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. Over the past two weekends, more than 800 invited players battled for cash prizes, exclusive promos, and premier event qualifications across three Regional Championships, covering Southeast Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and South America.

Together, these high-stakes tournaments awarded 26 coveted invitations to Pro Tour Nauctis, scheduled for February 2027. You can find event summaries for each Regional Championship, along with decklists, standings, photos, brackets, and more, on the Magic.gg events page.

Congratulations to the newly crowned champions, who claimed the trophies in their respective regions and earned invitations to Magic World Championship 33, to be held in Amsterdam in December 2027! Jason Yan took the title in Sydney with Azorius Chant, Ravikorn Nisitsukcharoen emerged victorious in Singapore with Devoted Druid Combo, and Luis Venegas dominated in Buenos Aires with Boros Energy.

In this article, I'll break down the evolving Modern metagame, examine win rates across the major archetypes, and highlight the standout strategies that rose to the top.

The Modern Metagame and Win Rates

Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format based on expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eighth Edition forward, save for cards on the banned list. The table below combines the raw metagame numbers from the aforementioned Regional Championships for Southeast Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and South America, along with the match win rates for each deck archetype (excluding mirror matches, byes, and draws). I assigned archetypes myself based on each deck's contents, disregarding any self-reported deck labels on Melee. Check marks indicate that the 95% confidence interval for an archetype's win rate sat strictly above 50%.

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "Other" category covers decks that each made up less than one percent of the field, including Eldrazi Trudge, Tameshi Belcher, Hollow One, Eldrazi Ramp, Jeskai Energy, Golgari Necro, Golgari Yawgmoth, Esper Ketramose, Samwise Gamgee Combo, Boros Burn, Izzet Murktide, Five-Color Creativity, and more.

Two weeks ago, in my analysis of the preceding five Regional Championships, I covered the dominance of Broodscale Combo, the emergence of Azorius Chant, and the adoption of new Reality Fracture cards across a variety of decks. At the time, I wrote that "the next few weekends will reveal whether Broodscale Combo can hold on to its throne or whether the rest of the format can adapt in time." As it turns out, the metagame is in flux, and Broodscale Combo's grip on that throne has started to slip.

Compared to the preceding five Regional Championships, Broodscale Combo dropped in both popularity (from 17.3% of the field down to 14.2%) and win rate (from 54.8% to 52.3%). Meanwhile, Rakdos Delirium and Azorius Chant, both of which once again proved their favorable matchups against Broodscale Combo over the past two weekends, are climbing rapidly in metagame share. Rakdos Delirium in particular surged from 1.4% to 8.8% of the field, while Azorius Chant rose from 4.6% to 7.2%. Behind them, the field remained remarkably diverse, with a wide variety of archetypes capable of finding competitive success.

With that context in mind, let's take a closer look at five of the most notable stories and Modern developments from the last three Regional Championships.

Azorius Chant Sends Two Players to the World Championship

4 Silence 1 Otawara, Soaring City 4 Flooded Strand 2 Erode 3 Windswept Heath 1 Razorgrass Ambush 1 Monumental Henge 2 Preordain 2 Hallowed Fountain 1 Floodfarm Verge 4 Orim's Chant 1 Breeding Pool 1 Consult the Star Charts 1 Isochron Scepter 4 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Island 1 Celestial Colonnade 1 Mystic Gate 1 The Mind Stone 4 Narset, Parter of Veils 2 Meticulous Archive 3 Prismatic Ending 3 Day's Undoing 4 Solitude 1 Sink into Stupor 2 Plains 3 Wrath of the Skies 1 Geier Reach Sanitarium 3 Mystical Dispute 4 Sanctum Prelate 3 Consign to Memory 2 The Wandering Emperor 3 Rest in Peace

Out of the four Magic World Championship 33 invitations awarded at the last three Regional Championships, two were claimed by Azorius Chant: Jason Yan won in Sydney, and Martín Dominguez finished second in Buenos Aires. Over the past few months, the deck has emerged as one of the best ways to defeat Broodscale Combo, and the match-by-match results from these recent events confirm that Azorius Chant remains a well-positioned choice against the format's most popular deck.

The archetype has also kept evolving. Dominguez's list, like most successful Azorius Chant builds of late, added Preordain and a single copy of The Mind Stone to the main deck, making the primary game plan more consistent and adding late-game blinking potential for Narset, Parter of Veils or Solitude to lock up the game. Another new tweak is cutting the companion Kaheera, the Orphanguard, to make room for 4 Sanctum Prelates in the sideboard, which can name two to shut down Ruby Storm's entire engine. Meanwhile, a handful of players adopted The Theorist, Jace Beleren from Reality Fracture, including the champion in Sydney. "It won me multiple games," Yan said.

