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. Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) events, running through November 9, currently offer Standard players a shot at securing a spot in the Standard Regional Championships, set to unfold in January through March 2026. The Standard format was also featured this past weekend at a prestigious, high-stakes tournament where players competed for their share of $250,000 in prizes.

And we have a winner! Congratulations to Raffaele Mazza, who defeats Jan Merkel to become the champion of Arena Championship 9! pic.twitter.com/pDwoxj60S2

— PlayMTG (@PlayMTG) August 10, 2025

Congratulations to Raffaele Mazza, who claimed victory at Arena Championship 9! Izzet Cauldron emerged as the breakout deck of the tournament, and Mazza ultimately triumphed over Jan Merkel in a tense mirror-match finale. Both finalists earned invitations to Magic World Championship 31, and the Top 16 finishers secured seats at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities.

To help you stay ahead of the curve in Standard, today's article offers a metagame snapshot along with a closer look at the top archetypes that have risen in the opening weeks after rotation. I will also spotlight the most impactful additions to Standard from Edge of Eternities.

Standard with Edge of Eternities

With the arrival of Edge of Eternities, the Standard landscape has shifted dramatically. Five sets—Dominaria United, The Brothers' War, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, March of the Machine, and March of the Machine: The Aftermath—have rotated out, clearing the stage for a reshaped and redefined format.

To capture an accurate snapshot of competitive Standard immediately after rotation, I analyzed nearly 600 successful tournament decks from the past two weeks. My dataset included every published Magic Online list from Standard Challenges, Showcase Challenges, and Last Chance events held between August 1–11. I also incorporated decklists from Arena Championship 9, counting each twice to reflect the elevated competitive level, and the Top 8 decklists from the Champions Cup Special Qualifiers in Nagoya, Osaka, Osu, Nipponbashi, and Tokyo.

To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins—calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. By combining these points across all events, each archetype's share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner's metagame share.

The "Other" category collects decks with less than one percent winner's metagame share, including Temur Ferocious, Naya Yuna, Golgari Roots, Gruul Aggro, Abzan Yuna, Orzhov Sacrifice, Mono-Green Landfall, Gruul Landfall, Simic Ramp, Esper Midrange, Golgari Midrange, Jeskai Control, Gruul Dinosaurs, Azorius Bunnicorn, Jeskai Oculus, Bant Birds, Orzhov Lifegain, and more.

Post-rotation Standard is firmly in the grip of Izzet Cauldron. A 41.4% share of the winner's metagame is enormous by any measure, and the dominance is even more striking in the most prestigious events: Arena Championship 9's Top 8 contained seven Izzet Cauldron decks, while the Standard Showcase Challenge on August 10 had six copies of the deck in its Top 8. The deck's power comes from its namesake artifact, Agatha's Soul Cauldron, which can bestow Vivi Ornitier's activated ability upon other creatures. This enables explosive bursts of mana.

Agatha's Soul Cauldron
Vivi Ornitier
Proft's Eidetic Memory

Although Izzet Cauldron is the early frontrunner, its reign is not guaranteed. Magic history is filled with examples of metagames that shifted to topple an early titan. Consider, for example, Izzet Prowess with Cori-Steel Cutter, just a few months ago. Despite holding a 36% share at the United States Regional Championship and 42% at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™, both titles were claimed by Mono-Red Aggro decks running main deck Magebane Lizard, a card that proved devastating in the matchup against Izzet Prowess. In time, a similar story may unfold for Edge of Eternities Standard.

In the coming weeks, expect Standard deck builders to tinker, hone, and tune with the singular goal of defeating Izzet Cauldron. This is no simple task, but there are tools at hand. Agatha's Soul Cauldron can be shut down with graveyard hate like Rest in Peace, or you can turn the tables by exiling an opposing Vivi Ornitier with your own Cauldron. Vivi Ornitier itself can be removed with efficient answers like Shoot the Sheriff or exile-based removal like Strategic Betrayal, The End, a bargained Torch the Tower, or Obliterating Bolt. Post-board options like High Noon, Clarion Conqueror, or Ultima can also shine.

Yet Izzet Cauldron is not merely a combo deck—it has a formidable aggressive curve as well. You must be prepared to answer openings like Marauding Mako on turn one, followed by Proft's Eidetic Memory or Fear of Missing Out on turn two, then Tersa Lightshatter on turn three. This sequence can easily produce a 4/4 and a 5/5 attacking by turn three. The synergy between Fear of Missing Out and Proft's Eidetic Memory is especially punishing, as the extra combat step grants the enchantment a second trigger. Efficient spot removal, blockers, and sweepers can help to fight back. Annul is also a surprisingly potent way to fight Izzet Prowess, as it counters nearly all of the deck's pivotal two-drop cards.

