Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. Magic's newest set, Aetherdrift, has made its debut in Modern at the last few Regional Championship events. In this article, we'll break down its impact on the format. Over the past few weeks, 83 competitors at the MIT Championship and 303 competitors at the MTG China Open battled for coveted Pro Tour and World Championship invitations, all putting the petal to the metal in Modern—now with Aetherdrift shaking up the metagame.

Shih Feng Lin Triumphs in Taipei with Boros Energy

Congratulations to Shih Feng Lin, who claimed victory at the MIT Championship (the Regional Championship for Chinese Taipei) by piloting Boros Energy to a 1st-place finish! His triumph earned him an invitation to Magic World Championship 31, set for December 2025. Additionally, the Top 3 finishers secured seats at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™, which will take place during MagicCon: Las Vegas in June 2025.

1 Mountain 2 Thraben Charm 2 Seasoned Pyromancer 2 Plains 2 Elegant Parlor 2 Windswept Heath 2 Marsh Flats 2 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 3 Static Prison 3 Goblin Bombardment 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 3 Arena of Glory 3 Flooded Strand 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Arid Mesa 4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Guide of Souls 2 Ranger-Captain of Eos 1 Surgical Extraction 3 Stony Silence 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Showdown of the Skalds 4 Molten Rain 1 Orim's Chant 2 Wrath of the Skies 2 Wear // Tear

Shih Feng Lin's path to victory was nothing short of dominant. He didn't drop a single game in the Top 8. Boros Energy has cemented itself as one of the top decks in Modern, and his list was a classic example of the archetype's power.

One notable inclusion in his build was the playset of Molten Rain in the sideboard, a choice that has been gaining traction among Boros Energy players. Previously, many lists relied on Obsidian Charmaw. But ever since Peter Husisian's victory at the US Regional Championship with Amulet Titan, the metagame has evolved. With a wider variety of decks relying on lands that tap for two mana, flexible land destruction like Molten Rain has become an increasingly valuable tool.

Wang Kunrui Triumphs in Wuhan with Temur Breach

Congratulations to Wang Kunrui, who conquered the MTG China Open (the Regional Championship for China) by piloting Temur Breach to a 1st-place finish! His victory secured a place at Magic World Championship 31, and the Top 8 finishers who were not already qualified earned their seats at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY.

1 Breeding Pool 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 1 Flame of Anor 3 Grinding Station 1 Haywire Mite 1 Hedge Maze 1 Island 1 Lightning Bolt 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Mishra's Bauble 2 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 3 Mox Amber 4 Mox Opal 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Pithing Needle 2 Preordain 4 Scalding Tarn 2 Shifting Woodland 1 Sink into Stupor 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Steam Vents 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swan Song 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 1 Thassa's Oracle 4 Underworld Breach 1 Unholy Heat 3 Urza's Saga 1 Wooded Foothills 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Consign to Memory 2 Flame of Anor 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 1 Kappa Cannoneer 2 Nature's Claim 1 Spell Snare 1 Strix Serenade 1 Swan Song 1 Vampires' Vengeance

Temur Breach, based on its popularity and performance at the event, remains Modern's most dominant deck. Wang Kunrui's win came in a Top 8 stacked with five Temur Breach lists, each sporting similar core builds with some notable distinct inclusions.

Two of Kunrui's card choices stand out. First, he opted for Pithing Needle over Aether Spellbomb in the main deck—a calculated metagame call that relies on a deep understanding of what activated abilities are most crucial to shut down in Game 1. Second, he eschewed Aetherdrift's Stock Up in favor of two copies of Preordain for low-cost card selection. While four other Top 8 Temur Breach players ran Stock Up, the jury is still out on whether it's a staple.

The Metagame and Win Rates

A total of 386 decklists were submitted across both Regional Championships. After standardizing archetype names and resolving discrepancies, I compiled the overall metagame share and match win rates for each deck archetype (excluding mirror matches, byes, and draws) based on Swiss rounds. These metrics are provided in the table below, which also links each archetype name to a top-performing decklist that best represents its aggregate build.

The "Other" category encompassed a wide range of archetypes such as Four-Color Omnath, Esper Murktide, Jeskai Energy, Boros Burn, Azorius Chant, Hammer Time, NeoRitual, Azorius Affinity, Hollow One, Four-Color Breach, Eldrazi Tron, Merfolk, Dimir Shadow, Mono-Black Eldrazi, Eldrazi Aggro, Azorius Miracles, Domain Rhinos, Esper Blink, Esper Goryo's, Esper Control, Hardened Scales, and more.