Rakdos Delirium Dominates the Top Tables

2 Swamp 3 Flare of Malice 3 Stitcher's Supplier 4 Thoughtseize 1 Arid Mesa 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Street Wraith 1 Troll of Khazad-dûm 1 Mountain 4 Dark Matter Manipulator 1 Verdant Catacombs 4 Moonshadow 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Nethergoyf 2 Raucous Theater 4 Detective's Phoenix 3 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Marsh Flats 2 Fatal Push 2 Nihil Spellbomb 1 Inquisition of Kozilek 2 Blood Moon 4 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Meltdown 2 Glistening Deluge

The Top 6 eligible players from Southeast Asia and the Top 10 eligible players from Australia/New Zealand earned a Pro Tour invitation. And among the Top 6 and Top 10 players from those events, a combined six were running Rakdos Delirium! Six out of sixteen is an incredible showing. With a dazzling 58.3% win rate, it marks a true breakout for this young archetype. The deck aims to fill the graveyard with self-mill and discard effects, enabling delirium for Fear of Missing Out while growing Nethergoyf, and it does so with ruthless efficiency.

The story traces back to the Japan/Korea Regional Championship on October 3, 2026, during the Reality Fracture release weekend, where Hall of Famer Shuhei Nakamura reached the Top 8 by combining Dark Matter Manipulator and Detective's Phoenix. His list inspired several players who went on to clinch top finishes at the latest Regional Championships. "When Shuhei made Top 8 at the Japanese RC, I knew I'd found a deck!" Benjamin Skrbinsek said.

Shannon Dann, who also reached the Top 8 in Sydney, summed up the deck's power succinctly: "Moonshadow is a one-mana 7/7 that wins the game if unanswered." Meanwhile, compatriot Joel McAndrew highlighted the deck's place in the format: "Well positioned in the meta with a dominant Chant matchup and good Broodscale matchup."

There have also been relevant developments since Nakamura's original build. Five of the six top finishers, including Albert Himawan, who finished second at the Southeast Asia Regional Championship, added Stitcher's Supplier and Flare of Malice, typically cutting Unholy Heat to make room. Stitcher's Supplier supports the graveyard synergies in much the same way as Dark Matter Manipulator, but its 1/1 body is small and difficult to make use of. Flare of Malice solves that problem. Sacrificing Stitcher's Supplier turns Flare of Malice into a free removal spell, and you even get to mill three more cards. It's a sweet combination that makes the deck even more synergistic.

As Rakdos Delirium grows in metagame share, the rest of the field is adapting. In particular, we're seeing more and more copies of Sanctifier en-Vec in decks like Azorius Chant and Boros Energy. The white creature not only has protection from both of Rakdos's colors but also exiles black and red cards before they can reach the graveyard, stopping the graveyard synergies before they get going. That makes it one of the most effective sideboard cards against Rakdos Delirium in the format. Though Rakdos Delirium has access to Glistening Deluge as a post-board answer, we're likely to see even more Sanctifier en-Vec in the weeks ahead.

Merfolk Qualifies for the Pro Tour

1 Otawara, Soaring City 3 Flare of Denial 4 Cavern of Souls 4 Vodalian Hexcatcher 1 Glasspool Mimic 4 Disrupting Shoal 3 Mindspring Merfolk 3 Lord of Atlantis 4 Sink into Stupor 4 Hydroelectric Specimen 4 Tide Shaper 4 Aether Vial 4 Master of the Pearl Trident 4 Island 4 Harbinger of the Seas 2 Mutavault 3 Force of Negation 4 Namor the Sub-Mariner 3 Unable to Scream 2 Hurkyl's Recall 2 Dismember 3 Chalice of the Void 3 Consign to Memory 2 Relic of Progenitus

Merfolk has been part of Modern basically since the format began, but it has spent most of that time on the fringes. It peaked in the mid-2010s with Grand Prix titles in Copenhagen in 2015 and Los Angeles in 2016, and the Modern Horizons sets kept it afloat after that. Even so, it rarely makes up more than a tiny fraction of the field at Regional Championships.

Indeed, across 813 decklists from the last three Regional Championships, I saw only two Merfolk decks. So it's very exciting when enthusiasts of this off-meta archetype find success. Ziene, a familiar name across 5-0 Merfolk results on Magic Online Leagues, took Merfolk to a 9th-place finish at the South America Regional Championship, earning a Pro Tour Nauctis invitation!

Lords like Master of the Pearl Trident and Lord of Atlantis still form the core. The new star, though, is Namor the Sub-Mariner from Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes, which creates a 1/1 Merfolk token for each blue mana symbol in the mana cost of every noncreature spell you cast. Force of Negation, Flare of Denial, and Disrupting Shoal each have two, so every free counterspell also adds two lord-pumped attackers to the board. Namor the Sub-Mariner could be what turns this fan favorite into a new powerhouse.

