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. For competitive Magic players, there are tons of ways to play the game, and we'll celebrate that diversity today by spotlighting the hottest new decks in various formats.

At MagicCon: Amsterdam, there was a Standard Cup, Modern Cup, Pioneer Cup, Legacy Cup, and Pauper Cup. A similar suite of events will be held at MagicCon: Las Vegas, awarding sweet prizes, exclusive playmats, and a trophy for the champion. All five Constructed formats, plus Vintage, are also supported with regular tournaments on Magic Online that offer a path to the Pro Tour.

As I've extensively covered Standard and Modern over the past two months, today I'll put a spotlight on some of the other Constructed formats, with metagame snapshots for Pioneer, Legacy, and Pauper. For each, I analyzed the decklists from their respective Cup Tournaments from MagicCon: Amsterdam as well as all published decklists from scheduled Magic Online tournaments in July. For each deck, I awarded points equal to its number of match wins minus match losses, if positive, which ultimately results in a distribution for the winner's metagame.

The Pioneer Metagame in July 2024

Pioneer is the nonrotating format based on expansion and core sets from Return to Ravnica forward, with the most notable cards on the banned list being the allied fetch lands. It's the designated Constructed format for the current round of Regional Championship Qualifiers, which runs until July 21.

Ever since Seth Manfield's victory at Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor, Rakdos Vampires has cemented itself as the dominant deck in Pioneer. It currently has a commanding 27.5% share of the winner's metagame, and many games will feature the formidable combo of Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord plus Vein Ripper on turn three. The deck's midrange core is also prominent in the seven most-played cards across all Pioneer decklists.

666820 489782 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker Mutavault 643280 541102 Blackcleave Cliffs

Rakdos Vampires, Amalia Combo, and Izzet Phoenix were also on top of the metagame in April and May, so there are no major surprises there. However, decks like Waste Not, Gruul Prowess, and Niv to Light have faltered throughout the round of RCQs. Even though Waste Not won the Pioneer Cup at MagicCon: Amsterdam, these decks dropped in popularity, shifting the metagame as a result. Meanwhile, we saw the rise of Mono-Green Devotion and the emergence of Rakdos Tree. Let's take a closer look at these two new contenders.

12 Forest 4 Outcaster Trailblazer 4 Invasion of Ixalan 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Elvish Mystic 4 Old-Growth Troll 4 Cavalier of Thorns 4 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner 4 Storm the Festival 4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx 4 Leyline of the Guildpact 3 Lair of the Hydra 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Ulvenwald Oddity 1 Oath of Nissa 3 Pick Your Poison 3 Tail Swipe 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 The Stone Brain 2 Obstinate Baloth 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Emrakul, the Promised End 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

Following the ban of Karn, the Great Creator this past December, many players had written off Mono-Green Devotion in Pioneer, but recent additions have brought it back into the limelight. Leyline of the Guildpact provides a huge mana boost when combined with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and Outcaster Trailblazer is similar to Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner. With these new additions, the deck has become a streamlined value engine that can consistently make enormous amounts of mana, draw a bunch of extra cards, and overwhelm the opponent.

The decklist got perfected over the past month or so, removing Polukranos Reborn and Nissa, Who Shakes the World from earlier builds in favor of Invasion of Ixalan. This lowers the curve and improves consistency, as Invasion of Ixalan makes it easier to assemble a common win condition of transforming Ulvenwald Oddity and sinking all of your mana into a trampling Lair of the Hydra. The sideboard was also improved, as Tail Swipe was discovered as an efficient answer to Amalia Combo and other creature decks. As a result, Mono-Green Devotion climbed from basically nowhere to 7.2% of the winner's metagame.

4 Thoughtseize 4 Voldaren Thrillseeker 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Bloodtithe Harvester 4 Tree of Perdition 4 Voldaren Epicure 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blood Crypt 3 Mutavault 3 Vein Ripper 3 Blightstep Pathway 3 Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord 2 Sulfurous Springs 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 2 Swamp 2 Fatal Push 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Raucous Theater 1 Castle Locthwain 1 Mountain 3 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Fatal Push 2 Duress 2 Extinction Event 2 Kolaghan's Command 2 Damping Sphere 1 Blot Out 1 Sheoldred's Edict

This novel archetype, which has been doing well on Magic Online over the past few weeks, shows that Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord plus Vein Ripper is not the only combo available to a black-red midrange deck. The plan here is to discard Tree of Perdition to a Blood token or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, then exile it with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. This grants the Tree's ability to another creature, which likely has only two toughness. In that case, you can set your opponent's life total to two and easily win the game from there.

