Archived Analysis

Vintage maintains a reasonably healthy state, characterized by a diverse metagame, though participation trends indicate some cause for concern. The format demonstrates both strengths and areas needing attention to ensure long-term vitality.

Vintage boasts a good level of metagame diversity, with a variety of archetypes seeing play. The format's archetype distribution aligns relatively well with its historical identity, indicating a stable and recognizable Vintage experience. While MUD and Hatebear represent a significant portion of the metagame, at 12% and 11% respectively, many other decks maintain representation. The balance among super-archetypes reveals a leaning toward combo strategies, which comprise a larger portion of the meta than in the historical average, with aggro taking a smaller slice than typical.

However, the format has seen a slight dip in diversity compared to its highs in 2020-2023. The past year’s diversity scores suggest a minor consolidation around certain strategies, though not enough to cause immediate alarm. Continued monitoring of these trends is essential to prevent the metagame from becoming too homogenous.

Player growth shows a stable trend when considering combined paper and online participation. However, event growth is declining slightly, averaging a loss of -4.5% per month. The player counts show online participation is significantly greater than paper events. The discrepancy in trends between player growth and event participation suggests players may be engaging in the format through less structured avenues.

The recent Banned & Restricted announcement indicates a cautious approach from the organizers. Their decision to hold off on changes reflects a belief that the format doesn't yet require intervention, even with concerns about specific cards. This stance places importance on continued monitoring of the metagame to ensure that no single strategy becomes overly dominant.