Mono-Blue Key Unlocks a Pro Tour Invitation

4 Otawara, Soaring City 4 Grinding Station 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 3 Urza, Lord High Artificer 3 Island 4 Mox Amber 1 Spell Snare 1 Skateboard 4 Mox Opal 1 Shadowspear 1 Spell Pierce 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Key to the Side-Door 3 Sewer-veillance Cam 3 Sink into Stupor 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Cruel Calculations 4 Urza's Saga 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Pithing Needle 2 Dismember 2 Mystical Dispute 4 Consign to Memory 1 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Harbinger of the Seas 2 Test of Talents

With a Top 8 finish at the Australia/New Zealand Regional Championship, Ian Cormick also earned a Pro Tour Nauctis invitation. His spicy Mono-Blue Key deck grew out of a single idea. "I knew I was going to play eight Moxen and decided to play Mono-Blue to enable Key to the Side-Door," he explained. The second ability of this one-mana artifact from Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ lets you discard excess legendary cards to draw two cards. By staying mono-blue, Cormick was able to fit four copies each of Otawara, Soaring City and Minamo, School at Water's Edge into his mana base, and his list ran as many as 27 copies of duplicate legendary cards. As a result, redundant copies could consistently be converted into fresh cards.

Underneath the card-advantage engine sits an infinite combo. Grinding Station untaps whenever an artifact enters, and Sewer-veillance Cam can untap Emry, Lurker of the Loch whenever the Cam enters or leaves the battlefield. So, you can tap a Mox for blue mana, use Emry to recast the Sewer-veillance Cam from your graveyard, sacrifice both to the Station, have Emry recast the Mox, and loop for infinite mill. Brandon Rashad reached the same Top 8 with this combo in an Azorius Fiddlebender shell, making Sydney a strong showing for the combo. Cormick named Urza's Saga as his best card: "It's a do-everything card that enables both the combo and fair plans for the deck."

The spiciest new inclusion in Cormick's deck is a pair of Cruel Calculations from Reality Fracture. This three-mana sorcery effectively draws a card for each card milled that turn, and in this deck, those numbers add up fast. Emry mills four cards as it enters, and every Grinding Station activation mills three more. So, a single turn can easily make Cruel Calculations a seven- or ten-card draw, letting you run away with the game in memorable fashion.

Simic Neoform Had the Highest Win Rate

1 Flooded Strand 4 Neoform 4 Planar Genesis 4 Eldritch Evolution 2 Snow-Covered Forest 1 Windswept Heath 2 Generous Ent 1 Griselbrand 4 Misty Rainforest 3 Hedge Maze 4 Allosaurus Rider 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Snow-Covered Island 1 Breeding Pool 4 Consign to Memory 1 Hooting Mandrills 1 Xenagos, God of Revels 2 Disciple of Freyalise 4 Veil of Summer 2 Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant 1 Ureni, the Song Unending 4 Summoner's Pact 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Pact of Negation 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 1 Bridgeworks Battle 1 Endurance 2 Endurance 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Abhorrent Oculus 4 Mystical Dispute 1 Hooting Mandrills 3 Nature's Claim 3 Ice-Fang Coatl

At 64.3%, Simic Neoform posted the highest match win rate in the table, while making up just 1.1% of the field. Although none of its pilots made the Top 8, each of the three Regional Championships featured a Simic Neoform player among finishers placing 9th through 16th. The deck retains the powerful game plan of casting Allosaurus Rider for no mana and then upgrading it into a game-winning creature such as Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant with Neoform or Eldritch Evolution. However, its stellar win rate over the past two weekends is harder to interpret than it looks.

At Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes, Simic Neoform posted one of the highest win rates in the field at 60.5%. But at the Regional Championships in September and early October, the deck's win rate dropped to a mere 42.9% and 47%, respectively. How did it swing back to 64.3% all of a sudden? Sure, the metagame shifts over time, but not that rapidly, and the combined share of favorable matchups such as Boros Energy and Izzet Prowess has not changed dramatically.

My best explanation is simply variance. As Simic Neoform was never more than four percent of the field, each preceding statistic was based on a relatively small sample size. When I add up the individual match-by-match results from all these tournaments, Simic Neoform's overall win rate comes to 48.5%, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 45.1% to 52%. In other words, the deck is most likely close to average in Modern, with its outlier results on various weekends largely due to chance. This shows how small samples can easily lead us astray.

What's Next for Modern?

This cycle of Regional Championships first established Broodscale Combo as the deck to beat, and then Azorius Chant and Rakdos Delirium emerged as excellent ways to defeat it. This shows that in a format whose card pool stretches back to 2003, there is still plenty of room for innovation and metagame churn.

One event remains before this round of Modern Regional Championships concludes: the MIT Championship for Chinese Taipei on November 1, 2026. Afterward, fans of the format can compete in special tournaments on Magic Online, including a Modern RC Qualifier on November 26, a Modern Showcase Challenge on November 28, and a Modern Showcase Qualifier on December 5.

And the new year will kick off with plenty of excitement for Modern fans as well, as Pro Tour Nauctis brings the format to the big stage at MagicCon: Detroit on February 26–28, 2027.