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 3,400 players competed for cash prizes, special promos, and premier event qualifications across six Regional Championships around the world and Magic Spotlight: Secrets in Chiba, Japan.

Congratulations to the winners of each of these Regional Championships! Alongside the finalists from the United States and Europe, they all secured their seats at Magic World Championship 32.

• Australia/New Zealand (10 Pro Tour slots): Riley Beck emerged victorious with Selesnya Landfall.
• Southeast Asia (6 Pro Tour slots): Justin Chin claimed the title with Izzet Prowess.
• Mexico/Central America/Caribbean (4 Pro Tour slots): Francisco Avila triumphed with Dimir Excruciator.
• Chinese Taipei (3 Pro Tour slots): Samuel Chang won with Dimir Deceit.
• United States (32 Pro Tour slots): Jordan Selesnick, playing Azorius Momo, defeated Matt Xu's Mono-Green Landfall in the finals.
• Europe/Middle East/Africa (36 Pro Tour slots): Rasmus Enegren, playing Four-Color Control, defeated Ricardo Dias's Four-Color Control in the finals.

Recaps, photos, standings, and decklists from all of these events have already been posted or will soon appear on the official event coverage page. In addition, eight invitations to Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes were awarded at Magic Spotlight: Secrets in Chiba, Japan. Congratulations as well to Masataka Hori for securing the trophy with Izzet Prowess!

The Standard Metagame and Win Rates

Standard, the rotating 60-card format that currently allows expansion sets from Wilds of Eldraine forward, is one of Magic's premier competitive formats. Across the six Regional Championships and Japan's Magic Spotlight: Secrets, a total of 3,428 Standard decklists were available for analysis. After setting archetype names based on each deck's contents, I compiled the overall metagame share and match win rates for each archetype (excluding mirror matches, byes, and draws).

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "Other" category collects decks with a metagame share of less than one percent, including Dimir Midrange, Selesnya Ouroboroid, Golgari Midrange, Bant Rhythm, Mono-Red Aggro, Boros Dragons, Boros Mobilize, Bant Airbending, Allies, Mono-Black Demons, Mono-White Momo, and more.

This metagame from the weekends of May 23–24 and May 30–31 closely resembles the one observed across the four Regional Championships held on May 16–17. The format primer article covering those events provides a comprehensive overview of the top Standard decks and remains highly relevant today, encompassing nearly all the archetypes shown in the table above.

Yet while much remained unchanged, several surprising new decks emerged, and a number of intriguing developments have reshaped parts of the format. Let's take a closer look at them.

Izzet Prowess Remains on Top

7 Island 4 Eddymurk Crab 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Burst Lightning 4 Boomerang Basics 2 Get Out 2 Roaring Furnace 4 Flow State 2 Multiversal Passage 3 Slickshot Show-Off 2 Spell Pierce 2 Prismari Charm 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Steam Vents 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Return the Favor 1 Unsummon 1 Flashfreeze 2 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 1 Annul 1 Slagstorm 1 Bounce Off 1 Sear 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Stock Up 1 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Spell Snare 1 Broadside Barrage

Izzet Prowess remains the most-played deck in Standard, and it's also one of the best-performing decks, although it has a few bad matchups. The most common build uses Eddymurk Crab. At Magic Spotlight: Secrets, for example, five Izzet Prowess decks reached the Top 8, and all five featured the graveyard-reliant threat. The winning list by Masataka Hori included two copies of Prismari Charm, whose surveil ability helps fill the graveyard and reduce Eddymurk Crab's cost.

Versions without Eddymurk Crab are slightly less popular, but they continue to find success. For example, the list that Justin Chin used to win the Regional Championship for Southeast Asia relied on Drake Hatcher and Colorstorm Stallion as alternative threats, supported by Secret Identity as an efficient pump and protection spell. There are even more adventurous builds to explore. Anthony Boxleiter, for instance, posted a 10-5 record at the United States Regional Championship with a spicy list featuring Spider-Man 2099 and Wild Ride. Combining all variants, Izzet Prowess is the clear deck to defeat in Standard right now.

Jeskai Lessons Breaks Out

6 Island 1 Willowrush Verge 4 Opt 4 Elusive Otter 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Burst Lightning 4 Boomerang Basics 2 Colorstorm Stallion 1 Breeding Pool 4 Flow State 2 Secret Identity 1 Impractical Joke 1 Multiversal Passage 1 Spell Pierce 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Steam Vents 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Vibrant Outburst 4 Slickshot Show-Off 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Eddymurk Crab 2 Colorstorm Stallion 1 Bounce Off 2 Get Out 1 Roaring Furnace 1 Into the Flood Maw 2 Drake Hatcher 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Spell Pierce 1 Broadside Barrage

The breakout deck of the weekend was Jeskai Lessons, which combines the best elements of Izzet Lessons and Jeskai Control into a single, cohesive list. Gran-Gran reduces the cost of Jeskai Revelation, allowing you to ramp into the powerful spell ahead of schedule. Jeskai Revelation largely takes over the role that Artist's Talent and Monument to Endurance once filled as the deck's late-game win condition. Meanwhile, Tablet of Discovery provides two mana that can be used to cast Combustion Technique or Abandon Attachments. Together, these synergies create a remarkably powerful shell.