An alternative line with Agatha's Soul Cauldron is to exile Voldaren Thrillseeker, granting its sacrifice ability to your creatures with a +1/+1 counter. This also allows you to set up lethal damage out of nowhere. All in all, this deck is pretty sweet, claiming a 3.1% share of the winner's metagame over the past few weeks, and you might see it at the last Regional Championship Qualifiers this coming weekend. The combo of Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Tree of Perdition seems effective against decks with little to no interaction, so Rakdos Tree may be well-positioned if Mono-Green Devotion keeps ticking up.

The Legacy Metagame in July 2024

Legacy is a nonrotating format that allows tournament-legal cards from all Magic sets throughout the game's entire history, except for cards on the banned list. Recently, Modern Horizons 3 injected many powerful new cards into the format.

Interactive blue-black decks have been a major part of Legacy for a while. One year ago, Dimir Shadow, Grixis Delver, and Dimir Murktide were the most prominent decks, but their numbers have fallen over the past year. Versions with the card Reanimate are leading the pack at a concerning 36.7% of the winner's metagame, exploiting the ability to return Grief, Troll of Khazad-dûm, or an Entomb target to the battlefield for only a single mana. Key cards of the deck feature prominently in the seven most-played cards across all Legacy decklists.

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Interestingly, even though Dimir Reanimator is dominant on Magic Online, the Legacy Cup at MagicCon: Amsterdam had only one such deck in the Top 16. In a more diverse field, Stijn van Dongen went undefeated with Abzan Maverick. However, this tabletop tournament appears to be an outlier. Indeed, at last weekend's $5K Legacy Trial at NRG Chicagoland, Dimir Reanimator was once again heavily represented at the top tables.

Modern Horizons 3 had a substantial impact on the format. Psychic Frog is the most-played new card overall, slotting into nearly every Dimir deck. It can discard a creature to be Reanimated, pitch to Grief or Force of Will, provide a fast clock, or grind for card advantage. The second-most played new card is Vexing Bauble, which stops opponents from pitch-casting Force of Will, Grief, and so on. Furthermore, Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student was embraced by many Dimir Midrange decks; Nadu, Winged Wisdom enabled a new take on the classic Cephalid Breakfast strategy; Cradle Control benefited from Springheart Nantuko and Wight of the Reliquary; and Oops, All Spells embraced modal double-faced cards like Fell the Profane.

Yet in terms of paving the way for new strategies, Sowing Mycospawn might take the crown. The Eldrazi Fungus slotted neatly into both Mono-Green Cloudpost and Mono-Green Eldrazi. Let's take a closer look at these two new contenders.

4 Urza's Tower 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Vexing Bauble 4 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Once Upon a Time 4 Crop Rotation 4 The One Ring 4 Cloudpost 4 Planar Nexus 4 Disruptor Flute 3 Elvish Spirit Guide 2 Glimmerpost 2 Forest 2 Vesuva 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 1 Eye of Ugin 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 1 Echoing Deeps 1 Karakas 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Glacial Chasm 1 Talon Gates of Madara 4 Faerie Macabre 3 Force of Vigor 3 Dismember 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Mycosynth Lattice 1 Walking Ballista 1 Haywire Mite 1 Tormod's Crypt

Cloudpost is one of the most powerful mana engines ever printed, especially when Glimmerpost and Vesuva add to your Locus count. The newly added Planar Nexus from Modern Horizons 3 Commander is a Locus as well, and it even counts as both an Urza's Power-Plant and an Urza's Mine, enabling Urza's Tower to tap for three mana right away. The only tricky part is finding the right combination of lands early on. That's where Sowing Mycospawn comes in. It finds the land you need while adding a relevant body to the battlefield, and it even exiles an opposing land if you have mana to spare.

Two other new additions from Modern Horizons 3 are Vexing Bauble and Disruptor Flute, adding some much-needed early interaction. Vexing Bauble lines up well against Force of Will, Grief, Daze, Lotus Petal, and many other Legacy staples. Disruptor Flute can stop Wasteland from destroying your mana base or, alternatively, disrupt strategies built around a specific single card. All in all, Modern Horizons 3 has been a big boost for land-based strategies in Legacy, making them a force to be reckoned with.