When compared to the metagame from the previous Regional Championships for Japan/Korea and the United States, the most recent events saw Dimir Mill and Orzhov Blink surge further ahead. The latter benefited from Aetherdrift's Ketramose, the New Dawn. Other decks, like Orzhov Necro, also capitalized on this powerful new card—more on that later.

In terms of performance, Temur Breach posted an impressive 58.5% win rate, which is nearly identical to its performance at the preceding Regional Championships. Despite the field doing its best to prepare for Breach with sideboard slots dedicated to Stony Silence and Wear // Tear, Temur Breach remains a formidable force. Even the new Dimir Mill decks, which pack main deck copies of Surgical Extraction, struggled to keep it in check. As a result, Temur Breach continues to reign supreme, and it will be fascinating to see whether competitors at next weekend's Regional Championships can finally crack the code to beat it.

For all other archetypes, given their sample sizes and results, no statistically significant conclusions about their win rates could be drawn.

The Most-Played Cards from Aetherdrift

Aetherdrift introduced a several powerful cards that have elevated existing archetypes. The following table highlights the thirteen most-played new-to-Modern cards across the Regional Championship decklists I analyzed.

By far, the most important new addition is Ketramose, the New Dawn. Its card-draw ability can be triggered in numerous ways in Modern, making it a key piece in several archetypes. All but one Orzhov Blink deck adopted the card, and the same was true for Esper Oculus. Furthermore, Ketramose has spurred the emergence of new builds like Orzhov Necro and Esper Blink.

Meanwhile, Stock Up is rapidly becoming a multi-format staple. Its ability to dig five cards deep ensures reliable access to key combo pieces. It was featured in 34 out of the 60 Temur Breach decks across both Regional Championships. For Temur Breach, the overall win rate of versions with at least one main-deck Stock Up was higher than the overall win rate of versions without.

Other cards made an impact as well, including the Verge lands, Dredger's Insight, Marauding Mako, and Mindspring Merfolk. To begin our test drive of the most important new Aetherdrift cards, let's cruise through seven standout top Regional Championship decks.

Ketramose in Orzhov Blink

1 Swamp 2 Shadowy Backstreet 2 Aven Interrupter 1 Boggart Trawler 3 Emperor of Bones 3 Ephemerate 3 Plains 4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd 2 Godless Shrine 4 Marsh Flats 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 3 Flickerwisp 3 Fatal Push 2 Wrath of the Skies 2 Skyclave Apparition 4 Solitude 3 White Orchid Phantom 4 Witch Enchanter 1 Flagstones of Trokair 2 Windswept Heath 2 Bleachbone Verge 2 Ketramose, the New Dawn 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Path to Exile 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Wrath of the Skies 2 March of Otherworldly Light 1 White Orchid Phantom 1 Aven Interrupter 2 Deafening Silence 4 Thoughtseize 1 Bloodchief's Thirst 2 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Cathar Commando

At the MIT Championship, held the weekend after the Aetherdrift Prerelease, Ai-Chen Chang placed his trust in both Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Ketramose, the New Dawn, incorporating two copies of the white-black God into his Orzhov Blink deck. To make room for this powerful addition, his updated build moved away from Aether Vial and Recruiter of the Guard. Rounding out the Aetherdrift upgrades, Chang also included two copies of Bleachbone Verge to shore up the mana base. He piloted this list to a 3rd-place finish, becoming the first player to earn a Pro Tour invite with Ketramose.

With Ketramose on the battlefield, each time you exile a card on your turn with Emperor of Bones or Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, you'll draw a card. This provides a steady stream of card advantage, and it won't be long before Ketramose becomes a 4/4 lifelinker that helps you race toward victory. Additional exile effects such as Solitude, Flickerwisp, Ephemerate, and Relic of Progenitus fuel Ketramose's draw ability, often triggering it multiple times per turn.

Following Ai-Chen Chang's initial success, Orzhov Blink decks have been further refined.

1 Swamp 2 Boggart Trawler 3 Relic of Progenitus 3 Emperor of Bones 3 Plains 2 Flooded Strand 4 Ketramose, the New Dawn 4 Marsh Flats 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd 2 Godless Shrine 2 Flickerwisp 4 Fatal Push 2 Shadowy Backstreet 4 Solitude 2 Concealed Courtyard 3 Witch Enchanter 4 Thoughtseize 1 The Wandering Emperor 3 Ephemerate 1 March of Otherworldly Light 2 Windswept Heath 3 Aven Interrupter 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 2 Vindicate 4 White Orchid Phantom 2 Wrath of the Skies 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa

Most lists now run four copies of Ketramose, the New Dawn while trimming copies of White Orchid Phantom. Additionally, without Aether Vial to accelerate creatures, Skyclave Apparition and Aven Interrupter have been replaced by Thoughtseize and Relic of Progenitus, providing a bulwark against Temur Breach decks.

