Hey all. Strickles here with my final Bloomburrow Standard Meta Report. As Duskmourn releases tomorrow, Tuesday the 24th, on MTG Arena, Standard is going to change and evolve, so while today’s meta snapshot is not useful for understand how standard is going to play tomorrow, I want to do two things with this article today:

First, recap Bloomburrow Standard and show the trajectories of the tops decks, their ups and downs, and where I think the meta stands here at the end. Second, I want to look forward to Duskmourn Standard, and predict how Duskmourn is going to impact all of the top decks. Which decks get new toys? Which decks are least impacted? Will new decks emerge to challenge the top?

So let’s get to it, and start answering these questions!

Bloomburrow Meta Final Standings

Every week I tracked the decks that were finishing in Top 8s of Standard Challenges or other top Standard events that took place on Magic Online. So let’s see how the top decks finished in terms of results week by week and total numbers. I’m only going to talk about decks that had 10 or more Top 8 finishes, so let’s see how they finished.

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Total
Gruul Prowess	0	2	6	8	4	8	1	29
Rakdos Lizards	3	6	3	5	4	4	2	27
Orzhov Mid	2	0	1	3	5	9	7	27
Domain	6	7	1	4	3	2	0	23
Golgari Mid	3	3	2	1	3	3	4	19
Dimir Mid	0	3	2	3	5	1	1	15
Token Control	0	3	4	2	1	3	1	14
Jeskai Convoke	1	0	5	1	1	1	4	13

Gruul Prowess

Gruul Prowess started out slow and then spiked in popularity starting from week three. It continued to put up great results all the way until this past weekend where it only put one copy into a Top 8. While there are two other aggro decks on our list, Gruul Prowess has proved to be both consistent and to be able to have break out weekends, making it a formidable player moving into Duskmourn Standard.

New from Duskmourn

I’m not sure what Duskmourn cards this deck wants to adopt. The theme for Gruul in Duskmourn is Delirium Aggro, but this current build of Gruul is not built to get delirium. Cards like Fear of Missing Out, Patchwork Beastie, and Wildfire Wickerfolk are all very powerful aggressive cards, but they don’t really fit into the current build.

A card they could adopt regardless is Turn Inside Out, as another powerful pump spell, but Monstrous Rage and Might of the Meek both give trample, so I don’t think you can afford to replace those.

They should replace some of their Mountains with Thornspire Verge, as this land will always make red, just like a Mountain, but will sometimes also make green, although less often if you are cutting Mountains, but as there is very little non-basic hate in the format it should be worth it.

All in all, this build of Gruul Prowess is likely to stay the same, and we’ll see if a separate Gruul Delirium Aggro build emerges to contest for best Gruul deck around.

Orzhov Midrange

Orzhov Midrange had a strange trajectory this season. It started out as a non-player, before finally coming back in week four as a heavy on control, no Zoraline, Cosmos Caller, version that I thought would be the norm going forward. 

However, the very next week it had a good weekend returning to Zoraline, Cosmos Caller, and then the past two weekends have been huge breakout weekends for the deck, pulling it all the way up into a tie for second most represented deck this season.

I think the deck was able to tune better to the meta, playing the right mix of removal spells, stabilizing threats like Beza, the Bounding Spring, and card advantage, that it now has a good plan for every other deck in the meta. It almost reminds me of the peak of Modern Jund back in 2015, when the deck was just slightly favored against most of the other decks in the format.

New from Duskmourn

This deck has a few new options from Duskmourn. The first being Overlord of the Mistmoors to make tokens to block or pressure the opponent early and be a big threat later, and Overlord of the Balemurk as a threat that both fills the graveyard for Zoraline value, and replaces itself by returning a creature from your graveyard to your hand.

The other options include Withering Torment, as a way to answer enchantments that isn’t a dead card when your opponent has no enchantments, but I think the deck already has plenty of answers to enchantments with cards like Loran of the Third Path and Legions to Ashes.

The last card I would consider is Nowhere to Run, just because it is a permanent that can be brought back with Zoraline. Currently the deck’s only real way of getting it into the graveyard is to discard it to Liliana of the Veil, so I would only really consider this card if I was also playing Overlord of the Balemurk.

Rakdos Lizards

Rakdos Lizards has been a consistent player in the format since week one. While it had a couple of peaks, in weeks two and four, it hasn’t had a huge breakout weekend like Gruul Prowess and Orzhov Midrange.

I’ve said all along that Rakdos Lizards consistent performance is likely related to its ability to consistently output damage even when the opponent has a lot of blockers. The various pinging effects give it ways to close out games that other aggro decks would not be able to do.

The deck has good sideboard options to tackle other aggro decks and control decks, and has good disruption against midrange and control decks, which is why it has been able to stay relevant despite the rise of decks like Gruul Prowess and Orzhov Midrange.

