Vintage: Format dominated by combo strategies

Vintage feels a bit stagnant right now. While not in crisis, the dominance of a couple of archetypes is squeezing out some of the variety that makes the format shine. It's a polarized meta that demands specific answers.

The overall health index is a middling 55.7. The Archetype Distribution Score is a solid 92.5, which seems contradictory given the metagame feel, but this metric might be measuring something else. Player Growth is way down at 35.0, and Event Growth is only a slightly better 50.5. These numbers tell a clear story: fewer people are playing, and fewer events are firing. The B&R Health Score is a respectable 65.0, reflecting the lack of recent changes.

Looking at the top decks, MUD and Hatebear are neck and neck at a whopping 12% each. Dimir Control is at 10%, while everything else is a relatively small percentage. BUG Midrange and Azorius Initiative barely register at 3% and 2% respectively. Combo strategies are warping the format, representing 45.6% of the meta compared to the 5-year average of 34.7%. Aggro is down, and Control is suffering.

The Vintage community is laser-focused on beating Mishra's Workshop variants. Players are exploring sideboard tech specifically designed to combat fast mana and resilient artifacts, with City of Traitors being a key card in the discussion. Orcish Bowmasters is still making waves as a powerful sideboard option against blue-based strategies. The lack of B&R changes means players are adapting, but the format feels like it needs a shakeup to increase diversity.