The Orzhov Blink archetype has been evolving rapidly over the past few weeks, and this 2nd-place list from the MTG China Open is representative of what you might see this coming weekend.

One thing is clear: Ketramose has added a potent new dimension to an already formidable deck.

Ketramose in Orzhov Necro

2 Bleachbone Verge 1 Bloodstained Mire 4 Boggart Trawler 4 Dauthi Voidwalker 1 Dismember 3 Emperor of Bones 4 Fatal Push 4 Fell the Profane 2 Godless Shrine 4 Ketramose, the New Dawn 1 March of Wretched Sorrow 2 Marsh Flats 4 Necrodominance 2 Polluted Delta 3 Relic of Progenitus 2 Shadowy Backstreet 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 2 Sickening Shoal 4 Soul Spike 3 Swamp 4 Thoughtseize 1 Verdant Catacombs 4 Break the Ice 2 Orim's Chant 2 Pest Control 1 Surgical Extraction 2 The Meathook Massacre 1 Vanishing Verse 2 Vindicate 1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa

With Ketramose on the battlefield, Necrodominance's exile becomes an upside, though it's important to recognize both its strengths and limitations. If you discard to hand size, Necrodominance acts as a replacement effect that sends cards directly to exile without ever hitting the graveyard. This means that Ketramose won't trigger to draw additional cards in this case. However, Necrodominance offers an easy way to quickly exile seven cards, allowing Ketramose to attack for significant life swings. Additionally, if you sacrifice Marsh Flats while Necrodominance is in play, it goes straight to exile, triggering Ketramose and providing card draw that can be used right away.

Ketramose also interacts favorably when your opponent's cards are exiled, creating powerful synergy with Dauthi Voidwalker. Of course, each card drawn with Ketramose costs 1 life, which adds up over time. Thankfully, this deck already incorporates Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and Soul Spike to help mitigate the life loss from Necrodominance, providing a lifegain buffer against Ketramose's life loss.

Although Orzhov Necro posted a losing record overall—Sui Dong's 5-4 record was the best of the bunch—it remains an exciting strategy. With further refinement, the deck holds as much potential as cards in its hand.

Ketramose in Esper Oculus

4 Abhorrent Oculus 4 Consider 4 Counterspell 4 Fatal Push 2 Flooded Strand 2 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 3 Ketramose, the New Dawn 2 Marsh Flats 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Pest Control 4 Polluted Delta 1 Prismatic Ending 4 Psychic Frog 3 Relic of Progenitus 2 Scalding Tarn 1 Sink into Stupor 4 Subtlety 1 Swamp 4 Thought Scour 2 Undercity Sewers 4 Unearth 2 Watery Grave 4 Consign to Memory 1 Dismember 3 Force of Negation 1 Harbinger of the Seas 2 Pest Control 4 Thoughtseize

Another innovative way to exploit Ketramose is by pairing it with Psychic Frog and Abhorrent Oculus, resulting in an Esper deck. While Esper Oculus performed well overall, the 6-2-1 record of the list shown above stands out. If you cast Abhorrent Oculus the hard way (likely after filling your graveyard with Consider and Thought Scour), you can trigger Ketramose to draw an additional card while also contributing six cards to the exile zone, pushing you closer to the seven required for an attack. Meanwhile, with Psychic Frog, Ketramose rewards you with another free card every time you give it flying.

Modern's card pool even allows for a game-winning combo with Darkblast. By replacing Ketramose's card draw with Darkblast's dredge ability, you can set up a loop with Psychic Frog. Discard Darkblast to Psychic Frog, then exile the three dredged cards to give it flying, trigger Ketramose, dredge Darkblast, and repeat. If you begin this loop with 48 cards in your library, you can do this process sixteen times, and a few additional discards from your opening hand should turn your Frog into a lethal flying threat. While only one player across both Regional Championships employed this combo—Wei Chung Shi with Esper Blink—their 4-3 record suggests it does have some competitive potential.

