Standard: Aggro decks dominate, diversity low

Standard is struggling right now, dominated by hyper-aggressive strategies pushing out almost everything else. The format feels restrictive and lacks diversity, but the recent B&R announcement promises some much-needed changes.

The Key Health Metrics paint a concerning picture. The Final Health Index is a low 59.9, dragged down by Metagame Diversity (55.4) and poor Growth scores (Event Growth 40.7, Player Growth 45.6). The Archetype Distribution Score is higher (77.6), but that's deceiving; it just means aggro decks are consistently popular. The B&R Health Score is good at 80, but this is a lagging indicator reflecting community anticipation of improvement, not current reality. The massive drop-off in paper play is also very concerning.

Right now, it's all about racing with aggro. UR Aggro is the king at 34.3% of the meta, followed by Dimir Aggro (17%) and Esper Aggro (10%). Red Deck Wins and Mono Green Aggro are distant contenders at 4% each. Control is nearly extinct, representing only 11.7% of the metagame, and combo is almost nonexistent at 1.2%. This contrasts sharply with the 5-year historical averages where control was a respectable 35.3%.

Community sentiment, as reflected in Reddit discussions, is mixed, with considerable frustration at the lack of diversity. Players are particularly vocal about the dominance of specific aggressive strategies and the cards enabling them. The recent bans targeting cards like Cori-Steel Cutter and Monstrous Rage are a welcome first step, and players are eagerly waiting to see how these changes reshape the format. Whether this banlist will be enough is a big question.