Locations
The Standard Metagame
Here is a breakdown of the deck archetypes that have finished in the Top 16 of a major tournament over the last thirty days. It includes results from both StarCityGames Standard Opens in Dallas and Grand Prix Guadalajara.
Jund Midrange and Reanimator are still on top, but Naya (Gruul) Blitz is gaining momentum. Over a third of the metagame is composed of archetypes with one to three Top 16 finishes over the last month, including Bant Control, BR Dragon Zombies, and Esper Control.
Tournament Review – GP: Guadalajara
Here are the Top 16 decks from Grand Prix Guadalajara. Please note that two lists were not posted at the deadline for this article. The graphs display the colors and most-played archetypes of the Top 16.
Top 8 decklists can be found here.
Decks in ninth through sixteenth can be found here.
| Place | Deck | Colors | |||||
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| 1 | Reanimator |
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| 2 | Domri Naya |
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| 3 | Domri Naya |
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| 4 | The Aristocrats |
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| 5 | Naya Blitz |
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| 6 | Reanimator |
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| 7 | Reanimator |
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| 8 | Reanimator |
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| 9 | Reanimator |
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| 10 | Jund Midrange |
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| 11 | WBR Rites |
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| 12 | Naya Blitz |
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| 13 | Unknown | ||||||
| 14 | Unknown | ||||||
| 15 | Esper Control |
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| 16 | Jund Midrange |
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Reanimator took five of the Top 16 spots, including Andres Martinez, who won the tournament.
Decks Worth Noting
- Sixth place: Reanimator deck that included one copy of Blood Baron of Vizkopa in the main deck
- Eleventh place: WBR Rites deck with Aurelia, the Warleader and Faithless Looting
Tournament Review – SCG Open: Dallas
There were also two SCG Standard Opens in Dallas this weekend. Here are the Top 16 decklists for each.
Saturday Open
| Place | Top 16 Saturday | Colors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UWR Control |
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| 2 | Naya Blitz |
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| 3 | The Aristocrats |
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| 4 | Naya Blitz |
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| 5 | GW Aggro |
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| 6 | Naya Aggro |
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| 7 | Reanimator |
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| 8 | Reanimator |
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| 9 | Jund Midrange |
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| 10 | Reanimator |
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| 11 | BR Dragon Zombies |
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| 12 | Reanimator |
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| 13 | Jund Midrange |
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| 14 | Junk Tokens |
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| 15 | Bant Auras |
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| 16 | Bant Aggro |
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Decks Worth Noting
- First place: UWR Control deck playing one AEtherling main and one side and two Warleader's Helix main
- Eleventh place: BR Dragon Zombies deck with four Spike Jester and four Bump in the Night main
- Twelfth place: Reanimator deck added red to play Boros Reckoner with both Blasphemous Act and Harvest Pyre. It includes Sire of Insanity and Faithless Looting for even more graveyard fun.
- Fourteenth place: Junk Tokens deck featuring Voice of Resurgence and Advent of the Wurm joining the usual suspects
- Sixteenth place: Bant Aggro deck with Geist of Saint Traft, the Silverblade Paladin and Wolfir Silverheart pairing, Advent of the Wurm, and Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Sunday Open
| Place | Top 16 Sunday | Colors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naya Aggro |
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| 2 | Bant Auras |
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| 3 | Jund Midrange |
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| 4 | Naya Blitz |
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| 5 | Jund Midrange |
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| 6 | UWR Control |
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| 7 | Four-Color Midrange |
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| 8 | Naya Blitz |
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| 9 | Jund Midrange |
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| 10 | GB Midrange |
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| 11 | UWR Control |
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| 12 | Reanimator |
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| 13 | Naya Blitz |
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| 14 | BRW Zombies |
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| 15 | Naya Midrange |
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| 16 | Bant Aggro |
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Decks Worth Noting
- Tenth place: GB Midrange deck with Desecration Demon and a lot of removal (more below)
- Fourteenth place: BRW Aristocratic Zombies deck adding Cartel Aristocrat, Orzhov Charm, and Lingering Souls to a BR Zombies shell
- Sixteenth place: Bant Aggro deck featuring Delver of Secrets joining forces with some familiar faces and new friends
Card Catalog
The charts and graphs below provide information about what creatures and removal saw the most play in the Top 16 decks at GP: Guadalajara, including number of copies, average copies played main and sideboard, number of decks, and an archetype breakdown.