New from Duskmourn

Unfortunately for Rakdos Lizards they have no real new cards from Duskmourn. There are zero new Lizards in the set, and the deck is mostly lizards and a few removal spells. Their only non-Lizard, Deep-Cavern Bat, is technically replaceable, and there are some stand out cards from Duskmourn that could fill that slot. 

First is Undead Sprinter as an aggressive threat that can come back when one of your lizards die. Second is Chainsaw, if they wanted to replace a removal spell with it as a way to add a bit of extra power to a creature later in the game. Third, they could go all the way up to Overlord of the Boilerbilges, as a card that can serve as removal when they need it but also more reach, going face with the four damage to help close out the game.

The other option is Withering Torment in the sideboard to help answer enchantments. And Blazemire Verge can come in to replace some Swamps to make the mana slightly more consistent.

Domain

Domain surprised everyone when it was able to stick around despite losing the New Capenna Triomes and a key ramp card in Topiary Stomper. But it came out and dominated the first two weeks of the format before cooling down and becoming a relevant player.

A mix of the surveil lands from Murders at Karlov Manor and Fabled Passage and Heaped Harvest from Bloomburrow have allowed the deck to still consistently cast Leyline Binding for two or one mana on turn three, and definitely for that cost by turn four.

This deck still has the best late game in the format, and it is honestly about to get a lot better.

New from Duskmourn

It is no secret that Overlord of the Hauntwoods is the new and improved Topiary Stomper. It ramps on turn three, but better than that, it creates a land that is all land types giving you instant full domain. The value keeps coming though, as even if you cast the Overlord for its impending cost, it still has a mana value of five, so it triggers Up the Beanstalk, drawing you a card. So the deck now has a dream curve of turn two Up the Beanstalk into turn three Overlord of the Hauntwoods. Later in the game, you can just cast it for five mana, still ramping you and triggering your beanstalk, but also giving you a 6/5 to attack and block with.

The deck could also utilize Overlord of the Boilerbilges as a removal spell early, and one that can cleanly answer a Liliana of the Veil that has ticked up only once, and a powerful threat later. Just like Overlord of the Hauntwoods, this will trigger Up the Beanstalk even if you cast it for its impending cost.

So, Domain just got a lot more consistent, a lot more value, and more late game threats. Will this be enough to push it above Orzhov Midrange, Gruul Prowess, and Rakdos Lizards? Time will tell, but expect to see a lot of Domain early in the format.

Golgari Midrange

Golgari Midrange has held on as a relevant deck every week. It has never had a breakout weekend, it has never put up huge results, but it has also been there and that isn’t likely to change moving forward.

Golgari Midrange was considered a boogeyman early in the format, as players were first losing to the combo of Innkeeper’s Talent on level three and Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting instant kill, there was some concern about the deck being too strong. Well those fears were quickly quieted, as players both got used to playing against the deck and being prepared for the combo, as well as developed decks that could kill before the combo was even possible.

I think what has kept Golgari Midrange relevant is not just the combo but that it is a solid deck even in the games that it doesn’t combo that can occasionally steal un-winnable games with the combo.

New from Duskmourn

The deck could adopt a variety of cards from Duskmourn. I think the most likely candidate is Overlord of the Balemurk as a way to help find Vraska and just as a good value card that plays well during the games where you aren’t comboing.

A lot of the good Golgari cards from Duskmourn care about delirium, which isn’t a focus of the deck currently, so I don’t expect it to suddenly adopt cards that enable delirium outside of the overlord.

Dimir Midrange

Dimir Midrange kind of annoyed me this season. It just didn’t play any Bloomburrow cards outside of one Plumecreed Escort and a couple of copies of Fabled Passage. Despite that the deck was consistent, much like Golgari Midrange, putting up a few copies every week. It had a small breakout in Week 5, but that was followed by a big dip the following two weeks, so I’ll average it out and say it was just consistent.

So the big question moving forward will be does Dimir Midrange adopt any new cards or does it keep running the same roster?

New from Duskmourn

I think there are a few tools from Duskmourn that Dimir Midrange players should consider.

First is Floodpits Drowner as a flash threat that can help slow down aggressive decks, or even tap down a big blocker to get your threats through. Without flash I wouldn’t consider this card, but the deck really likes threats with flash as it allows them to hold up counterspells and removal spells on turn two and then if they don’t need them flash it in.

Stop me if you’ve heard about this next card before, but Overlord of the Balemurk is another consideration, just because it is a big threat at 5/5 that replaces itself. I don’t think it has particular synergy with this deck so they may pass up on it.

Last is Withering Torment for the sideboard as a way to answer enchantments. Of course, Gloomlake Verge should be added in some number, replacing some islands as they are essentially islands that sometimes are a dual land. I would probably only run two, as the deck wants to keep a couple of islands to fetch with Fabled Passage.