Jeskai Lessons was virtually nonexistent just a few weeks ago, yet it had a formidable debut. Representing only 2.2% of the combined Day One metagame, the deck posted an impressive 57.5% win rate and converted that success into multiple Pro Tour invitations. Naoya Sakata reached the Top 8 at Magic Spotlight: Secrets, while Matteo Bruschi advanced to the single-elimination rounds of the Regional Championship in Prague. Even more impressively, Jeskai Lessons recorded a 108-70 match record against Izzet Prowess (a 61% win rate), giving it a favorable matchup against the format's most-played deck.

Selesnya Goes on the Offense

2 Erode 4 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 2 Keen-Eyed Curator 4 Temple Garden 1 Emil, Vastlands Roamer 2 Seam Rip 6 Forest 2 Gene Pollinator 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Practiced Offense 4 Hushwood Verge 2 Ba Sing Se 4 Abandoned Air Temple 2 Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker 3 Plains 4 Pawpatch Recruit 4 Ouroboroid 2 Voice of Victory 2 Sheltered by Ghosts 1 Pyrrhic Strike 1 Seam Rip 1 Keen-Eyed Curator 1 Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker 2 Sage of the Skies 3 Restoration Magic 2 Rest in Peace 1 Voice of Victory 1 Erode

Another breakout strategy is one that I've ultimately labeled Selesnya Offense—a green-white deck reminiscent of the Selesnya Ouroboroid list that Matt Nass piloted to a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven. This version cuts Nature's Rhythm from the sideboard and instead leans harder into aggression, replacing cards like Sage of the Skies with threats such as Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker and Surrak, Elusive Hunter.

Yet the true star and namesake of the deck is Practiced Offense, which transforms a wide board of creatures into a devastating attack. Granting double strike is especially potent with Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker; as it turns it into a massive creature with hexproof, trample, and double strike. This combination of abilities makes opposing removal spells and blockers largely irrelevant, and a single attack can be enough to win the game on the spot.

Selesnya decks featuring at least three main-deck copies of Practiced Offense accounted for only 1% of the combined Day One metagame, but they carved out an impressive 56.5% win rate against the field and secured several Pro Tour invitations. The list shown above, which Austin Hoseney piloted to a 24th-place finish at the United States Regional Championship, represents the archetype's most typical configuration. Alexander Kans reached the Top 8 of the United States Regional Championship with Brightglass Gearhulk in place of Ouroboroid, while Marco Cammilluzzi made the Top 8 in Europe with a version featuring a collection of versatile one-ofs.

Mono-Green Landfall Eclipses Selesnya

3 Esper Origins 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 4 Earthbender Ascension 4 Mightform Harmonizer 4 Meltstrider's Resolve 4 Escape Tunnel 2 Demolition Field 1 Sapling Nursery 4 Sazh's Chocobo 3 Ba Sing Se 1 Keen-Eyed Curator 4 Icetill Explorer 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Fabled Passage 13 Forest 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 2 Pawpatch Formation 2 Royal Treatment 2 Dragon Sniper 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Keen-Eyed Curator 4 Mossborn Hydra 2 Sapling Nursery

After Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven featured a Selesnya Landfall mirror match in the finals between Christoffer Larsen and Nathan Steuer, the white splash for Erode became the most prominent variation. Across the four Regional Championships on May 16–17, Selesnya Landfall represented 13.8% of the field, while Mono-Green Landfall accounted for just 2.8%. But Standard evolves quickly.

As Four-Color Control grew in popularity, Sapling Nursery became significantly more appealing than Erode. While Erode can target your own lands to generate additional landfall triggers, Four-Color Control generally runs zero creature cards, leaving the removal spell with limited applications. Sapling Nursery, by contrast, can steadily overwhelm opposing their sweepers with a stream of threats. Mono-Green Landfall can also accommodate Demolition Field in its mana base, which fetches a basic Forest and can occasionally function as a Stone Rain, especially against Four-Color Control lists that run a lone Plains.

