Table of Contents
Introduction
Discover the best Magic: The Gathering Arena Standard decks and archetypes that the players are using to climb the ranked ladder and win tournaments. Our MTG Arena Best of Three (Bo3) Standard Meta Tier List regularly reviews and ranks the top decks in the format, carefully curated by Bohe, an old wizard who undoubtedly has a lot to share. We also follow up our choices based on a variety of factors and sources, with a comprehensive analysis of the available data.
Meta Report
Standard Best of Three (Bo3) Meta Tier List
Tier | Deck Name | Guide |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Boros Convoke 🔼 | Guide |
Tier 1 | 4/5-Color Domain 🔽 | Guide |
Tier 1 | Esper Midrange 🔽 | Guide |
Tier 1 | Bant Toxic 🔼 | Guide ⭐ |
Tier 1 | Simic Artifacts 🆕 | |
Tier 1 | Azorius Control 🆕 | |
Tier 1 | Dimir Midrange 🔼 | Guide |
Tier 1 | Azorius Mentor 🆕 | Guide |
Tier 1 | Mono Red Aggro 🔽 | Guide |
Tier 2 | Rakdos Midrange 🔽 | |
Tier 2 | Golgari Midrange 🔽 | Guide |
Tier 2 | Orzhov Amalia 🆕 | |
Tier 2 | Rakdos Aggro 🆕 | |
Tier 2 | Esper Control 🆕 | |
Tier 3 | Gruul Aggro | Guide 🆕 |
Tier 3 | Mono Black Aggro 🆕 | |
Tier 3 | Sultai Reanimator 🆕 |
Tier List Disclaimer
- Only decks that have a win rate greater than 51% in this raked queue have been considered.
- No deck with less than 900 games has been considered.
- More than 95,000 games registered from February 6 to date.
- This includes all ranks, from Bronze to Mythic.
- Tier 1: 55.0%+
- Tier 2: 52.5% – 54.9%
- Tier 3: 51.0% – 52.4%
🔼 – The deck has improved its position on the chart. This includes movements within the same tier.
🔽 – The deck has lost positions on the table. This includes movements within the same tier.
🆕 – First appearance in the tier list.
Tier 1
Boros Convoke
Creatures (27)
Sorceries (4)
Lands (22)
60 Cards
$344.74
Sideboard
15 Cards
$109.35
The novelty of the moment. And with good reason. As I already mentioned in our Bo1 tierlist, Novice Inspector’s impression alone was enough to boost the archetype to the top of the list.
It’s simple. The fact that we now have 8 turn 1 cards that can enable our power play makes the consistency of this archetype much greater. We also can’t forget Case of the Getaway Express and Warleader's Call. I think it’s clear which archetype benefited the most from the launch of MKM.
Some iterations plays Regal Bunnicorn and Yotian Frontliner. I’m not a big fan, however, I think it’s not a mistake.
- WR: 59.4%
- Matches: 12,000
4/5-Color Domain
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (13)
Enchantments (8)
Lands (26)
60 Cards
$703.34
Sideboard
15 Cards
$26.13
It’s difficult for something to happen and consequently this archetype is going to leave Tier 1 in Bo3.
He will probably accompany us until this year’s rotation. It all depends on the impact that the Topiary Stomper rotation is going to have on the deck and if there will be a replacement for this dinosaur by then.
Surprisingly in MTG Arena it’s no longer the most played deck. However, I think this may be because he doesn’t play any new cards, making it unappealing to newer options.
- WR: 57.5%
- Matches: 4,500
Esper Midrange
Planeswalkers (2)
Creatures (16)
Lands (26)
60 Cards
$567.36
Sideboard
15 Cards
$52.99
Another archetype that can not play any MKM cards and still be a solid contender is Esper Midrange. The truth is that in this archetype some flashy options like Delney, Streetwise Lookout make many of our important abilities fire twice.
When an archetype is already well solidified in Tier 1, the new cards have to be very good to require a slot. Massacre Girl, Known Killer or Long Goodbye are good examples depending on the meta moves.
- WR: 56,7%
- Matches: 5,600
Bant Toxic
Creatures (24)
Instants (13)
Enchantments (3)
Lands (20)
60 Cards
$300.52
Sideboard
15 Cards
$32.23
Winning a 202-player tournament is no small feat. On February 11, Robt6 finished with all his competitors by winning the Standard tournament at DreamHack.