Beyond Izzet Cauldron, several other strategies have managed to carve out their share of success in Edge of Eternities Standard. To highlight the most relevant contenders in these opening weeks, I have constructed aggregate lists using an algorithm that balances popularity, win rate, and key card synergies. Let's now take a closer look at the eight archetypes that each held at least a two-percent share of the winner's metagame.

1. Izzet Cauldron (41.4% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Mountain 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Vivi Ornitier 4 Winternight Stories 4 Island 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Proft's Eidetic Memory 4 Marauding Mako 3 Into the Flood Maw 3 Tersa Lightshatter 3 Torch the Tower 2 Thundering Falls 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Abrade 2 Starting Town 2 Draconautics Engineer 1 Steamcore Scholar 2 Fire Magic 2 Annul 2 Disdainful Stroke 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Spell Pierce 2 Broadside Barrage 1 Abrade 1 Torch the Tower 1 Obliterating Bolt

At Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY, three brave innovators unveiled a build that cut Cori-Steel Cutter in favor of Agatha's Soul Cauldron. Among them was Hall of Famer Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, who piloted his version to an impressive 8-2 finish in the Standard rounds. Several months later, untouched by the June 30 bans, Izzet Cauldron has risen to become the undisputed deck to beat in Standard.

Its central game plan revolves around discarding Vivi Ornitier (using cards like Fear of Missing Out, Tersa Lightshatter, or Winternight Stories) and exiling it with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. This grants Vivi Ornitier's activated mana ability to any creature with a +1/+1 counter, which, thanks to Marauding Mako and Proft's Eidetic Memory, often means your entire board. "Vivi Ornitier with Agatha's Soul Cauldron is a very explosive combination," Damo da Rosa explained at the time. "It can add a lot of mana on a turn and sometimes kill you from nowhere. We liked that the deck had access to this combo element as well as a very reasonable fair plan."

Although the deck lost Voldaren Thrillseeker and Shivan Reef in the rotation, Starting Town and Draconautics Engineer have proven to be capable replacements. Draconautics Engineer efficiently closes games with haste and Dragon tokens after you've developed your mana engine. Meanwhile, opponents no longer have access to Cut Down to cleanly answer Vivi Ornitier, and Shoot the Sheriff—the common Go for the Throat replacement—fails to handle Marauding Mako. The post-rotation environment has only cemented the deck's standing.

When playing with or against Izzet Cauldron, it's important to remember that multiple Vivi Ornitier activations in a single turn are not only possible, but often game-breaking ways of winning the game. If you control a Vivi Ornitier with a +1/+1 counter and have another exiled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, the Vivi Ornitier that you control can use its mana ability twice. And if multiple copies of Vivi Ornitier are exiled, then each creature with a counter gains an activation for each exiled copy. This can double or triple your mana, enabling absurd plays.

2. Dimir Midrange (13.0% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Swamp 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 4 Island 4 Enduring Curiosity 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Watery Grave 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Deep-Cavern Bat 4 Preacher of the Schism 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 3 Shoot the Sheriff 3 Starting Town 2 Restless Reef 2 Cecil, Dark Knight 2 Tragic Trajectory 2 Phantom Interference 1 Bitter Triumph 1 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Duress 2 Faebloom Trick 2 Strategic Betrayal 1 Nowhere to Run 1 Negate 1 Annul 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Spell Pierce 1 Qarsi Revenant 1 Shoot the Sheriff

Dimir Midrange pairs efficient disruption with evasive threats in a well-rounded package. A fixture of the pre-rotation metagame, its core engine remains intact. Anchored by a fleet of evasive threats, the deck still leans on Enduring Curiosity and Kaito, Bane of Nightmares for steady card advantage. Meanwhile, a stream of pinpoint removal and countermagic keeps opponents off balance.

Post-rotation, Faerie Mastermind has been replaced by Deep-Cavern Bat, while Cut Down and Go for the Throat have made way for Shoot the Sheriff and Edge of Eternities's Tragic Trajectory. Thanks to cards like Spyglass Siren; Kaito, Bane of Nightmares; and Floodpits Drowner, the deck reliably enables void, letting you answer almost any creature for just a single mana. Finally, with the loss of Underground River and Darkslick Shores, the mana base now uses the newly reprinted Watery Grave alongside Starting Town.

