We’re fresh off the release of Dominaria United and a major rotation in Standard. Let’s see what decks are looking good in the first week of the brand new format in my first Standard Power Rankings of the season!
Here are the resources I use to inform all Power Rankings, leaning more heavily on what applies best to the given format:
- Magic Online results. This includes Preliminaries, Weekend Challenges, Super Qualifiers and MOCS Events.
- MTGMelee results. I typically look at all of the events with at least 30 players.
- Large tabletop events. When applicable.
- Untapped.GG stats.
- Previous rankings. Just because a deck didn’t make a Top 8 over the weekend, doesn’t mean it’s suddenly a bad deck.
- Public opinion. I discuss things with my teammates, and take a look at what’s getting a lot of attention on Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, podcasts and written content.
- My own instincts and experiences.
10. Mono-Red Aggro
Nice options from Dominaria United include Phoenix Chick, Electrostatic Infantry, Defiler of Instinct and Lightning Strike.
9. Grixis Midrange
Grixis, or Maestros, is one of the well-supported three-color combinations from Streets of New Capenna. You’ll find a more specific take on this color combination higher on the list. However, I think this is a brewer’s paradise, with any reasonable configuration of cards within these colors resulting in a competitive deck. I saw one player tearing it up with four copies of Sol’kanar the Tainted!
8. Esper Midrange
Another one of the Streets of New Capenna supported color combinations, Esper Midrange was a top archetype of the previous format. Since Raffine, Scheming Seer remains one of the most deadly creatures in Standard, Esper is shaping up to be a solid choice once again. A few new weapons include Cut Down, Evolved Sleeper and Serra Paragon.
7. Orzhov Midrange
The Orzhov Midrange shell has been winning tournaments since even before Streets of New Capenna. It’s one of the best black midrange decks in a format where black midrange decks are remarkably strong.
Liliana of the Veil, Sorin the Mirthless, The Wandering Emperor and Elspeth Resplendent give Orzhov one of the strongest planeswalker suites of any color combination. Combined with a wide range of other powerful threats including Wedding Announcement, Orzhov has a steady, reliable stream of card advantage.
6. Rakdos Sac
Rakdos Sacrifice has all of the strengths of the other black midrange decks, but while also tapping into the synergies of Oni-Cult Anvil. This archetype is resilient to removal and has an amazing ability to bleed the opponent out from a high life total without ever needing to attack!
Powerful new weapons include Liliana of the Veil, Karn, Living Legacy and of course, Sulfurous Springs and Thran Portal.
5. Mardu Midrange
Mardu Midrange takes everything great about Rakdos, plus everything great about Orzhov, and mashes it all together into one deck. Between Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Wedding Announcement and The Wandering Emperor, it’s very difficult for any other midrange deck to match the raw card quality of Mardu. The only thing holding Mardu back from being even stronger and more consistent is the lack of an on-color tri-land.
4. Grixis Vampires
Right now, I’m using the presence of Evelyn, the Covetous to distinguish Grixis Vampires from other versions of Grixis, but I may decide to change my classifications as we begin to get a clearer picture of the new format.
3. Invoke Justice
Invoke Justice is a reanimation strategy that can come in the form of either Naya or Mono-White. The goal is to discard a game-winning creature like Sanctuary Warden or Titan of Industry using connive, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Cathartic Pyre or The Restoration of Eiganjo. From there, Invoke Justice will give you such an overwhelming advantage so quickly that winning the game is a foregone conclusion.
The Elder Dragon War is a new Saga from Dominaria United which brings this archetype to an entirely new level.
2. Rakdos Midrange
There’ve been a variety of black midrange decks on the list so far, and the top two slots are the versions that keep it cleanest, simplest and most consistent.
Rakdos Midrange capitalizes on Bloodtithe Harvester, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and the excellent removal and disruption of black and red. Invoke Despair is one approach players can take, while simply playing more planeswalkers like Sorin the Mirthless and Jaya, Fiery Negotiator is another.
1. Mono-Black Midrange
The #1 slot for week one of new Standard goes to Mono-Black Midrange. This deck can be slightly more aggressive or slightly more controlling. While there’s plenty of flexibility, the key cards you’ll always see include Evolved Sleeper, Tenacious Underdog, Graveyard Trespasser and Invoke Despair.
No deck list for the #1 deck? Or is the link just broken?
Coming soon!