Arena Championship 13 is this weekend, October 24–25!

During this high-stakes digital event, 176 of the best MTG Arena players will battle for their share of a $250,000 prize pool. The Top 16 will earn invitations to Pro Tour Nauctis in February 2027, and the two finalists will secure their seats for Magic World Championship 33 in December 2027. Every round will be Standard, and you can watch it all live on twitch.tv/magic and the Play MTG YouTube channel starting at 9 a.m. PT each day. For the full schedule and prize breakdown, check out the Arena Championship 13 Viewer's Guide.

Who Is Competing?

Every competitor earned their seat through an MTG Arena Qualifier Weekend by advancing to Day Two and winning four matches there. As the pinnacle of competitive play on MTG Arena, the Arena Championship features a wealth of talent, including some of the most decorated names in Magic history. Four Hall of Famers and at least eight Pro Tour champions have qualified. Here are just some of the standout competitors:

• Reid Duke, Hall of Famer and champion of Pro Tour Phyrexia
• Raphaël Lévy, Hall of Famer and 2013 World Magic Cup champion with Team France
• Olivier Ruel-Mailfert, Hall of Famer with five Pro Tour Top 8s
• Tsuyoshi Fujita, Hall of Famer and the first Japanese player to reach a Pro Tour Top 8
• Nathan Steuer, champion of Magic World Championship XXVIII, Pro Tour March of the Machine, and Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven
• Simon Nielsen, champion of Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 and 2023 Player of the Year
• Yuuki Ichikawa, champion of Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes
• Michael DeBenedetto-Plummer, champion of Pro Tour Edge of Eternities and Arena Championship 10
• Ondřej Stráský, champion of Mythic Championship VI and finalist at Arena Championship 10
• Yoshihiko Ikawa, champion of Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction

They're joined by plenty of other proven contenders, including Arena Championship 12 champion Satoshi Nakayama, 2003 World Champion Daniel Zink, World Championship 31 runner-up Akira Shibata, Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed finalist Toni Portolan, and Kaldheim Championship winner Arne Huschenbeth. Their résumés span tabletop Pro Tours and digital championships alike, underscoring that the instincts behind a perfectly sequenced turn translate seamlessly from cardboard to client.

While these accomplished competitors are among the early favorites, every player in this stacked field has the skill and talent to make a deep run.

Standard Metagame Breakdown

Standard currently features every set from Wilds of Eldraine through Reality Fracture. The newest set arrived on MTG Arena just a few weeks ago and has already shaken up the format, but the established powerhouses haven't gone anywhere.

Day One features nine rounds of modified Swiss, where players continue to compete until they reach either seven wins or three losses. Depending on how many players reach seven wins, Day Two may open with a few Top 16 qualification matches, followed by a single-elimination Top 16.

Llanowar Elves
Earthbender Ascension
Icetill Explorer

Mono-Green Landfall is the most popular archetype with 29 players, or 16.5% of the field. That marks a firm rebound: in the first week of Reality Fracture results, the deck had slipped to a five percent winner's metagame share, but the Arena Championship 13 competitors evidently still trust its raw power.

The real story, however, is the impact of Reality Fracture. Dimir Uldaros, a new archetype built around Reality Fracture's Uldaros Theorix, is the second most popular deck with 25 players. There are several ways to refer to this archetype, including Dimir Deceit, Dimir Reanimator, and Dimir Control, but I've opted to name it after its top-end threat. Uldaros Theorix is one of the best creatures to copy with Superior Spider-Man, letting you recast cards from your graveyard for free. Seasoned Cryomancer, another Reality Fracture newcomer, ties it all together by stocking your graveyard.

Orzhov Life Gain rounds out the top three with 21 players, buoyed by Enlightened Confidant and other life-gain payoffs from the new set. Together, the three most popular decks account for 42.6% of the field, yet the format remains remarkably diverse. Players registered 32 different archetypes, and sixteen of them are particularly spicy, piloted by a single player.

One notable absence from the top tier is Izzet Spellementals. It led the winner's metagame chart in September, but with little of note to gain from Reality Fracture, only six players chose it this weekend.

Requiting Hex
Bitter Triumph
Duress

Overall, this Standard metagame reveals a highly interactive format where cheap disruption can make all the difference. Requiting Hex is the most-played nonland main-deck card in the tournament, destroying any creature with mana value 2 or less. It covers Llanowar Elves, Sazh's Chocobo, and Enlightened Confidant alike, and you even gain 2 life if you blight 1 along the way. Bitter Triumph, the fourth most-played card, handles bigger threats at instant speed for two mana, while Erode does the same for a single white mana. Even the format's signature threat doubles as disruption: a Superior Spider-Man copying an evoked Deceit bounces a permanent and strips a card from the opponent's hand in a single sequence.