What’s interesting about this are some of the choices on Robt’s list. 3 Tainted Observer and 2 Infectious Bite are key to finishing off the opponent and getting the 10 poison counters.
These striking victories undoubtedly catapult the popularity of some archetypes and this case is no exception. Bant Toxic has gained some spots on this list and as the development of the meta seems to show, I doubt he will be leaving Tier 1 anytime soon.
- WR: 56.6%
- Matches: 2,100
Simic Artifacts
Creatures (28)
Enchantments (4)
Lands (22)
60 Cards
$341.54
Sideboard
15 Cards
$59.39
Simic Artifacts is a curious case. The archetype has existed since the release of Ixalan, however it had failed to stand out.
Little by little it has been gaining popularity due to the movements in the meta, which generate some favorable games with strong decks. Without an archetype to take into account.
Personally, I like Cliff’s decision to play The Goose Mother I have seen some other iterations of the deck without this card and I think that although it’s not a necessary card for the deck to function, it gives it impressive range to get out of trouble in games that have been extended.
One more deck where the MKM card falls on the sideboard. Do you think it’s necessary to play Repulsive Mutation? I read you in the comment section down below.
- WR: 56.5%
- Matches: 1,800
Azorius Control
Planeswalkers (4)
Creatures (2)
Instants (18)
Enchantments (4)
Lands (27)
60 Cards
$367
Sideboard
15 Cards
$24.87
I have talked a lot about No More Lies, and with your forgiveness I will continue to do so. I think it had been years since the last time any card was so similar to Mana Leak, one of the best counters in the history of the game.
Its mere existence causes an event similar to that of Boros Convoke with its new cards. The archetype is going through the roof, both in popularity and winrate. This is because No More Lies solidifies the early game of this archetype. And you already know what happens when a deck control reaches late game, don’t you?
Furthermore, the space to play Ezrim, Agency Chief is latent there, and is undoubtedly part of winning lists. Matter of taste.
- WR: 56.4%
- Matches: 5,600
Dimir Midrange
Creatures (22)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$532.8
Sideboard
15 Cards
$38.83
An existing archetype like this Dimir is just one big win away from other players deciding to give it a try.
If what happened with Bant Toxic was relevant, Yutaro’s victory in a tournament of almost 450 people is, in my opinion, somewhat more impactful for the meta.
This, in my opinion, is a consequence of the high esteem in which the community has Japanese players. This list is incredibly well-refined and has a curve capable of taking on anyone.
It’s noteworthy that it’s difficult to standardize the name. In many places people refer to the deck as Dimir Aggro. That’s right; it plays 22 creatures and the curve is quite low. However, the way it splits its non-creature spells in combination with Faerie Mastermind makes the deck feel a bit more midrange and/or tempo.
- WR: 56.0%
- Matches: 3,400
Azorius Mentor
Creatures (15)
Instants (14)
Sorceries (12)
Lands (19)
60 Cards
$253.1
Sideboard
15 Cards
$37.01
Speaking of tempo decks, UW Mentor is without a doubt the #1 option in the current meta.
The numbers are enough to support it as a good choice. The absence of No More Lies may seem strange. However, playing 19 lands means that card selection has to be very careful. If a card costs 2 or more mana, it has to be a centerpiece of the equation. That said, I don’t think it’s crazy to try to play some copies that could easily be sideboarded and swapped with Get Lost in games where the opponent plays few creatures.
- WR: 55.6%
- Matches: 1,300
Mono Red Aggro
Creatures (20)
Instants (13)
Enchantments (4)
60 Cards
$122.38
Sideboard
15 Cards
$36.75
The conventional version of Mono Red with Charming Scoundrel, Squee, Dubious Monarch continues to be talked about.
Although I could put up a conventional Mono Red list, I think it’s important to let you know that a version with several new cards is starting to gain momentum. Whether in tournaments or on the Arena ladder, playing Fugitive Codebreaker and Pyrotechnic Performer is now more common.
And no surprise, that both cards play very well in the current meta. Whether filling our hand in long games like the old Ox of Agonas used to do, or enabling a Lightning Bolt for midgame, the two MKM cards are certainly a very interesting addition.
Yosuke Yamada came in 2nd place in a tournament of 190 people with this list. A promising result for this new interaction of the archetype.