Dimir Midrange remains a solid choice in today's field. Recently, Kampo piloted a build featuring main deck Sunset Saboteur and Spell Pierce over Preacher of the Schism to win the 273-player Standard Showcase Challenge, defeating three Izzet Cauldron opponents in the Top 8 alone.

3. Esper Pixie (9.9% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Nowhere to Run 4 Watery Grave 4 Nurturing Pixie 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Godless Shrine 4 Sunpearl Kirin 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Cosmogrand Zenith 4 Stock Up 3 Concealed Courtyard 3 Tragic Trajectory 3 Starting Town 2 Momentum Breaker 2 Fear of Isolation 1 Island 1 Shadowy Backstreet 1 Cryogen Relic 2 Seam Rip 2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 2 Duress 2 No More Lies 2 Annul 2 Exorcise 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Defiled Crypt 1 Elegy Acolyte

Esper Pixie has returned! Once a pillar of the early 2025 Standard metagame, it thrived on the synergy between self-bounce creatures like Nurturing Pixie and Fear of Isolation and value enchantments such as Stormchaser's Talent and Nowhere to Run. The rise of Cori-Steel Cutter and the June 30 bans, which removed both Hopeless Nightmare and This Town Ain't Big Enough, pushed it out of favor, but rotation and new tools from Edge of Eternities have given it fresh life.

The biggest pickup is Cosmogrand Zenith. In this deck, Stock Up keeps your hand full and Nurturing Pixie allows you to recast permanents with ease, which altogether makes it easy to play two spells a turn. This supercharges Cosmogrand Zenith, making it a token-making factory or source of continual +1/+1 counters. Tragic Trajectory also slots neatly into the deck, with Nurturing Pixie enabling void without effort.

Rotation forced a major overhaul of the mana base, with Darkslick Shores, Seachrome Coast, Adarkar Wastes, and Underground River all leaving. However, the arrival of Watery Grave and Godless Shrine makes up for that. As those have basic land subtypes, Floodfarm Verge and Gloomlake Verge turned into suitable fixers, keeping the colors consistent. The result is a smooth, powerful, and synergistic post-rotation build.

4. Izzet Prowess (6.5% of the Winner's Metagame)

6 Island 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Torch the Tower 4 Vivi Ornitier 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Stock Up 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Astrologian's Planisphere 3 Into the Flood Maw 3 Mountain 2 Thundering Falls 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Starting Town 2 Consult the Star Charts 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Roaring Furnace 1 Wild Ride 1 Crash Through 3 Abrade 2 Obliterating Bolt 2 Fire Magic 2 Disdainful Stroke 2 Spell Pierce 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Annul 1 Negate 1 Consult the Star Charts

Izzet Prowess takes a more straightforward approach than its Cauldron counterpart, using cheap spells like Opt and Sleight of Hand to boost tokens from Stormchaser's Talent and Astrologian's Planisphere. The June 30 bans cut deeply, removing both Cori-Steel Cutter and Monstrous Rage, but the shell of efficient threats and cantrips remained. Edge of Eternities added Consult the Star Charts to keep the spells flowing.

The deck emerged from rotation largely unscathed and was initially predicted to be a major post-rotation contender. But Izzet Cauldron's ability to more reliably exile Vivi Ornitier to Agatha's Soul Cauldron, which can potentially jump you from two mana to fifteen in a single turn, has pushed Izzet Prowess into the background. As Izzet Prowess does not lean into the graveyard and discard synergies that define Izzet Cauldron, Izzet Prowess struggles to match its powerful counterpart's raw explosiveness.

5. Azorius Control (5.3% of the Winner's Metagame)

6 Plains 6 Island 4 No More Lies 4 Meticulous Archive 4 Fountainport 4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Get Lost 4 Stock Up 3 Three Steps Ahead 3 Restless Anchorage 3 Marang River Regent 3 Pinnacle Starcage 3 Overlord of the Mistmoors 2 Seam Rip 2 Consult the Star Charts 2 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 2 Day of Judgment 1 Horned Loch-Whale 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Rest in Peace 2 Voice of Victory 2 Kutzil's Flanker 1 Seam Rip 1 Exorcise 1 Flashfreeze 1 Clarion Conqueror

Azorius Control remains the format's steadfast gatekeeper, dictating the game's pace with counterspells, spot removal, card draw, and board wipes. With a smooth two-color mana base—now featuring more basic lands after the rotation of Adarkar Wastes and Seachrome Coast—the deck continues its classic approach: counter early threats with No More Lies, stabilize the board, and eventually close with finishers like Marang River Regent. In the current metagame, it's also quite relevant that No More Lies exiles Vivi Ornitier and Winternight Stories.