Dredger's Insight in Golgari Yawgmoth

4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Chord of Calling 4 Delighted Halfling 4 Dredger's Insight 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Endurance 2 Forest 3 Green Sun's Zenith 2 Grist, the Hunger Tide 1 Haywire Mite 1 Ignoble Hierarch 1 Marionette Apprentice 1 Misty Rainforest 2 Orcish Bowmasters 2 Overgrown Tomb 1 Strangleroot Geist 1 Swamp 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 2 Underground Mortuary 4 Verdant Catacombs 2 Walking Ballista 3 Wall of Roots 3 Wastewood Verge 1 Windswept Heath 1 Wooded Foothills 4 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician 3 Young Wolf 3 Anoint with Affliction 2 Force of Vigor 3 Fulminator Mage 1 Grist, the Hunger Tide 1 Reclamation Sage 1 Scavenging Ooze 2 Thoughtseize 2 Vexing Bauble

This Top 8 list from the MTG China Open features three Wastewood Verge and four Dredger's Insight as its new additions from Aetherdrift. Dreger's Insight provides a new way to exploit the well-known Yawgmoth, Thran Physician combo with two copies of Young Wolf. In this classic loop, sacrificing a fresh Young Wolf removes a +1/+1 counter from one that returned via undying, creating a loop that can draw huge numbers of cards. However, since each activation costs one life, the combo often has a built-in cap.

Typically, a card like Blood Artist transforms this loop into a game-ending engine, but Dredger's Insight offers an intriguing alternative. Beyond its role in enabling combos, it's also a powerful tool early in the game, providing both card selection and valuable setup for Agatha's Soul Cauldron. By smoothing out draws and improving consistency, it helps ensure the deck can execute its game plan with greater reliability.

Marauding Mako in Hollow One

2 Arena of Glory 4 Blazing Rootwalla 2 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Burning Inquiry 4 Detective's Phoenix 4 Faithless Looting 2 Goblin Lore 4 Hollow One 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Marauding Mako 4 Mountain 4 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Raucous Theater 1 Scalding Tarn 2 Stomping Ground 4 Street Wraith 4 Vengevine 2 Wooded Foothills 3 Leyline of the Void 2 Magebane Lizard 3 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Rough // Tumble 1 Surgical Extraction 3 Thoughtseize 1 Untimely Malfunction

Marauding Mako is one of Aetherdrift's most explosive new options. While only two players registered it at the recent Regional Championships, the above list posted a respectable 5-4 record, showcasing the card's potential for blistering starts. If you open with Marauding Mako on turn one and follow up with a turn-two sequence of Faithless Looting, Burning Inquiry, and Street Wraith, you can be attacking with a 7/7 as early as turn two—an intimidating clock for any opponent.

To be fair, Hollow One decks already had access to this kind of aggression through Flameblade Adept, but Marauding Mako offers a crucial advantage: its power boost is permanent. While Flameblade Adept relies on continued discard triggers to grow each turn, Marauding Mako ensures sustained pressure without needing constant fuel. Some builds may still opt for both one-drops, but this particular list has gone all in on Mako, replacing Flameblade Adept entirely. With Aetherdrift injecting even more firepower into the archetype, and versions with or without a black splash remaining viable, Hollow One is still a force to be reckoned with.

Mindspring Merfolk in Merfolk

4 Aether Vial 3 Cavern of Souls 3 Flare of Denial 2 Floodpits Drowner 2 Force of Negation 1 Glasspool Mimic 4 Harbinger of the Seas 7 Island 4 Lord of Atlantis 4 Master of the Pearl Trident 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 2 Mindspring Merfolk 3 Mutavault 1 Otawara, Soaring City 3 Silvergill Adept 4 Sink into Stupor 2 Spreading Seas 1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky 4 Tide Shaper 4 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Waterlogged Grove 3 Chalice of the Void 3 Consign to Memory 2 Dismember 1 Force of Negation 2 Stern Scolding 2 Subtlety 2 Surgical Extraction

With a 7-2 finish at the MTG China Open—just one match point short of a Top 8 appearance—Bingzheng Liu showcased the strength of Merfolk in Modern, featuring two copies of Mindspring Merfolk. Previously, one-drop Merfolk were fairly underwhelming, but this new card-drawing creature bridges the gap between early aggression and a powerful late-game ability. You can deploy it early, chip in for damage through Lord of Atlantis's buffs. Then, when resources start running low, Mindspring Merfolk refills your hand while growing your entire board.

Its flexibility extends beyond just sequencing. There will be plenty of games where you want to keep mana open for Tishana's Tidebinder or Force of Negation, but holding up interaction can sometimes mean wasting valuable resources. Mindspring Merfolk solves this problem beautifully, ensuring you put your mana to good use, even when your opponent doesn't play anything worth countering. For longtime Merfolk enthusiasts, this list is a fantastic take on the archetype, proving that Aetherdrift has given the deck a refreshing new depth.

What's Next for Modern?

