unlock explosive bursts of mana. Close behind are Annul and Abrade, which are versatile answers that can slot into nearly any blue or red deck. Annul stands out as one of the best tools against Izzet Cauldron on the draw, cleanly countering nearly all the deck's pivotal two-drops. If you're sleeving up a blue deck without at least two or three copies of Annul in your sideboard, then you're not giving yourself the best chance to beat Izzet Cauldron.

The Deck to Beat: Izzet Cauldron

The Standard metagame remains firmly in the grasp of Izzet Cauldron, which claimed a commanding 38.3% share of the winner's metagame over the past two weeks. To illustrate its current shape, I've constructed an aggregate list using an algorithm that balances both popularity and win rate of individual card choices.

5 Mountain 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Island 4 Proft's Eidetic Memory 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Vivi Ornitier 4 Winternight Stories 4 Marauding Mako 3 Into the Flood Maw 3 Steamcore Scholar 2 Abrade 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Thundering Falls 2 Tersa Lightshatter 2 Starting Town 2 Quantum Riddler 1 Torch the Tower 2 Torch the Tower 2 Spell Pierce 2 Fire Magic 2 Annul 2 Broadside Barrage 2 Disdainful Stroke 1 Abrade 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Quantum Riddler

Steamcore Scholar
Quantum Riddler

While the core of Izzet Cauldron is well established, the deck's flex slots remain contested. The recent aggregate list shown above has several notable differences compared to the version from two weeks ago:

• Draconautics Engineer has largely fallen out of favor. In the mirror, it becomes a liability, as discarding it while your opponent controls Agatha's Soul Cauldron often leads to disastrous consequences.
• Torch the Tower has been trimmed from many main decks. It's difficult to enable bargain, and two damage doesn't line up well against creatures in the mirror match. Removing Torch the Tower, however, slightly improves the position of hyper-aggressive decks with two-toughness threats.
• Steamcore Scholar and Quantum Riddler have been added to many successful Izzet lists. These fliers are difficult to block in the mirror, and the high toughness of Quantum Riddler makes it difficult to answer. One especially powerful line is a turn-two Proft's Eidetic Memory into turn-three Steamcore Scholar.
• Ral, Crackling Wit has disappeared from many sideboards. Players are recognizing that the flexible sideboard slots are better spent on more impactful and efficient answers.

Agatha's Soul Cauldron
Vivi Ornitier
Proft's Eidetic Memory

Izzet Cauldron rewards precision and experience. Success often hinges on small timing decisions, subtle resource management, and the ability to navigate the mirror match's unique dynamics. A few tips and tricks stand out:

• Multiple Vivi Ornitier activations: If you control a Vivi with a +1/+1 counter and have another exiled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, then you can use its mana ability twice. And if multiple Vivi Ornitiers are exiled, then each creature with a counter gains an activation for each exiled copy. This can double or triple your mana, enabling absurd plays.
• Sequencing on turn two: The decisions start early. If you have multiple two-drop cards in your hand, which should you play first? Most of the time, I would favor Proft's Eidetic Memory. It threatens a 5/5 Tersa Lightshatter on turn three to maximize pressure; answers Kaito, Bane of a Nightmares; and dodges Abrade. But if you have both a creature that can let you discard and Vivi Ornitier in hand, then leading with Agatha's Soul Cauldron is usually superior, as it enables the mana combo by turn three. In the mirror, it's also an effective response to an opposing Cauldron, though leaving up Abrade is often the best answer on the draw.
• Discarding Vivi Ornitier can backfire: In mirrors where both players control an Agatha's Soul Cauldron, discarding Vivi Ornitier is dangerous. If your Cauldron is answered by Abrade or Into the Flood Maw, then your opponent can exile Vivi Ornitier from your graveyard and reap the rewards. To combat this, many players board out two copies of Vivi Ornitier in the mirror, and some are already shaving them in the main.
• Plan ahead with discard: Winternight Stories is often a solid card to discard, but be careful. With your Marauding Mako triggers on the stack, your opponent can exile Winternight Stories with Agatha's Soul Cauldron before you can cast it for its harmonize cost. If you cast it, Winternight Stories lets you discard two lands instead of a spell. But before doing so, recognize that this will weaken a future Tersa Lightshatter. Finally, remember that when you play Fear of Missing Out as the last card in your hand, you won't have anything to discard and will effectively draw a free card. To strike a balance between maximizing a topdecked Fear of Missing Out with card resources for other discard effects, it's usually best to keep exactly one land in hand during the mid-game.
• The power of extra combat phases: Many games are won thanks to Fear of Missing Out granting multiple combats. Its synergy with Proft's Eidetic Memory is especially punishing, as the extra combat phase lets the enchantment trigger twice. When you control multiple copies of Fear of Missing Out, it's often best to attack with one at a time so each trigger can untap your largest creature. Be mindful if you attack with Tersa Lightshatter, though. If you have threshold, make sure Fear of Missing Out resolves first or you may lose delirium.
• Mulligan wisely: The two key engines in the deck are Proft's Eidetic Memory and Agatha's Soul Cauldron, and their presence can serve as a tiebreaker in difficult mulligan decisions. A hand with a card-draw effect, two to five lands, and at least a single creature is usually safe to keep. Otherwise, a combination of interaction and early-game creatures with a balanced curve-out can suffice, but such hands are generally weaker than ones with a key engine piece.