Over the past two weekends, Mono-Green Landfall surged to 7.1% of the metagame, while Selesnya Landfall dropped to just 4.4%. The performance gap was even more striking: Mono-Green Landfall posted an outstanding 55.9% win rate, whereas Selesnya Landfall managed only 48.2%. With Four-Color Control becoming an increasingly important part of the format, Mono-Green Landfall appears far better positioned. Sam Bogue piloted the list shown above to a 4th-place finish at the United States Regional Championship, securing his return to the Pro Tour in the process.

Dimir Deceit Finds Success

2 Swamp 1 Opulent Palace 3 Restless Reef 2 Overgrown Tomb 4 Deceit 3 Wistfulness 2 Oildeep Gearhulk 2 Winternight Stories 3 Bitter Triumph 4 Superior Spider-Man 2 Cavern of Souls 3 Day of Black Sun 2 Undercity Sewers 2 Wastewood Verge 1 Shoot the Sheriff 1 Deadly Cover-Up 4 Requiting Hex 2 Stock Up 4 Watery Grave 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Deathcap Glade 2 Overlord of the Balemurk 3 Emeritus of Ideation 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Strategic Betrayal 2 Doomsday Excruciator 2 Qarsi Revenant 4 Duress 1 Ghost Vacuum 2 Flashfreeze 1 Sunderflock

Most Dimir decks in today's Standard are Excruciator builds, which aim to mill out the opponent with Restless Reef after resolving Doomsday Excruciator. However, Samuel Chang won the Regional Championship for Chinese Taipei without the archetype's signature Demon, while Gonçalo Bragança posted a 10-4 record in Europe with an extremely similar list.

Although this new build shares much of its core with Dimir Excruciator, the lack of the Demon means it needs a different name. One of the deck's defining interactions is Superior Spider-Man copying Deceit, which generates powerful enters triggers and a substantial burst of value. That's why I've labeled the archetype Dimir Deceit. By cutting Doomsday Excruciator, the deck makes room for cards such as Wistfulness, Oildeep Gearhulk, and Overlord of the Balemurk, resulting in a compelling variation that enjoyed notable success over the past two weekends.

Izzet Opus Evolves

1 Mistrise Village 3 Lindblum, Industrial Regency 4 Burst Lightning 2 Bounce Off 4 Stormcarved Coast 1 Great Hall of the Biblioplex 4 Colorstorm Stallion 4 Ashling's Command 3 Island 1 Consult the Star Charts 3 Mountain 4 Sanar, Unfinished Genius 2 Sear 1 Firebending Lesson 2 Stock Up 4 Riverpyre Verge 3 Prismari Charm 4 Tablet of Discovery 2 Spirebluff Canal 4 Steam Vents 4 Improvisation Capstone 2 Stormchaser's Talent 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Mistrise Village 2 Slagstorm 2 Get Out 1 Into the Flood Maw 2 Spell Pierce 2 Emeritus of Ideation 2 Broadside Barrage

Several weeks ago, at Magic Spotlight: Secrets in London, Yann Alexandre Chouinard took his Izzet Opus brew with Molten-Core Maestro, Colorstorm Stallion, and Ashling's Command to a Top 8 finish, and it became a legitimate Standard contender since then. At last weekend's Regional Championship in Prague, Matej Zatlkaj finished in 20th place with a completely different build, eschewing Molten-Core Maestro and instead embracing the full four copies of Improvisation Capstone.

This Paradigm card is not only one of the sweetest ways to trigger opus on Colorstorm Stallion—the deck's primary win condition—but it also boasts a clever interaction with Adventure lands. After exiling Lindblum, Industrial Regency with Improvisation Capstone, you can cast its spell side. Since those cards count as having mana value 0 when exiled, you can continue exiling additional cards from the top of your library. It all requires a bit of finesse, but when everything comes together, Improvisation Capstone truly shines in this deck.

What's Next for Standard?

With newcomers like Jeskai Lessons and Selesnya Offense challenging the dominance of Izzet Prowess, Standard continues to evolve. Although the latest cycle of Regional Championships concluded this past weekend, there is still plenty of high-level Standard competition on the horizon.

MTG Arena will host Standard Qualifier Play-In events on June 6–7 and June 12, followed by the Standard Qualifier Weekend on June 13–14. Later in the month, Magic Online will run a Standard Regional Championship Super Qualifier on June 28. Additionally, your local game store may be running Standard Showdown events—a weekly play program where players gather to compete in Standard tournaments for special promo cards.

Looking beyond Standard, one of the most exciting upcoming events is Magic Spotlight: Marvel Super Heroes. Featuring the beloved Team Limited format, one of these events will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 27–28, while another is scheduled for Brussels, Belgium, on July 24–26, the weekend following MagicCon: Amsterdam. No matter your preferred format, the competitive Magic calendar remains packed with opportunities, and there's always another event waiting just around the corner.