Table of Contents
The Standard Metagame Challenge is coming soon. This month is special, the March Metagame MADNESS will bring four events, one per week, where we can participate in undoubtedly the best events for constructed formats Arena.
The amount of resources that can be obtained with good results is significant compared to the cost of entering these events.
March Metagame MADNESS
- March 8-11: Standard Metagame Challenge
- March 15-18: Historic Metagame Challenge
- March 29-April 1: Explorer Metagame Challenge
- April 5-8: Timeless Metagame Challenge
Event Details
Bring your Standard deck and play best-of-three matches! You’ll receive rewards based on how many matches you win.
- Duration: March 08, 2024 at 8:00 AM PST – March 11, 2024 at 8:00 AM PST
- Format: Standard
- Entry Fee: 2,000 Gold or 400 Gems
- Ends After: 7 wins or 1 loss (whichever comes first – single elimination)
- Match Structure: Best-of-three matches (BO3)
Rewards
| Wins | Rewards |
|---|---|
| 7 wins | 5,000 gold + 30 Standard packs |
| 6 wins | 4,000 gold + 20 Standard packs |
| 5 wins | 3,000 gold + 10 Standard packs |
| 4 wins | 2,500 gold + 5 Standard packs |
| 3 wins | 2,000 gold + 3 Standard packs |
| 2 wins | 1,500 gold + 1 Standard pack |
| 1 win | 1,000 gold |
| 0 wins | 500 gold |
This means that a couple of wins are enough to make a profit. 1,500 gold + the cost of a booster in the store adds up to 2,500 which means +500.
We have to take this opportunity. Taking into account that the Standard Metagame Challenge usually happens shortly after a set has been released and that the event had already been discontinued for some time, having an additional Standard Metagame Challenge after the return of it that just happened in February, just before the launch of Murders at Karlov Manor, marks an incredible opportunity that we shouldn’t let pass. The metagame is already quite defined and this allows us to attack it from different angles.
It would be logical and simple to recommend the most popular archetypes. However, after analyzing in detail our recent Bo3 Meta Tier List and meta report on the format as well as Frank Karsten’s recent article on the format’s metagame, I believe that some very interesting options could give us the desired 7-0 result simply by and plain probability.
Sultai Reanimator
Sultai Reanimator – Brian Zeng 75K Open 7th Place
by Bohe
Standard
Combo
best of 3
10 mythic
34 rare
8 uncommon
8 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (15)
Instants (4)
Artifacts (2)
Lands (23)
60 Cards
$436.4
Sideboard
15 Cards
$65.47
A few days ago I made it clear when talking about this archetype in our tier list for Standard Bo3. Unlike other low-tier archetypes with little representation in Arena, Squirming Emergence seemed to me to be the deck with the most potential.
A few weeks ago in Japan, Fumihiro Kanimura made a top 4 in a tournament of more than 450 people, and now at the last MagicCon: Chicago with an attendance of 568 players, the archetype managed to qualify for the top in 4th place piloted by Brian Zeng.
Although he lost their quarterfinals and the archetype finished in 7th place, a score of 12-3-1 is impressive. And that’s not all, the other archetype player, Brandon McArthur, had a great participation with a 5-1-2.
If this isn’t proof of solidity, I don’t know what is. The format is far from having a sideboard prepared with enough graveyard hate to combat this type of strategy or at least for now. Additionally, unlike Rakdos Midrange, which used to have a similar plan, the Sultai color scheme in the current Standard has a much more efficient way to make this strategy work.
As if that were not enough, being able to naturally cast the Titan of Industry in case the game drags on is much more relevant today than hard casting an Etali, Primal Conqueror, which depends on its hits to be relevant.
With a 62.1% win rate in Chicago, and incredible results recently, if you ask me, I would play this deck in all competitive events and tournaments until I noticed that people are respecting it with at least 3 Unlicensed Hearse on their sideboards.
Azorius Midrange
Azorius Midrange – Thirawat Chaovarindr JP Standard Cup 4th
by Bohe
Standard
Midrange
best of 3
8 mythic
37 rare
7 uncommon
8 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (4)
Creatures (14)
Lands (26)
60 Cards
$468.82
Sideboard
15 Cards
$35.73
We have talked endlessly about No More Lies. The results of Frank Karsten’s analysis do not let me lie.