All told, Izzet Cauldron is an intricate deck that rewards gameplay skill and preparation. Players who dedicate time to mastering its nuances, especially in the mirror match, will carry a real edge at events like Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation.

Four More Decks You Need to Know

Izzet Cauldron may be the defining deck of the format, but it is far from the only contender. A variety of other strategies have managed to carve out their share of success as well, each capable of holding their own in the current metagame. In this section, I'll highlight the four most prominent challengers.

Based on recent results and my own understanding, all of them appear to have a matchup hovering close to or just below 50% against Izzet Cauldron, which makes them at least reasonably competitive. At Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation this weekend, we'll see whether precise tuning and inventive sideboard strategies can push any of these decks into truly favorable territory.

6 Swamp 5 Island 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 4 Watery Grave 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Enduring Curiosity 4 Deep-Cavern Bat 3 Restless Reef 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 3 Tragic Trajectory 3 Preacher of the Schism 2 Shoot the Sheriff 2 Cecil, Dark Knight 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Bitter Triumph 1 Phantom Interference 2 Duress 2 Strategic Betrayal 2 Annul 2 Negate 2 Faebloom Trick 2 Disdainful Stroke 1 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Preacher of the Schism 1 Vren, the Relentless

Dimir Midrange pairs efficient disruption with evasive threats in a well-rounded package. The deck still leans on Enduring Curiosity and Kaito, Bane of Nightmares for steady card advantage. Over the past two weeks, the deck claimed 21% of the winner's metagame, making it the second-most prominent deck in Standard. Its strength was showcased at a Standard event at LDXP Phoenix—the largest tournament across the past two weeks—where Evan Higgins piloted a Dimir Midrange deck to victory, dispatching multiple Izzet Cauldron players along the way.

The aggregate list has remained relatively stable, though some experiments are worth noting. A handful of players have swapped one or two copies of Shoot the Sheriff for Bitter Triumph, a more reliable answer to threats like Marauding Mako or Kaito, Bane of Nightmares. Others are trying Sunset Saboteur; Azure Beastbinder; and/or Lord Skitter, Sewer King in place of Deep-Cavern Bat. Sunset Saboteur adds pressure, while the latter two help shut down Agatha's Soul Cauldron. These tweaks aside, the archetype's foundation is rock solid, and Dimir Midrange continues to be a formidable force in today's Standard.

5 Island 5 Plains 4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Get Lost 4 Meticulous Archive 4 Consult the Star Charts 4 No More Lies 4 Seam Rip 3 Restless Anchorage 3 Three Steps Ahead 3 Fountainport 3 Day of Judgment 3 Stock Up 2 Marang River Regent 2 Demolition Field 2 Overlord of the Mistmoors 2 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 1 Ultima 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Horned Loch-Whale 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Voice of Victory 2 Rest in Peace 2 Annul 1 Overlord of the Mistmoors 1 Devout Decree 1 Exorcise 1 Negate 1 Flashfreeze

Azorius Control takes the opposite approach, dictating the game's tempo with a full suite of counterspells, removal, card draw, and sweepers. No More Lies conveniently exiles Vivi Ornitier or Winternight Stories, while Ultima efficiently exiles both Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron. All this interaction can disrupt the opponent's engines long enough to eventually take over the game with massive fliers or token armies.

Compared to its aggregate list from two weeks ago, Azorius Control has tweaked the numbers on the new Edge of Eternities cards. Seam Rip and Consult the Star Charts have solidified as four-of staples, while Pinnacle Starcage has been trimmed in favor of Day of Judgment and Ultima. With Izzet Cauldron boasting an abundance of crucial three-mana creatures, the latest Azorius lists are getting carefully tuned to present the right answers for the metagame.