Edge of Eternities introduced Consult the Star Charts as a flexible draw option, letting you pass the turn with mana open to either respond to the opponent or refill your hand. Additionally, Seam Rip answers Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Proft's Eidetic Memory. Pinnacle Starcage also exiles the Cauldron, with a bonus of synergy: Starcage is copyable with Three Steps Ahead, and Seam Rip remains on the battlefield afterward, letting you incorporate both answers seamlessly.

In the August 11 Standard Last Chance tournament, the top three finishers all played Azorius Control, showing that the deck can perform well in a metagame dominated by Izzet Cauldron.

6. Mono-Red Aggro (3.3% of the Winner's Metagame)

18 Mountain 4 Hired Claw 4 Screaming Nemesis 4 Burst Lightning 4 Lightning Strike 4 Nova Hellkite 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Rockface Village 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 3 Obliterating Bolt 2 Sunspine Lynx 2 Kellan, Planar Trailblazer 4 Magebane Lizard 2 Sunspine Lynx 2 Suplex 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Chandra, Spark Hunter 1 Case of the Crimson Pulse 1 Obliterating Bolt 1 Soulstone Sanctuary

The classic formula of cheap, hasty threats backed by burn spells never goes out of style. Mono-Red Aggro, championed by Ken Yukuhiro at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY, survived both the bans and the rotation. It may have hurt to lose Heartfire Hero and Monstrous Rage in the bans and Monastery Swiftspear in the rotation, but Kellan, Planar Trailblazer has stepped in as a solid one-drop. The deck retains its pristine mana, aggressive curve, and lethal burn suite.

Nova Hellkite from Edge of Eternities is a perfect fit, picking off small creatures like Floodpits Drowner or a Stormchaser's Talent token before swinging for four. Its warp ability gives flexibility and helps dodge sweepers like Day of Judgment. The result is a streamlined, aggressive list that punishes slow starts.

7. Simic Ouroboroid (2.2% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Forest 4 Botanical Sanctum 4 Breeding Pool 4 Willowrush Verge 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Into the Flood Maw 3 Genemorph Imago 3 Ouroboroid 3 Sentinel of the Nameless City 3 Bushwhack 3 Subterranean Schooner 2 Island 2 Restless Vinestalk 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Enduring Curiosity 2 Pawpatch Recruit 2 Bristly Bill, Spine Sower 4 Unable to Scream 3 Repulsive Mutation 3 Scavenging Ooze 2 Heritage Reclamation 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter

Alongside aggressive starts, the deck can pivot into a tempo game using Floodpits Drowner and Into the Flood Maw to stall opposing boards while Ouroboroid grows into an unstoppable threat. It's explosive, flexible, and—given the number of counters in play—demands an equally massive supply of dice.

This brand-new Standard build, which I've dubbed Simic Ouroboroid, is enabled by three new cards from Edge of Eternities: Breeding Pool; Genemorph Imago; and Ouroboroid. Ouroboroid rewards you for flooding the board with cheap creatures, and it's particularly awesome to increase its power with Genemorph Imago; Bristly Bill, Spine Sower; and your Map tokens. This allows you to distribute +1/+1 counters at a ridiculous pace.

Alongside aggressive starts, the deck can also play a decent tempo game using Floodpits Drowner and Into the Flood Maw. These cards can stall opposing boards, while Ouroboroid grows into the stratosphere. All in all, Simic Ouroboroid is a sweet deck that demands an equally cosmic supply of dice.

8. Boros Mice (2.1% of the Winner's Metagame)

2 Devastating Onslaught 1 Mistrise Village 3 Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest 4 Forest 4 Lumbering Worldwagon 2 Abrade 4 Temur Battlecrier 4 Starting Town 1 Bounce Off 4 Stomping Ground 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Outcaster Trailblazer 4 Breeding Pool 1 Island 3 Mountain 3 Esper Origins 2 Thornspire Verge 2 Cactusfolk Sureshot 3 Anticausal Vestige 1 Botanical Sanctum 4 Roaming Throne 1 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 2 Scrapshooter 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 1 Dissection Tools 2 Torch the Tower 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Spectral Denial 1 Negate 2 Fire Magic

Boros Mice relies on an aggressive curve of synergistic creatures. Flowerfoot Swordmaster, Emberheart Challenger, and Whiskervale Forerunner all reward you for triggering their valiant abilities, which can be set off by Manifold Mouse, Rockface Village, Sheltered by Ghosts, or the Equipment from Mabel, Heir to Cragflame. Mabel doubles as both a synergy enabler and a lord for all your Mice.

