Archived Analysis

This week’s snapshot of the Pauper format shows a metagame that is highly competitive and extremely aggressive, yielding a respectable Final Health Index of 67.0. While the Metagame Diversity Score (74.8) and Archetype Distribution Score (85.3) indicate a wide variety of decks are technically viable, the format is currently dominated by speed, pushing Aggro to 76.9% of the field—a significant jump over the historical average of 66.5%.

The downside comes from participation trends. The Event Growth Score sits worryingly low at 20.7. While MTGO participation continues to grow at a healthy 3.9% monthly, Paper participation is declining steeply, averaging -12.1% contraction per month. This discrepancy suggests the format is becoming increasingly consolidated online, even as overall event counts trend down at -9.9%.

In the top tiers, Mono Blue Aggro remains the deck to beat, claiming 13.1% of the overall reported field. The three-color midrange strategy Jund is holding strong in the second spot at 11%, demonstrating its resilience. Burn (9%) and Affinity (8%) solidify the dominance of fast strategies. Rounding out the top 10 are decks like Red Deck Wins, Elves, and a number of other aggressive archetypes, confirming that speed is currently paramount to success.

The community pulse remains focused on the perceived Tier 1 triumvirate—Affinity, Kuldotha Red, and Dimir Faeries—which dictate the pace of competitive play. However, innovation is actively addressing this, with ‘Jeskai Ephemerate’ and ‘Domain Zoo’ variants cited as the primary rising tech aiming to solve the current meta puzzle. The B&R Health Score is a solid 70.0, reflecting confidence, though the delay in ruling on High Tide shows a cautious approach. Card scrutiny continues to land squarely on zero-mana artifacts; *Mishra's Bauble* is cited as a main contributor to explosive starts, even as utility lands like *Ash Barrens* and *Evolving Wilds* are being praised for enabling the new three-color strategies.