18 Mountain 4 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Hired Claw 4 Nova Hellkite 4 Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant 4 Screaming Nemesis 4 Burst Lightning 4 Sunspine Lynx 3 Twinmaw Stormbrood 3 Taurean Mauler 3 Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon 2 Magda, the Hoardmaster 2 Plasma Bolt 1 Lightning Strike 4 Magebane Lizard 3 Fire Magic 2 Chandra, Spark Hunter 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Abrade 1 Vengeful Possession 1 Suplex

Mono-Red Dragons has been the breakout success story of the past two weeks, staking its claim as the premier aggressive deck in Standard. Unlike traditional mono-red builds, it eschews Emberheart Challenger and Manifold Mouse as those have proved underwhelming without Monstrous Rage of Heartfire Hero to support them. While some Mono-Red Aggro players now lean on Razorkin Needlehead—a well-positioned option against Izzet Cauldron's many card-draw effects—the new Dragons variant takes a different angle, centered around Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant.

Most versions of the deck run around ten Dragons between Nova Hellkite, Taurean Mauler, and Twinmaw Stormbrood. This lets Sarkhan consistently create a Treasure token, powering out additional threats while steadily growing into a win condition. Magda, the Hoardmaster can turn Treasures into even more Dragons, while Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon can either tutor up new threats or help cast Twinmaw Stormbrood.

Flying creatures are particularly effective against Izzet Cauldron, which relies heavily on ground-based defenses. Even when a massive Marauding Mako or Vivi Ornitier clogs the board, Dragons can soar over those threats to deliver the finishing blow. All in all, Mono-Red Dragons combines pristine mana, an aggressive curve, a potent burn package, and an evasive air force. That's a recipe for success.

7 Island 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Vivi Ornitier 4 Opt 4 Torch the Tower 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Stock Up 3 Starting Town 3 Into the Flood Maw 3 Astrologian's Planisphere 2 Mountain 2 Consult the Star Charts 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Thundering Falls 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Wild Ride 1 Roaring Furnace 1 Quantum Riddler 1 Frostcliff Siege 2 Abrade 2 Disdainful Stroke 2 Fire Magic 2 Spell Pierce 2 Annul 1 Broadside Barrage 1 Negate 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Ral, Crackling Wit

Finally, Izzet Prowess has managed to hold onto its place in the metagame. Unlike its Cauldron counterpart, it takes a more straightforward route, relying on cheap spells like Opt and Sleight of Hand to boost the tokens from Stormchaser's Talent and Astrologian's Planisphere. It does not lean into the graveyard and discard synergies that define Izzet Cauldron, but it reliably leverages bargain on Torch the Tower, finds interaction with Stock Up, and maximizes a Vivi Ornitier in play.

While it may not have the same raw explosiveness as Izzet Cauldron, Izzet Prowess remains a legitimate alternative. Especially when Izzet Cauldron has a larger target on its back, Izzet Prowess can catch opponents off guard.

Spicy Standard Decks for Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation

Among all the decklists I reviewed, several lists stood out with unique strategies and/or card choices that could give an edge against Izzet Cauldron. To highlight the most relevant surprise contenders that might just end up shining at Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation, let's take a closer look at the lists that caught my eye.

Among the many decklists I reviewed, several stood out for their novel synergies or clever card choices to gain an edge against Izzet Cauldron. To spotlight the most relevant surprise contenders that might shine at Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation, let's take a closer look at the decklists that caught my eye.

4 Burst Lightning 4 Clarion Conqueror 4 Hired Claw 4 Inspiring Vantage 2 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun 2 Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon 2 Magda, the Hoardmaster 2 Magmatic Hellkite 6 Mountain 4 Nova Hellkite 2 Plasma Bolt 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant 4 Screaming Nemesis 4 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Sunbillow Verge 4 Twinmaw Stormbrood 2 Boros Charm 2 Chandra, Spark Hunter 3 Fire Magic 2 Get Lost 3 Rest in Peace 3 Sheltered by Ghosts

Adding a white splash to Boros Dragons opens intriguing possibilities. Clarion Conqueror not only counts as a Dragon for Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant, but it also cleanly shuts down both Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron. This makes it an excellent piece of interaction in the current metagame.