With five more Regional Championships still to come, Aetherdrift Modern is settling into shape. Temur Breach remains the clear deck to beat, and no matter what you're piloting, dedicating at least half your sideboard to counter it feels like a necessity. Here are the Regional Championships on the horizon:

• March 8–9: Australia/New Zealand and United States
• March 15–16: South America, Southeast Asia, and Mexico/Central America/Caribbean (coinciding with Magic Spotlight: Modern in Utrecht)

I'm excited to see what innovations emerge from these events. In a format as deep as Modern, surprises are always possible. Case in point: this 249-card, landless Battle of Wits deck from China's Regional Championship.

4 Agadeem's Awakening 1 An Offer You Can't Refuse 3 Angel's Grace 3 Bala Ged Recovery 4 Balustrade Spy 3 Battle of Wits 4 Beseech the Mirror 1 Blackbloom Rogue 4 Bloodsoaked Insight 4 Boggart Trawler 4 Bridgeworks Battle 4 Bring to Light 1 Chromatic Star 4 Consider 4 Creeping Chill 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Disciple of Freyalise 4 Eladamri's Call 4 Emeria's Call 1 Engineered Explosives 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Fell the Profane 4 Force of Negation 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Glasswing Grace 4 Goblin Charbelcher 4 Hydroelectric Specimen 2 Imperial Recruiter 1 Irencrag Feat 1 Jack-o'-Lantern 1 Jolted Awake 4 Jwari Disruption 4 Karn, the Great Creator 1 Laboratory Maniac 4 Lotus Bloom 4 Manamorphose 1 Memory's Journey 2 Narcomoeba 1 Nexus of Fate 4 Pact of Negation 4 Pentad Prism 1 Phantasmagorian 4 Pinnacle Monk 4 Prismatic Ending 1 Profane Tutor 2 Pyretic Ritual 4 Razorgrass Ambush 4 Recross the Paths 1 Reforge the Soul 4 Rush of Inspiration 1 Salvage Titan 1 Selective Memory 4 Shatterskull Smashing 4 Silundi Vision 4 Sink into Stupor 4 Solar Transformer 4 Spikefield Hazard 4 Strike It Rich 1 Subtlety 4 Sundering Eruption 2 Suppression Ray 1 Supreme Verdict 3 Sword of the Meek 1 Talisman of Conviction 3 Talisman of Creativity 3 Talisman of Curiosity 3 Talisman of Dominance 3 Talisman of Hierarchy 1 Talisman of Impulse 1 Talisman of Progress 1 Talisman of Resilience 1 Tameshi, Reality Architect 4 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Thassa's Oracle 4 Tune the Narrative 4 Turntimber Symbiosis 4 Undercity Informer 1 Unearth 4 Valakut Awakening 4 Vengevine 2 Wargate 4 Waterlogged Teachings 3 Whir of Invention 4 Witch Enchanter 4 Wrath of the Skies 1 Battle of Wits 1 Brotherhood's End 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Damping Sphere 1 Defense Grid 1 Disruptor Flute 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Mistvault Bridge 1 Selective Memory 1 Slagwoods Bridge 1 Supreme Verdict 1 The Stone Brain 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Vexing Bauble

Not every champion gets to hoist the trophy, but Li Hui's 3-4 finish with this audacious deck is a victory in its own right. Imagine registering Dimir Mill, sitting across from a 249-card deck, and realizing you'll need to mill 189 more cards than usual—which actually happened ... twice! I can only imagine how satisfying those match wins must have been.

But this isn't (just) a meme deck; it has a game plan against non-mill opponents as well. Its primary win condition is Battle of Wits—and with 249 cards in the deck, resolving it almost always means victory on your next upkeep. If you don't draw it naturally, Fae of Wishes can fetch one from the sideboard. But that's just the beginning.

With zero actual lands, relying instead on modal double-faced cards, rituals, and mana rocks, the deck can use Goblin Charbelcher to finish off an opponent, even if they have 200 life. Furthermore, Recross the Paths effectively lets you stack your entire deck, ensuring you win next turn. Even more devastating is the Balustrade Spy plan, which can be tutored via Bring to Light or Beseech the Mirror. Once the deck self-mills completely, Creeping Chill drains for 12, Narcomoeba brings back multiple Sword of the Meek, and Salvage Titan triggers all the Vengevines for an instant lethal swing.

This is one of the wildest decks I've seen in a while. Maybe it's not the best choice for maximizing your win percentage, but it offers an unforgettable challenge. Hopefully, other players will be brave enough to shuffle it up at upcoming events. Speaking of which, this coming weekend features live coverage of the US Regional Championship, courtesy of Star City Games, bringing all the action straight to your screen!