Token Control

Token Control comes in many forms, such as Boros which is more aggressive, Jeskai which is more controlling, and Mono-White and Orzhov which are right in the middle. Perhaps it is unfair for me to group all of them together like this, but the key card, Caretaker’s Talent, is the core of all versions of the deck.

Token Control has managed to stick around every week since week two, and was considered to be the way to build Control decks in this format. While Azorius Control put up results here and there it failed to get above my ten appearance threshold, so Token Control should probably be where you start if you want to play control in this meta.

New from Duskmourn

There are a lot of cards to consider in Duskmourn since this deck can really be any combination of colors as long as White is one of them. The stand-out White cards that could see play in any version are first Enduring Innocence, as a good blocker early on, and a way to draw even more cards when your tokens enter. The great thing about Enduring Innocence is you can block with it early, and then it will return as an Enchantment and continue to draw you cards.

Second is Overlord of the Mistmoors. This can make tokens on turn four when you cast it for its Impending cost, but the cool part is that you can then sweep up the board with a Sunfall or something similar, and your overlord will stay on the board since it isn’t a creature. Then it will become a creature a few turns later, giving you a big threat to close out the game.

Jeskai Convoke

I’ve chosen Jeskai Convoke over Boros Convoke just because it had better results. It had a couple of breakout weekends, namely week three and this past weekend, and has overall had a higher presence than Boros Convoke. That being said, this discussion can really apply to both versions of the deck.

Convoke was considered to be one of the biggest winners from rotation, as it was only losing one card, Voldaren Epicure, and there were potential replacements namely Yotian Frontliner. However it kind of failed to put up any results early and players quickly shifted to this Jeskai version, featuring Spyglass Siren over Yotian Frontliner, and Protect the Negotiators in the sideboard to help answer sweepers.

The deck is still an aggro deck that players should be prepared for, but I feel like because it was so well known players have always been ready for it since week one. Temporary Lockdown is a main deck card in a lot of decks, and Glistening Deluge lives in the sideboard of all of the black decks. This has allowed other aggro decks to rise above it, as they are either less impacted by these sweepers, or just attack from a different angle.

New from Duskmourn

The deck has a lot of cards from Duskmourn that it needs to consider.

First are two creatures featuring the Survival mechanic, which gives you an effect if that creature is tapped at the beginning of your second main phase. Normally that would be achieved by attacking but sometimes you can’t attack with your 2/2 and expect it to live. 

In Convoke decks we have Knight-Errant of Eos and Warden of the Inner Sky as ways to tap our creatures without attacking meaning we could make use of Veteran Survivor as a way to exile cards from a graveyard and then be a big threat, or Reluctant Role Model as a threat that grows and moves around counters when things die.

I’ve buried the lead here, but the best card for Convoke is a card with convoke which is The Wandering Rescuer. I’m not sure if they want this main or just as a sideboard option but I love what this card does for the deck, which is giving it some resilience to sweepers. The Wandering Rescuer can be cast in response to a Temporary Lockdown or Glistening Deluge, survive both sweepers, and then continue to pressure the opponent, getting in for six the following turn. It also lets you protect a Warden of the Inner Sky or Knight-Errant of Eos from a removal spell, giving them hexproof when you convoke them to cast this.

Another interesting card for aggro matchups is Split Up. In clogged up boards, you can tap your creatures to Warden or Knight and then cast Split Up on untapped creatures, wiping your opponent’s board and leaving yours intact.

Lastly, these two cards are likely not going to make it but I think they deserve a shout out, which is Arabella, Abandoned Doll as a way to get in a large amount of damage based on how wide you have gone, and Fear of Isolation for Jeskai versions, as a way to bounce your Knight-Errant of Eos or Imodane’s Recruiter to go again.

Other Duskmourn Cards

There are a variety of cards from Duskmourn that I haven’t mentioned yet that I think can make an impact in other less represented decks or even make new decks themselves. I talked about them in my article last week, so if you are curious feel free to check out my thoughts here:

New Duskmourn Cards for Standard – Constructed Set Review

I also think there are a variety of new decks that will come about from Duskmourn, as we’ve already seen their potential in the Streamer Event that happened last week. If you want to see some decks featuring Duskmourn cards that you can try, check out my article where I give you 15 new decks you can try!

15 New Duskmourn Standard Decks

As the meta develops I’ll be back every Monday this season as well to break it down and keep you informed about the happenings and highlighting cool new decks along the way!

Wrapping Up

Bloomburrow managed to make a big impact on Standard, giving us Rakdos Lizards, powering up Gruul Prowess and Orzhov Midrange, keeping Domain relevant, giving Golgari Midrange a combo kill, and spawning Token Control as an archetype.

I’m excited to see how Duskmourn shakes up the meta as well! Will these top decks stay at the top, or will new decks rise to take their place? Will decks that were sitting lower in the meta power up?

Whatever happens, I’ll be here to break it down. Until then, best of luck in your matches and enjoy Duskmourn’s release tomorrow!