Sapoa piloted this list to a modest 17th-place finish in a Magic Online Challenge, and the deck's potential is clear. With further tuning, Boros Dragons could prove to be a well-positioned choice. To tweak the flex slots, I would consider adding Abrade or Obliterating Bolt to improve interaction against Izzet Cauldron, perhaps removing Burst Lightning or some of the two-of spells. If I were competing this weekend, this is the deck I'd test.

3 Aven Interrupter 2 Bartz and Boko 4 Breeding Pool 2 Bushwhack 3 Cavern of Souls 4 Dazzling Denial 4 Fabled Passage 2 Floodfarm Verge 3 Forest 2 Get Lost 4 Healer's Hawk 3 Hushwood Verge 1 Island 4 Mockingbird 3 Plains 4 Sazh's Chocobo 4 Sidequest: Raise a Chocobo 4 Traveling Chocobo 4 Valley Questcaller 1 Aven Interrupter 2 Collision Course 2 Get Lost 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Rest in Peace 3 Sheltered by Ghosts 2 Spell Pierce 3 Tishana's Tidebinder

Between Sidequest: Raise a Chocobo, Traveling Chocobo, and Bartz and Boko, there are an abundance of payoffs for a Bird-centric deck. As we've seen, fliers and large bodies are powerhouses in today's Standard metagame. Here, a turn-one Healer's Hawk or Sazh's Chocobo sets the tone for the damage race while unlocking typal synergies. Later, Traveling Chocobo can double Bartz and Boko's removal trigger, while Mockingbird can copy a key creature to amplify these devastating effects further.

The card that stood out to me, however, is Aven Interrupter. Against Izzet Cauldron, it can counter a critical three-drop on curve, generate a tempo lead, and stick around to tax Winternight Stories. Whether that tilts the matchup in Bant Birds's favor remains to be seen, but the Adrikmtg leveraged this surprising deck to a Top 8 finish in a Standard Challenge, and this flock may be ready to take flight.

4 Consult the Star Charts 1 Final Showdown 3 Floodfarm Verge 4 Get Lost 1 Godless Shrine 4 Inevitable Defeat 3 Jeskai Revelation 4 Lightning Helix 2 Marang River Regent 4 Meticulous Archive 1 Mistrise Village 1 Mountain 2 Mystical Teachings 4 No More Lies 1 Plains 4 Riverpyre Verge 3 Sacred Foundry 1 Shadowy Backstreet 3 Starting Town 1 Stock Up 1 Sunbillow Verge 2 Three Steps Ahead 2 Ultima 4 Watery Grave 1 Duress 2 Fire Magic 1 Flashfreeze 2 High Noon 1 Kutzil's Flanker 1 Negate 1 Overlord of the Mistmoors 2 Rest in Peace 1 Sphinx of Forgotten Lore 1 Stoic Sphinx 2 Tishana's Tidebinder

A crystallized metagame with well-defined top decks is exactly what control mages dream of. When the field is predictable, you can sculpt answers with surgical precision. Gerschi decided that the best answers span four different colors, so he built a Four-Color Control list powered by Starting Town, shock lands, and surveil lands.

Lightning Helix and Inevitable Defeat take out early threats while padding your life total. No More Lies shuts down Winternight Stories or Vivi Ornitier. To top it all off, Mystical Teachings can tutor up everything from Jeskai Revelation to Final Showdown, letting you control the game or wipe the board at instant speed. With this audacious build, Gerschi piloted Four-Color Control to a 3rd-place finish in a Magic Online Challenge, proving that these "draw, go" decks still have bite.

2 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Bleachbone Verge 1 Cease // Desist 4 Concealed Courtyard 2 Day of Judgment 1 Deadly Cover-Up 2 Duress 2 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 1 Feed the Cycle 2 Fountainport 2 Get Lost 4 Godless Shrine 1 Intimidation Tactics 1 Kaya, Spirits' Justice 3 Ketramose, the New Dawn 1 Long Goodbye 4 Mazemind Tome 3 Plains 2 Restless Fortress 4 Seam Rip 2 Shadowy Backstreet 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Strategic Betrayal 3 Swamp 2 The End 1 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 1 Disenchant 2 Duress 2 Get Lost 2 Lord Skitter, Sewer King 3 Overlord of the Mistmoors 2 Pest Control 1 Pinnacle Starcage 1 Ride's End 1 Zero Point Ballad

Orzhov Control takes a more streamlined approach, focusing on disrupting the Agatha's Soul Cauldron plus Vivi Ornitier engine while blanketing the field with sweepers and removal. Duress and Intimidation Tactics strip Cauldrons from hand, Seam Rip removes them from the battlefield, and Strategic Betrayal or The End can exile Vivi Ornitier entirely. When you exile all these creatures and cards, Ketramose, the New Dawn generates steady card advantage.

