Archived Analysis

The Legacy format appears to be in a generally healthy state, exhibiting a diverse metagame and a format structure close to its historical trends. While player growth is nearly stagnant, the banning of key cards should inject even more diversity into the format.

The metagame is showing strong diversity, with a wide range of archetypes seeing play. The distribution of archetypes aligns closely with Legacy's historical identity, indicating a format that remains true to its roots. This stability suggests that players can still enjoy the classic Legacy experience while exploring various deck-building options. While combo strategies currently dominate the metagame, making up over half of all decks, this is a change from historical norms.

Event growth is slightly positive, indicating a modest increase in organized play opportunities. However, player growth is almost stagnant, suggesting the format is not attracting new players as rapidly as it once did. This could be an area of concern, requiring efforts to revitalize player engagement and recruitment. The numbers bounce around quite a bit month to month, but the overall trend has been quite stable.

The recent Banned & Restricted announcement, which banned Troll of Khazad-dûm and Sowing Mycospawn, is expected to have a positive impact on the format's health. The bans specifically target dominant strategies, such as Reanimator and Eldrazi, aiming to reduce their prevalence and create opportunities for midrange and control decks to thrive. This proactive approach signals a commitment to maintaining a diverse and balanced metagame.