Archetype Breakdown
| Card | Archetype | Average | Avg Main | Avg Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avacyn's Pilgrim | Domri Naya | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | Reanimator | 3.8 | 3.8 | 0.0 |
| Thragtusk | Domri Naya | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | Jund Midrange | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | Reanimator | 3.6 | 3.4 | 0.2 |
| Restoration Angel | Domri Naya | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 | Reanimator | 3.8 | 3.8 | 0.0 |
| Boros Reckoner | Domri Naya | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | Naya Blitz | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | The Aristocrats | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Sin Collector | Reanimator | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | The Aristocrats | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | WBR | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Voice of Resurgence | Domri Naya | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | Reanimator | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Acidic Slime | Reanimator | 3.2 | 2.8 | 0.4 |
| Angel of Serenity | Reanimator | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Fiend Hunter | Naya Blitz | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | Reanimator | 2.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Arbor Elf | Reanimator | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
Archetype Breakdown
| Card | Archetype | Average | Avg Main | Avg Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pillar of Flame | Domri Naya | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | Jund Midrange | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | Naya Blitz | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 4.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Abrupt Decay | Jund Midrange | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | Reanimator | 2.4 | 0.0 | 2.4 |
| Tragic Slip | Esper Control | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | Jund Midrange | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | The Aristocrats | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Mizzium Mortars | Domri Naya | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | Jund Midrange | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Domri Rade | Domri Naya | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | Naya Blitz | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Garruk Relentless | Reanimator | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Liliana of the Veil | Jund Midrange | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | The Aristocrats | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | WBR | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Blasphemous Act | Domri Naya | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | Naya Blitz | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | The Aristocrats | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | WBR | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Selesnya Charm | Domri Naya | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | Naya Blitz | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
Leading Indicators
In this section, I shine the light on cards that were included in a Top 16 deck last weekend but have seen little to no play in Standard Top 16 decks prior to then.
SCG Open: Dallas (Saturday)
| Card | Total Copies | Total MD | Total SB | # Decks | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetherize | 1 | 1 | 1 | Bant Aggro (16th) | |
| Luminate Primordial | 1 | 1 | 1 | Reanimator (10th) | |
| Outwit | 2 | 2 | 1 | Bant Aggro (16th) | |
| Ready // Willing | 1 | 1 | 1 | Bant Aggro (16th) | |
| Spike Jester | 4 | 4 | 1 | BR Dragon Zombies (11th) | |
| Swift Justice | 2 | 2 | 1 | Bant Aggro (16th) |
SCG Open: Dallas (Sunday)
| Card | Total Copies | Total MD | Total SB | # Decks | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Biomancer | 3 | 3 | 1 | Four-Color Midrange (7) | |
| Ruric Thar, the Unbowed | 3 | 3 | 2 | Jund Midrange (3); Naya Midrange (15) | |
| Delver of Secrets | 4 | 4 | 1 | Bant Aggro (16) |
GP: Guadalajara
The only new card played at GP: Guadalajara was Warped Physique, which appeared in the Esper Control list in fifteenth place. The card has also seen some play in recent Esper decks on Magic Online, such as this one.
Online Indicators
Magic Online often serves as a proving ground for new ideas. The opportunity to play more games in less time allows players to easily test different cards and concepts. In this section, I will review some ideas worth considering as you build decks and prepare to play.
This Reanimator deck finished 3–1 in a Standard Daily Event with three copies of Drown in Filth in the main deck. The Dragon’s Maze common serves double-duty, stocking the graveyard and serving as removal. It is an effective answer to Falkenrath Aristocrat with even one land in the graveyard, though it is a sorcery.
Kessig Malcontents is a card that screams, "Human tribal," and it has been included in a few Naya/Gruul decks lately, including the twelfth-place deck at GP: Guadalajara, the third-place deck at SCG Open: Nashville, and a few Naya Blitz decks on Magic Online. This deck, for example, plays thirty-nine creatures and no spells, with Kessig Malcontents providing some extra reach to finish off opponents.
Several recent Naya Blitz decks on Magic Online have also included Brimstone Volley to provide reach or removal that becomes better when one of its many creatures dies. Here is an example with two copies in the main.
The Close
That’s it for this week’s article on the Standard tournaments of last weekend. Join me next week as I track the metagame and highlight the decks played at SCG Open: Baltimore. Thanks for reading!
Nick Vigabool