During our last update to the Standard Tier List, I mentioned that No More Lies was shaping up to be MKM’s best card. During the big Chicago tournament, No More Lies was the most played card, with a total of 497 copies among the 568 participants.
This makes it clear that playing some iteration of Azorius is a good idea. Thinking about UW Control is not illogical, and it would certainly be a recommended option. However, we have room for 5 decks. This leads me to believe that recommending Azorius Midrange would be somewhat more effective.
As I said at the beginning of the article, my recommendations here are based on pure statistics, and Azorius Midrange had a better win rate than Azorius Control in Chicago. The difference is minimal but relevant enough. 56.5% for Midrange and 54.9% wins for Control.
I chose to recommend this midrange version over others and any from UW Control due to the presence of the Doorkeeper Thrull playset.
Thiriwat Chaovarindr achieved an incredible result in the Japan Standard Cup: “Murders at Karlov Manor” on February 11 of this year. With a 9-2-1 record, finishing fourth in a tournament of 480 people is no small feat. While it is true that there are interesting iterations of this archetype in the Chicago tournament, the one I present here I believe has a better chance against the current meta. I’ve already said it, Doorkeeper Thrull stops the triggers of important cards like Knight-Errant of Eos, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Deep-Cavern Bat, and countless other relevant creatures.
Many players of other archetypes with access to white are already using this creature on their sideboard. Why not play one of the archetypes that best benefits from playing this creature on curve?
Dimir Midrange
Dimir Midrange – Anthony Desangles $75K Open 2nd Place
by Bohe
Standard
Midrange
best of 3
6 mythic
30 rare
14 uncommon
10 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (24)
Artifacts (1)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$429.46
Sideboard
15 Cards
$59.67
Quoting my words from our most recent tier list: “Dimir is just one big win away from other players deciding to give it a try.” And that was the case.
Yutaro Tokuyama was the probable reason why this archetype is impacting the meta today. His iteration of the archetype was the winner of the BIG MAGIC tournament and as a result of the community’s high esteem for Japanese players, the archetype is represented and players like Anthony Desangles achieve results such as placing second in the Chicago tournament with a record. of 11-3-1.
Much of the success of this archetype is due to it having a favorable matchup against Boros Convoke, one of the most popular decks in the current metagame which we will talk about soon. Coming out prepared against this archetype is undoubtedly a good idea for this weekend. However, beyond having a favorable matchup against one of the best and most popular decks in the format, Dimir Midrange has one of the most powerful and disruptive curves in the format.
Creature, removal, or discard on turn 1 as required. Creature, removal, or counter on turn 2. Preacher of Schism in Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to finish off in Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal is a curve I don’t want to face.
Boros Convoke
Boros Convoke – Qail Shivji $75K Open 11th Place
by Bohe
Standard
Aggro
best of 3
2 mythic
29 rare
15 uncommon
14 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (31)
Sorceries (4)
Lands (21)
60 Cards
$246.78
Sideboard
15 Cards
$76.27
If there’s one thing that’s true about Magic, it’s that playing some iteration of a powerful archetype from an Eternal format in Standard is a good idea.
Boros Convoke was an unpopular archetype before the release of Murders at Karlov Manor. Time is proof that the MKM cards that have been added to the archetype are a fundamental part of the deck’s current success.
The Novice Inspector playset and the 3-4 copies of Case of the Getaway Express are already staples of the archetype. Speaking of this last enchantment, I can’t help but be surprised by the amount of text that WotC can put on a 1 or 2-cost card. Effective removal in a deck like this also transforms into an effect that enhances our attacks. Few turn 2 or 3 creatures would be able to resist this card’s effect and block our attacks.
Going a little beyond the obvious, I think it is important to highlight Qail’s list and its adaptation to an expected meta. Instead of playing Yotian Frontliner or multiple copies of Warleader's Call, two copies of Charming Scoundrel, and two copies of Thalia, Guardian of Thraben are very helpful at specific moments that can be the difference between winning or losing a match.
From ruminating a card to find the land or spell we need, generating a treasure to cast a three-cost card if we don’t draw the land, and exerting pressure with the Charming Scoundrel‘s Haste, to stopping slow decks in their tracks on turn 2 because of Thalia’s effect. Without a doubt, flexible slots that you can adjust according to what you expect.
