Archived Analysis

Legacy's in a slightly odd spot. The format's overall health looks decent at 78.2, but a few cracks are starting to show. Combo is way up, and the community is wrestling with Orcish Bowmasters again. Are we about to see a shakeup, or will things stabilize?

The numbers tell a familiar story. Metagame Diversity is a middling 69.3, suggesting a few decks are hogging the spotlight. Archetype Distribution is high at 89.3, which means the decks that *are* played are fairly well distributed. Player and Event Growth are both strong (88.0 and 86.3 respectively), so people are still playing. The real worry is the B&R Health score of 65.0. No changes were made this week, but the low score shows there are some long-term structural concerns.

Dimir Tempo and UR Aggro are tied at the top with 5% each, but the real story is the sheer volume of Combo decks in the super-archetype breakdown. Combo makes up a massive 55.1% of the meta, compared to its 5-year average of 40.2%. Aggro's down to 29.2% from 41.5%, suggesting the speed of Legacy is being pushed to its limit. Beyond the top two, we see familiar faces like Eldrazi Aggro, Dragon Stompy, and Death & Taxes filling out the top 10.

Reddit is buzzing about Orcish Bowmasters *again*. Some players want it banned, others think it's a necessary evil. It's clear that anything that draws cards is getting heavily scrutinized. The community is also looking for ways to go "over the top" of the established blue decks with Reanimator and new takes on Lands variants. Players are testing Up the Beanstalk too, looking for card advantage against the Bowmasters menace. The lack of B&R changes this week indicates Wizards is taking a wait-and-see approach, but the pressure is on for innovation.