Archived Analysis

Vintage is holding steady, but the format's diversity score is making people nervous. The metagame feels less like a free-for-all and more like a handful of contenders duking it out, mostly with very old cards.

The numbers tell a story: a high Archetype Distribution Score (93.3) suggests established decks are dominant, while the middling Metagame Diversity Score (40.1) confirms this, showcasing a more limited range of viable strategies than we'd like. Player and Event growth scores are strong (83.7 and 85.8 respectively), mainly in paper, so at least the format is drawing players. The Final Health Index of 69.1 indicates moderate health but warns of possible issues. Combo’s continued strength (44.7% of the meta compared to its 5-year average of 34.9%) should also be monitored.

Hatebear is currently king at 14%, followed by MUD at 12%. Esper Control and Dimir Control are also significant, sitting at 9% and 8% respectively. Everything else is struggling to break through, highlighting the format's concentration at the top. You must be prepared for all these decks. BUG Midrange barely registers and Jeskai Xerox sits at a paltry 0.7%.

The Vintage Reddit is all about fast mana, efficient threats, and the dominance of 'Xerox' style decks. These decks abuse cantrips and threats like Treasure Cruise and Expressive Iteration. There's concern about optimizing mana bases to combat Wasteland, and plenty of discussion about sideboard options, especially graveyard hate. No recent B&R changes, and the AI summary notes a "wait-and-see" approach regarding Lurrus, letting the metagame potentially self-correct. But for some players, the format is already starting to feel solved.