A 53.2% win rate with 13.0% of the field in Chicago, and a 53.7% win rate during the last 7 days on Arena are very relevant numbers.
Sultai Aftermath
Sultai Aftermath – Cftsoc $75K Open 1st Place
by Bohe
Standard
Combo
best of 3
8 mythic
28 rare
8 uncommon
24 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (2)
Creatures (14)
Artifacts (2)
Lands (36)
68 Cards
$437.44
Sideboard
15 Cards
$130.11
Seeing these types of decks makes me think once again that the decision to make the Standard rotation every 3 years was the closest Wizards made in recent years.
Archetypes continue to be born and thanks to players like Cftsoc who have created several very innovative decks in recent times decks like this Sultai Combo are capable of achieving great things. And when I say big things I mean things like winning the Chicago Standard tournament with a $75K prize pool and over 560 players.
I would choose this archetype for a similar reason to what I mentioned when we talked about Sultai Reanimate. The format does not respect archetypes with graveyard-based strategies. This deck, unlike Sultai Reanimate, works in a quite different and somewhat innovative way.
And I say in a certain way because some of you will know some of the combos that could be generated in 4-Colors Legends with Slogurk, the Overslime deck also created by Cftsoc. Let me explain it calmly.
How Sultai Aftermath Combo Works
You need to have Nissa, Resurgent Animist, Slogurk, the Overslime, and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire on the field. In the graveyard, we need an Aftermath Analyst and 10 New Capenna fetch lands. It may seem like a lot, but when the deck can play a normal game of Magic and explode with this combo from nowhere, there are few options left for opponents.
To start the combo we must use the Channel aility of a second copy of Takenuma, Abandoned Mire that we must have in our hand and return to the Aftermath Analyst By casting this creature and then sacrificing it we can return all the lands to the battlefield, triggering Nissa, Resurgent Animist, and generating 11 mana.
When this happens we gain mana in each loop, allowing us to generate an infinite amount of mana and thus eventually mill our opponent with Jace, the Perfected Mind. Funny isn’t it?
It sounds complicated, but they are undoubtedly interactions that, when the opponent does not expect them, are capable of ending games without the possibility of a response. Furthermore, as I said, the deck is capable of playing normal Magic games and adapting to the opponent in question with the Sideboard. Without a doubt another deck with a graveyard-based strategy that can get the desired result of 7-0 this weekend.
It’s important to note that the fact that the deck has 68 cards does not seem to be a mistake. As Frank Karsten explains well in his analysis, a large number of New Capenna lands and basic lands are necessary for the combo to work. Other great players in history have made similar decisions for reasons that fit the theory of this deck. Rei Zhang “Cftsoc” is without a doubt one of the best contemporary deckbuilders in this game.
End Step
If you’ve read this far, give me one more minute of your attention. It’s not illogical to decide to opt for Domain, Esper Midrange, or UW Control, for this event. If you want to find the best lists of Tier 1 decks or those with a high percentage of presence in the meta, I invite you once again to review the updated Bo3 Meta Tier List or the latest metagame report.
I say that it’s not a mistake because there is a reason these archetypes are undoubtedly solid Tier 1 in the current format and occupy a large part of the meta.
This is precisely why it will be common for you to find opponents prepared to face you if you choose them, which will make the path a little more complicated. I’ll give you an example. If I mention Boros Convoke or Dimir Midrange as options it’s because, despite being very popular, their win rate is not significantly reduced.
Unlike Bant Toxic for example, which was the sixth most played deck in Chicago but had a win rate of 42.2%. The reason? The archetype eats Domain alive, but loses to Convoke, the 2nd most popular.
That is why my recommendations are divided into two Tier 1 archetypes with a high win rate despite their popularity Dimir Midrange and Boros Convoke, two archetypes with low popularity but great results Sultai Reanimator and Sultai Aftermath, and one more that is a variant of a Tier 1 Azorius Midrange , giving you the surprise factor with the robustness of UW Control.
A 7-0 with Mono Red or Golgari wouldn’t be a surprise, but if I had to choose, I would definitely go with one of the 5 archetypes present above.
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 to tag me and MTG Arena Zone on Twitter if you make a 7-0. Also, 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.
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Bohe
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