The Standard metagame changes week to week, decks get pushed out, and new strategies flow in. It might be difficult to keep up with trends sometimes. This is why I will be making it much easier for you by making a ranking of the best decks for a given period! Let’s introduce the Meta Tier List update for the week and the Standard Power Rankings.
General Thoughts
Wilds of Eldraine has just released and we’ve got one weekend of results in.
The set seems to have had a decent impact, mainly adding new cards to existing strategies.
It has, however, spawned a handful of new decks that might or might not have a long-lasting impact.
I think there are some decks still under the radar that I want to keep my eye out on like Pia Thopters, Temur Adventures, and Food strategies.
Standard Best of One (Bo1) Meta Tier List – September 12, 2023
Esper Legends treads the line between aggro and midrange but one thing is certain – it’s a full-on creature strategy. It does not interact much pre-board but can become much more reactive if need be. The main plan is to outclass whatever the opponent is doing by playing the absolute best creatures in the Esper colour combination. The manabase is surprisingly consistent, in large part thanks to Plaza of Heroes which is both a painless Mana Confluence and Tamiyo's Safekeeping all in one card.
This deck has not got a lot from Eldraine but is still plenty playable. There can be a lot of adjustments made based on person preferences such as more interaction, card selection, or more aggression.
It’s a safe choice in the first few weeks of the format since it’s still a deck full to the brim with good cards but also posing an aggressive plan, forcing the opponent to adapt to what you’re doing.
Between it’s excellent performance in Best of One and respectable finishes in Best of Three MTGO Challenges, I cannot put Mono Red any lower.
I can safely say that it’s the utter aggression that benefits the deck so much. While others are trying to find a good shell for their new favourite cards from Eldraine, Mono Red keeps asking questions, demanding the right answer at the right juncture.
It punishes greed, slow decks, and people fumbling around – and that’s what happening, especially Week 1.
Dimir Midrange still holds a firm grasp on the format. Since it has solid removal, threats, and is consistent in how it executes its plan, it performs decent in both Best of One and Best of Three.
Coming into Week One it was everybody’s best bet although some decided to go for Dimir…Faeries! It might be just a flash in the pan but that remains to be seen. What’s certain is that the Dimir core has a lot going for it right now.
Much to some people’s disappointment but to happiness of Dimir mains, the deck is here to stay – at very high #2 place.
Despite being called a ramp strategy, it’s very interactive. With Ossification and Leyline Binding, any threat can be stopped in its tracks very early in the game. If the opponent manages to go wide though, you’ve got Sunfall to take care of that.
With everyone expecting Dimir, a big group of players sleeved up Ramp to combat it for the most recent MTGO Challenge and they were rewarded handsomely. It was hands down the best performing deck this weekend and it wasn’t particularly close.
Also known as Skura or IslandsInFront on Twitter and YouTube, Filip started his career upon the release of Gatecrash and has been passing the turn in all formats ever since. He coaches and creates written and video content, mainly centered around the control archetype. He is passionate about Magic game theory and countering spells. Outside of Magic, he is a fan of snooker/pool, chess and Project Management.
