Welcome to the Standard Power Rankings. Another week of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty has come and gone, and its impact on the format is beginning to solidify. Thanks to Untapped.gg for providing stats that help inform these rankings.
10. Rakdos & Mardu Sacrifice
We knew it was only a matter of time before Oni-Cult Anvil and Experimental Synthesizer started showing up in tournament decks. These decks can take a variety of forms, ranging from more controlling decks using Blood on the Snow all the way to lower-curve aggressive decks seeking to attack the opponent’s life total. The one thing they all have in common is Shambling Ghast and Deadly Dispute.
Rakdos Sacrifice had a 54.6 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic on the Magic Arena Best-of-Three Standard ladder. That’s not especially impressive, but because this archetype is tricky to build and tricky to pilot, I suspect it has a much higher ceiling than that number suggests. We probably haven’t zeroed in on the optimal deck list just yet.
9. Gruul
Gruul and Naya beatdown decks were winners from the latest round of bannings, and even picked up some new options in Kamigawa. With hard-hitting threats and tons of haste damage, these decks are capable of some of the most punishing starts available in Standard. I’m seeing three main versions out there. One is Werewolves, another is a non-tribal Gruul deck and a third is a Naya Humans deck featuring Luminarch Aspirant and Halana and Elena, Partners.
Gruul Werewolves had a 60.3% win rate from Bronze to Mythic on the Arena Best-of-Three Standard ladder.
8. U/W Control
Control decks lost Divide by Zero, but a side effect of its banning is that Hullbreaker Horror is now more powerful than ever. To compliment blue, white now has a healthy suite of removal including Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, March of Otherworldly Light and The Wandering Emperor. If you can walk the line between preparing for aggressive creature decks, black midrange decks, and control mirror matches, then U/W Control can be a great choice.
7. Mono-Green
Mono-Green isn’t as fast as Mono-White and Mono-Red, but it has more staying power, its threats hit harder, and the efficiency of Blizzard Brawl is hard to match. Your opponents need to stop you at every single point on the mana curve, which becomes nearly impossible when Snakeskin Veil and Tamiyo’s Safekeeping work their way into the equation.
Mono-Green had a 61.9 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic.
6. U/W and Esper Midrange
This is another archetype with plenty of flexibility. In general, these decks seek to pair utility creatures with disruption in ways that offer a lot of control over the tempo of the game. Three-color versions gain access to Kaito Shizuki.
U/W Midrange had an extremely impressive 64.2 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic on the Best-of-Three Arena ladder.
5. Mono-White
These top five decks are what I would consider to be the “Tier 1” of Standard. You should get some reps in against each of these decks and have a clear game plan in mind before you enter your next Standard tournament.
White Weenie is still fast and punishing. While it lost Faceless Haven, Luminarch Aspirant remains legal as one of the strongest cards in the format. Meanwhile, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Elite Spellbinder provide effective disruption.
Mono-White had a 62.0 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic.
4. Orzhov Control
Orzhov had a 60.5 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic.
3. Jeskai Treasures & Hinata
The second Jeskai deck is what I’m calling “Jeskai Treasures,” which plays Goldspan Dragon, Unexpected Windfall and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to churn through its library and generate massive value.
Jeskai Hinata only had a 52.4 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic, but it’s performed well in tournament play and on Magic Online.
2. Izzet Dragons
Izzet Dragons is strong and proactive. Now that Izzet Turns is out of the picture, this has become the best way to make use of Expressive Iteration. Goldspan Dragon remains one of the best threats in the format, and will almost always lead to a win if it isn’t answered immediately.
Izzet Dragons had a 54.0 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic, but is the single most successful deck on Magic Online over the last few weeks.
1. Naya Runes
The key cards of Naya Runes are Jukai Naturalist, Runeforge Champion and Showdown of the Skalds. With multiple ways to reduce the cost of your Auras, you can chain together a flurry of spells while generating +1/+1 counters from Showdown of the Skalds an Generous Visitor. Between speed, card advantage and a combo element that can kill the opponent with a giant haste creature out of nowhere, this deck really has it all.
Naya Runes had a 62.2 percent win rate from Bronze to Mythic.