Sideboards tell the same story. The four most-played sideboard cards—Duress, Strategic Betrayal, Seam Rip, and Torpor Orb—all interact with the opponent for two mana or less. Duress picks off The Theorist, Jace Beleren, which was adopted by a wide variety of decks to become the tournament's most-played new card from Reality Fracture. Strategic Betrayal forces the opponent to exile a creature and their entire graveyard, representing a brutal blow against Superior Spider-Man and the various new Reanimator decks. Seam Rip exiles a cheap nonland permanent for one white mana, and Torpor Orb shuts off creatures' enters triggers, blanking Seasoned Cryomancer, Deceit copies, and Uldaros Theorix in one fell swoop. All in all, post-sideboard games at Arena Championship 13 will likely come down to who wields this cheap, efficient interaction best.

Standard Deck Summaries

All decklists will be available on Melee and the Arena Championship 13 event page once the tournament begins. Until then, here are brief summaries of each archetype represented in the field.

Mono-Green Landfall (29 players): This deck turns every land drop into value. Llanowar Elves and Sazh's Chocobo provide fast starts, while Icetill Explorer and Earthbender Ascension multiply both the land drops and the rewards. Mightform Harmonizer can end the game out of nowhere by doubling a creature's power. Fabled Passage squeezes out extra landfall triggers, while Ba Sing Se gives the deck staying power in longer games.

Dimir Uldaros (25 players): The breakout deck of Reality Fracture, which turns the graveyard into a source of card advantage. Seasoned Cryomancer, Theorix Charm, and Overlord of the Balemurk fill the graveyard with powerful cards for Uldaros Theorix, then Superior Spider-Man arrives as a copy of the six-drop. Its enters trigger lets you recast cards with total mana value 6 or less from your graveyard for free, setting up explosive turns.

Orzhov Life Gain (21 players): This deck turns small life-gain triggers into a big board. Hinterland Sanctifier and Case of the Uneaten Feast trigger Amalia Benavides Aguirre, who explores whenever you gain life, while Haliya, Guided by Light and Lunar Convocation provide additional rewards for gaining life. The main addition from Reality Fracture is Enlightened Confidant, a white twist on Dark Confidant. Ajani Resolute and Liliana the Faultless also appear, albeit in smaller numbers.

Dimir Midrange (14 players): This is a more traditional approach to blue-black, a classic blend of removal and counterspells backed by cheap, evasive threats. Floodpits Drowner, Spyglass Siren, and Dream Beavers apply early pressure before Enduring Curiosity and Kaito, Bane of Nightmares refill your hand.

Jund Sacrifice (14 players): This combo deck converts artifact tokens into direct damage. With Biotech Specialist and The Sackville-Bagginses on the battlefield, each artifact token you sacrifice costs the opponent 3 life. Umbral Collar Zealot is the ideal sacrifice enabler, Lively Dirge can tutor up two pieces, and Obsessive Pursuit offers a steady supply of artifact tokens.

Azorius Control (12 players): Countermagic, sweepers, and spot removal carry the deck to the late game, where The Theorist, Jace Beleren takes over. Jace also powers up two other new Reality Fracture cards, Countersculpt and Theorist's Sanctum, while Jace's Machinations lets you activate Jace on your opponent's turn.

Azorius Artifacts (11 players): United Battlefront digs for cheap artifacts, and finding Simulacrum Synthesizer quickly builds a board of Constructs. Repurposing Bay can fetch The Fire Crystal to give them haste, while Perilous Snare and Pinnacle Starcage provide interaction.

Boros Dragons (7 players): Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant leads a flight of efficient Dragons, with Momo, Friendly Flier rounding out the early curve. Clarion Conqueror shuts off activated abilities of artifacts, creatures, and planeswalkers, while Smaug the Magnificent puts the opponent on a fast clock.

Izzet Spellementals (6 players): A pile of cheap instants and sorceries draws cards, interacts early, and fills the graveyard for Eddymurk Crab and Hearth Elemental. Because both creatures are Elementals, they reduce the cost of Sunderflock, which can reset the opponent's board.

Grixis Reanimator (5 players): The deck discards its biggest threats and brings them back with Rewrite Regrets, a new four-mana sorcery that empowers Jace and returns a creature or planeswalker card with mana value 6 or less to the battlefield. Ajani Unrelenting is a prime target: the six-mana planeswalker makes a 2/2 Cadet token every time you activate a loyalty ability, including the one from Jace, and can deal 4 damage to each creature except your tokens.

