Archived Analysis

Standard is reeling after a huge wave of bans, but is it enough? The metagame was suffocating, and players are cautiously optimistic. Will the changes inject life back into the format, or will new oppressors rise?

The health scores paint a mixed picture. The Diversity Score is a low 58.0, which sucks, but the Archetype Distribution is a decent 76.1, and the B&R Health score is a solid 80.0. The real killer is the Event Growth, at a dismal 22.5, even though Player Growth is a respectable 69.4. People are playing, just not in organized events, which is bad.

Right now, it's an aggro fest. UR Aggro dominates at 28.4%, followed by Dimir Aggro at 23%. Golgari Aggro is the only other deck in double digits at 10%. Control's barely breathing at 11.7% of the meta, and Combo is practically nonexistent at 0.2%. This is a HUGE shift from the historical averages where Aggro was only 61.9% and Control was 35.5%.

Reddit is buzzing about the bans. Cori-Steel Cutter, Abuelo's Awakening, Monstrous Rage, Heartfire Hero, Up the Beanstalk, Hopeless Nightmare, and This Town Ain't Big Enough are all gone. The community is hoping this shakes things up, breaking the stranglehold of those aggro decks. There's also talk about The One Ring’s impact, and whether it’s manageable or warping the meta. People are desperate for new strategies to emerge, and are brewing up all sorts of new tech. It’s going to be a wild ride for the next few weeks.