Standard: Aggro dominance causes diversity collapse.

Standard is exhibiting an aggressive contraction this week, sitting at a Final Health Index of 62.8. The main story driven by the data is the sheer velocity of the metagame: AGGRO now commands a staggering 80.2% of the environment, a significant jump from the historical 63.2%. Consequently, Metagame Diversity has dropped sharply, currently tracking at a score of 55.0 for 2025, the lowest figure reported across five years of historical data.

Looking at the underlying health scores, the Archetype Distribution Score remains solid at 81.0, suggesting variety exists among the decks that manage to survive. However, this is overshadowed by significant participation drops. The Event Growth Score (40.7) and Player Growth Score (28.9) reflect the reality that participation is declining: Paper play is down -2.7% per month, while MTGO participation is declining at a stark -100.0% per month.

The dominance at the top is undeniable. Two decks alone control nearly half the format: UR Aggro is the current top dog at 26%, followed closely by Red Deck Wins at 21%. Dimir Aggro holds a sizable 14% share as the third major player. This heavy concentration confirms that the path to victory currently runs through the shortest possible clock.

The format’s high B&R Health Score of 80.0 reflects the recent, extensive shake-up. The bans of Cori-Steel Cutter, Monstrous Rage, Heartfire Hero, and five other cards targeted the aggression and early pressure that defines the current meta. Yet, the community remains intensely focused on the continued dominance of specific aggressive strategies, specifically Boros Convoke. Discussions center on leveraging Leyline Binding within Domain Ramp and Esper Midrange as primary counter-meta pillars. We are seeing Jeskai Prowess/Aggro rise in popularity, utilizing Slickshot Show-Off—now widely recognized as the premier aggressive threat—alongside Third Path Iconoclast. Despite the ban efforts, frustration lingers, with Fable of the Mirror-Breaker persisting as the most complained-about card across community discussions.