- WR: 55.1%
- Matches: 4,500
Tier 2
Golgari Midrange
Creatures (22)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$482.82
Sideboard
15 Cards
$84.79
The Japanese do it once again. 4 copies of Sharp-Eyed Rookie, 1 Izoni, Center of the Web, Long Goodbye and Pick Your Poison.
These choices helped Riiryu achieve a pretty good result by finishing in the Top 13 of the 190-player Japanese tournament.
Do you remember Experiment One or Evolving Adaptive? Both were iconic cards in green aggro decks at the time. Now, the Sharp-Eyed Rookie is similar but much better thanks to the clues, making this deck able to play the medium or long game without as many complications as other decks with so many creatures. It reminds me of a combination of the aforementioned cards with the Tireless Tracker.
I can’t help but note my surprise that Assassin's Trophyisn’t on this list. I think playing at least a couple copies for permanents we can’t otherwise touch would be important, even giving the opponent a land.
- WR: 54.6%
- Matches: 4,900
Rakdos Midrange
Creatures (11)
Artifacts (1)
Lands (27)
60 Cards
$481.52
Sideboard
15 Cards
$222.21
One of the archetypes that has lost the most popularity is Rakdos Midrange, Rakdos Reanimate, Rakdos Control, let’s call it whatever is most comfortable for you.
Since the release of MKM he has not achieved any relevant position in any large tournament. The top 8 of rosti56 in the MTGO Challenge of January 21 is the last major result of this archetype. However, this does not mean that it has disappeared from the ladder. It has a good win rate and a considerable number of games, surpassing even other Tier 1 decks such as Simic Artifacts or UW Mentor in popularity in Arena.
The problem may lie, as I have already said, in the lack of new options. This doesn’t mean previous lists aren’t strong anymore, but if other decks get awesome cards like Boros Convoke, that’s where the stagnation problem lies.
There are interesting options in MKM like Vein Ripper that can melt Convoke if you manage to have it on the board for a turn and sweep the field, or Incinerator of the Guilty, which would take advantage of all the cards we have in the graveyard.
However, one way or another, Etali, Primal Conqueror, and Trumpeting Carnosaur both have effects that impact the field immediately. Also, Case of the Crimson Pulse could be an interesting option for this archetype.
I find it difficult for the list to change too much. We’ll see in the next few days if any brave soul makes this archetype stand out again.
- WR: 54.4%
- Matches: 3,300
Orzhov Midrange
Planeswalkers (7)
Creatures (14)
Instants (2)
Enchantments (4)
Lands (24)
60 Cards
$434.86
Sideboard
15 Cards
$95.65
The existence of No Witnesses in the company of Unyielding Gatekeeper makes playing curve-heavy white decks tempting.
With two copies of Tomik, Wielder of Law on the sideboard, facing Convoke or other aggro decks doesn’t sound unrealistic. That’s not counting the number of cards that Doorkeeper Thrull stops dead.
The archetype is not really popular today, but if we remember, months ago Orzhov was the daily bread. He fights to survive, but I think he certainly lacks time before he is lost in oblivion. Especially having received new cards that work great in the archetype.
- WR: 54.3%
- Matches: 1,700
Orzhov Amalia
Creatures (29)
Lands (24)
60 Cards
$433.6
Sideboard
15 Cards
$88.59
Sometimes it is necessary to read between the lines. Although the win percentage and number of games for the archetype in general puts it in Tier 2, this build in MTG Arena is having a formidable performance.
I think it would be easy to call him a “Silent Performer” if the term we usually use in Marvel Snap Tier List was translatable to MTG Arena.
Let’s not get carried away by the combined numbers. Although it hasn’t stood out in paper tournaments lately, if this iteration of Amalia Benavides Aguirre became popular, I think it could definitely shoot up to Tier 1 easily.
- WR: 53.7%
- Matches: 1,200
Rakdos Aggro
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (27)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$536.74
Sideboard
15 Cards
$164.45
It would be unfair to say that the acceptable win rate of this archetype in Arena is an example of its real power.
It’s true that it does not play new cards. However, getting 2nd place in this tournament that we have already mentioned several times in the Tier List is no small feat.
This means that in the current meta where Esper, Toxic, Convoke, Domain or UW exist, this strategy is still able to leapfrog the competition quickly.
Once again I think the list is strong enough that thinking about adding new cards is difficult; which is why its popularity has likely declined. In any case, I think this result in a recent tournament will undoubtedly mean that in a few days this deck will have gained some positions on the table.