Although it accounts for just 1.7% of the winner's metagame, Orzhov Control is hardly invisible. In fact, Predrag133 rode the archetype to a 2nd-place finish in a Magic Online Challenge, showing that this suite of answers has the chops to thrive in a field dominated by Izzet Cauldron. If you want to take on Izzet Cauldron, this looks like a solid deck.

2 Archdruid's Charm 4 Bitter Triumph 4 Blooming Marsh 2 Duress 4 Esper Origins 3 Evendo, Waking Haven 5 Forest 1 Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant 4 Kona, Rescue Beastie 4 Llanowar Elves 3 Lumbering Worldwagon 1 Seedship Broodtender 2 Starting Town 1 Summon: Bahamut 3 Susur Secundi, Void Altar 2 Swamp 1 Underground Mortuary 1 Ureni, the Song Unending 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater 4 Vaultborn Tyrant 4 Wastewood Verge 4 Zombify 2 Duress 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Heritage Reclamation 2 Long Goodbye 1 Reclamation Sage 4 Smuggler's Surprise 2 Stab

When a Hall of Famer registers four copies of Kona, Rescue Beastie in a Standard Challenge, it turns heads. The deck that Edel took to a 10th-place finish showcased a strategy built around tapping Kona with Lumbering Worldwagon or Evendo, Waking Haven, then putting Vaultborn Tyrant directly onto the battlefield. With Llanowar Elves, these haymakers can hit play as early as turn three.

Archdruid's Charm improves the deck's consistency by tutoring Kona, a Planet, or a finisher. And while Zombify may seem shaky in a format filled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, it remains devastating if you Duress away the Cauldron first and fill the graveyard with Bitter Triumph or Esper Origins. Golgari Kona may not be fully refined yet, but it offers a uniquely fun angle of attack, and with Gruul Kona also making noise, there could be more here than meets the eye.

4 Conduit Pylons 4 Devastating Onslaught 4 Esper Origins 4 Fabled Passage 5 Forest 3 Hidden Grotto 4 Icetill Explorer 4 Insidious Fungus 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Molt Tender 1 Mountain 4 Pugnacious Hammerskull 4 Railway Brawler 4 Smuggler's Surprise 3 Stomping Ground 1 Volatile Fault 3 Wastewood Verge 1 Bitter Triumph 4 Disruptive Stormbrood 2 Ghost Vacuum 3 Shoot the Sheriff 1 Swamp 1 Tragic Trajectory 3 Vaultborn Tyrant

This last deck is as wild as they come. Built around the combination of Devastating Onslaught and Railway Brawler, Gruul Onslaught can deliver lethal damage out of nowhere. After plotting Railway Brawler for four mana, you'll play it from exile on the following turn, then pay five mana to cast Devastating Onslaught. This creates two copies of Railway Brawler, both of which turn into game-winning 20/20 tramplers with haste!

The rest of the deck features ramp to accelerate into the combo, enabling this lethal swing by turn four. If you see your opponent plot Railway Brawler in an upcoming Standard tournament, then be sure to keep mana up for Shoot the Sheriff or Into the Flood Maw to disrupt their combo. That said, the deck can pivot into a more traditional midrange configuration after sideboard, with plenty of answers to Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Vivi Ornitier. Whether it is winning with combos or transformational sideboards, Gruul Onslaught brings the spice.

What's Next for Standard?

Izzet Cauldron is the clear deck to beat in Standard right now. It can pressure opponents with aggressive starts—say, curving Marauding Mako into Profit's Eidetic Memory and Tersa Lightshatter—but it can also settle into a longer game, drawing cards and ultimately exiling Vivi Ornitier with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. So Izzet Cauldron attacks from different angles, which makes it difficult to answer or claim a truly favorable matchup against.

Still, this is the kind of challenge that inspires creativity. Standard is just waiting for someone to find the strategy that topples the behemoth. But the question remains: who will rise to the occasion this weekend?

All eyes are on Orlando, where Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation will take place at SCG CON Orlando. The spotlight will shine bright on Standard, with $50,000 in prizes, eight coveted Pro Tour invites up for grabs, and live streaming coverage on the SCG Coverage YouTube channel. Reid Duke, Jim Davis, Corey Baumeister, and Eilidh Lonie will be in the booth to guide us through every turn of the action.