4 Cavern of Souls 4 Glaring Fleshraker 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Thought-Knot Seer 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Ancient Tomb 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Eye of Ugin 4 Devourer of Destiny 4 Lotus Petal 4 Chalice of the Void 4 Eldrazi Repurposer 3 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth 3 Wasteland 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 It That Heralds the End 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 1 Snow-Covered Wastes 4 Leyline of the Void 3 Wastescape Battlemage 3 Null Elemental Blast 3 Mindbreak Trap 1 Dismember 1 Faerie Macabre

If you are enticed by the Eldrazi but prefer attacking over tracking land types, then this deck might be right for you. Sowing Mycospawn can come down on turn two thanks to Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth and Eye of Ugin, allowing you to fetch Eldrazi Temple and speed further ahead. Alternatively, if you didn't already have Eye of Ugin, you can grab it, speed ahead with low-cost Eldrazi, and eventually search your library for a game-winning Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.

Eye of Ugin might be banned in Modern, but its capability for powering out blisteringly fast starts in Legacy remains unparalleled, especially after Modern Horizons 3. With the perfect ramp-based opening hand, this deck can now lead Lotus Petal into Eldrazi Repurposer, Glaring Fleshraker, or It That Heralds the End on turn one, which can be followed by Devourer of Destiny or an enormous Kozilek's Command as early as turn two. Eldrazi decks have been revitalized in Legacy, and they'll rapidly outmuscle the opponent with their multiversal mayhem.

The Pauper Metagame in July 2024

Pauper is an accessible format in which only common cards are allowed. If a common version of a particular card was ever printed in any paper or digital set, then any version of that card is legal in this format.

The most played nonbasic cards in Pauper show that the metagame currently revolves around answering or exploiting aggressive artifact synergies. In particular, Affinity is in the number one spot, using Ichor Wellspring and Great Furnace to reduce the cost of Myr Enforcer and Thoughtcast.

Galvanic Blast Gorilla Shaman Deadly Dispute 519327 534727 Lightning Bolt 522322

Modern Horizons 3 infused numerous strong cards into the Pauper format. Malevolent Rumble is the most-played new card overall, offering ramp and card selection to a variety of decks. Furthermore, Refurbished Familiar has been a sweet upgrade for Affinity, Sneaky Snacker is easy to return for free in Rakdos Madness, and Thraben Charm has added an efficient removal spell to Mono-White Aggro.

Yet just like in Legacy, the Eldrazi have been a major force arising from Modern Horizons 3, with Basking Broodscale and Writhing Chrysalis as major standouts. Let's take a closer look at the decks built around these powerful commons.

6 Swamp 4 Chromatic Star 4 Deadly Dispute 4 Basking Broodscale 4 Forest 4 Sadistic Glee 3 Duress 4 Malevolent Rumble 3 Eviscerator's Insight 3 Ichor Wellspring 2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping 2 Twisted Landscape 2 Snakeskin Veil 2 Khalni Garden 2 Vault of Whispers 2 Implement of Ferocity 2 Writhing Chrysalis 1 Haunted Mire 1 Mountain 1 Makeshift Munitions 1 Fanatical Offering 1 Darkmoss Bridge 1 Evolution Witness 4 Snuff Out 3 Weather the Storm 3 Troublemaker Ouphe 3 Drown in Sorrow 1 Nihil Spellbomb 1 Tamiyo's Safekeeping

This new combo strategy is enabled by Basking Broodscale, which provides an infinite combo with a card that predates Modern: Sadistic Glee. On turn three, the plan is to enchant Basking Broodscale with Sadistic Glee, then adapt it. You create and sacrifice an Eldrazi Spawn, which triggers Sadistic Glee to put a +1/+1 counter on Basking Broodscale, which creates an Eldrazi Spawn, and so on. The end result is an infinitely large Eldrazi Lizard and infinite mana. You can end the game on the spot with a card like Makeshift Munitions or Bloodrite Invoker, and there are various builds of the deck going around. But the core of the archetype is a two-card combo, and as such, it shouldn't be underestimated.

Broodscale Combo is quite consistent, in no small part thanks to two other additions from Modern Horizons 3: Malevolent Rumble and Eviscerator's Insight. By digging deeper into your deck, you'll find Basking Broodscale and Sadistic Glee quickly and reliably, allowing you to threaten a combo kill almost every game.

8 Forest 8 Snow-Covered Forest 4 Annoyed Altisaur 4 Arbor Elf 4 Avenging Hunter 4 Boarding Party 4 Utopia Sprawl 4 Writhing Chrysalis 4 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss 4 Thermokarst 3 Wild Growth 3 Malevolent Rumble 2 Eldrazi Repurposer 2 Generous Ent 1 Colossal Dreadmask 1 Highland Forest 4 Deglamer 3 Breath Weapon 2 Cast into the Fire 2 Relic of Progenitus 2 Gorilla Shaman 2 Weather the Storm

Gruul Ramp has become a major player in Pauper thanks to the addition of Writhing Chrysalis. This red-green powerhouse has been called the best Limited common of all time, and it offers a perfect midgame bridge for ramp decks in Pauper. It stops aerial assaults, handles swarm strategies, turns the corner, and ramps you towards a powerful end game. It's simply the best thing to be doing on turn three for this deck.