- WR: 53.4%
- Matches: 1,200
Esper Control
Planeswalkers (4)
Creatures (2)
Instants (27)
Enchantments (2)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$321.04
Sideboard
15 Cards
$66.15
Do you think we’ve talked enough about No More Lies? 0K, let’s look in another direction. Wait, maybe we’ve already talked about Long Goodbye.
Joking aside, the reality is that this Esper list represents well the idea of why we would want to play a three-color control archetype instead of not complicating ourselves with UW. The Black color gives us a very good early game removal, the white gives us strong Planeswalkers and the aforementioned counter, and the blue has interesting choices, at least in this list.
Out of Air seems pretty good to me against the current creature-heavy meta, and I think Intruder on the Mind is a card that still has a long way to go.
We’ll see where control ends up settling in a few weeks. Meanwhile playing UW, Esper, or even Bant or Jeskai is quite understandable.
- WR: 52.7%
- Matches: 2,200
Tier 3
Gruul Aggro
Creatures (14)
Instants (18)
Lands (20)
60 Cards
$142.18
Sideboard
15 Cards
$34.53
Gruul is an exception in this tier list. If we consider the standard metrics noted at the beginning of the article, Gruul fails to meet the minimum 900 games to be considered a deck, however, it’s very close.
In the same way, if we consider the Diamond and Mythic rank, Gruul disappears from the map and does not achieve the necessary WR of 51%. Nevertheless, if we take into account only the Bronze to Platinum statistics, it achieves these quite acceptable scores.
That is why it seems relevant to me to place this exception case in the table because lower ranked players will undoubtedly find it as part of their competitive environment.
- WR: 52.1%
- Matches: 820
Mono-Black Aggro
Planeswalkers (4)
Creatures (24)
60 Cards
$202.66
Sideboard
15 Cards
$47.31
Another deck that, due to the lack of new additions, is slowly starting to get lost in the meta is Mono Black Aggro.
Beyond the fact that Hunted Bonebrute could be tested or include some copies of Long Goodbye, few options are viable for this archetype with the launch of MKM.
It’s been a few weeks since FerMTG achieved a TOp 8 in a tournament of almost 100 players. In any case, some players continue to choose this deck to play ranked games because the list has remained consistent for some expansions now.
- WR: 51.8%
- Matches: 1,300
Sultai Reanimator
Creatures (15)
Artifacts (2)
Enchantments (7)
Lands (24)
60 Cards
$470.4
Sideboard
15 Cards
$71.95
Unlike other archetypes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 with little representation in Arena and a modest win rate, Squirming Emergence seems to me to be the low tier deck that has the most potential.
It’s certainly not an archetype that plays MKM cards either. However, Fumihiro Kanimura’s recent result in the MKM Cup at Big Magic Japan of almost 450 players makes anyone think that this deck is far from being a Tier 3.
Although in this Tier List we take into account Arena’s results for positioning, this recent result makes me think that this archetype will undoubtedly rise at least a few positions in the coming weeks. Especially since playing Unlicensed Harse is already rare.
- WR: 50.9%
- Matches: 1,400
End Step
Another a great update to our tier lists. After revising our Tier 1 Deck List, many new archetypes appear, many others rise, and our Bo3 Tier List is not the exception. Azorius Control is rising quickly and Boros Convoke is reigning in both ranked queues.
Other unpopular archetypes have had incredible results these days such as Simic Artifacts, Dimir Midrange (Aggro) or even the Sultai Reanimator.
All of this presents us with a metagame that I find quite enjoyable. Furthermore, I do not rule out that Selesnya Enchantments, Jeskai Control, Naya Humans, Dinosaurs, or Pirates, archetypes known in Bo1, could make a jump to Bo3. It’s all a matter of some good result in a big tournament for popularity to skyrocket.
The next few weeks will be very interesting. Meanwhile. In the meantime, see you soon in a new article.
Let us know your thoughts on this and any other MTG-related topics in the MTG Arena Community Discord, on my Twitter, and in the comment section of this article.
Don’t forget that I have started providing personal coaching services for Magic the Gathering and Marvel Snap. If you want to contact me, look for me:
- On Discord as bohettv
- On my Twitter
- Via email at [email protected]
- On Twitch
Thank you so much for reaching this last paragraph and remember; don’t forget to smile every day; it surely makes a difference.