Esper Uldaros (3 players): This is essentially Dimir Uldaros, with a white splash for Cloak and Dagger, Entwined.

Izzet Prowess (3 players): Pompous Battlemage, Elusive Otter, and Slickshot Show-Off lead the charge, while cantrips like Opt, Sleight of Hand, and Flow State boost their power.

Dimir Excruciator (3 players): This is the deck that carried Christoffer Larsen to victory at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed. Instead of overwhelming the opponent with repeated graveyard value, it aims to leave them with almost no library. Doomsday Excruciator exiles both libraries down to six cards, after which an attack with Restless Reef can force the opponent to draw from an empty library. It's essentially Dimir Uldaros with a different six-drop creature and, accordingly, fewer copies of Seasoned Cryomancer and Overlord of the Balemurk.

Four-Color Control (3 players): Tablet of Discovery serves as the deck's central engine, generating card advantage, accelerating your mana production, and enabling a devastating turn-five Jeskai Revelation. Chaining Jeskai Revelations can bury opponents in card advantage.

Azorius Momo (2 players): Momo, Friendly Flier on turn one, followed by Springleaf Drum and Sage of the Skies on turn two, can quickly deploy a swarm of fliers, while Quantum Riddler adds card advantage.

Simic Landfall (2 players): This deck has the same core as Mono-Green Landfall, with a blue splash for Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes or Genemorph Imago.

Sultai Midrange (1 player): Lumbering Worldwagon lets you ramp into six lands to disrupt the opponent with Vraska, the Cutting Glare and Deceit.

Mardu Discard (1 player): Iron-Shield Elf and Hardened Academic discard cards at will, growing Marauding Mako and triggering Cool but Rude.

Rakdos Discard (1 player): The same discard theme without white but featuring Monument to Endurance.

Boros Mobilize (1 player): Stadium Headliner and Voice of Victory lead a go-wide aggro deck with various payoffs that trigger whenever a token creature enters.

Izzet Fling (1 player): Pump effects like Wild Ride boost a creature's power before the adventure part of Callous Sell-Sword flings it at the opponent's face.

Izzet Planeswalkers (1 player): A deck loaded with planeswalkers, led by Chandra, Chill of Compliance and Ajani Unrelenting.

Jeskai Planeswalkers (1 player): A similar planeswalker theme, backed by white sweepers and spot removal.

Dimir Reanimator (1 player): Superior Spider-Man copies Bringer of the Last Gift from the graveyard, upending the battlefield for just four mana.

Sultai Reanimator (1 player): The same reanimator plan, with green for extra self-mill and search effects.

Selesnya Counters (1 player): Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order; Dyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam; and Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11 exploit a board full of creatures that gain +1/+1 counters.

Selesnya Offense (1 player): An aggressive deck that uses Practiced Offense to turn Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker into an enormous, unstoppable double striker.

Esper Oculus (1 player): Helping Hand returns Abhorrent Oculus from the graveyard, sidestepping its steep additional cost.

Mardu Gambit (1 player): Iroh, Tea Master and Harmless Offering aim to donate Greed's Gambit or Demonic Pact to the opponent.

Boros Dwarves (1 player): Kíli the Resourceful equips Leyline Axe for free, while Dáin's Company ties the synergies together.

Mono-Red Prowess (1 player): Pompous Battlemage; Pyre Rhymer; and Gandalf, Goblins' Bane reward you for casting noncreature spells in this lean mono-red shell.

Selesnya Reclaimer (1 player): Astelli Reclaimer returns permanent cards from your graveyard that were put there by Dredger's Insight or Esper Origins.

The Championship Outlook

With so many viable strategies and so much cheap interaction, this weekend's Standard battles are wide open. Will Mono-Green Landfall justify its spot at the top of the metagame, or will the 39 Superior Spider-Man pilots prove that copying the right creature from the graveyard is the ultimate path to victory? Can Orzhov Life Gain's new tools carry it past the format's many removal spells? And will a Hall of Famer add another trophy to their collection, or will a lesser-known Arena specialist seize the spotlight?

One thing is certain: 176 players will battle for the $10,000 1st-place prize, sixteen Pro Tour Nauctis invitations, and two seats at Magic World Championship 33. I can't wait to see which decks and which players rise to the top.

Don't miss a moment of the action. Tune in starting at 9 a.m. PT on October 24 and 25 at twitch.tv/magic or on the Play MTG YouTube channel!