Speaking of endgame: Colossal Dreadmask has boosted the deck's late-game potential. It can be quite satisfying to turn your lowly Eldrazi Spawn into a massive Dinosaur. Sprinkle in Eldrazi Repurposer and Malevolent Rumble, and it's clear that Modern Horizons 3 has provided a huge number of upgrades for Gruul Ramp. The strategy won the Pauper Cup at MagicCon: Amsterdam and has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the new Pauper metagame.

The Road to Magic World Championship 30

Throughout competitive Magic's long and rich history, the World Championship has always been the crown jewel of organized play, and the upcoming event at MagicCon: Las Vegas will be one to celebrate. As I count down the weeks leading up to Magic World Championship 30 in late October, each week I'm taking a look at a great deck from a past Magic World Championship.

At the 2010 World Championship, a total of 352 players from 60 countries came to Chiba, Japan to compete across Standard, Draft, and Extended. The finals were a match between two great friends from France, who shared the same first name, hotel room, and decklist. For both Guillaume Matignon and Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, facing off against their testing partner in the finals was living the dream. In the end, Matignon brought home the trophy.

2 Jace Beleren 4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Sea Gate Oracle 3 Grave Titan 1 Duress 3 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Preordain 2 Disfigure 4 Mana Leak 2 Doom Blade 1 Cancel 2 Consume the Meek 4 Spreading Seas 3 Swamp 1 Verdant Catacombs 5 Island 1 Misty Rainforest 4 Darkslick Shores 4 Creeping Tar Pit 4 Drowned Catacomb 4 Tectonic Edge 2 Duress 2 Disfigure 1 Doom Blade 1 Sorin Markov 1 Deprive 3 Memoricide 2 Flashfreeze 3 Ratchet Bomb

Although there were even more ramp decks with Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and Primeval Titan than blue control decks at the start of Round 1, blue-black control was the clear breakout deck of the tournament. In the Top 8 of the event, five of the eight players were on blue-black control.

The decklist features removal, countermagic, sweepers, discard, and card draw, all the elements you would typically expect to see in a control deck. But one card stood above all: Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

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Jace, the Mind Sculptor was the first planeswalker to ever have four loyalty abilities, and all of them are powerhouses. His -1 ability protects himself when he comes down, bouncing an opposing creature to keep the board clear. His 0 ability is a free Brainstorm, which is one of the most iconic cards in Legacy. His +2 ability quickly ticks up the loyalty counters while "fatesealing" the opponent, locking them out of relevant draw steps. Finally, his -12 ability will win the game within a few turns. With such a strong set of abilities, Jace dominated Standard in 2010.

Under the rules at the time, there could only be one planeswalker of each type on the battlefield. If multiple Jace planeswalkers were on the battlefield, no matter under whose control, then all of them died. This is the main reason why the winning deck used two copies of Jace Beleren, It could trade for an opposing Jace, the Mind Sculptor for just three mana, even preemptively. As cards like Dreadbore or Bitter Triumph had not been printed yet, this was one of the best available answers to planeswalkers.

Several months later, the unprecedented dominance of Jace, the Mind Sculptor and homogeneity of the metagame would lead to the first Standard ban since 2005. "I would have preferred to go through my entire career as Director of Magic R&D without ever having to ban a card in Standard," said Aaron Forsythe in a detailed article explaining the banning. "We didn't fully understand Jace's power. His first ability underwent a significant late change, going from milling two cards to "fatesealing" one. That ability was playtested very little, and we didn't recognize just how easy it was to put away games with it."

For years, Jace, the Mind Sculptor was considered the best planeswalker of all time. It's still seeing play in Legacy to this day. Indeed, World Championships never fail to reveal the strongest individual cards in the format. This was true in 2010, and this year's top competitors—including Wouter Noordzij, who secured a slot with his victory at Arena Championship 6 this past weekend—will surely be looking forward to putting Duskmourn: House of Horror Standard through its paces later this year.

If you're attending MagicCon: Las Vegas on October 25–27, you will be able to see the best of the best duke it out live at Magic World Championship 30. MagicCon: Las Vegas attendees also have the chance to earn Pro Tour invites in Duskmourn: House of Horror Limited tournaments, win exclusive copies Murktide Regent at the Secret Lair Showdown, or show off their prowess at a Format Cup. As a celebration of all the various competitive Magic formats, it's guaranteed to be another awesome event!