The mana base is as smooth as the curve, with Inspiring Vantage, Sunbillow Verge, and Sacred Foundry ensuring consistency and even enabling the creature half of Twinmaw Stormbrood. The result is a focused, aggressive list that can overwhelm opponents before they stabilize.

The Most-Played Cards from Edge of Eternities

Edge of Eternities has unleashed a suite of potent tools into Standard, many of which are seeing a lot of play. The table below highlights the 25 new-to-Standard cards that have seen the most play across the decklists I reviewed.

Watery Grave and Tragic Trajectory have powered both Dimir Midrange and Esper Pixie, offering consistent mana and efficient removal in equal measure.

Meanwhile, Annul has emerged as one of the most effective ways to break serve against Izzet Cauldron after sideboard, as it cleanly counters Proft's Eidetic Memory, Fear of Missing Out, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron before they can take over the game.

Standard Ban Philosophy and Cadence

With the community abuzz over Izzet Cauldron's rapid dominance, it's worth reiterating the current Standard ban philosophy, its cadence, and its history.

In 2023, motivated by the observation that unpredictable bans "hurt players' ability to have confidence in building and playing their decks," the goal was announced to make Standard changes only "once a year." In addition to the yearly announcement, there would also be a banned and restricted update three weeks after every set release for the very rare need to address "cards on the level of Felidar Guardian."

That cadence of having additional announcements three weeks after every set release was slightly reduced in 2024, as ban announcements in the middle of competitive seasons made it difficult for players to have confidence in their deck selection for events they had planned for: "Moving forward, we will be aligning our B&R announcements to the RC and RCQ seasons ... This also means fewer B&R announcements overall."

The latest yearly window for Standard was June 30, 2025; seven cards were banned in Standard at that time. In that announcement, Cori-Steel Cutter was banned in Standard after Izzet Prowess comprised 36% of the metagame at the United States Regional Championship and 42% at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY. It also set expectations: "The banning of Cori-Steel Cutter is the kind of action we would take in any of our banning windows. The level of dominance of Izzet Prowess in the recent Standard metagame clearly meets our threshold for bans outside this once-per-year Standard window."

The next scheduled banning window is set for November 24, 2025, shortly after the conclusion of the current Standard RCQ round.

What's Next for Standard?

Right now, Izzet Cauldron is the clear deck to defeat in Standard, and the challenge for deck builders is to find strategies capable of dethroning it. Some archetypes are already making inroads—Azorius Control and Dimir Midrange have shown early promise—and at Arena Championship 9, one bold outlier broke through, claiming a Top 8 spot amidst seven Izzet Cauldron decks.

2 Devastating Onslaught 1 Mistrise Village 3 Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest 4 Forest 4 Lumbering Worldwagon 2 Abrade 4 Temur Battlecrier 4 Starting Town 1 Bounce Off 4 Stomping Ground 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Outcaster Trailblazer 4 Breeding Pool 1 Island 3 Mountain 3 Esper Origins 2 Thornspire Verge 2 Cactusfolk Sureshot 3 Anticausal Vestige 1 Botanical Sanctum 4 Roaming Throne 1 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 2 Scrapshooter 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 1 Dissection Tools 2 Torch the Tower 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Spectral Denial 1 Negate 2 Fire Magic

Temur Ferocious revolves around the ferocious keyword, which unlocks extra effects when you control a creature with power 4 or greater. And this list is packed with them. Temur Battlecrier, for example, can dramatically reduce your spell costs based on the number of such creatures you control.

The dream curve is the stuff of highlight reels:

• Turn one: Llanowar Elves
• Turn two: Temur Battlecrier
• Turn three: Outcaster Trailblazer, Roaming Throne (naming Human), another Outcaster Trailblazer (adding two red and drawing two cards), Roaming Throne (naming Dragon), and finally Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest. Its trigger is doubled, resulting in lethal damage on the spot!

The raw explosiveness of this deck cannot be overstated, and Anticausal Vestige from Edge of Eternities has made it even more dangerous. With the right draw, Temur Ferocious can simply go over the top of Vivi Ornitier. Whether it truly has a favorable matchup against Izzet Cauldron remains to be seen, but based on its Top 8 finish at Arena Championship 9, it's surely worth testing.

As the Standard RCQ season continues, you can find an RCQ near you by checking with your local game store or visiting your regional organizer's website. If you're aiming even higher, Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation will take place at SCG CON Orlando on August 30–31. This marquee event features the Standard format and offers a $50,000 prize pool along with eight coveted Pro Tour invites.